Russia

Hungary pre-election showdown draws crowds amid foreign interference claims

BY ANDRAS ROSTOVANYI

  • "We will not be a Ukrainian colony," read one of the banners carried ahead of the crowd, which later chanted "Viktor, Viktor" as the Hungarian premier took the stage in front of the parliament.
  • Huge crowds joined rival marches staged by Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and his main opponent Peter Magyar in Budapest on Sunday, as both push allegations of foreign interference just four weeks before tightly-fought elections.
  • "We will not be a Ukrainian colony," read one of the banners carried ahead of the crowd, which later chanted "Viktor, Viktor" as the Hungarian premier took the stage in front of the parliament.
Huge crowds joined rival marches staged by Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and his main opponent Peter Magyar in Budapest on Sunday, as both push allegations of foreign interference just four weeks before tightly-fought elections.
Orban -- who faces an unprecedented challenge to his 16-year rule -- has sought to portray the opposition leader as a "puppet" of Brussels and Kyiv, while Magyar has accused the Moscow-friendly premier of seeking the Kremlin's help to stay in power ahead of the April 12 elections.
The nationalist leader in his speech Sunday urged Ukraine to stop "attacking" the central European country.
In a heated spat, he has accused Kyiv in past weeks of blocking a key pipeline transporting Russian oil through Ukraine to Hungary.
Magyar, in turn, accused Orban on Sunday of seeking to curb Hungary's freedom by "inviting Russian agents" to "interfere in the elections".
This follows reports by regional investigative outlet VSquare and the Financial Times of a covert Russian social media campaign to boost Orban and weaken the opposition.
Tens of thousands of people attended both rallies, according to AFP journalists on site.

' We will not be a Ukranian colony'

Hungarians from around the country travelled to Orban's rally dubbed a "peace march" on the country's national day, many using buses rented by a group close to Orban's Fidesz party.
"There is unrest all over the world, and here in our little country we want to preserve peace, calm and security. And Viktor Orban ensures that for us," said Sandorne Pista, 60, who came from the southern university town of Pecs.
"We will not be a Ukrainian colony," read one of the banners carried ahead of the crowd, which later chanted "Viktor, Viktor" as the Hungarian premier took the stage in front of the parliament.
"Give us our oil, then roll your trucks over to the cash register in Brussels to collect money from the West, since they can't say no," Orban said in reference to the ongoing oil dispute with Kiyv.
Orban's party has been trailing in polls since last year, and he has recently centred his campaign on attacking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Tensions between Zelensky and Orban reached new heights last week, when Zelensky appeared to issue a direct threat against Orban and Hungary detained and then expelled a group of Ukrainian bank employees.
Orban told supporters that either he or the Ukrainian leader will form Hungary's next government.
Zelensky, whose country has been battling a Russian invasion since 2022, in a fresh statement Sunday accused Hungary's government of spreading "anti-Ukrainian sentiment".
"We are ready to work amicably (with any Hungarian leader), provided this person is not an ally of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," he said.

'Russians go home'

Opposition supporters marched behind horsemen dressed as hussars -- Hungary's historic light cavalry formation.
Many have dismissed the government accusations against Magyar's party.
"They're trying to divert attention away from the scandalous state of public affairs," Noemi Kiss, a 28-year-old communications manager, told AFP.
Amid recurring chants of "Russians go home," Magyar promised the crowd that his party would achieve a "victory so great" that "it will be visible... even from the Kremlin."
He also vowed that his government will bring an end to "hatred, division and fear" in public discourse.
Billboards against Zelensky have sprung up in recent weeks across Hungary, using images of the Ukrainian leader next to Magyar.
"Orban is doing everything he can to rev up the war psychosis that brought him a fourth supermajority in 2022" after Russia invaded Ukraine, Robert Laszlo, an election specialist at the think-tank Political Capital, told AFP.
mg-ros/jza/rlp

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • - Deadly strikes hit Lebanon - Overnight strikes in Sidon and Al-Qatrani, southern Lebanon, killed at least four people, Lebanese state media and the government said. burs-rlp/jhb
  • Here are the latest events in the Middle East war: - UN force shot at - The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers were fired upon three times, "likely by non-state armed groups", in the country's south, two days after another position was hit.
  • - Deadly strikes hit Lebanon - Overnight strikes in Sidon and Al-Qatrani, southern Lebanon, killed at least four people, Lebanese state media and the government said. burs-rlp/jhb
Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:

UN force shot at

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers were fired upon three times, "likely by non-state armed groups", in the country's south, two days after another position was hit.

Baghdad airport hit

Several drones and rockets targeted a military base at the Baghdad airport complex, which also houses a US diplomatic facility, security sources told AFP.

Oil reserves released

Strategic oil reserves will be released "immediately" in Asia and Oceania, and as early as the end of March in America and Europe, the International Energy Agency said, as governments try to contain the surge in prices caused by the war.

Iran says no talks

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not interested in talks with the United States, pushing back on President Donald Trump's stance that Tehran wants a deal to end the war.

Israelis injured

At least eight people were injured in Israel following repeated missile launches from Iran, at least two of which contained cluster munitions, according to Israeli authorities.

Italy-US base hit

Italy's military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but said all its personnel were safe.

Lebanon says 850 dead

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed 850 people in the country during two weeks of war between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, including 66 women, 107 children and 32 health workers, with 2,105 wounded.

Hezbollah missile

Hezbollah said its fighters targeted Israel's Palmachim air base south of Tel Aviv with "an advanced missile".

Hamas official killed

An Israeli strike in south Lebanon's Sidon area killed Hamas official Wissam Taha, a source from the Palestinian militant group told AFP, after state media reported a strike on an apartment.

Iran footballer drops asylum bid

The captain of the Iranian women's football team, Zahra Ghanbari, withdrew her bid for asylum in Australia, state media said -- the fifth member of the delegation to do so.
Team members sought asylum after refusing to sing their national anthem at an Asian Cup match earlier this month in a show of defiance of the Islamic republic.

Iran US bases claim

Araghchi said Tehran has "ample evidence" US bases in the Middle East have been used to attack Iran, claiming missiles were launched from the UAE to attack the Kharg Island oil hub.

Israel emergency funds

Israel approved an $827-million emergency budget allocation for military purchases, Israeli media reported.

Iran targets Israeli police

Iran's army said it had targeted a police unit called "Lahav 433" and the "Gilat Defense" satellite communications centre in Israel with drone strikes, according to a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

Iran escalation warning

Araghchi urged other countries "refrain from any action that could lead to escalation and expansion of the conflict", according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement.

UK de-escalation call

UK Energy Security Minister Ed Miliband told the BBC the "plan now has to be to de-escalate the conflict", after US President Donald Trump demanded other nations help protect world oil supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran arrests suspects

Iranian authorities have arrested at least 20 people in the country's northwestern province of West Azerbaijan on suspicion of cooperating with Israel, Iranian media reported.

Deadly strikes hit Lebanon

Overnight strikes in Sidon and Al-Qatrani, southern Lebanon, killed at least four people, Lebanese state media and the government said.
burs-rlp/jhb

conflict

Hundreds rally in London for banned pro-Palestinian march

BY HELEN ROWE

  • London police's Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan has claimed the march organisers are "supportive of the Iranian regime".
  • Hundreds of people turned out in London Sunday for a pro-Palestinian march banned by the government after police said it was organised by a group "supportive of the Iranian regime".
  • London police's Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan has claimed the march organisers are "supportive of the Iranian regime".
Hundreds of people turned out in London Sunday for a pro-Palestinian march banned by the government after police said it was organised by a group "supportive of the Iranian regime".
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said earlier this week she had agreed to the ban to "prevent serious public disorder" in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, where Iran has launched strikes in retaliation against a US-Israeli offensive.
It is the first time a protest march in the capital has been banned since 2012 but a static demonstration was permitted, according to the Metropolitan police.
Police kept people in the annual Al-Quds Day event and counter-protesters apart by allowing them to gather on opposite sides of the River Thames not far from parliament.
Pro-Palestinian protesters who were directed to the south side of the river waved flags and held up placards with slogans such as "Stop Israeli war crimes," in a reference to Israel's offensive in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks.
"I just feel so strongly that what has happened to the Palestinians is so unjust," pensioner Jean Apps, 81, from Purley in south London, told AFP.
"And now I am here also because of the illegal attacks on Iran. I know Iran is not perfect but the Iranian people should be left to sort out their own problems," she added.
On the other side of the river counter-demonstrators waved US and Israeli flags along with the the Lion and Sun Iranian flag favoured by exiles. 
They also held up placards with the words "Make Iran great again" and "Standing with my Jewish friends".
They chanted: "Long live the king," referring to Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of Iran's last shah who was ousted by the 1979 revolution. 
"We are supporting the king of Iran, we are asking America and Israel to help us eliminate the IRGC," Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said Shiva, 37, an Iranian chef living in London.
"They don't care about the people, they are just killing us. It's a cruel regime," she added.

Ban 'politically charged'

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), an NGO which organises the annual Al-Quds Day march, strongly condemned the decision to ban the event, calling the move "politically charged".
It said the London police "unashamedly regurgitate Zionist talking points" about the IHRC without evidence.
The march was an "international demonstration... in support of Palestinians and all the oppressed around the world", the group added after the ban was announced.
Rally participant Ali, 19, said he was there to "stand with the oppressed".
"The last few years have really been a wake-up call in terms of the oppression we have seen across the world, not just in Gaza," said the London-based project coordinator.
Mahmood said on Tuesday she was "satisfied" a ban was "necessary" due to the march's scale and context.
The minister added that she expected to see "the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division".
Al-Quds day, which takes its name from the Arabic for Jerusalem, originated in Iran in 1979 in support of the Palestinian people and is now marked annually in various countries. It aims to protest Israel's occupation of east Jerusalem.
London police's Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan has claimed the march organisers are "supportive of the Iranian regime".
In a post on X, the force said three arrests had been made during the rally, "one for showing support for a proscribed organisation, one for dangerous driving and a third for threatening and abusive behaviour".
har/rlp

US

Iran says women's football captain withdraws Australia asylum bid

BY STUART WILLIAMS WITH DAVID WILLIAMS IN SYDNEY

  • Seven members of Iran's visiting football delegation competing in the Women's Asian Cup had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem. 
  • The captain of the Iranian women's football team which played in the Asian Cup in Australia has withdrawn her bid for asylum, state media said Sunday, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind.
  • Seven members of Iran's visiting football delegation competing in the Women's Asian Cup had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem. 
The captain of the Iranian women's football team which played in the Asian Cup in Australia has withdrawn her bid for asylum, state media said Sunday, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind.
A former player and a Persian-language TV channel based outside Iran said the players had been pressured to reverse their stance through threats against families back home. But Iranian authorities have in turn accused Australia of pressuring the players to stay.
Captain Zahra Ghanbari, a striker and the national team's top goalscorer, has withdrawn her asylum application and will now head from Australia to Malaysia and from there fly back to Iran, the state-run IRNA news agency said. 
Three players and one backroom staff member had already in previous days withdrawn their bids for asylum and travelled to Malaysia.
Seven members of Iran's visiting football delegation competing in the Women's Asian Cup had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem. 
The football drama has unfolded against a backdrop of war in the Middle East unleashed by US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, which also followed protests against the clerical system that peaked in January.
Following the captain's reported move to go back on her asylum request, only two of them are now set to remain in Australia. The players returning to Iran were at a hotel in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur awaiting their onward travel.
There was no immediate comment from Australian authorities on Ghanbari's situation.
Last week one player had changed her mind, followed by two players and the one staff member who left Australia on Saturday.
Australia Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement that day that "three members of the Iranian Women's Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran". 
He said that after informing Australian officials of their decision "the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options", he said.
The Australian government gave team members the opportunity to seek refuge but players faced "incredibly difficult decisions", the minister said.

'Cruelty and desperation'

But Shiva Amini, a former Iranian national futsal player who now lives in exile, wrote on X that she had heard information that Iran's Football Federation, working with the Revolutionary Guards, "placed intense and systematic pressure on the players' families in Iran".
Amini, who herself left Iran after a controversy involving not wearing the hijab, said that authorities pressured the mother of Ghanbari and added this "shows the level of cruelty and desperation they are willing to use to force these athletes to comply".
Opposition television channel Iran International said it had also received information that the families have been threatened, with Ghanbari's mother summoned by the Guards' intelligence branch at home and her daughter then informed of the interrogation.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic.
Iranian media reports hailed her move, with IRNA saying she was "returning to the embrace of the homeland" and the Mehr news agency describing it as a "patriotic decision".
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lauded the bravery of the women, vowing they would be welcomed with open arms.
The Iranian players caught international attention when they fell silent as the national anthem played ahead of a tournament match in Australia, an act viewed as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic republic.
The side in later matches sang the Islamic republic's anthem.
A presenter on Iranian state TV branded the players "wartime traitors", fuelling fears they could face persecution, or worse, if they returned home. 
djw-sjw/jsa

Israel

Strait of Hormuz forms part of front line in Mideast war

  • - 'Maritime disruption' - The UKMTO said in its latest advisory, issued on Saturday, that, since the war started, "at least twenty maritime incidents involving commercial vessels and offshore infrastructure have been reported" across the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
  • Attacks targeting commercial vessels in or near the Strait of Hormuz have put the blockaded waterway on the front line of the Middle East war, with spreading economic repercussions.
  • - 'Maritime disruption' - The UKMTO said in its latest advisory, issued on Saturday, that, since the war started, "at least twenty maritime incidents involving commercial vessels and offshore infrastructure have been reported" across the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
Attacks targeting commercial vessels in or near the Strait of Hormuz have put the blockaded waterway on the front line of the Middle East war, with spreading economic repercussions.
Iran's quest to inflict maximum pain on the global economy in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes has all but shut the narrow strait through which 20 percent of global crude and LNG normally passes.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged countries that rely on oil carried through the Hormuz strait to step up and help take responsibility for keeping the passage open -- with American support.
Currently, only a tiny fraction of the vessels that used to navigate the strategic waterway have made it through, while some have ended up in flames.

Vessels hit

At least 10 oil tankers have been hit, targeted or reported attacks since the start of the conflict, according to data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Iraqi authorities, and Iranian authorities.
Seven were reported to the UKMTO: the Skylight, MKD Vyom, Hercules Star, Ocean Electra, Stena Imperative, Libra Trader and Sonangol Namibe.
Iraq's State Organisation for Marketing of Oil said two other oil tankers, Safesea Vishnu and Zefyros, were hit on Thursday.
The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Iranian military, claimed drone strikes on two other oil tankers: the Prima and the Louis P. It also said it hit the Athe Nova, an asphalt/bitumen tanker.
AFP was not in a position to independently verify these claims.
Four bulk carriers, three container ships, a tugboat, an oil drilling vessel and a cargo ship also reported explosions, strikes or suspicious activity in the area to UKMTO.
Thailand's navy said its bulk carrier, the Mayuree Naree, was attacked while transiting the strait. Oman's navy rescued 20 crew members, but efforts were underway to find three more.
The Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack on Wednesday, and also said they had struck a Liberia-flagged vessel.
Provisional figures from the IMO show that at least six sailors and a port worker were killed, and one sailor was still reported missing as of Wednesday.

'Maritime disruption'

The UKMTO said in its latest advisory, issued on Saturday, that, since the war started, "at least twenty maritime incidents involving commercial vessels and offshore infrastructure have been reported" across the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
It said that there was "no consistent pattern of Western ownership linkage, suggesting that the current strike pattern reflects a campaign aimed at broad maritime disruption rather than selective vessel targeting".
The Western-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) concurred, saying that while some vessels "have potential Western commercial associations... multiple attacks have involved vessels with no confirmed affiliation to US or Israeli ownership".

'Burn any ship'

Iranian officials have issued contradictory statements regarding the Strait of Hormuz since the war's outbreak.
On March 3, a Revolutionary Guards general threatened to "burn any ship" attempting to cross the strait and to block all oil exports from the Gulf.
But three days later, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had "no intention" of closing the passage.
And on Wednesday, IRGC naval commander Alireza Tangsiri said in a social media post that "any vessel intending to pass must get permission from Iran". 
Separately, the Iranian military's operational command declared on state television that any vessel belonging to the United States, Israel or their allies would be considered a legitimate target and repeated a warning that it would "not allow a single litre of oil to transit" the strait.

Mine-layers destroyed

The Pentagon said Tuesday that US forces had destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels that could have been used to block the strait, but attacks with drones or missiles continued on Wednesday with at least three ships hit.
After US attacks on military infrastructure on Iran's crude oil export hub of Kharg Island Saturday, Trump warned that for "reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island".
"However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision."
France's President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is current president of the Group of Seven advanced economies, on Wednesday urged other G7 leaders to act to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz "as soon as possible".
bur-lam-vr-sjw/rmb

Global Edition

Kazakhstan votes on constitution overhaul

  • To boost turnout and support for the referendum, authorities have involved famous athletes and mobilised workers in mining and oil industries -- two important sectors in the Kazakh economy. 
  • Kazakhs began voting Sunday in a constitutional referendum that authorities brand as democratising -- though several proposed amendments appear to strengthen presidential powers in Central Asia's richest country.
  • To boost turnout and support for the referendum, authorities have involved famous athletes and mobilised workers in mining and oil industries -- two important sectors in the Kazakh economy. 
Kazakhs began voting Sunday in a constitutional referendum that authorities brand as democratising -- though several proposed amendments appear to strengthen presidential powers in Central Asia's richest country.
The vote on changing around 80 percent of the country's basic law has been pushed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who seeks to balance the resource-rich former Soviet republic's ties between the European Union, Russia and China.
More than half of the country's approximately 12.5 million registered voters had cast their ballots by 2:00 pm local time (0900 GMT), according to electoral authorities.
After 2022 protests over the cost of living escalated into riots and left 238 people dead, the president pledged to liberalise the political system to build a "just Kazakhstan".
Announcing the amendments in February, he said: "Kazakhstan is once and for all moving away from a super-presidential form of rule and transitioning to a presidential republic with a strong parliament."
Tokayev, a Soviet-educated former diplomat who speaks fluent Chinese, said his proposals would essentially create a "new system of state governance" that would "allow for the redistribution of power" and "strengthen the checks and balances system".
However, several proposals indicate the opposite: the president would be able to appoint top officials such as the heads of the central bank, the intelligence services and the constitutional court. 
The positions currently require approval from the Senate, the parliament's upper chamber, which would be abolished under the amendments.
Instead, a new single-chamber assembly, the Kurultai, would be created. But the head of state would be able to dissolve it and rule by executive orders if the parliament refuses to approve presidential nominees to key posts twice.
The amendments provide for a further tightening of freedom of speech, stating that it must not "undermine the morality of society or violate public order", according to the draft text.

Critics detained

Demonstrations -- already rare in Kazakhstan -- could also face further limitations.
The sweeping constitutional overhaul was proposed just a month ago and then rushed through a hasty two-week campaign that saw little criticism.
International observers say that elections in Kazakhstan are often predictable and tend to ratify decisions taken by the leadership, as across much of post-Soviet Central Asia.
Tokayev brands himself as a reformer seeking to break with the country's authoritarian past, but rights groups say democratic institutions remain tightly controlled. 
To boost turnout and support for the referendum, authorities have involved famous athletes and mobilised workers in mining and oil industries -- two important sectors in the Kazakh economy. 
Several critics of the reforms have been summoned by police or briefly detained, while journalists who published independent opinion polls have been fined.
burs-bk/sbk

conflict

Zelensky: EU pressure to open Russian oil pipeline is 'blackmail'

BY ANIA TSOUKANOVA

  • But if I am given conditions that Ukraine will not receive weapons, then, excuse me, I am powerless on this issue, I told our friends in Europe that this is called blackmail," Zelensky told reporters, including AFP, when asked about re-opening the pipeline.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his European allies that pressure to re-open the Druzhba oil pipeline carrying Russian supplies was like "blackmail", he said in remarks released Sunday.
  • But if I am given conditions that Ukraine will not receive weapons, then, excuse me, I am powerless on this issue, I told our friends in Europe that this is called blackmail," Zelensky told reporters, including AFP, when asked about re-opening the pipeline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his European allies that pressure to re-open the Druzhba oil pipeline carrying Russian supplies was like "blackmail", he said in remarks released Sunday.
The Soviet-era pipeline that crosses Ukraine was damaged in a Russian strike in January, Kyiv says. Ukraine says repairs could take up to six weeks, angering both Hungary and Slovakia, which depend on the pipeline for much of their energy needs.
Hungary and Slovakia have threatened to block EU aid to Ukraine unless it swiftly re-opens the pipeline, while the European Commission has proposed a mission to inspect the damage, further pressuring Kyiv.
The war in the Middle East has brought the issue of oil deliveries into sharp focus, with countries worldwide looking for ways to release more supplies onto the market to ease prices.
"If we have decided to restore Russian oil supplies, then I want them to know that I am against it... But if I am given conditions that Ukraine will not receive weapons, then, excuse me, I am powerless on this issue, I told our friends in Europe that this is called blackmail," Zelensky told reporters, including AFP, when asked about re-opening the pipeline.
Zelensky also hit out at Hungary in his remarks, accusing its government of spreading "anti-Ukrainian sentiment".
Tensions between Kyiv and Budapest over the pipeline have erupted in recent weeks, with Zelensky and Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban trading barbs.
"We will work with any leadership in Hungary... We are ready to work amicably, provided this person is not an ally of Putin, specifically the aggressor state," Zelensky said.

US should not 'step away' from Ukraine

The US-Israeli war with Iran has upended global energy markets. The Strait of Hormuz, a route that once accounted for a fifth of the world's oil supplies, has been virtually paralysed due to the conflict.
Ukraine, which has sent teams offering expertise in downing drones to Washington's allies in the Gulf, has expressed concern that the United States's focus on the Iran war could delay support to Kyiv.
"We are demonstrating our readiness to help the United States and its allies in the Middle East... We very much hope that, because of the Middle East, the United States will not step away from the issue of the war in Ukraine," Zelensky said.
Ukraine has so far only offered expertise to the Gulf and is not "at war with Iran", Zelensky said.
Russia -- which invaded Ukraine in February 2022 -- has continued attacking its neighbour, even as global focus shifts to the Iran war.
A Russian drone attack on an ambulance in the northeastern Kharkiv region early Sunday killed two medics, local police said.
Over the past week alone, the Russian military struck Ukraine with thousands of drones and aerial bombs, as well dozens of missiles, Zelensky said.
A Ukrainian drone caused a fire at an oil depot in Russia's southern Krasnodar region overnight, regional authorities said.
France will provide Ukraine with an air defence system later this year that may be capable of blocking ballistic missiles, Zelensky told reporters.
ant-cad/giv

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • "A short while ago, the IDF began a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in western Iran," the army said in a statement.
  • Here are the latest events in the Middle East war: - Israel launches 'wide-scale' strikes - Israel's military said it began a broad wave of strikes on western Iran, more than two weeks into the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
  • "A short while ago, the IDF began a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in western Iran," the army said in a statement.
Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:

Israel launches 'wide-scale' strikes

Israel's military said it began a broad wave of strikes on western Iran, more than two weeks into the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
"A short while ago, the IDF began a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in western Iran," the army said in a statement.

Iraq warns of prison at risk

Iraq warned that drone attacks near Baghdad airport threatened the security of the nearby prison housing Islamic State group suspects recently brought from Syria. 
They have been held since in Baghdad's al-Karkh prison, once a US Army detention centre known as Camp Cropper, which is part of Baghdad airport's complex that has been subjected to repeated strikes. 
Since the start of the Middle East war, Tehran-backed armed groups have been claiming daily drone and rocket attacks against US bases in Iraq.

Zelensky fears losing US support

Ukraine does not want to lose US support for its struggle against Russia as a result of Washington's war with Iran, President Volodymyr Zelensky has told journalists. 
"We are showing our willingness to help the United States and their allies in the Middle East" by offering to share Ukraine's drone expertise, and "we strongly hope that as a result of the Middle East, the United States will not turn its back on the question of the war in Ukraine", he added.  

Iran Guards threaten Israeli PM

Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed on Sunday to "pursue and kill" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to their website Sepah News. 

Pentagon identifies soldiers killed

The Pentagon released the identities of six US crew members killed during the crash of a refuelling aircraft in western Iraq earlier this week, which authorities said was not caused by "hostile fire."
The Pentagon said the six members killed in the crash were John Klinner, 33; Ariana Savino, 31; Ashley Pruitt, 34; Seth Koval, 38; Curtis Angst, 30; and Tyler Simmons, 28.

South Korea evacuates more than 200

South Korea is evacuating 204 of its citizens and seven other nationals from the Middle East using a military aircraft, the foreign ministry said, calling the operation "unprecedented".
The evacuees are due to arrive in South Korea on Sunday afternoon.

Loud explosions heard in Bahrain's Manama

Explosions rang out over Bahrain's capital of Manama early on Sunday, two AFP journalists said.
Bahrain said it had intercepted 125 missiles and 203 drones since the start of Iran's attacks, which have killed two people in the kingdom and 24 others in neighbouring Gulf nations.

Iraq football team to travel to Mexico  

Iraq will travel to Mexico for a 2026 World Cup playoff match despite calls for it to be postponed due to the Middle East war, the country's football association said Saturday.
The national team would depart in the coming days via a private plane ahead of the match scheduled for March 31 in the Mexican city of Monterrey. 

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia F1 races cancelled

The Formula One races scheduled for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled due to the conflict, motorsport's governing body announced.

More Iranian footballers drop asylum bid

Three members of the Iranian women's football team granted asylum in Australia have changed their minds and decided to return home to Iran, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.
One other team member seeking refuge had a change of heart in the past week and left the country, leaving a total of three out of seven asylum seekers from the squad still in Australia.
burs-giv/sbk

US

The environment, another casualty of war in the Mideast

BY JULIEN MIVIELLE

  • In Tehran, attacks on fuel depots last weekend plunged the capital into darkness as poisonous black clouds rose from burning oil facilities.
  • From the jet fuel used in bombing raids to acrid smoke from burning oil depots, the conflict in the Middle East is inflicting a significant toll on nature and the climate.
  • In Tehran, attacks on fuel depots last weekend plunged the capital into darkness as poisonous black clouds rose from burning oil facilities.
From the jet fuel used in bombing raids to acrid smoke from burning oil depots, the conflict in the Middle East is inflicting a significant toll on nature and the climate.
AFP interviewed experts about the environmental cost of war that often goes under the radar:

Bombers and warships

US and Israeli aircraft use a considerable amount of fuel reaching the Gulf and flying sorties over Iran, said Benjamin Neimark at the Queen Mary University of London.
Deploying stealth bombers and fighter jets around the clock adds a significant amount of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
"The US Navy also has a significant fleet which will be operating remotely for some time," Neimark told AFP.
"That is a significant number of US troops that need to be fed, housed, and working around the clock. These floating cities all need energy."
This is provided in part by polluting diesel generators, even if most larger aircraft carriers are nuclear powered, an energy source that produces far less emissions than fossil fuels.
But many experts take into account everything from the manufacture of weapons and explosives to post-war reconstruction efforts when estimating the total environmental impact of conflict.
According to one study published in the peer-reviewed journal One Earth, the Gaza conflict generated some 33 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent -- an amount comparable to 7.6 million gasoline-powered cars, or the annual emissions of a small country like Jordan.
And by one estimate, the war in Ukraine has caused more than 300 million tonnes of additional emissions -- equivalent to France's annual output.
This estimate, by the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War, takes into account military operations and reconstruction efforts, forest fires, and longer flight routes.

Climate cost

This conflict is playing out on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for the passage of oil and gas supplies to global markets dependent on energy from the Gulf.
Ships transporting these highly flammable fuels through the narrow waterway -- along with the region's oil and gas refineries and storage facilities -- were "all a target" in this war, said Neimark.
"Clearly this conflict is different," he said.
"We have already seen a significant amount of refineries targeted. These toxic flames are deadly and have a severe climate cost."
The oil wells set ablaze in Kuwait in the 1990s during the first Gulf War took months to extinguish and released an estimated 130 to 400 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

Ripple effect

Since erupting on February 28, the conflict has sent oil prices soaring and focused fresh attention on the global transition to cleaner, more climate-friendly forms of energy.
Andreas Rudinger, from the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, said the economic knock-on effects of the war had put policy makers "under pressure to reduce the burden on prices over climate action".
Brussels has faced pressure to relax its emissions trading rules in response to surging energy prices, while other governments have taken steps to help motorists fill up at the pump.
But there's also a "glass half-full perspective", said Rudinger.
"From a purely economic standpoint... rising fossil fuel prices make decarbonization and electrification solutions more attractive," he said.
He pointed to the rise in popularity of heat pumps in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which caused energy prices in Europe to rise sharply.
In general, the increase in energy costs stemming from the war in the Middle East should temper demand in what economists call price elasticity.

Pollution risks

Apart from climate concerns, strikes on energy infrastructure, oil tankers and military targets pollute the surrounding air and water and spread highly toxic chemicals far and wide, experts say.
In Tehran, attacks on fuel depots last weekend plunged the capital into darkness as poisonous black clouds rose from burning oil facilities.
Mathilde Jourde, from the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), said targeting nuclear, military and energy sites had "extremely polluting" consequences for air, water and soil.
"We're just scratching the surface but can already see that there are hundreds of damaged facilities in Iran and neighbouring countries that pose pollution risks to people and the environment," Doug Weir, director of the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), told AFP.
"We have particular concerns around damaged oil infrastructure, military facilities and the sensitive marine environment of the Persian Gulf."
jmi/np/ceg

mayor

French right-wing ex-minister vies for Paris city hall

BY TONI CERDA AND ALICE HACKMAN

  • Dati, 60, hopes to replace Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, 66, who is to step down after two terms in the post, leaving behind a legacy that includes making the Seine swimmable for the first time in a century for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
  • Leftist mayors have transformed Paris over the past 25 years to include countless cycling lanes, a cleaner Seine river, and even fresher air.
  • Dati, 60, hopes to replace Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, 66, who is to step down after two terms in the post, leaving behind a legacy that includes making the Seine swimmable for the first time in a century for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Leftist mayors have transformed Paris over the past 25 years to include countless cycling lanes, a cleaner Seine river, and even fresher air.
But concerns over safety and rubbish collection could usher in a return of the right in local polls starting on Sunday.
Rachida Dati, a right-winger who until recently was the culture minister, wants to become the capital's second woman mayor in a row.
Dati, 60, hopes to replace Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, 66, who is to step down after two terms in the post, leaving behind a legacy that includes making the Seine swimmable for the first time in a century for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Dati has thrown all she has into her campaign for city hall, despite a trial looming in September on corruption charges she denies.
Riding on the back of a garbage collector's truck for her social media accounts, she has promised a city that is clean seven days a week.
Also a former justice minister, Dati wants to boost law and order by giving weapons to municipal police officers and increasing video surveillance.
Her main rival is 48-year-old Socialist candidate Emmanuel Gregoire, Hidalgo's deputy.
He wants to increase the number of bike lanes, parks and green walking paths, as well as improve public housing in a capital of 2 million people where rent is often prohibitive.
"Paris could well swing to the right," said Mathieu Gallard of the IPSOS BVA pollster.
"The race right now looks tight," he added, with many Parisians demanding change, but also a tendency to vote for the left in recent elections.

Prestigious role

The role of Paris mayor -- held by the left since 2001 -- is coveted not only for being a glamourous position leading one of the world's most visited cities, but also as a past launching pad for the presidency.
The late Jacques Chirac, also from the right, was in charge of the French capital from 1977 to 1995 before he was elected head of state.
Hidalgo, the outgoing mayor, however scored just 1.7 percent in the last presidential elections.
Supporters credit Hidalgo and her Green allies with boosting bike lanes and pushing out traffic from the city centre. According to one study, nitrogen dioxide -- a gas emitted by cars -- dropped by 40 percent between 2012 and 2022 in the Paris region.
But critics accuse her of merely shifting traffic elsewhere, while also allowing security, cleanliness and public transport to deteriorate.
"We've come a long way, but we need to take it even further," Hidalgo said this week, as she planted a tree in a Paris square.
Dati winning "would really be a step backward", she added.
Dati is in September to appear in court charged with having received 900,000 euros from a subsidiary of carmaker Renault-Nissan between 2010 and 2012 when she was a member of the European Parliament.
She denies the allegations.
Gregoire is campaigning after accusations school monitors employed by the city physically or sexually abused kindergarten pupils.
He has pledged to improve the training of school monitors.

'Emily in Paris'

Any successful candidate will have to win at least 10 percent of the vote in the first round, and then form alliances to emerge victorious in the runoffs a week later on March 22.
Apart from Dati and Gregoire, three others could make it through, according to the opinion polls. They are centre-right candidate Pierre-Yves Bournazel, hard-left candidate Sophia Chikirou and far-right hopeful Sarah Knafo.
"This Sunday Parisians will have an easy choice -- to either continue as before or change," Dati told supporters on Thursday night in the neighbourhood of Montmartre.
Several kilometres away in the Cirque d'Hiver -- an indoor arena theatre -- Gregoire urged his fans to "resist".
"Dati wants Paris to look like an episode of 'Emily in Paris', but that is not the reality of our city," he said, referring to the popular Netflix show.
"Paris is alive, Paris is green, Paris is proud, Paris stands in solidarity, Paris is working class, Paris is feminist. It reinvents itself each generation," he said.
burs-tjc-ah/jj/rlp/ceg

conflict

Deadly Israeli settler violence surges in West Bank during Iran war

BY LOUIS BAUDOIN-LAARMAN

  • Abu Falah sits in an area particularly prone to settler attacks and army violence, with near-daily incidents in neighbouring villages.
  • When Israeli settlers attacked their West Bank village of Abu Falah, Milia Hamayel told her son not to try to fight them off, but the 30-year-old went to defend a friend's land anyway.
  • Abu Falah sits in an area particularly prone to settler attacks and army violence, with near-daily incidents in neighbouring villages.
When Israeli settlers attacked their West Bank village of Abu Falah, Milia Hamayel told her son not to try to fight them off, but the 30-year-old went to defend a friend's land anyway.
"I called him two or three more times and he didn't answer. After that -- may God have mercy on him -- that was it," she told AFP, her lips trembling as she looked at a framed picture of her son, Thaer. 
A little while later Thaer was dead, shot and killed alongside another man from the village, Palestinian authorities said. A third Palestinian man died from suffocation after the Israeli army fired tear gas, they said. 
While the world's attention is focused on the US-Israeli war with Iran, the Israeli-occupied West Bank has experienced a surge in deadly settler violence. 
Since the start of the month, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks, according to a tally of data from the Ramallah-based health ministry.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said the increase in bloodshed "indicates the intensification of Israel's ethnic cleansing efforts under cover of the war with Iran".
That sentiment was shared by Palestinians on the ground. 
"It seems that when the Iran war began, the settlers saw it as a golden opportunity," Ibrahim Hamayel, a resident of Abu Falah who tried to push back the settlers, told AFP.
Hamayel, who is not related to the man who died, said that the attacks had multiplied since Israel launched its campaign against the Islamic republic on February 28.
The figures appeared to back him up. 
In the 28 months between the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023 and the start of the war with Iran last month, 24 Palestinians were killed by settlers, according to OCHA.
In addition to roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

'They were all masked'

Abu Falah resident Ibrahim Hamayel told AFP at the scene where the clash unfolded that when the settlers came "they were all masked and some of them were carrying firearms."
He pointed to the spot where one of the men had died that day in an olive tree grove. Blood stained the white limestone rocks, blending in with the West Bank's distinctive reddish soil.
Little stone circles had been laid as impromptu memorials to the men at the site where they died, a little Palestinian flag flapping above one. 
The Israeli military told AFP that troops were sent to Abu Falah, northeast of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, after receiving reports of Palestinians being attacked by Israeli settlers, and "acted to disperse those involved using crowd dispersal measures".
It condemned the violence from Israeli settlers and acknowledged reports of three Palestinian deaths, including one from suffocation but did not specify whether he died from the tear gas used by the military.
Palestinians and Israeli rights groups say that the goal of harassment is to drive Palestinians from the land, one rocky hill at a time.
"Their aim is to implement their plans: displacement, confining Palestinian villages to their built-up areas only", Ibrahim Hamayel told AFP.
The UN says 180 Palestinians have been displaced since the war with Iran started on February 28, and 1,500 since the start of 2026.
"The level of violence in the West Bank is unacceptable," the European Union said in a recent statement, adding that many Palestinian communities "have been attacked, (their) properties damaged and livelihoods destroyed" since the Iran war began.
This comes after settler violence consistently breached record levels since the start of the war in Gaza, with displacement this year already at 90 percent of 2025 levels, per OCHA figures.

'Every day'

Muath Qassam, 32, also went to push back the settlers in Abu Falah, but he was initially unaware of the three deaths that shook his village.
"They hit me with a club on the head. As soon as that happened to me, I lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital", he told AFP from his home five days later, a large bandage on his forehead and yellowing bruises under his eyes.
Abu Falah sits in an area particularly prone to settler attacks and army violence, with near-daily incidents in neighbouring villages.
"Every day there are problems", Qassam said. 
"Every day the settlers establish new outposts. We are not safe from them at all."
lba/del/jd/dcp/jfx

US

'Dubai is safe': UAE pushes to contain fallout from Iran onslaught

  • Dubai-based influencers have showcased support for the government and invoked a sense of national belonging -- hammering home the message that the country was as safe as ever.
  • Dubai is scrambling to preserve its image as a safe haven despite Iran's onslaught, with influencers rallying behind the government's message as authorities crack down on those sharing footage of strikes.
  • Dubai-based influencers have showcased support for the government and invoked a sense of national belonging -- hammering home the message that the country was as safe as ever.
Dubai is scrambling to preserve its image as a safe haven despite Iran's onslaught, with influencers rallying behind the government's message as authorities crack down on those sharing footage of strikes.
For decades, the Gulf was seen as an oasis of safety in a tumultuous Middle East, with the United Arab Emirates branding itself the safest country in the world and boasting of its very low crime rates.
But that image has now been shattered.
Iran has fired over 1,800 missiles and drones at the Emirates, more than any other country targeted by Tehran in the conflict, upending its aura of tranquillity despite its air defence intercepting a vast majority of the projectiles. 
Dubai-based influencers have showcased support for the government and invoked a sense of national belonging -- hammering home the message that the country was as safe as ever.
Kuwaiti-American reality star Ebraheem Alsamadi, known from "Dubai Bling", said in a video that he would stay in the UAE despite US consular advice, calling it "the safest country in the world, and nothing can change that".
"This has been my home for the past 16 years and I'm not going to leave it in 16 seconds... I will stand by this country as it stood by me," he added.
Authorities have also doubled down on their messaging as fears grow that war could do long-term damage to Dubai's reputation and its economy.
Dubai's Instagram account shared an emotional song to its 5.8 million followers that says "Dubai is safe, will always be safe".
Safety had long been inseparable from the city's identity. 
"Those in charge of that strategy are now debating how to evolve it in the face of this obvious insecurity, but for now are deferring to their habits," said Ryan Bohl, a geopolitical analyst at Rane Network.
The UAE is also, he said, "hoping the war will be short enough that people will not associate war with the country. And one of the best ways to do so is to minimise the impact of the conflict on the UAE itself".

Safeguarding reputation

Roughly 90 percent of people living in the UAE are foreigners, a crucial workforce for diversifying the economy away from oil towards tourism and services.
Retaining and attracting foreign talent remains key to that programme.
The tourism sector is acutely susceptible to security issues, but "different tourists from different parts of the world have different risk tolerances," Bohl said.
To combat further fallout, authorities have doubled down on pushing an image of normality during the war.
In the early days of the war, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walked with his massive entourage through Dubai Mall.
At flagship tourist sites like Dubai Mall and JBR beach, foot traffic has reduced to a trickle as visitors have fled the country.
Emaar, a major real estate developer that runs famous shopping centres including Dubai Mall, has warned shops and restaurants against closing or operating at reduced hours during the war. 
"Such actions undermine public order, create unnecessary concern and adversely affect the reputation and economic standing of the United Arab Emirates," the company said, in a note sent to the shops seen by AFP.

'Sharing rumours'

Footage of drone strikes and smoke billowing above the city has been shared widely, while fleeing tourists recounted tales of escaping Dubai under fire to international media.
To avert further reputational damage, authorities moved swiftly.
Dubai police warned against "sharing rumours" but also "photographing or sharing security or critical sites".
Other Gulf countries have taken similar measures, with Qatar arresting more than 300 people.
The UAE attorney general ordered the arrest and urgent trial of a number of people for publishing videos of interceptions or "misleading, fabricated content".
The Emirati crackdown has sparked backlash after Western media covered the arrests.
This strategy "will backfire for specific audiences, particularly Westerners and others from democracies who are used to having freedom of expression," said Bohl.
This week, many companies evacuated Dubai's financial district as Iran threatened US and Israel-linked economic targets.
It will be key for the UAE, and especially Dubai, which cannot rely on oil for revenue, to showcase that it is still safe for investments.
"If major investors, particularly in infrastructure, technology, real estate, etcetera, no longer believe that their investments are safe this would have a much more significant impact and the diversification plans of the UAE," he said.
bur/dc/dcp/jfx

conflict

North Korea conducts test of nuclear-capable rocket launchers

  • North Korea also recently carried out missile tests from the naval Choe Hyon destroyer, claiming the country was in the process of "arming the Navy with nuclear weapons". des-kjk/acb/tc
  • North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported on Sunday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles.
  • North Korea also recently carried out missile tests from the naval Choe Hyon destroyer, claiming the country was in the process of "arming the Navy with nuclear weapons". des-kjk/acb/tc
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported on Sunday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles.
The test comes after South Korean and US forces kicked off their springtime military drills, due to run until March 19.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the testing on Saturday of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
It said the test involved 12 600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies.
Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang's enemies, within the 420 kilometres (around 260 miles) striking range, a sense of "uneasiness" and "a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon", KCNA reported.
The rockets battered an island target in the East Sea of Korea more than 360 km away, KCNA said on Sunday.
Kim praised the MRLS as a "very deadly yet attractive weapon".
Photos released by state media showed several rockets blasting off large vehicles into the air.
Another picture shows Kim and his daughter Ju Ae watching the launch from afar, flanked by a military official. 
Ju Ae has long been seen as next in line to rule the country, a perception stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected multiple launches on Saturday from the North into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
Seoul's presidential Blue House condemned the launches as a "provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions" and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such acts.
The launches came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said that US President Donald Trump thinks a meeting with Pyongyang's Kim would be "good".
The Trump administration has pushed in recent months to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, eyeing a possible summit with Kim this year, potentially during Trump's visit to Beijing set for late March.
After largely ignoring these overtures, Kim said recently that the two nations could "get along" if Washington accepted Pyongyang's nuclear status.

Joint drills

The US and South Korea's springtime military drills, dubbed "Freedom Shield", will involve about 18,000 Korean troops and run until March 19.
Kim's comment on the rockets suggested it was in response to the ongoing exercise, Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP. 
"The launch pattern... is closely synchronised with the schedule" of the joint drills,  he said.  
"This suggests the weapons system is being operated as a means of nuclear deterrence and practical demonstration" against the alliance. 
This week, Kim Yo Jong, a powerful confidante of her brother Kim Jong Un, said the joint drills "may cause unimaginably terrible consequences".
She went on to say the drills were taking place at "a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world".
Pyongyang has condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as an "illegal act of aggression", claiming it shows the "rogue" nature of the United States.
North Korea also recently carried out missile tests from the naval Choe Hyon destroyer, claiming the country was in the process of "arming the Navy with nuclear weapons".
des-kjk/acb/tc

vote

Polls open in Vietnam legislative election: AFP

  • Elderly voters, well-dressed in suits or traditional costumes, were some of the first to cast their ballots at polling stations.
  • Polling stations opened in Vietnam, AFP journalists saw Sunday, as voters began casting their ballots for members of the National Assembly of the one-party state.
  • Elderly voters, well-dressed in suits or traditional costumes, were some of the first to cast their ballots at polling stations.
Polling stations opened in Vietnam, AFP journalists saw Sunday, as voters began casting their ballots for members of the National Assembly of the one-party state.
The National Assembly is the country's top legislative body, but serves mainly to ratify decisions by the ruling Communist Party.
The Southeast Asian nation of 100 million is both an economic success story, boasting eight percent growth last year, and a repressive one-party state that often jails its critics.
Out of 864 candidates for the 500-seat legislature, which serves mainly to ratify decisions by the ruling Communist Party, only 65 are not party members.
In the capital Hanoi, patriotic red-and-yellow banners fluttered from lampposts and traffic lights, extolling the "national festival" where people "eagerly cast ballots".
Elderly voters, well-dressed in suits or traditional costumes, were some of the first to cast their ballots at polling stations.
"I do expect top leaders after this election will make major changes to make our country better," Nguyen Thi Kim, 73, told AFP at a polling station set up in a community room of a high-rise residential block in Hanoi.
Among the new parliament's first tasks when it sits next month will be to confirm top leaders already selected by the party at its twice-a-decade congress in January.
The president, prime minister and head of the national assembly will all be confirmed by lawmakers' votes.
Top leader To Lam was reaffirmed as general secretary at the congress, but he is widely expected to become president as well -- a post that requires approval by lawmakers.
This general election aims "to choose the most prestigious people to continue leading the country to more development", To Lam said on live TV after casting his ballot.
Most polling stations were due to close at 7:00 pm (1200 GMT), with results not expected for at least a week. 
bur-tym/jfx

US

Trump seeks global backing to secure vital Gulf oil route

BY AFP TEAMS IN JERUSALEM, TEHRAN, DUBAI, BAGHDAD AND WASHINGTON

  • Washington's embassy in Iraq was hit by a drone, security sources told AFP -- the second such strike during the war -- while the Emirati consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan was targeted for the second time in a week.
  • US President Donald Trump urged other nations to help secure a vital shipping lane choked off by the war with Iran that showed no signs of slowing on Saturday, as strikes hit the US embassy in Baghdad and a major Emirati energy facility.
  • Washington's embassy in Iraq was hit by a drone, security sources told AFP -- the second such strike during the war -- while the Emirati consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan was targeted for the second time in a week.
US President Donald Trump urged other nations to help secure a vital shipping lane choked off by the war with Iran that showed no signs of slowing on Saturday, as strikes hit the US embassy in Baghdad and a major Emirati energy facility.
Two weeks after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, the entire Gulf region remained in the grip of a conflict that has sent shockwaves through the global economy. 
The war has also spilled into Lebanon, where the health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed hundreds as Israel battles the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Oil prices have surged 40 percent as Iran has choked off the vital Strait of Hormuz and attacked Gulf energy facilities. 
Clouds of black smoke rose over Fujairah, home to a major Emirati oil storage and export terminal, AFP journalists saw, shortly after Iran's military warned UAE civilians to avoid port areas.
Washington's embassy in Iraq was hit by a drone, security sources told AFP -- the second such strike during the war -- while the Emirati consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan was targeted for the second time in a week.
US officials in Baghdad urged citizens to "leave now," but warned them not to approach the embassy or the consulate in Erbil "in light of the ongoing risk of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace."
In Kuwait, a drone strike damaged the international airport's radar system but caused no injuries, the civil aviation authority said.
After earlier vowing that the US Navy would "very soon" begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump called for reinforcements on Saturday.
"Many countries... will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe," he posted on social media, saying China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain would "hopefully" be among them. 
He later said that although the United States had "beaten" Iran, countries dependent on the strait for oil "must take care of that passage, and we will help."

'Decisive phase'

US forces struck Kharg Island on Friday -- from which nearly all of Iran's oil exports flow -- with Trump saying they had "obliterated every MILITARY target" while sparing energy facilities.
Iran had warned that US-linked oil and energy firms would be "turned into a pile of ashes" if struck, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi repeating the threat and accusing Washington of firing rockets at Kharg from bases in the UAE.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said the war was entering a "decisive phase," though he cautioned it would "continue as long as necessary."
Despite facing superior US and Israeli firepower, Iran appeared determined to fight on. 
AFP journalists heard blasts over Jerusalem after the military detected missiles launched from Iran on Saturday. Tehran later confirmed firing another salvo.
Qatar evacuated parts of downtown Doha and intercepted two missiles, with blasts heard by AFP journalists.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IGRC) said late Saturday they had launched missiles at US forces stationed at the Al-Kharj base in Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom has not confirmed the attack but said earlier it intercepted six ballistic missiles headed toward Al-Kharj.
Riyadh, a close US ally that hosts large numbers of American troops, has repeatedly been targeted by Iran -- including strikes on its oil industry -- but has not deployed its military against the Islamic republic.
The war has also begun disrupting global sport, with motorsport's governing body cancelling April's Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Formula One races.
Iran continued to face heavy bombardment, with local media reporting strikes in several provinces including one on an industrial site in Isfahan that killed 15 people, according to the Fars news agency. AFP could not verify the toll.
Iran's health ministry says more than 1,200 people have been killed by US and Israeli strikes -- figures AFP could not independently verify -- while the UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million have been displaced.
The Pentagon says more than 15,000 targets in Iran have been hit by US and Israeli forces. A report this week said the first six days alone cost Washington $11.3 billion, while 13 US military personnel have died.

Transition

US media reported that the Pentagon has dispatched the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and around 2,500 Marines to the region.
In Iran, leaders appeared intent on projecting stability despite the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the war's opening day.
His son Mojtaba Khamenei was named the new supreme leader but has not appeared in public and is reportedly wounded.
Iran said Saturday that "there is no problem with the new supreme leader."
The war has also sparked another devastating round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Tehran-backed militant group attacked Israel after Khamenei's death and its leader, Naim Qassem, has called the current conflict an "existential battle."
Israel has responded with air and ground assaults, killing at least 826 people, according to the Lebanese authorities.
It has also issued evacuation orders covering hundreds of square kilometres of Lebanon, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and prompting warnings of a humanitarian disaster.
Hezbollah said it was engaged in "direct clashes" with Israeli forces in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam late on Saturday.
Clashes began at 9:20 pm (1920 GMT), involving "light and medium weapons as well as rocket-propelled projectiles," it said.
A Lebanese official told AFP the country was forming a delegation to negotiate with Israel but no agenda, timing or location had yet been decided. 
bur-ft/acb

US

Three Iranian football team members leave asylum in Australia

  • "Overnight, three members of the Iranian Women's Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
  • Three more members of the Iranian women's football team have left their asylum in Australia and decided to return home, Canberra said Sunday.
  • "Overnight, three members of the Iranian Women's Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
Three more members of the Iranian women's football team have left their asylum in Australia and decided to return home, Canberra said Sunday.
Seven members of Iran's visiting football delegation competing in the Women's Asian Cup had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem. 
Only three of them will now remain in Australia, after another member of the group had second thoughts earlier in the week.
"Overnight, three members of the Iranian Women's Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
"After telling Australian officials they had made this decision the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options," he said.
The Australian government gave team members the opportunity to seek refuge but players faced "incredibly difficult decisions", the minister said.
The football drama has unfolded against a backdrop of war in the Middle East unleashed by US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic.
"The Australian Government has done everything we could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia," Burke said.
"Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with genuine choices and interacted with authorities seeking to help them."
Iranian state broadcaster IRB said Saturday that three team members -- two players and one member of the technical staff -- had given up their asylum application and were currently heading to Malaysia.

'Traitors'

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has lauded the bravery of the women, vowing they would be welcomed with open arms.
But Iran's governing football body has accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to forsake their home nation against their will.
Iranian players fell silent as the national anthem played ahead of a tournament match in Australia, an act seen as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic republic. 
A presenter on Iranian state TV branded the players "wartime traitors", fuelling fears they could face persecution, or worse, if they returned home. 
Although the side sang Iran's anthem -- an ode to the glory of the Islamic republic -- in later matches, human rights activists warned the damage was done.
Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped away from the team hotel under the cover of darkness to claim asylum in Australia.
Two more team members -- a player and a support staffer -- claimed asylum before the team flew out of Sydney on Tuesday evening.  
djw/js/des

US

Trump says other countries 'must take care' of Hormuz

  • One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"
  • US President Donald Trump on Saturday said countries that rely on oil carried through the Hormuz strait should take responsibility for keeping the passage open, with American help.
  • One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said countries that rely on oil carried through the Hormuz strait should take responsibility for keeping the passage open, with American help.
Global oil prices have surged by 40 percent as Iran has choked off the vital sea passage and attacked Gulf energy facilities since US-Israeli strikes launched the war on Iran.
"The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help -- A LOT!" Trump said on social media.
"The US will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be."
Trump, who has said the United States will soon start escorting tankers through the strait, added that he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain would send ships to secure the passage.
Iranian strikes have all but halted maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass. It is just 54 kilometers (34 miles) wide at its narrowest point.

Reluctant allies

In his posts on Saturday, Trump asserted that Iran's military capability had been eliminated but conceded that it was still able to attack the strait.
"It's easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are," he wrote.
As he urged nations to send ships to the strait, he added that "the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"
On Friday, the US military heavily bombed targets on Iran's Kharg Island, which handles almost all of Iran's crude exports.
Trump threatened to also hit the island's oil infrastructure, which was spared in the strikes, "should Iran, or anyone else" interfere with passage of ships through the strait.
US allies have been reluctant to provide military support to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but they have mobilized warships in response to the widening conflict.
On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron visited a French aircraft carrier dispatched to the Mediterranean and said France and its allies were preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the strait.
And on Tuesday, a UK warship left port in southern England en route to the eastern Mediterranean to "bolster British defences in the region" after a drone attack on Britain's Akrotiri base in southern Cyprus.
msp-bgs/

US

Iran envoy says Ukraine support to US, Gulf is a 'joke'

BY BARBARA WOJAZER

  • But the embassy continues to operate despite Ukraine fighting off near-daily barrages of Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia, Tehran's ally, throughout the four-year invasion.
  • Iran's envoy to Ukraine, Shahriar Amouzegar, dismissed the support Kyiv has offered to the United States and its Gulf allies, after Ukraine advertised its expertise in destroying Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia.
  • But the embassy continues to operate despite Ukraine fighting off near-daily barrages of Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia, Tehran's ally, throughout the four-year invasion.
Iran's envoy to Ukraine, Shahriar Amouzegar, dismissed the support Kyiv has offered to the United States and its Gulf allies, after Ukraine advertised its expertise in destroying Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia.
Iran has been attacking countries across the region -- including with drones -- in response to US and Israeli airstrikes against Tehran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"As for the actions Ukraine is taking in the Middle East against drones, we essentially consider them nothing more than a joke and a showy gesture," Amouzegar told AFP in an exclusive interview.
AFP spoke to charge d'affaires Amouzegar at the Iranian embassy in Kyiv, a partly vacated house near the Ukrainian presidential administration.
Kyiv stripped the Iranian ambassador of his accreditation in 2022 and scaled down the mission in response to Tehran's supply of Shahed drones to Moscow.
But the embassy continues to operate despite Ukraine fighting off near-daily barrages of Iranian-designed drones launched by Russia, Tehran's ally, throughout the four-year invasion.
Ukraine said it had sent seasoned drone experts to Gulf states, which are facing similar threats, a move condemned by Amouzegar.
"Unfortunately, Ukraine has now effectively entered a stage of direct confrontation with us; that is, it has placed itself alongside our enemies," he said.
He denied that Iran was involved in the Russian invasion, saying that it supported Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Kyiv, he said, had "played the 'Iran card' in order to obtain more resources from the West".

'Not afraid'

Kyiv has been seeking to trade anti-drone technologies and expertise for conventional air-defence missiles, which it urgently needs.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News radio that his country didn't need Ukraine's help in drone defence, apparently contradicting statements from Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that the US had asked for help.
Kyiv said it had sent anti-drone experts who have begun working in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
"Ukraine's presence in this war does not really have any real significance for us. We do not take it very seriously," Amouzegar said.
"We are absolutely not afraid of this recent action by the Ukrainian government. We have new technologies and innovations that will neutralise all these efforts," he added.
On Saturday, Iranian lawmaker Ibrahim Azizi said Ukraine now "has turned its entire territory into a legitimate target for Iran", citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, specifying the right to self-defence. 
In response, Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi said the claim was "absurd".
He likened it to "hearing a serial killer justify his crimes by citing criminal code".
brw/asy/jj

US

'Normal, but not really': Iraqis try to carry on as missiles fly

BY CHRISTY-BELLE GEHA

  • Within hours, warplanes and missiles arriving from every direction filled its skies, and the country became a chaotic danger zone with air strikes on Iranian-backed militias, attacks targeting US interests and Iranian strikes against exiled Kurdish opposition groups.
  • Hours before strikes hit Iraq's capital, crowds milled in central Baghdad to the sound not of missiles but clinking coffee cups, children laughing and women filming TikToks.
  • Within hours, warplanes and missiles arriving from every direction filled its skies, and the country became a chaotic danger zone with air strikes on Iranian-backed militias, attacks targeting US interests and Iranian strikes against exiled Kurdish opposition groups.
Hours before strikes hit Iraq's capital, crowds milled in central Baghdad to the sound not of missiles but clinking coffee cups, children laughing and women filming TikToks.
While Iraqis have grown accustomed to conflict over the decades, this has not diminished their anxiety about a wider war.
"Life seems normal here, but it isn't really," said Karim Al-Aqabi, 65, as he strolled with two friends down Al-Mutanabi Street, famous for its booksellers and performers.
"Instead of listening to music, we listen to the news constantly," the father of three, gesticulating to emphasise his point, told AFP.
Shortly after the US-Israeli attack on Tehran on February 28, Iraq closed its airspace.
Within hours, warplanes and missiles arriving from every direction filled its skies, and the country became a chaotic danger zone with air strikes on Iranian-backed militias, attacks targeting US interests and Iranian strikes against exiled Kurdish opposition groups.
In Iraq, successive governments have long struggled to maintain a delicate balance between Tehran and Washington. Now, once again, Iraqis are watching their nation become a proxy battleground between the two rivals.
The oil-rich country has spent much of the past four decades devastated by conflict and international sanctions, including a bloody sectarian struggle that followed the US-led 2003 invasion which toppled ruler Saddam Hussein and the emergence of jihadists.
Aqabi lived through the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the Eighties. "Even then, we didn't abandon our country," he said. 
He said Iraqis would weather this latest conflict, too. "I will not leave my city even if we are ordered to evacuate. I will not leave even if my home remains buried under the rubble."
But his sentiment isn't shared by all: Mariam Ahmed, 22, hasn't left her home without her brother since the war began.
She spoke to AFP inside a smart new shopping centre off Al-Mutanabi street, a shiny complex which has become emblematic of Baghdad's partial recovery.
"I feel extremely worried and sad about what's happening," she said, describing how she had repeatedly heard warplanes.
"We don't deserve this," she said.

'Nothing to do with us'

The strikes early on Saturday, which killed three members of an Iranian-backed militia, were the first in the heart of Baghdad since the start of the war. Shortly after, a drone hit the US embassy.
Since the start of the war, Tehran-backed Iraqi factions have faced strikes -- unconfirmed by either the United States or Israel -- while Baghdad's airport, US bases and oil fields have been targeted and claimed by those groups.
Sitting with friends, Muhammad Ali, 22, said that, despite the warplanes roaring over Baghdad day and night, the war hadn't affected him.
Behind him sat scores of men, chatting and laughing as a large screen played jazz while an elderly woman wound through the crowd selling white roses.
Ali said he was "confronting the enemy (the US) through social media," while the "resistance attacks US bases," referring to Iran-backed groups.
As Ali and his friends chatted, puffing on a hookah pipe, across from them street photographer Walid Khaled was less nonchalant.
The 26-year-old has lost work already, as people cut back and make essential purchases only.
He lives near Baghdad International Airport, which has been targeted by drones and missiles and hosts a US diplomatic facility.
"We hear explosions all day long," he said, describing how his family had stocked up on rice and gas, in case the situation worsened.
"We had begun to experience a period of relative calm in Iraq, but now some have dragged us into matters that have nothing to do with us."
cbg/rbu/rh/dcp

politics

Election campaign deepens Congo's generational divide

  • - 'Easy money' - A group of young people sheltered under a thatched hut by the side of the road, absorbed in a game of poker.
  • "Hoodlums," muttered 80-year-old village chief Joseph Batangouna as he walked past a group of young people sitting by the side of road in Mayitoukou, Congo-Brazzaville.
  • - 'Easy money' - A group of young people sheltered under a thatched hut by the side of the road, absorbed in a game of poker.
"Hoodlums," muttered 80-year-old village chief Joseph Batangouna as he walked past a group of young people sitting by the side of road in Mayitoukou, Congo-Brazzaville.
Sunday's presidential election has laid bare tensions between the generations.
With 82-year-old Denis Sassou NGuesso, the current president, running for a fifth term to add to his 40 years already in power, there is little doubt as to the outcome.
Turnout risks being low -- not something Batangouna wants to see.
"On Sunday, we have to go and vote Sassou!" he told the youngsters in his village.
Not all of them were convinced.
"Me, I won't go and vote because it's always the same ones who are there" in power, said 27-year-old labourer Guelord Mienagata.
Mayitoukou lies just 30-odd kilometres (nearly 20 miles) from the capital Brazzaville, but some of its 167 residents feel forgotten by those in power.
Pool region, to which the village belongs, has a reputation as one of the most unstable in the country since the 1997 civil war, when many people fled.
"People's feet were swollen from all the walking they had done," recalled Batangouna, who served as a sergeant at the time.
"We don't want to flee any more. We don't want that any more."
Batangouna served under Sassou Nguesso, who won the conflict -- and he still feels that only the current president can keep the peace in the country. 
Sassou Nguesso, he said, "has no competition". In Mayitoukou, he insisted, there would be no need for a second round of voting. "We are going to turn out in force!" he said.
But not all local people feel the same way.

'Easy money'

A group of young people sheltered under a thatched hut by the side of the road, absorbed in a game of poker. They slapped down their cards, playing for pile of coins in the middle.
Some of them had no intention of obeying their village chief.
"Me, I'm not going to vote," said Benie Mbakani, seated at a neighbouring table, as Batangouna looked on.
"I don't want to hear that!" the village chief shouted.
But Mbakani was unmoved. "We have the right to vote for who we want!" he replied, getting up from the table.
"The shame of it!" said Batangouna, outraged at being openly defied in front of foreign visitors.
Benie Mbakani and Guelord Mienagata also made it clear they would not be following the village chief's injunctions.
They accused him of having made the most of the good life during his military career, while they, as part of the young generation, struggled.
They both told how they had left for the capital in search of work but their hopes of finding opportunities there had come to nothing.
In the end, they both returned to the village where making charcoal brings them between 100,000 and 300,000 CFA francs (150-450 euros) a month.
"In Congo, there's nothing, there's no economy," said Mienagata.
"We have jobs, but we don't make anything," he added, as he took an axe to a tree stump in a neighbouring plot.

Farming drive

More than half the population of Congo live below the poverty threshold.
Batangouna denounced what he said was young folk's obsession with easy money, and the damage they were doing to the once vast forests next to the village.
He said he and his wife Antoinette had worked their land for decades to grow manioc and bananas on steep fields that had taken a toll on his wife's back.
He wanted to see the villagers back in the fields, following the injunctions of the president to develop agriculture.
In Mayitoukou, only the older generation was heeding the call, said one village elder, Antoine.
The young folk were always insulting him behind his back, the village chief complained.
Antoine said that when he tried to stop local youngsters from cutting down trees, he was beaten and accused of witchcraft.
As the two old men told their stories, a youngster brushed past them, a machete slung over his shoulder.
On his tee-shirt, in large, glittery letters, were the words: "I hate you."
clt/jj/rlp