Global Edition

Sao Tome president faces party rival in polls

Global Edition

Sao Tome president faces party rival in polls

  • The scattering of islands off the coast of western equatorial Africa is now viewed as a model of African parliamentary democracy.
  • Vote-counting was underway Sunday after people in the Atlantic archipelago of Sao Tome and Principe, regarded as a model of democracy in Africa, cast ballots Sunday in a presidential election.
  • The scattering of islands off the coast of western equatorial Africa is now viewed as a model of African parliamentary democracy.
Vote-counting was underway Sunday after people in the Atlantic archipelago of Sao Tome and Principe, regarded as a model of democracy in Africa, cast ballots Sunday in a presidential election.
Outgoing President Carlos Vila Nova faces party rival Nito Viegas D'Abreu, a current member of parliament backed by former prime minister Patrice Trovoada, along with two independent candidates.
If no candidate gains more than 50 percent of Sunday's vote, there will be a second-round run-off on August 9.
National Electoral Commission chief Jeudiger Nascimento voiced concern about low turnout, saying many people had gone to polling stations without casting ballots, though he gave no official figures.
A former Portuguese colony in the Gulf of Guinea, the island nation of 200,000 inhabitants has a history marked by attempted coups including one in 2022 that was promptly thwarted by the military.
The scattering of islands off the coast of western equatorial Africa is now viewed as a model of African parliamentary democracy.
The president has a largely ceremonial role, responsible for representation and the promulgation of laws, while most executive powers lie with the prime minister. 
Vila Nova, 66, elected president in 2021 with his Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party's support, is casting himself as the guarantor of the "political stability of the country".
He has faced criticism for dismissing former prime minister Trovoada in January 2025, a move ruled one year later to be contrary to the constitution.
 

Commodities, tourism and aid

 
Trovoada, now head of the ADI and vying to regain the prime minister post in legislative polls this coming September, has thrown his support behind Vila Nova's rival Viegas D'Abreu.
Viegas D'Abreu, the 43-year-old leader of the ADI group in parliament, is promoting himself as a representative of those born after the country's independence in 1975. 
On the international stage, Sao Tome and Principe is a partner of the European Union and of former colonial power Portugal, whose slave and sugar trade it once served.
It also has partnerships with China and Russia, having signed a military pact with the latter in 2024.
The archipelago derives most of its revenue from agriculture, particularly the production of cocoa and coffee, as well as vanilla and pepper.
Its unique landscapes also make it a prime tourist destination, especially for the ultra-wealthy.
Major international oil firms including TotalEnergies have acquired licences to explore for oil and gas reserves off the archipelago's shores. 
Yet the island nation remains heavily dependent on international aid, with a large majority of its population living below the poverty line.
str-gge/rh/jj

conflict

Ukraine blames Russia for deadly strike on Turkish cargo ship

  • Seven other people were killed in Russian strikes on Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk in the east and Odesa in the south, local officials said.
  • Ukraine said Sunday that Russian missile strikes on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain had killed six people, hours after Moscow fired a fresh barrage of missiles at Kyiv.
  • Seven other people were killed in Russian strikes on Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk in the east and Odesa in the south, local officials said.
Ukraine said Sunday that Russian missile strikes on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain had killed six people, hours after Moscow fired a fresh barrage of missiles at Kyiv.
Ukraine's navy said Russia had launched three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, which flies the flag of Guinea-Bissau, as it was "leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain".
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the crew had included citizens of Syria and India, while Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said the vessel was struck near Odesa after leaving port.
"Eight crew members were rescued. Two of them were injured. Unfortunately, as of now, six sailors are confirmed dead, and four more are missing," Kyiv's transport minister Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram. 
Sybiga confirmed a Ukrainian maritime pilot had been killed in the attack in a statement on X. 
"While the world is still responding to Russia's brutal overnight attack on Kyiv, Moscow continues its campaign of terror throughout the day," he added.
Overnight, Russia had fired two dozen ballistic missiles at Kyiv, killing one person and wounding 16, in an ever-escalating air war that is taking an increasing civilian toll on both sides.
On the Russian side, a Ukrainian strike killed one person in the Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border, regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram.

Dozens of missiles

AFP journalists in Kyiv saw charred apartment blocks with windows blown out and mangled, overturned cars.
"The missiles just kept coming one after another, the explosions were powerful, it was horrible," 47-year-old Kyiv resident Ganna Zagorodnia told AFP. 
"I thought that life was just about to end."
In a statement on social media, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian attack had been "one of its largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv," launching more than 40 missiles, 25 of them ballistic. 
One person had been killed and 16 others wounded, he added.
Seven other people were killed in Russian strikes on Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk in the east and Odesa in the south, local officials said.
Russia, which denies targeting civilians, said it struck military facilities and logistics hubs in Kyiv and port infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army in Odesa.

Generals back commander

Ukraine, now in its fifth year of war, faces intensifying Russian missile attacks.
In recent days, it has also had to contend with rare domestic political instability triggered by a sudden wartime shakeup of its defence leadership.
Thousands have gathered in big cities across Ukraine over the last three days to protest the removal of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Demonstrators also called for the resignation of Ukraine's chief commander Oleksandr Syrsky, who reportedly had demanded Fedorov's dismissal after the two clashed over how to counter the Russian invasion.
On Sunday, two experienced top Ukrainian generals -- the navy and the air assault force chiefs -- backed Syrsky. In rare political statements, they called for unity, arguing that divisions played into the enemy's hands.
"It is particularly painful to hear peremptory judgments from people who have never issued combat orders, never taken responsibility for the lives and health of the personnel," said air assault force commander Oleg Apostol, referring to Fedorov's criticism of Syrsky.
Navy commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa said: "Doubts about the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) during wartime are unacceptable."
Fedorov, 35, who never served in the army, criticised the military's slow bureaucracy and a lack of flexibility, questioning whether Ukraine could defeat Russia with Syrsky in charge of its armed forces.

Air defence hunger

Since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Ukraine has suffered from a shortage of missiles for its US-designed air-defence Patriot systems, essential for intercepting ballistic rounds.
Exploiting the shortage, Russia has intensified its air raids on Kyiv in recent weeks, launching barrages of ballistic missiles roughly once a week.
"Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now. Interceptors are needed every day," Zelensky said.
Another drone salvo hit the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's terminal near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk -- a key export route for Kazakh oil, partly owned by Chevron and Shell.
Kazakhstan's foreign ministry firmly condemned the attack, which it said was designed to "destabilise international trade".
Kyiv has in recent months intensified its strikes on Russian territory, disrupting the lives of ordinary Russians -- strikes it calls retribution for more than four years of bombardments against its territory.
bur-jj/rh

US

US-Iran strikes: latest developments

  • US strikes on Iran The US military command for the region, CENTCOM, said its latest round of strikes on Iran was partly to "punish" Iran for a Friday attack on a base in Jordan which killed two US soldiers and left another missing in action. 
  • US and Iranian strikes extended into Sunday, with Washington saying it was punishing Tehran for the deaths of two US servicemen in Jordan and Gulf states announcing responses to Iranian attacks.
  • US strikes on Iran The US military command for the region, CENTCOM, said its latest round of strikes on Iran was partly to "punish" Iran for a Friday attack on a base in Jordan which killed two US soldiers and left another missing in action. 
US and Iranian strikes extended into Sunday, with Washington saying it was punishing Tehran for the deaths of two US servicemen in Jordan and Gulf states announcing responses to Iranian attacks.
Here are the latest developments:
US death toll now at 17
A US service member was killed during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq, the military said Sunday.
The death on Saturday takes to 17 the confirmed number of American military fatalities since the war began on February 28.
Rubio meets Lebanon president
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington, commending him for efforts "to reclaim Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace," the State Department said.
IAEA calls for restraint
The UN's nuclear watchdog called for restraint after Iranian authorities said the United States had attacked an under-construction nuclear power plant in the country's southwest, in Darkhovin.
The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement on X that no nuclear material had been stored at the site and the incident was "not believed to pose any radiological risk".
Israel warns Iran
Israel's defence minister said his country would respond powerfully to any attack by Iran, after Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile launched towards the Jordanian city of Aqaba.
"If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force," Israel Katz said.
Missile reported intercepted
Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile aimed at the Jordanian city of Aqaba on Sunday, the Israeli military told AFP.
When asked by AFP about reports of explosions near the Israeli city of Eilat, a military spokeswoman said both Israeli and Jordanian forces had intercepted a projectile. 
The Jordanian military said it had downed "three Iranian missiles that targeted the kingdom's territory", without specifying where.
Kuwait, Bahrain attacked
Kuwait said Iran hit a power and water plant, causing a fire, while Bahrain also accused Tehran of targeting civilian infrastructure.
It was the third attack in as many days on a power and water facility in Kuwait, according to authorities, who also said an oil facility had been hit on Saturday.
Iran says ships 'stopped'
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said four ships attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz without their permission and two "had an accident and were stopped in place". 
The other two abandoned their journey, they said.
US strikes on Iran
The US military command for the region, CENTCOM, said its latest round of strikes on Iran was partly to "punish" Iran for a Friday attack on a base in Jordan which killed two US soldiers and left another missing in action. 
The strikes were also to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz", CENTCOM said.
bur-rh/rmb/pnb

US

US launches strikes to 'punish' Iran after troops killed

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON AND DUBAI

  • Iran closed the conduit for oil and gas shipments after the war broke out, and control over it has become leverage in its negotiations with Washington, which has reimposed its own blockade on Iranian ports.
  • The United States and Iran traded missiles and airstrikes on Sunday as Washington sought to "punish" Tehran for the US military's first losses since open hostilities in the Middle East war resumed.
  • Iran closed the conduit for oil and gas shipments after the war broke out, and control over it has become leverage in its negotiations with Washington, which has reimposed its own blockade on Iranian ports.
The United States and Iran traded missiles and airstrikes on Sunday as Washington sought to "punish" Tehran for the US military's first losses since open hostilities in the Middle East war resumed.
A preliminary deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed as the foes fight to break a deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway key to the world's oil supply.
Iran said it targeted two US bases in Kuwait in response to more than a week of intensifying attacks, which Tehran says have hit transport and infrastructure sites, including an under-construction nuclear power plant.
Jordan also reported intercepting missiles, a day after the US military said two service members were killed there Friday as they "defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks". US Central Command said another was still missing in action.
The US military said it carried out an eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran to "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members", Central Command said.
Friday's deaths brought to 16 the confirmed number of American military fatalities since the US and Israel launched the war with a wave of strikes on Iranian targets on February 28.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said the United States had attacked the unfinished Darkhovin nuclear power plant in the country's southwest, calling it "an aggressive and brutal act contrary to international law".
The UN's nuclear watchdog said it was looking into the report, noting the plant "contained no nuclear material when last visited by the IAEA".
Nonetheless, IAEA director Rafael Grossi reiterated his "call for military restraint in the vicinity of all nuclear-related sites", the agency said in a post on X.

'Treacherous' attacks

After air raid sirens sounded in Jordan, Israel's military said its forces along with Jordan's had intercepted an Iranian missile heading towards the Jordanian port city of Aqaba -- just across the border from Israel's resort town of Eilat.
Iran did not immediately claim the attack, but the US embassy in Amman had earlier warned its citizens of a "specific and credible threat" targeting Aqaba's port and airport.
"If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force," Defence Minister Israel Katz said, adding it was "prepared for both defensive and offensive" action against Tehran if need be.
Jordan later said it had summoned Iran's charge d'affaires to strongly protest the "continuation of brutal and unjustified Iranian acts of aggression targeting the Kingdom's territory".
In the Gulf, which has borne the brunt of Iran's retaliatory attacks, Kuwait's electricity ministry said a power and water plant was attacked for a second consecutive day, causing a fire.
Bahrain's military also said its air defences "confronted, intercepted, and destroyed a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks", accusing Iran of targeting civilians.

American 'mischief'

The renewed violence was initially sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran closed the conduit for oil and gas shipments after the war broke out, and control over it has become leverage in its negotiations with Washington, which has reimposed its own blockade on Iranian ports.
On Sunday, the Revolutionary Guards said two ships attempting to transit the strait were stopped.
"Four violating ships, with the mischief and support of American terrorists... intended to disrupt and exit the Strait of Hormuz via an unsafe route, two of which had an accident and were stopped in place," the Guards said, adding that the other two ships abandoned their journey.
Iran's health ministry said Friday that 50 people had been killed in the recent fighting and more than 500 hurt.
Hope for a political settlement to the war has dimmed, though mediators have attempted to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.
Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who took over from his father after he was killed in the opening salvo of US-Israeli strikes, vowed to teach the Americans "unforgettable lessons" in a statement Saturday.
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Khamenei, warned that Tehran would resume "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes continued.
And Iran's central military commander, Ali Abdollahi, warned that further US aggression would face a "decisive and devastating response", according to a statement carried by state television on Sunday.
burs-jsa/smw/dc

Britain

Influencer Andrew Tate and brother arrested in Miami

BY HELEN ROWE

  • The Tate brothers now face 59 charges in total -- 42 against Andrew and 17 against Tristan, British authorities said on Sunday.
  • Radical social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were on Sunday in custody in the US,  officials said, as Britain seeks their extradition to face new charges of rape, sex trafficking and assault.
  • The Tate brothers now face 59 charges in total -- 42 against Andrew and 17 against Tristan, British authorities said on Sunday.
Radical social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were on Sunday in custody in the US,  officials said, as Britain seeks their extradition to face new charges of rape, sex trafficking and assault.
Karena Thomas, assistant chief constable of the UK's Bedfordshire Police, said the pair had been detained "pending ongoing legal proceedings."
The US Marshals Service confirmed the arrests. 
US news outlet TMZ posted video of law enforcement officers placing the self-professed misogynist and his younger sibling in handcuffs and escorting them into waiting vehicles in Miami on Saturday.
Asked by an onlooker if he had something to say, Tristan Tate did not respond, the footage posted on X showed.
UK prosecutors, who are now due to seek the brothers' extradition, said the arrests came after they brought forward 38 further charges against the pair.
The Tate brothers now face 59 charges in total -- 42 against Andrew and 17 against Tristan, British authorities said on Sunday.
"We have decided to prosecute Andrew and Tristan Tate for further offences including rape, arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation and offences relating to indecent images of a child," Malcolm McHaffie, head of the UK's Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) Special Crime Division, said in a statement.
"The CPS has requested the extradition of the Tates from the US," he said, adding that the latest charges stem from receipt of new evidence from Bedfordshire Police that brings the total number of alleged victims in the Tates case to seven.
Earlier this year, police in Hertfordshire, north of London, said they were reopening a probe into rape and sexual assault allegations made by women against Andrew Tate between 2014 and 2015.
They also face separate rape and human trafficking allegations brought by different women and investigated by Bedfordshire Police, which covers their hometown of Luton, also north of London.
"There is no place for male violence against women and girls, and we will continue to work tirelessly to support victims and investigate all reports made to us," Bedfordshire Police's Thomas added.

'Face justice'

The Tate brothers are also accused of tax evasion and money laundering in the UK.
Their attorney, Joseph McBride, said in a press release that the brothers "are innocent."
"We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free," McBride said.
The Tates are dual British-US citizens who have been avid supporters of US President Donald Trump. 
Lawyer Matt Jury, of McCue Jury & Partners who represent four alleged British victims of Andrew Tate, said Tate was "now facing the real prospect of extradition to the UK after years of public campaigning by the four British women I represent.
"They have spent years fighting for action to be taken, and I now urge the authorities to ensure this case proceeds as quickly as possible.
"Andrew and Tristan Tate are accused of some of the most serious offences, including multiple counts of rape and human trafficking. It is time they face justice," he was quoted by the PA news agency as saying.
In March 2025, the US state of Florida launched a criminal investigation against them. The status of that investigation is unclear.
Andrew Tate is one of the most prominent proponents of the so-called "manosphere" network of communities, many of them online, that focus on traditional masculinity, anti-feminism, and self-improvement.
He promotes his divisive views, often incorporating alpha-male and aggressively misogynistic themes, to millions on social media including 10.8 million followers on X.
In Romania, where they have been based in recent years, the Tates face allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering.
mlm-har/rh

coffee

Starbucks Korea staff form union after 'Tank Day' campaign fiasco

  • A Starbucks Korea official told AFP on Sunday, without disclosing how many workers had joined the union, that the company will "continue to engage with the labour union in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations".
  • Workers at Starbucks Korea have formed a labour union, the company confirmed on Sunday, following a marketing fiasco that evoked painful memories of a 1980 government crackdown on pro-democracy activists.
  • A Starbucks Korea official told AFP on Sunday, without disclosing how many workers had joined the union, that the company will "continue to engage with the labour union in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations".
Workers at Starbucks Korea have formed a labour union, the company confirmed on Sunday, following a marketing fiasco that evoked painful memories of a 1980 government crackdown on pro-democracy activists.
Starbucks Korea, the coffee giant's third-largest market after the United States and China, sparked uproar when it ran a "Tank Day" reusable cup promotion on May 18 -- the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju uprising in which 165 civilians were killed, according to the official toll.
It led to the resignation of Starbucks Korea's chief executive and the early closure of the chain's more than 2,000 stores nationwide -- for staff education sessions on the historical significance of the uprising last month.
In a statement posted Thursday on the website of the Korean Federation of Chemical, Textile and Food Workers' Unions, the newly formed group said workers had decided to unionise so they could "protect" their rights and "work with sincerity and pride". 
The union said that despite repeated demands to improve workplace conditions -- including mounting protest phrases on trucks -- the company had "ultimately ignored partners' demands, instead unilaterally introducing even more burdensome promotional events".
The statement did not mention the Tank Day promotional event.
"The time has come for us to assert our rights and re-establish labour-management relations on an equal footing," it added.
A Starbucks Korea official told AFP on Sunday, without disclosing how many workers had joined the union, that the company will "continue to engage with the labour union in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations".
Starbucks Korea employs around 23,000 people.
The labour union is the first of its kind at Starbucks Korea since the chain launched in the country in 1999.
The so-called Tank Day controversy led to a "sharp decline in sales" in the early days of the scandal, according to the operator.
Only a small proportion of the company's operated stores are unionised in the US and are represented by Starbucks Workers United.
kjk/ane

conflict

Palestinians say Israeli settlers torch mosque, factory

  • More than two dozen settlers, some masked, attacked the Al-Taqwa mosque in the village of Al-Tuwani during the night and set it on fire, Mohammed Rabie, head of the village council, told AFP. The settlers also set fire to two houses and a dairy factory, he said, adding the attackers spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on the walls of the mosque.
  • Israeli settlers set fire overnight to a mosque in a village in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said Sunday, as an AFP journalist saw the structure's entrance scorched and Hebrew graffiti sprayed on its walls.
  • More than two dozen settlers, some masked, attacked the Al-Taqwa mosque in the village of Al-Tuwani during the night and set it on fire, Mohammed Rabie, head of the village council, told AFP. The settlers also set fire to two houses and a dairy factory, he said, adding the attackers spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on the walls of the mosque.
Israeli settlers set fire overnight to a mosque in a village in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said Sunday, as an AFP journalist saw the structure's entrance scorched and Hebrew graffiti sprayed on its walls.
The incident came during a period of increased attacks against Palestinian communities by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.
More than two dozen settlers, some masked, attacked the Al-Taqwa mosque in the village of Al-Tuwani during the night and set it on fire, Mohammed Rabie, head of the village council, told AFP.
The settlers also set fire to two houses and a dairy factory, he said, adding the attackers spray-painted Hebrew graffiti on the walls of the mosque.
Rabie said the settlers fled after villagers emerged from their homes, adding that local volunteers managed to extinguish the flames before they spread further.
AFP photographs showed a child and an elderly man inspecting the charred entrance and windows of the mosque, where part of a prayer carpet had also been burned.
Rabie said the dairy factory, run by women from the Masafer Yatta community, suffered extensive damage.
"We thank God that this attack did not turn into a tragedy with loss of life," he said.
The Israeli police said it deployed officers to the village last night "after a report of suspects who caused damage at the site, including a vehicle that was set on fire, damage to the door of a prayer structure, and graffiti sprayed on walls."
"The investigation into the circumstances of the incident... is still ongoing."
"The settlers' attack took place in full view of the Israeli army," Palestinian activist Osama Makhamra told AFP, noting that an Israeli military watchtower stands close to the mosque that was set ablaze.
Rabie, however, said Israeli army, police and fire service personnel arrived in the village about half an hour after the attack and inspected the damage to the mosque and other property.
The Palestinian religious affairs ministry condemned the attack.
In a statement, the ministry described the arson as "a full-fledged terrorist act", accusing Israel's "extremist occupation government" of encouraging settler violence in an effort to displace Palestinians from Masafer Yatta and turn the conflict into "a religious war".
In a recent report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank had reached "unprecedented" levels, averaging six attacks per day that resulted in casualties or property damage.
Excluding East Jerusalem, around three million Palestinians live in the occupied West Bank alongside more than 500,000 Israelis residing in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
str-if-jd/jfx

politics

Cuban dissident artist Otero Alcantara lands in US exile

BY GERARD MARTINEZ, WITH JORDANE BERTRAND IN HAVANA

  • - No 'martyr' - Otero Alcantara is among the most prominent Cuban dissidents.
  • Prominent Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara flew Saturday to exile in the United States after serving a five-year sentence on the island, as Washington urged Havana to release more than 700 political prisoners.
  • - No 'martyr' - Otero Alcantara is among the most prominent Cuban dissidents.
Prominent Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara flew Saturday to exile in the United States after serving a five-year sentence on the island, as Washington urged Havana to release more than 700 political prisoners.
Otero Alcantara, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order.
He landed in Miami, the capital of the Cuban diaspora, after a short flight from Havana, according to a video of Otero Alcantara at the airport that was shared with AFP by his friend, activist Anamely Ramos.
Otero Alcantara, a self-taught performance artist, sculptor and painter, rose to prominence in 2020 as leader of the San Isidro protest movement of artists and intellectuals.
Authorities detained him in July 2021 as he left his Havana home to join unprecedented mass protests.
On Saturday he said he would continue working for a free Cuba.
"What's really happening right now is the result of all of our efforts," he told members of the Cuban exile community that had gathered with him as he visited a Miami shrine featuring the patron saint of Cubans.
"What I really want is to work... Every minute I lose is one more minute of dictatorship," said the artist, who has begun to restore a statue he brought from Cuba.
Washington hailed Otero Alcantara's arrival in the US and said Havana imprisoned him "for daring to imagine a free Cuba."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that "Otero Alcantara's only 'crime' was refusing to stay silent and using his art to demand the basic freedoms everyday Cubans have been denied for almost seven decades."
Rubio also called for Cuba to release the more than 700 political prisoners "unjustly detained" and held by Havana. 
"The international community must stop turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses of the Cuban regime and join us in demanding an end to their repression," he said.

No 'martyr'

Otero Alcantara is among the most prominent Cuban dissidents. He was awarded the Norwegian Rafto Prize for Human Rights in 2024 "for his fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art."
His Facebook account, operated by his friends, says he was held in Cuba in a maximum security prison, and that a condition of his release was that he never return to the country, which has accused him of acting on behalf of Washington to destabilize the communist-run island.
On July 7, he was transferred from a prison to a state security force facility, two days before completing his term. Authorities provided no information about his whereabouts after that.
The release comes amid major Havana-Washington tensions, with US President Donald Trump mounting a pressure campaign against Cuba.
During a recent UN General Assembly debate on US sanctions against Cuba, US Ambassador Mike Waltz held up a portrait of Otero Alcantara to denounce the island's repressive policies.
The dissident's departure to Miami confirms the Cuban government's strategy of silencing its most critical voices through exile.
According to a tally of human rights organizations, between 700 and 1,000 political prisoners remain jailed in Cuba.
In October, another dissident figure, 55-year-old Jose Daniel Ferrer, went into US exile.
Friends say Otero Alcantara is embracing his newfound freedom.
"Today, Luis wants to live again, resume his projects, and reclaim the time that was stolen from him," reads one of the Facebook posts.
"He also wants to continue envisioning and working toward freedom for Cuba."
Shortly after the artist arrived in the United States, he told supporters that there are "a whole range of tools" to help people "understand what freedoms are and take to the streets for that reason."
In April, Otero Alcantara dictated a guest essay by telephone from jail to a friend, who delivered it to The New York Times.
"I'm allowed to paint. It's what's kept me alive," he said.
"If I couldn't make art, I would die," he added. "That's why the guards let me do it -- so I don't turn into a martyr."
jb-gma/hol/lga

smartphones

Pocket-size AI: Powerful phones star at China show

BY LUDOVIC EHRET, WITH LUNA LIN IN BEIJING

  • Initially, the prototype could follow simple voice commands to execute tasks across apps, including ordering food and comparing shopping prices.
  • Tech firms are racing to roll out advanced smartphones that use artificial intelligence to do everything from ordering food to composing messages upon a simple voice command.
  • Initially, the prototype could follow simple voice commands to execute tasks across apps, including ordering food and comparing shopping prices.
Tech firms are racing to roll out advanced smartphones that use artificial intelligence to do everything from ordering food to composing messages upon a simple voice command.
Wide adoption of phones running on so-called AI agents would be a revolution, but would also take control away from major apps, which aren't always happy about it.
At least three firm were showcasing so-called agentic phones at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai this weekend -- heralding what may be to come.
Smartphone maker Nubia unveiled its NaviX Ultra, a phone powered by Doubao, China's massively popular AI chatbot tool run by TikTok creator ByteDance.
"A new era of AI agent smartphones begins," Nubia said, sharing images of the handsets online.
A limited run of a prototype dubbed the "Doubao Phone" sold out fast in December.
Initially, the prototype could follow simple voice commands to execute tasks across apps, including ordering food and comparing shopping prices.
However, days after it was released, tech giants including Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com restricted the built-in assistant's access to their platforms.
The move effectively disabled the phone's AI agent, so ByteDance turned off the powerful tool in certain circumstances, including when payments were involved.

'Lose control'

Gaining broad access to apps owned by other companies is a sticking point for AI agent devices, said Kiranjeet Kaur, associate research director at US market intelligence firm IDC.
Platforms want to keep direct contact with their users, otherwise "they lose control to another party", she added.
"Agenting is everyone's dream, but we haven't reached there yet," as the performance of AI agent tools is still often patchy, Kaur said.
According to Chinese tech media, the NaviX Ultra does not attempt to force its way into apps, but rather seeks to collaborate with them.
The first-generation Doubao phone had been hobbled when major apps blocked unauthorised access.
AFP has contacted Nubia for comment.
Another manufacturer, Honor, showcased an AI system for its "Robot Phone", whose interactive camera flips up on a small robotic arm.
The company says its "companion-centric" device can interpret human gestures and bop to musical rhythms, as well as take selfies and steady videos.
An agent using several AI models, some co-developed with Alibaba, will be embedded in the robot phone when it goes on sale later this year, Honor told AFP.

'No clear winner'

Shanghai-based AI startup StepFun also unveiled an "AI agent-native smartphone", the STEPX Neo, ahead of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference.
StepFun's chairman Yin Qi said "deep partnerships" had been established with several major Chinese platforms, including Alipay and ride-hailing giant Didi, according to a sponsored article in state news agency Xinhua.
"Leveraging these services, the smartphone can provide one-stop support for travel bookings, everyday purchases, local services, office productivity and video editing," it said.
Outside China, big tech companies such as Google are busy infusing smartphones with increasingly advanced AI features such as the ability to book appointments.
US startup Brain Technologies launched an agentic "Natural AI Phone" which went on sale in Japan in April in partnership with mobile giant SoftBank Corp.
At a demonstration given to AFP in April, Brain Technologies' phone -- which connects with a handful of apps including social network LINE -- messaged a contact to apologise for being late on just an audio command, although it also often failed to carry out requests.
"There is no clear winner in this race yet, which is why it is currently quite a hot topic," said Marc Einstein of Counterpoint Research.
But in five or 10 years time, we won't be using apps on our phones "like we do today", he predicted.
"This will fundamentally change the digital economy and disrupt business models."
kaf-ehl-ll/jm

conflict

Kyiv hit with deadly strikes after attack on Russian e-commerce giant

  • Ukraine's state emergency services said on Telegram that one person was killed and 13 others wounded in the attack that police said had targeted six districts.
  • Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 13 others in Ukraine's capital on Sunday after Kyiv launched a deadly wave of drones that struck e-commerce warehouses in Russia.
  • Ukraine's state emergency services said on Telegram that one person was killed and 13 others wounded in the attack that police said had targeted six districts.
Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 13 others in Ukraine's capital on Sunday after Kyiv launched a deadly wave of drones that struck e-commerce warehouses in Russia.
The latest bombardment highlights a dual challenge for Ukraine in its fifth year of war, facing almost daily Russian attacks alongside rare domestic political instability triggered by a sudden wartime shakeup of its military leadership.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard explosions moments after the Ukrainian air force warned residents via Telegram of incoming ballistic missiles.
One of the explosions was so powerful it set off alarms of cars parked in the city centre, an AFP journalist said.
Ukraine's state emergency services said on Telegram that one person was killed and 13 others wounded in the attack that police said had targeted six districts.
According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and local authorities, an apartment building in the Solomianskyi district was hit and a fire broke out at a supermarket, while a house was ablaze in the Sviatoshynsky district.
Strikes were also reported at a shopping and entertainment centre in the Dniprovsky district, an apartment building in the Shevchenkivsky district and a non-residential building.
In Dnipropetrovsk, the central region that borders the frontline, Russian drone strikes killed one person, regional official Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram.
On the Russian side, a Ukrainian strike killed one person in the Kursk region, which is near the frontline, regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Telegram.
Russia has been firing drones and missiles at Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities almost daily since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Attacks inside Russia

On Saturday, Ukraine sent attack drones to destroy e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing major fires.
In Ukraine, Russian strikes killed five people and wounded almost 20 others in regions stretching the country's southeast Saturday.
"In response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit -- in the Moscow and Tambov regions," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said on X.
He alleged the centres were used "to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment".
Kyiv has in recent months intensified its strikes on Russian territory, disrupting the lives of ordinary Russians -- strikes it calls retribution for more than four years of bombardments against its territory.
The campaign, which Kyiv calls "long-range sanctions", has mostly targeted Russia's oil infrastructure triggering a full-blown fuel crisis in one of the world's biggest oil-producing countries.
More than 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight, said the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin. 
Between July 11 and 18, almost 1,892 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow were intercepted, he added.

Rare wartime protests

But even as the war raged, in big cities across Ukraine, thousands gathered for a third day in a row to protest on Saturday the removal of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
The tech-savvy minister was ousted by Zelensky in a surprise government reshuffle just as Ukraine appeared to be gaining momentum on the battlefield, triggering a rare public backlash.
The demonstrations came as the president held two days of meetings with top military commanders, fuelling media speculation he could be looking for a replacement for army chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
During his barely six months in office, Fedorov had repeatedly argued with Syrsky, 60, in his efforts to digitise and modernise an army strained by four and a half years of fighting.
fv-roc/jj/abs/tc

US

US launches strikes to 'punish' Iran after troops killed

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON AND DUBAI

  • The attacks aimed to "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night", said US Central Command.
  • The United States said airstrikes on Sunday aimed to "punish" Iran over the first US military deaths since renewed hostilities with the Islamic republic.
  • The attacks aimed to "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night", said US Central Command.
The United States said airstrikes on Sunday aimed to "punish" Iran over the first US military deaths since renewed hostilities with the Islamic republic.
Iran rapidly announced its own retaliation, saying two US bases in Kuwait were targeted in response to more than a week of intensifying attacks -- which Tehran said included strikes on an airport, a railway station and bridges.
A preliminary deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed as the foes fight to break the deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway key to the world's oil supply.
The Iranian army announced on Sunday it targeted two US bases in Kuwait with drones, hitting an ammunition depot at Camp Udairi and Patriot radar and air surveillance systems at the Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Tehran had also launched fresh strikes in Jordan, where the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said two service members were killed Friday as they "defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks." 
It said another service member was still missing in action.
Those deaths brought to 16 the confirmed number of US military fatalities since US-Israeli strikes started the war on February 28.
The US military said that it carried out an eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, with targets including units behind the attack that killed two American troops in Jordan.
The attacks aimed to "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night", said US Central Command.
The Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim simultaneously reported US attacks on Sirik, a port located on the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran.

'Unforgettable lesson'

Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who took over from his father after he was killed in the opening salvo of US-Israeli strikes, vowed to teach the Americans an "unforgettable lesson", in a statement carried by state TV.
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Khamenei, warned that Tehran would resume "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes continued in the coming days.
And Iran's central military commander, Ali Abdollahi, warned that further US aggression would face a "decisive and devastating response", according to a statement carried by state television on Sunday.
The renewed violence was initially sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran closed the strait after the war broke out, and control over the route has become leverage in negotiations with Washington, which reimposed on Tuesday its own blockade of Iran's ports.
The health ministry said Friday that 50 people had been killed since the renewed fighting broke out and more than 500 hurt.

Demand for water

Kuwait accused Tehran of targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure, with residents voicing worry that the renewed hostilities might drag on.
"The demand for water and canned goods has increased since this morning amid fears that services or supply chains will be affected," Kuwait resident Hassan Rayan, 61, said Saturday.
Fellow resident Ali Mahmoud, 46, noted that "the streets and beaches were almost empty, even though it is a holiday."
The Iranian army said it had targeted an air base used by American forces in Bahrain, another US ally in the Gulf, according to the state broadcaster.
And in Jordan, the Iranian state broadcaster reported that fuel tanks at Al-Azraq US base were targeted. The day before, the Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked US aircraft stationed in the country with missiles and drones.
The Jordanian army said it had shot down 10 missiles Saturday, and at least three the day before.
Hope for a political settlement to the war has fallen by the wayside, though mediators have attempted to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iranian infrastructure, although there has been no confirmation from Washington since then that US forces have begun to do so.

Power facilities

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported Saturday that US attacks killed three people and wounded eight in the southern province of Hormozgan.
In Khuzestan province, the deputy provincial governor said eight people had been killed over the past 10 days, according to Iran's Tasnim.
Iran also said the supply of drinking water to several southern villages had been cut off, accusing the US of striking power facilities and desalination plants in the village of Bonji, according to Tasnim.
msp-abs/jm

culture

Faith vs therapy: Inside the Philippine school for exorcists

BY CHAD WILLIAMS AND PAM CASTRO

  • Priests from countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and India were already lining up for training, Syquia added.
  • Asia's only dedicated exorcism centre -- designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region -- sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila.
  • Priests from countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and India were already lining up for training, Syquia added.
Asia's only dedicated exorcism centre -- designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region -- sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila.
Inside, neatly made-up rooms for visiting priests line warmly lit halls that lead to a chapel where the 400-year-old ritual takes place.
Holy relics employed in the proceedings line one wall, another features a one-way mirror that allows family members and novice exorcists to observe.
The Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism -- five months old this week -- was built because "cases were piling up", Father Jose Francisco Syquia told AFP.
Trauma driven by bullying, sexual abuse and the pain of separation as family members leave for work abroad has increasingly opened the door to spiritual attacks, he said.
"We had to find a more permanent and secure and private place to pray over people," Syquia said.
The centre's function as an effective school for exorcists, however, is what makes it unique.
"I don't know of any other center in the world that trains exorcists," Syquia said of the two-storey facility built largely with donations from local families of the previously afflicted.
Priests from countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and India were already lining up for training, Syquia added.
A key element of that training is discerning the difference between psychological and spiritual problems, he said.

'Beyond science'

While the centre operates without strict Vatican oversight, it follows long-standing Church rules governing exorcism, including mandatory vetting by mental health professionals.
"We have clinical psychologists. We have a psychiatrist... There are also neurologists, so they work hand in hand with us," Syquia told AFP on a visit to the centre.
Still, he insists he knows a demonic possession when he sees one.
"You will see a change in behaviour... a different consciousness. Something else takes over a person," Syquia said, noting he had personally exorcised a demon only a week earlier.
"When it comes to the spiritual world, we need something beyond science."
But attempts to draw that distinction have long worried the mental health community.
"If a condition isn't recognised as medical, it delays appropriate treatment," Christopher French, a psychologist and emeritus professor at the University of London, told AFP.
"It's more dangerous to accept the supernatural explanations," he warned, noting that conditions ranging from schizophrenia to Tourette's syndrome were once interpreted as spirit possession.

'A lot of stigma'

The Philippines has roughly one psychiatrist for every 200,000 people in the archipelago, according to the World Health Organization. Some provinces have none at all.
Given the choice between an exorcist and a mental health professional, many in the heavily Catholic country will choose the former, Dr. Kathryn Tan, a Manila-based psychiatrist, told AFP.
"It's a lot of stigma when somebody is brought to a psychiatrist," she said.
"If it's an exorcism... you're a victim, but if you're brought to a psychiatrist, there's a lot of shame," she said.
Many of her own patients came only after first visiting indigenous healers, Tan said, viewing psychiatry as a "last resort".
Tan, who said alleged possessions are often accompanied by symptoms of psychosis, insisted Philippine psychiatrists were not seeking to "compete with the Catholic Church", but rather to bridge the gap between culture and science.
"It's about... compassion and empathy and trying our best to understand without judgement what our patients are experiencing," she said.
Both Tan and French agreed that cultural sensitivities need to be respected in treatment.
"You can shape a treatment to fit the belief system without explicitly endorsing it," French said, conceding an exorcism might even have a beneficial placebo effect in some cases.
Tan, who said she keeps an "open mind" about the supernatural, said it was not surprising when people seek spiritual explanations for something they cannot readily define.
"Perhaps this is our way of trying to control the unknown," she said.
Inside his office, Father Syquia told AFP he was confident science and faith could coexist.
"We're... focusing on the spiritual dimension. But of course, the body is always part of that," he said.
A greater national investment in mental health care might even lighten his own load, he conceded.
"If psychology and psychiatry, if proper mental and emotional health (are) fostered in our country, there will be (fewer exorcism) cases," he said.
"Science is a gift from God."
cwl-pam/ane

politics

India probe into stolen donations tests trust in temple finances

BY UZMI ATHAR

  • Devotees often bear offerings ranging from cash and gold to silver ornaments, generating a steady stream of donations.
  • A probe into donations allegedly siphoned off at India's grand Ram temple has renewed scrutiny of how religious sites manage vast amounts of cash and gold entrusted to them by devotees.
  • Devotees often bear offerings ranging from cash and gold to silver ornaments, generating a steady stream of donations.
A probe into donations allegedly siphoned off at India's grand Ram temple has renewed scrutiny of how religious sites manage vast amounts of cash and gold entrusted to them by devotees.
Police launched an investigation in June and arrested eight people responsible for handling donations at the revered Hindu shrine in the northern city of Ayodhya.
Authorities have not disclosed the amount allegedly stolen, but media reports say it could amount to 30 million rupees ($314,000).
Ashok Prasad Kushwaha, an auto-rickshaw driver in Delhi who has visited the Ram temple three times in two years, said donations are acts of faith made even by people with modest incomes.
"When we donate, we believe the money is going for God's work," he said.
"Now if that hard-earned money gets stolen from a place like a temple, it feels like personal loss."
The case is the latest in a series of scandals involving donations at major pilgrimage sites, including the Badrinath shrine and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, one of the world's richest temple trusts with assets estimated at $31 billion.
With some religious institutions managing vast sums of money and operating on a scale comparable to major corporations, ensuring transparency is a persistent challenge.
"The core systemic problem is the lack of transparency and accountability," said Rahul Easwar, a Hindu activist and grandson of a former chief priest of Kerala state's Sabarimala temple.

Fraught history

Large religious institutions need stronger financial controls, including mandatory receipts, digital accounting systems, CCTV monitoring of donation handling and independent oversight, Easwar told AFP.
The loopholes have been glaring at the Ram temple, with the accused reportedly taking advantage of weak counting processes and surveillance lapses.
Inaugurated in 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ram temple has become one of India's most prominent religious sites, drawing an average 90,000 visitors every day.
Devotees often bear offerings ranging from cash and gold to silver ornaments, generating a steady stream of donations.
The allegations of wrongdoing are particularly sensitive given the temple's significance, standing on a site that was at the centre of one of India's longest-running religious disputes.
Devout Hindus believe that the god Ram was born there more than 7,000 years ago, but that the Babri mosque was built over his birthplace by a 16th-century Muslim emperor.
The dispute erupted into nationwide unrest in 1992 when Hindu mobs demolished the mosque, triggering violence that killed more than 2,000 people.
In 2019, the Supreme Court awarded the disputed site for construction of the temple, paving the way for a huge fundraising drive across the country to finance the project.
According to the trust which manages the temple, the campaign raised some $341 million.

Growing market

India's religious and spiritual market was valued at $70.14 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $135.41 billion by 2034, according to consultancy firm IMARC.
Legal experts say oversight varies widely across India because religious institutions operate under multiple laws and tax systems.
"There is no uniform national framework prescribing consistent standards of financial transparency across all religious institutions," said Sonam Chandwani, managing partner at KS Legal & Associates.
Easwar pointed to the challenges posed by mass events such as the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage, where millions of devotees gather and large volumes of offerings are collected.
Political analyst Anurag Naidu said temples regularly handling huge amounts of cash need systems comparable to those in large public institutions.
"Religious institutions have grown far beyond traditional places of worship," he said. "They need institutional systems with financial controls and independent oversight."
uzm/abh/ami

diplomacy

Burnham likely to steer steady ship on UK foreign policy

BY MARIE HEUCLIN

  • Here are some of the foreign policy issues already crowding Burnham's in-tray: - Israel and Gaza - The sharpest departure in the new government's foreign policy could be over Israel.
  • Little known on the international stage, Andy Burnham is expected to broadly maintain Keir Starmer's position on major foreign policy issues as the UK's next prime minister.
  • Here are some of the foreign policy issues already crowding Burnham's in-tray: - Israel and Gaza - The sharpest departure in the new government's foreign policy could be over Israel.
Little known on the international stage, Andy Burnham is expected to broadly maintain Keir Starmer's position on major foreign policy issues as the UK's next prime minister.
This includes bolstering London's close ties with Kyiv and plans to strengthen relations with the European Union after the rancour of the Brexit years.
But in line with a growing clamour on the left wing of the Labour party angered by the Gaza conflict, he could take a tougher line on Israel.
Here are some of the foreign policy issues already crowding Burnham's in-tray:

Israel and Gaza

The sharpest departure in the new government's foreign policy could be over Israel.
The Guardian quoted Burnham as saying that many people thought the outgoing government "didn't get it right" in its response to Israel's military onslaught on Gaza following the October 2023 attack by Hamas militants.
"I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better," the paper quoted him as saying earlier this month.
Since Starmer took office in July 2024, his Labour government has sanctioned Israeli ministers accused of fuelling settler violence in the occupied West Bank, suspended negotiations on a new free-trade deal with Israel and formally recognised a State of Palestine.
But defenders of the Palestinians say Starmer has not gone far enough and a poll indicated some voters have abandoned Labour for the Green Party, whose leader has accused Israel of committing genocide.
"We've got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government," Burnham said.
"Yes, we have taken some important steps... But let's be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach."
Burnham said further sanctions should be considered and measures should be examined "to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements".

Managing Trump

Starmer gained a reputation as a "Trump whisperer" in the early days after Donald Trump returned to the White House for his second term as US president in January 2025.
But ties have hit a rocky patch despite attempts to woo the mercurial US leader.
Despite the much vaunted "special relationship" between the United States and Britain, Trump has repeatedly criticised the Labour government over defence spending, its reluctance to fully endorse US strikes on Iran and the future of the strategically important Chagos Islands, home to a joint UK-US military base.
Whether Trump will warm to Burnham remains unclear.
Asked recently about the former mayor of Manchester, the US leader said he did not know him well.
"I think he was the mayor of a city. I've heard he's very liberal," Trump said.
For his part, during his by-election campaign, Burnham warned voters that Britain risked drifting towards the "polarised, poisonous politics" of the United States, where "people in communities don't work together any more".
But he also wrote in the Times: "Our relationship with the US will remain critical as our most important defence and security ally."
He told former footballer Gary Lineker on his podcast that although he had not yet spoken to Trump he would deal with him in an "upfront" manner.
"It's about respecting the office... the US-UK relationship, but where you disagree ... do it in a way that is kind of meeting him where's he's at."

Ukraine

Support for Ukraine remains one of the rare issues which enjoys near-unanimous cross-party backing across British politics.
Burnham has vowed to maintain the strong backing for Kyiv begun under former Conservative premier Boris Johnson following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
"British support for Ukraine will not falter," he wrote in the Times in early July.
Like Starmer, he sees that commitment as closely linked to Britain's role within NATO.
"Our commitment to NATO and the British nuclear deterrent capability will remain absolute," he said.

Closer EU ties

A longtime opponent of Brexit, Burnham has repeatedly signalled his desire to build closer ties between Britain and the European Union.
He wrote in the Times he wanted "an even closer relationship with countries across Europe" to "consolidate the progress made on the existing UK-EU negotiations".
He also pointed to cooperation on illegal migration, tackling terrorism and AI-driven disinformation.
He has ruled out rejoining the EU but said previously he hoped Britain would return to the 27-nation bloc within his lifetime.
mhc-jkb/har/gil/rmb/jj/abs

US

In a Lebanon museum, 'keys without homes' evoke destruction in south

BY LAURE AL KHOURY

  • The exhibition "Hkeeli ya Jnoub", or "Tell me, O South", features pictures and videos preserving the memory of southern Lebanon at the capital's Beit Beirut museum.
  • Tears streamed down south Lebanon resident Fatima Hajj Ali's face as she stared at a host of keys hanging like windchimes from the ceiling of a Beirut museum -- each one symbolising a home, like her own, destroyed by Israel.
  • The exhibition "Hkeeli ya Jnoub", or "Tell me, O South", features pictures and videos preserving the memory of southern Lebanon at the capital's Beit Beirut museum.
Tears streamed down south Lebanon resident Fatima Hajj Ali's face as she stared at a host of keys hanging like windchimes from the ceiling of a Beirut museum -- each one symbolising a home, like her own, destroyed by Israel.
Hajj Ali is among the thousands of southerners who lost their houses in the recent conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah, the first of which broke out in 2023 when the group launched attacks in support of its ally Hamas, and the second in March when it entered the Middle East war on the side of its backer Iran.
"We were supposed to go home and open the door with the key, but there is no door anymore," the 23-year-old said.
Despite a lull in fighting following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran on June 17, intermittent Israeli strikes continue, as do widespread demolitions in and around occupied villages, making it impossible for many people to return.
The exhibition "Hkeeli ya Jnoub", or "Tell me, O South", features pictures and videos preserving the memory of southern Lebanon at the capital's Beit Beirut museum.
Walking through, Hajj Ali reminisced on her home in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, which she was only able to visit once after an April truce that ultimately failed to stop the fighting.
"Half the house collapsed and half remained," she told AFP.
"I long for sunset and to hear the call to prayer in our garden while I drink my coffee," said the psychologist, adding that Beirut had "beautiful" places, but "they are not home".
One of the projects on display is "Keys Without Homes", which comprises videos of three southerners who kept the keys to their houses, even though they no longer exist.
The artist, 36-year-old Adeeb Farhat, himself from the south, said the idea came to him during the previous war in 2024, when he feared losing his own home.
"I was constantly haunted by the question: What will happen to my house? Will it be bombed? And how will my relationship with my house key change? Will we become the new Palestinians?" he said.
There is a longstanding tradition among Palestinians of keeping the keys of homes they lost during the Nakba -- or "catastrophe" in Arabic -- which saw the flight and expulsion of an estimated 760,000 Palestinian Arabs during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

'What Remains'

Within the exhibition halls, a bedroom, living room and kitchen -- complete with a glass jug, coffee pot, and spice containers -- recreate details of daily life in the homes of southern Lebanese residents.
The exhibition also includes an old photograph of the coastal city of Tyre, a black-and-white video of Nabatieh, and notebooks in which visitors wrote down their memories of the south.
In another work called "What Remains", Sama Beydoun, 29 and living in Paris, showed pictures of her grandfather's now-destroyed home in Bint Jbeil, near the border with Israel, which she last saw in 2025.
However, a technical glitch resulted in most of the images appearing blurry, making them look like a "dream", Beydoun said.
"I remember how many people this house brought together, how my family grew up there, how many generations it witnessed, and how life changed, while some things remained constant", like the weekly Sunday gatherings, she said.
"Life was very simple, but it was beautiful."
In a photo essay called "Manufacturing Estrangements", Rawan Mazeh, 29, tells the story of a couple detained in the notorious Khiam Prison, run by the South Lebanon Army, an Israeli proxy militia, during Israel's 22-year occupation of south Lebanon that ended in 2000.
To Mazeh, the exhibition "created a comfortable place where people could come and feel close to their land".
lk/nad/smw/abs

conflict

Zelensky mulls army changes as protests rock Ukraine for third day

  • The demonstrations came as the president held two days of meetings with top military commanders, amid media speculation he could be looking for a replacement for army chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday hinted at potential changes in the army, as rare wartime protests over the removal of a popular defence minister rocked the country for a third day. 
  • The demonstrations came as the president held two days of meetings with top military commanders, amid media speculation he could be looking for a replacement for army chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday hinted at potential changes in the army, as rare wartime protests over the removal of a popular defence minister rocked the country for a third day. 
Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, a tech-savvy minister who championed drones and military reform, was sacked earlier this week in a controversial government reshuffle by Zelensky.
The demonstrations came as the president held two days of meetings with top military commanders, amid media speculation he could be looking for a replacement for army chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
"There were many consultations yesterday and today. Of course, I hear what people are saying," Zelensky said in an evening address, adding that he had spoken with both Syrsky and Fedorov.
"Decisions regarding the army will be developed," he said.
In Kyiv, an AFP reporter saw protesters clapping and banging the cardboard placards that became a symbol of last summer's anti-government protests, chanting "shame" and "Fedorov".
In his first reaction to the protests, Fedorov wrote on Telegram: "I thank you for the hope."
"There is dialogue. I believe everything will work out," he added.
Rallies were also announced in other major Ukrainian cities, according to organisers.
Demonstrators also called for the resignation of Syrsky, who reportedly had demanded Fedorov's dismissal after the two clashed over how to counter the Russian invasion.
During his barely six months in the post, Fedorov repeatedly argued with Syrsky, 60, in his efforts to digitise and modernise an army strained by four and a half years of fighting.
A day after being forced out, Fedorov on Thursday held an extraordinary press conference at which he accused the commander of dividing the country.
He criticised slow bureaucracy and a lack of flexibility, questioning whether Ukraine could defeat Russia with Syrsky in charge of the army.
Following Fedorov's accusations, Syrsky, who led Kyiv's defence in the crucial first months of the 2022 invasion, called for a focus on "the war and on an effective strategy that is currently yielding concrete results".
The political turmoil comes as Ukraine appears to have stabilised the front, with its long-range strikes beginning to take a toll on daily life inside Russia.
brw-asy/rh

conflict

Ukrainian strikes on Russian warehouses kill 8, shroud skies in smoke

  • An AFP journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region Saturday morning, lingering until at least the late afternoon.
  • Waves of Ukrainian explosive-laden drones on Saturday pounded e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing large fires that blackened the skies with thick smoke for hours.
  • An AFP journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region Saturday morning, lingering until at least the late afternoon.
Waves of Ukrainian explosive-laden drones on Saturday pounded e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing large fires that blackened the skies with thick smoke for hours.
Kyiv has in recent months intensified its strikes on Russian territory, disrupting the lives of ordinary Russians -- strikes it calls retribution for more than four years of bombardments against its territory.
The campaign, which Kyiv calls "long-range sanctions", has mostly targeted Russia's oil infrastructure triggering a full-blown fuel crisis in one of the world's biggest oil-producing countries.
This time, Ukraine struck two key warehouses of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries, killing eight night-shift workers and sparking fires that all but destroyed the facilities.
"A terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. It is a pain that cannot be put into words," said Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim.
An AFP journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region Saturday morning, lingering until at least the late afternoon.
"Seven night-shift employees were killed when enemy UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) hit a Wildberries logistics centre," said Evgeny Pervyshov, the governor of the Tambov region, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of Moscow.
And in the Moscow region -- where an oil depot was struck in addition to another Wildberries warehouse -- one person died in hospital, said regional governor Andrei Vorobyov.
Firefighters were still battling the blaze in the Moscow region's Elektrostal, while the regional authorities in Tambov said the fire there had been extinguished.
In Elektrostal, an empty kindergarten was also hit, but no one was hurt, added Vorobyov. 
Almost 90 people were wounded in the attacks on the two regions and taken to hospital, authorities said.
More than 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight, said the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin. Between July 11 and 18, almost 1,892 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow were intercepted, he added.

'Long-range sanctions'

"In response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit -- in the Moscow and Tambov regions," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
He alleged the centres were used "to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment".
In Ukraine, Russian strikes killed five people and wounded almost 20 others in regions stretching the country's southeast. 
But even as the war continued, in big cities across Ukraine, thousands gathered to protest the removal of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov for a third day in a row.  
Just when Ukraine appeared to be gaining momentum on the battlefield, Zelensky ordered a surprise government reshuffle that included the dismissal of the young, tech-savvy defence minister, triggering rare wartime protests.
Intensifying Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have disrupted daily life more visibly than at any point in the war, with fuel shortages hitting nearly 90 percent of Russian regions since June.
In recent weeks, lining up at petrol stations has become a staple of life in Russia -- a country where fuel had until now been readily available and far cheaper than in Europe.
Fighting on the front line has largely stalled, with Ukraine appearing to have slowed Russia's summer offensive.
US-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain frozen since Washington has shifted its attention to its war against Iran.
bur/jj

Argentina

Brazil high court says Argentina's Milei cannot visit Bolsonaro

  • He was moved to house arrest in March for health reasons.
  • Brazil's top court on Saturday denied a request by Argentine President Javier Milei to visit former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, a ruling obtained by AFP showed.
  • He was moved to house arrest in March for health reasons.
Brazil's top court on Saturday denied a request by Argentine President Javier Milei to visit former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, a ruling obtained by AFP showed.
Milei is expected to attend the convention of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party on July 25 in Sao Paulo, at which Bolsonaro's son Flavio, a senator, is expected to be named the conservative movement's candidate for the upcoming October polls.
Bolsonaro's attorneys had asked that Milei be able to see Bolsonaro at that time, but Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes banned all visits to the ex-president for 30 days late Friday, as punishment for publication of a letter transmitted by his son. 
That violated a ban on his use of social media, including via third parties.
Moraes said Saturday that Milei's request was moot due to the overall ban. Doctors, physical therapists and Bolsonaro's attorneys are exempt and can still visit him.
Bolsonaro, 71, is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup to overturn the results of the 2022 election, in which he was defeated by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He is banned from public office, though he is appealing.
He was moved to house arrest in March for health reasons.
Moraes said that additionally Bolsonaro cannot have any visits for "political or electoral purposes" until after the elections, nor can he disseminate any political messages.
Flavio Bolsonaro -- who was specifically barred earlier this month from seeing his father for 90 days, or until after the election's first round -- has hit out at Moraes over his decisions, calling them politically motivated. 
The visit request had also included Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, Milei's sister Karina, who serves in his government, and a translator.
Since 2023, Milei and Bolsonaro have presented themselves as ideological allies in Latin America's new political right. Lula's relations with Milei are not as friendly.
Bolsonaro's attorney Joao Henrique de Freitas questioned the "motivation and proportionality" of the rulings on X, saying: "Brazil deserves transparency, not convenient coincidences."
In October's election, Flavio Bolsonaro is expected to face Lula, who is seeking reelection.
ll/sst/md

conflict

NY mayor says still mulling Netanyahu arrest during UN meet

  • "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani told The New York Times.
  • New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is in talks over whether to try to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an upcoming UN summit, he said in an interview published Saturday -- prompting a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu's camp.
  • "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani told The New York Times.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is in talks over whether to try to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an upcoming UN summit, he said in an interview published Saturday -- prompting a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu's camp.
"I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani told The New York Times. "He's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court."
The leftist Mamdani, who has called Israel an "apartheid regime," added: "That is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years."
Mamdani admitted he was not sure if he has the power to order the New York Police Department to detain a foreign leader but is discussing the matter with the city's legal team. 
"Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do," he said.
The UN General Assembly, a major gathering of world leaders, takes place in September at UN headquarters in New York.
Mamdani in the past has vowed to send the NYPD to enforce arrest warrants against leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court, including Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Hague-based ICC said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel's offensive in Gaza following the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, quickly called out Mamdani.
"Instead of focusing on his responsibilities as mayor and confronting the rising wave of antisemitism in his city, he has chosen to incite hostility and generate headlines by attacking the State of Israel," Danon wrote on X.
"It will not change a thing. Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu will come to New York, address the United Nations General Assembly with pride, and stand before the world to state Israel's truth and its unwavering right to defend its citizens," he said.
"And if anyone should be arrested, it is @NYCMayor Zohran Mamdani."
Netanyahu has accused Mamdani of supporting Hamas, saying on a recent New York radio show: "I think, secretly, he hates America."
sst/md

conflict

Ukrainian strikes on Russian warehouses kill 8, shroud skies in smoke

  • An AFP journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region on Saturday morning, which lingered until at least late afternoon.
  • Waves of Ukrainian explosive-laden drones on Saturday pounded e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing large fires that blackened the skies with thick smoke for hours.
  • An AFP journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region on Saturday morning, which lingered until at least late afternoon.
Waves of Ukrainian explosive-laden drones on Saturday pounded e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing large fires that blackened the skies with thick smoke for hours.
Kyiv has in recent months intensified its strikes on Russian territory, disrupting the lives of ordinary Russians -- strikes it calls retribution for more than four years of bombardments against its territory.
The campaign, which Kyiv calls "long-range sanctions", has mostly targeted Russia's oil infrastructure and triggered a full-blown fuel crisis in one of the world's biggest oil-producing countries.
This time, Ukraine struck two key warehouses of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries, killing eight night-shift workers and sparking fires that all but destroyed the facilities.
"A terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. It is a pain that cannot be put into words," said Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim.
An AFP journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region on Saturday morning, which lingered until at least late afternoon.
"Seven night-shift employees were killed when enemy UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) hit a Wildberries logistics centre," said Evgeny Pervyshov, the governor of the Tambov region, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of Moscow.
In the Moscow region -- where an oil depot was struck in addition to another Wildberries warehouse -- one person died in hospital, said regional governor Andrei Vorobyov.
Firefighters were still battling the blaze in the Moscow region's Elektrostal, while the fire in Tambov had been extinguished, regional authorities said. In Elektrostal, an empty kindergarten was also hit, without any casualties, added Vorobyov. 
Almost 60 people were wounded in the attacks on the two regions and taken to hospital, authorities said.
More than 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight, said the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin. Between July 11 and 18, almost 1,892 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow were intercepted, he added.

'Long-range sanctions'

"In response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit -- in the Moscow and Tambov regions," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
He alleged the centres were used "to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment".
In Ukraine, Russian strikes left one person dead and 13 wounded in the Black Sea harbour of Odesa, in escalating bombardments of port facilities.
Intensifying Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have disrupted daily life more visibly than at any point in the war, with fuel shortages hitting nearly 90 percent of Russian regions since June.
In recent weeks, lining up at petrol stations has become a staple of life in Russia -- a country where fuel had until now been readily available and far cheaper than in Europe.
Fighting on the front line has largely stalled, with Ukraine appearing to have slowed Russia's summer offensive.
US-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remains frozen since Washington has shifted focus to its war against Iran.
bur/rmb