US

Iran says war unlikely as Trump warns he may 'finish the job'

BY BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON AND BEIRUT

  • Hopes of an imminent deal sent benchmark oil contracts falling more than five percent Wednesday.
  • Oil prices tumbled Wednesday on hopes of a US-Iran peace deal, even as President Donald Trump warned he may have to "finish the job" and Tehran said its forces were still "lying in wait with full magazines."
  • Hopes of an imminent deal sent benchmark oil contracts falling more than five percent Wednesday.
Oil prices tumbled Wednesday on hopes of a US-Iran peace deal, even as President Donald Trump warned he may have to "finish the job" and Tehran said its forces were still "lying in wait with full magazines."
The mixed signals underscored the fragile state of talks aimed at ending a Middle East war that has shaken global energy markets and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said a return to war was unlikely, while Trump told a televised White House cabinet meeting that Tehran wanted a deal but had not yet offered enough.
"Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal. So far they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be," he said.
"Either that or we'll have to just finish the job."
Trump also appeared to direct a warning at Oman, a US ally and mediator in the conflict, when asked about a possible short-term arrangement allowing Iran and Oman to control the Strait of Hormuz.
"No, the strait is going to be open to everybody," Trump said. "It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine."
The White House did not immediately clarify whether Trump had misspoken. Oman has played a mediation role in the war and has itself come under attack from Tehran.
Senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards official Mohammad Akbarzadeh said the likelihood of "war is low because of the enemy's weakness", but warned the military was "lying in wait with full magazines" if attacked, Tasnim news agency reported.
Trump, who said at the weekend a deal was close, also told the cabinet meeting he was in no rush.

'Complete fabrication'

The Middle East war erupted in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, sending oil prices soaring.
Hopes of an imminent deal sent benchmark oil contracts falling more than five percent Wednesday.
Global stocks mostly rose, with all three major US indices posting modest gains and fresh records, as investors looked past conflicting signals from Washington and Tehran.
Traders were also buoyed by a retreat in US Treasury yields as oil prices fell, while another surge in technology stocks added momentum to the rally.
Economists have warned that prolonged disruption in Hormuz could keep energy prices elevated, feed inflation and force central banks to raise interest rates.
Adding to optimism, Iranian state TV reported that Washington had committed in a draft framework to lift its naval blockade, restore traffic through Hormuz and withdraw US forces from the Gulf.
The report cited what it called a draft memorandum outline, but the White House dismissed it as "a complete fabrication".
A day earlier, Iran accused the US of breaching the ceasefire after the most serious strikes since the truce took effect, and warned it was ready to retaliate.
The US military said it launched "self-defence strikes" on Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats overnight Monday to Tuesday.
Tehran's intelligence ministry accused the US and Israel of seeking to overthrow the Islamic republic, partition Iran, foment division and carry out sabotage.

'Will there be missile strikes?'

Iran and the US have traded threats for weeks while negotiating through Pakistani mediation.
Neither side appears ready to compromise on the main sticking points: Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme.
On Wednesday, the Revolutionary Guards' navy said only ships "willing to abide by Iranian order" could pass through Hormuz. 
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that a deal remained within reach, but that the Hormuz would be reopened "one way or the other".
Iranian authorities also partially restored access to the global internet Tuesday after a three-month shutdown.
"I do feel better now because I finally can use my favourite applications," said Hana, a 20-year-old student in Tehran who gave only her first name.
"At the same time, I have this concern that war might resume any minute and just cut me off again from my friends."
Amir, a 27-year-old software developer in the Iranian capital, also feared renewed fighting despite talk of a deal.
"I feel like nothing is certain yet," he said. 
"The daily question is: Will there be missile strikes tonight?"

Fighting expands in Lebanon

In Lebanon, Israel launched broad strikes Wednesday and declared a huge swathe of the south a new combat zone, urging residents to leave.
The warning further strained an April 17 ceasefire that has done little to halt fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the war by attacking Israel in early March.
Iran says any peace accord must apply to Lebanon.
An Israeli military spokesman warned civilians to evacuate north of the Zahrani River, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border, "as all areas south of the river are considered combat zones".
Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces "at point-blank range" in a strategic town just beyond an Israeli-declared "yellow line" in south Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday to "crush" Hezbollah, while army chief Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir said Wednesday that Israel was "intensifying our operations" against the group.
ft/sla

US

Trump appears to threaten to 'blow up' ally Oman

  • Oman is a key US ally which has tried to mediate the Middle East war and has itself come under attack from Tehran.
  • President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to threaten to attack US ally Oman if it sides with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Oman is a key US ally which has tried to mediate the Middle East war and has itself come under attack from Tehran.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to threaten to attack US ally Oman if it sides with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said Oman must "behave" or he would "blow them up," when he was asked if he would accept a short-term deal to allow Iran and the Gulf state to control the waterway.
"No, the strait is going to be open to everybody," Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House.
"It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine."
The White House did not immediately respond when asked by AFP if Trump had misspoken and had intended to refer to Iran rather than Oman.
Oman is a key US ally which has tried to mediate the Middle East war and has itself come under attack from Tehran.
The US State Department later posted a clip and transcript of Trump's comments about Oman, without any correction or clarification.
The 79-year-old did earlier appear to mix up Iran and Venezuela, saying that the South American nation -- whose leader Nicolas Maduro was toppled by US forces in January -- "no longer has a navy, no longer has an air force."
Trump has repeatedly used such phrasing to refer to Iran, which the US and Israel attacked on February 28.
Iran has indicated that it seeks to impose a new reality in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world's oil normally passes, exacting tolls on transiting ships and sharing the revenues with Oman.
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated as talks to end the Middle East war and reopen the strait appear to have stalled once more, just days after he said a deal was near.
dk/bgs

Global Edition

Bolivia at 'breaking point', president warns protesters

  • "The country needs order, and is reaching breaking point," the 58-year-old leader said at a public event in La Paz, renewing his appeal for dialogue.
  • Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz warned Wednesday that the country was at a "breaking point" after nearly a month of protests that have caused shortages of food, fuel and life-saving medicine.
  • "The country needs order, and is reaching breaking point," the 58-year-old leader said at a public event in La Paz, renewing his appeal for dialogue.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz warned Wednesday that the country was at a "breaking point" after nearly a month of protests that have caused shortages of food, fuel and life-saving medicine.
The US-backed Paz, who took office six months ago in the middle of a severe economic crisis, is battling a groundswell of fury over his center-right policies.
The political capital La Paz has been besieged by low-income workers and members of the country's Indigenous majority calling for his resignation.
"The country needs order, and is reaching breaking point," the 58-year-old leader said at a public event in La Paz, renewing his appeal for dialogue.
On Tuesday, Congress lifted restrictions on him announcing a state of emergency, paving the way for Paz to possibly deploy troops to restore order.
Paz has so far emphasized the need for dialogue but not ruled out using "constitutional instruments" to end the blockade of La Paz -- an allusion to declaring a state of emergency.
"Anyone who wants to destroy the nation will have to deal with this president and the full force of the Constitution," he said on Wednesday, assuring the police and military that they had the public's support.
His warnings came as thousands of Indigenous women in traditional layered skirts marched through La Paz on Mother's Day in Bolivia, in support of striking transport workers.
The demonstrations began in early May with trade union demands for salary increases, stable fuel supplies and more sound economic management. 
But the protests later ballooned into a full-blown revolt.
Over the past two weeks, La Paz has been turned into a battleground, with riot police repeatedly clashing with protesters.
Paz has attempted in quell the protesters' fury by saying he will cut his own salary in half and give Indigenous groups and labor unions more of a say in policy-making.
His government accuses ex-president Evo Morales -- in hiding from charges of trafficking a minor with whom he allegedly fathered a child -- of orchestrating the upheaval.
gta/cb/des

health

Live snakes, dead bears and brain worms: RFK Jr's wild animal antics

BY MALCOLM FOSTER

  • - 'Don't copy him' - In the latest animal adventure, Kennedy on Tuesday posted a video of himself on X picking up two thin black snakes by their tails from the corner of an outdoor patio.
  • A viral video of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picking up two writhing black snakes with his bare hands has put his often bizarre adventures with animals back in the spotlight.
  • - 'Don't copy him' - In the latest animal adventure, Kennedy on Tuesday posted a video of himself on X picking up two thin black snakes by their tails from the corner of an outdoor patio.
A viral video of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picking up two writhing black snakes with his bare hands has put his often bizarre adventures with animals back in the spotlight.
Kennedy is an unusual government minister, surrounded by controversy over his fringe views that edge into conspiracy theories.
He's expressed skepticism about vaccines, falsely linking childhood immunizations to autism, and insisted that fluoride in public drinking water is unsafe.
And numerous stories have emerged about Kennedy's offbeat antics involving animals, accentuating his eccentric image.
In 2024, Kennedy acknowledged in a video that a decade earlier, he had put a dead bear cub in New York City's Central Park with a bicycle to make it look like a biking accident.
He said he had found the bear upstate after it had been hit by a car, and had put it in his vehicle to skin it, but then abandoned the plan. The case mystified authorities for years.
According to a story recounted by his daughter, Kennedy also used a chainsaw to cut off the head of a dead whale that had washed ashore in Massachusetts.
He then strapped it to the roof of the family minivan to take it home to study its skull, she said.
Similarly, in a 2026 biography, Kennedy said he cut off the penis of a road-killed racoon to study it later.
In another case, the New York Times reported that a doctor found a dead parasitic worm in Kennedy's brain after he had complained of memory loss. He said he has recovered with no lasting impact.
None of these stories seem to embarrass Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 while running for president.
"He has a relationship with animals that most of us only dream of. Nightmares are also dreams," wrote Washington Post columnist Monica Hesse.

'Don't copy him'

In the latest animal adventure, Kennedy on Tuesday posted a video of himself on X picking up two thin black snakes by their tails from the corner of an outdoor patio.
Wearing a tie and dress shirt, he holds up the writhing snakes and smiles.
At one point, he appears to be bitten by one of the snakes, while off camera a woman's voice says, "Bobby, Bobby, please."
"Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr Oz's patio," Kennedy's caption reads, an apparent reference to his wife, actress Cheryl Hines.
Mehmet Oz is the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the health department Kennedy heads.
Black racers "are non-venomous and harmless to humans as long as they are left alone," according to the National Park Service.
Cameron Young, of the Center for Snake Conservation, warned that people should not pick them up as they will bite.
"What I don't want is people copying him," Young told AFP. "If a kid picks up a venomous snake because RFK did, then the kid may receive a medically significant bite."
mjf/bgs

virus

Rubio vows to keep Ebola out of US

  • "We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States," Rubio vowed during a cabinet meeting convened by President Donald Trump at the White House.
  • The United States will not allow anyone afflicted with the highly dangerous Ebola virus spreading in central Africa to enter the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.
  • "We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States," Rubio vowed during a cabinet meeting convened by President Donald Trump at the White House.
The United States will not allow anyone afflicted with the highly dangerous Ebola virus spreading in central Africa to enter the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.
"We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States," Rubio vowed during a cabinet meeting convened by President Donald Trump at the White House.
Rubio added that the State Department and other agencies "are working very, very hard" to contain the crisis, whose epicenter is in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
His remarks came as the Trump administration worked to open a treatment facility for US citizens in Kenya, instead of facilitating their return for medical assistance on American soil, as has been done in previous Ebola outbreaks.
Asked to comment on the Wall Street Journal's report about the Kenya operation, a Trump administration official confirmed to AFP that the "state-of-the-art facility" was being set up.
"The facility is designed to provide access to high-quality care for Americans who would need to quickly get out of DRC and quarantine without the risks of a lengthy transport back to the US," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Patients will have access to a "full-spectrum" of care for Ebola Virus Disease, the official said, while adding that "each case will be evaluated for forward transport for more advanced care as appropriate in order to maximize patient outcomes."
The Wall Street Journal reported that the facility was still awaiting approval from Kenyan authorities.
One US citizen who contracted Ebola in eastern DRC was taken to an isolation unit in Germany last week, along with his wife and four children.
The patient, medical missionary Peter Stafford, is responding well to treatment, the Charite Hospital in Berlin said Wednesday.
Kenya has not reported any Ebola infections so far, but health authorities are scrambling to curb a fast-growing outbreak of a rare Ebola variant in the DRC.
Rubio said that the US government has "surged assistance to make sure that... nobody comes into this country that has Ebola and creates a problem for us, and we feel like we've got good efforts in place to do that."
US authorities have said that all US citizens who have visited the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days will be allowed to enter the country only via airports in Washington, Atlanta, and Houston, where they will be screened.
US permanent residents who have traveled through or stayed in those countries within the past 21 days are temporarily barred from entering the United States under restrictions initially set to last 30 days.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded more than 1,000 suspected Ebola infections, including 223 deaths, so far.
But health officials say the full extent of the outbreak is still unclear, with international authorities warning that the reported figures likely fall short of the true number of cases.
bur-dla-lb/md/des

US

Trump says 'not satisfied' yet on Iran deal

BY DANNY KEMP

  • Trump did not respond directly to the Iranian state TV report of a draft agreement, and gave sometimes contradictory accounts about how the negotiations were going.
  • US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was not yet satisfied with Iran's offers to make a deal, after Iranian state television reported details of what it claimed was a draft agreement.
  • Trump did not respond directly to the Iranian state TV report of a draft agreement, and gave sometimes contradictory accounts about how the negotiations were going.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was not yet satisfied with Iran's offers to make a deal, after Iranian state television reported details of what it claimed was a draft agreement.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting in the White House, Trump added that he was in no rush to reach an accord to end the Middle East war, despite saying at the weekend that one was close.
"Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal. So far they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be," Trump said.
"Either that or we'll have to just finish the job," he said, referring to threats to resume the military operations that the United States and Israel launched on February 28 and paused in April.
Trump added that the Iranians were "negotiating on fumes."
Iranian state TV said earlier Wednesday that a draft outline of a memorandum of understanding with Washington included a commitment to lift the naval blockade on Iran, restore traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and withdraw US forces from the Gulf. 
The White House called the report a "complete fabrication."
Trump insisted that he was not in a hurry to reach a deal, despite the Iran war causing the cost of living to spike for Americans ahead of midterm elections in November.
The Republican has record low approval ratings with less than six months until the vote that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress.
"They thought they were going to outwait me, you know, 'we'll outwait him, he's got the midterms,'" Trump said, referring to Iran. 
"I don't care about the midterms."

'Blow them up'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sitting next to Trump, said there had been "some progress and some interest" in the talks with Iran.
"We'll see over the next few hours and days whether progress can be made," said Rubio.
Trump did not respond directly to the Iranian state TV report of a draft agreement, and gave sometimes contradictory accounts about how the negotiations were going.
He said that "nobody" including Iran would control the Strait of Hormuz and rejected reports that Iran and the Gulf state of Oman could control a toll system for the waterway.
The US leader, who turns 80 next month, even said that "Oman will behave just like everybody else or we will have to blow them up," in a comment that was apparently meant to be directed at Iran.
Trump then suggested that an Iran deal may be contingent on his push for Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries to sign the Abraham accords normalizing ties with Israel.
“I'm not sure we should make the deal if they don't sign," Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly said that he launched the Iran war to stop Tehran getting a nuclear weapon. 
But he appeared to confirm reports that the deal under discussion could push the issue of Iran's enriched uranium stocks until later, while opening the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial for oil traffic.
"Well, I would for some of it," Trump said when asked whether he would accept a deal for now that just calls for further talks on the uranium. "Because it's a memorandum of understanding for speed."
But Trump said he would not be comfortable with Russia or China taking Iran's uranium, another solution that has been suggested.
dk/bgs

robbery

German far-left militant jailed for 13 years for robberies

BY SEBASTIAN BRONST

  • Klette was arrested in her Berlin apartment in February 2024 after evading authorities for more than 30 years.
  • A German far-left militant arrested in Berlin after decades on the run was sentenced to 13 years' jail Wednesday for a series of armed robberies committed while she was a fugitive.
  • Klette was arrested in her Berlin apartment in February 2024 after evading authorities for more than 30 years.
A German far-left militant arrested in Berlin after decades on the run was sentenced to 13 years' jail Wednesday for a series of armed robberies committed while she was a fugitive.
Daniela Klette, 67, is a former member of the Baader-Meinhof gang, a radical anti-capitalist group that carried out killings, bombings and kidnappings mainly in the 1970s and 1980s.
While on the run, Klette scoped out targets, drove getaway vehicles and in some heists wielded a "realistic looking" dummy bazooka while acomplices were armed with assault rifles, the court heard.
Klette was arrested in her Berlin apartment in February 2024 after evading authorities for more than 30 years. Police found a Kalashnikov assault rifle, wigs and fake ID cards as well as gold and large sums of cash in her flat.
She was found guilty on Wednesday of taking part in robberies with two male gang members to finance their lives on the run after the group, also known as the Red Army Faction (RAF), disbanded in 1998.
Klette was found guilty of six counts of "particularly serious robbery" committed between 1999 and 2016, and other charges including extortion and arms violations.
Defence lawyers said they had immediately appealed the verdict.
The robbers got away with a total of 2.4 million euros ($2.8 million), stolen from supermarkets and armoured cash transports, according to prosecutors.
The court noted "the high level of criminal intent" and the fact the crimes "were planned down to the smallest detail and carried out meticulously", said court spokesman Ahmad Mohamad.
Prosecutors also accuse Klette of three politically motivated attacks in the 1990s, while the gang was still active. Those charges are being dealt with in separate proceedings.

Life on the run

The Baader-Meinhof gang -- named after two early leaders, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof -- emerged out of the radical fringe of the 1960s and 70s student protest movement.
The group took up arms against what they saw as US imperialism and a "fascist" German state still riddled with former Nazis.
The RAF is believed to have been responsible for 34 deaths, including police, judges, American soldiers and a former Nazi SS officer who later became a prominent industrialist.
A number of sympathisers were in court Wednesday, cheering Klette and shouting "Free Daniela!". At least one woman was led away by security personnel.
In separate proceedings, prosecutors accuse Klette of involvement in an RAF plot to blow up the offices of Deutsche Bank in 1990.
She is also said to have strafed the US embassy in Bonn with machine gun fire in 1991 and to have been part of a team that bombed the Weiterstadt prison near Frankfurt in 1993.

'Against capitalism and patriarchy'

Klette was part of a trio -- with fellow gang members Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub -- that were part of the RAF's "third generation" in the 1980s and 1990s.
Police are still searching for Garweg and Staub, who if still alive would now be 57 and 72 respectively.
"They carried out their robberies with a division of labour and in a highly conspiratorial manner," said presiding Judge Lars Engelke.
The three had been living in hiding since at least 1999, rented getaway cars under false identities and spoke of the armed robberies as "their work" and source of income, the judge said.
When police came to arrest her, Klette managed to send off a text message to Garweg, allowing him to escape from his Berlin hideout.
During her trial she usually entered the court beaming and waving to supporters, who greeted her with applause.
Addressing the court last year, Klette defiantly vowed to continue the struggle against "capitalism and patriarchy".
bro-fz/fec/tw

court

Duterte's ICC trial to start November 30: judge

BY RICHARD CARTER

  • The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  • Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from November 30, the presiding judge said on Wednesday.
  • The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from November 30, the presiding judge said on Wednesday.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018 during his so-called "war on drugs".
The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors had sought the November 30 start and they expect to call between 60 and 70 witnesses during the trial.
"I am prepared to accede to the prosecution's request" said presiding judge Joanna Korner. She did however order a further assessment of Duterte's fitness to stand trial before proceedings begin.
The defence, led by British barrister Peter Haynes after a reshuffle, had urged judges not to set a date for trial, arguing that Duterte's health needed to be assessed.
"It would be inappropriate to attempt to set a date... the defence position is that a commencement is contingent upon a determination... of Duterte's fitness to stand trial," the defence said.
Duterte was cleared fit for an earlier hearing that confirmed the charges against him, but he did not appear in person, his defence team saying he was not mentally sharp enough to follow proceedings.
"His condition continues to deteriorate and will need more fully to be reviewed before any trial may commence," argued the defence.
It is unlikely Duterte will ever appear at the court based in The Hague. Judges have granted him leave of absence at every hearing so far.
The only time he has been seen since his arrest was an initial appearance via video, where he seemed confused and tired, his speech barely audible.

'Death squad'

During February "confirmation of charges" hearings, the prosecution alleged Duterte killed thousands of suspected drug pushers and users, first as mayor of Davao City, then as president.
"Decades of murdering his own people, murdering the children of the Philippines, and he claims that he did it all for his country. He doesn't deny it," said Julian Nicholls, summing up for the prosecution after the hearings.
"He ran a death squad in Davao (city) that he created. He ran it for over 20 years before he became president. His promise was to kill thousands and he did."
The true number of killings during his campaign in the Philippines is thought to be in the thousands, and lawyers for the victims have argued that a full trial could encourage more families to come forward.
The case comes with the ICC facing intense political pressure, including two rounds of US sanctions imposed since June 2025.
The Philippines left the ICC in 2019, on Duterte's instructions, but the court has ruled that it still has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed there between 2011 and 2019.
Duterte "absolutely" maintains his innocence, his former defence lawyer Nicolas Kaufman told the court in February.
Kaufman told ICC judges the evidence against Duterte was "wholly insufficient" and the charges "grievously misplaced and politically motivated".
He argued that while Duterte used "bluster and hyperbole" in his speeches, he also frequently ordered authorities only to shoot in self-defence.
Duterte remains popular in the Philippines, where many favoured his tough approach to crime.
ric/tw

Samsung

Samsung workers approve bonus deal after big AI profits

BY KANG JIN-KYU

  • The prospect of a strike had sparked wider concerns in South Korea, where Samsung Electronics alone accounts for around 12.5 percent of gross domestic product and memory chips make up about 35 percent of exports.
  • Samsung Electronics union members on Wednesday approved a deal with management securing massive annual bonuses after threatening a major strike, as the global artificial intelligence boom causes the South Korean chip giant's profits to soar.
  • The prospect of a strike had sparked wider concerns in South Korea, where Samsung Electronics alone accounts for around 12.5 percent of gross domestic product and memory chips make up about 35 percent of exports.
Samsung Electronics union members on Wednesday approved a deal with management securing massive annual bonuses after threatening a major strike, as the global artificial intelligence boom causes the South Korean chip giant's profits to soar.
The agreement means that around 78,000 employees from the company's 125,000-strong domestic workforce are eligible to receive a bonus of roughly $370,000 this year, based on a market estimate of annual operating profit.
Samsung's largest workers' union said in a statement that more than 73 percent of its members had backed the agreement in an electronic vote held over six days.
The deal was struck at the last minute last week to avert an 18-day strike that had raised fears over the impact on South Korea's economy.
"It isn't quite at the level we wanted... we just have to accept what we get," a 23-year-old chip worker told AFP, requesting anonymity.
The employee acknowledged there was criticism of the large payouts both from within the company and among the wider public, but said "people are just badmouthing us without even trying to understand the situation".
Frenzied demand for the memory chips that power AI data centres has turbocharged Samsung's earnings.
The firm in April said first-quarter operating profit soared roughly 750 percent year-on-year, while its market value topped $1 trillion for the first time this month.
Under the union's 10-year deal -- which is tied to ambitious performance targets -- annual bonuses for employees in the semiconductor division would amount to 10.5 percent of their segment's operating profit.
The bonuses will be paid in shares, alongside an additional 1.5 percent in cash.

'Golden ticket'

The bonus scheme has fuelled tensions among workers in other divisions -- who will receive different rewards under the deal -- as well as subsidiaries and shareholders.
The prospect of a strike had sparked wider concerns in South Korea, where Samsung Electronics alone accounts for around 12.5 percent of gross domestic product and memory chips make up about 35 percent of exports.
It has also fanned a debate over how AI profits should be distributed.
A senior presidential official has floated the idea of a "national dividend" -- arguing that excess AI-related tax revenue could be used to support social welfare programmes.
Analysts say large bonuses could help prevent engineering talent from moving abroad, as US firms such as Tesla ramp up investment in AI chips.
According to Samsung's union, workers at rival chipmaker SK hynix -- which also hit a $1 trillion market capitalisation on Wednesday -- received bonuses more than three times larger than those paid by Samsung last year.
The promised windfall at both firms has sharply elevated the social status of chip engineers in South Korea.
A simple jacket bearing the SK hynix logo went viral on social media this month as a symbol of wealth and success, with parody posts depicting it as a "golden ticket" to luxury boutiques or better dating prospects.
Yonhap news agency said jobs at Samsung and SK hynix now guarantee "a boost in marriage market value", citing a rise in their "desirability indices" compiled by matchmaking agency Sunoo -- catching up with professions such as doctors and lawyers.

Opposition

There have been reports of worker discontent over similar issues at Taiwan's chip production giant TSMC, which has also logged record net profits due to AI demand.
The Samsung agreement is fuelling labour demands across South Korea, with workers in sectors ranging from biotech and autos to shipbuilding asking for a larger share of corporate profits through bonuses.
Within Samsung Electronics, the deal has deepened divisions between employees in the highly profitable semiconductor business and other divisions such as mobile, display and consumer electronics, where profits have stagnated or declined.
A smaller union representing workers outside the semiconductor division had sought to block the vote, while some shareholders have also voiced opposition, arguing the agreement lacked their approval.
Discontent has also spread among employees at Samsung affiliates including Samsung Display, Samsung SDI and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, which are separately listed and offer significantly smaller bonuses.
sjh-jug-kjk-syj/ami

Islam

Pilgrims 'stone the devil' at hajj gripped by intense heat

BY HAITHAM EL-TABEI

  • The white-robed pilgrims have been contending with searing desert heat as they perform the days-long, mostly outdoor rituals, with temperatures reaching 44C in Mecca and Mina on Wednesday.
  • Muslim faithful ritually stoned the devil on Wednesday in the climactic ceremony of a hajj pilgrimage held in intense heat and against the backdrop of a war that has plunged the wealthy Gulf into crisis.
  • The white-robed pilgrims have been contending with searing desert heat as they perform the days-long, mostly outdoor rituals, with temperatures reaching 44C in Mecca and Mina on Wednesday.
Muslim faithful ritually stoned the devil on Wednesday in the climactic ceremony of a hajj pilgrimage held in intense heat and against the backdrop of a war that has plunged the wealthy Gulf into crisis.
From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil.
It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
The white-robed pilgrims have been contending with searing desert heat as they perform the days-long, mostly outdoor rituals, with temperatures reaching 44C in Mecca and Mina on Wednesday.
After more than 1,300 died at the 2024 hajj, when temperatures soared past 50C, Saudi authorities ramped up anti-heat measures including giant fans, mist sprayers, cooled floors and trucks distributing drinking water.
More than 1.7 million people are taking part in the hajj this year, slightly up from 2025 despite the Middle East war in which Iranian drones and missiles targeted sites in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours for several weeks.
The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of global oil output, remains largely blockaded as a stop-start US-Iran peace process unfolds, dealing a blow to Gulf exporters and sending energy prices soaring.

'Extreme hardship'

Despite the physical challenges, many were overjoyed to complete the pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means to do so.
"I can't believe I've finished the hajj rituals," Iraqi pilgrim Adnan Hamad, 58, told AFP, as his daughters in white robes, or abayas, looked on.
"Every step was enjoyable despite the extreme hardship." 
Marwa Dahchouri, from Egypt, called the devil-stoning "a truly unique feeling".
"It's as if you were in paradise, or as if you've become a small part of it," she said.
On Tuesday, pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon.
They then spent the night under the stars at Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they collected pebbles for the stoning.
After this ceremony, the pilgrims return to Mecca for a last circumambulation of the Kaaba, the cuboid building at the heart of the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims turn when they pray.
The hajj's last day is also the start of Eid al-Adha, the festival celebrating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son before the angel Gabriel intervened and offered him a goat in Ishmael's place. 
The festival, celebrated across the Muslim world, is usually marked with the slaughter of a sheep, with some of the meat given to the needy. 
ht-sar/th/dcp

Islam

Hajj pilgrims stone the devil in final ritual

  • The pilgrimage is a requirement for all Muslims to perform at least once in their life if they have the means.
  • Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca.
  • The pilgrimage is a requirement for all Muslims to perform at least once in their life if they have the means.
Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca.
From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Mecca, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil.
It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
More than 1.7 million people are taking part in the hajj this year. The pilgrimage is a requirement for all Muslims to perform at least once in their life if they have the means.
The most important festival in Islam has, for the third year in a row, been overshadowed by war -- this time the US-Israeli conflict with Iran that has drawn in the Gulf nations.
A fragile ceasefire, in place since April 8, has mostly brought a halt to the fighting but diplomatic efforts to bring the war to a definitive end have proved inconclusive so far.
The hajj, which involves a series of mostly outdoor rituals over several days, is taking place during intense heat this year.
On Tuesday, pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon, enduring temperatures of 45C.
They then spent the night under the stars at Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they collected pebbles for the stoning.
After this final ceremony, the pilgrims return to Mecca for a last circumambulation of the Kaaba, the cuboid building at the heart of the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims turn when they pray.
This last day of the hajj coincides with Eid al-Adha, the festival celebrating the memory of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son before the angel Gabriel intervened and offered him a goat in Ishmael's place. 
The festival is usually marked with the slaughter of a sheep, with some of the meat given to the needy. 
ht-sar/dcp/ser

consumption

Frugal and more online: smarter spenders rewrite luxury's China dream

BY MARY YANG AND AGATHA CANTRILL IN SHANGHAI

  • "I think people's spending habits after the pandemic may be more cost-effective and practical," Li told AFP, on a pilgrimage to the Galeries on its penultimate day of operations. 
  • When Beijinger Jacqueline Li first heard one of her favourite luxury department stores in the city was closing, she was shocked -- until she considered how Chinese spending habits have changed in recent years.
  • "I think people's spending habits after the pandemic may be more cost-effective and practical," Li told AFP, on a pilgrimage to the Galeries on its penultimate day of operations. 
When Beijinger Jacqueline Li first heard one of her favourite luxury department stores in the city was closing, she was shocked -- until she considered how Chinese spending habits have changed in recent years.
The closure of France's Galeries Lafayette in the Chinese capital on Wednesday takes place against the backdrop of a sluggish post-pandemic economy and shifting consumption practices.  
It is the latest sign foreign luxury brands might not retain the pull -- and the cashflow -- that they counted on in the world's second largest economy in the 2010s. 
"I think people's spending habits after the pandemic may be more cost-effective and practical," Li told AFP, on a pilgrimage to the Galeries on its penultimate day of operations. 
"It's no longer as over-the-top as before, like needing to have an impressive logo. So you'll see that (demand for) luxury goods has fallen," the international school admissions officer said. 
While luxury consumption in Europe and the United States has been driven by pandemic-era savings, Chinese consumers have spent more frugally as the post-Covid recovery has stuttered. 
The property market, into which millions had poured their savings, is struggling to recover from a long-running crisis, while middle class incomes have stagnated and youth unemployment remains high.
Last month, consumer spending grew at the slowest pace in more than three years, official data showed.
In 2025, the luxury market in China declined three to five percent, after plummeting 17 to 19 percent the year before, according to consultancy Bain & Company. 

Pandemic hangover

Before the pandemic, China's burgeoning middle class produced plenty of first-time high-end buyers, said Lisa Nan, editor at Jing Daily, a publication that focuses on China's luxury market. 
Now, "because of the economic downturn, people are much more rational and they have to navigate through this difficult period", she said. 
Even in financial hub Shanghai's swanky shopping districts, buyers still viscerally feel the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic. 
"I find myself wanting to save money even more now," said 24-year-old July Xu, who was browsing the stores in upmarket Xintiandi with her friends.
"Having lived through such an extraordinary period (during the pandemic), I've come to realise that having some personal savings is quite important."
"Beforehand, people felt like money came pretty easily, with their income increasing every year, but during the pandemic a lot of people suddenly lost their jobs," said 61-year-old Hu Shuqing, speaking to AFP outside a luxury fragrance store.
Some analysts think there could be light on the horizon though, with the country's high-wage sector steadily growing. 
"There could be a pent-up demand," said Jelena Sokolova from investment research firm Morningstar. 
"(People) have a lot of savings, and once they feel kind of good, or better about their financial situation, they could go on and spend this money that has been accumulated."

Changing market

Unfortunately for traditional brands, consumer confidence is not the only challenge they face in China. 
The dominance of e-commerce means shoppers from college students to retirees are used to buying marked-down clothing in just a few taps from the comfort of their sofas. 
They have a plethora of choices, from apps like Taobao and JD.com to hours-long sales livestreams on the Instagram-like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, China's version of TikTok.
At Galeries Lafayette on Tuesday, as employees packed away denuded mannequins, admissions officer Li said she thought the store had been too reliant on "the traditional... business model that has existed for decades in France". 
"This new generation of Chinese likes to shop online," she said. "For a lot of people born in the 1990s and 2000s... this mall is a stranger."
Even when shoppers do frequent brick-and-mortar shops, their online equivalents still inform purchase decisions.
"When I shop offline, after I spot an item of clothing, I'll see how much it costs to purchase online," said 46-year-old freelancer Yang Dunqin, who had come for one last trip to the department store. 
Chinese consumers have "matured a lot", becoming more discerning, said Jing Daily's Nan. 
Younger shoppers in particular focus less on legacy logos, instead seeking out pop-ups or emerging domestic brands.
"The need of buying luxury is no longer just a taste of their social status," she said. "It's really about self-expression."
Yang, the freelancer, was stoic about the loss of the Galeries. 
"It just shows that this era continues to move forward," he said. "It's part of changing times."
ac-isk-mya/reb/tc

India

Tibet-in-exile government leader sworn in

  • Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.
  • Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama prayed as the leader of the elected goverment of Tibetans in exile was sworn in for a second term on Wednesday.
  • Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.
Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama prayed as the leader of the elected goverment of Tibetans in exile was sworn in for a second term on Wednesday.
The India-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) -- condemned by China as "nothing but a separatist political group" -- is a key institution for the exiles, especially after the Dalai Lama handed over political power in 2011.
Elections took place in February and April in 27 countries -- but not China.
The government's "sikyong", or leader, Penpa Tsering, was elected for a second term, after taking 61 percent in the preliminary round -- a high enough threshold to win outright.
Tsering said Wednesday that he did not seek full independence for Tibet, but rather backed the Dalai Lama's long-standing "Middle Way" policy seeking autonomy and a "resolution to the Sino-Tibet conflict through non-violence, dialogue and mutual benefit".
Groups of traditional dancers performed, as crowds including red robed monks and nuns watched the ceremony in India's northern hilltown of Dharamshala.

'Enduring bond'

"We ... urge all Tibetans to remember our shared identity as political exiles, set aside differences, foster unity, and fulfil our individual responsibilities towards the common cause of Tibet," Tsering said after took the oath of office in front of justice officials, and watched by the Dalai Lama.
"Despite the Chinese government's systematic efforts to undermine Tibetan national identity, China cannot weaken the Tibetan people's enduring bond with their homeland."
The 91,000 registered voters include Buddhist monks in the high Himalayas, political exiles in South Asia's megacities and refugees in Australia, Europe and North America.
The five-year parliament, which sits twice a year, has 45 members from across the world: 30 representing three traditional provinces, 10 representing five religious traditions and five representing the diaspora.
It functions as a representative body for an estimated 150,000 Tibetans living in exile worldwide.

'Struggle for truth'

Tsering thanked host India, as well as the United States, for support.
"I also take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the government and people of India, the United States and all our supporters," he said. "Your support remains key to the effective continuation of our struggle for truth."
Exiled voters represent only a fraction of ethnic Tibetans -- whom the CTA estimates at six million worldwide, compared with more than seven million China counted in its 2020 census.
Beijing, which in 1950 sent troops to the vast high-altitude plateau it describes as an integral part of China, calls the exiled government an "illegal organisation that completely violates the Chinese constitution and laws".
The 90-year-old Dalai Lama, based in India since fleeing the Tibetan capital Lhasa after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959, insists he has many more years to live.
He smiled and waved as the ceremony progressed.
But supporters of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate are acutely aware that self-declared atheist and Communist China said last year that it must approve the Buddhist leader's eventual successor.
The Dalai Lama says only his India-based office has that right.
Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.
"We remain committed to countering disinformation and misleading narratives propagated by the Chinese government regarding His Holiness the Dalai Lama's reincarnation," Tsering added.
bur-pjm/mtp

climate

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon drops to lowest level since 2019

  • The figure is the lowest since the network began keeping records in 2019.
  • Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell last year to its lowest level since 2019, according to a report published Wednesday that will be seen as good news for leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
  • The figure is the lowest since the network began keeping records in 2019.
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell last year to its lowest level since 2019, according to a report published Wednesday that will be seen as good news for leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
South America's biggest country lost 985,000 hectares (2.4 million acres) of native vegetation last year, down 20.6 percent from 2024, the MapBiomas monitoring network announced.
The figure is the lowest since the network began keeping records in 2019.
It notably does not include forest lost to fires, but after a record fire season in 2024, the country was relatively spared major infernos last year.
Lula, who is seeking a fourth term in October elections, has made the fight against deforestation a central tenet of his administration. 
Preserving forest cover is essential to fighting climate warming as trees act as a natural carbon sink.
After four years of widespread logging under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, Lula has pledged to eradicate illegal deforestation altogether by 2030.
The reduction in deforestation was noted across Brazil's six major ecosystems. 
"We are seeing an increase in enforcement actions and sanctions (...) which have a direct correlation with the drop in deforestation in all Brazilian biomes," Marcos Rosa, MapBiomas's technical coordinator, told AFP.

Five trees felled per second

Even so, the rate of destruction remains breathtaking. 
In the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, where deforestation slowed by 23.5 percent, five trees are still felled every second. 
The hardest-hit biome last year was once again the Cerrado, a vast, biodiverse savanna south of the Amazon. 
It alone accounted for more than half of the deforestation.
MapBiomas -- a consortium of universities, NGOs and technology companies -- said agriculture accounted for 99 percent of vegetation loss.
Lula is keen to showcase his environmental achievements ahead of the election.
Last year, he hosted the COP30 climate summit in the Amazonian city of Belem.
He has however been criticized by environmentalists for his support of a massive oil exploration project near the mouth of the Amazon River. 
lg/cb/sst

poverty

Low cost glasses help India's poor see a better future

BY PHILIPPE ALFROY

  • For less than two dollars, Jena left with a pair of corrective glasses -- and a clear vision of his future.
  • As soon as he put on his glasses, Indian vegetable seller Tofan Jena knew daily life would never be the same.
  • For less than two dollars, Jena left with a pair of corrective glasses -- and a clear vision of his future.
As soon as he put on his glasses, Indian vegetable seller Tofan Jena knew daily life would never be the same.
For the first time, the 49-year-old could see the world around him in sharp detail.
"I can make out all the letters of the alphabet, even the smallest ones," he marvelled, pointing to his phone screen.
Jena is among one billion people recorded by the World Health Organization who suffer from vision problems but lack the means to correct them.
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness estimates that $30 billion is lost in productivity from preventable or curable eye diseases in India alone.
Just an hour earlier, Jena who is a resident of Bhubaneswar, capital of the eastern state of Odisha, had his eyes examined for the first time in his life by GoodVision, whose mission is to bring eye care to underprivileged communities.
The charity hopes to close the gap in eyecare and works in 12 countries, including India, where around 550 million need glasses, and an estimated 250 million people lack access to them.
For less than two dollars, Jena left with a pair of corrective glasses -- and a clear vision of his future.
"I can read, I can write, and I can see very well at a distance," he repeats, as if trying to convince himself. 
"I'll be able to do everything with these glasses."

Access to care

The small miracle was repeated for dozens of residents in the poor district of Salia Sahi.
Technicians from the charity set up a mobile camp under a tarpaulin, offering shade from the blazing sun, while providing eye examinations, vision tests, and the selection and fitting of glasses.
At the end, a line of people stood blinking at the world, amazed at the clarity and detail many had forgotten or, for some, had never known.
With glasses perched on his nose, 43-year-old shopkeeper Minati Rout completes his journey by passing a final test: separating small pebbles from grains of rice.
"I was not able to read small letters, I was not able to thread in a needle... now I can, to do all those things," she said. 
"I will tell my neighbours to get their eyes checked here too."
Piush Khetan, the charity's India director, said they offer basic services which include a free eye screening and glasses for people in need as well as performing cataract surgery.
The lenses for the glasses come from China, while the frames are made in India from metal wire and assembled in about 10 minutes.
In the small town of Maniabandha, a two-hour drive from Bhubaneswar, patients wait on plastic chairs.
"These community camps are extremely important for villagers, because they have no access to eye care," said optometrist Gopinath Das.
"Sometimes they don't have money, sometimes they don't even know they have eye problems."
More than 400 underprivileged neighbourhoods and villages are visited each month, sites often overlooked by public health services.
"We are able to provide help to people, and we feel good about it," said technician Debasmita Behera, 23. 
"And I'm also earning."

'Stigma'

In Maniabandha, eight patients were taken to Bhubaneswar's Vision Care Hospital for cataract surgery.
Hospital director Srimant Kumar Mishra said the most difficult part is to motivate patients to be operated on.
"There is a lot of social stigma, they are afraid... They have a feeling that even if you get old, it is natural that they are not able to see."
GoodVision's France representative, Maryline Ehlermann, said "eye care is a very profitable investment", citing a study estimating that if the billion people with curable vision problems were treated, it would "generate $447 billion annually for the global economy".
In the world's most populous country -- also one of its most unequal -- the challenge is enormous.
"In India, we only take things seriously if it's a matter of life or death," said Khetan. 
"So we focus on providing information, we try to convince people of the importance of taking care of their eyes."
pa/pjm/ane/abs

Conflict

No feasts, no joy: Gazans mark a dark Eid

  • - Sheep shortage - Central to Eid al-Adha celebrations, which mark the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, is the sacrificing of a sheep.
  • New clothes for children, sacrificial sheep and Eid biscuits, the hallmarks of the Muslim holiday, are all either unaffordable or unavailable in Gaza, casting a shadow over what is usually a time of celebration and joy.
  • - Sheep shortage - Central to Eid al-Adha celebrations, which mark the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, is the sacrificing of a sheep.
New clothes for children, sacrificial sheep and Eid biscuits, the hallmarks of the Muslim holiday, are all either unaffordable or unavailable in Gaza, casting a shadow over what is usually a time of celebration and joy.
"I go to the market only to look around because I cannot afford to buy anything. Whenever I ask about prices, I return heartbroken," Nadia Abu Shamala, a Palestinian resident of Gaza, told AFP.
"This year, Eid comes with none of the joy we once knew in Gaza because of the effects of the war, the soaring prices, and our inability to provide even the simplest needs for our children," said the 40-year-old woman from Gaza's north displaced to the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah for over two years.
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire that began in October 2025, Israeli air strikes are still common in Gaza, where 80 percent of buildings were damaged in the war and most of the population depends on aid for basic needs, according to the United Nations.
Israel controls all entry points to Gaza, and lets trucks of foreign aid and private sector goods enter in numbers that are too low to bring down war-inflated prices or shortages, NGOs on the ground say.
"The truce is a big lie, but in any case, we are trying to create joy for the children," said Abu Abdullah al-Mosadar, 59, who told AFP he pooled around 13,000 shekels ($4,570) with his brother to buy a sheep for sacrifice.
It is an amount that very few Gazans can afford.
"I know it is very expensive, but I decided to perform the sacrifice this year," said Mosadar, a former property dealer from one of central Gaza's well-established families, adding that he hopes to start his construction and real estate business when circumstances permit.

Sheep shortage

Central to Eid al-Adha celebrations, which mark the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, is the sacrificing of a sheep.
According to Islamic tradition, God asked the Prophet Ibrahim, or Abraham in Jewish and Christian tradition, to sacrifice his son as a test of faith, only to stop him at the last moment and provide an animal to sacrifice instead.
But in tiny Gaza, livestock cannot enter from the outside, and only one quarter of the pre-war's sheep population remains, or about 15,000 for the coastal territory's 2.1 million inhabitants, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
"Regarding prices this year, sacrificial animals are witnessing an unprecedented increase due to the limited supply and the rising costs of breeding, feed, and transportation, and the shutdown of many farms," said Raafat Asaliya, spokesperson for Gaza's agriculture ministry.
As a result, "a sheep or goat that was sold before the war for around 1,000 shekels is now priced between 11,000 and 15,000 shekels," Asaliya said.
Gazans say they are shocked by the prices of sheep this year.
"We have never heard of such prices in our lives," Ahmed Abu Salem, a resident of Gaza City, told AFP.
"Families like ours, who used to make sacrifices every year, are now unable even to buy one kilogramme of meat for our children," the 50-year-old said.

Tent-made sweets

With gas in short supply, baking and cooking at home becomes an issue as well, Abu Ahmed Wafi, a 42-year-old displaced with his family in south Gaza, told AFP.
"The markets are mostly filled with kaak, maamoul, and sweets. We used to dream of making them at home as we always did before, but prices have risen sharply and there is no cooking gas available to bake them," Wafi said.
In the south Gaza city of Khan Yunis, one family managed to prepare trays of maamoul, the Eid biscuits, under a makeshift shelter covered in a reused tarp bearing the logo of UN children agency UNICEF.
Sitting on the ground, a woman and her daughter assembled the dough in circles Gaza-style, before a man baked them in a makeshift clay oven.
From her tent in Deir el-Balah, an exhausted Shamala hoped for better days.
"We are still living in tents with no atmosphere of joy, only worries, fear, and exhaustion, without any of the happiness we once knew," she said.
str-az-lba/jd/jfx/ane

demonstration

Bolivian Congress OK's use of troops against protesters

  • As the protests have grown, Paz has made various gestures aimed at ending the revolt against policies with which he is attempting to resolve Bolivia's worst economic crisis in decades.
  • Bolivia's congress voted Tuesday to let President Rodrigo Paz deploy soldiers and declare a state of emergency to counter huge street protests seeking his resignation over economic hardship.
  • As the protests have grown, Paz has made various gestures aimed at ending the revolt against policies with which he is attempting to resolve Bolivia's worst economic crisis in decades.
Bolivia's congress voted Tuesday to let President Rodrigo Paz deploy soldiers and declare a state of emergency to counter huge street protests seeking his resignation over economic hardship.
By a more than two-thirds majority the Chamber of Deputies eliminated a rule that restricted the center-right president's leeway to invoke emergency measures, the chamber's speaker Roberto Castro announced.
As a groundswell of fury with the US-backed leader continues to convulse the Andean nation just six months into his term, the way is now clear for Paz to deploy the army and curb some civil liberties, like freedom of movement and assembly. The law had already been rushed through the Senate.
With an ample majority of the 117 members present in the 130-seat chamber, lawmakers undid a rule that since 2020 had limited the president's ability to impose states of emergency.
The repeal took place outside of ordinary congressional procedure so it could be pushed through in just one week.
As the protests have grown, Paz has made various gestures aimed at ending the revolt against policies with which he is attempting to resolve Bolivia's worst economic crisis in decades.
The demonstrations began in early May with trade union demands for salary increases, stable fuel supplies and sounder economic management. But the movement has intensified. 
Protesters have blockaded entry routes into La Paz, shops have shuttered for fear of violence, and food, medicine and fuel supplies are running low.
Critics of Tuesday's action in congress say it puts human rights at risk. Opposition lawmaker Sonia Sinani said it will actually make things worse and "pour gasoline on the flames" of the street protests.
"This law is like a strait jacket," said another opposition lawmaker, Alejandro Reyes.
The overturned regulation outlawing states of emergency dates back to social unrest in 2019 which killed 36 people and led to the resignation of then socialist leader Evo Morales.
When Morales' right-wing successor Jeanine Anez entered office, the socialist-dominated Congress sought to limit the government's capacity to crack down on protests.
The law made congressional approval of states of emergency mandatory, and also gave lawmakers the right to propose amendments to prevent abuses.
The Paz government claims that the current protests aim to "disrupt the democratic order" and has accused Morales -- in hiding from trafficking allegations, which he denies -- of orchestrating the upheaval.
In a bid to quell public fury with his leadership, Paz on Monday said he would cut his own salary by 50 percent.
His monthly salary is currently set at around 24,000 bolivianos ($3,500), one of the lowest of any Latin American leader but about eight times that of the average Bolivian, according to 2024 statistics from the International Labor Organization.
gta/mis/cc/dw/sla

weaponry

North Korea tests new multi-purpose missile launch system: KCNA

BY KANG JIN-KYU

  • The weapon system is "a precision-strike complex that integrates tactical cruise missiles, guided multiple-launch rocket systems, and tactical ballistic missiles", he said.
  • North Korea said Wednesday it had tested a new lightweight multi-purpose missile launching system and a multiple tactical cruise missile weapon system the previous day.
  • The weapon system is "a precision-strike complex that integrates tactical cruise missiles, guided multiple-launch rocket systems, and tactical ballistic missiles", he said.
North Korea said Wednesday it had tested a new lightweight multi-purpose missile launching system and a multiple tactical cruise missile weapon system the previous day.
The tests, previously reported by South Korea's military, were overseen by the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
South Korea said on Tuesday the North fired several projectiles, including a ballistic missile, off its west coast, the latest in a flurry of tests this year. Seoul said the missiles flew about 80 kilometres (50 miles).
Analysts have said that by conducting a series of missile tests in recent months, Pyongyang may be trying to take advantage of eroding international norms to cement its nuclear status.
Tuesday's launch "analyzed and estimated the power of special mission warhead of tactical ballistic missile, the reliability of 240mm controlled artillery rocket with expanded firing range which employed an ultra-precision autonomous navigation system," KCNA said in an English dispatch.
North Korean leader Kim noted that the "major weapon systems are a clear signal of upgrading of our military force and an event of showing great technical progress", KCNA quoted him as saying.
"It is essential condition for our army's operations to have such destructive power as enough to make any encountering force impossible to survive theoretically, apart from fortune," he added, according to the report.
Satisfied with the test results, he said "important ultra-high defence science and technologies were introduced into the practical weapon tests."  
One photo released by KCNA shows a missile blasting off from a mobile launcher, with a bright exhaust flame and a cloud of smoke billowing around the vehicle. 
Another photo shows Kim standing next to a mobile launcher flanked by military officials. 
North Korea is subject to multiple United Nations sanctions banning its nuclear weapons development and use of ballistic missile technology, restrictions it has repeatedly flouted. 
- Conventional firepower - 
Tuesday's launches were North Korea's first in 37 days and its eighth test this year.
In April, Pyongyang conducted a ballistic missile test to "verify the characteristics and power of a cluster bomb warhead," its state media said at the time.
With the latest launch, Pyongyang is indicating that it intends to deploy such a weapon system in the event of war, said analyst Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.
The weapon system is "a precision-strike complex that integrates tactical cruise missiles, guided multiple-launch rocket systems, and tactical ballistic missiles", he said.
"It highlights precise, long-range, automated conventional firepower capable of overwhelming the South even below the nuclear threshold," Hong added.
Earlier this month, Kim called on top military officials to turn the country's southern border with South Korea into an "impregnable fortress”.
kjk/mjf/hol

conflict

Dozens of countries at UN condemn Moscow's 'threats' to embassies in Ukraine

  • "We also condemn recent threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions and embassies in Kyiv.
  • Almost 50 countries condemned what they said were threats by Russia against embassies in Ukraine in a joint statement at the United Nations on Tuesday.
  • "We also condemn recent threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions and embassies in Kyiv.
Almost 50 countries condemned what they said were threats by Russia against embassies in Ukraine in a joint statement at the United Nations on Tuesday.
Russia called on Washington to evacuate its Kyiv embassy on Monday, threatening "systematic strikes" on the Ukrainian capital amid similar warnings to other diplomatic missions.
"We also condemn recent threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions and embassies in Kyiv. This is something which we cannot accept," said the joint statement delivered by Ukrainian UN representative Andriy Melnyk.
The statement was signed by European countries, Japan, South Korea and others. The United States was not among the signatories.
A weekend barrage by Russia -- involving dozens of drones and missiles -- killed four people and caused widespread damage across the Ukrainian capital.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres registered his concern over Russian attacks.
"I am deeply concerned by a recent announcement by the Russian Federation to launch consistent and systematic strikes against Ukrainian defense enterprises in Kyiv, as well as against decision making centers and command posts following reports of an Ukrainian drone attack on a college building and dormitory in the Ukrainian city of Starobilsk, presently occupied by the Russian Federation," Guterres told the UN Security Council.
"Now more than ever it is imperative to avoid any escalation of a conflict that has already exacted a devastating toll on civilians and that risks making the search for peace even more distant."
Among the weapons Russia used at the weekend was its Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which can travel 10 times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to Moscow.
The strikes followed Russian accusations that Ukraine hit a vocational school in the Russian-occupied Lugansk region, killing 21 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to retaliate.
gw/msp/

EU

Thousands rally for EU on Georgia independence day

  • Waving Georgian and EU flags, thousands of protesters marched through central Tbilisi before staging a rally outside parliament amid a heavy police presence, an AFP journalist saw.
  • Thousands of Georgians staged a pro-Europe rally in the capital Tbilisi on the country's Independence Day on Tuesday, to protest what critics say is the government's democratic backsliding and anti-Western tilt.
  • Waving Georgian and EU flags, thousands of protesters marched through central Tbilisi before staging a rally outside parliament amid a heavy police presence, an AFP journalist saw.
Thousands of Georgians staged a pro-Europe rally in the capital Tbilisi on the country's Independence Day on Tuesday, to protest what critics say is the government's democratic backsliding and anti-Western tilt.
The Black Sea nation has been mired in political turmoil since parliamentary elections in 2024, which the opposition says were rigged.
Opposition parties have refused to recognise the new parliament and government.
Tensions deepened after the government shelved EU membership talks with Brussels until 2028.
That triggered months of street protests followed by a crackdown on demonstrators, opposition figures, civil society groups and independent media.
Waving Georgian and EU flags, thousands of protesters marched through central Tbilisi before staging a rally outside parliament amid a heavy police presence, an AFP journalist saw.
Many held placards reading: "We are Europe" and portraits of jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili, who pushed for close ties with the West while in office.
"We've been out in the streets for more than 500 days, and we'll keep coming out for as long as it takes to defend Georgia's European future," 20-year-old student Maya Khidesheli told AFP.
"People will win in the end. No authoritarian government can stand up to a united people -- and we are united," said another protester, 59-year-old chemist Irakli Nanadze.
The rally was organised by an alliance of opposition parties that has recently been working to overcome divisions and forge a united front against the government.
Critics accuse the ruling party of democratic backsliding and moving the country closer to Moscow, allegations the government denies.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said last year that Tbilisi's path towards joining the EU was "steady and irreversible", despite Brussels effectively freezing Georgia's accession process.
Joining the EU is inscribed in the country's constitution and, according to opinion polls, supported by more that 80 percent of the population.
Last year, the governing Georgian Dream party announced plans to ban its main opposition rivals, a proposal widely condemned by critics as a further step toward authoritarian rule.
Western countries have denounced the erosion of democratic practices in Georgia and sanctioned Georgian Dream officials.
im/phz