US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • "Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones targeted the US centre," a senior security official told AFP, while a second security official said there had been six strikes.
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - US Baghdad centre attacked - At least six overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad's International Airport, two Iraqi security officials told AFP on Sunday.
  • "Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones targeted the US centre," a senior security official told AFP, while a second security official said there had been six strikes.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

US Baghdad centre attacked

At least six overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad's International Airport, two Iraqi security officials told AFP on Sunday.
"Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones targeted the US centre," a senior security official told AFP, while a second security official said there had been six strikes.

One killed in north Israel

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said it attacked Israeli soldiers in the northern Israeli town of Misgav Am on Sunday, where first responders said rocket fire from Lebanon killed one person.
The death is the first Israeli fatality from fire from Lebanon since fighting with Hezbollah started again on March 2. 

Fresh blasts in Jerusalem

Blasts were heard and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem on Sunday, AFP journalists said, after the Israeli military warned of incoming missile fire from Iran.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said after the first warning that there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Iran targets Baghdad base

Iran's official IRNA news agency said on Sunday that a drone attack targeted a military base near the Baghdad International Airport.
The "military base, located near Baghdad International Airport, has again been the target of drone strikes," the IRNA wrote, referring to a compound that was used in the past by the US military.

Missiles target Saudi, UAE

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said Sunday three ballistic missiles were detected around the capital Riyadh, while its UAE counterpart said it was responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Qatar chopper crash

Rescuers were searching for the crew and passengers of a Qatari military helicopter that crashed in the Gulf state's waters after a "technical malfunction", the government said early Sunday.
While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the Middle East war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Israel strikes Tehran

The Israeli military said its forces launched a wave of strikes on Tehran early Sunday, hours after Iranian missile fire hit two cities in southern Israel.
Israeli forces were "currently conducting strikes on Iranian terror regime targets in the heart of Tehran", a statement said.

48-hour Hormuz deadline

US President Donald Trump gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure.
"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. 

Iran vows retaliation

After US President Donald Trump's ultimatum, Iran's military said it would retaliate by targeting "all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region".

Israeli towns hit in south

Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns wounded more than 100 people after Israeli air defence systems failed to intercept the projectiles.
First responders said 84 people were injured in the town of Arad, 10 of them seriously, hours after 33 were wounded in nearby Dimona. 
Iranian state TV said the missile attack on Dimona, which houses a nuclear facility, was a "response" to an earlier strike on its own nuclear site at Natanz.

UAE targeted after islands warning

The United Arab Emirates said it faced aerial attacks from Iran after the Islamic republic warned its neighbour against allowing strikes from disputed islands near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The islands of Abu Musa and Greater Tunb, which are controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, have long been a source of dispute between the two countries.
burs-sbk/gv

mayor

French elect mayors in key cities including Paris

BY ALICE HACKMAN

  • "A little over a year before the presidential election, the final results of this local ballot will provide valuable insight into the mood of the French public," Le Monde newspaper wrote in an editorial on Friday.
  • Voters began casting their ballots for mayors in top French cities on Sunday, with the left battling to keep Paris while the far right eyes gains ahead of next year's presidential election.
  • "A little over a year before the presidential election, the final results of this local ballot will provide valuable insight into the mood of the French public," Le Monde newspaper wrote in an editorial on Friday.
Voters began casting their ballots for mayors in top French cities on Sunday, with the left battling to keep Paris while the far right eyes gains ahead of next year's presidential election.
Most of the country's 35,000 villages, towns and boroughs elected their leaders in a first round last weekend, but the races went to run-offs in about 1,500 communes, including bigger urban centres.
The local ballots are being closely watched to gauge the mood on the ground and potential party alliances before the election of a successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron next year, with the far right scenting its best chance yet at seizing power.
Polls opened at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) on the French mainland, AFP journalists at stations across the country saw, with results expected to start trickling in some 12 hours later.
"A little over a year before the presidential election, the final results of this local ballot will provide valuable insight into the mood of the French public," Le Monde newspaper wrote in an editorial on Friday.
In Paris, the race is looking tight between leftist Emmanuel Gregoire, a former deputy of outgoing Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo, and his runner-up, right-wing ex-minister Rachida Dati.
The former justice and culture minister, a mentee of now convicted ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, hopes to seize Paris for the right after 25 years under leftist leadership to become its second woman mayor in a row.
Dati, who faces trial in September on corruption charges she denies, has boosted her chances after a centre-right candidate and a far-right hopeful dropped out.
But Gregoire had refused a helping hand from a hard-left contender who has remained in the race, splitting the leftist vote.
In recent elections, leftist and centrist parties have allied in the second round to prevent a far-right win.
But the left has been fractured since the fatal beating last month of a far-right activist blamed on fringe leftists, with the moderate left only allying with more radical politicians on a case-by-case basis.

New city for the far right?

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) party is also hoping for better scores than in previous local polls.
The RN claims that it and its allies were re-elected last Sunday in 10 communes, including the southern city of Perpignan of 120,000 inhabitants -- the largest in France to be run by the far-right party.
They also won for the first time in 14 other districts.
But they are also hoping to be elected in larger areas.
Its candidate won by far the most votes in Toulon, a southern city of 180,000 residents. If captured in the run-off, it would be the largest under RN control to date.
In the southern city of Marseille, France's second-largest, RN hopeful Franck Allisio came second last week, a single percentage point behind incumbent left-wing mayor Benoit Payan.
But the left looks likely to stay in charge, after a hard-left candidate stepped down.
In the northern port city of Le Havre, declared presidential candidate Edouard Philippe is well-placed to remain mayor.
Philippe, a centrist who as prime minister helped steer France through the start of the Covid pandemic, is seen as one of the strongest opponents to the RN's potential presidential pick -- whether three-time candidate Le Pen, 57, or her 30-year-old lieutenant Jordan Bardella.
Overall turnout for the first round stood at 57 percent -- the country's lowest in local polls bar the Covid pandemic-affected last edition in 2020.
burs-ah/gv/sbk/fox

RSF

'They beat us with whips': Sudan RSF detainees tell of horrors in El-Fasher

BY IBRAHIM ABDALLAH WITH MENNA FAROUK IN CAIRO

  • "When people died of thirst and hunger, we were beaten and forced to bury them outside," 42-year-old Noureldin said.
  • In the suffocating darkness of a sealed shipping container, every thud signalled to Ibrahim Noureldin that one more detainee had died in the crush as Sudanese paramilitary fighters kept forcing more men inside.
  • "When people died of thirst and hunger, we were beaten and forced to bury them outside," 42-year-old Noureldin said.
In the suffocating darkness of a sealed shipping container, every thud signalled to Ibrahim Noureldin that one more detainee had died in the crush as Sudanese paramilitary fighters kept forcing more men inside.
Thousands of people are estimated to have been detained in the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) October takeover of North Darfur's El-Fasher, a battle that a UN investigation found bore the "hallmarks of genocide".
"When people died of thirst and hunger, we were beaten and forced to bury them outside," 42-year-old Noureldin said.
"We were put to work, lifting their luggage, materials, weapons. If we moved too slowly, they beat us with whips," he told AFP from Tawila -- an overwhelmed refugee town west of El-Fasher now sheltering hundreds of thousands of people.
In February, the United Nations' rights office and the London-based Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) said that the RSF had converted hospitals, schools, warehouses and shipping containers -- like the easy-to-lock, inescapable box that nearly killed Noureldin -- into a sprawling network of makeshift prisons.
The RSF, at war with Sudan's regular army for nearly three years, has an iron grip on El-Fasher, and has only allowed in a handful of humanitarians, who say the city is "a ghost town".
But in Tawila, an AFP journalist gathered rare testimonies from five former detainees, speaking to them inside fragile shelters of straw and tattered fabric.

'Sips of water'

Under one straw awning, Noureldin leaned on a crutch, still weak from his injuries.
On October 26, he and six others were fleeing the RSF's final assault on the city when they were "shot at, beaten and accused of fighting for the army".
He was loaded into a Land Cruiser and taken to al-Borsa market in the city's east, then locked with about 120 men in the airless container.
For over a month, they survived on "tiny sips of water" and "a little lentils".
Months of testimony, satellite imagery and verified videos analysed by the UN and CIR show that the detainees included government workers, doctors, journalists, teachers and aid staff.
Many were held for ransom, accused of army affiliation or based on tribal identity.
The RSF denies the abuses. A spokesman told AFP the reports were "propaganda", accusing the army of "using civilians as human shields".
Both warring sides have been accused of atrocities against civilians, including deliberate targeting and detention.

'Nails ripped with pliers'

One of the RSF's largest detention centres was El-Fasher Children's Hospital, where "more than 2,000 men" were held "without access to water and food", the UN said.
"They brought us to the children's hospital, said we were fighters and kept me there for a month," Abdullah Idris, 45, told AFP.
With nothing but saline solution to drink, he said he "could only watch" as dozens of people died every day.
The UN recorded up to 40 deaths a day during a cholera-like outbreak, killing 260 people in a single week.
Besides disease, "the torture was horrible, especially to the young men", he said.
"If you tried to speak, they'd kill you with a single shot."
Ahmed Aman, 45, another hospital detainee, said some detainees "had their fingernails ripped out with pliers".
After weeks at the hospital, he was moved to Garni, northwest of El-Fasher, where CIR-verified footage showed "at least 600 detainees" being forcibly marched, including women and children.

'Like animals'

Nedal Yasser, 27, was abducted the day after the RSF assault on the city.
For six weeks, she was shuttled with other women between detention sites, including al-Mina al-Bary, a bus depot near the market where the UN said hundreds were held in about 70 shipping containers.
"I was beaten, tied up, interrogated. When they found out my husband was a soldier, the torture got even worse," she told AFP.
"We were exploited and sexually harassed, only sometimes allowed to go to the bathroom."
She and the other women were ordered to pay $2,000 ransoms, but everything she owned had "already been looted".
Finally, she was brought to a house, "assaulted", then dumped in a remote area.
She walked dozens of kilometres to Tawila, suffering a miscarriage on the way.
The UN has documented widespread torture and "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment", including sexual violence, beatings with wooden rods, flogging and being suspended in painful positions from trees.
In the open fields of Tawila, survivors carry the scars.
Aman's back remains "torn apart" from beatings.
Yasser regularly faints when she tries to stand.
And mechanic Ahmed al-Sheikh, 43, walks with a limp and cannot see out of his right eye after being struck by an RSF fighter.
He reached safety only in February after four months in Shala prison, where the UN said the RSF held more than 2,000 detainees by January.
"They'd kill people right in front of us," he told AFP.
"They would select people randomly, killing us like animals."
According to the UN, at least 6,000 more detainees were transferred from El-Fasher to Tagris prison in the RSF's de facto capital, Nyala, where they maintain a complete communications blackout.
ibr-maf/bha/smw/amj

US

Iranian missiles sow panic, destruction in Israeli towns

BY ANOUK RIONDET

  • Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack.
  • Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before.
  • Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack.
Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before.
An Iranian missile hit Franky's town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona -- home to a nuclear facility -- wounding dozens and leaving entire apartment blocks with heavy damage.
Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack.
"There was a 'boom, boom!', my mother was screaming," he said near the impact site, where an AFP correspondent saw three damaged buildings and firefighters reported a blaze.
"This was terrifying... this town had never seen anything like this," the teenager told AFP.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said 84 wounded people were taken to hospitals from the Arad scene, including 10 in serious condition.
In the early hours of Sunday, dozens of people were still at the site, taking photos or calling friends and family to share details of the destruction, even as police warned residents on loudspeakers not to approach.
Security forces patrolled the streets with flashlights while rescuers searched the rubble to ensure all casualties had been recovered.
A crater around of around five metres (16 feet) was left amid the bombed-out buildings.
Police spokesman Dean Elsdunne told AFP that "the operation will take a few hours" before authorities can clear the scene and ensure all residents are accounted for.

Failed interception

An earlier missile attack hit the town of Dimona, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) southwest of Arad.
Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to possess the Middle East's sole nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never confirmed possessing nuclear weapons.
Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear programme, and the plant officially focuses on research.
The missile fell about five kilometres away from the facility, leaving about 30 people wounded according to rescuers.
Online videos showed the missile engulfed in a ball of fire, crashing into the ground.
AFP footage showed heavy damage to an apartment building, next to a crater formed in the ground. Two structures have collapsed with debris including concrete blocks littering the area.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was "a very difficult evening in the battle for our future".
"We are determined to continue striking our enemies on all fronts," Netanyahu told Arad's mayor, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
Military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin wrote on X that "air defence systems operated but did not intercept the missile, we will investigate the incident."
Israeli media have shared footage from Arad and Dimona, capturing scenes that have replayed across the country in attacks since the war began on February 28 with US-Israeli air raids on Iran.
In security camera footage aired by Israeli networks, people could be seen being thrown to the ground by the force of the blast as glass windows shatter.
Iranian missile attacks since the start of the war have killed 15 people in Israel as well as four Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank.
While not the deadliest, Saturday's hits on Dimona and Arad were among the Iranian attacks to have inflicted the greatest damage in Israel.
The launches came even as the United States and Israel keep pounding targets across Iran and say they have degraded the Islamic republic's capabilities.
bur-hba-anr/ami/lb

climate

Records shattered as US heatwave moves eastward

  • And in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the hottest cities in the United States, the daily low was a balmy 70F (21.1C) on Saturday, the earliest in the year such a level had been reached, the weather agency said.
  • A record-breaking heatwave afflicting the western half of the United States moved eastward Saturday toward the center of the country, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures to places that were at freezing or below just a week prior.
  • And in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the hottest cities in the United States, the daily low was a balmy 70F (21.1C) on Saturday, the earliest in the year such a level had been reached, the weather agency said.
A record-breaking heatwave afflicting the western half of the United States moved eastward Saturday toward the center of the country, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures to places that were at freezing or below just a week prior.
Dozens of cities from California to Colorado recorded their highest temperatures ever for the month of March, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center. 
On Saturday, areas that saw new records for the highest temperatures in March included 92 Fahrenheit (33.3C) recorded in Kansas City, Missouri, and North Platte, Nebraska.
Topeka, the state capital of Kansas, broke its March record Saturday with a high of 95F (35C), weather officials said.
In Wyoming, the least populous US state, all-time March temperatures were set in capital Cheyenne at 83F (28.3C).
On top of the monthly all-time highs, the heatwave reached several other temperature milestones.
For instance, in Chanute, Kansas, temperatures went from a record low of 13F (-10.5C) on March 16 to a record high of 91F (32.8C) just four days later.
And in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the hottest cities in the United States, the daily low was a balmy 70F (21.1C) on Saturday, the earliest in the year such a level had been reached, the weather agency said.
Cities recording all-time daily highs Saturday included Denver (86F), Grand Island, Nebraska (98F) and Midland, Texas (98F).
On Friday the heatwave had brought temperatures up to 44.4C (112F) in several areas along the southern California-Arizona border, a national US record for March.
The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the same desert areas on Saturday, as well as a red flag warning -- indicating high wildfire risk -- for much of the central Plains states of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Scientists say there is overwhelming evidence that current heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming, a process driven chiefly by the burning of fossil fuels.
With winter in the northern hemisphere officially ending on Friday -- the first day of astronomical spring -- the soaring temperatures were wreaking havoc on wildlife in the West.
Many plants and trees are already blooming, and vegetation is growing at a fantastic clip, fueled by heavy rains in December and January.
jgc/mjw

Russia

Damaged Russian tanker to be towed to Libya: state-owned company

  • "It will be towed safely to one of the Libyan ports following coordination with the relevant authorities."
  • A damaged Russian gas tanker that was abandoned in the Mediterranean will be towed to a Libyan port, according to a state-owned oil company in the north African country. 
  • "It will be towed safely to one of the Libyan ports following coordination with the relevant authorities."
A damaged Russian gas tanker that was abandoned in the Mediterranean will be towed to a Libyan port, according to a state-owned oil company in the north African country. 
The Arctic Metagaz was ferrying about 700 tonnes of fuel and a consignment of liquified natural gas (LNG) from Russia to Egypt when it was hit by a series of explosions on March 3. Russia accused Ukraine of trying to blow it up.
The 30 crew members were rescued, leaving the LNG-laden carrier to drift between Malta and Libya for nearly three weeks. 
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on Saturday that it would collaborate with Italian group Eni to fetch the wrecked vessel.
"Managing this environmental threat is fully achievable," NOC said in a statement. "It will be towed safely to one of the Libyan ports following coordination with the relevant authorities."
The company said it had already taken action to "reduce the risk of pollution".
AFP footage taken from a plane earlier this month showed the carrier listing to one side, parts of it blackened and seriously damaged by fire, with two holes on either side in the middle of the hull.
According to Italy's Civil Protection Department, the carrier is located in international waters, but within the Libyan search and rescue zone.
It said that towing the wreck would be a "complex operation" due to the "large breach along its side".
The WWF environmental group warned that any spill could cause long-lasting pollution in the area, among the most biodiverse in the Mediterranean basin.
The ship faced US and European Union sanctions as a suspected part of Russia's "shadow fleet" of vessels carrying Russian oil and gas in contravention of international sanctions.
bur-lb/tc

US

Iran missile strikes wound over 100 in two south Israel towns

  • The Israeli military said it would investigate the failed interception.
  • Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns wounded more than 100 people on Saturday, medics said, after Israeli air defence systems failed to intercept the projectiles.
  • The Israeli military said it would investigate the failed interception.
Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns wounded more than 100 people on Saturday, medics said, after Israeli air defence systems failed to intercept the projectiles.
The two direct hits tore open the fronts of residential buildings and carved craters into the ground. 
Magen David Adom first responders said 84 people were wounded in the town of Arad, 10 of them seriously, hours after 33 were wounded in nearby Dimona. 
Iranian state TV said the missile attack on Dimona, which houses a nuclear facility, was a "response" to an earlier strike on its own nuclear site at Natanz.
AFP footage from Arad showed rescue workers sifting through rubble for wounded people in a bombed-out building.
Fire engines with their lights flashing were at the scene along with dozens of members of the emergency services.
The Israeli military said it would investigate the failed interception.
"The air defence systems operated but did not intercept the missile, we will investigate the incident and learn from it," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin wrote on X.
The local fire service said there was "extensive damage" in Arad, with three buildings affected and a blaze sparked in one of them.
Medic Riyad Abu Ajaj described "extensive destruction" at the site of the strike, in a statement from the organisation.
"There was a lot of chaos at the scene," he said.
The rescue operations came not long after similar scenes in Dimona, around 25 kilometres (15 miles) to the southwest.
AFPTV footage from the scene showed a large crater gouged into the ground next to piles of rubble and twisted metal.
Surrounding buildings had their windows blown out and facades heavily damaged as emergency workers combed through the site.
Medics said they treated 33 people injured in the town, including a boy with shrapnel wounds who was in serious condition but conscious.
Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to possess the Middle East's sole nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted possessing nuclear weapons.
Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear programme, and the plant officially focuses on research.
After the strikes in the south, Israel's education ministry ordered all classes to move online, scrapping in-person instruction in the few remaining places that still had it.
Iran has fired repeated barrages of missiles at Israel daily in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks that started on February 28.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue striking Iran and its allies after what he called a "very difficult evening".
vid-glp-del/lb/ami

electricity

Cuba hit by second nationwide blackout in a week

BY LAURENT THOMET AND RIGOBERTO DIAZ

  • You can't live like this," Nilo Lopez, a 36-year-old taxi driver, told AFP. - US blockade - The country's electricity generation is sustained by a network of eight aging thermoelectric plants -- some in operation for over 40 years -- that suffer frequent breakdowns or must be shut down for maintenance cycles.
  • Cuba plunged into darkness for the second time in less than a week on Saturday after its national power network failed again, strained by aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade.
  • You can't live like this," Nilo Lopez, a 36-year-old taxi driver, told AFP. - US blockade - The country's electricity generation is sustained by a network of eight aging thermoelectric plants -- some in operation for over 40 years -- that suffer frequent breakdowns or must be shut down for maintenance cycles.
Cuba plunged into darkness for the second time in less than a week on Saturday after its national power network failed again, strained by aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade.
As night fell, Havana's streets were mostly pitch black, with people navigating using phone lights or flashlights, just five days after the previous blackout.
In the touristy old city, some restaurants were able to stay open thanks to generators, with musicians playing music, but the regular blackouts have made life more difficult for Cubans.
"This is becoming unbearable," Ofelia Oliva, a 64-year-old Havana resident, told AFP.
"It hasn't even been a week since we experienced a similar situation. It is getting tiresome," Oliva said as she returned home after giving up on plans to visit her daughter.
The "total disconnection" of the national electricity system was due to an outage in a power unit at one of the country's thermoelectric plants, causing a "cascading effect", the state-owned Cuban Electric Union said.
It said it was activating micro-grids to provide power to critical facilities, including hospitals and water treatment plants.
"I wonder if we're going to be like this our whole lives. You can't live like this," Nilo Lopez, a 36-year-old taxi driver, told AFP.

US blockade

The country's electricity generation is sustained by a network of eight aging thermoelectric plants -- some in operation for over 40 years -- that suffer frequent breakdowns or must be shut down for maintenance cycles.
Cubans face daily blackouts of up to 15 hours in Havana. In the interior of the island, these outages can exceed 40 hours.
The breakdowns have intensified since Cuba's main regional ally and oil supplier, Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, was captured in a US military operation in January.
And US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
No oil has been imported to the island since January 9, hitting the power sector while also forcing airlines to curtail flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector.
The blackout occurred as an international aid convoy began to arrive in Havana this week, bringing sorely-needed medical supplies, food, water and solar panels to the island.

'Honor of taking Cuba'

The crisis in the country of 9.6 million people comes as Trump has made no secret of his desire to see regime change in Havana.
"I do believe I'll be...having the honor of taking Cuba," he said. 
"Whether I free it, take it -- think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They're a very weakened nation right now."
The next day, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that "any external aggressor will encounter an unbreakable resistance."
Tanieris Dieguez, Cuba's deputy chief of mission in Washington, told AFP earlier this week that Havana was open to broad talks with Washington and allowing more investment.
But she said Cuba's political system would "never" be part of the negotiations.
The outages as well as regular shortages of food, medicine and other basics are spurring frustrations, with demonstrators vandalizing a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party last weekend.
With Cuba in desperate need of fuel, maritime trackers reported this week that two tankers carrying Russian oil and diesel appeared to be on their way to the island, but their status remains unclear.
Some took the latest outage in stride.
Meiven Rodriguez, 40, kept working in a small shop, selling cigarettes and using her phone light to count money.
"You have to keep going, otherwise you won't bring money home," she said.
A few fishermen cast for sardines into the dark waters of the oceanfront city.
"What would we do at home?" said Leonsio Suarez, 50.
lt/jgc

US

Trump gives Iran 48 hours to open Hormuz as Tehran strikes Israel

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

  • The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it faced aerial attacks after Iran warned it against allowing strikes from its territory on disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz.
  • US President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure, as Tehran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel.
  • The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it faced aerial attacks after Iran warned it against allowing strikes from its territory on disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure, as Tehran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel.
The ultimatum, made just a day after the US leader said he was considering "winding down" military operations after three weeks of war, came as the key oil passage remained effectively closed and thousands more American Marines headed to the Middle East.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US would "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants -- "starting with the biggest one first" -- if Tehran did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours, or 23:44 GMT on Monday according to the time of his post.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had imposed restrictions only on vessels from countries involved in attacks against Iran, and would assist others that stayed out of the conflict.
In response to Trump's threat, Iran's army said it will target energy, desalination infrastructure "belonging to the US and the regime in the region," according to the Fars news agency.
Trump's ultimatum Saturday landed hours after two Iranian missiles struck southern Israel, injuring more than 100 people in the most destructive attack since the war began. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate "on all fronts."
The strikes, which slipped through Israel's missile defence systems, tore open the facades of residential buildings and carved craters into the ground.
First responders said 84 people were injured in the town of Arad, 10 of them seriously. Hours earlier, 33 were wounded in nearby Dimona, where AFPTV footage showed a large hole gouged into the ground next to piles of rubble and twisted metal.
Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to be the site of the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons.
The Israeli army told AFP there had been a "direct missile hit on a building" in Dimona, with casualties reported at multiple sites, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition with shrapnel wounds.
In Arad, emergency workers combed through the rubble of heavily damaged buildings.
Netanyahu vowed to continue striking Iran after what he called a "very difficult evening" and hours later, the Israeli military said its forces launched a wave of strikes on Tehran.
Iran said the targeting of Dimona was retaliation for Israeli strikes on its Natanz nuclear facility, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) saying forces also targeted other southern Israeli towns as well as military sites in Kuwait and the UAE.
Following the Natanz attack, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi reiterated his call for "military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident."
The Natanz facility hosts underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran's disputed nuclear programme and sustained damage in the June 2025 war.
The Israeli military denied it was behind the Natanz strike, but said it had struck a facility at a Tehran university that it claimed was being used to develop nuclear weapon components for Iran's ballistic missile programme.

Hormuz base

The destruction in Israel capped three weeks of heavy US-Israeli bombardment that appeared to have done little to blunt Iran's ability to retaliate with missile and drone attacks across the region.
Iran also launched an unsuccessful ballistic-missile attack on the US-UK base at Diego Garcia, around 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) away, a UK official told AFP -- which would have been the longest-range Iranian strike yet had it succeeded.
The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it faced aerial attacks after Iran warned it against allowing strikes from its territory on disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has choked off the vital waterway, which carries a fifth of global crude oil trade in peacetime.
The standoff has sent crude oil prices soaring, with North Sea Brent crude now trading above $105 a barrel, as long-term consequences for the global economy become an acute concern.
A joint statement from the leaders of several countries -- including the UK, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Australia, the UAE and Bahrain -- condemned the "de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces."
"We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait," they said.
Trump has slammed NATO allies as "cowards" and urged them to secure the strait.

Remarkable endurance?

Analysts say Iran's government has survived the loss of its top leaders and that its strike capacity is proving more durable than expected.
"They're showing a lot of resilience that we didn't perhaps expect, that the US didn't expect, when it took this on," Neil Quilliam of Chatham House told the think tank's podcast.
Tehran, meanwhile, marked the end of Ramadan as the war entered its fourth week.
Iran's supreme leader traditionally leads Eid al-Fitr prayers, but Mojtaba Khamenei -- who came to power earlier this month after his father Ali Khamenei was killed -- has remained out of the public eye.
Instead, the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, attended prayers at central Tehran's overflowing Imam Khomeini grand mosque.
"The atmosphere of the New Year was spreading through the city," said Farid, an advertising executive reached by AFP through an online message.
But "the thought that some people could be dying right at the New Year dinner table was painful," he added.
burs-arp/acb

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • "If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - 48 hour Hormuz deadline - US President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure.
  • "If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

48 hour Hormuz deadline

US President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure.
"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. 
Iran's de facto closure of the strait has slashed Gulf oil and gas supplies, sending prices skyrocketing and countries scrambling for alternatives.
In response, Iran's military said it would retaliate by targeting "all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region."

Israel strikes Tehran

The Israeli military said its forces launched a wave of strikes on Tehran early Sunday, hours after Iranian missile fire hit two cities in southern Israel.
Israeli forces were "currently conducting strikes on Iranian terror regime targets in the heart of Tehran", a statement said.

Israeli towns hit

Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns wounded more than 100 people on Saturday after Israeli air defence systems failed to intercept the projectiles.
First responders said 84 people were injured in the town of Arad, 10 of them seriously, hours after 33 were wounded in nearby Dimona. 
Iranian state TV said the missile attack on Dimona, which houses a nuclear facility, was a "response" to an earlier strike on its own nuclear site at Natanz. 

UAE targeted after islands warning

The United Arab Emirates said it faced aerial attacks from Iran after the Islamic republic warned its neighbour against allowing strikes from disputed islands near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The islands of Abu Musa and Greater Tunb, which are controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, have long been a source of dispute between the two countries.

G7 demands end to Iran attacks

Top envoys for the Group of Seven advanced economies and the European Union urged an "immediate and unconditional" end to Iran attacks against allies in the Middle East.
"We call for the immediate and unconditional cessation of all attacks by the Iranian regime," the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States as well as the EU foreign policy chief said in a statement.
"We support the right of the countries unjustifiably attacked by Iran or by Iranian proxies to defend their territories and protect their citizens," it said.

WHO aid to Beirut

The World Health Organization has sent a first overland convoy of 22 tonnes of medicines and medical equipment to Beirut from its global emergency logistics hub in Dubai.
Lebanon was pulled into the war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei in the Israeli-US attacks.
Israel has responded with heavy strikes across Lebanon and ground incursions in the border area, killing more than 1,000 people, according to Lebanese authorities.

UAE closes hospital

UAE authorities have ordered an Iranian state-linked hospital in Dubai to close, three employees told AFP, another sign of the deteriorating ties between the Gulf neighbours.

Iran claims Israeli F-16 hit

The Revolutionary Guards said they "struck" an Israeli F-16 over central Iran. 
Israel's military said earlier a surface-to-air missile was launched at one of its warplanes in Iran, but it was not clear if the statements referred to the same incident.
Israel also said its forces struck Iranian factories making components for ballistic missiles.

Iran sites 'degraded'

The head of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said bunker-busting bombs were dropped on an underground Iranian coastal facility this week, and "Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz is degraded as a result".

Hormuz closure condemned

Twenty-two countries, including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, jointly condemned Iran's attacks on ships in the Gulf and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, the countries, which also included Gulf nations Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, expressed "our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait".
The United States was not among the signatories.

Nuclear site hit

Iran's atomic energy body said US-Israeli strikes hit the Natanz nuclear facility previously used for uranium enrichment, but "no leakage of radioactive materials" was reported.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, called for "military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident", while Russia condemned the strikes, saying they risked "catastrophe" in the Middle East.
burs/js/jgc

Mueller

Robert Mueller, ex-FBI chief who led Trump-Russia probe, dead at 81

BY KATE BEDDALL

  • After his tenure at the FBI, he was tapped as a special counsel for the Justice Department to lead an investigation into whether Trump's presidential campaign conspired with Russia to get him elected.
  • Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who led a politically explosive investigation into Donald Trump's election campaign, has died aged 81, triggering a gloating response Saturday from the US president.
  • After his tenure at the FBI, he was tapped as a special counsel for the Justice Department to lead an investigation into whether Trump's presidential campaign conspired with Russia to get him elected.
Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who led a politically explosive investigation into Donald Trump's election campaign, has died aged 81, triggering a gloating response Saturday from the US president.
Mueller died late Friday, US media reported citing a family statement, without specifying a location or cause.
Trump responded quickly on Truth Social, writing: "Robert Mueller just died. Good, I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!"
Mueller led the FBI for 12 years, starting just days before the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States, during which time he built up the bureau's counterterror mission.
After his tenure at the FBI, he was tapped as a special counsel for the Justice Department to lead an investigation into whether Trump's presidential campaign conspired with Russia to get him elected.
Mueller operated for two years quietly behind the scenes, emerging in July 2019 to testify before Congress about the probe that Trump regularly denounced as a "witch hunt." 
For many Americans, the nationally televised hearing was the first close look at the patrician, grey-haired career prosecutor.
Mueller deflected questions from both Democrats and Republicans seeking to score political points by referring repeatedly to his voluminous report, which he said did not exonerate Trump.

A 'straight shooter'

That was in keeping with the career of a public servant who had spent four decades serving both Democratic and Republican presidents.
Before taking on the politically sensitive Russia investigation, Mueller, a former Marine who was wounded and decorated for heroism in Vietnam, enjoyed a sterling reputation in Washington.
Mueller is a "consummate professional and a straight shooter," then-FBI chief Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, said in July 2019.
As a young prosecutor in San Francisco and Boston, Mueller took on cases involving grisly murders, organized crime, fraud by powerful banks and terror attacks -- winning some, losing some, but rarely drawing serious criticism for his work.
At the FBI, he gained a reputation of being an exacting taskmaster and, despite his early Republican political alignment, someone who was appreciated by politicians of both political parties.
Two of his most heralded prosecutions involved New York mobster John Gotti and General Manuel Noriega of Panama.
After retiring in 2013, he joined a private Washington law practice where he handled official arbiter missions.
Trump's May 2017 firing of Mueller's successor at the FBI, James Comey, resulted in Mueller being recalled to public service to lead the investigation into suspected Russia meddling.
Over 22 months, his investigators issued charges against 34 individuals, including six Trump associates, and three companies.

Righting the FBI

Born August 7, 1944, in New York City, Mueller grew up on Manhattan's tony upper East Side. He attended the elite, and at the time all-male, Princeton University where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1966.
After college, Mueller enlisted in the US Marines, and after one year as an enlisted man, entered officer candidate school. As a Marine, Mueller earned a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. 
In 2001, he took over an FBI beset by scandals, including the years-long deception by FBI mole Robert Hanssen and the agency's failure to turn over thousands of pages of investigative documents to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh's attorneys.
Then-president George W. Bush and legislators agreed that Mueller was the person to set the bureau right. 
Bush paid tribute to Mueller on Saturday, recalling his service in the Marines and stewardship of the FBI.
"Bob transitioned the agency mission to protecting the homeland after September 11. He led the agency effectively, helping prevent another terrorist attack on US soil," the Republican said in a statement.
Democrat Barack Obama, whose presidency overlapped with Mueller's tenure as FBI chief for five years, hailed him as "one of the most respected public servants of our time."
bur-ksb-acb/js

X

French prosecutors suspect Musk encouraged deepfakes row to inflate X value

BY CLARA WRIGHT

  • French authorities are already investigating X over allegations that its algorithm was used to interfere in French politics, as well as Grok's dissemination of Holocaust denials and the sexualised deepfakes.
  • French prosecutors said Saturday they had alerted US authorities to a suspicion that tech tycoon Elon Musk had encouraged controversy over sexualised deepfakes on X to "artificially" increase the value of his company.
  • French authorities are already investigating X over allegations that its algorithm was used to interfere in French politics, as well as Grok's dissemination of Holocaust denials and the sexualised deepfakes.
French prosecutors said Saturday they had alerted US authorities to a suspicion that tech tycoon Elon Musk had encouraged controversy over sexualised deepfakes on X to "artificially" increase the value of his company.
The social media network's Grok AI chatbot stirred outrage earlier this year over it generating images of naked women and girls without their consent.
"The controversy sparked by sexually explicit deepfakes generated by Grok (X's AI) may have been deliberately generated in order to artificially boost the value of companies X and xAI," the Paris prosecutor's office said, confirming a report in Le Monde newspaper on Friday.
This could have been done towards "the planned June 2026 stock market listing of the new entity created by the merger" between SpaceX and xAI, it added.
The prosecutor's office said it had on Tuesday reached out to the US Department of Justice, as well as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a financial market regulation body, to share its concerns.
X's lawyer in France was not immediately available for comment.
Replying on X in French to a link to AFP's coverage of the story, Musk slammed French prosecutors as "mentally retarded."
French authorities are already investigating X over allegations that its algorithm was used to interfere in French politics, as well as Grok's dissemination of Holocaust denials and the sexualised deepfakes.
AI chatbot Grok has its own account on the X social network allowing users to interact with it.
For a period, users could tag the bot in posts to request image generation and editing, receiving the image in a reply from Grok. Many sent Grok photos of women or tagged the bot in replies to women's photo posts, giving it prompts such as "put her in a bikini" or "remove her clothes".

'Incitements'

It generated an estimated three million sexualised images -- mostly of women, though also 23,000 that appeared to depict children -- in 11 days, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit watchdog, said in late January.
Le Monde pointed to "several posts by Musk, published at the height of the controversy, which prosecutors interpret as incitements to generate non-consensual images". 
"The billionaire posted several messages in which he expressed delight, using numerous emojis, about his AI engine's 'undressing' capabilities, even sharing an image of himself in which his chatbot depicted him wearing a bikini," Le Monde reported.
Daily average app downloads for Grok worldwide soared by 72 percent from January 1 to January 19 compared to the same period in December, the Washington Post has cited market intelligence firm Sensor Tower as saying.
French authorities last month summoned Musk to a "voluntary interview" and searched the local offices of his social media network, in what Musk called a "political attack".
Both Britain and the European Union have also opened investigations into the creation of the sexualised deepfakes.
bur-arp/acb

Congress

Trump threatens to use ICE agents for airport security control

BY KATE BEDDALL

  • In his initial post Saturday announcing the move, Trump took a dig at the Democrat-run state where Minneapolis is located, saying that if deployed to airports, ICE agents would immediately arrest illegal immigrants who have "totally destroyed... the once Great State of Minnesota."  ksb/js/msp
  • US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to use Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to provide security at airports, amid a lingering budget standoff that has left regular security personnel going unpaid.
  • In his initial post Saturday announcing the move, Trump took a dig at the Democrat-run state where Minneapolis is located, saying that if deployed to airports, ICE agents would immediately arrest illegal immigrants who have "totally destroyed... the once Great State of Minnesota."  ksb/js/msp
US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to use Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to provide security at airports, amid a lingering budget standoff that has left regular security personnel going unpaid.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Democrats did not immediately sign a funding agreement, "I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before."
A couple of hours later, he posted that "I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, 'GET READY.'" 
The posts came hours after tech tycoon Elon Musk offered to cover the salaries of US airport security personnel who have been working without pay since mid-February because of the partial government shutdown.
The lapse in funding is forcing thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff -- who screen airport passengers, baggage and cargo -- to work without pay as spring travel picks up.
The agency, which operates under the authority of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), comprises about 65,000 employees, according to its website. Various estimates put its annual payroll at $2.5 billion to $3 billion.
"I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country," Musk posted on X.
Democrats in Congress oppose any new funding for DHS until changes are implemented to how ICE conducts immigration enforcement raids, after several violent confrontations emerged in social media videos.
Democrats have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on face masks and a requirement that ICE agents obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.
While ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, it has been able to maintain operations using funds approved by Congress last year.
But the TSA workforce is showing signs of stress.
More than 300 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began on February 14, according to the DHS, while US media reported that unscheduled absences had more than doubled. 
Some officers are taking on second jobs or relying on donations, union officials say, and several major airports are collecting gift cards and stocking food pantries for TSA staff struggling without pay.
Airports in several cities have warned passengers to arrive hours earlier than usual because of long security lines.
"Numerous employees have reported to me that their bank accounts are at zero or negative," Johnny Jones, a Dallas-based official in the government workers' union AFGE, told USA Today. 
"No funds for daycare, no funds for food. They just want to know why the hell they can't get paid when we have money to shoot missiles into other countries," he said.
After the killing of two American citizens protesting aggressive ICE raids in Minneapolis in January, Trump fired homeland security chief Kristi Noem, but the immigration enforcement agency remains deeply unpopular for many Americans.
In his initial post Saturday announcing the move, Trump took a dig at the Democrat-run state where Minneapolis is located, saying that if deployed to airports, ICE agents would immediately arrest illegal immigrants who have "totally destroyed... the once Great State of Minnesota." 
ksb/js/msp

China

Kenya, Uganda double down on rail extension burdened by Chinese debt

  • Kenya now spends roughly $1 billion a year servicing Chinese debt, most of it borrowed to build the railway.
  • The presidents of Kenya and Uganda met near their shared border Saturday to mark the multi-billion-dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt.
  • Kenya now spends roughly $1 billion a year servicing Chinese debt, most of it borrowed to build the railway.
The presidents of Kenya and Uganda met near their shared border Saturday to mark the multi-billion-dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt.
The Standard Gauge Railway, built from 2013 to 2019, connects the Kenyan port of Mombasa to its capital Nairobi, and on to the lake town of Naivasha, but China refused further lending before it could be extended to Uganda as planned.
Kenya now spends roughly $1 billion a year servicing Chinese debt, most of it borrowed to build the railway.
That is far more than the line generates in revenue -- around $165 million last year -- even if passenger and cargo numbers have been growing strongly over the past year.
A report by Kenya's auditor general last year found more than $260 million had been wasted just on penalties and interest from late debt payments.
Yet despite the controversy over the cost, Kenya has been keen to finish the line.
Kenyan President William Ruto said the rail link will "define generations", speaking at a ceremony in grand pomp and circumstance with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Kisumu, near the Kenya-Uganda border.
Ruto argued the line would slash logistics costs that "undermine competitiveness" in east Africa.
If the ambitious building schedule is to be believed, the line is due to reach Kisumu by June 2027. The next phase will then take the line to Malaba, a town on the border.
"Cargo takes an average of 80 hours to move from Mombasa to Malaba and more than 100 hours to reach Kampala," the Ugandan capital, Ruto said.
"We cannot build prosperity on inefficiency."

'Irrational and wasteful'

Museveni said the line would reduce the inefficiencies in his own country's infrastructure.
"The railway is part of the rationalisation of our transport system, especially on the Uganda side, which is irrational and wasteful," the veteran leader told the ceremony.
Later, he posted on X that "by shifting bulk cargo from roads to rail and pipelines, we reduce transport costs, protect infrastructure and improve efficiency".
Ruto broke ground on the next phase in Narok County on Thursday, arguing that it will create jobs and reduce road congestion.
"We have thought through this project (and)... its finance," he insisted.
Treasury estimates say the overall cost will be more than 500 billion shillings ($3.9 billion), according to Kenya's Business Daily.
Kenya is not taking more cash from Chinese banks this time -- instead borrowing against future cargo taxes -- though it is partnering with Chinese transport firms to build the new phase.
China lent Kenya $9.7 billion between 2000 and 2019, according to the Chinese Loans to Africa Database by Boston University, with around half of that going to the railway.
It stopped lending from 2020 to 2023 as Kenya struggled to make repayments, at a time when China revised its broader lending strategy in Africa.
Kenya considers the railway extension crucial for strengthening trade through east and central Africa, hoping to reach landlocked countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo.
er-jcp/sbk/jhb/gv/rmb

music

K-pop kings BTS stun Seoul in '2.0' comeback concert

BY CLAIRE LEE

  • Spotify said five million fans pre-saved it, the highest ever for a K-pop act, and that it was the most-streamed album in a single day so far this year.
  • South Korean megastars BTS performed their first show in nearly four years on Saturday in front of enormous crowds in Seoul for a K-pop extravaganza livestreamed to millions more worldwide.
  • Spotify said five million fans pre-saved it, the highest ever for a K-pop act, and that it was the most-streamed album in a single day so far this year.
South Korean megastars BTS performed their first show in nearly four years on Saturday in front of enormous crowds in Seoul for a K-pop extravaganza livestreamed to millions more worldwide.
Widely lauded as the biggest boy band in the world, BTS went on hiatus in 2022 so the seven members could serve compulsory military service, some near the heavily fortified border with North Korea.
The comeback concert had as its backdrop the historic Gyeongbokgung royal palace -- fitting for the "Kings of K-pop" -- with thousands of fans from South Korea and abroad singing along.
"It's been a long journey but now we are finally here!" said BTS's leader RM -- whose injured ankle meant he had to perch on a stool at times -- as the group performed songs from their new album, as well as old hits "Dynamite" and "Mikrokosmos".
"We are finally here and seeing you again... all seven of us standing on the stage together makes me so happy," said fellow member Jimin to cheers.
"BTS 2.0 is just getting started," said J-Hope.
Fans -- 260,000 were predicted earlier -- descended on Seoul from morning onwards in colourful costumes, taking selfies with their tickets and clutching BTS "ARMY" glowsticks.
Before they came on stage the crowd chanted "BTS! BTS!" with the main boulevard leading up to Gwanghwamun Square ram-packed with people as far as the eye could see.
Gwanghwamun Gate was lit in rainbow colours before the show started, as a massive stage installation featuring three circular features -- symbolising BTS's new album "Arirang" -- glowed beneath towering lighting rigs.
The megastars admitted to some nerves, with member J-Hope telling fans "there were moments when we wondered whether we might be somewhat forgotten, or whether you would remember us".
Jimin said: "We are not such special people. We are afraid every time, but we believed that if we showed you our sincerity, it would reach you."
Fans responded with a sea of glowsticks, singing along the songs while holding their phones high up to film their stars.
"It's great that the show was held in Gwanghwamun, but it would have been just as good anywhere -- even in a much smaller venue," Park Young-mi, 34, a South Korean fan, told AFP.
"Fans have been waiting unwaveringly, and I hope they felt that today."
"Seeing them on stage just felt as if I was being welcomed into a family... it felt very expressive and beautiful and you could just see it from the people who were here too," gushed Gabriel Miranda, 34, from the United States.
"It's a bit different from BTS's usual flavour, but seeing this new side of them at this historic place is deeply moving," said Jo Jung-hee, 60, her phone featuring a photo of BTS member V.
Millions more people across the world were able to watch the show broadcast live on Netflix.
The latest album, "ARIRANG", which was released on Friday, is billed as a reflection of the maturing boy band's Korean identity.
It sold almost four million copies in the first day, BTS's record label said.
Spotify said five million fans pre-saved it, the highest ever for a K-pop act, and that it was the most-streamed album in a single day so far this year.
"ARIRANG" takes its name from a folk song about longing and separation that is often dubbed South Korea's unofficial national anthem.
Featuring collaborations with multiple Western artists and producers, the 14 tracks on the album mix rap, heavy beats and experimentation.
"Compared to their earlier work, there's a wider range of genres, which gives it a more mature and expansive feel," Lee Ji-young, a university professor, told AFP.

Taylor who?

Saturday's show preceded a world tour set to be a major money-spinner for BTS, potentially outdoing Taylor Swift's recent Eras Tour.
South Korea too -- whose music, films, books, food and cosmetics are all the rage -- will benefit thanks to tourism and sales of merchandise from BTS dolls to toothbrushes and cans of tuna.
Starting in Goyang, South Korea on April 9 and ending in Manila 11 months later, BTS's tour encompasses 82 shows in 34 cities in 23 countries.
Security was heavy for Saturday's concert, with some 15,000 police and security guards, barricades lining the roads and local venues shut.
Wedding guests had to be transported by police.
BTS -- short for Bulletproof Boy Scouts in Korean -- have championed UNICEF campaigns, the Black Lives Matter movement and efforts to combat anti-Asian racism.
Members have also spoken candidly about the pressures of the music industry.
"Honestly, I became a fan simply because I love their music," Seo Ra-jung, 40, told AFP after the concert.
"I first became a fan during a really difficult period in my life, and their lyrics gave me a lot of strength."
str-cdl/stu/abs

US

Iranians mark Eid as Trump mulls winding down war

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

  • After Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight, the Israeli military said it had carried out strikes on what it called "regime targets" in Iran's capital, which has been under bombardment since a US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28.
  • Thousands of Iranians held Eid al-Fitr prayers on Saturday to mark the end of the Ramadan fast, against the backdrop of war with the United States and Israel, which reportedly carried out a strike on Iran's Natanz nuclear site.
  • After Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight, the Israeli military said it had carried out strikes on what it called "regime targets" in Iran's capital, which has been under bombardment since a US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28.
Thousands of Iranians held Eid al-Fitr prayers on Saturday to mark the end of the Ramadan fast, against the backdrop of war with the United States and Israel, which reportedly carried out a strike on Iran's Natanz nuclear site.
Iran's supreme leader traditionally leads Eid prayers but Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who came to power earlier this month after his father was killed in a US-Israeli strike, has remained out of the public eye.
Instead, the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, attended prayers at central Tehran's Imam Khomeini grand mosque, named after the founder of the Islamic republic, which was filled to overflowing, with worshippers in the streets outside.
Iran's key ally Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to Khamenei, "wished the Iranian people strength on overcoming these severe trials and emphasised that during this difficult time, Moscow remained a loyal friend and reliable partner of Tehran".
According to Iran's atomic energy organisation, the US and Israel targeted a plant at Natanz in Isfahan province, which hosts underground centrifuges to enrich uranium for Iran's disputed nuclear programme and was already damaged in last year's June war.

Nuclear plant

"Following the criminal attacks by the United States and the usurping Zionist regime against our country, the... Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning," the agency said, in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency. 
No leakage of nuclear materials was reported, it added.
After three weeks of a conflict that has sent world energy prices soaring, blocked the Strait of Hormuz oil export route and strained Washington's ties with its closest allies, US President Donald Trump said once again that he was thinking of pulling back.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great military efforts in the Middle East," Trump posted on social media. 
The White House press secretary said the Pentagon was looking at four to six weeks to complete its mission.
Nevertheless, according to US media reports, Washington is deploying thousands more marines to the Middle East, in a possible sign of a ground operation, and Iran continues to carry out strikes on both Israel and its oil and gas-rich Gulf neighbours.
After Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight, the Israeli military said it had carried out strikes on what it called "regime targets" in Iran's capital, which has been under bombardment since a US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28.

Oil sanctions eased

Beyond the Gulf, the war has spread to Lebanon where the Israeli military has carried out regular bombardments in response to rocket fire by Iran ally Hezbollah. 
The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes against "Hezbollah terrorist organisation targets" in the Lebanese capital early Saturday.
It had called on residents to evacuate parts of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
In southern Lebanon, close to the border, state media reported an "extensive" Israeli operation around the town of Khiam and said an Israeli airstrike killed at least one person.
Lebanon's health ministry says the war has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than one million, while Israel's army says two soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon.
As concerns grow over oil prices and global supply shortages, the US Treasury said it was temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels.
The authorisation allows for the delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil and other petroleum products loaded onto ships before March 20 and will last through April 19.

Trump demands allies act

As energy analysts and consumers count the cost of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Gulf, including the world's largest liquefied natural gas hub, Trump slammed NATO allies as "cowards" and called on them to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has choked the channel, which is crucial for around a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas during peacetime.
"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it -- The United States does not!" he said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had imposed restrictions on vessels from countries involved in attacks against Iran but would offer assistance to others.
The standoff has sent crude oil prices soaring, with a barrel of North Sea Brent crude up more than 50 percent over the past month and now comfortably more than $105 a barrel.
burs-dc/amj

US

Israel strikes Tehran, Beirut as Trump mulls 'winding down' war

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, JERUSALEM, DUBAI AND BEIRUT

  • The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes against "Hezbollah terrorist organisation targets" in the Lebanese capital early Saturday.
  • Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Saturday after US President Donald Trump said he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran following three weeks of war.
  • The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes against "Hezbollah terrorist organisation targets" in the Lebanese capital early Saturday.
Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Saturday after US President Donald Trump said he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran following three weeks of war.
After Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight, the Israeli military said it had carried out strikes on what it called "regime targets" in Iran's capital, which has been under bombardment since a US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28.
The latest barrage came as Trump signalled a retreat from the objective of regime change in Iran and the Treasury Department lifted sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea to ease global supply fears.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East," Trump said in a social media post.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and the Pentagon "predicted it would take approximately 4-6 weeks to achieve this mission", as the conflict headed towards a fourth week on Saturday.
However, US media reported Friday that Washington was deploying thousands of Marines to the Middle East, in a possible sign of a coming ground operation.
Trump told reporters he was not looking for a truce because Washington was "obliterating" Iran.
But Tehran has kept up its retaliatory drone and missile attacks on Gulf nations it accuses of serving as launchpads for US strikes, as well as on Israel.
Kuwait reported a missile and drone attack early Saturday and Saudi Arabia said it intercepted more than two dozen drones, as Muslims in the region and beyond celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Israel had shuttered access to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's annexed Old City and other holy sites, citing wartime restrictions but angering Muslim worshippers.
"Al-Aqsa has been taken from us," said Wajdi Mohammed Shweiki, a Palestinian man in his 60s.
"It's a catastrophic situation for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for Palestinians in general and for all Muslims across the globe."
Israel has accused Iran of attacking holy sites in Jerusalem after a strike left a crater in the Old City near Al-Aqsa, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Oil sanctions eased

Beyond the Gulf, the war has spread to Lebanon where the Israeli military has carried out regular bombardments in response to rocket fire by Iran ally Hezbollah. 
The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes against "Hezbollah terrorist organisation targets" in the Lebanese capital early Saturday.
It had called on residents to evacuate parts of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
In southern Lebanon, close to the border, state media reported an "extensive" Israeli operation around the town of Khiam and said an Israeli airstrike killed at least one person.
Lebanon's health ministry says the war has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than one million, while Israel's army says two soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon.
In Iraq, which neighbours Iran and has been drawn into the war, a strike killed a fighter at a military airfield in the country's north, with his group blaming the US and Israel.
As concerns grow over oil prices and global supply shortages, the US Treasury said it was temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels.
The authorisation allows for the delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil and other petroleum products loaded onto ships before March 20 and will last through April 19.
"By temporarily unlocking this existing supply for the world, the United States will quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets, expanding the amount of worldwide energy and helping to relieve the temporary pressures on supply," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Trump 'may have a plan'

As energy analysts and consumers count the cost of attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Gulf, including the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub, Trump slammed NATO allies as "cowards" and called on them to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has choked the channel crucial for around a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas during peacetime.
"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it -- The United States does not!" he said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had imposed restrictions on vessels from countries involved in attacks against Iran but was offering assistance to others.
The standoff has sent crude oil prices soaring, with a barrel of North Sea Brent crude up more than three percent on Friday to around $112.
Trump would not be drawn on reports that he was considering an occupation or blockade of Iran's key oil hub Kharg island.
US forces hit Kharg on Friday in strikes that Trump said had "totally obliterated" the island's military targets but not its oil infrastructure.
"I may have a plan or I may not," Trump said when asked by an AFP reporter. 
burs-jfx/ami

trial

US jury finds Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders

BY GLENN CHAPMAN

  • The civil complaint in California accused Musk of driving down Twitter's stock price to gain leverage to renegotiate the purchase price or get out of the deal completely, causing people who sold shares to lose money.
  • A federal jury in California found Friday that tech tycoon Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders, driving down the company's share price as he was poised to buy it in a $44 billion deal.
  • The civil complaint in California accused Musk of driving down Twitter's stock price to gain leverage to renegotiate the purchase price or get out of the deal completely, causing people who sold shares to lose money.
A federal jury in California found Friday that tech tycoon Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders, driving down the company's share price as he was poised to buy it in a $44 billion deal.
The verdict in the class action securities lawsuit means the world's richest person could be ordered to pay billions of dollars, according to damages calculated by jurors.
Minutes after the judgment was announced, the entrepreneur's lawyers informed AFP that their client will appeal the decision, characterizing it as a "setback."
After a three-week trial in a San Francisco federal court -- which included in-person testimony from Musk -- the jury found that two tweets posted in May 2022 by the Tesla and SpaceX CEO contained false statements responsible for a plunge in Twitter's share price.
Investor Giuseppe Pampena had filed the suit on behalf of people who sold Twitter shares between mid-May and early October 2022.
Musk acquired the social media platform in late October 2022 and later renamed it X.
Jurors agreed that Musk violated a securities rule that bars false and misleading statements that sink a stock price, in this case that of Twitter, the verdict form showed.
An attorney for the plaintiffs estimated the damages at about $2.6 billion.
Musk, who has a near-constant presence on X, did not immediately react to the verdict.

Teflon tycoon?

The judgment marks a rare legal defeat for Musk, often dubbed "Teflon Elon" for his ability to emerge unscathed from lawsuits he is expected to lose.
His lawyers, in fact, reminded AFP of this track record, noting that a Texas court cleared him just that same day in a separate defamation case.
In 2023, a jury in the same San Francisco federal court cleared him within hours of similar charges brought by Tesla shareholders, following his 2018 tweets claiming he had the funding to take the automaker private.
The civil complaint in California accused Musk of driving down Twitter's stock price to gain leverage to renegotiate the purchase price or get out of the deal completely, causing people who sold shares to lose money.
Musk tweeted at one point during the process that the acquisition deal was temporarily on hold until Twitter executives could prove the percentage of "bots" -- fake accounts run by software instead of real users -- was as low as the social media platform claimed.
The plaintiffs contended that these statements were part of a scheme designed to pressure the board of directors into accepting a price lower than his initial offer -- at a time when Tesla's share price was falling, meaning Musk would have to sell more of his shares to finance the deal.
Musk abandoned his effort to get out of buying Twitter in late 2022 after the company took him to court to uphold the contract.
Musk has since merged the social media platform with his artificial intelligence startup xAI and his private space exploration firm SpaceX.
Forbes magazine early this month estimated Elon Musk's net worth at $839 billion, a figure based primarily on his stakes in his portfolio of companies including Tesla and SpaceX.
gc-cl/des/lga/jfx

weather

Record-breaking heat wave grips western US

  • "This heat wave would be virtually impossible for the time of year in a world without human-induced climate change," the World Weather Attribution network of climate scientists said in a report.
  • A record early heat wave striking the west of the United States on Friday is a one-in-500-years type event and all but certainly the result of human-caused climate change, experts say.
  • "This heat wave would be virtually impossible for the time of year in a world without human-induced climate change," the World Weather Attribution network of climate scientists said in a report.
A record early heat wave striking the west of the United States on Friday is a one-in-500-years type event and all but certainly the result of human-caused climate change, experts say.
The heat has been toppling records this week and was set to continue into the weekend across western cities and expanding eastward.
Four spots in the desert area near the California-Arizona state border registered 44.4C (112 Fahrenheit) on Friday, a US national record for March.  
The locations were near the city of Yuma and at Martinez Lake in Arizona, and in the vicinity of Winterhaven and Ogilby in California.
Already, 65 cities have seen new March highs, ranging from Arizona and California to Idaho, Weather.com reported.
Death Valley on Thursday scorched in 40C degrees while the often cool and foggy San Francisco tied its historic March record at 29C degrees, and skiers in Colorado were hitting the slopes shirtless.
The National Weather Service issued extreme heat warnings Friday for much of the southwest, ranging from Los Angeles and coastal southern California to the desert gambling capital of Las Vegas.
Warnings were also issued against leaving children or pets in cars.
The phenomenal heat when winter is only just ending alarmed climate watchers.
"This heat wave would be virtually impossible for the time of year in a world without human-induced climate change," the World Weather Attribution network of climate scientists said in a report.
They called the event so rare that despite overall rising temperatures, something this serious is only "expected to occur about once every 500 years."
"These findings leave no room for doubt. Climate change is pushing weather into extremes that would have been unthinkable in a pre-industrial world," said one of the study's authors, Friederike Otto, a professor at Imperial College London.
"In the US West, the seasons that people and nature were used to for centuries are disappearing, putting many, including outdoor workers and those without air conditioning, in danger," she said. "The threat isn't distant -- it is here, it is worsening, and our policy must catch up with reality."

'This is global warming'

Scientists say there is overwhelming evidence that today's heat waves are a clear marker of global warming, a process driven chiefly by the burning of fossil fuels.
With the northern hemisphere officially exiting winter on Friday -- the first day of astronomical spring -- the soaring temperatures were wreaking havoc on wildlife in the West.
Many plants and trees are already blooming, and vegetation is growing at a fantastic clip, fuelled by heavy rains in December and January.
Terry Salas, who was out and about in Los Angeles on Thursday, told AFP the climate across the United States in recent weeks had been crazy.
"This is very unusual. We're still in winter," she said. "But this is global warming. The East Coast is just tornadoes and snow, and here we are, we're sizzling."
"We're having summer temperatures that we never, ever had in March."
bur-sms/jgc/js

addiction

Jury signals tech titans on hook for social media addiction

BY ROMAIN FONSEGRIVES

  • If so, jurors are to decide if Meta or YouTube were "substantial factors" in causing Kaley's woes and how much they should pay in damages. 
  • A question by jurors in a landmark social media addiction trial on Friday signaled Meta or YouTube may have to pay for letting a girl get hooked onto their platforms.
  • If so, jurors are to decide if Meta or YouTube were "substantial factors" in causing Kaley's woes and how much they should pay in damages. 
A question by jurors in a landmark social media addiction trial on Friday signaled Meta or YouTube may have to pay for letting a girl get hooked onto their platforms.
The jury's first full week of deliberations ended with the panel sending the judge a query related to calculating damages in the case, which is expected to set a precedent for thousands of similar suits in the nation.
"We don't start dancing in the streets over what seems to be a good question," said plaintiff's attorney Mark Lanier.
"But we're appreciative of the fact that they're on the issues of damages."
To turn their attention to damages, enough jurors had to essentially agree that one or both accused tech platforms was negligently or harmfully designed and users should have been warned, according to verdict forms.
Jurors will return to the Los Angeles courthouse on Monday to resume deliberations.
Since jury deliberations began on March 13, the jury has sent questions to the judge related to the plaintiff's family troubles as well as how much she actually used Meta-owned Instagram as a child.

Negligent in design?

The verdict could turn on the question of whether familial strife and other real-world trauma, or YouTube and Meta apps such as Instagram, were to blame for mental woes of the woman who filed the suit.
A 20-year-old California woman identified as Kaley G.M. testified at trial that YouTube and Instagram fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts as a child, telling jurors that she became obsessed with social media, starting with YouTube videos, when she was six.
Under cross examination, however, Kaley also talked about feeling neglected, berated and picked on by family members.
A jury form given to jurors asks the panel to decide whether Meta or YouTube should have known their services posed a danger to children or if they were negligent in design.
If so, jurors are to decide if Meta or YouTube were "substantial factors" in causing Kaley's woes and how much they should pay in damages. 
Whatever the verdict, the trial highlights "an important tension" between social media platforms and vulnerable young internet users, reasoned University of Pittsburgh marketing professor Vanitha Swaminathan.
"The platforms have to address the concerns of this important segment," Swaminathan told AFP.
The lawsuit is one of hundreds accusing social media firms of luring young users into becoming addicted to their content and potentially suffer from depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization and even suicide. 
Internet titans have long shielded themselves with Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act, which frees them of responsibility for what social media users post.
However, this case argues that the firms are responsible for defective products, with business models designed to hold people's attention and to promote content that can harm their mental health.
The outcome of the trial is expected to establish a precedent for resolving other lawsuits that blame social media for fueling an epidemic of mental and emotional trauma.
gc-rfo-tu/jgc