Global Edition

Finance minister favourite as Benin votes for president

BY JOSUE MEHOUENOU

  • The European Union, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have all sent substantial delegations to monitor the vote.
  • Benin was voting for a new president on Sunday, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni a shoo-in after overseeing a decade of economic growth in the west African country despite jihadist attacks in the north.
  • The European Union, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have all sent substantial delegations to monitor the vote.
Benin was voting for a new president on Sunday, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni a shoo-in after overseeing a decade of economic growth in the west African country despite jihadist attacks in the north.
Nearly eight million voters are eligible to cast ballots to choose a successor to Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after two five-year terms and has endorsed Wadagni as his successor.
Turnout will be a crucial factor after a lacklustre campaign hit by voter apathy.
"We must vote to ensure a high turnout," said Yvan Glidja, a man in his 30s who turned up early at a school-turned-polling station in the commercial capital Cotonou to vote for Wadagni.
Backed by the two main ruling parties, Wadagni is being challenged by Paul Hounkpe, an opposition figure whose campaign has been very low-key and who needed help from majority lawmakers to secure the required parliamentary endorsements to get on the ballot. 
"There can't be any real enthusiasm; for that, you would need debate and each side would have to believe in its chances," said Rufin Godjo, a political analyst. 
The main opposition The Democrats party is not fielding a candidate as its leader, Renaud Agbodjo, failed to secure the required number of parliamentary endorsements needed to contest the vote.
"I won't go and vote, this election is not inclusive. You cannot talk about genuine democratic competition when some key political players are barred," said Arnold Dessouassi, a 39-year-old teacher. 
The ruling majority blames The Democrats' exclusion on internal divisions. Several senior figures in the party joined Wadagni's campaign.
"The disgruntled haven't disappeared. Tensions and frustration remain high; their electoral hopes have been slaughtered," said Godjo, speaking of voters. 
The European Union, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have all sent substantial delegations to monitor the vote.
"We hope a maximum of Beninese will come out to make their choice today", Nana Akufo-Addo, a former Ghanaian president heading the ECOWAS delegation, told AFP. 

Golden decade

Benin's next elections will only take place in 2033, as a constitutional reform passed last year has extended the presidential term from five to seven years and synchronised all elections to take place then. 
A key question for many is the next president's approach to civil liberties after the authoritarian turn taken by Talon, whose rule saw many opponents being handed heavy sentences for various crimes.
Hounkpe meanwhile has promised to release "political prisoners". 
The country has seen burgeoning growth during the Talon decade: GDP has doubled, growth has surpassed six percent each year, tourism has expanded and numerous infrastructure projects have been completed. 
As the architect of this development from his 10 years at the finance ministry, Wadagni embodies continuity. 

Major challenges

But major challenges remain, including a huge gap between the haves and the have-nots.
"The next phase of the country's development will be the eradication of extreme poverty. That is one of his priorities," said one of Wadagni's close associates. 
The poverty rate is estimated at more than 30 percent and many Beninese complain that the benefits of the economic growth over the past decade have not trickled down to them.
Benin's economic growth will also depend on ushering in security and stabilising the country.
Benin's north is plagued by increasingly deadly jihadist violence, carried out mainly by Al-Qaeda's Sahel branch, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).
Very active in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, JNIM has recruited and conducted deadly raids against the army in this less-developed part of Benin.
If he is elected on Sunday, Wadagni is expected to be able to count on the loyalty of the army, which played a decisive role in repelling an attempted coup against Talon in December. 
pid-jfm/ach/yad/sbk/cw

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • Citing an energy ministry statement, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that the attacks had led to a "loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day of pumping capacity through the east-west pipeline" and work was under way to restore full production capacity at the kingdom's Khurais oil field.
  • The latest developments in the Middle East war: - Key Saudi pipeline back - Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said that its key east-west oil pipeline and other facilities had been restored following attacks by Iran on infrastructure across the Gulf.
  • Citing an energy ministry statement, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that the attacks had led to a "loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day of pumping capacity through the east-west pipeline" and work was under way to restore full production capacity at the kingdom's Khurais oil field.
The latest developments in the Middle East war:

Key Saudi pipeline back

Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said that its key east-west oil pipeline and other facilities had been restored following attacks by Iran on infrastructure across the Gulf.
Citing an energy ministry statement, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that the attacks had led to a "loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day of pumping capacity through the east-west pipeline" and work was under way to restore full production capacity at the kingdom's Khurais oil field.

Tehran downplays no-deal finish

Iran's foreign ministry said no one had held any expectation that talks with the United States could have reached an agreement within one session after the negotiations in Islamabad stalled. 
"Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation," ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Talks' end 'disappointing' Australia

"The priority now must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations," Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement, adding it was "disappointing that the Islamabad talks between the United States and Iran have ended without agreement".

Pakistan urges US, Iran

Pakistan's foreign minister insisted that Washington and Tehran must uphold a ceasefire agreement, after marathon talks between the two sides to end the war in the Middle East ended without a deal.
"It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire," said Ishaq Dar, whose government hosted the talks and acted as a mediator. 

Vance leaves without deal

US Vice President JD Vance departed Pakistan aboard Air Force Two soon after saying that talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement after he put forward a "final and best offer".
"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," he told reporters in Islamabad, on the main sticking point for talks moving ahead. 

Iran calls US 'unreasonable'

"The Iranian delegation negotiated continuously and intensively for 21 hours in order to protect the national interests of the Iranian people; despite various initiatives from the Iranian delegation, the unreasonable demands of the American side prevented the progress of the negotiations. Thus the negotiations ended," Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said. 

Iran says talks hinged on avoiding 'excessive demands'

The success of peace talks between the United States and Iran depended on Washington avoiding "excessive" and "unlawful" demands, the Iranian foreign ministry's spokesman said early on Sunday after marathon talks in Islamabad.
"The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests," Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X.

Iran and US spar over strait

Iran denied Washington's claims that two US Navy warships crossed the Strait of Hormuz to clear the strategic waterway of mines, with Tehran warning that military ships attempting the passage "will be dealt with severely".
US Central Command's claim that mine detection operations were already underway was echoed by President Donald Trump, who told reporters Saturday "we have mine sweepers out there. We're sweeping the strait".  
A fifth of the world's crude oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says Iran deal 'makes no difference'

Trump told reporters Saturday it "makes no difference" if a peace deal comes out of the trilateral US-Iran talks in Pakistan, insisting the United States has already won the war. 
The 79-year-old Republican's comments came as Vice President JD Vance was leading the US delegation in Islamabad, with discussions heading into a second day.
burs-sbk/cw

Global Edition

Hungarians vote in closely watched election with Orban's rule on line

BY ANDRAS ROSTOVANYI

  • But Maria Toth, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mother of two, told AFP that "it is so important for us that Viktor Orban stays in power,"  "I feel Hungary is under siege from so many directions and big powers like Brussels are trying to dictate how we live.
  • Hungarians began voting on Sunday in closely watched parliamentary elections that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year stint in power as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side.
  • But Maria Toth, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mother of two, told AFP that "it is so important for us that Viktor Orban stays in power,"  "I feel Hungary is under siege from so many directions and big powers like Brussels are trying to dictate how we live.
Hungarians began voting on Sunday in closely watched parliamentary elections that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year stint in power as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side.
US President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind the EU's current longest-serving leader, who maintains close ties to Russia. The vote is closely followed abroad, particularly across the rest of Europe.
Opinion polls suggest the Tisza party of pro-European conservative Peter Magyar, who has promised a "system change", is running well ahead of Orban's.
Both camps have alleged foreign interference during the campaign in the central European country of 9.5 million people. US Vice President JD Vance visited Budapest earlier this week to rally with Orban.
Orban, 62, who is seeking a fifth straight term, has transformed his country into a model of "illiberal democracy". Like Trump, he casts migration and "woke" values as a threat to Western "civilisation".
Former government insider Magyar, 45, burst onto the scene just two years ago, amassing support against a backdrop of economic stagnation, despite an electoral system skewed in favour of Orban's Fidesz party.
"Now is our last chance to choose finally east or west. Do we want to be a normal democracy or turn back east with no point of return?" first-time voter David Banhegyi, 18, told AFP after casting his ballot for Tisza in a leafy part of Budapest as a steady trickle of voters arrived.
Polls opened at 6:00 am (0400 GMT), according to AFP journalists. They will close at 7:00 pm.

'Under siege'

Orban has increasingly locked horns with Brussels, which accuses him of quashing dissent and eroding the rule of law and has frozen billions of euros in EU funding.
During his visit, Vance attacked the alleged interference in Hungary of Brussels "bureaucrats", while Trump has promised to bring US "economic might" to Hungary if Orban's party secures victory.
While criss-crossing the country since February, Magyar has called on Hungarians to "take our homeland back" to secure its place in the EU, and promised to crack down on corruption and offer better services.
Hungary is seen as the most corrupt in the EU, together with Bulgaria, according to the Transparency International watchdog.
"I have one main problem with this government, what it did, the robbing," said Edit Csillaghegyi, a 58-year-old shop worker, who told AFP that she voted for Magyar's Tisza.
But Maria Toth, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mother of two, told AFP that "it is so important for us that Viktor Orban stays in power," 
"I feel Hungary is under siege from so many directions and big powers like Brussels are trying to dictate how we live. If he loses, I worry for my children's future," she added after casting her ballot.
Orban has focused on making Ukraine the centre topic of his campaign, portraying the neighbouring country, which is fighting off a Russian invasion, as "hostile" to Hungary.
Ahead of the campaign, he has also vowed to continue his crackdown against "fake civil society organisations, bought journalists, judges (and) politicians".
"If Fidesz wins now, that will clearly mean... a shift towards authoritarianism," Andrea Szabo, a senior research fellow at ELTE University's Centre for Social Sciences, told AFP.
"This is the last moment in which this process can be halted, and the pendulum can swing back in a democratic direction," she added.

Interference

Analysts expect a record turnout of around 75 percent, exceeding the previous record of just over 70 percent.
The first preliminary results are expected soon after polls close, but if the race is tight the winner might not be declared until ballot counting is completely finished next Saturday, according to the National Election Office.
While the opposition fears Orban may not recognise the election results, the nationalist leader has accused the opposition of "an organised attempt to use chaos" and "colluding" with foreign intelligence.
In the lead-up to the vote, a flurry of accusations, counter-accusations and leaks surfaced, including recorded phone conversations that caused EU-wide alarm about Orban's and his foreign minister's close relations with Moscow.
Reports have claimed an ongoing covert Russian disinformation campaign to help Orban stay in power, while a documentary has alleged his ruling coalition is engaging in massive vote-buying efforts in rural districts.
bur-jza/sbk

US

Vance says talks failed to reach deal with Iran on ending Mideast war

BY AFP TEAMS IN ISLAMABAD, TEHRAN AND WASHINGTON

  • Iranian demands for any agreement to end the war include unfreezing sanctioned Iranian assets and ending Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said would not be up for discussion in Islamabad.
  • Iran and the United States failed to reach an agreement to end the war in the Middle East, US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday after marathon talks in Islamabad, adding that he was leaving after giving Tehran the "final and best offer".
  • Iranian demands for any agreement to end the war include unfreezing sanctioned Iranian assets and ending Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said would not be up for discussion in Islamabad.
Iran and the United States failed to reach an agreement to end the war in the Middle East, US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday after marathon talks in Islamabad, adding that he was leaving after giving Tehran the "final and best offer".
Vance said Washington was seeking a "fundamental commitment" from Iran that it would not develop a nuclear weapon, but that "we haven't seen that" after holding the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
However, he signalled that he was still giving Iran time to consider the offer from the United States, which on Tuesday said it would pause attacks with Israel for two weeks pending negotiations. 
Pakistan, which hosted the talks and whose leadership had ushered the rival sides to the table, said it would keep facilitating dialogue and urged both countries to continue respecting the temporary truce.
Iran's state broadcaster IRIB said negotiations stalled over "unreasonable demands of the American side", though the country's foreign ministry spokesman later noted that "no one" could have expected that after 40 days of war, they would reach an agreement within one session.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, sparking retaliation from Tehran that has plunged the Middle East into conflict and the global economy into tumult. 
Iran and the US had entered the talks mediated by Pakistan with maximalist positions, with Washington piling pressure by saying it had sent minesweeping ships through the vital Strait of Hormuz maritime route.
Signs of strain in the negotiations appeared when Iranian media accused the United States of making "excessive demands" over the strait, through which one-fifth of the world's oil transited before its effective closure by Iran during the war.
US President Donald Trump had also insisted several hours into the talks on Saturday that the United States had already triumphed on the battlefield by killing Iranian leaders and destroying key military infrastructure.
"Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. The reason is because we've won," Trump said.
After 21 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital, Vance told reporters that no deal could yet be struck.
"We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it," Vance said, before departing for a nearby airport and flying out of Pakistan.

Leverage

Suggesting efforts to keep the sides talking would continue, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his government would "continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come".
"It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire," he added. 
The high-stakes meeting had unfolded in Islamabad with intense mistrust by both sides. 
Iran was in the middle of negotiations on its nuclear programme in February with Trump's real-estate friend Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner when the United States and Israel launched their attack. The first salvos of the war killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Both Kushner and Witkoff were part of Vance's team in Pakistan. The 70-strong Iranian delegation was led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the powerful speaker of parliament, and included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Iranian demands for any agreement to end the war include unfreezing sanctioned Iranian assets and ending Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Vance has said would not be up for discussion in Islamabad.
The opening of the Strait of Hormuz has also presented a key friction point.
Iran throughout the war exercised its global economic leverage by asserting control of the important maritime route, sending oil prices soaring and piling political pressure on Trump as Americans complained of rising costs at the pump.
The US military said Saturday that two Navy warships transited through the strait to begin clearing it of mines and ensure it is a "safe pathway" for tankers.
The Iranian military denied that any American warships had entered the waterway and threatened to respond if they do so.
The Revolutionary Guards' Naval Command said Iranian promises of safe passage during a two-week ceasefire applied only to "civilian vessels under specific conditions".
The United States is heavily impacted by soaring oil prices on global markets but imports less directly from the Gulf than many of its European allies -- which Trump has berated for not joining a war that they were not consulted about beforehand.
"We'll open up the strait even though we don't use it, because we have a lot of other countries in the world that do use it that are either afraid or weak or cheap," Trump said.

Lebanon violence

Ghalibaf, speaking shortly after landing in Pakistan, made clear that Iran remained highly suspicious of the United States.
"Our experience in negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and broken promises," Ghalibaf said.
Vance said before leaving for Pakistan that if Iran was willing, the United States would "negotiate in good faith" but would not be receptive "if they're going to try to play us".
A major complicating factor has been Israel's assertion that the ceasefire does not affect Lebanon, where the Israeli military has launched massive strikes and a ground invasion in response to fire from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia Muslim movement. 
Lebanese authorities said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Saturday killed 18 people, bringing the death toll from Israel's operations since the war broke out past 2,000.
Israel and Lebanon will hold their own talks next week in Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that he wanted a peace deal with Lebanon that "will last for generations".
But Israel has ruled out a ceasefire with Hezbollah, signalling it will instead seek to pressure the historically weak central government in Beirut.
burs/hmn/ceg/axn

US

Mideast war takes a bite out of Filipino street food vendors

BY PAM CASTRO

  • Garcia, who begins cooking at 3 am every morning before hauling his stew to a middle-class neighbourhood on a converted motorbike, said an 11 kilo tank of fuel, which typically lasts four days, that once cost 870 pesos (about $14.50) now costs 1,600 pesos.
  • Filipinos like their "pares", a traditional beef stew, served hot -- but the soaring cost of liquefied petroleum gas has made that prospect increasingly difficult since war erupted in the Middle East.
  • Garcia, who begins cooking at 3 am every morning before hauling his stew to a middle-class neighbourhood on a converted motorbike, said an 11 kilo tank of fuel, which typically lasts four days, that once cost 870 pesos (about $14.50) now costs 1,600 pesos.
Filipinos like their "pares", a traditional beef stew, served hot -- but the soaring cost of liquefied petroleum gas has made that prospect increasingly difficult since war erupted in the Middle East.
To save a few pesos 20-year-old Eric Garcia delicately turned a knob to adjust the flame under his warming trays to the lowest setting as he grapples with fuel costs that have nearly doubled in price.
While sticker shock at petrol stations has garnered the biggest headlines since the war forced the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the rising price of LPG has hit the import-dependent archipelago's humble street food vendors.
A day before speaking to AFP, Garcia said he had been forced to raise the price of a bowl of pares to 65 pesos ($1.08) after fuel costs reduced his daily earnings by a quarter.
"I'm only earning 1,500 pesos (per day), because the rest is spent on LPG," he said.
Garcia, who begins cooking at 3 am every morning before hauling his stew to a middle-class neighbourhood on a converted motorbike, said an 11 kilo tank of fuel, which typically lasts four days, that once cost 870 pesos (about $14.50) now costs 1,600 pesos.
"It's the highest price of LPG that I've ever seen since I started here," said Carlo Manalad, a supervisor at a store selling tanks of the gas, 90 percent of which is imported.
"If (our suppliers') prices are high, we also raise our prices. Our profit is still the same," the 64-year-old told AFP.
Many of the capital's streetside food sellers, however, have no such luxury.
"If we raise our prices, our customers will buy from other stalls," said Ronilo Titom, who has run a curbside canteen that caters call centre workers and jeepney drivers, for two years.
Even while holding the line on prices, Titom said he had noticed his customer base slowly shrinking since the war erupted.
"Many of them have started to bring packed lunches instead (to save money)," said the 48-year-old who, like Garcia, is using his LPG ever more judiciously.
"Sometimes we let the soup get cold," he admitted, noting that the cost of ingredients for his dishes had also been on the uptick since the war broke out.  

'Very difficult for us'

The Philippines revealed Tuesday war-driven inflation figures that showed food prices had increased nearly twice as fast in March as the month before.
French fry vendor John Mark Abella, 25, who has also upped his prices by five pesos to compensate for LPG costs, told AFP he believed inflation was putting the squeeze on his mostly student customers.
"I think we've got fewer customers … because they're limiting their expenses because of the high prices of fuel and food," he said.
Sam Natividad, a 25-year-old call centre worker, said that was no illusion.
"I'm limiting my expenses because... I also have to pay bills at home. I don't have a big budget for my meals here," she told AFP at a roadside canteen, adding it was "understandable" if street vendors had to raise their prices.
Near Garcia's pares stall, Allan Palong, a driver for a motorbike ride-hailing app, said he understood the vendor's need to charge five pesos more for a bowl of stew, even if his own earnings were being crippled by fuel price hikes.
"It's very difficult for us now, all prices have gone up … the five-pesos mean a lot," he said, while calling on the government to slash the excise tax on imported fuel.
"What they're doing is not enough... we can't feel it."
pam-cwl/ane/tc

Global Edition

Crime-weary Peru votes for ninth president in a decade

BY ANDREW BEATTY

  • - Familiar name - On the eve of the vote, frontrunner Keiko Fujimori told AFP that she would "restore order" in her first 100 days and would forge a united front with recently elected conservative leaders in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia. 
  • Peru votes on Sunday to elect its ninth president in a decade, with crime-weary voters seemingly poised to extend the tide of conservative governments sweeping Latin America. 
  • - Familiar name - On the eve of the vote, frontrunner Keiko Fujimori told AFP that she would "restore order" in her first 100 days and would forge a united front with recently elected conservative leaders in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia. 
Peru votes on Sunday to elect its ninth president in a decade, with crime-weary voters seemingly poised to extend the tide of conservative governments sweeping Latin America. 
From the Amazon to the Andes, about 27 million Peruvians are obliged to vote in a race that features a media baron, an autocrat's daughter, and a hardline ex-mayor who likens himself to a cartoon pig. 
"I wouldn't vote for anyone. I'm so disappointed with everyone in power," clothing merchant Maria Fernandez, 56, told AFP. 
"We've been governed by nothing but corrupt, thieving scoundrels."
Voters will mark ballots that are almost half a meter long and feature a head-scratching 35 presidential candidates. 
Hours before polls open, many voters are still undecided and unconvinced. 
Pre-election surveys show no candidate polling above 15 percent, far short of the 50 percent needed to win outright. Barring an upset, a June runoff seems all but certain. 
Conservative candidates dominate -- according to pollsters at Ipsos there is just one leftist in the top five, former trade and tourism minister Roberto Sanchez.
Right-wing candidates have tried to outdo each other with extreme promises to kill hitmen and lock up delinquents in snake-ringed jungle jails. 
In the last decade, Peru's homicide rate has more than doubled.
And the number of extortion cases reported to Peruvian police jumped more than eightfold from 3,200 to 26,500 a year -- and that is unlikely to be the full total.

Familiar name

On the eve of the vote, frontrunner Keiko Fujimori told AFP that she would "restore order" in her first 100 days and would forge a united front with recently elected conservative leaders in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia. 
"We will ask for special powers -- powers to modernise police stations, and powers for the Armed Forces to help us control the prisons," she told AFP in Lima. 
"The Armed Forces will participate alongside the National Police in controlling the borders. We will expel undocumented citizens," she said, echoing hardline policies that are gaining political traction across the Americas.
This is Fujimori's fourth tilt at the presidency. In previous campaigns, she has distanced herself slightly from the legacy of her father, former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori.
His government crushed a bloody leftist insurgency in the 1990s. 
Courts found that he had directed death squads and was guilty of crimes against humanity, bribery, and embezzlement. He spent 16 years in jail.
This time round, Fujimori junior has capitalized on growing nostalgia for her father's strongman leadership. 
"I believe that time and history are giving my father the place he deserves," she said. 
Signalling plans to forge close relations with US President Donald Trump, Fujimori said, "my role, if elected president, will be to encourage the United States to once again participate more actively." 
She faces a challenge from former Lima mayor Ricardo Belmont, 80, who, despite having run the capital for five years, has pitched himself as an outsider. 
He has made a late surge in the polls thanks to a large TikTok following. 
"He's collecting votes from left to right, like Pac‑Man," said Patricia Zarate of the Institute of Peruvian Studies. 
Also in the running is TV comedian Carlos Alvarez and Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a far-right ex-Lima mayor who has promised to "hunt" Venezuelans and refers to himself as "Porky".
Sociologist David Sulmont told AFP the elections show "a major disconnect" between the public and what politicians are offering. 
Incumbent Jose Maria Balcazar, interim president for less than two months, is barred from running. 
Polls open at 7:00am local time (noon GMT) at 5:00pm (2200 GMT) Church bells will ring, signaling the polls are closed and some religious sites will reopen. 
The election will also decide the makeup of Peru's congress, which has been instrumental in removing several leaders from office.
arb/aks

Israel

Vance says talks failed to reach agreement with Iran

  • "We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer.
  • US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement, saying he was leaving after putting forward a "final and best offer".
  • "We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer.
US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement, saying he was leaving after putting forward a "final and best offer".
Vance signalled that he was still giving time to Iran to consider the offer from the United States, which on Tuesday said it would pause attacks with Israel for two weeks pending negotiations.
"We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it," Vance told reporters after 21 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
Vance said that the core dispute was on nuclear weapons. Iran insists it is not pursuing an atomic bomb, and the United States and Israel bombed sensitive Iranian sites both in the war launched on February 28 as well as last year.
"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," Vance said.
"The simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon -- not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term?
"We haven't seen that yet. We hope that we will."
Vance, in brief remarks at a luxury hotel in Islamabad where the two sides have been meeting, did not highlight disagreement on another key issue, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passageway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil transits.
He insisted that President Donald Trump -- who on Saturday in Washington said he did not care if the two sides sealed a deal -- had been accommodating in the talks.
"I think that we were quite flexible. We were quite accommodating. The president told us, You need to come here in good faith and make your best effort to get a deal. 
"We did that and, unfortunately, we weren't able to make headway."
sct/sla

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • The 79-year-old Republican's comments came as Vice President JD Vance was leading the US delegation in Islamabad, with discussions heading into a second day.
  • The latest developments in the Middle East war: - Vance says talks failed to reach agreement - US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that 21 hours of talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement, saying he was leaving after putting forward a "final and best offer".
  • The 79-year-old Republican's comments came as Vice President JD Vance was leading the US delegation in Islamabad, with discussions heading into a second day.
The latest developments in the Middle East war:

Vance says talks failed to reach agreement

US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that 21 hours of talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement, saying he was leaving after putting forward a "final and best offer".
"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon," he told reporters in Islamabad, on the main sticking point for talks moving ahead. 

Iran says talks hinged on avoiding 'excessive demands'

The success of peace talks between the United States and Iran depended on Washington avoiding "excessive" and "unlawful" demands, the Iranian foreign ministry's spokesman said early on Sunday after marathon talks in Islamabad.
"The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the opposing side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests," Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X.

Iran and US spar over strait

Iran denied Washington's claims that two US Navy warships crossed the Strait of Hormuz to clear the strategic waterway of mines, with Tehran warning that military ships attempting the passage "will be dealt with severely".
US Central Command's claim that mine detection operations were already underway was echoed by President Donald Trump, who told reporters Saturday "we have mine sweepers out there. We're sweeping the strait".  
A fifth of the world's crude oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says Iran deal 'makes no difference'

Trump told reporters Saturday it "makes no difference" if a peace deal comes out of the trilateral US-Iran talks in Pakistan, insisting the United States has already won the war. 
The 79-year-old Republican's comments came as Vice President JD Vance was leading the US delegation in Islamabad, with discussions heading into a second day.
Earlier, Iranian media said the United States was making "excessive demands" on the Strait of Hormuz during the talks.

Iran nuclear programme crushed: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran had succeeded in "crushing" the Islamic republic's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
"They wanted to strangle us, and (now) we are strangling them. They threatened us with annihilation, and now they are fighting for survival," he said, adding that the war against Tehran had also weakened Iran's leadership and its regional allies.
He agreed to Lebanese requests for peace talks on two conditions, he added: "We want the dismantling of Hezbollah's weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations."

Lebanon death toll past 2,000

Lebanon's health ministry said the death toll since the start of the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is now 2,020.
The new toll from the Lebanese health ministry includes 248 women, 165 children and 85 medical and emergency personnel killed, along with 6,436 people wounded since Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2. 
Earlier Saturday, Lebanon said Israeli strikes on a village near Sidon in the south killed eight people, after earlier strikes killed 10 people including three emergency workers.
Israel's military said it had struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the last 24 hours.

Pope denounces warmongers

Pope Leo lashed out against warmongers while calling on billions of people around the globe to embrace peace and "believe once again in love, moderation and good politics".
In one of his most passionate entreaties yet to end the raging conflict in the Middle East, the American pope said faith was needed "in order to face this dramatic hour in history together". 

Macron appeal

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had urged his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian to use the talks to achieve "a lasting de-escalation."
"I urged him to seize the opportunity presented by the talks launched in Islamabad to pave the way for a lasting de-escalation and a robust agreement that provides solid guarantees for security in the region," Macron said on X.

Iran says lacks 'trust' with US

Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said shortly after arriving in Pakistan's capital that previous experiences negotiating with the United States had led to a lack of trust. 
"Our experience in negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and broken promises," Iranian state media quoted him as saying.

Israel won't discuss ceasefire

Israel's US ambassador Yechiel Leiter told his Lebanese counterpart in Washington that he "refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organisation", according to a statement after a meeting.
Israel "agreed to begin formal peace negotiations" with the Lebanese government, with which it has no diplomatic relations, the Israeli ambassador said.
Lebanon's presidency said a meeting would be held at the US State Department on Tuesday "to discuss declaring a ceasefire and the start date for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under US auspices."
burs-jj/giv/sla/acb/ceg/tc

conflict

Easter truce between Russia and Ukraine falters

  • Yet by late Saturday, Ukraine's military said in a Facebook post that "469 ceasefire violations were recorded, namely: 22 enemy assault actions, 153 shelling attacks, 19 strikes by attack drones... and 275 strikes by FPV drones."
  • Ukraine's military command accused Russia of repeatedly violating a truce to mark the Orthodox Easter Saturday with nearly 470 incidents ranging from air strikes and drone attacks to shelling.
  • Yet by late Saturday, Ukraine's military said in a Facebook post that "469 ceasefire violations were recorded, namely: 22 enemy assault actions, 153 shelling attacks, 19 strikes by attack drones... and 275 strikes by FPV drones."
Ukraine's military command accused Russia of repeatedly violating a truce to mark the Orthodox Easter Saturday with nearly 470 incidents ranging from air strikes and drone attacks to shelling.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the ceasefire on Thursday, more than a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first made the proposal.
Both sides had agreed to observe it.
The ceasefire had been due to last for 32 hours, from 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Saturday until the end of the day on Sunday, according to the Kremlin.
Yet by late Saturday, Ukraine's military said in a Facebook post that "469 ceasefire violations were recorded, namely: 22 enemy assault actions, 153 shelling attacks, 19 strikes by attack drones... and 275 strikes by FPV drones."
In total, the Ukrainian military said Saturday had seen Russia carry out 57 air strikes and drop 182 guided aerial bombs, along with deploying 3,928 drones and conducting 2,454 shelling attacks "on populated areas and positions of our troops".
In Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, Governor Alexander Khinshtein also accused Kyiv of breaking the truce by attacking a gas station in the town of Lgov with a drone, injuring three people, including a baby.
In his evening address on Saturday, Zelensky called for a longer ceasefire.
"We have put this proposal to Russia, and if Russia again chooses war instead of peace, this will once again demonstrate to the world, and to the United States, who really wants what."
Residents of Kharkiv, a city near the Russian border and targeted by daily attacks, had been wary of the truce.
"It's not for long, a day and a half, so maybe it will hold," hoped Oleg Polyskin, 65.
"But even if you're going to church, there is no 100-percent guarantee that everything will be peaceful... you shouldn't trust Putin and his government," he added.
"It would be nice if nothing happened tonight and it was quiet, without air-raid alerts," said 16-year-old Sofiia Liapina. 
"But we can't know -- because our neighbours can't be trusted," she added.

Last-minute strikes

Hours before the truce was due to start, Russia launched at least 160 drones at Ukraine, killing four people in the country's east and south and wounding dozens of others, Ukrainian authorities said.
A wave of Ukrainian drones meanwhile sparked a fire at an oil depot and damaged apartment buildings in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, authorities said.
The two sides held a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter last year, but both accused the other of hundreds of violations.
Despite tensions over the truce, the warring sides exchanged 175 prisoners of war each on Saturday, according to officials.
"I still haven't really realised that I'm finally here -- that now I can make my dreams reality, that I am finally free," said Maksym, a Ukrainian soldier freed after four years as a prisoner.
Fourteen civilians were also exchanged: seven on each side.

Stalled diplomacy

US-led talks aimed at ending the four-year conflict have stalled in recent weeks because of the war in the Middle East.
Even before the Iran war, progress towards a peace deal in Ukraine had been slow, due to differences over the issue of territory.
Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines. 
But Russia has rejected this, saying it wants Ukraine to give up all the territory in the Donetsk region that it currently controls -- a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable. 
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia had discussed the ceasefire with Ukraine or the United States in advance and said it was not linked to negotiations to end the war.
The war has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes, making it Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
Russia has made small territorial gains at a high cost.
Kyiv recently managed to push back in the southeast and Russian advances have been slowing since late 2025, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Moscow occupies just over 19 percent of Ukraine, most of which was seized during the first weeks of the conflict.
bur-cad/giv/ach 

conflict

Over 200 arrested at pro-Palestinian rally in London

  • The protesters held placards in support of the banned group Palestine Action, making them liable for arrest.
  • Police in London said they had arrested more 200 pro-Palestinian protesters Saturday at a demonstration in support of the banned group Palestine Action.
  • The protesters held placards in support of the banned group Palestine Action, making them liable for arrest.
Police in London said they had arrested more 200 pro-Palestinian protesters Saturday at a demonstration in support of the banned group Palestine Action.
Officers carried away activists to cheers and clapping from other demonstrators who gathered for the sit-down demonstration in the capital's Trafalgar Square.
The protesters held placards in support of the banned group Palestine Action, making them liable for arrest.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation last July, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. 
The High Court in London in mid-February upheld a challenge to the ban, saying it had interfered with the right to freedom of speech.
The government has been granted leave to appeal the decision.
London's Metropolitan Police paused arrests in the wake of the High Court ruling before announcing in late March that it would resume them.
"It's really important to continue to show up," said Freya, 28, manager of a London environmental organisation, one of those sitting towards the front of the crowd of protesters.
"It's important that we all continue to oppose genocide... The government might flip-flop in their legal argument but the morals of these people (here) do not change," she added.
Posting on X, London's Metropolitan Police said they had arrested 212 people aged between 27 and 82.

'Misguided crackdown'

Since the ban on Palestine Action was imposed there have been nearly 3,000 arrests, mainly for carrying placards defending it. Hundreds of people are facing charges.
Protester, Denis MacDermot, 73, from Edinburgh, said he had been arrested before and had no hesitation about turning out again.
"I'm a supporter of these great people," he said waving towards other protesters, adding that if the court process was definitive "there would be no need for all this".
Protest organisers Defend Our Juries said around 500 people had taken part in Saturday's demonstration, protesting "the UK Government's complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza and the misguided crackdown on peaceful protest at home".
Police were "choosing to make arrests despite the government's ban on the group being ruled unlawful by the High Court, and leading lawyers warning that any arrests would be unlawful", it added in a statement.
The ban, which put Palestine Action on a blacklist that also includes Palestinian militants Hamas and the Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah, has sparked a severe backlash.
A judge has put on hold all trials of people charged with supporting Palestine Action, scheduling a blanket review of cases for July 30.
Set up in 2020, Palestine Action's stated goal on its now-blocked website is to end "global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime".
It has mainly targeted weapons factories, especially those belonging to the Israeli defence group Elbit Systems.
har/jj

pope

In fiery speech, Pope Leo says 'Enough to war!'

  • Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics." 
  • Pope Leo lashed out against warmongers on Saturday while calling on billions of people around the globe to embrace peace and "believe once again in love, moderation and good politics".
  • Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics." 
Pope Leo lashed out against warmongers on Saturday while calling on billions of people around the globe to embrace peace and "believe once again in love, moderation and good politics".
In one of his most passionate entreaties yet to end the raging conflict in the Middle East, the American pope said faith was needed "in order to face this dramatic hour in history together". 
"Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life," Pope Leo implored in an address during a prayer vigil for peace at St Peter's Basilica.
Uttered in measured tones, as is customary for the soft-spoken head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the comments by the 70-year-old Leo nevertheless marked some of the most pointed criticism yet of the wave of conflicts inflaming the globe.
"Dear brothers and sisters, there are certainly binding responsibilities that fall to the leaders of nations. To them we cry out: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!"
As he has done in the past, the Chicago native did not cite politicians by name, and did not call out specific countries. 
- 'Delusion of omnipotence' - 
Responsibility also fell to the "immense multitude" that rejects war, Leo said, urging them to build a "Kingdom of peace... in our homes, schools, neighbourhoods, and civil and religious communities."
"A Kingdom that counters polemics and resignation through friendship and a culture of encounter. Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics." 
The pope described the Kingdom of God as a "bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive."
It also was a place with "no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialisation of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness."
Leo painted a grim picture of the current state of the world, "where there never seem to be enough graves, for people continue to crucify one another and eliminate life, with no regard to justice and mercy."
Pope Leo, who was elected pontiff last May following the death of his predecessor Francis, is moderate and known as a bridge-builder. But he has been increasingly denouncing the conflicts dividing the world, most recently on Friday when he railed against the "senseless and inhuman violence" spreading across the Holy Land. 
Leo has repeatedly urged de-escalation in the current US-Israeli war on Iran and the need for a diplomatic solution. 
ams/jj/giv

US

Buffets, baristas, but no briefings: journalists frozen out of Iran talks

BY ABDUL SATTAR ABBASI

  • On the large screen dominating the cavernous Jinnah Convention Centre, state television aired footage of his arrival and reception by Pakistani officials, prominently including army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. 
  • They came from around the world: hundreds of journalists rushed to Islamabad's flagship convention centre -- converted into a media hub by Pakistani authorities for landmark talks between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
  • On the large screen dominating the cavernous Jinnah Convention Centre, state television aired footage of his arrival and reception by Pakistani officials, prominently including army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. 
They came from around the world: hundreds of journalists rushed to Islamabad's flagship convention centre -- converted into a media hub by Pakistani authorities for landmark talks between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
But as negotiations began behind closed doors half a kilometre away, all the world's media could do was wait -- and sip on an expertly brewed coffee while listening to live eastern folk music.
Even the lattes had a tagline: "Brewed for Peace."
Branding was a big part of the event, with Pakistan dubbing the process the "Islamabad Talks", and plastering a logo combining the Pakistani, US and Iranian flags all over the city.
Early Saturday, an overcast Islamabad felt like a ghost town, with almost no civilian traffic on its wide avenues. 
The few vehicles that moved were driven by armed, uniformed personnel who patrolled the city. 
Some journalists, accredited by the information ministry, were nonetheless held up for about an hour at a checkpoint outside the venue as a convoy of VIPs swept past.
Inside, they found lavish surroundings, wedding-banquet style spreads of biryani, kebabs and gulab jamun, along with gourmet coffee blended from Brazilian and Ethiopian beans.
"We did the branding ('Brewed for Peace') just for the day," one person manning the stall said.
Outside the hall, musicians played folk songs on a small stage. 
"I'm a professional musician, and also teach music," Amir Hussain Khan, a sitar player, told AFP.

'Bored out of my mind'

Staff had reserved seating with a clear view of the massive main stage for US media, directing correspondents from other outlets elsewhere. 
Iranian media went to the opposite side of the hall.
"I'm bored out of my mind," one journalist told AFP, declining to be named. 
Another offered a similar assessment: "There's not much to do here."
Updates did not begin to arrive until after about 2:00 pm (0900 GMT), hours after US Vice President JD Vance touched down in the capital.
On the large screen dominating the cavernous Jinnah Convention Centre, state television aired footage of his arrival and reception by Pakistani officials, prominently including army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. 
When updates did come, they arrived not from media briefings -- as would be the norm at an event of this scale -- but from press statements released via WhatsApp.
The foreign ministry said a "high-powered" US delegation, led by Vance and including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had been received by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who commended Washington's "commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace". 
Hours later, Pakistan's government said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had met Vance, expressing hope the talks would serve as "a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region".
Not exactly the kind of gripping, headline-grabbing quotes many of the journalists in the hall had flown thousands of miles for.
The convention centre offered high-speed wireless internet that AFP clocked at more than 150 megabits per second, far above Pakistan's national average of 25 Mbps, according to Speedtest.net figures from February 2026. 
The gesture was not lost on reporters.
"They say they have facilitated the media. No doubt they have given 5G internet speeds," said journalist Nadir Guramani. "But media teams deputed inside Jinnah Convention Centre do not know what's happening outside."
Security measures added to the surreal atmosphere. An AFP journalist was told the coffee could not be taken into the main hall. "Foreign media is here, and they are watching," a guard said cryptically.
By sunset, the "Islamabad Talks" had produced press releases, a memorable food spread and impressively fast internet in a country riven with tech challenges. 
Whether they produced anything more substantive remained, for those inside the hall, just beyond their reach.
abs/aha/lga

US

Planes fly from Beirut airport despite Israeli bombing

BY MARGAUX BERGEY

  • Israel and Hezbollah also waged a full-blown war in 2024, and then too the airport stayed open and MEA kept flying.
  • Smoke from an Israeli strike still lingered in the air as a plane from Lebanon's national carrier took off from Beirut airport, which has stayed open despite the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.
  • Israel and Hezbollah also waged a full-blown war in 2024, and then too the airport stayed open and MEA kept flying.
Smoke from an Israeli strike still lingered in the air as a plane from Lebanon's national carrier took off from Beirut airport, which has stayed open despite the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The country's only international passenger facility, whose departure boards are now largely red with cancellations, is located on the Mediterranean coast at the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs.
Israel has pummelled the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, with strikes since the Iran-backed group fired rockets at Israel last month, drawing Lebanon into the Middle East war.
"The airport has stayed open throughout this crisis" following risk assessments based on information received "mainly from the US embassy", said Mohammed Aziz, head of Lebanon's civil aviation authority.
He said authorities received additional guarantees this week that the airport would be spared, after Israel on Thursday issued an evacuation warning for large areas of southern Beirut, including the main road leading to the facility and areas directly adjacent.
Israel has so far not carried out its threat, which came a day after devastating strikes across the country, including on central Beirut and its southern suburbs, killed more than 350 people.
AFP images showed a flight by Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA), whose logo is the country's beloved cedar tree, landing on Thursday evening just hours after the warning was issued.
Israel and Hezbollah also waged a full-blown war in 2024, and then too the airport stayed open and MEA kept flying.

'Specific air routes'

Aziz, who is also a former pilot, said the airport was seeing less than half the traffic it normally would at this time of year.
Most airlines have suspended trips to Beirut, with MEA keeping up a reduced number of flights, including three a day to Turkey, compared to 11 normally.
On Friday, just a few dozen travellers were in the usually packed departures hall, as porters sat on empty baggage carts and soldiers kept watch at the terminal entrance.
Staring at the departures board, Mohammed Assaad, 48, an Australian of Lebanese origin who was heading back to Sydney via Cairo, said he was unfazed by the Israeli bombardment.
"I'm just hoping that our flight won't be cancelled. That's all I'm worried about," said Assaad, who was travelling with his wife and two daughters.
Commercial planes are in the skies at the same time as Israeli military aircraft, including drones, but they travel along different air corridors, an MEA pilot told AFP.
"We have very specific air routes," he said, and "the Israelis know where our planes are -- our transponders are turned on", he said on condition of anonymity.

'Open and operational'

Israeli military aircraft including drones generally fly at higher altitudes than commercial planes, he said, while such aircraft also show up on commercial planes' radars.
There is little chance of Israel's military somehow bringing down "a plane by accident", he added.
To manage traffic and avoid any incidents, "the Americans are the main intermediaries", the pilot said.
Civil aviation authority chief Aziz said that "only on two or three occasions maximum" a commercial plane delayed a landing due to Israeli military action.
A Western diplomatic source told AFP that Lebanese authorities were sharing information on flight movements with some other diplomatic missions in the country.
"The Lebanese are working around the clock to guarantee the security of the airport," the source said, requesting anonymity.
Jalal Haidar, a Lebanese-American who took over as the airport's chief operating officer two months ago, also expressed full confidence in the airport, its surroundings and the airspace.
"All three are safe," said Haidar, who formerly managed airports in the United States.
He said the facility was taking advantage of the lower passenger numbers to push forward with renovations so that the site, which handles an average of eight million passengers annually, can accommodate up to an extra 1.3 million this year.
"We are prepared to remain open and operational," he said.
"We are also driven by our determination to keep Lebanon connected to the rest of the world."
mby/lg/amj

US

UK puts Chagos handover deal in 'deep freeze' after Trump criticism

BY HELEN ROWE

  • Britain struck a deal with Mauritius last year to hand back the Indian Ocean islands to its former colony and pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, home to the military base, for a century.
  • Britain indicated Saturday it is shelving plans to return the Chagos Islands -- which hosts the strategic Diego Garcia US-UK military base -- to Mauritius, after US President Donald Trump strongly criticised the deal.
  • Britain struck a deal with Mauritius last year to hand back the Indian Ocean islands to its former colony and pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, home to the military base, for a century.
Britain indicated Saturday it is shelving plans to return the Chagos Islands -- which hosts the strategic Diego Garcia US-UK military base -- to Mauritius, after US President Donald Trump strongly criticised the deal.
Britain struck a deal with Mauritius last year to hand back the Indian Ocean islands to its former colony and pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, home to the military base, for a century.
Trump condemned the return agreement as "an act of great stupidity" and on Saturday British media reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government would drop legislation needed to put the deal into effect.
A former top government official said London had been effectively forced to abandon the plan as a result of Trump's opposition.
"When the president of the United States is openly hostile, the government has to rethink, so this agreement... will go into the deep freeze for the time being," Simon McDonald, previously the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, told BBC radio.
Downing Street said in a statement: "We have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support."
Starmer's office issued the statement in response to reports that legislation underpinning the deal to return the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius was due to run out of time in parliament and that no new Chagos bill would be brought forward.
The Mauritian foreign minister, Dhananjay Ramful, vowed Saturday to reclaim the islands, which lie some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius.
"We will spare no effort to seize any diplomatic or legal avenue to complete the decolonisation process in this part of the Indian Ocean," Ramful said at an Indian Ocean Conference.
"This is a matter of justice."

'Deeply frustrating'

The UK had still not received a formal exchange of notes from Washington –- a technical step but a legal necessity for the treaty to be enacted, Britain's PA news agency reported.
Time has consequently run out to pass the legislation before parliament is dissolved in the coming weeks, it said, quoting a government source as saying the situation was "deeply frustrating".
Main opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the agreement should now find its "rightful place -- on the ash heap of history”.
“That it took so long is another damning indictment of a Prime Minister who fought to hand over British sovereign territory and pay £35 billion to use a crucial military base which was already ours,” she said.
Downing Street said the government would continue to "engage with the US and Mauritius".
"Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US. Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority -- it is the entire reason for the deal," the Downing Street spokesperson added.
Trump had endorsed the deal after it was signed, but then launched a scathing attack on it in Truth Social comments in January.
"The United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia... for no reason whatsover," he said.
"There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness," he said, adding that it showed why the US needed to conquer Greenland from ally Denmark.
Diego Garcia was one of two bases which the UK allowed the US to use for what the British government insisted were "defensive operations" in its war against Iran.

99-year lease

Starmer has previously insisted that international legal rulings have put Britain's ownership of the Chagos in doubt and only a deal with Mauritius would guarantee that the base remains functional.
Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s.
It evicted thousands of Chagos islanders who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius.
The deal would have given Britain a 99-year lease of the base, with the option to extend.
The UK government has not said how much the lease would cost but has not denied reports it would be £90 million ($120 million) a year.
burs-pdw/rmb

US

Chagos Islands: international dispute and human drama

  • - Mass eviction - In 1965, Britain separated the Chagos Islands from the rest of Mauritius, then a semi-autonomous British territory, and paid three million pounds to acquire them, the equivalent of around $65 million today.
  • Britain has shelved plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after strong opposition from US President Donald Trump who has previously described the move "an act of great stupidity".
  • - Mass eviction - In 1965, Britain separated the Chagos Islands from the rest of Mauritius, then a semi-autonomous British territory, and paid three million pounds to acquire them, the equivalent of around $65 million today.
Britain has shelved plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after strong opposition from US President Donald Trump who has previously described the move "an act of great stupidity".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office said the deal would proceed only "if it has US support", after reports the Chagos legislation risked running out of parliamentary time with no fresh bill planned.
The remote Indian Ocean archipelago -- whose main island is Diego Garcia -- was bought by Britain in 1965 before Mauritius gained independence. Following the purchase, the local population was expelled and Britain leased the territory to the United States for what became one of its most strategic military bases. 
Britain's ownership was disputed for years, with the United Nations ruling in 2019 that the UK should hand back the roughly 55 islands and atolls.

Mass eviction

In 1965, Britain separated the Chagos Islands from the rest of Mauritius, then a semi-autonomous British territory, and paid three million pounds to acquire them, the equivalent of around $65 million today.
When Mauritius became independent three years later, the islands remained under British control and were renamed the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
In 1966, Britain leased the islands to the US for 50 years so that it could set up a military base. In 2016, the deal was extended to 2036.
Between 1968 and 1973, around 2,000 Chagos islanders were evicted, described in a British diplomatic cable at the time as the removal of a few "Tarzans and Man Fridays". Most were shipped to Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Mauritius argued it was illegal for Britain to break up its territory and demanded the right to resettle the former residents.

Strategic military base

The US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island, took a major strategic role in the Cold War.
It offered proximity to Asia as an assertive Soviet navy was extending communist influence in the Indian Ocean.
After the 1979 revolution that swept Iran, the US expanded the base to receive more warships and heavy bombers.
It later served as a staging ground for US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was used recently to launch B-2 bomber attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen during the Gaza war.

Islands returned

Britain signed a deal with Mauritius in May 2025 to return the islands, while paying to lease Diego Garcia for $136 million annually for 99 years, which London said would secure the use of the military base. 
It follows decades of legal wrangling dating back to 1975 when Chagos islanders living in Mauritius launched legal proceedings against their expulsion, resulting in a 1982 payment of four million pounds in compensation along with land valued at one million pounds.
In 2007, a British appeals court paved the way for Chagossians to return home but its decision was annulled by the upper branch of parliament, the House of Lords, the following year.
In 2016, the British government confirmed its opposition to the resettlement of Chagossians, including for reasons of defence, security and cost.
Today, around 10,000 Chagossians and their descendants are divided between Mauritius, the Seychelles and Britain.

ICJ ruling

In 2010, Britain declared the islands part of a Marine Protected Area, arguing that people should not be permitted to live there.
Diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks quoted a British official as saying the plan "put paid to the resettlement claims of the archipelago's former residents".
The move backfired as a UN arbitration tribunal declared it illegal in 2015. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) stated in 2019 that Britain had illegally split the islands and should relinquish control.
Britain rejected the ruling, insisting that Mauritius was wrong to bring the case to court, and arguing the Diego Garcia base played a "vital role" in keeping the region safe.
Later that year, a UN General Assembly resolution demanded Britain cede the islands.

Colonial history

Located several hundred kilometres south of the Maldives, the Chagos Islands were colonised by France in the 18th century and African slaves were shipped in to cultivate coconuts and copra.
In 1814, France was made to cede the islands to Britain, which in 1903 merged them with Mauritius, its colony around 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) to the southwest.
After the abolition of slavery in 1834, Indian workers arrived and mixed with the first settlers.
Only three of the islands were inhabited: Diego Garcia, Salomon and Peros Banhos.
bur-er-mnk/rmb

Tesla

In Europe first, Netherlands to allow Teslas to self-drive

  • The move aligns the Netherlands with what is allowed in the United States, where Tesla owners can already use the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) (FSD Supervised) function in the cars.
  • In a first for Europe, the Netherlands is poised to allow Tesla owners to use their car's self-driving feature -- as long as they are in the vehicle and keeping a watchful eye over it.
  • The move aligns the Netherlands with what is allowed in the United States, where Tesla owners can already use the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) (FSD Supervised) function in the cars.
In a first for Europe, the Netherlands is poised to allow Tesla owners to use their car's self-driving feature -- as long as they are in the vehicle and keeping a watchful eye over it.
The country's RDW agency for roadworthiness certifications said in a statement late Friday: "Thanks to the type approval, the driver assistance system can now be used in the Netherlands, with possible future expansion to all member states of the European Union."
The move aligns the Netherlands with what is allowed in the United States, where Tesla owners can already use the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) (FSD Supervised) function in the cars.
That mode hands over driving to the Tesla's computer system, including steering, braking, route navigation and parking, all under the active supervision of the driver, who remains at the controls ready to take over if needed.
The European subsidiary of Tesla, the electric-vehicle company run by the world's richest person, Elon Musk, hailed the Netherlands' move.
"FSD Supervised has been approved in the Netherlands & will begin rolling out in the country shortly!" it said on X. 
"No other vehicle can do this. We're excited to bring FSD Supervised to more European countries soon."
The Dutch RDW agency stressed the difference between FSD Supervised, with a human remaining at the controls, and full autonomous driving.
"A vehicle with FSD Supervised is not self-driving. It is a driver assistance system, and the driver remains responsible and must always maintain control," it said.
RDW's decision has to go to the European Commission for authorisation, so that its national certification has EU weight. 
Tesla sales have been facing headwinds in Europe -- including in the Netherlands -- in the last couple of years. 
Potential clients have turned off by Musk's political activism supporting hard-right politics in the US and Germany, while the brand is also facing increased competition from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers.
fpo/yk/rmb/pdw

US

Iran, Lebanon bore brunt of missiles and drones launched during war

  • - Lebanon -  Lebanon, where Israel has been conducting a campaign triggered by the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah on March 2 launching an offensive, accounted for a third of the attacks, according to ACLED data as of April 3. 
  • Some three-quarters of the airstrikes during the Middle East war targeted sites in Iran or Lebanon, according to an AFP analysis of data from ACLED, a non‑profit that tracks political violence worldwide. 
  • - Lebanon -  Lebanon, where Israel has been conducting a campaign triggered by the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah on March 2 launching an offensive, accounted for a third of the attacks, according to ACLED data as of April 3. 
Some three-quarters of the airstrikes during the Middle East war targeted sites in Iran or Lebanon, according to an AFP analysis of data from ACLED, a non‑profit that tracks political violence worldwide. 
At least 7,700 strikes or series of strikes by missiles, drones, rockets or bombs, were recorded by the US-based conflict research group between the start of the war on February 28 up to April 8, when a fragile ceasefire concluded between Tehran and Washington came into effect.
ACLED collected and vetted its data from sources that it considers reliable, such as news reports, social networks, institutions, and other NGOs. 
This count, which includes attacks that were intercepted, cannot be considered an exhaustive list from the conflict.
- Iran - 
Approximately four out of 10 recorded attacks targeted Iran, mostly attributed to the Israeli military,  According to AFP's analysis, in only a third of the cases could the target be identified as military or linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime's ideological army. 
A third of the attacks had no identified target. April 6 and 7 -- the two days preceding the ceasefire -- saw the highest number of strikes.
- Lebanon - 
Lebanon, where Israel has been conducting a campaign triggered by the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah on March 2 launching an offensive, accounted for a third of the attacks, according to ACLED data as of April 3. 
The vast majority were carried out by Israeli forces, while nearly 10 percent were Hezbollah attacks against Israeli positions in the south of Lebanon. 
Israel asserts the two-week ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran does not apply to Lebanon and it has continued to bombard the country. 

Israel

One in seven attacks targeted Israel, most of which were intercepted. The attacks were in almost equal proportions from Iran and Hezbollah.

Other countries

The main countries targeted by Iran were Gulf states, primarily the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.  In Iraq, 40 percent of the attacks were against Kurdish groups and 20 percent against US interests. 
Qatar and Oman were targeted to a lesser extent. 
In Syria, ACLED recorded approximately one hundred incidents, but these were mainly the result of Iranian missiles and drones being intercepted by Israel. Several dozen similar incidents were recorded in the West Bank and Jordan. 
In Turkey, four missile launches were intercepted by NATO to protect its Incirlik airbase, where US troops are stationed.

Most common targets

Israel targeted 15 bridges or their approaches in Lebanon and around 20 in Iran. 
Attacks against energy infrastructure in Iran were most intense during the second and third weeks of the conflict, as well as during the week of the ceasefire announcement. 
Iran's key petrochemical complex at Assalouyeh, already targeted in mid-March, was struck again on April 6 by Israel. Numerous Iranian fuel depots were also hit.
ACLED reported four strikes near Iran's only nuclear power plant, in Bushehr.  
Among the Gulf oil monarchies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the countries whose oil infrastructure was most frequently attacked, followed by Kuwait. 
Across all countries, strikes against energy infrastructure resulted in damage in approximately 40 percent of cases, according to AFP's analysis. 
Military bases housing US personnel were targeted around 50 times in total, primarily during the first two weeks of the conflict. 
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US

UK to shelve Chagos handover after Trump criticism

BY HELEN ROWE

  • Last May's Chagos agreement would have seen Britain hand the archipelago -- some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius -- to its former colony and pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, which is home to the military base, for a century.
  • Britain is shelving its plan to hand back the Chagos Islands -- which hosts the strategic Diego Garcia US-UK military base -- according to a government spokesperson Saturday, following strong opposition from US President Donald Trump.
  • Last May's Chagos agreement would have seen Britain hand the archipelago -- some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius -- to its former colony and pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, which is home to the military base, for a century.
Britain is shelving its plan to hand back the Chagos Islands -- which hosts the strategic Diego Garcia US-UK military base -- according to a government spokesperson Saturday, following strong opposition from US President Donald Trump.
"We have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support" the spokesman said in a statement, as reports said legislation to return the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius was due to run out of time in parliament.
Trump in January lashed out at what he called London's "great stupidity" over the deal.
Last May's Chagos agreement would have seen Britain hand the archipelago -- some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius -- to its former colony and pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, which is home to the military base, for a century.
"Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US. Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority – it is the entire reason for the deal," the Downing Street spokesperson added.
“We are continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius."
Trump had endorsed the deal after it was signed but then launched a scathing attack on it in Truth Social comments in January.
"The United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia... for no reason whatsover," he said.
"There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness," he said, adding that it showed why the US needed to conquer Greenland from ally Denmark.
Diego Garcia was one of two bases which the UK allowed the US to use for what the British government insisted were "defensive operations" in its war against Iran.

99-year lease

Starmer has previously insisted that international legal rulings have put Britain's ownership of the Chagos in doubt and only a deal with Mauritius would guarantee that the base remains functional.
Government officials cited by the BBC said the agreement was not being entirely abandoned.
But they said the legislation underpinning it would not pass before parliament is dissolved in coming weeks and a new Chagos bill is not expected to be put forward.
Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s.
It evicted thousands of Chagos islanders who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius.
The deal would have given Britain a 99-year lease of the base, with the option to extend.
The UK government has not said how much the lease would cost but has failed to deny that it would be £90 million ($111 million) a year.
har/gv

US

Vance in Islamabad for Iran talks overshadowed by mutual mistrust

  • "This is that stage which, in English, is called the equivalent of 'make or break.'"
  • US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on Saturday for talks with Iran that the Pakistani premier hosting the warring sides called a "make or break" effort to permanently halt weeks of fighting in the Middle East.
  • "This is that stage which, in English, is called the equivalent of 'make or break.'"
US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad on Saturday for talks with Iran that the Pakistani premier hosting the warring sides called a "make or break" effort to permanently halt weeks of fighting in the Middle East.
An Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived overnight at an airbase near the capital, disembarking from the commercial plane to embrace Pakistan's powerful army chief Asim Munir, who also shares a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump. 
Munir also greeted Vance, escorting him down a red carpet at the Nur Khan air base, where US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were already waiting.
The foes still appeared to be far apart on key issues, including the opening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and were quick to express their mutual suspicion.
"We have good intentions but we do not trust," Ghalibaf said shortly after landing, according to Iran's state broadcaster. 
"Our experience in negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and broken promises."
Vance, who has been dispatched by Trump to lead the US delegation, stopped briefly in Paris for his plane to refuel before flying on to Pakistan.
"If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand," Vance said before leaving the United States.
But "if they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive", he added.
The ceasefire is already under strain, notably from Israel's continued strikes in Lebanon, where on Wednesday it carried out its heaviest bombardment since Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in early March, killing hundreds of people less than 48 hours after the truce came into force.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country's down-to-the-wire mediation got both sides to the negotiating table this week, said talks would not be easy. 
"An even more difficult stage lies ahead," he said, referring to efforts to permanently end fighting that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, sparking Iranian retaliation against Israel and across the Gulf.
"This is that stage which, in English, is called the equivalent of 'make or break.'"
It was unclear what time the talks would get underway, though the Tasnim news agency reported Iran's delegation would meet with Sharif at 1:00 pm.
Iranian state television made only a brief mention of the talks in its first morning news programme, with its second report dedicated to volunteers signing up to defend Iran in the event the war resumed.

Islamabad plays host

Iran -- which brought a more than 70-member delegation to Pakistan --  has insisted on the truce covering Lebanon and on the unfreezing of its assets for the Islamabad talks to go ahead, neither of which has materialised so far.
On the US side, President Donald Trump demanded the opening of the Strait of Hormuz as a condition for the two-week ceasefire.
The strait, through which one-fifth of the world's crude passes, has not reopened to normal traffic, however, and Trump vowed on Friday to have it open soon "with or without" Iran's cooperation.
He added his top priority at the Islamabad talks was to ensure the Islamic republic had "no nuclear weapon. That's 99 percent of it."
Security was tight in the Pakistani capital on Saturday, with a heavy police and paramilitary presence on the streets and road diversions around the "red zone" where government and diplomatic buildings are located. 
The city's main luxury hotel, which could host delegations, has been cleared of its normal well-heeled clientele.
It was not known whether the two sides would meet face-to-face, or whether they would mirror an indirect format used in Oman-mediated talks before the war. 
Pakistan has formulated a team of subject matter specialists to facilitate the two sides in negotiations on navigation, nuclear and other key matters, a diplomatic source familiar with the matter told AFP.
The negotiations will be closely watched by other key regional players, with Egypt and Turkey having helped with mediation, along with China, all of which Pakistan was still coordinating closely with for the talks, the source said. 
Beijing has been sought as a possible guarantor of any lasting agreement, official sources have said, with Trump confirming to AFP that China helped get Tehran to the negotiating table.
It was not clear whether China would have any direct presence during the talks or would be willing to take on a formal role. 

Violence in Lebanon

Complicating the path to a permanent ceasefire was Israel's assertion that the current truce does not cover Lebanon, at odds with Iran and Pakistan's stance.
Israeli air strikes continued in Lebanon on Friday against Iran-backed Hezbollah despite the Iranian demand that they be halted as a condition of the truce with Washington.
Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said his country will hold discussions with Lebanon's government in Washington next week but would not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
The militant group said overnight that it had carried out drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel, as well as on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
In Tehran, a 30-year-old resident told AFP he was skeptical negotiations would be successful, describing most of what Trump says as "pure noise and nonsense."
burs/cl/mlm/ceg/smw

space

After Artemis II, NASA looks to SpaceX, Blue Origin for Moon landings

BY CHARLOTTE CAUSIT

  • After Artemis II splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after its record-breaking journey, NASA officials urged all hands on deck for a crewed landing in 2028.
  • With Artemis II successfully completing its historic lunar mission on Friday, NASA is banking on billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for the next step: landing astronauts on the Moon.
  • After Artemis II splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after its record-breaking journey, NASA officials urged all hands on deck for a crewed landing in 2028.
With Artemis II successfully completing its historic lunar mission on Friday, NASA is banking on billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for the next step: landing astronauts on the Moon.
The Apollo program -- which sent the first and only humans to the Moon's surface between 1969 and 1972 -- was designed so that only two astronauts could land on the lunar surface for a maximum of a few days.
More than 50 years later, American ambitions and expertise have grown, with NASA hoping to send four people on a mission lasting several weeks and eventually building a lunar base.
For the second phase of its mission, the space agency is looking to commercial landers designed by Musk's SpaceX and Bezos's Blue Origin to get its astronauts on the Moon.
After Artemis II splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after its record-breaking journey, NASA officials urged all hands on deck for a crewed landing in 2028.
"We need all of industry to work and come along with us, and they need to accept that challenge and come with us and really start the production lines that are going to be required in order to achieve that goal," Lori Glaze, the acting associate NASA administrator, told a press conference.
The Apollo program relied on a single rocket, the Saturn V, which carried both the lunar lander and the capsule carrying the astronauts.
NASA has opted for two separate systems for Artemis: the first to launch the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew from Earth, and another to launch the lunar lander, which will be privately contracted.

 'Camping trip'

The decision was driven by the technical limitations of the Apollo program, Kent Chojnacki, a senior NASA official in charge of lunar lander development, told AFP.
"It was very not expandable to long-term exploration and long-term stays," he explained.
Although spectacular, the Apollo missions were like "camping trips," said Jack Kiraly, director of government relations at the Planetary Society, which encourages space exploration.
The systems NASA is looking at now are "huge compared to Apollo," said Chojnacki, noting that the new lunar landers being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX are two to seven times larger than before.
The space agency is also drawing from external partners, such as the European companies that built the propulsion module for Orion.
The new approach opens access to more equipment and resources, but also significantly complicates operations.
To send these giant spacecrafts to the Moon, the private space exploration companies will need to master in-flight refueling, a complex maneuver that has not yet been fully tested.
After the lunar lander is launched, additional rockets will be needed to deliver the fuel required for the journey to the Moon, some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth.

'Lose the Moon'

Given this risky undertaking and the numerous delays -- particularly those experienced by SpaceX that was supposed to have its lander ready first -- pressure has mounted in recent months.
"We are once again about to lose the Moon," three former NASA officials warned in an article in SpaceNews last September.
China, which is hoping to send humans to the Moon by 2030, has been making progress as well, raising fears in the Trump administration that the United States could get left behind.
With that in mind, NASA raised the possibility last fall of reopening the contract awarded to SpaceX and using Blue Origin's lunar lander first, sending shockwaves through the rival companies.
Both firms announced they were realigning their strategies to prioritize the lunar project -- and keep their lucrative contracts with NASA.
But concerns remain, particularly regarding the feasibility of in-orbit refueling.
"We do have a plan," Chojnacki said, noting that NASA has a back-up plan in case of failure.
The timeline is also up in the air. 
NASA says it plans to test an in-orbit rendezvous between the spacecraft and one or two lunar landers in 2027, and carry out a crewed lunar landing in 2028.
Before that, companies will need to test in-orbit refueling and send an unmanned lunar lander to the Moon to demonstrate its safety.
That all needs to happen within the next two years.
"It feels like a very small amount of time," said Clayton Swope of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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