Global Edition

Families claim bodies as Bangkok fire toll rises to 30

US

US launches new Iran strikes, reimposes naval blockade

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON AND DUBAI

  • The renewed US naval blockade came into force at 2000 GMT -- an hour after the US strikes began -- with a senior Iranian official saying the move effectively wrecked a deal struck with Washington to pause the conflict for peace talks.
  • US forces carried out strikes against Iran for a fourth day in a row on Tuesday and reimposed a naval blockade to prevent ships from sailing to or from the country's ports.
  • The renewed US naval blockade came into force at 2000 GMT -- an hour after the US strikes began -- with a senior Iranian official saying the move effectively wrecked a deal struck with Washington to pause the conflict for peace talks.
US forces carried out strikes against Iran for a fourth day in a row on Tuesday and reimposed a naval blockade to prevent ships from sailing to or from the country's ports.
While US President Donald Trump backtracked on his threat to heavily tax ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, he warned he would expand US strikes on Iran next week to target power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to a deal.
"Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges," Trump said in an interview on Fox News. "We're going to knock out all their power plants. We're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate."
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were aimed at "degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping" in the strait, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas where Tehran has repeatedly carried out attacks on civilian vessels.
Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Gulf island of Qeshm near the Strait of Hormuz, and other locations.
State news agency IRNA later said that Iranian forces launched a drone attack on a military base in Jordan that hosts American warplanes.
The renewed US naval blockade came into force at 2000 GMT -- an hour after the US strikes began -- with a senior Iranian official saying the move effectively wrecked a deal struck with Washington to pause the conflict for peace talks.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the US decision to renew the blockade "has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum".
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, said in a statement Tuesday that over the past week, "Iran has intentionally targeted civilians across the region by attacking seven commercial ships resulting in nearly a dozen civilian crew members killed, missing, or injured."
"US forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives," he added.
Iran had earlier Tuesday said a previous round of US strikes targeted Qeshm, while local authorities also said US forces struck "four points" in Bushehr -- which hosts Iran's only civilian nuclear power plant -- as well as an Iranian border area near Iraq and Kuwait.

Trump scraps levy

Iran in turn hit two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, killing two crew members, according to the International Maritime Organization.
A Norwegian tanker was also hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast early Tuesday, the crisis response company MTI Network said. 
And Kuwait said one of its naval vessels was struck during an Iranian missile and drone barrage, wounding four crew members.
Trump meanwhile said he was scrapping a planned levy on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz that he announced Monday, replacing the fee with trade deals with Gulf allies.
"I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.
Since last week, renewed US attacks have killed at least 28 people in Iran, according to an AFP tally based on Iranian media and official announcements.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced Tuesday that they had fired missiles and drones on Bahrain, targeting a residential building for US forces and other facilities.

'Act of war'

Bahrain said it had intercepted "several treacherous aerial attacks launched by Iran" and accused Tehran of targeting civilians, after explosions and sirens were heard in Manama several times.
Tehran also launched attacks on other US allies in the region, including Jordan, which said Tuesday that it had shot down four missiles from Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a fierce opponent of Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions, warned Iranian leaders Tuesday that Israel would deal a heavy blow if they launched an attack on his country.
Speaking from Dimona, a southern town widely believed to house Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal, he told them: "Do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us."
"The days are over when someone strikes us and we don't hit back with a decisive blow."
burs-wd/md/jgc

heat

Record-smashing heat wave surges from West to eastern US, Canada

BY ISSAM AHMED WITH MATHIEU GORSE IN MONTREAL

  • The phenomenon known as a heat dome has already shattered all-time temperature records in western states, including 111F (44C) in Billings, Montana, where the previous record was 108F, and 109F in Salt Lake City, where the previous one was 107F. Extreme heat and humidity persist in the Mountain West but are now spilling over to the densely populated East Coast, which also faced brutal temperatures earlier in the month, as well as Canada's Ontario and, to a lesser extent, Montreal.
  • A record-smashing heat wave was spreading Tuesday from the Mountain West toward the eastern United States and Canada, placing more than 100 million people under heat alerts. 
  • The phenomenon known as a heat dome has already shattered all-time temperature records in western states, including 111F (44C) in Billings, Montana, where the previous record was 108F, and 109F in Salt Lake City, where the previous one was 107F. Extreme heat and humidity persist in the Mountain West but are now spilling over to the densely populated East Coast, which also faced brutal temperatures earlier in the month, as well as Canada's Ontario and, to a lesser extent, Montreal.
A record-smashing heat wave was spreading Tuesday from the Mountain West toward the eastern United States and Canada, placing more than 100 million people under heat alerts. 
Hot and dry conditions also contributed to fierce wildfires in southwestern Ontario and northern Minnesota, with air quality expected to worsen over the Midwestern and Northeastern United States in the coming days.
The phenomenon known as a heat dome has already shattered all-time temperature records in western states, including 111F (44C) in Billings, Montana, where the previous record was 108F, and 109F in Salt Lake City, where the previous one was 107F.
Extreme heat and humidity persist in the Mountain West but are now spilling over to the densely populated East Coast, which also faced brutal temperatures earlier in the month, as well as Canada's Ontario and, to a lesser extent, Montreal.
"Above average temperatures and dangerous levels of heat are forecast to enter the Northeast on Tuesday before the most intense heat occurs on Wednesday and expands into the Mid-Atlantic," said the US National Weather Service.
US cities from Richmond, Virginia, to Boston, Massachusetts, are set to see temperatures soar from the upper 90s to near 100 degrees, with daily high records under threat.
In Ottawa, the federal capital of Canada, and Toronto, highs are expected to reach 100.4F on Tuesday, with temperatures feeling even hotter because of high humidity levels.
"Hot and humid air can also bring deteriorating air quality and can result in the Air Quality Health Index approaching the high-risk category," Environment and Climate Change Canada said.
In Montreal, the sky turned yellow on Tuesday morning due to smoke from wildfires burning several hundred miles away in northern Quebec and northwestern Ontario.
Cooler temperatures are expected to follow by the end of the week, though the heat dome will persist in the US Mountain West for the rest of July.
Heat domes are large areas of high pressure, where sinking air suppresses development of precipitation and clouds, allowing heat to build up over days and weeks. 

New climate reality

"We know that heat domes are, of course, a natural part of the climate system," Marc Alessi, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a briefing.
"But the climate system now is fundamentally different due to fossil fuel-driven climate change," he said. "Our atmosphere is much warmer. Our oceans are much warmer. They're releasing a lot more heat into the atmosphere, and this heat dome is an example of you know what fossil fuel-driven climate change looks like."
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group released an analysis showing the hot and humid conditions in the earlier East Coast hot spell -- which fell as America celebrated its 250th anniversary on July 4 -- would have been "virtually impossible" without human-caused climate change.
Scientists say a brewing "super" El Nino in the equatorial Pacific could also be influencing the heat dome.
Record-warm sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific are shifting where tropical storms form and release energy, which in turn is distorting the jet stream over the western US and allowing hot air to get trapped in place.
US forecasters expect El Nino to peak between October and December at potentially record-breaking levels, with the strongest spike in temperature to follow in 2027.
Compounded with human-induced climate change, the last El Nino contributed to making 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the all-time high.
ia-bur/md

fire

Wildfires that ravaged historic forest outside Paris contained

BY MADELEINE DE BLIC

  • "The aerial resources played a decisive role in bringing these fires under control," he wrote on X. - Lighter and gasoline - Fontainebleau forest, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of Paris, is a sprawling former royal hunting ground that draws hikers, nature lovers and climbers who come to tackle its famous boulders.
  • Hundreds of French firefighters on Tuesday  managed to contain two fires that have burned over 2,000 hectares of the historic Fontainebleau forest near Paris over the last two days.
  • "The aerial resources played a decisive role in bringing these fires under control," he wrote on X. - Lighter and gasoline - Fontainebleau forest, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of Paris, is a sprawling former royal hunting ground that draws hikers, nature lovers and climbers who come to tackle its famous boulders.
Hundreds of French firefighters on Tuesday  managed to contain two fires that have burned over 2,000 hectares of the historic Fontainebleau forest near Paris over the last two days.
But the local prefect warned that the fires were not extinguished and firefighters will need to remain on the scene for days, if not weeks.
Four people remained in custody on suspicion of deliberately starting the fires, including a volunteer firefighter, prosecutors said.
The Fontainebleau fires, which erupted during another fierce heatwave that has left France sweltering, have seen three giant Canadair aircraft scoop up water from the Seine river to douse the flames.
The smell of burning was even reported up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) away near the city of Orleans, AFP reporters said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there had been nearly 300 water drops in 48 hours. "The aerial resources played a decisive role in bringing these fires under control," he wrote on X.

Lighter and gasoline

Fontainebleau forest, around 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of Paris, is a sprawling former royal hunting ground that draws hikers, nature lovers and climbers who come to tackle its famous boulders.
It covers some 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) and is visited by more than 15 million people every year. Its popularity, plus sandy soil and vegetation including ferns and highly flammable conifers, makes it vulnerable to fire.
In all, six people have been arrested as part of the investigation into the wildfires, which forced about 1,000 local residents from their homes and shut the main A6 motorway from Paris to the southeast.
The volunteer firefighter admitted having "set fire to twigs with a lighter and gasoline" while another man acknowledged "accidentally starting a fire by throwing his cigarette", Fontainebleau public prosecutor Diane Ngomsik said.
The Seine-et-Marne Departmental Fire and Rescue Service said the firefighter has been suspended, and expressed its "deepest dismay".
The fires, which mobilised more than 800 firefighters, have scorched around 2,050 hectares -- an area roughly three times the size of Gibraltar, authorities said.
Charred trees and soot-covered ground have been left in the landscape of outstanding natural beauty. Small fires haveh reignited as winds fan the flames back to life.
Hopes rose throughout the day that the A6 may reopen on Wednesday but officials still urged caution until the fire was stabilised.

Contained, not extinguished

On Tuesday, bulldozers were brought in to widen a track leading to the burned area.
"The first evening was very stressful, with the fire coming towards our homes," said Nicolas Tournier, who lives in Le Vaoudoue, which was partially evacuated.
"We were afraid they would burn," he told AFP.
The prefect of the Seine-et-Marne region, Pierre Ory, said those who had to leave will be able to return home but not before Wednesday.
"Contained means they (the fires) are confined within their perimeter" but not "extinguished", he told reporters.
France on Tuesday celebrated its Bastille Day national holiday, which is usually accompanied by evening fireworks.
With the new heatwave, various towns across the country have cancelled their firework displays, but many are usually set off illegally.
This year's celebrations coincide with a World Cup semi-final in which France take on Spain, which will likely see fans spilling onto the streets.
Nunez said 32,000 hectares across France have been hit by fires since the beginning of the year -- more than during the entire 2025 fire season.
As well as the warmer south, fires have also hit cooler regions such as Brittany in the west, where a fire that swept across 38 hectares of heathland on Cap Frehel has now been brought under control.
ktr-sb-alc-sjw/pdw/phz/ach 

US

First day of new Lebanon-Israel talks in Rome has ended: US official

BY AFP TEAM IN ROME WITH SANDRA NOUJEIM IN BEIRUT AND JAY DESHMUKH IN JERUSALEM

  • "Talks in Rome by Representatives from the United States, Israel, and Lebanon were productive and held in a positive atmosphere," a US state department official said, adding that "both sides are eager to move forward" and that talks will resume on Wednesday.
  • Lebanon and Israel concluded the first day of Washington-mediated talks in Rome on Tuesday, a US official said, as Israel said it was ready to move forward with plans to withdraw from two parts of southern Lebanon.
  • "Talks in Rome by Representatives from the United States, Israel, and Lebanon were productive and held in a positive atmosphere," a US state department official said, adding that "both sides are eager to move forward" and that talks will resume on Wednesday.
Lebanon and Israel concluded the first day of Washington-mediated talks in Rome on Tuesday, a US official said, as Israel said it was ready to move forward with plans to withdraw from two parts of southern Lebanon.
The US-brokered negotiations took place in the Italian capital over a framework agreement sealed last month after five rounds of talks in Washington, with Lebanese negotiators hoping for progress on an Israeli withdrawal.
The framework deal emerged after war broke out between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah on March 2 against the backdrop of the wider Middle East war.
It calls for an end to the war in Lebanon, disarmament of Hezbollah, the deployment of Lebanese troops in the south and for Israeli forces to steadily withdraw from the country in two "pilot zones".
"Talks in Rome by Representatives from the United States, Israel, and Lebanon were productive and held in a positive atmosphere," a US state department official said, adding that "both sides are eager to move forward" and that talks will resume on Wednesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said earlier on Tuesday that his country was "ready to move forward implementing these two pilot zones".
"I hope and tend to believe that this round of discussions in Rome will promote it."
The Lebanese presidency had announced on Monday that its delegation to Rome had been instructed "to demand the immediate start of Israeli forces' withdrawal from the two pilot zones before any further discussion".
According to a Lebanese diplomatic source familiar with the content of the talks, "the Lebanese army is ready to gradually take control of the localities from which the Israeli army would withdraw".
But Hezbollah rejects the agreement outright despite Lebanese government pressure, lowering expectations of success in the negotiations.
Orna Mizrahi of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv said Israel was "willing to withdraw gradually", but on the condition that "that there will be no presence of Hezbollah in the areas that Israel is withdrawing from".
She added that Israel also seeks to ensure "that the Lebanese army will have the ability... to keep it as a neutralised zone and a neutralised place that Hezbollah cannot come in again."
A US military delegation began discussions with the Lebanese army in Beirut on Saturday on the process for Israeli withdrawal from one of these "pilot zones".

Limited prospects

The framework agreement was concluded after a fragile ceasefire came into effect last month in the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
The Israeli army has nonetheless continued limited strikes in the south and has been carrying out demolitions in villages it occupies, according to official Lebanese media.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported Israeli strikes in the south on Tuesday, and detonations in several towns.
Israel's strikes and ground invasion have killed more than 4,300 people since the war started in early March, according to Lebanese authorities.
"The chances of a breakthrough in Rome are quite limited," Karim Bitar, a lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, told AFP.
"What we might see instead is a kind of opportunity to show that the process is still in place... that there are negotiations continuing despite the opposition and the obstacles that are beginning to emerge."
Tehran had demanded the ceasefire in Lebanon in order to conclude a memorandum of understanding with Washington on June 17.
But the region has seen a renewed escalation in recent days, with the US carrying out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran ahead of the planned reimposition on Tuesday of its naval blockade on Iranian ports with ongoing attacks.
Iran wants to establish a link between negotiations over the regional war and Lebanon, "but we have the wish to disconnect it," said Mizrahi.
Tehran's priorities remain the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear file, she added.
"The Iranians are using Lebanon as an excuse. They will always use it as an excuse," she said.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional war on March 2 by launching missiles at Israel in support of Iran.
Bitar, for his part, said that the risk of major fighting returning to Lebanon as a result of the regional escalation "is, of course, not negligible". 
"But I think that Iran today will think twice before asking Hezbollah to launch new strikes against Israel," he said. 
Tehran "wants to maintain Hezbollah as a long-term deterrent tool and does not want to use it immediately to open a new front," he said. 
sno-lar-lk/at/nad/gv

energy

Cuba faces third nationwide blackout in less than 10 days

BY JORDANE BERTRAND

  • The national power grid completely went offline at about 11:05 am (1505 GMT), according to the state-run UNE electricity company.
  • Cuba's power grid failed for the third time in less than 10 days, sparking another nationwide blackout, the national electricity company said Tuesday.
  • The national power grid completely went offline at about 11:05 am (1505 GMT), according to the state-run UNE electricity company.
Cuba's power grid failed for the third time in less than 10 days, sparking another nationwide blackout, the national electricity company said Tuesday.
The national power grid completely went offline at about 11:05 am (1505 GMT), according to the state-run UNE electricity company.
It was the third complete blackout on the Caribbean island since early July and the fifth since the start of 2026. Authorities did not immediately reveal the cause.
"I have no words," Maria Caridad Alvarez, a 62-year-old housewife, told AFP. "When I woke up this morning, the power was back and I cooked some beans. Now, I went out and it's off again. It feels like there is no solution."
David Matias Rodriguez, an 82-year-old retiree, said he was worried the few things in his refrigerator would be spoiled.
Cuba is reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades -- one made worse by the fuel blockade imposed by US President Donald Trump in January as part of a pressure campaign aimed at ending six decades of communist rule.
In both of last week's blackouts, it took more than 24 hours to restore power across the island of 9.6 million people, a process made slower and more complex by fuel shortages.
In the capital Havana, power outages totalled more than 30 hours at a time, while in the outlying provinces, it was several days before electricity was restored.
Residents in the worst affected areas have vented their frustrations by setting piles on trash on fire or banging on pots and pans.
UNE says the fuel shortages have made the national grid more susceptible to outages, and made the use of emergency generators all but impossible.
Relations between Washington and Havana have been tense since the start of the year, especially since US forces snatched Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from his home in early January and brought him to the US to face federal charges.
Maduro had long been a staunch ally of Cuba.
Washington has authorized the arrival of only one Russian tanker -- carrying 100,000 tons of crude -- which came in March. Those reserves have since been exhausted.
In addition to its oil blockade, the Trump administration has ramped up sanctions against Cuban state-owned businesses, prompting many foreign businesses to suspend operations in the country.
The United States has also indicted former president Raul Castro, brother of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, over the downing of two civilian planes three decades ago.
Late last month, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said "no progress" had been made in months of bilateral discussions.
jb/sst/des

US

Trump backtracks on plan to toll Hormuz ships

BY DANNY KEMP

  • That announcement caused oil prices to spike and alarmed allies -- especially given that the United States has previously slammed Iran for its own plans to charge shipping fees for the Strait.
  • US President Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly scrapped a planned 20 percent levy on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid clashes with Iran, saying he would instead seek compensation from Gulf allies via trade deals.
  • That announcement caused oil prices to spike and alarmed allies -- especially given that the United States has previously slammed Iran for its own plans to charge shipping fees for the Strait.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly scrapped a planned 20 percent levy on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid clashes with Iran, saying he would instead seek compensation from Gulf allies via trade deals.
Trump said Middle Eastern leaders persuaded him to reduce the toll just a day after he announced it -- and added that he was against charging any fees for the key waterway.
"Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
He said he would continue with a "FULL Blockade" on ships coming to and from Iranian ports, set to restart at 2000 GMT Tuesday, or ships carrying anything have to do with Iranian cargo.
Tehran largely closed the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a key global waterway for oil and gas, after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
It began to reopen after a ceasefire deal in June, but has once again become the focus of military action after the truce effectively broke down last week.
Trump had declared on Monday that Washington was now "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" and would impose hefty fees on shipping to reimburse it for protecting it -- while giving few details of the plan.
That announcement caused oil prices to spike and alarmed allies -- especially given that the United States has previously slammed Iran for its own plans to charge shipping fees for the Strait.
But the US leader said on Tuesday that he had changed his mind after speaking to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
"I put it out yesterday, I thought it was good. I was called by different people, different countries -- kings, emirs, and all of the people that we all know and we all love," Trump told reporters as he hosted Iraq's new prime minister in the Oval Office.
"They said we'd love to do it a different way. We'd love to invest in the United States, with billions and billions of dollars.... And I like that, actually, because I don't think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the Strait."
Trump added that it was "unfair that we're not in somehow compensated."
Iran's military command had insisted it would not allow the United States to "interfere" in the strait, while also warning its Gulf neighbors -- who have borne the brunt of its retaliatory attacks -- against cooperating with Washington.
It is far from the first time that the mercurial Trump, 80, has walked back a harsh announcement on trade, having last year eased global tariffs after markets quaked.
Traders have dubbed the phenomenon "TACO" -- short for "Trump Always Chickens Out."
dk/des

conflict

Ukraine PM resigns in Zelensky-ordered reshuffle

  • Ukraine's parliament formally approved Svyrydenko's resignation in a vote on Tuesday. 
  • Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned on Tuesday as part of a government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
  • Ukraine's parliament formally approved Svyrydenko's resignation in a vote on Tuesday. 
Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned on Tuesday as part of a government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian leader has yet to name a replacement and has said only that Kyiv is "changing its political strategy" amid "new challenges and new tasks". 
Ukraine's parliament formally approved Svyrydenko's resignation in a vote on Tuesday. 
She was only appointed in July 2025 and was seen as having good relations with US officials, having negotiated a minerals investment deal with Washington in the aftermath of Zelensky's Oval Office clash with President Donald Trump.
The reshuffle comes at a pivotal moment in the more than four-year war with Russia, with Moscow escalating its deadly ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine, and Kyiv planning to domestically produce US Patriot air defence systems.
Announcing the reshuffle over the weekend, Zelensky said he planned to assign different people to manage different areas of foreign policy, and that he had offered Svyrydenko a new role leading "relations with a key partner", without elaborating.
The role of prime minister does not typically include a say on military strategy or frontline operations, where Zelensky and his military chiefs call the shots.
Svyrydenko said she had delivered "concrete results" in office and posted a photo of herself making a heart symbol with her hands during an address to parliament.
Ukrainian media has named Sergiy Koretsky, the CEO of Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz, as the frontrunner to replace her.
Zelensky met Koretsky at the weekend -- after he had announced plans to remove Svyrydenko -- and hailed his "effective leadership" in an "extremely complex sector".
Energy is a key priority in Ukraine, with the grid having been battered by Russian attacks and power outages widespread throughout winter.
bur-jc/asy/tw

virus

DR Congo health workers on Ebola front line threaten strike

  • WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that the UN health agency's modelling indicated "the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases that we have found".
  • Health workers fighting the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo are threatening to strike over unpaid wages, as the World Health Organization warned Tuesday the extent of the epidemic could be four times larger than reported.
  • WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that the UN health agency's modelling indicated "the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases that we have found".
Health workers fighting the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo are threatening to strike over unpaid wages, as the World Health Organization warned Tuesday the extent of the epidemic could be four times larger than reported.
The highly infectious virus has killed more than 700 people among the nearly 2,000 confirmed infected in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to the latest official toll published on Tuesday.
But the WHO said the scale of the outbreak could be two to four times the official estimates.
Complicating the response effort, health workers at the epicentre of the epidemic told AFP they had not been paid since the virus was detected.
At the Ebola treatment centre in Rwampara -- one of the worst-hit areas at the epicentre of the outbreak in the northeastern province of Ituri -- health workers burned tyres in protest on Monday and temporarily blocked access to the centre.
"We've been treating Ebola patients without pay since May 15. We continue to do so because that is our oath but we are working in very difficult conditions," doctor Pascal Bahoya told AFP.
Doctors at the centre said if the authorities did not heed their "48-hour ultimatum for salaries and bonuses" to be paid, they would launch a "full-scale strike" with no minimum service provided.
During a visit to Ituri on Thursday, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged "delays in payment" and gave assurances that the "organisational issue" at the root of the problem would be resolved.
Health workers on the front line are struggling to keep up with the spread of the virus in the vast central African country, which is among the poorest on the planet.
At least 112 healthcare workers have been infected and 35 have died, according to the national public health institute (INSP).

'Much bigger than estimated'

Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment available for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is causing the current outbreak.
It has now spread to five provinces in eastern DRC -- from the epicentre in Ituri to North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uele.
Mineral-rich eastern DRC has been plagued by conflict for three decades. Many people have been displaced by violence and live in camps that the United Nations says lack clean water and sanitation.
Ituri borders South Sudan and Uganda, which has reported 20 cases, including two deaths.
As of July 12, 727 patients were being treated in Ebola treatment centres in the areas affected.
A clinical trial involving two treatments is currently underway.
The true scale of the outbreak -- which is believed to have begun several months before it was detected -- remains difficult to gauge.
Humanitarian workers on the ground have said they believe the official figures are underestimates.
WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that the UN health agency's modelling indicated "the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases that we have found".
The international community has raised $1.5 billion to support the response in the DRC, whose healthcare system is chronically underfunded.
str-cld/gil/jhb

Global Edition

Families claim bodies as Bangkok fire toll rises to 30

BY THANAPORN PROMYAMYAI

  • Relatives of the dead gathered at Police General Hospital on Tuesday to claim the bodies of their loved ones.
  • Grieving relatives of the victims of a huge Bangkok bar fire claimed their bodies Tuesday as the death toll rose to 30, even as others held out hope that missing loved ones were alive.
  • Relatives of the dead gathered at Police General Hospital on Tuesday to claim the bodies of their loved ones.
Grieving relatives of the victims of a huge Bangkok bar fire claimed their bodies Tuesday as the death toll rose to 30, even as others held out hope that missing loved ones were alive.
Flames tore through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant in the Thai capital late on Sunday evening during a live music performance, sending people fleeing, several with their clothing ablaze.
Twenty-seven people were declared dead in the early hours of Monday, with another succumbing to their injuries later that day.
By Tuesday morning, Bangkok's Chatuchak district office put the death toll at 30, with 75 people injured -- 24 in critical condition.
Relatives of the dead gathered at Police General Hospital on Tuesday to claim the bodies of their loved ones.
At the rear of the hospital, grey coffins with gilded bas-reliefs emerged before the cameras of dozens of journalists.
Some coffins were loaded into the back of ambulances to be transported to the home provinces of the deceased.
Inside one, a man held an incense stick over a coffin. In another, a grey-haired woman laid one hand atop the coffin while she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
Nuttakarn "Mint" Sevoy, 30, came for her childhood friend Top Sarobol who, like many killed on Sunday night, is believed to have died from smoke inhalation.
Nuttakarn told AFP the family consider themselves "fortunate that they were able to verify his identity accurately because his body wasn't burned to the point of being unidentifiable".
But the family, particularly his grandmother, was struggling with his loss.
"She kept saying that it should have been him to cremate her... (he) should be the one attending her funeral, not her coming to pick up her grandson's body like this," Nuttakarn said.
Jarunee Phosawad came from Roi Et in eastern Thailand to oversee the cremation of her cousin Kochaporn Sotharat's body and the return home of her ashes.
"She was a joyful person," the 46-year-old told AFP, adding: "I felt cold when I heard she was dead."
Kochaporn was a single mother of a daughter who also came to Bangkok to do a DNA test, Jarunee said.
"I do not know how she will live after this; she had only her mum."

'Holding onto hope'

For others, there is still hope.
Booyaporn Sermsiri was at the hospital searching for her 25-year-old daughter, Jarawee "Cartoon" Sermsiri, who remains missing.
"Since we haven't found her yet, we can only wait. We are holding onto hope," she told AFP.
She said Cartoon's friend had called her early on Monday morning, saying there had been a fire and she couldn't reach her.
Booyaporn, 51, said she had given a DNA sample and was told by police the result could come back later Tuesday.
"I am praying. Praying that she is alright," she said.
Forensic police have been scouring the wreckage as authorities seek to establish how the fire started and why it was so deadly, looking at a possible electrical fault and also whether emergency exits were blocked.
Several witnesses have said they saw smoke inside before midnight and the lights went out, followed by an explosion and intense flames that sent patrons fleeing.
Building safety expert Wasawat Kitsiriteeraphak, a consultant who visited the site with forensic police, said the venue lacked some basic safety systems that could have saved lives.
While stressing that officials needed to make a comprehensive assessment, he said he saw "no emergency exit signage, emergency lighting systems or fire alarm devices".
Relatives of the victims and those who survived the fire visited the blackened bar on Tuesday, some laying garlands and praying for the dead.
Usa Tadsri, 40, made it out alive, but two friends who were with her died.
Namtip Tubsook and her husband Suwitcha Sirililung left behind two children, aged four and five, who are now being cared for by their grandmother, Nid.
"We were only looking to enjoy ourselves, but we ended up trapped in a disaster," Usa told reporters.
bur-wjt-ar/sco/fox

children

Turn off addictive features on social media for children, say EU lawmakers

  • The EU has already increased the pressure on social media platforms to change in recent months, telling Facebook and Instagram last week to dismantle their "addictive" features, after a similar warning to TikTok in February.
  • There should be a "youth mode" for children on social media platforms in which addictive features and targeted advertising are turned off, EU lawmakers demanded on Tuesday.
  • The EU has already increased the pressure on social media platforms to change in recent months, telling Facebook and Instagram last week to dismantle their "addictive" features, after a similar warning to TikTok in February.
There should be a "youth mode" for children on social media platforms in which addictive features and targeted advertising are turned off, EU lawmakers demanded on Tuesday.
The calls are growing louder for the European Union to ensure that social media platforms and others are designed to be safe before children use them.
An expert report on Monday also recommended a "safety-by-design" approach in which platforms protect minors from possible harms posed by the apps.
"The responsibility for the safety of children and adolescents must first and foremost lie with those who design and manage digital platforms," EU lawmaker Sandro Ruotolo said in a statement.
The addictive features that the EU has concerns over include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.
The parliament's culture committee also called for an "EU code of conduct" to regulate influencers and a common definition of "influencer marketing".
It also stressed the need for greater transparency around how social media works as "opaque algorithms and content moderation hampers the ability of young users to understand why certain content is recommended, suppressed or removed".
Monday's expert report also recommended restricting social media for children under the age of 13, with access only allowed under adult supervision.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen made it clear on Monday that she supports limits on children under the age of 13 accessing digital platforms like social media.
There will be a legal proposal after the summer break, she said.
Once it is unveiled, EU negotiators from the parliament and European capitals will thrash it out to agree on a final law.
The EU has already increased the pressure on social media platforms to change in recent months, telling Facebook and Instagram last week to dismantle their "addictive" features, after a similar warning to TikTok in February.
The European Commission, which acts as the bloc's digital watchdog, says new rules are on the way to push for changes to platforms' addictive designs.
fpo-raz/cw

demography

EU population to peak in 2029 before long-term decline

  • But an ageing population poses challenges for society and the EU economy.
  • The population of the 27-nation European Union will peak in 2029 before falling in the coming decades, according to a report published Tuesday that puts a spotlight on the major challenges of an ageing citizenry.
  • But an ageing population poses challenges for society and the EU economy.
The population of the 27-nation European Union will peak in 2029 before falling in the coming decades, according to a report published Tuesday that puts a spotlight on the major challenges of an ageing citizenry.
Today there are 450.6 million people, but researchers say this will peak at 453.3 million in 2029 before a slow long-term decline.
The population will fall to 398.8 million people by 2100, an overall drop of 11.7 percent and a level that was last experienced in the 1970s.
Europeans are living longer than ever before thanks to vastly improved healthcare, and better life and social conditions.
But an ageing population poses challenges for society and the EU economy.
The EU executive's Joint Research Centre said life expectancy at birth reached 81.5 years in 2024. 
By 2050, nearly one in three EU residents will be aged 65 or older, compared to one in five today, the centre said. 
By 2100, life expectancy could exceed 90 years for women and 86 for men.
Such trends present "significant challenges", the EU said, including labour shortages, strained public budgets, and pressure on care and education systems.
It is, however, not all negative as the report points to the rise of the "silver economy" -- a growing market for goods and services for older citizens.
"We are living longer, healthier lives than ever before –- one of our greatest achievements. But demographic change is reshaping our societies, our economies and our labour markets," EU commissioner Dubravka Suica said in a statement.
"We must act now to turn this transformation into an opportunity," she added.
The EU insists the bloc must boost productivity and cut unemployment to offset the effects of a shrinking workforce.
Currently around 20 percent of working-age Europeans are outside the labour force, the report said, while some eight million young people are neither in employment, education, nor training.
The researchers said migration can help offset some effects of Europe's demographic change, but it would have a limited impact on "fully" addressing the challenges posed by an ageing population.
adc-raz/del/tw

bulls

57 gored or bruised during Spain's San Fermin bull runs

  • The San Fermin festival, which was made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises", draws people from around the world.
  • Ten men suffered injuries Tuesday during the eighth and final bull run of Spain's famed San Fermin festival, bringing to 57 the total number of daredevils injured during this year's fiesta.
  • The San Fermin festival, which was made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises", draws people from around the world.
Ten men suffered injuries Tuesday during the eighth and final bull run of Spain's famed San Fermin festival, bringing to 57 the total number of daredevils injured during this year's fiesta.
An 18-year-old man suffered a gore wound to the thigh and a 46-year-old man was gored in the chest, while the remaining eight were taken to hospital with bruises of varying severity, the Navarre regional government said in a statement.
The bulls completed the 848.6-metre (928-yard) course from a holding pen to the city bull ring in two minutes and 25 seconds.
Each morning for eight days, hundreds of daredevils, many wearing traditional white shirts with red scarves tied around their necks, tested their bravery by running ahead of a pack of bulls through the narrow, winding streets of the medieval city. The vast majority are men.
The bulls face almost certain death in afternoon bullfights featuring Spain's top matadors.
The San Fermin festival, which was made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises", draws people from around the world.
Four men who took part in this year's bull runs were gored, including a 30-year-old Spanish man who was pierced by a horn in the face.
Five of the 57 injured are foreign nationals: two Britons, an Australian, an American and a German who was gored in his left arm.
Although the runs are over, the festival's closing ceremony will take place at midnight (2200 GMT).
Sixteen people have been killed in the bull runs since records started in 1911. The last death was in 2009 when a bull gored a 27-year-old Spaniard in the neck, heart and lungs.
pho-du/ds

Global Edition

Families claim bodies as Bangkok fire toll rises to 30

  • Relatives of the dead gathered at Police General Hospital on Tuesday to claim the bodies of their loved ones, and AFP saw one man holding an incense stick over one of the coffins.
  • Grieving relatives of the victims of a huge Bangkok bar fire claimed their bodies Tuesday as the death toll rose to 30, even as others held out hope that missing loved ones were alive.
  • Relatives of the dead gathered at Police General Hospital on Tuesday to claim the bodies of their loved ones, and AFP saw one man holding an incense stick over one of the coffins.
Grieving relatives of the victims of a huge Bangkok bar fire claimed their bodies Tuesday as the death toll rose to 30, even as others held out hope that missing loved ones were alive.
Flames tore through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant in the Thai capital late on Sunday evening during a live music performance, sending people fleeing, several with their clothing ablaze.
Twenty-seven people were declared dead in the early hours of Monday, with another succumbing to their injuries later that day.
By Tuesday morning, Bangkok's Chatuchak district office put the death toll at 30, with 75 people injured -- 24 in critical condition.
Relatives of the dead gathered at Police General Hospital on Tuesday to claim the bodies of their loved ones, and AFP saw one man holding an incense stick over one of the coffins.
Booyaporn Sermsiri was at the hospital searching for her 25-year-old daughter, Jawaee "Cartoon" Sermsiri, who remains missing.
"Since we haven't found her yet, we can only wait. We are holding onto hope," she said.
She said Cartoon's friend had called her early on Monday morning, saying there had been a fire and she couldn't reach her.
Booyaporn, 51, said she had given a DNA sample and was told by police the result could come back later Tuesday.
"I am praying. Praying that she is alright," she said.
Three of the dead have yet to be named, officials said.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said shortly after the blaze that most of the victims likely died of smoke inhalation.
Forensic police have been scouring the wreckage as authorities seek to establish how the fire started and why it was so deadly, looking at a possible electrical fault and also whether emergency exits were blocked.
Several witnesses have said they saw smoke inside before midnight and the lights went out, followed by an explosion and intense flames that sent patrons fleeing.
Interior ministry official Unsit Sampuntharat said Tuesday that the venue's license was also under scrutiny, amid questions over whether it was authorised to host live music.
Relatives also visited the blackened bar on Tuesday morning, laying garlands and praying for the dead, AFP reporters saw.
Nearby, employees of the Union shopping mall practised using fire extinguishers to put out flames within a controlled pit, under the guidance of firefighters.
bur-wjt-ar/sco/fox

US

US strikes Iran for third day, will reimpose blockade

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON AND DUBAI

  • Trump declared on Truth Social that the United States would be "known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT'" and levy a 20 percent fee on all cargo shipped through the waterway.
  • The United States launched a third night of strikes on Iran as President Donald Trump planned to reimpose a blockade Tuesday on Iranian ports and floated a 20 percent fee on cargo in the vital Strait of Hormuz.
  • Trump declared on Truth Social that the United States would be "known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT'" and levy a 20 percent fee on all cargo shipped through the waterway.
The United States launched a third night of strikes on Iran as President Donald Trump planned to reimpose a blockade Tuesday on Iranian ports and floated a 20 percent fee on cargo in the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said a deal with the Islamic republic was still possible even as attacks were carried out, with Iran striking two ships in the strategic waterway and killing one crew member, according to the United Arab Emirates.
The US military said its five-hour mission hit targets across Iran including coastal Bushehr and Bandar Abbas to "degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping".
After the strikes, Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced they had in turn fired missiles and drones on Bahrain, targeting a residential building for US forces and other facilities.
"We're going to hit them very hard tonight, and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow," Trump said at the White House on Monday.
Trump's declaration on the Hormuz blockade followed US and Iranian attacks of a scale unseen since an April ceasefire in the Middle East conflict, adding to doubts about efforts to bring a permanent end to the war.
Iran started blocking the strait after US-Israel attacks in February, which prompted Washington's blockade on Tehran's ports -- but restrictions eased after the sides agreed a preliminary deal in June. 
Trump said Monday that the United States was "taking over" the strait and would slap a levy of 20 percent on all cargo shipped through it, in an announcement that drew mockery from Iran and accusations of "piracy".
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran's ports on the waterway would be blockaded from 2000 GMT on Tuesday.
Oil prices shot up more than nine percent Monday over fears of renewed conflict and rose again Tuesday, piling on more than one percent.
Tehran launched attacks on other US allies in the region, including Jordan, which said it had shot down four missiles from Iran.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said their strikes targeted US forces at an air base and urged Jordanians to issue a "serious demand for the removal of the occupying American bases from the region".
These attacks came after Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced strikes on Monday on Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Oman.
Iran insists it only targets US interests in the Gulf, but its military command spokesman said that any collaboration by Gulf countries with the United States would be considered "an act of war."

Resumed conflict

Trump formally notified Congress last week that the United States had resumed military conflict against Iran, the White House confirmed to AFP, giving the Pentagon an additional 60 days to operate in the region without congressional approval.
In addition to the moves in Hormuz, the US president also threatened to destroy Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried nuclear site near Natanz where Western intelligence suspects Iran is building an undeclared enrichment facility.
"Tell the Iranians to be ready. Let them know we're coming (and) there's not a damn thing they can do about it," he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Trump declared on Truth Social that the United States would be "known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT'" and levy a 20 percent fee on all cargo shipped through the waterway.
While Iran's ports would again be blockaded,  Trump said "all other countries will have fair and open use of the strait".
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded mockingly on X that Trump was "absolutely right" that whoever guarantees safe passage should be compensated -- but that Tehran would charge less.
"20% is of course too much," he said.
Washington has vehemently opposed Tehran's desire to charge tolls in the strait, which international law generally forbids.

'In crisis'

Despite all signs to the contrary, Trump said Monday that a deal with Tehran to end the war was still possible.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier Monday that the June memorandum of understanding that formed the basis for the negotiations and lifted the US blockade was "in crisis".
Baqaei said Iran would ignore its obligations under the deal if the Washington did the same, but added that Tehran was continuing talks with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman to prevent further escalation.
Bader Al-Saif, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said the escalating attacks would merely delay a permanent agreement.
"Both sides want to end the impasse on their own terms, and they are increasingly finding it difficult to do so," he said.
"Hence the return to and increase in the scale of attacks."
cms/jm

fire

Five Britons among foreign Spanish wildfire victims

BY JORGE GUERRERO

  • A technical body responsible for the identification work announced the nationalities of nine of those victims on Monday, including a Spanish man and his British wife.
  • Five Britons, three Belgians and one national each from France and Spain are among the 13 victims of one of the deadliest Spanish wildfires in recent times, authorities said on Monday.
  • A technical body responsible for the identification work announced the nationalities of nine of those victims on Monday, including a Spanish man and his British wife.
Five Britons, three Belgians and one national each from France and Spain are among the 13 victims of one of the deadliest Spanish wildfires in recent times, authorities said on Monday.
The blaze that broke out on Thursday has transformed picturesque rural settlements into ghost towns and left a trail of destruction in the southeastern province of Almeria, home to many foreign residents near the Mediterranean coast.
The emergency services initially recovered 12 bodies that were so badly disfigured by the flames that genetic samples were needed to identify them.
A technical body responsible for the identification work announced the nationalities of nine of those victims on Monday, including a Spanish man and his British wife.
The other victims included three Britons, three Belgians and a French woman, the experts said in a statement after three more victims were identified. Three victims remain unidentified.
The number of confirmed UK victims now stands at five, after Andalusian regional authorities said on Sunday that a 93-year-old British woman injured in the fire had died in hospital.
British, Belgian and French consular staff were helping to provide genetic profiles from relatives, "therefore the identification of all the victims may be obtained in a short period of time", the experts said.
The authorities have cautioned that the number of missing people remains uncertain until autopsies and the identification of bodies are completed. 
Firefighters continue to work to extinguish the fire, which has scorched about 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of forest and scrubland.
Calmer winds and cooler temperatures allowed them to tame the blaze over the weekend, allowing some 1,500 evacuated residents to return home.
The leader of Andalusia's regional government, Juanma Moreno, said the wildfire was now under control, with firefighters working to completely put it out.
"Everyone is checking on the condition of their homes. Most of the houses have been saved, and I have to say that this was thanks to the enormous efforts of all the emergency crews," he added.

'Climate chaos'

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged Spain to strengthen its prevention measures during a visit to the disaster zone on Monday.
"We must not only react when these fires happen, we must prevent" as climate change makes civil protection emergencies "increasingly frequent", Sanchez said in the municipality of Turre.
He cited better protection of municipalities and training courses for young people on how to react.
Moreno, added that citizens could respond more quickly to the sighting of smoke, the "suspicious attitudes" of possible arsonists and official warnings.
The inferno spread at up to 100 metres (330 feet) per minute at its peak last week, trapping victims in their vehicles or on foot as they tried to flee.
The authorities have spoken of the possibility that some victims did not heed warnings in time.
The authorities suspect the wildfire began when a power line broke, setting fire to vegetation that had been parched after hot weather that pushed temperatures above 40C.
Scientists say climate change caused by humans burning fossil fuels is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, which contribute to wildfires, more likely and more intense.
"Here climate change is having a very big impact, and we are in a state of climate chaos with situations that are practically unheard of, exceptional and increasingly explosive," said Moreno.
Deadly wildfires devoured almost 400,000 hectares of land in Spain last year, the highest figure recorded for the country by the European Forest Fire Information System.
bur-imm-ds/pdw/phz

Russia

EU, UK hit Russia with joint sanctions over cyber attacks

  • The FSB's Centre 16 has previously been accused by Western intelligence agencies of using malware for decades to try to gain access to spy on countries around the globe.
  • The European Union and Britain targeted Russia Monday with coordinated sanctions over cyber attacks in Europe, accusing Moscow's FSB intelligence agency over involvement in digital strikes.  
  • The FSB's Centre 16 has previously been accused by Western intelligence agencies of using malware for decades to try to gain access to spy on countries around the globe.
The European Union and Britain targeted Russia Monday with coordinated sanctions over cyber attacks in Europe, accusing Moscow's FSB intelligence agency over involvement in digital strikes.  
The move comes as Western officials warn Russia has stepped up its "hybrid" campaign to destabilise Europe over four years into the war on Ukraine. 
Brussels said it was imposing sanctions on nine people and four entities, while London said it was adding 24 names to its blacklist.  
The British government said the sanctions -- the first joint cyber package with the EU -- "target the Russian state's persistent and increasingly reckless attempts to sow chaos and division across Europe".   
Among those subjected to asset freezes and visa bans were officers of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, and alleged "cybercriminals" working together with the Russian state. 
In addition, the EU and Britain also said a recent attempted cyber attack targeting critical infrastructure in Poland, including the power grid, was the latest in a raft of such moves by the FSB's Centre 16 spying hub. 
"This reckless attack failed but could have caused 500,000 citizens to lose electricity in the depths of winter," the British foreign office said.  
"It is another example of the Russian state's irresponsible attempts to sow chaos across Europe."
The EU and several of its member states said they were summoning Russian diplomatic representatives to complain about the cyber attacks.  
France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the attacks targeted government ministries, companies, and service operators, with the aim "either of capturing information or sabotaging operations, for example rail infrastructure, as was the case in Poland". 
The French foreign ministry added that among the sanctioned targets was "a group that claimed destabilising actions against the Paris 2024 Olympics."
The EU said that "among others, France, Germany, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Romania and Finland have been targeted" in a campaign stretching back years. 
The FSB's Centre 16 has previously been accused by Western intelligence agencies of using malware for decades to try to gain access to spy on countries around the globe.
Britain and the EU -- which London left in 2020 -- have been at the forefront of trying to punish Moscow with sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The EU on Monday evening also announced sanctions against 15 individuals and one entity it said were responsible for "serious human rights violations against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees rightslations against  Ukrainian prisoners both in the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine and in Russia".
One of the 15, Russian national Dmitry Neelov, was an official at the Oleenivka prison in the Donetsk region, who was accused of torturing, beating and humiliating Ukrainian prisoners.
del/ach-phz

conflict

Yemen govt says hit Sanaa airport, Houthis attack Saudi Arabia

  • Tensions had been rising for days, after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane that landed in Sanaa and took off carrying the delegation.
  • Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia on Monday, hours after the rebels accused the kingdom of attacking Sanaa airport -- the biggest flare-up in years between the two sides that threatens to upend a frozen conflict.
  • Tensions had been rising for days, after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane that landed in Sanaa and took off carrying the delegation.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia on Monday, hours after the rebels accused the kingdom of attacking Sanaa airport -- the biggest flare-up in years between the two sides that threatens to upend a frozen conflict.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the attack on the Houthi-held airport, saying it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
It came after they failed to convince a Houthi delegation that went to Tehran for the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei's funeral to board a flight on domestic carrier Yemenia instead.
"In response to this criminal Saudi aggression, the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting Abha International Airport, using a number of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement. 
Earlier, Saree accused Saudi Arabia of "ending the de-escalation phase" and warned the attack would not go "unanswered or unpunished".
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said air defences had "dealt with" the Houthi missiles.
The latest escalation threatens to unravel a truce that has been holding since 2022 despite expiring, and comes at a time of heightened tensions as the United States and Iran trade attacks impacting the Gulf and traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran condemned the attack on Sanaa airport, with a foreign ministry spokesperson describing it "as a clear violation of international law".
But following the strikes on Sanaa, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said he had "ordered that the scope of the confrontation not be expanded".

Truce 'collapse'?

Mohammed al-Basha of the US-based risk advisory Basha Report told AFP there was a risk of the 2022 ceasefire failing.
"If this cycle of action and retaliation continues, it could effectively mark the collapse of the April 2022 ceasefire framework and signal a return to a much more intense phase of the conflict," he said.
For more than a decade, aircraft entering Yemeni airspace have needed prior clearance from the Saudi-led coalition that backs the government and says it enforces the restriction at its request.
The Houthis appeared to have challenged this arrangement by organising direct flights from Iran to Sanaa, angering the government and its backer.
Saree in his statement warned airlines against flying into Saudi airspace "until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted".
Tensions had been rising for days, after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane that landed in Sanaa and took off carrying the delegation.
The rebels had threatened at the time to hit Saudi airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt to attack it again.
Since the Saudi-led coalition entered the war in 2015 to back the government, it has been the one to conduct air strikes on Houthi targets on the authorities' behalf.
According to Andreas Krieg, a lecturer in security at King's College London, it is "technically possible" for the government to have carried out the strike with planes provided by the UAE, which would need to travel far from the south.
"It would be a risk as these are not jet aircrafts. The jet aircrafts they have from the 1980s are in a bad shape and probably won't fly far. This is why it is more likely that it was the Saudis," he told AFP.

'Safe and accounted for' 

The latest strikes raised the spectre of renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia after years of relative calm between the two foes -- as well as fears of broader conflict in Yemen.
A 29-year-old homemaker in the Houthi-held city of Hodeida, where rebel media said the plane had landed, said she was worried more conflict lay ahead, "without producing any results, just making the current crises worse".
Earlier in the day, the Yemeni government accused the rebels of preventing an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aircraft from leaving Sanaa airport and holding the pilot and co-pilot "hostage".
"All ICRC staff and the crew of the plane are safe and accounted for," ICRC spokesman for the Middle East Hachem Osseiran told AFP.
The Houthis have been at war with Yemen's government since 2014, in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered a major humanitarian crisis.
The rebels control Yemen's capital Sanaa and much of the north, including most population centres, while the internationally recognised government holds much of the south.
bur-aya/jfx

diplomacy

US vows campaign to end ICC 'threat' to Americans

BY LéON BRUNEAU

  • But on Monday, the State Department focused on what it called the ICC's "intolerable threat to US sovereignty," saying the court "claims the authority to prosecute and even imprison American servicemen and officials operating on behalf of America's national interest."
  • The United States on Monday announced a sweeping campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC) that could include further sanctions and other measures, accusing it of posing "an intolerable threat to US sovereignty." 
  • But on Monday, the State Department focused on what it called the ICC's "intolerable threat to US sovereignty," saying the court "claims the authority to prosecute and even imprison American servicemen and officials operating on behalf of America's national interest."
The United States on Monday announced a sweeping campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC) that could include further sanctions and other measures, accusing it of posing "an intolerable threat to US sovereignty." 
The Trump administration said it would pressure other countries to withdraw from the court, marking a sharp escalation in the US effort to isolate the Hague-based institution and starve it of political and financial support.
"The ICC and its friends are waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts and the force of so-called international law," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a video statement.
The State Department said in a statement that the campaign will "systematically disable the ICC's ability to operate, target American servicemen or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty."
The US has previously targeted individual court officials it deems a threat to US interests, but the new "whole of government" campaign will pressure other nations "to withdraw from the ICC and cut off any financial support to the court," a State Department official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

'Threat to America'

In February 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office, Washington slapped asset freezes and travel bans on several ICC officials over an arrest warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.
But on Monday, the State Department focused on what it called the ICC's "intolerable threat to US sovereignty," saying the court "claims the authority to prosecute and even imprison American servicemen and officials operating on behalf of America's national interest."
"Americans never signed up for this, and all American presidents since the ICC's ratification have maintained that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Americans," the department's statement said.
Rubio added that the ICC "threatens every aspect of our political and legal system," and that it has moved from being a "narrow backstop" charged with prosecuting "only the gravest offenses...when a nation's courts were unable."
In addition to levying further travel and financial restrictions on people associated with the court, the State Department official said: "We will watch with interest which nations join ranks with us against this threat to Americans who are willing to risk their lives to protect others."
"While the calls are intended to highlight the ICC’s abuses and the risks posed to Americans and other nations, nations that refuse to reject the ICC’s false authority while relying on US assistance are likely to come under increased scrutiny," the official said.
US reservations about the court predate the Trump. The US, like Israel, has not ratified the international treaty that established the ICC and it has rejected the court's jurisdiction in cases involving the US or Israel.

Judges' lawsuit

Three ICC judges sanctioned by the Trump administration filed a lawsuit in June against the president and other senior US officials, arguing that the measures imposed on them were unlawful.
In a complaint filed in New York, Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, Uganda's Solomy Balungi Bossa and Benin's Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou said the sanctions were intended to "exert extrajudicial pressure."
Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of the gravest atrocities, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Russia is also not a member of the ICC. Its President Vladimir Putin has been the subject of an ICC arrest warrant since March 2023.
lb-pnb/msp

crime

Kenya's goons: a world of political violence and desperation

  • But analysts say politicians on all sides hire thugs, often because they cannot count on police to protect them.
  • Kenyan politicians are hiring armed thugs for as little as $4 per day, as poverty and ruthless political competition threaten to unleash uncontrollable violence ahead of elections next year.
  • But analysts say politicians on all sides hire thugs, often because they cannot count on police to protect them.
Kenyan politicians are hiring armed thugs for as little as $4 per day, as poverty and ruthless political competition threaten to unleash uncontrollable violence ahead of elections next year.
So-called "goons" are increasingly being hired, dozens or even hundreds at a time, to break up the rallies of political opponents and protesters, and attack civil rights groups -- with police often turning a blind eye.
A recent study by Nairobi-based research firm Odipo Dev revealed a goons rate card, ranging from 500 shillings ($4) to work for a local councillor to as much as 1,000 shillings for members of parliament.
Marius, 27, one of five goons who agreed to speak with AFP on condition that their names were changed, has been doing the job since he was 17. 
He lost five teeth in a brawl when a politician paid him to protest the opening of a hospital by a rival.
Talking to AFP, he initially insisted: "I'm a goon, and I'm proud to say that."
But his bravura weakened as the conversation continued, and he spoke of his lost dream of being a surgeon, thwarted because his family could not afford school fees.
Raised by a single mother in Korogocho, one of Nairobi's poorest informal settlements, Marius describes himself as "something like illiterate", and sees few options in a country where 40 percent live below the poverty line.
"You end up being a goon to at least earn something," he said.
Marius has a son he no longer sees, he admitted: "I don't want to expose him to the bad things I do. I don't want him to follow in my shoes."

Official collusion

Politicians and police insist they want to stamp out "goonism", but analysts say it is deeply entrenched on all sides.
During anti-government protests last year, AFP saw first-hand how hundreds of goons appeared to work directly alongside police to attack demonstrators, later looting and vandalising businesses in central Nairobi.
Last month, CCTV footage seen by AFP showed uniformed officers moving alongside an armed gang as they swarmed into the well-known All Saints Church in Nairobi, violently interrupting a civil rights meeting.
This month, an opposition rally in southwest Kenya was overwhelmed by armed men, leaving one dead, and severalwounded. Videos showed police watching impassively on the sidelines.
Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri told AFP that claims the force works alongside goons are "preposterous", suggesting the above incidents involved rogue officers who were now under investigation.
"The (National Police Service) is determined to ensure the 'goon culture' does not gain a foothold in this country," Muchiri said.
But analysts say politicians on all sides hire thugs, often because they cannot count on police to protect them.
"There is a policing gap... and politicians feel the need to have this machinery either to defend themselves or to intimidate their opponents," said Odipo Dev researcher Darius Okolla.

History of violence

Goonism has deep and poisonous roots.
In the 1990s, authoritarian president Daniel arap Moi established the Youth for Kanu '92 (YK'92) to rally support for elections, and was accused of bribing voters and fomenting violence.
A key YK'92 organiser was William Ruto, now Kenya's president.
Ruto was charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court for his part in election violence in 2007-08, though the case stalled following alleged witness intimidation.
Since Ruto won the presidency in 2022, the use of goons is again at its "peak", said Marius, as the government has cracked down on massive youth-led protests sparked by economic hardship and corruption.
"The goons were used to put them down," said Marius. "The goon rate has increased highly because (Ruto) likes operations like that."
The government did not respond to AFP's requests for comment for this article. 
"If this trend continues, it is evident that Kenya will not have free, fair, and peaceful elections" in August 2027, said Hussein Khalid, of rights group Vocal Africa.

Locked out

Goonism is driven by desperation in an economy where some 800,000 enter the labour market each year for just 100,000 jobs in the formal sector, according to the World Bank. 
Daniel, 28, did his best. 
A former altar boy, he grew up as one of seven children in Nairobi informal settlements, and his parents scraped together enough to send him to school and university, where he studied criminology. 
But in Kenya, one often also needs connections and money to "buy" a first job, which they lacked.
"They say education is the key, but honestly speaking we never find the padlock open," Daniel told AFP. 
Wearing overalls and a cap emblazoned with "Billionaire's Boys Club", he expresses profound regret over the seven years he has worked as a goon. 
"You find that you have even hit a woman... that woman is like my mother. But you had no option," he said.
His handlers buy booze and drugs to dull the self-loathing.
"In a sober mind, it's not easy," he said.
Daniel veers between shame and dark pragmatism. He knows politicians use him "like tissue paper", but is still grateful for the cash.
"We are counting ourselves rich in the (coming) months because the (election) campaigns will be open," he said. 
"At least we can benefit: we can get phones, come back with cash we are promised by these leaders."
Goons also earn a gangster-like respect in their neighbourhoods.
"We are heroes to these kids," said Daniel.

'Top gear'

Goons are hired offline through neighbourhood contacts to avoid leaving any electronic fingerprints. Potential recruits are told to gather in a location, dressed in black, with a face-covering.
Payments are made in cash. One man told AFP the notes were often "new". 
They work in groups of 20-50, shepherded by a leader. The most daring, the most violent, the "person in the top gear", as one 23-year-old put it, has a chance -- albeit slim -- of rising through the ranks. 
The hope is to become a "big fish" who mediates between the grunts and those with cash, maybe even entering polite society. 
Multiple interviewees mentioned famous youth organiser Calvince "Gaucho" Okoth, who has denied being a "goon" but was often linked to violent mobilisations. Last month, he was named to the board of a hospital by Nairobi governor Jonathan Sakaja.
"Someone like Gaucho was once a big fish. Now he's a shark," said Daniel.
The interviewees cared little for the politicians they are paid to support. Some openly disliked Ruto.
"In Kibera (one of Nairobi's biggest slums), what you usually say: your money is not you," said David, 23.
But the concerns of rights groups and protesters -- many drawn from middle-class backgrounds -- also seem distant and abstract.
"If we side with them, we will not be employed," said Marius.
The goons see how politicians behave and think it only right to have their share.
"Each and every youth is interested in that activity because if you can't beat them, then join them," said Daniel.
bur-er/gv/st

murder

Counter-terror police take over investigation into UK politician's killing

BY ANNA MALPAS

  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that following "new information and evidence", Counter Terrorism Policing "are now leading on the investigation into the horrific murder" of Widdecombe, who was found dead Thursday at her home in southwest England.
  • Anti-terrorism police have taken charge of an investigation into the killing of veteran British right-wing politician Ann Widdecombe after fresh evidence emerged, the interior minister said Monday.
  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that following "new information and evidence", Counter Terrorism Policing "are now leading on the investigation into the horrific murder" of Widdecombe, who was found dead Thursday at her home in southwest England.
Anti-terrorism police have taken charge of an investigation into the killing of veteran British right-wing politician Ann Widdecombe after fresh evidence emerged, the interior minister said Monday.
Police said that a suspect detained at the weekend over the attack on the 78-year-old former Conservative minister has now been re-arrested on suspicion of committing, preparing or instigating "terrorism". 
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that following "new information and evidence", Counter Terrorism Policing "are now leading on the investigation into the horrific murder" of Widdecombe, who was found dead Thursday at her home in southwest England.
The head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said in a statement that "we are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack".
The regional police force initially leading the investigation, Devon and Cornwall Police, said Monday that a suspect arrested earlier had been "re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism".
On Saturday, they had arrested a 28-year-old white British man in Yorkshire in northern England, about 300 miles (480 km) from Widdecombe's home, on suspicion of murder.
Police initially said there was "no information to suggest that this is a terrorism related incident".

'Raises security questions'

Mahmood said the killing was a "dark day in our political life" and "raises questions about the security of those in public life" as well as that of former MPs.
But she told parliament the suspect arrested was "not known to Prevent", the government programme for people at risk of becoming terrorists through radicalisation.
A staunch supporter of Brexit, Widdecombe left the Conservatives in 2019 to join the hard-right party of anti-immigration leader Nigel Farage.
Mahmood said she recognised "the particular concern that the Reform Party will feel today".
She offered Farage a meeting with the head of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC), the independent body that manages the security of public figures.
Farage has repeatedly expressed concerns over his personal safety. He had a milkshake and a coffee cup thrown at him during his 2024 campaign to become an MP.
He claimed a gift of £5 million from a billionaire donor of Reform -- over which he faces a parliamentary probe -- was to pay for his protection. 
Police have said Widdecombe was believed to have been attacked 24 hours before her body was found at her remote home named "Widdecombe's Rest" in a quiet village on the edge of Dartmoor national park.
Britain's ITV television reported that its staff were messaging Widdecombe on Wednesday about a scheduled interview, with her last reply at 12.19 pm, after which she did not respond.
The politician became a household name in the 1990s due to her socially conservative views that put her on the right of the Tories. 
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported, citing neighbours, that the suspect arrested in Yorkshire had left his home in the town of Rotherham on Wednesday morning carrying a wooden stick.
The Times reported that the man lived alone with his dog.
He was arrested hours after police released a previous man they had detained on Friday with no further action.
Widdecombe, a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010, was known for her Christian faith and outspoken views.
In 1995 as prisons minister she was embroiled in a row after defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to prevent them from escaping.
She endeared herself to the British public when she appeared in 2010 on the BBC's "Strictly Come Dancing" show where celebrities with no dance experience are paired with a professional partner.
Her "galumphing" moves, as she described her dance style, helped her survive to the show's quarter-finals thanks to the vote from the public, who delighted in her ability to laugh at herself.
am/jkb/ach