protest

Protesters rally in London against UK far-right rise

protest

Protesters rally in London against UK far-right rise

  • Saturday's march also came less than six weeks before voters head to the polls for elections to Scotland's parliament, the devolved assembly in Wales and local councils in London as well as some other parts of England.
  • Tens of thousands of people marched through central London Saturday to protest against the far right, weeks ahead of local elections and six months after Britain saw one of its largest far-right demonstrations.
  • Saturday's march also came less than six weeks before voters head to the polls for elections to Scotland's parliament, the devolved assembly in Wales and local councils in London as well as some other parts of England.
Tens of thousands of people marched through central London Saturday to protest against the far right, weeks ahead of local elections and six months after Britain saw one of its largest far-right demonstrations.
Organised by hundreds of civic groups, including trade unions, anti-racism campaigners and Muslim representative bodies, Saturday's Together Alliance event was billed as the biggest in UK history to counter right-wing extremism. 
A separate pro-Palestinian march had also converged with the main rally.
While organisers claimed half a million had turned out in total, the police gave a figure of around 50,000.
Protesters carrying placards with slogans like "no to racism" and "you cannot divide us" marched from near Marble Arch to Whitehall near the UK parliament for a planned rally featuring various speakers.
They included left-wing politicians like Zack Polanski, leader of the increasingly popular Green Party, singer Billy Bragg and members of English reggae band UB40. 
"Days like this are here to send a message... we are unstoppable," Polanski told the event, which appeared to have attracted people of all ages from across Britain. 
Student Emily Roth told AFP there was "a global toxic climate and the UK is not fighting it".   
"The government is obsessed with immigration but that's not our biggest problem," the 23-year-old said as she walked the route.
The London police, which had promised a "significant policing presence" to ensure various protests passed off safely and lawfully, later said officers had made 25 arrests.
It noted 18 of those followed an alleged protest near the Together Alliance rally in support of Palestine Action, an activist group banned under anti-terror law.
The London force announced earlier this week it would resume such arrests after pausing them in the wake of the High Court last month upholding a challenge against the government ban.

'Worried'

The Together Alliance march followed a rally organised last September by far-right activist Tommy Robinson that drew up to 150,000 people, many of whom draped themselves in English and British flags. 
That event was marred on its fringes by what police called "unacceptable violence" which saw clashes with officers that left several of them seriously injured.
Robinson is planning a follow-up rally in mid-May.
Saturday's march also came less than six weeks before voters head to the polls for elections to Scotland's parliament, the devolved assembly in Wales and local councils in London as well as some other parts of England.
Anti-immigration figurehead Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK party, which has been leading in national polls for over a year, is predicted to perform well across the contests.
Robert Gadwick, 48, who had travelled from Bath in western England for Saturday's march, said he was "worried" about Reform's rise. 
"We've been there with Brexit -- it's all the same lies and yet some people decide to believe it," he told AFP. 
"We need to speak the truth... voting for Reform is a vote for more chaos and more uncertainty and we certainly don't need more chaos."
Retiree Rose Batterfield, of central England, echoed the sentiment, saying the "current political climate" concerned her.
"I don't really recognise Labour anymore," she said of the country's centre-left ruling party which has been criticised for shifting to the right.
"The idea that you can implement far-right ideas in order to stop the far right is nonsense."
jj/jxb

US

'Risky moment': Ukraine treads tightrope with Gulf arms deals

  • "Neither the US, nor Europe, nor the Middle East are prepared for drone warfare," the Ukrainian drone unit commander told AFP. Zelensky is also keen on the region's energy resources, he said Saturday.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that his country had "undoubtedly changed the geopolitical situation" in the Middle East with a series of decade-long defence agreements with Gulf states being hit with Iranian drones and missiles.
  • "Neither the US, nor Europe, nor the Middle East are prepared for drone warfare," the Ukrainian drone unit commander told AFP. Zelensky is also keen on the region's energy resources, he said Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that his country had "undoubtedly changed the geopolitical situation" in the Middle East with a series of decade-long defence agreements with Gulf states being hit with Iranian drones and missiles.
Has he? And how important are the agreements for Ukraine, more than four years into the Russian invasion and facing its own maelstrom of military, economic and diplomatic challenges?
The Ukrainian leader has been on a whirlwind tour of the Gulf in recent days -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar -- touting what he calls Kyiv's world-leading air defences.
Ukraine has developed a suit of tools to fend off nightly Russian drone attacks, chief among then cheap and highly effective drone-on-drone interceptors.
Moscow's attack drones are based on the Iranian Shaheds now being fired by Tehran across the region -- strikes it says are retaliation for US-Israeli air attacks on Iran.
Zelensky has sought to craft an opportunity from the war, which otherwise benefits Russia through higher oil prices and possible slowdowns in Western arms supplies to Kyiv.
Almost immediately, he started offering US allies in the region deals to get their hands on Ukrainian drone interceptors and has dispatched over 200 military experts.
"Surely no one else can help in this way today, with expertise," he told reporters, including AFP, on Saturday.
"No one else possesses such experience."
Ukraine has for months been downing more than 80 percent of all incoming Russian missiles and drones -- typically fired in their hundreds every night -- according to AFP analysis of Kyiv's air force data.

'Risky moment'

Details of what exactly Ukraine has agreed in the Gulf are slim.
"We are talking about a 10-year cooperation. We have already signed a relevant agreement with Saudi Arabia, we have just signed a similar agreement with Qatar, also for 10 years, we will sign one with the Emirates," Zelensky said.
On the table are co-production of drones -- with factories both in Ukraine and in the Gulf -- and expertise sharing, he said, without providing specific information.
It is unclear what Kyiv gets in return, or whether the deals are anything more than simple arms-for-cash.
Zelensky -- who had originally been pushing for expensive air defence missiles in return --  said the agreements were worth "billions, not millions" to Ukraine.
"Specifically billions for our exporters -- everyone will earn, Ukraine will earn, we won't lose out."
Ukrainian drone manufacturers told AFP they had been inundated with requests from the Middle East since the outbreak of war in the region.
"Neither the US, nor Europe, nor the Middle East are prepared for drone warfare," the Ukrainian drone unit commander told AFP.
Zelensky is also keen on the region's energy resources, he said Saturday.
Four years of Russian attacks have decimated Ukraine's energy network, leaving the country critically vulnerable when it comes to electricity, gas and fuel.
"We need long-term agreements with energy-producing countries ... this is precisely what we are negotiating," the Ukrainian leader said.
However, Ukrainian support to the Gulf is not straightforward.
Inside the army, commercial exports of weapons at a time of war present an ethical dilemma.
"Somebody becomes a millionaire, another ends up dead or amputated. Yet they seem to be serving the same cause," the commander of one drone unit told AFP recently.
Producers told AFP export deals would bring them cash to ramp up production, not take away from what they supply to the Ukrainian army.
"This is quite a risky moment for Ukrainian diplomacy," Yevgen Magda, a political analyst and director of the Kyiv-based Institute of World Policy think-tank, told AFP.
Especially since Kyiv is an absolute newcomer to the world of international weapons sales.
"The arms market is quite a delicate thing and succeeding there with one swift move or a single tour ... is very difficult," Magda said.
"Let's hope it will be implemented in the way that is best for Ukraine, but it's very difficult to guarantee anything now," he added.
bur-jc/jxb

US

Israel hits Iran naval research site, fresh blasts rattle Tehran

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

  • Israel's military said Saturday that it hit the headquarters of Iran's Marine Industries Organisation during a wave of overnight attacks across Tehran, saying the facility developed "a wide range of naval weaponry, including surface and sub-surface vessels, (and) manned and unmanned equipment".
  • The Israeli military said it had struck an Iranian research facility for naval weapons, while a series of loud explosions rattled Tehran as night fell on Saturday.
  • Israel's military said Saturday that it hit the headquarters of Iran's Marine Industries Organisation during a wave of overnight attacks across Tehran, saying the facility developed "a wide range of naval weaponry, including surface and sub-surface vessels, (and) manned and unmanned equipment".
The Israeli military said it had struck an Iranian research facility for naval weapons, while a series of loud explosions rattled Tehran as night fell on Saturday.
The fresh attacks on the capital came after Yemen's Houthi rebels announced their entry into the Middle East war by launching a missile towards Israel.
The intervention of Iran's Yemeni allies is sure to spark concern about disruptions to Red Sea shipping, which would only compound the widening economic fallout from the effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz off Iran.
Israel's military said Saturday that it hit the headquarters of Iran's Marine Industries Organisation during a wave of overnight attacks across Tehran, saying the facility developed "a wide range of naval weaponry, including surface and sub-surface vessels, (and) manned and unmanned equipment".
An AFP journalist in Tehran reported intense explosions and a plume of black smoke overnight.
An Israeli military spokesman said Saturday attacks on Iranian military industry had intensified, and "within a few days, we will complete attacks on all critical components".
On Saturday evening, another wave of blasts rang out in the capital for several minutes, though it was not clear what was targeted.
"I miss a peaceful night's sleep," an artist in Tehran told AFP, adding that the previous night's strikes were "so intense it felt like all of Tehran was shaking".
"We are powerless to change a government that kills, and we don't want this war either. We just want a normal, simple life."

Pakistan mediation

The conflict began when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes across Iran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, engulfing the region in conflict, sending oil and gas prices soaring and prompting diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting.
Pakistan, which has been a go-between between US and Iranian officials, will host foreign ministers from regional powers Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Monday for talks on the crisis.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has thanked Islamabad "for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression", and Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had said Friday he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan "very soon".
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington within a week. "It could solve it all," he said.
With no end to the conflict in sight despite Trump's optimism that US forces have obliterated Iran's military, a spokesman for the Houthis released a video declaring that the group had fired ballistic missiles towards Israeli bases.
The Israeli military had said earlier it had "identified the launch of a missile from Yemen", which was reportedly intercepted.

Red Sea shipping

During Israel's recent war in Gaza the Houthis, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians, attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, forcing shipping companies to take costly detours. 
Until Saturday, they had sat out the latest conflict, even as the Red Sea shipping lane grew more vital.
Saudi Arabia has rerouted much of its oil exports via the Red Sea port of Yanbu to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says it has closed to shipping from hostile powers.
With Hormuz all but impassable, many shipments to and from the Gulf have gone through the Omani port of Salalah, on the Arabian Sea, but Danish shipping giant Maersk said operations had been temporarily suspended there after a drone attack injured one worker and damaged a crane. 
Iran's military said on Saturday that it had targeted a US logistics vessel near Salalah. Oman said a drone attack on the port wounded a foreign worker.
Air travel has also been disrupted. On Saturday, authorities in Kuwait and in the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan said airport facilities had been damaged in strikes. 
Fire also broke out after Iranian missiles and drones hit the Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, injuring six people. The firm Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) reported significant damage from the attack.
In Iran, production was shut down at a major steel plant in the southwest after US-Israeli strikes, according to a statement from the Khuzestan Steel Company, cited by the Shargh newspaper.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned they will retaliate for economic damage by striking industrial sites across the region, after earlier warnings for US military bases and hotels hosting American troops.
The Guards also said they had found and dismantled more than 120 unexploded cluster bombs, alleging they were dropped during US and Israeli attacks several days ago on the southern province of Fars. 
Pezeshkian sent a message to other countries in the region, warning: "If you want development and security, don't let our enemies run the war from your lands."

Ukraine drone deal

An Iranian missile and drone attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday wounded at least 12 American soldiers, two of them seriously, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified officials.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky left his own war-torn homeland for a visit to the Gulf to discuss using his country's experience in anti-drone technology to better defend the region from Iranian strikes.    
"We are talking about a 10-year cooperation. We have already signed a relevant agreement with Saudi Arabia, we have just signed a similar agreement with Qatar, also for 10 years, we will sign one with the Emirates," Zelensky told reporters.
Qatar announced a fresh missile interception on Saturday, its first in a little over a week.
burs-dc/smw/rh

attack

French police foil Paris bomb attack outside US bank

BY SYLVIE MALIGORNE

  • A spokesperson for Bank of America, whose US headquarters is in Charlotte, North Carolina, told AFP that they were aware of the situation and were in communication with the French authorities. 
  • French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early Saturday when they arrested a person about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case told AFP. The incident occurred around 3:30 am (0130 GMT) in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees.
  • A spokesperson for Bank of America, whose US headquarters is in Charlotte, North Carolina, told AFP that they were aware of the situation and were in communication with the French authorities. 
French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early Saturday when they arrested a person about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case told AFP.
The incident occurred around 3:30 am (0130 GMT) in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees.
Police grabbed the suspect just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid (1.3 US gallons), believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources said.
After his arrest, the suspect claimed to both a minor and a Senegalese citizen, according to a police source, who cautioned that the authorities were still verifying his identity.
He was accompanied by a second person, who took flight when officers arrived to arrest the pair. 
The ignition component had 650 grams (23 ounces) of explosive powder in it, according to an initial assessment. The whole device was taken to the Paris police's forensics lab for full analysis. 
France's counter-terrorism prosecutor's office told AFP it had immediately taken over the investigation, and confirmed the suspect caught was in police custody.
It said the probe it has launched was into "attempted damage by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist undertaking" and a "terrorist criminal conspiracy".
Both the Paris judicial police and France's domestic intelligence service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), were involved in the probe, the office told AFP.

Allegedly recruited for 600 euros

According to a police source, the suspect said he had been recruited via the Snapchat app to carry out the bombing in exchange for the sum of 600 euros ($692).
When the patrolling officers arrested him, he was about to ignite the device with a lighter.
A separate police source told AFP that while he was placing the charge, the accomplice stepped back, apparently to take a photo or video of the crime with his mobile phone.
A spokesperson for Bank of America, whose US headquarters is in Charlotte, North Carolina, told AFP that they were aware of the situation and were in communication with the French authorities. 
France's interior minister, Laurent Nunez, on X hailed the speedy action by the police officers, given "the current international situation".
Since the outbreak of the war of the Middle East, European countries have been on high alert for potential attacks on Iranian dissidents, Jewish places of worship and US-Israeli assets. 
Another source close to the case told AFP that the foiled plot appeared to be "the concretisation of the Iranian threat towards American and Israeli interests everywhere in Europe".
Nunez said that, in France, "vigilance remains more than ever at a high level".
sm/bfa/sbk/rmb

demonstration

Anti-Trump protests launch on 'No Kings' day in US

BY KEREM YUCEL, WITH JOHN FALCHETTO IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA

  • US protests began in several cities including Washington, Boston and Atlanta, where thousands of people gathered in a park to decry authoritarianism.
  • Massive protests against President Donald Trump kicked off Saturday across the United States and beyond, as millions of people vent fury over what they see as his authoritarian bent and law-trampling governance.
  • US protests began in several cities including Washington, Boston and Atlanta, where thousands of people gathered in a park to decry authoritarianism.
Massive protests against President Donald Trump kicked off Saturday across the United States and beyond, as millions of people vent fury over what they see as his authoritarian bent and law-trampling governance.
It is the third time in less than a year that Americans have taken to the streets as part of a grassroots movement called "No Kings," the most vocal and visual conduit for opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025.
Now they have something new to fume over -- the war against Iran that Trump launched alongside Israel, with ever-shifting goals and timelines for completion.
US protests began in several cities including Washington, Boston and Atlanta, where thousands of people gathered in a park to decry authoritarianism.
"No country can govern without the consent of the people," 36-year-old military veteran Marc McCaughey told AFP in Atlanta.
"We're out here because we feel that the Constitution is under threat in a multitude of different ways. Things aren't normal. They aren't okay."
In the Michigan town of West Bloomfield, near Detroit, people braved below-freezing temperatures to protest.
And in the capital, Washington, marchers -- some carrying banners that blared "Trump Must Go Now!" and "Fight Fascism" -- walked across a bridge over the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial, site of historic civil rights demonstrations of years past.
The anti-Trump mood has spilled beyond US borders, with rallies Saturday in European cities including Amsterdam, Madrid and Rome, where 20,000 people marched under a heavy police presence.
"We don't want a world governed by kings... who make decisions from on high," said 29-year-old researcher Andrea Nossa.

Record numbers expected

The first "No Kings" nationwide protest day came last June on Trump's 79th birthday and coincided with a military parade he organized in Washington. Several million people turned out, from New York to San Francisco.
The second such protest, in October, drew an estimated seven million protesters, according to organizers.
The goal now is to bring out even more people Saturday, as Trump's approval rating sinks below 40 percent and midterm elections loom in November, when Trump's Republicans could lose control of both chambers of Congress.
Just as Trump is worshipped by many in his "Make America Great Again" movement, he is disliked with equal passion on the other side of America's wide political chasm.
Foes bemoan his penchant for ruling by executive decree, his use of the Justice Department to prosecute opponents, his apparent obsession with fossil fuels and climate change denial.
They also dislike his gutting of racial and gender diversity programs, and his taste for flexing US military power after campaigning as a man of peace.
"Since the last time we marched, this administration has dragged us deeper into war," said Naveed Shah of Common Defense, a veterans association connected to the "No Kings" movement.
"At home, we've watched citizens killed in the streets by militarized forces. We've seen families torn apart and immigrant communities targeted. All of it done in the name of one man trying to rule like a king."

Springsteen in Minnesota

Organizers say more than 3,000 rallies are planned, in major cities, suburbs and rural areas -- even in the Alaskan town of Kotzebue, above the Arctic circle.
Minnesota is a key focal point, months after becoming ground zero for the national debate over Trump's violent immigration crackdown.
Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen, a fierce critic of the president, is scheduled to perform his song "Streets of Minneapolis" in the twin city of St. Paul, the capital of the northern state. 
Springsteen wrote and recorded the protest ballad in just 24 hours in memory of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two US citizens shot dead by federal agents during January protests against Trump's immigration offensive.
What began in 2025 as a simple day of defiance has mushroomed into a "No Kings" movement of national resistance to Trump.
Organizers say two-thirds of those who plan to rally Saturday do not live in big cities, which in America are often Democratic strongholds -- a data point that is up sharply since the last protest.
bur/mlm-sst/ksb

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • "This headquarters is responsible for the research, development, and production of a wide range of naval weaponry, including surface and sub-surface vessels, manned and unmanned equipment, as well as engines and weapons," the military said.
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - Iran navy arms complex hit - The Israeli military said it had struck an industrial complex in Tehran used for the research and development of naval weapons as part of a wave of attacks conducted overnight.
  • "This headquarters is responsible for the research, development, and production of a wide range of naval weaponry, including surface and sub-surface vessels, manned and unmanned equipment, as well as engines and weapons," the military said.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

Iran navy arms complex hit

The Israeli military said it had struck an industrial complex in Tehran used for the research and development of naval weapons as part of a wave of attacks conducted overnight.
"This headquarters is responsible for the research, development, and production of a wide range of naval weaponry, including surface and sub-surface vessels, manned and unmanned equipment, as well as engines and weapons," the military said.

Iraq paramilitary fighter killed

A strike in Iraq's northern Kirkuk city killed one fighter from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, a medical and security source told AFP.
Two missiles fired from a fighter jet targeted a base of the Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces -- now part of Iraq's regular armed forces -- near the international airport, according to a security official.

Aluminium firm damaged

The firm Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said one of its sites in Abu Dhabi suffered significant damage after an Iranian attack that left six people wounded, according to authorities.
In its statement, EGA -- one of the world's largest aluminium producers -- said its "Al Taweelah site sustained significant damage during the Iranian missile and drone attacks at Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi".

Lebanon rescuers, medics killed

Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said that 46 rescuers and five medical staff had been killed by Israel since the start of the war with Hezbollah on March 2.
Nassereddine said in a press conference that "the number of martyrs in the health sector... is 51 martyrs... including 46 paramedics and five health workers, including nine new paramedic martyrs today".

10-year Gulf deals

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said deals he signed with Gulf nations during a tour in the region envisaged a decade-long cooperation on defence, including on establishing joint production lines.
"We are talking about a 10-year cooperation. We have already signed a relevant agreement with Saudi Arabia, we have just signed a similar agreement with Qatar, also for 10 years, we will sign one with the Emirates," Zelensky told reporters, including from AFP, at a briefing.

Syria repels drone attack

The Syrian army said that it had repelled a drone attack from neighbouring Iraq that targeted a southern Syrian base which previously housed US forces, state media reported.
Syria's official SANA news agency quoted the army as saying that its units were able to "repel a drone attack on the al-Tanf military base in the south of the country".

Iran tackles 'cluster bombs'

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had found and dismantled more than 120 unexploded cluster bombs, alleging they were dropped during US and Israeli attacks on a southern province. 
"So far, 122 cluster bombs have been discovered and destroyed around Shiraz and in several towns," the ISNA news agency quoted Jalal Yarmohammadi, deputy head of public relations for the Guards in Fars province, as saying. 

Israel kills journalists

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned an Israeli strike that killed three journalists, including one for Hezbollah's Al Manar TV and another for the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel, in southern Lebanon as "a blatant crime".
The Israeli military claimed the Al Manar journalist was a "terrorist in the intelligence unit of Hezbollah's Radwan Force".
A military source told AFP that the three were killed in an Israeli strike in Jezzine.

Iran hails Pakistan mediation

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian hailed mediation efforts by Pakistan, which is preparing to host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey for talks on the Middle East war. 

Kyiv denies UAE drone depot hit

Kyiv denied Iran's claim that Tehran had targeted and destroyed a Ukrainian anti-drone system depot in the United Arab Emirates, calling it a "lie" and a "disinformation".
Iran's military said it had hit and destroyed the depot, which it said was used to assist US forces. 
burs-sbk/rmb

attack

France foils Paris bomb attack outside US bank

  • Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid (1.3 gallons), believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources said.
  • French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case told AFP. The incident occurred around 3:30 am (0130 GMT) in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees.
  • Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid (1.3 gallons), believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources said.
French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case told AFP.
The incident occurred around 3:30 am (0130 GMT) in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees.
Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid (1.3 gallons), believed to be fuel, and an ignition system, one of the sources said.
The ignition component had 650 grams (23 ounces) of explosive powder in it, according to an initial assessment. The whole device was taken to the Paris police's forensics lab for full analysis. 
France's counter-terrorism prosecutor's office told AFP it had immediately taken over the investigation, and confirmed the suspect caught was in police custody.
It said the probe it has launched was into "attempted damage by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist undertaking" and a "terrorist criminal conspiracy".
Both the Paris judicial police and France's domestic intelligence service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), were involved in the probe, the office told AFP.
France's interior minister, Laurent Nunez, on X hailed the speedy action by the police officers, given "the current international situation", in which European countries have increased domestic vigilance because of the war in the Middle East.
Nunez said that, in France, "vigilance remains more than ever at a high level".
sm/bfa/rmb/cw

aid

Missing Cuba-bound aid boats located, crew reported safe

BY LAURENT THOMET

  • "We are relieved to confirm that the two sailboats have been located by the Mexican Navy, the crews are safe, and the vessels are continuing their journey to Havana," a spokesperson for Our America Convoy told AFP. "The convoy remains on track to complete its mission -- delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people," the spokesperson said, thanking Mexican and Cuban authorities for their "support, coordination, and professionalism."
  • Two sailboats that disappeared while taking humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba have been located by the Mexican Navy and the crews are safe, organizers and Mexican authorities said Saturday.
  • "We are relieved to confirm that the two sailboats have been located by the Mexican Navy, the crews are safe, and the vessels are continuing their journey to Havana," a spokesperson for Our America Convoy told AFP. "The convoy remains on track to complete its mission -- delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people," the spokesperson said, thanking Mexican and Cuban authorities for their "support, coordination, and professionalism."
Two sailboats that disappeared while taking humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba have been located by the Mexican Navy and the crews are safe, organizers and Mexican authorities said Saturday.
The Mexican Navy announced a search and rescue mission Thursday after losing communication with the vessels, which left from Isla Mujeres in southeast Mexico last week with nine people aboard.
The Navy said Saturday that one of its aircraft spotted the sailboats -- Tiger Moth and Friend Ship -- 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana.
The Navy added on social media platform X that it is in communication via radio with the sailboats and a ship is on its way to the area "to provide support."
The sailboats are part of an international convoy that has brought 50 tonnes of medical supplies, food, solar panels and other goods to support Cuba as a US fuel blockade has deepened the communist-ruled island's energy and economic crisis.
"We are relieved to confirm that the two sailboats have been located by the Mexican Navy, the crews are safe, and the vessels are continuing their journey to Havana," a spokesperson for Our America Convoy told AFP.
"The convoy remains on track to complete its mission -- delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people," the spokesperson said, thanking Mexican and Cuban authorities for their "support, coordination, and professionalism."
Neither the Mexican Navy nor the convoy spokesperson said why the two boats lost contact or when they might arrive in Cuba.
The boats had previously been expected to arrive in Cuba between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel had voiced concern about their disappearance on Friday and said his country was doing everything to find them.
The first shipments from the convoy arrived by plane from Europe and the United States last week.
A fishing boat that was converted into an aid vessel, which had also left Mexico last week, arrived in Cuba on Tuesday, a few days later than planned due to unfavorable weather, currents and battery issues.
It had been escorted by a Mexican Navy ship part of the way.

Trump: 'Cuba is next'

After the Mexican Navy reported Thursday that the two sailboats were missing, the convoy's spokesperson had expressed confidence in the "experienced" crew's ability to reach Havana safely.
Naval authorities did not specify the identities or nationalities of the boats' crew members, but said they were maintaining communication with rescue agencies in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States.
The US Coast Guard sparked confusion Friday when it said it had received a report that the two vessels had "safely transited to Cuba," only to say later that the search was ongoing and it was not involved in it.
US President Donald Trump imposed a de facto oil blockade on Cuba in January after US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whose government had been Cuba's principal source of fuel.
Trump has also threatened tariffs on countries that ship oil to Cuba.
He renewed his threats on Havana on Friday, even as the US-Israeli war against Iran entered its second month.
"I built this great military. I said, 'You'll never have to use it,' but sometimes you have to use it," Trump said at the Saudi-backed FII Priority investment forum in Miami.
"And Cuba is next, by the way. But pretend I didn't say that."
bur-lt/sst

accident

22 migrants die off Greece after six days at sea: survivors

  • Based on survivor statements, the coastguard said the boat had left Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21, bound for Greece, the gateway for many migrants hoping for asylum in the European Union.
  • Twenty-two migrants hoping to reach Europe from North Africa have died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat, survivors told the Greek coastguard Saturday.
  • Based on survivor statements, the coastguard said the boat had left Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21, bound for Greece, the gateway for many migrants hoping for asylum in the European Union.
Twenty-two migrants hoping to reach Europe from North Africa have died off the coast of Greece after six days at sea in a rubber boat, survivors told the Greek coastguard Saturday.
The coastguard late Friday said 26 people, including a woman and a minor, were rescued by a European border agency vessel off the island of Crete. 
The coastguard later told AFP that 21 Bangladeshis, four South Sudanese and a Chadian citizen had emerged from the ordeal alive. 
Survivors said the bodies of those who had died were thrown into the Mediterranean sea on the orders of one of the people smugglers aboard the ship.
Two survivors were taken to hospital in Heraklion on Crete, the coastguard said.
Based on survivor statements, the coastguard said the boat had left Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21, bound for Greece, the gateway for many migrants hoping for asylum in the European Union.
"During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water," the coastguard stated.
The bodies of those who died "were thrown into the sea on the orders of one of the smugglers", it added.
The Greek authorities have arrested two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, believed to be the smugglers.
They are now under investigation for "illegal entry into the country" and "negligent homicide".
The vessel carrying the group was 53 nautical miles south of Ierapetra, a town on southern Crete.

Bad weather

A coastguard spokesman told AFP that the craft had endured "unfavourable meteorological conditions" during their odyssey.
That, coupled with a shortage of food and water, had "led to the deaths through exhaustion of 22 people," the spokesman said.
"The bodies of these dead people were thrown into the sea on the orders of the two traffickers, who have been arrested, according to testimony by survivors," he added.
The number of migrants who have died trying to reach EU soil more than doubled in the first two months of 2026, compared with last year, the EU border agency Frontex said earlier this month.
"These tragedies highlight once more the urgency to intensify the work with partner countries along the migratory routes and redouble efforts in the fight against migrant smugglers, who are the ones responsible for these tragedies," an EU commission spokesperson said on Saturday.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration, 559 people died in the Mediterranean during January and February, compared with 287 for the same period last year.
In December, 17 migrants were found dead inside their boat, which was taking on water and had partially deflated, to the southwest of Crete.
Greek authorities found only two survivors, stating that a further 15 people had drowned.
Their bodies were never recovered.
In a bid to stem the crossings, the European Parliament on Thursday endorsed a major tightening of EU migration policy and approved the concept of "return hubs", designed to send migrants to non-EU third countries.
Those proposals have been criticised by rights groups as inhumane.
vk-yap/sbk/cw

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • "The agreement includes collaboration in technological fields, development of joint investments and the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and unmanned aerial systems," the ministry said in a statement during a visit to Qatar by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - Ukraine-Qatar deal - Qatar and Ukraine signed a defence agreement including cooperation on countering threats from missiles and drones, the Gulf state's defence ministry said, as Iran pressed an aerial campaign against its neighbours.
  • "The agreement includes collaboration in technological fields, development of joint investments and the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and unmanned aerial systems," the ministry said in a statement during a visit to Qatar by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

Ukraine-Qatar deal

Qatar and Ukraine signed a defence agreement including cooperation on countering threats from missiles and drones, the Gulf state's defence ministry said, as Iran pressed an aerial campaign against its neighbours.
"The agreement includes collaboration in technological fields, development of joint investments and the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and unmanned aerial systems," the ministry said in a statement during a visit to Qatar by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Israel kills journalists

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned an Israeli strike that killed three journalists, including one for Hezbollah's Al Manar TV and another for the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel, in southern Lebanon as "a blatant crime".
The Israeli military said it believed the Al Manar journalist was a "terrorist in the intelligence unit of Hezbollah's Radwan Force".
A military source told AFP that the three were killed in an Israeli strike in Jezzine.

Iran hails Pakistan mediation

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian hailed mediation efforts by Pakistan, which is preparing to host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey for talks on the Middle East war. 

Kyiv denies UAE drone depot hit

Kyiv denied Iran's claim that Tehran had targeted and destroyed a Ukrainian anti-drone system depot in the United Arab Emirates, calling it a "lie" and a "disinformation".
Iran's military said it had hit and destroyed the depot, which it said was used to assist US forces. 

Jerusalem blasts

AFP journalists reported two blasts heard over Jerusalem, after the Israeli military said it had detected incoming missiles launched from Iran.
The apparent attack came shortly after the Israeli military said it had completed a wave of strikes across the Iranian capital Tehran.

Indonesia says tankers to pass Hormuz

Indonesia is in talks with Iran to secure safe passage for its tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran responding favourably to Jakarta's diplomatic efforts, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Maersk halts Oman port ops

Danish shipping giant Maersk said operations had been temporarily halted at Oman's port of Salalah after a drone attack injured a foreign worker and damaged a crane.
Maersk, whose subsidiary APM Terminals runs the port, said "it was immediately evacuated and operations across the facility were temporarily suspended", predicting it would remain closed for 48 hours.
Iran said it had targeted a US logistics vessel "at a considerable distance from the port".

Iran says dozens killed

Iranian media said US-Israeli strikes hit multiple residential areas, killing more than a dozen people overnight, though AFP was not able to independently verify any of these tolls.
Israel's military earlier said it launched strikes on Iranian "regime targets", as an AFP journalist in the capital Tehran reported hearing around 10 intense blasts and seeing a plume of black smoke.

Bahrain denies Shia crackdown

Bahrain denied it was cracking down on citizens based on their religion after activists reported a slew of arrests they said had mainly targeted Shias amid the Middle East war. 
Two Bahraini rights groups had told AFP that more than 200 people, the vast majority of them from the Shia community, had been arrested since the beginning of the war. Shia Islam is Iran's state religion, and also a major religious branch in Bahrain, alongside Sunni Islam.

Kuwait airport damaged

The radar system at Kuwait's international airport was heavily damaged in a drone attack, Kuwaiti authorities said.
The attack on the tiny Gulf country caused no casualties, a civil aviation spokesperson told Kuwait's official news agency
burs-sbk/rmb

US

Questions over Israel's interceptor stockpiles as Mideast war drags on

BY ALICE CHANCELLOR

  • Faced with the challenges posed by Iranian missiles, Israel has three options to conserve interceptor stocks, Jean-Loup Samaan, a senior researcher at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, told AFP. "Mixing the different missile systems in order to avoid massive shortages; not intercepting missiles or drones if they land in unpopulated areas; and increasing the pressure on the offensive campaign, hoping that they are able to degrade Iran's capabilities before the IDF's air defence resources run out". acc/dcp
  • The ability of Israel's highly sophisticated air defences to keep intercepting Iranian attacks is coming under scrutiny as the Middle East war drags on into a second month.
  • Faced with the challenges posed by Iranian missiles, Israel has three options to conserve interceptor stocks, Jean-Loup Samaan, a senior researcher at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, told AFP. "Mixing the different missile systems in order to avoid massive shortages; not intercepting missiles or drones if they land in unpopulated areas; and increasing the pressure on the offensive campaign, hoping that they are able to degrade Iran's capabilities before the IDF's air defence resources run out". acc/dcp
The ability of Israel's highly sophisticated air defences to keep intercepting Iranian attacks is coming under scrutiny as the Middle East war drags on into a second month.
The military has dismissed reports that it is running low on the interceptors used to shoot down the steady stream of Iranian missiles and Hezbollah rockets fired at Israel.
However, some analysts suggest that the war against Iran has significantly drained allied resources, with long-range interceptors among the most severely depleted.
Israel has a multi-layered air defence array, with a variety of systems intercepting threats at different altitudes.
The top tier consists of the anti-ballistic missile Arrow systems, with Arrow 2 operating both within the Earth's atmosphere and in space and Arrow 3 intercepting above the Earth's atmosphere.
Below that sits David's Sling, which was created to target medium-range threats including drones, shorter-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
Israel's famed Iron Dome system is the third tier and was originally designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells.
US systems also complement Israel's air defences with some THAAD anti-missile batteries reportedly in Israel.
"There is no area in Israel that is not under multi-layer defence," said reservist Brigadier General Pini Yungman, who played a key role in developing the country's air defences and is now president of defence company TSG.
But "there is no 100 percent in defence," he told AFP.
"To get the 92 percent that we are getting all together with all the systems, it's outstanding".
The Israeli military, which reveals few details about its air defences, says Iran has launched more than 400 ballistic missiles since the start of the war on February 28 -- sparked by US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.
Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani recently lauded the interception rate as "exceeding expectations".
Most damage in Israel has been caused by falling debris, but among the 19 civilians killed in the country since the start of the war, more than half died when Iranian missiles broke through.

'Nearing exhaustion'

Around two weeks after the war began, news outlet Semafor first reported that Israel was "running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors", citing unnamed US officials.
An Israeli military source at the time denied the reports, saying there was no shortage "as of now" and that the military was "prepared for prolonged combat".
But analysis published by the London-based RUSI defence think tank on Tuesday indicates that the US, Israel and regional allies have burned through vast quantities of missiles and interceptors since the end of February.
Researchers estimated that in the first 16 days of conflict, allied forces expended 11,294 munitions costing roughly $26 billion.
Stockpiles of long-range interceptors and precision munition in particular, it said, were "nearing exhaustion".
"This basically means that if the war continues, coalition aircraft have to fly deeper into Iranian airspace -- and on the defensive side it means absorbing more Iranian missiles and drones," one of the co-authors, US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jahara Matisek, told AFP.
Long and costly production timelines make the depletion of high-end interceptors, like Israel's Arrows, particularly critical.
Each Arrow 2 interceptor costs an estimated $1.5 million, with Arrow 3s around $2 million.
"The bottleneck isn't just money. It's industrial physics", Matisek said, pointing to issues including capacity constraints at the supplier level.
These are "production lines that don't scale like an iPhone factory," he said. 
These are munitions "you save for the worst threats" he said, and the supply "is never going to be huge".
The RUSI analysis estimated that 81.33 percent of Israel's pre-war Arrow interceptor stocks had already been depleted, and that they would likely "be completely expended by the end of March".

Accelerated production

Yungman insisted that, taking into account all its air defence systems, Israel could produce interceptors faster than Iran could produce ballistic missiles.
He added that Israel accelerated its interceptor production after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack and upgraded its systems to deal with ballistic missiles.
The military confirmed on Monday that it was a malfunction in David's Sling that had allowed Iranian ballistic missiles to strike the southern towns of Dimona and Arad last week.
Dimona is widely believed to hold Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal.
Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist reported that the military had chosen to use David's Sling in a bid to preserve Arrow interceptor stocks.
Faced with the challenges posed by Iranian missiles, Israel has three options to conserve interceptor stocks, Jean-Loup Samaan, a senior researcher at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, told AFP.
"Mixing the different missile systems in order to avoid massive shortages; not intercepting missiles or drones if they land in unpopulated areas; and increasing the pressure on the offensive campaign, hoping that they are able to degrade Iran's capabilities before the IDF's air defence resources run out".
acc/dcp

Israel

USS Gerald Ford arrives in Croatia for maintenance

  • "During its visit the USS Gerald R Ford will host local officials and key leaders to recognise the strong and enduring alliance between the United States and Croatia," the embassy statement said.
  • The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier that has been part of Middle East war operations, arrived at the Croatian city of Split on Saturday, the US embassy said in a statement.
  • "During its visit the USS Gerald R Ford will host local officials and key leaders to recognise the strong and enduring alliance between the United States and Croatia," the embassy statement said.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier that has been part of Middle East war operations, arrived at the Croatian city of Split on Saturday, the US embassy said in a statement.
AFP journalists saw the vessel arriving on Saturday morning as it headed toward the port, with the embassy saying it was part of a "scheduled port visit and maintenance".
The carrier left a naval base in Crete earlier this week after returning to the base following a laundry fire onboard, which injured two crew members.
"During its visit the USS Gerald R Ford will host local officials and key leaders to recognise the strong and enduring alliance between the United States and Croatia," the embassy statement said.
The United States and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran in late February following a major US military buildup in the Middle East that included the Ford and another aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln.
Both ships -- which have air wings made up of dozens of aircraft -- have played key roles in Iran operations, and the withdrawal of the Ford leaves a gap for US forces in the region.
The Ford has been at sea for nearly nine months -- a deployment that has already seen it take part in US operations in the Caribbean, where Washington's forces have carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, interdicted sanctioned tankers and seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
A fire broke out in a laundry room aboard the carrier on March 12, injuring two sailors and causing major damage to some 100 beds, according to the US military.
The carrier has also reportedly suffered significant problems with its toilet system while at sea, with US media reporting clogs and long lines for restrooms on the ship.
bur-al/cw

US

Attacks across Middle East as Iran war enters second month

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

  • Israel's military reported at least five rounds of Iranian missile fire within just over five hours, and a statement early Saturday said Israeli forces were "striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran".
  • Gulf countries and Israel came under missile fire and Israeli forces struck Iran on Saturday, as the war raged into its second month with Washington expressing hopes for progress in talks with Tehran.
  • Israel's military reported at least five rounds of Iranian missile fire within just over five hours, and a statement early Saturday said Israeli forces were "striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran".
Gulf countries and Israel came under missile fire and Israeli forces struck Iran on Saturday, as the war raged into its second month with Washington expressing hopes for progress in talks with Tehran.
In a sign that the conflict may be expanding further, Israel's military said air defences responded to a missile launched from Yemen -- the first since the start of the war on February 28, and after threats from Iran's Houthi allies to launch attacks.
The war began when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes across Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sending shockwaves across the globe.
A month later the conflict showed no sign of ending, with Israel announcing fresh strikes on Tehran and an AFP journalist in the city reporting around 10 intense blasts and a plume of black smoke.
Emirati authorities said debris from a successful missile interception started fires at an Abu Dhabi industrial zone, injuring five Indian nationals.
Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a missile and several drones, and Bahrain said a blaze caused by the "Iranian aggression" had been brought under control.
In Israel, repeated air raid sirens sent people to shelters, including in Tel Aviv where one man was killed and two others wounded, and in the country's north, where media reported a simultaneous attack from Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.
An Iranian missile and drone attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia wounded at least 12 American soldiers, two of them seriously, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified officials.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday he believes Iran would hold talks with Washington "this week, we're certainly hopeful for it".
Washington expected Tehran to respond to a 15-point US peace plan, he told a business forum in Miami. "It could solve it all."
One major issue has been the near-closure of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which has sent markets into turmoil and pushed oil prices to levels not seen since the start of the war in Ukraine.

'Dangerous to the world'

Trump reiterated his disappointment with NATO allies over their refusal to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had won G7 support to oppose Iran's attempts to impose a toll on the key sea lane for Gulf oil and gas exports.
"It's unacceptable, it's dangerous to the world, and it's important that the world have a plan to confront it," said Rubio, who joined a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France.
Thailand on Saturday joined a handful of nations that have announced they were able to secure safe passage for their oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in an agreement with Iran.
The G7 ministers expressed the "absolute necessity to permanently restore safe and toll-free freedom of navigation" in the waterway and called for "an immediate cessation of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure".
Rubio declared that Washington expects its military campaign to prove victorious within weeks.
"When we are done with them here in the next couple of weeks, they will be weaker than they've been in recent history," he told reporters.
Iran had sent "messages" to the American side but had not formally responded to the 15-point plan, Rubio said.
While Trump has extended his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on energy assets to April 6, Iranian media reported strikes on Friday on three Iranian nuclear facilities and two steel plants, with officials saying there was no radioactive release.
Israel confirmed it had struck the Khondab heavy water complex and a uranium processing plant in Ardakan, while the UN nuclear watchdog said Iran had informed it of another strike on the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened retaliation "for Israeli crimes" in a post on X, saying the attacks contradicted Trump's "extended deadline for diplomacy".
Israel's military reported at least five rounds of Iranian missile fire within just over five hours, and a statement early Saturday said Israeli forces were "striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran".

'Fingers on the trigger'

Trump, swinging between threats of obliteration and optimistic talk of dealmaking, has insisted the Islamic Republic wants to "make a deal".
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned they would strike industrial sites across the region, having earlier issued similar warnings for US military bases and hotels hosting American troops.
Iranian strikes have shattered the Gulf's reputation for stability, hitting Dubai's airport, Bahrain's capital and energy facilities across the region during the course of the war.
Yemen's Houthi rebels, which did not immediately comment on the missile fire reported by Israel, had warned on Friday they would join the war if US-Israeli attacks on ally Iran continued or if more countries joined the conflict.
The Houthis have in the past attacked shipping in the Red Sea in response to regional conflicts, but had so far not intervened in the latest war.
"We affirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention," the group said in a statement.
Tehran also called for an end to US and Israeli attacks on aligned regional groups -- a reference to Hezbollah, among others, Tasnim reported.
Lebanon was drawn into the war after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2.
Israel renewed strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs Friday, saying it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. The UN refugee agency warned Lebanon faced a deepening humanitarian crisis risking catastrophe, with over a million people displaced.
AFPTV footage showed smoke rising from the Beirut suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold largely emptied after previous Israeli evacuation warnings and heavy strikes.
burs-arp/ami/abs

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • - Israel hits Tehran - Israel's military said it launched strikes on Iranian "regime targets" early Saturday, as an AFP journalist in the capital Tehran reported hearing around 10 intense blasts and seeing a plume of black smoke.
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: - Israel reports Yemen missile fire - Israel's military reported on Saturday a first missile launch from Yemen since the Middle East war began on February 28.
  • - Israel hits Tehran - Israel's military said it launched strikes on Iranian "regime targets" early Saturday, as an AFP journalist in the capital Tehran reported hearing around 10 intense blasts and seeing a plume of black smoke.
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

Israel reports Yemen missile fire

Israel's military reported on Saturday a first missile launch from Yemen since the Middle East war began on February 28.
There were no reports of any casualties or damage in Israel. Yemen's Houthi movement warned on Friday it would join the war if US-Israeli attacks continue to hit its ally Iran or if more countries join the conflict.

Thailand-Iran deal on Hormuz strait

Thailand has reached an agreement with Iran to allow Thai oil vessels to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, its prime minister said Saturday.
"An agreement has been reached to allow Thai oil tankers to transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz," Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at a press conference, adding the development would alleviate concerns over fuel imports.

Five injured in UAE

UAE authorities said fires broke out early Saturday at an industrial zone following a missile and drone attack from Iran, leaving five people with injuries.
The United Arab Emirates' defence ministry said air defences were responding to incoming cruise missiles and drones fired by Iran.

Iran plant near Bushehr targeted

A strike hit near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant late Friday but caused no radiation leak or damage to the reactor, the UN atomic watchdog said.
The incident was the third in a series of reported strikes in Iran within the past 10 days, the IAEA said.
The Israeli military had said earlier it had struck a heavy water reactor and a uranium processing plant in central Iran, but did not mention Bushehr.

Israel hits Tehran

Israel's military said it launched strikes on Iranian "regime targets" early Saturday, as an AFP journalist in the capital Tehran reported hearing around 10 intense blasts and seeing a plume of black smoke.

At least 12 US soldiers wounded in Saudi Arabia

An Iranian attack on a base in Saudi Arabia has wounded at least 12 American soldiers, two of them seriously, US media reported Friday.
The attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base included at least one missile and several drones, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified officials.
More than 300 American troops have been wounded since the start of the war on February 28, according to the US Central Command.

NATO 'weren't there' for Trump

US President Donald Trump reiterated his disappointment with NATO allies over their refusal to send military to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
"They just weren't there," he said at an investment forum in Miami. "We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds, protecting them, and we would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don't have to be, do we?" 
"Why would we be there for them if they're not there for us? They weren't there for us."
Trump also said the Iranians "have to open up the Strait of Trump", immediately correcting himself to clarify he meant Hormuz but adding that "there's no accidents with me".

Saudi Arabia intercepts missile

Saudi Arabia said it "intercepted and destroyed" a missile targeting the area of the capital Riyadh.

Lebanon clashes

Israel's military struck Beirut's southern suburbs Friday, saying it was targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
In south Lebanon, Hezbollah said its fighters had clashed with "Israeli enemy army forces... with light and medium weapons".

Man killed in Israel

Israeli emergency responders said a man died in Tel Aviv on Friday and several others wounded across the country after the military reported missiles fired from Iran.
A Home Front Command official said a cluster bomb, which explodes mid-air and scatters bomblets across a wide area, was used in the attack.

Hopes for Iran meeting 'this week'

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington "this week" to end the month-long war.
"We think there will be meetings this week, we're certainly hopeful for it," Witkoff told a business forum in Miami. "We have a 15-point plan on the table. We expect the Iranians to respond. It could solve it all."

Iran vows 'heavy price' for plant strikes

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would exact a "HEAVY price for Israeli crimes", after attacks on two of the country's largest steel factories and nuclear sites.
burs-pdw/js/abs/ami

crime

Unease for Iranian-Canadians after shooting at ayatollah critic's gym

BY BEN SIMON

  • Following the shooting, Gholami and other Iranian-Canadians met federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.
  • After the airstrikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian-Canadian Salar Gholami went to a rally in a Toronto suburb to celebrate the downfall of a leader he fiercely opposed.
  • Following the shooting, Gholami and other Iranian-Canadians met federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.
After the airstrikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian-Canadian Salar Gholami went to a rally in a Toronto suburb to celebrate the downfall of a leader he fiercely opposed.
Then, in the early hours of March 1, someone fired 17 shots at his boxing gym, which was empty at the time but is often full of children he teaches to fight.
The bullet holes, marked by numbered police tape, were still visible outside the building in Richmond Hill on a rainy morning three weeks after the shooting, which has drawn renewed attention to the alleged presence of Iranian government officials inside Canada, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Gholami is a physically imposing former competitive fighter aged 32 who describes himself as an activist within Canada's large Iranian diaspora. He wants the Tehran government brought down.
His gym includes multiple portraits of Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran's last shah.
Gholami told AFP he was shocked by the shooting.
"I thought Canada is safe," he said, next to sweets spread out on the boxing ring's mat, part of festivities marking the Persian New Year, called Nowruz.
Asked who he believed was responsible, Gholami said: "For sure, (the) Islamic republic."

'Top priority'

York Regional Police told AFP the "investigation into the shooting remains ongoing and the motive behind it is still unknown."
Police say a person observed at the scene wearing dark clothes is considered a suspect but remains at large. They did not share information linking the crime to a foreign government.
Following the shooting, Gholami and other Iranian-Canadians met federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.
Anandasangaree's office did not reply to a request for comment, but in a March 15 interview with CTV he confirmed meeting Gholami and said rooting out IRGC members from Canada "is the top priority of the CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency)."

Deportations

Toronto, and the large suburban communities that surround it, are home to one of the world's largest Iranian diaspora communities -- some jokingly refer to Canada's largest city as "Teheranto."
Concern about Iranian government presence grew after June 2024, when Canada listed the IRGC as a "terrorist entity."
But the issue has received outsized attention since the outbreak of the war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The CBSA told AFP that as of March 5 it had reviewed about 17,800 visa applications over possible inadmissibility to Canada due to involvement with the Tehran government.
From that group, 239 issued visas were cancelled -- individuals who never came to Canada.
Regarding people in Canada, dozens of investigations are ongoing but 32 people have already been ordered to leave "for being a senior official in the Iranian regime," the CBSA said.
Four left voluntarily after learning Canada intended to remove them, one was deported, and immigration proceedings are ongoing against others.

'Tough guy'

The opposition Conservative Party has accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of not doing enough.
"There have always been conflicts abroad, but we have never seen them spill out onto the streets in the way it has under this Liberal government," deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman said in a statement.
She charged that "the Liberals have known for years that there are hundreds of Iranian regime officials in Canada," but have failed to act with the urgency required.
Lantsman's office declined an interview request but she told Canadian media this month that Iranian constituents in her suburban Toronto district report feeling "terrified of the (pro-government) activists we have on soil."
Joe Adam George, a national security analyst at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a conservative Ottawa think-tank, has warned of a steadily increasing IRGC presence in Canada and said the country has proven useful for money laundering.
In a March 12 op-ed for the National Post he said "Canada can no longer ignore Iran's dangerous shadow network."
But George told AFP it is "unlikely" the gym shooting was perpetrated by Iranian government agents.
They wouldn't risk getting caught for something like shooting at an empty building, he said. 
"These are likely the actions of individuals who are sympathetic to the regime," George said.
Gholami said the shooting would not dissuade him from further activism, even if personal security was increasingly front-of-mind.
"I'm a tough guy," he said. But "for sure I want to protect myself, protect my friends."
bs/dw

conservatives

Sequins, slogans, conspiracies: Inside the right-wing culture at CPAC

BY FRANKIE TAGGART

  • The result is less a traditional conference than a cultural hub, one that both reflects and reinforces the modern conservative movement.
  • The US Conservative Political Action Conference has become as much a cultural marketplace as a political gathering, with activists, vendors and influencers turning grievance and identity into a booming ecosystem.
  • The result is less a traditional conference than a cultural hub, one that both reflects and reinforces the modern conservative movement.
The US Conservative Political Action Conference has become as much a cultural marketplace as a political gathering, with activists, vendors and influencers turning grievance and identity into a booming ecosystem.
Conspiracy talk, sequined pro-Trump fashion and niche conservative businesses sit side by side at the four-day event in Texas, offering a window into a movement increasingly defined by culture as much as policy.
In CPAC Central, a cavernous hall packed with merchandise stalls two floors below the main stage, a far-right influencer whips up a crowd with talk of looming indictments of "Deep State" figures. 
At the other end, three nuns from Chicago quietly chatter, favoring passers-by with beneficent smiles.
The juxtaposition is jarring -- and entirely normal here.
The attendees are such a mixed bunch that it can be hard to fathom what binds them beyond politics. Yet in this dense marketplace of ideas, identities and impulse buys, a shared sensibility quickly comes into focus.

Merch, messaging and money

If CPAC once served primarily as a forum for competing strands of conservative thought, it has evolved into something broader -- and more cohesive.
Politics here is not just debated. It is worn, sold, performed and shared. CPAC Central is part bazaar, part broadcast studio, part ideological showcase.
Vendors sell items ranging from Trump-themed cigars and $25 baseball caps to bank accounts and mobile phone plans pitched as alternatives to institutions accused of "canceling" conservatives.
A giant banner depicts a muscled Donald Trump as a Rambo-style action hero beneath the battle cry "Save America Again." 
Nearby, racks of sequined jackets shimmer with slogans like "Make Heaven Crowded," worn by supporters well into their seventies who, for a few days at least, dress more like pop fans than retirees.
One group, the "Trump Tribe of Texas," moves through the hall in coordinated gold outfits, each member bearing a single letter that spells out the president's name when they line up.
There is even an arcade-style game, "Water Gun Fun" -- a reminder that at CPAC, politics is rarely presented without a layer of spectacle.
"It's about values -- good values, being ethical and having integrity," said Sandy Schoepke, a Trump supporter who is running a merchandise booth at her second CPAC, which is typically held in Washington but moved to the Dallas suburbs this year.

'The message resonates'

For some vendors, CPAC offers something rarer than exposure: a captive audience.
"It's not often that everyone's gathered so concentrated," said Eric Ohlhausen, co-founder of Old Glory Bank, an online institution launched in response to what he sees as conservatives being "debanked" by traditional banks.
"We are an openly pro-America bank that promises not to cancel its customers for their views," he said.
His pitch -- financial services framed as free speech -- lands easily with a crowd that sees itself as culturally embattled.
"That message resonates... because this is the audience that has been so attacked by financial institutions," Ohlhausen said.
Elsewhere, John Adams -- who enjoys that he shares his name with the second US president -- oversees the stall for Liberty Cigar Company, selling toros, coronas and robustos in gift sets honoring Trump and other US presidents.
"Anything history-related, we're there," he told AFP. "Our mission is to tell America's magnificent story."
Many customers, he noted, head straight for the $13 Trump cigars regardless of their usual taste.
But he chuckled when asked about the speakers upstairs, revealing that he was far too busy to get involved in the actual politics of CPAC.
"In five years, I haven't seen a single speaker," he said.

Culture as glue

Beyond the merchandise, the hall doubles as a media ecosystem.
Podcast Row and Radio Row buzz with influencers broadcasting live, while smaller stages host a rotating cast of political personalities, including former British prime minister Liz Truss.
The effect is immersive: a feedback loop where political messaging is produced, consumed and reinforced in real time.
Even the products reflect that blend of identity and ideology.
A pro-gun yard sign warns: "Protected by FAFO — 24-hour surveillance — 2nd Amendment." 
Nearby, stalls promote groups like Students for Life and the Alliance for Secure AI, alongside pro-Israel activists from Generation Zion.
The result is less a traditional conference than a cultural hub, one that both reflects and reinforces the modern conservative movement.
For attendees like Schoepke, that sense of belonging is as important as any speech from the main stage.
"I've built relationships with people. I've met such quality friends," she said.
ft/js

US

'Strait of Trump': US president says Iran must open key waterway

  • "They have to open up the Strait of Trump -- I mean Hormuz.
  • US President Donald Trump on Friday insisted Iran must open up the Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic to make a peace deal -- and dubbed the crucial waterway the "Strait of Trump."
  • "They have to open up the Strait of Trump -- I mean Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump on Friday insisted Iran must open up the Strait of Hormuz to oil traffic to make a peace deal -- and dubbed the crucial waterway the "Strait of Trump."
Trump, who has renamed several buildings in Washington after himself during his second term, said his comment was a "mistake" but then added that "there's no accidents with me."
Repeating his claims that Tehran is ready to make a deal despite its denials, the 79-year-old US leader said that talks were underway to negotiate an end to the month-long conflict.
Trump added that Iran was "on the run" and reiterated assertions that Tehran's leadership, navy, air force and nuclear program had all suffered significant damage.
"We're negotiating now, and it would be great if we could do something, but they have to open it up," Trump told a Saudi-backed FII Priority investment forum in Miami.
"They have to open up the Strait of Trump -- I mean Hormuz. Excuse me, I'm so sorry. Such a terrible mistake."
Trump said the media would pounce upon the comment, but then added "there's no accidents with me, not too many."
He also talked about how he had ordered the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" shortly after returning to power.
During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Trump said it was "an option" to take control of Iran's oil as the United States has effectively done with Venezuela -- despite the fact that that the war is still raging.
Republican Trump, who rose to fame as a property tycoon with his name plastered across his own skyscrapers, made similar teasing comments before renaming  Washington's Kennedy arts center the "Trump-Kennedy Center."
A peace institute in Washington was also renamed after Trump last year.
The Strait of Hormuz was open to international shipping before the conflict, but the narrow waterway has since ground to a standstill, leading to a surge in global energy prices.
Earlier Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced alarm that Iran would seek to establish a permanent "tolling system" for vessels in the strait, through which one fifth of global oil normally transits.
dk/msp

US

US hopes for Iran meetings 'this week': envoy Witkoff

  • Trump has mixed harsh threats against Iran with claims that Tehran is ready to agree a deal and end the war in coming weeks -- and he stuck to that stance as he arrived in Miami.
  • US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday he believes Iran will hold talks with Washington "this week," as President Donald Trump reiterated his claims that Tehran wants to make a deal.
  • Trump has mixed harsh threats against Iran with claims that Tehran is ready to agree a deal and end the war in coming weeks -- and he stuck to that stance as he arrived in Miami.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday he believes Iran will hold talks with Washington "this week," as President Donald Trump reiterated his claims that Tehran wants to make a deal.
"We think there will be meetings this week, we're certainly hopeful for it," Witkoff told a business forum in Miami, where Trump is due to speak later, when asked about Iran negotiations.
The businessman-turned-roving envoy added that the United States expected a response from Tehran to its peace plan.
"We have a 15-point plan on the table. We expect the Iranians to respond. It could solve it all," Witkoff said.
Echoing Trump's unproven claim that Iran had allowed 10 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to show good faith, Witkoff added that "ships are passing, that's a very very good sign."
Trump has mixed harsh threats against Iran with claims that Tehran is ready to agree a deal and end the war in coming weeks -- and he stuck to that stance as he arrived in Miami.
"On Iran, they are being decimated," Trump told reporters traveling with him.
"They are talking, we are talking now. They want to make a deal." 
dk/msp 

Global Edition

Oil climbs, stocks fall as markets see no end to war

  • The market reaction Friday contrasted sharply with the plunge in oil prices and gains for stocks at the beginning of the week after Trump first delayed his Hormuz deadline.
  • Oil prices rose and stocks fell Friday as the United States and Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites, denting optimism over potential talks to end nearly a month of war in the Middle East.
  • The market reaction Friday contrasted sharply with the plunge in oil prices and gains for stocks at the beginning of the week after Trump first delayed his Hormuz deadline.
Oil prices rose and stocks fell Friday as the United States and Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites, denting optimism over potential talks to end nearly a month of war in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump has extended a deadline for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its energy grid, pushing it from Friday to April 6.
But with Iran maintaining a hold on the strait and intense hostilities continuing, Trump's announcement failed to lift the mood on markets.
Oil prices climbed, with the Brent international benchmark rising 4.2 percent to $112.57 while the US benchmark contract, WTI, jumped 5.5 percent to $99.64.
Wall Street stocks fell sharply across the board, with the the S&P 500 ending the week lower for the fifth straight week, its longest such run in four years.
European and Asian stock markets also ended the day mostly lower.
The market reaction Friday contrasted sharply with the plunge in oil prices and gains for stocks at the beginning of the week after Trump first delayed his Hormuz deadline.
"Trump appears to be losing his grip on the markets," said Forex.com analyst Fawad Razaqzada.
"Investors no longer seem to take his statements at face value -- if anything, they're beginning to trade against them, waiting for tangible proof before reacting," he said. 
Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said: "Investors are facing the facts: the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed and it does not appear that there is a real end in sight to the war."
Angelo Kourkafas, investment strategist at Edward Jones, said investors were concerned that sharply higher oil prices would have a significant impact on inflation and economic growth.
"There are concerns about the lingering uncertainty," Kourkafas said. "And as we have broken some technical levels, I would say that is triggering some more selling."
Trump has insisted that Iran wants to make a deal to end the war, despite Tehran denying his statements. US and Israeli strikes have continued, as has Iran's retaliation against across the Gulf.
"The simple fact is that sentiment is likely to stay negative for as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains unsafe for shipping and controlled by Iran," said David Morrison, an analyst at Trade Nation. 
Adding to market woes, China on Friday opened an investigation into US trade practices in response to Washington's probes this month of Chinese exports. 
Tokyo's stock market closed lower, while Hong Kong and Shanghai edged up.
Investor doubts about the chance of a peace deal came as governments around the world looked to shore up their economies against surging energy costs, which are adding to inflationary pressures.
Vietnam temporarily waived an environmental levy on fuel to cut petrol prices by more than a quarter, India said it had lowered fuel taxes, and Japan is looking to temporarily lift restrictions on coal-fired power plants in a bid to ease an energy crunch. 

Key figures at around 2015 GMT

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 4.2 percent at $112.57 a barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 5.5 percent at $99.64 a barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.7 percent at 45,166.64 points (close)
New York - S&P 500: DOWN 1.7 percent at 6,368.85 (close)
New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 2.2 percent at 20,948.36 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 9,701.95 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.9 percent at 7,701.95 (close) 
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.4 percent at 22,300.75 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.4 percent at 53,373.07 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.4 percent at 24,951.88 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,913.72 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1517 from $1.1523 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3272 from $1.3313
Dollar/yen: UP at 160.2 yen from 159.83 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 86.78 pence from 86.55 pence
burs-aha/js

US

Fishy trades before major news spark insider trading allegations

BY THOMAS URBAIN

  • Just 15 minutes later, Trump posted on his Truth Social network that talks with Iran were "very productive" -- a dramatic shift in tone after Trump warned Saturday that he had given Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its energy grid.
  • Unusual bursts of trading on the oil and stock markets this week, just minutes before social media posts on the Iran war by President Donald Trump, have added to suspicions of insider trading linked to his administration.
  • Just 15 minutes later, Trump posted on his Truth Social network that talks with Iran were "very productive" -- a dramatic shift in tone after Trump warned Saturday that he had given Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its energy grid.
Unusual bursts of trading on the oil and stock markets this week, just minutes before social media posts on the Iran war by President Donald Trump, have added to suspicions of insider trading linked to his administration.
Democratic lawmakers, traders and industry watchdogs are raising alarms, saying such seemingly prescient bets are forming a pattern that suggests people are profiting from prior knowledge of White House decision-making.
"This is the kind of thing that makes people wonder if their government is acting in their best interest or trying to enrich certain individuals," said Jordan Libowitz, vice president of the ethics watchdog Crew.
In the latest case, trading in oil and S&P 500 futures contracts, in which an investor promises to buy or sell an asset at a fixed price at a later date, saw an unusual spike in trading early Monday.
Just 15 minutes later, Trump posted on his Truth Social network that talks with Iran were "very productive" -- a dramatic shift in tone after Trump warned Saturday that he had given Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its energy grid.
The news sent oil prices plunging and stocks surging. People who placed the flurry of futures trades beforehand likely pocketed tens of millions of dollars, according to calculations by a market operator for AFP.
"Seeing large transactions like these before an announcement is a little suspicious," said Michael Lynch, an oil analyst at Strategic Energy & Economic Research. "It's unusual. You don't see this at this level in the oil market."
Monday's incident came a few weeks after six accounts on the betting site Polymarket made $1.2 million on bets that the United States would attack Iran on February 28, the day the war began.
According to an analysis by the analytics firm Bubblemaps, the bets were placed just hours before the bombings were reported. 
And in early January, an individual pocketed more than $400,000 after betting on Polymarket that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro would be ousted just hours before he was seized in a raid by US forces.
So far, there is no evidence to suggest that Trump or White House officials are linked in any way to these transactions.
"Any insinuation, without evidence, that a member of the government engaged in these acts is baseless and irresponsible," a White House spokesperson told several media outlets. 
Still, critics of the administration see the trades as evidence of corruption.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy posted on X: "Who was it? Trump? A member of his family? Someone in the White House? This is unbelievable corruption."

'No secret'

The transactions have provided further ammunition for Democratic lawmakers and other critics who have accused Trump of conflicts of interest since the beginning of his second term last year.
Members of his family have made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from cryptocurrencies, a market he has sought to deregulate.
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the world's largest market for trading derivative financial products, and the US Securities and Exchange Commission both declined to comment. 
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates derivatives markets, did not respond to several requests for comment.
On Thursday, a group of congressional Democrats introduced a bill that that would ban bets on elections, government actions, war and sports, CNBC reported.
Even some members of Trump's own party are seeking clarity on the trades.
"Someone needs to be publicly shamed for insider trading," said Republican Jeremy Munson, a candidate for the Minnesota Senate.
Mark Neuman, chief investment officer at Hero Asset Management, said it should be possible to discover the identities of those who placed the trades in question, and suggested the problem resulted more from lax oversight.
"When you make a transaction, there are details you have to provide" to the exchanges, "so there's no secret," Neuman said. "If there were stricter regulators in this country, we would find out" their identities.
"But it seems this administration favors less regulation," he said. "It's really sad, because the integrity of the markets is being torn to shreds."
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