royals

UK govt considers removing ex-prince Andrew from line of succession

conflict

Anxious Venezuelans seek clarity on new amnesty law

BY ANDREA TOSTA

  • Many relatives of prisoners across Venezuela have waited outside jails for weeks for the potential release of their loved ones.
  • Families in Venezuela continued to wait anxiously outside prisons Friday, as question marks hung over a new mass amnesty law enacted by interim authorities following the US toppling of Nicolas Maduro.
  • Many relatives of prisoners across Venezuela have waited outside jails for weeks for the potential release of their loved ones.
Families in Venezuela continued to wait anxiously outside prisons Friday, as question marks hung over a new mass amnesty law enacted by interim authorities following the US toppling of Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuela's National Assembly unanimously adopted the law Thursday, providing hope that hundreds of political prisoners behind bars may be soon released.
But it was unclear how quickly or what process would be used to implement the law.
Opposition figures have criticized the legislation, which appears to include carveouts for some offenses previously used by authorities to target Maduro's political opponents.
It explicitly does not apply to those prosecuted for "promoting" or "facilitating... armed or forceful actions" against Venezuela's sovereignty by foreign actors.
In a recent interview, interim president Delcy Rodriguez leveled such an accusation against opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who hopes to return to Venezuela at some point from the United States.
"One must know how to ask for forgiveness and one must also know how to receive forgiveness," Rodriguez said after signing the bill into law late Thursday.
The law also excludes members of the security forces convicted of "terrorism"-related activities.
"Many of us are aware that the amnesty law does not cover our relatives," Hiowanka Avila, 39, told AFP outside the Rodeo 1 prison near Caracas, where many of the detainees are ex-soldiers or officers.
Her brother Henryberth Rivas, 30, was arrested in 2018 for allegedly taking part in an assassination attempt against Maduro using armed drones.
Many relatives of prisoners across Venezuela have waited outside jails for weeks for the potential release of their loved ones.
Hundreds have already been granted conditional release by Rodriguez's government since the deadly US raid that seized Maduro, but the Foro Penal NGO says some 650 remain detained.
Foro Penal director Alfredo Romero said Friday that receiving "amnesty is not automatic," but would require a process in the courts, viewed by many as an arm of Maduro's repression.
Outside the Caracas jail known as Zone 7, Narwin Gil demanded "action, not words."
She had joined a hunger strike starting on February 14 demanding the quick passage of the amnesty bill, which faced repeated delays since Rodriguez proposed it late last month.
"We are waiting for those actions, and for them to happen as soon as possible, because we need to go home," Gil said.

'Completely free'

Opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa, a Machado ally, announced his release from detention shortly after the bill was passed.
He had recently been freed from prison but then quickly re-detained and kept under house arrest.
"After 10 months in hiding and almost nine months of unjust imprisonment, I confirm that I am now completely free," Guanipa wrote on social media.
He called for all other political prisoners to be freed and exiles to be allowed to return.
On Friday, he rallied with supporters in his hometown of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second city.
The legislation has also faced criticism from rights groups over its potential use to excuse abuses under Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez.
Exiled Venezuelan opposition figurehead Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia on Friday said there would be "no lasting reconciliation without memory or responsibility" in his country.
"A responsible amnesty is the transition from fear to the rule of law. It is the pledge that power will not be exercised again without limits and that the law will be above force," Gonzalez Urrutia wrote on X.
Exiled in Spain, Gonzalez Urrutia is widely considered the rightful victor of 2024 presidential elections marred by fraud allegations in which Maduro was declared the winner.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Venezuelans have been jailed in recent years over plots, real or imagined, to overthrow the government of Maduro, who was in the end seized in the deadly US raid on January 3 and taken to New York.
Rodriguez was formerly Maduro's vice president and took his place as the South American country's leader with the consent of US President Donald Trump -- provided that she toe Washington's line.
The United States has taken over control of Venezuela's oil sales, with Trump vowing a share for Washington in the profits.
bur-des/msp

royals

UK govt considers removing ex-prince Andrew from line of succession

BY JO BIDDLE WITH AKSHATA KAPOOR IN SANDRINGHAM

  • The government would consider introducing legislation to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession once the police investigation is over, sources told AFP. The former prince was arrested on Thursday at his new home on the king's remote Sandringham estate in eastern Norfok on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
  • The British government on Friday mulled passing a law to remove former prince Andrew from the line of succession, as police stepped up investigations into his conduct, quizzing the disgraced royal's former protection officers.
  • The government would consider introducing legislation to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession once the police investigation is over, sources told AFP. The former prince was arrested on Thursday at his new home on the king's remote Sandringham estate in eastern Norfok on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The British government on Friday mulled passing a law to remove former prince Andrew from the line of succession, as police stepped up investigations into his conduct, quizzing the disgraced royal's former protection officers.
Amid a torrent of often tawdry revelations from the files of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, King Charles III has already stripped his younger brother of all his titles and ousted him from his home in Windsor.
But the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II remains eighth in line to the British throne after Princess Lilibet, the daughter of his nephew, Prince Harry.
The government would consider introducing legislation to remove Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession once the police investigation is over, sources told AFP.
The former prince was arrested on Thursday at his new home on the king's remote Sandringham estate in eastern Norfok on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Public outrage has grown over past months amid a daily drip of information about Andrew's cosy ties to Epstein, and his apparent sharing of confidential information when he was a UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
A YouGov poll conducted after Thursday's arrest -- an unprecendented act against the royal family in the modern era -- showed 82 percent believed he should be removed from his place in line to the throne.
Police on Friday conducted a second day of searches at his former home, the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor. These are expected to continue through the weekend.
London's Metropolitan police force said it was seeking information from officers "close" to Andrew about "anything" they "saw or heard during that period of service that may be relevant to our ongoing reviews".
It was also separately working with US authorities to "assess" allegations that multiple flights linked to Epstein helped traffic girls and women in and out of London airports.
At least nine British police forces have confirmed they are looking into claims -- many related to Andrew -- stemming from the latest batch of some three million Epstein files released by the US government last month.
Mountbatten-Windsor -- who was marking his 66th birthday when arrested -- was nowhere to seen on Friday after 11 hours in police custody. 

Deeply unpopular

Britain's newspapers splashed on front pages a photograph of Andrew, looking haggard and wild-eyed as he left a Norfolk police station in a car late Thursday.
Charles issued a rare, personally signed statement insisting "the law must take its course" and sought to carry out business as usual.
But royal commentators highlighted that the first arrest of a senior royal in centuries signalled a moment of peril for the monarchy.
"I think the great challenge for the monarchy in the coming weeks, months, possibly longer, is the various unknowns in this particular crisis moment," said royal expert Ed Owens.
Any charges against Andrew or a trial could be a long time coming, as the investigations proceed.
And the road towards stripping the former prince from the line of succession would also take time, as an act of parliament is needed.
"Before the line of succession could be changed, it would require all 14 countries, where King Charles is also their head of state, as well as the UK, to change the law of succession," said constitutional expert Robert Hazell, from University College London.
Mountbatten-Windsor is now deeply unpopular with Britons.
"I'm really pleased that nobody's above the law," said Jo Mortimer, 64, in the Norfolk town of Aylsham where the former prince was held in custody.

Commercially sensitive

In a November 2010 email from the US documents, seen by AFP, Mountbatten-Windsor appeared to share with the US financier reports on his visit to several Asian countries, among other communications about investment possibilities. 
Epstein had already been convicted in the United States in 2008 of child prostitution.
Official guidance is thought to stipulate that trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information related to their official visits.
The ex-prince has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
But one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, last year recounted in shocking detail in her posthumous memoir claims that she had been trafficked three times to have sex with Andrew, twice when she was 17.
The ex-prince settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre, while not admitting liability.
bur-jkb/tw

tariff

Trump vows 10% global tariff after stinging court rebuke

BY BEIYI SEOW AND SHAUN TANDON

  • Trump said he would use a separate authority to impose a uniform tariff of 10 percent -- after he spent the past year imposing various rates spontaneously to cajole and punish other countries.
  • President Donald Trump vowed Friday to impose a 10 percent tariff on all imports into the United States after the Supreme Court handed him a stinging rebuke by striking down his signature economic policy.
  • Trump said he would use a separate authority to impose a uniform tariff of 10 percent -- after he spent the past year imposing various rates spontaneously to cajole and punish other countries.
President Donald Trump vowed Friday to impose a 10 percent tariff on all imports into the United States after the Supreme Court handed him a stinging rebuke by striking down his signature economic policy.
The conservative-majority top court ruled six-three that a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) Trump has relied on "does not authorize the president to impose tariffs."
Trump, who had nominated two of the justices who repudiated him, responded furiously, alleging without any evidence that the court was influenced by foreign interests.
"I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what's right for our country," Trump told reporters.
Trump said he would use a separate authority to impose a uniform tariff of 10 percent -- after he spent the past year imposing various rates spontaneously to cajole and punish other countries.
"In order to protect our country, a president can actually charge more tariffs than I was charging in the past," Trump said, insisting that the ruling left him "more powerful."

Major setback

The ruling did not impact sector-specific duties Trump separately imposed on imports of steel, aluminum and various other goods. Several government probes which could lead to more sectoral tariffs remain in the works.
Still, it marked Trump's biggest defeat at the Supreme Court since returning to the White House last year.
While Trump has long relied on tariffs as a lever for diplomatic pressure and negotiations, he made unprecedented use of emergency economic powers in his second term to slap new duties on virtually all US trading partners.
These included "reciprocal" tariffs over trade practices that Washington deemed unfair, alongside separate sets of duties targeting major partners Mexico, Canada and China over illicit drug flows and immigration.
The court noted Friday that "had Congress intended to convey the distinct and extraordinary power to impose tariffs" with IEEPA, "it would have done so expressly, as it consistently has in other tariff statutes."
The Supreme Court's three liberal justices joined three conservatives in Friday's ruling, which upheld lower court decisions that tariffs Trump imposed under IEEPA were illegal.
Trump heaped praise on Brett Kavanaugh, the only justice he nominated who voted with him. Kavanaugh was joined in his dissent by fellow conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Chief Justice John Roberts, in delivering his opinion, said "IEEPA contains no reference to tariffs or duties."

'Much-needed certainty'

Business groups largely cheered the ruling, with the National Retail Federation saying this "provides much-needed certainty" for American firms and manufacturers.
"We urge the lower court to ensure a seamless process to refund the tariffs to US importers," the federation said.
But the justices did not address the degree to which importers can receive refunds. This will likely be litigated.
Kavanaugh warned that this process -- as acknowledged during oral arguments -- could be a "mess."
EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco told AFP the loss of IEEPA tariff revenues for the US government could amount to around $140 billion.
Delighted Democratic leaders pounced on the ruling, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lauding the outcome as a "win for the wallets" of US consumers.
But top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee Elizabeth Warren cautioned there remains "no legal mechanism for consumers and many small businesses to recoup the money they have already paid."
The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates consumers face an average effective tariff rate of 9.1 percent with Friday's decision, down from 16.9 percent. 
But it said this "remains the highest since 1946," excluding 2025.

Constrained ambition

The European Union said it was studying the court ruling and will remain in close contact with the Trump administration.
Britain plans to work with the United States on how the decision affects a trade deal between both countries, while Canada said the decision affirms that Trump's tariffs were "unjustified."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is widely expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination to succeed Trump, called for refunds to Americans over the "illegal cash grab."
"Every dollar unlawfully taken must be refunded immediately — with interest. Cough up!"
bur-bys-sct/md

conflict

Zelensky says no 'family day' in rare personal interview to AFP

  • "There is no such thing as a family day with the children where we go somewhere," Zelensky, who was elected president in a landslide in 2019, told AFP. He said he tried to find time to be with his wife, Olena, and two children, but could "not every day".
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday there was "no such thing as a family day", conceding that he was not able to spend much time with his wife and children as the Russian invasion drags into a fifth year.
  • "There is no such thing as a family day with the children where we go somewhere," Zelensky, who was elected president in a landslide in 2019, told AFP. He said he tried to find time to be with his wife, Olena, and two children, but could "not every day".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday there was "no such thing as a family day", conceding that he was not able to spend much time with his wife and children as the Russian invasion drags into a fifth year.
The 48-year-old former comedian was speaking to AFP in an exclusive interview inside the presidential palace in Kyiv.
"There is no such thing as a family day with the children where we go somewhere," Zelensky, who was elected president in a landslide in 2019, told AFP.
He said he tried to find time to be with his wife, Olena, and two children, but could "not every day".
"The fact is that I definitely haven't spent much time with them," Zelensky added.
His daughter, Oleksandra, is 21 and his son, Kyrylo, is 13.
"She's very mature," Zelensky said about his daughter.
Speaking to her, "I understand how much I don't know," Zelensky said.
On missing out on parental duties as he leads the country through Europe's biggest conflict since World War II, Zelensky said: "I believe that mothers and grandmothers can raise children better. They can teach them many things."
Though talking about his son, he added: "But there are some things that are very important for a boy to discuss with his father, like men. And that's missing. It's not enough."

'Not to get fat'

The former TV star said he could no longer go to the cinema or the theatre.
"I don't go to stores, I haven't been to a cafe once in all the years of the war."
But he tries to keep up with the latest film releases -- historical drama "Nuremberg" and Oscar-nominated "One Battle After Another" were among his most recently watched movies.
Spending most of his time inside the presidential compound -- when not travelling abroad or visiting troops -- the Ukrainian leader said he is mindful "not to get fat".
"Even a quick 25-30 minute workout is pretty good. Sometimes I do more weight training, but not every time," he told AFP.
"I used to love running outside before the war. I don't run now."
For the first two years of the war, he lived in a bunker inside the heavily guarded presidential quarter of Kyiv.
Kyiv says Russia has hatched plots to try to assassinate Zelensky and much of his routine -- especially his travel movements -- are kept in strict secrecy.
At the start of the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for him to be toppled in a military coup.
Zelensky said he no longer lives in the bunker, but returns to the image to drive a final jibe.
"The main thing, in my opinion, is that the Russians cannot drive us into a bunker."
"That should distinguish us from them. Even though they walk the streets of Moscow today, believe me, they are in a real bunker."
ant-mmp/jc/tw 

conflict

Zelensky tells AFP that Ukraine is not losing the war

BY ANIA TSOUKANOVA

  • And he told AFP on Friday that Kyiv wants European troops -- earmarked to be deployed in Ukraine in case of a halt in fighting -- to be positioned close to the front.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday that his country is not losing its war against Russia, has taken hundreds of square kilometres in a new counteroffensive, and that European troops should deploy right on the front line after any ceasefire.
  • And he told AFP on Friday that Kyiv wants European troops -- earmarked to be deployed in Ukraine in case of a halt in fighting -- to be positioned close to the front.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday that his country is not losing its war against Russia, has taken hundreds of square kilometres in a new counteroffensive, and that European troops should deploy right on the front line after any ceasefire.
Ukraine's leader was speaking to AFP in an exclusive interview ahead of the four-year anniversary of the Russian invasion, with the outcome of the war -- or the shape of any deal to end the fighting -- still hanging in the balance.
His assessment of the grinding conflict comes as US President Donald Trump is pushing Kyiv to agree a deal with Moscow, and during one of the most difficult winters for Ukraine's exhausted population and stretched military.
"You can't say that we're losing the war. Honestly, we're definitely not losing it, definitely. The question is whether we will win," Zelensky told AFP journalists at the presidential palace in the Ukrainian capital. 
"That is the question -- but it's a very costly question," Zelensky added.
Europe's deadliest war since World War II -- unleashed when Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to pour over the Ukrainian border on February 24, 2022 -- has seen tens of thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of military personnel killed on both sides.
Russian forces this winter have dramatically escalated a campaign of systematic strikes on Ukrainian energy sites, attacks that have left millions in the cold and dark for weeks in freezing temperatures.
And now Washington and Moscow are both exerting pressure on Kyiv to give up the embattled Donbas region to the Kremlin in any deal to end the four-year war.
"Both the Americans and the Russians say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of Donbas," Zelensky said about the eastern region that Russia has claimed as its own.

Ukraine advancing in south

US-mediated talks in Geneva earlier this week failed to make progress on the key issue of territory in any deal to end the conflict.
Moscow has vowed it will capture the entire Donbas by force if Kyiv does not withdraw, with Putin showing no signs of compromise on his hardline demands to end his four-year invasion.
Ukraine however still controls around one-fifth of the heavily industrialised and fortified Donetsk region, while Russia has seized roughly the entire Lugansk region. The two are together referred to as the Donbas.
Ukraine has repeatedly ruled out pulling its troops out of the region, saying such a move would only embolden Russia.
The demand to cede territory to Russia comes as Kyiv's forces are, according to Zelensky, gaining ground in counterattacks along the southern front line.
"I won't go into too many details," Zelensky said of the advances, "but today I can congratulate our army first and foremost -- all the defence forces -- because as of today, 300 (square) kilometres have been liberated."
He did not say over what timeframe and AFP was unable to verify the claim. 
Military bloggers have suggested some of those gains could have been aided by sweeping outages of Starlink internet terminals across the Ukraine front, after network owner Elon Musk shut them down following a plea from Kyiv.
Zelensky said Kyiv was taking advantage of the situation, but conceded to AFP that Ukrainian forces had also experienced interruptions due to the outages.
"There are problems, there are challenges," Zelensky said.
But the set backs faced by the Russian side are "much more serious."
As well as demanding territorial concessions, the United States and Russia are pressuring Ukraine to hold presidential elections as part of its sweeping plan for a peace deal.
Zelensky, who has said Ukraine could only hold a vote when the war is over, said Russia was only pushing for a quick vote because the Kremlin wants to remove him from power.
"Let's be honest -- the Russians just want to replace me," Zelensky said. 

Security guarantees

"No one wants elections during a war. Everyone is afraid of its destructive effect," he added.
The Ukrainian leader throughout the invasion has dismissed the possibility of holding elections, given that millions of Ukrainians have been forced abroad by the fighting, or are living in occupied territory.
He has cited the obstacles to holding any vote with fighting ongoing, in particular in towns and cities that are being bombarded by Russia.
Zelensky also said he had not decided if he would stand in a future vote.
The 48-year-old former comedian, who swept to a landslide victory in elections in 2019, has said that a ballot can only be held in Ukraine if its allies offer robust security guarantees to dissuade Russian attacks.
And he told AFP on Friday that Kyiv wants European troops -- earmarked to be deployed in Ukraine in case of a halt in fighting -- to be positioned close to the front.
"We would like to see the contingent closer to the front line. Of course, no one wants to stand on the first line, and of course, Ukrainians would like our partners to stand with us on the front line," Zelensky said.
ant-jbr/jc/st

politics

Counting the cost: Minnesota reels after anti-migrant 'occupation'

BY GREGORY WALTON, WITH ROMAIN FONSEGRIVES IN LOS ANGELES

  • He said that "massive overreach" by the Trump administration helped rally opposition to the deployment -- but that "if Trump's goal was to scare immigrants, he did win -- absolutely."
  • The Trump administration has framed its divisive push to round up undocumented migrants in Minnesota as a win for his mass deportation agenda, despite a major backlash and decisive local opposition.
  • He said that "massive overreach" by the Trump administration helped rally opposition to the deployment -- but that "if Trump's goal was to scare immigrants, he did win -- absolutely."
The Trump administration has framed its divisive push to round up undocumented migrants in Minnesota as a win for his mass deportation agenda, despite a major backlash and decisive local opposition.
Minneapolis Somali community organizer Mowlid Mohamed said the announcement the massive federal deployment was winding down was "good news, however we don't know how true it is. It's hard to believe anything from this administration."
Local leaders insist the anti-migrant sweeps galvanized opposition which quickly organized to protect vulnerable people who were too terrified to venture out for fear of arrest and deportation, and to monitor and track immigration officers. 
The killings of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, alongside the shooting of an unarmed Venezuelan and the arrest of a photogenic five-year-old, proved to be watershed moments. 
Hamline University politics professor David Schultz said those developments were what it took "to turn the tide of public opinion against the operation nationally."
He said that "massive overreach" by the Trump administration helped rally opposition to the deployment -- but that "if Trump's goal was to scare immigrants, he did win -- absolutely."
Criticism led to an apparent re-think by the White House which swapped out the top commander overseeing the operation which was wound down last week.
The sight of detachments of disguised federal officers marauding around the Midwestern Democratic stronghold sparked wide-ranging local action to counter the sweeps.
Initial claims Good and Pretti were "domestic terrorists" were widely condemned -- including from within Trump's own Republican party. 
Officials subsequently announced they would pull back on the unprecedented weeks-long surge, nonetheless touting over 4,000 arrests in the state that they say included "worst of the worst" criminals.
Just one-in-10 of the arrests could be reliably tracked using public data, making it difficult to assess how many of those swept up were truly serious criminals.

'Better in our own country'

But nationwide data for 2026 shows just over a quarter of people currently in immigration detention nationwide are convicted criminals, and 47.4 percent are completely innocent.
Trump's border pointman Tom Homan, who has said a limited detachment of agents will remain behind in Minnesota, claimed the withdrawal was because of improved cooperation with local authorities.
But the Democratic sheriff who oversees Minneapolis's largest county jail has insisted no policy has changed. 
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, outspoken in his criticism of the surge, claimed victory, saying, "they thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation." 
Minneapolis authorities estimated the cost of the operation at $203 million -- including losses to the economy, community livelihoods, neighbors' mental health, and to food and shelter security. 
Chelsea Kane, a local who joined a network tracking ICE patrols, said the grassroots response was "something that our city is going to be proud of forever." 
"Tyranny tried to come here, tyranny tried to choke us out, and we stood up and said 'no'."
The software engineer, 37, said she hoped other cities could follow Minneapolis's example in standing up to ICE.
Kane, a former soldier, also stressed that while "it's slower on detainment in Minneapolis, they've just moved to the suburbs... ICE has not left the Twin Cities."
Many local people told AFP the invasive sweeps in the state had left behind "generational trauma," a description echoed by a Mexican migrant, Carlos, who has effectively been confined to his home since early December.
Since the announcement of the withdrawal he has left his home only twice, to work.
"I don't go to the supermarket, or anywhere else," said the man in his 40s who requested to use a pseudonym for fear of retaliation.
Carlos and his wife now dream of returning to Mexico, even after calling Minneapolis home for more than a decade.
"We came here fleeing our country because we had no safety there," he said softly.
"(If) we find ourselves in the same situation here, then I think it's better in our own country."
gw-rfo/msp

conflict

US military assets in the Middle East

  • The Ford -- the world's largest carrier -- was seen transiting Strait of Gibraltar toward the Mediterranean in a photo taken on Friday.
  • The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier entered the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, further boosting American firepower in a region that has seen a massive military buildup ahead of potential strikes against Iran. 
  • The Ford -- the world's largest carrier -- was seen transiting Strait of Gibraltar toward the Mediterranean in a photo taken on Friday.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier entered the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, further boosting American firepower in a region that has seen a massive military buildup ahead of potential strikes against Iran. 
Below, AFP examines key US military assets deployed in or near the Middle East.

Ships

Washington currently has 13 warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier -- the USS Abraham Lincoln -- nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships, a US official said.
The Ford -- the world's largest carrier -- was seen transiting Strait of Gibraltar toward the Mediterranean in a photo taken on Friday. It is accompanied by three destroyers, and when in position will bring the total number of US warships in the Middle East to 17.
Both carriers are crewed by thousands of sailors and have air wings comprised of dozens of warplanes. It is rare to have two of the massive warships in the Middle East at the same time.

Aircraft

In addition to the aircraft on the carriers, the United States has sent dozens of other warplanes to the Middle East, according to open-source intelligence accounts on X, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 and media reports.
These include F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets, F-15 and F-16 warplanes, and the KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft that are needed to sustain their operations.

Air defenses

The United States has also reportedly boosted its land-based air defenses in the Middle East, while the numerous guided-missile destroyers in the region provide air defense capabilities at sea.

US forces on bases

While ground forces are not expected to take part in offensive action against Iran, the United States has tens of thousands of military personnel on bases in the Middle East that are potentially vulnerable to a counterattack.
Tehran launched missiles at a US base in Qatar after Washington struck three Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025, but they were shot down by air defenses.
wd/msp

Global Edition

Stocks rise after court ruling against US tariffs

  • The Supreme Court decision will likely bring the average tariff rate from 16.8 percent to around 9.5 percent, EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco told AFP ahead of the ruling.
  • Stocks pushed higher on Friday after the US Supreme Court overturned most of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which could boost company earnings around the globe.
  • The Supreme Court decision will likely bring the average tariff rate from 16.8 percent to around 9.5 percent, EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco told AFP ahead of the ruling.
Stocks pushed higher on Friday after the US Supreme Court overturned most of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which could boost company earnings around the globe.
Wall Street overcame early losses spurred by data showing weaker-than-expected US growth.
Meanwhile the risk of US military strikes against Iran over its nuclear programme continued to weigh on sentiment, though oil prices retreated from highs.
The strike down of the tariffs may help reduce inflationary pressures.
The Supreme Court decision will likely bring the average tariff rate from 16.8 percent to around 9.5 percent, EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco told AFP ahead of the ruling.
"The decision removes one of Trump's fastest tools for imposing broad tariffs," said ING bank's chief macro economist, Carsten Brzeski.
But he also warned "this ruling will not bring relief" for long as the Trump administration has been preparing to use other legal tools. 
The ruling also raises questions about whether trade deals the US has struck with partners will endure, with the European Union still not having ratified its agreement.
Bret Kenwell, US investment analyst at eToro, said the best-case outcome would be a framework that's clearer and more consistent.
"If that's what emerges, added certainty could be a net positive for risk assets, potentially giving investors room to lean back into a more risk-on posture," he said.
Meanwhile, data showed the US economy grew 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter, well below the 2.5 percent analysts had forecast, while a price index for December rose to 2.9 percent, more than anticipated.
"While GDP growth appears to be cooling rather than rolling over, the headline figure is still a disappointment," said Kenwell.
That data poured cold water on hopes that US growth was holding up and inflation was contained despite Trump's tariffs barrage, and complicated the outlook for more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
In Europe, a closely watched survey on Friday showed that business activity in the eurozone accelerated in February, indicating that the region's economy is on a more stable footing. 
British firms also boosted output in February, according to the purchasing managers' index published by S&P Global.
London's FTSE 100 stock index hit a fresh record high, as did the CAC 40 in Paris.
In Asia, Hong Kong fell as it reopened from a three-day break for the Lunar New Year, and Tokyo was also down. 
Oil prices retreated after climbing to six-month highs this week on worries that nuclear talks between the United States and oil-rich Iran might not avert a conflict that could threaten supplies.
Trump had suggested on Thursday that "bad things" would happen if Tehran did not strike a deal within 10 days, which he subsequently extended to 15.
Asked by a reporter on Friday whether he was contemplating a limited military strike, Trump answered: "The most I can say -- I am considering it."
The US has deployed significant military forces to the Middle East region while also pursuing talks with Tehran.
"At its core, this looks like pressure and leverage rather than a prelude to invasion," said City Index market analyst Matt Simpson.

Key figures at around 1630 GMT

New York - Dow: UP 0.3 percent at 49,522.70 points
New York - S&P: UP 0.2 percent at 6,877.79
New York - Nasdaq: UP 0.5 percent at 22,805.71
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 10,686.89 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.4 percent at 8,515.49 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.9 percent at 25,260.69 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.1 percent at 56,825.70 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.1 percent at 26,413.35 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: Closed for holiday
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burs-rl/rlp

politics

Russian SVR spy agency took over Wagner 'influence' ops in Africa: report

BY CELIA LEBUR

  • Wagner, whose brutal methods have been denounced by rights organisations, was Russia's best-known mercenary group.
  • Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency has taken over mercenary group Wagner's influence operations in Africa after the death of its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to a new investigation.
  • Wagner, whose brutal methods have been denounced by rights organisations, was Russia's best-known mercenary group.
Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency has taken over mercenary group Wagner's influence operations in Africa after the death of its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to a new investigation.
Wagner, whose brutal methods have been denounced by rights organisations, was Russia's best-known mercenary group.
It had a widespread presence in Africa, deploying fighters alongside the armies of countries including Libya and Mali, and also conducted vast disinformation and destabilisation campaigns.
After Prigozhin died in a plane crash in 2023 following a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, the Russian defence ministry has sought to replace Wagner in Africa and coordinate security operations through an umbrella group known as the Africa Corps.
But it is the SVR that has taken over Wagner's influence operations, aimed at pushing Moscow's political and economic interests, conducting disinformation campaigns and eliminating competition in Africa and beyond, according to an investigation by a consortium of investigative and media outlets, including Forbidden Stories and All Eyes On Wagner.
"The SVR has now taken over the most effective tool of the Wagner Group," said the investigation, which also involved Dossier Center, openDemocracy and iStories.
Nearly 100 consultants work for Wagner's influence branch, called Africa Politology or The Company, the investigative outlets said.
Between 2024 and 2025, the outfit deployed teams across numerous countries, including Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, Libya, Mali, Niger and Sudan, the investigation said.
Teams have also been active in Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Cameroon, Benin and Namibia.

'Influence and disinformation'

"The SVR provides a layer of intelligence with information on specific topics, recruits sources, opens access and places key agents of influence in strategic roles," the consortium said.
The investigation was launched after internal documents from the network were anonymously sent to the editor-in-chief of the award-winning pan-African media outlet The Continent.
These files -- comprising more than 1,400 pages in Russian -- include strategic plans, staff biographies, operational reports, accounting records and summaries of disinformation campaigns carried out between January and November 2024.
The investigation confirmed the authenticity of the 76 documents and their content.
"The documents show that these operations combine political influence, disinformation and close ties to security services, going far beyond the usual practices in the sector," it said.
Sometimes, the SVR intelligence service competes with the Russian defence ministry, which oversees the GRU military intelligence, or has to coordinate with it, according to the investigation.
While the Russian defence ministry took over Wagner operations in countries such as Mali, it did not bring the Russian private military contractors under its control in the Central African Republic.
"In the Central African Republic, the SVR is called upon to help the defence ministry avoid hindering the activities of Wagner," investigators said.

'Political win'

The investigators reveal the nearly systematic involvement of the SVR across Africa.
"In Mali, the SVR is tasked to provide intelligence to Africa Politology regarding the military and political plans of France and the United States in the Sahel," the consortium said.
"It is also missioned to provide diplomatic support for the creation of a new military-political union to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and the Republic of Guinea."
After successive coups in 2021, 2022 and 2023, junta-run Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have turned their back on former colonial power France, drawing closer to Russia.
They broke ties with west African regional bloc ECOWAS and launched a rival group, the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES, in 2023.
"Russia's strategy manifested with the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States," the investigation said.
"That's a significant political win," Lou Osborn, co‑author of the investigation, told AFP, adding that Russians were particularly successful in the "unstable, vulnerable" Sahel countries.
She said she found the network's lobbying efforts in Africa "fascinating".
"They have so many lawyers, and they really try to influence laws," she added.
The journalists identified a network of companies used to send funds from the SVR to The Company.
According to their calculations, the budget for the influence operations between January and October 2024 amounted to nearly $7.3 million, or about $750,000 per month.
Despite their budget and efforts, Russia did not have much to show for its efforts, the investigators said.
"Russia is playing the long game but the results are not always quick to materialise," they said.
"On the African continent, Russia is signing a lot of memorandums of understanding but fails to convert these non-binding agreements into money-making businesses."
cl-as/ah/jhb

killing

Trump administration denounces 'terrorism' in France after activist's killing

BY MANON BILLING WITH SYLVIE MALIGORNE IN PARIS

  • Macron also said there was no place in France "for movements that adopt and legitimise violence", and urged the far right and hard left to clean up their act.
  • US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday denounced "terrorism" and left-wing violence in France as French police braced for a weekend rally for a slain far-right activist.
  • Macron also said there was no place in France "for movements that adopt and legitimise violence", and urged the far right and hard left to clean up their act.
US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday denounced "terrorism" and left-wing violence in France as French police braced for a weekend rally for a slain far-right activist.
The US administration weighed in on the fatal beating of Quentin Deranque after President Emmanuel Macron called on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had expressed shock over 23-year-old activist's killing, to keep out of France's affairs.
Deranque died from head injuries after being attacked by at least six people on the sidelines of a protest against a politician from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party in the southeastern city of Lyon last week.
His death has fomented tensions ahead of municipal elections next month and presidential polls next year and sparked a war of words between Macron and Italy's right-wing prime minister Meloni, who has warm ties with Trump.
Sarah Rogers, the US State Department under secretary for public diplomacy, said the killing of Deranque showed "why we treat political violence -- terrorism -- so harshly".
"Once you decide to kill people for their opinions instead of persuade them, you've opted out of civilization," she wrote on X. "We will continue to watch this case."
The State Department's bureau of counter-terrorism separately posted:  "Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque's death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety."
Meloni said the killing of Deranque was "a wound for all of Europe".
Macron shot back by saying everyone should "stay in their own lane", but Meloni later said that the French president had misinterpreted her comments.
Macron also said there was no place in France "for movements that adopt and legitimise violence", and urged the far right and hard left to clean up their act.
Deranque's supporters have called for a march in his memory on Saturday in Lyon.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said he had planned an "extremely large police deployment" with reinforcements to ensure security.
The rally is expected to be attended by 2,000 to 3,000 people, and likely to see counter-protesters from the hard left.
"I can only ban a demonstration when there are major risks of public disorder and I am not in a position to contain them," he told the RTL broadcaster.

'Fascist demonstration'

Jordan Bardella, the president of anti-immigration RN, has urged party members not to go. 
LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard warned on X the event would be a "fascist demonstration" that "over 1,000 neo-Nazis from all over Europe" were expected to attend.
Two people, aged 20 and 25, have been charged with intentional homicide in relation to Deranque's fatal beating, according to the Lyon prosecutor and their lawyers.
A third suspect has been charged with complicity in the killing.
Jacques-Elie Favrot, a 25-year-old former parliamentary assistant to LFI lawmaker Raphael Arnault, has admitted to having been present at the scene but denied delivering the blows that killed Deranque, his attorney said.
Favrot said "it was absolutely not an ambush, but a clash with a group of far-right activists", he added.

'Charlie Kirk moment'

Opinion polls put the far right in the lead for the French presidency in 2027, when Macron will have to step down after the maximum two consecutive terms in office.
In snap parliamentary polls in 2024, Macron's supporters and the left, including the hard left, had allied against the far right.
After the Lyon killing, several voices on the more moderate left have rejected another such alliance with LFI.
Socialist party official Pierre Jouvet on Friday however said its politicians could in rare cases ally with LFI candidates in the second round of municipal elections next month if they reject "political violence".
Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin warned against what he described as France's "Charlie Kirk moment", referring to an ultraconservative activist who was shot and killed in September in the United States.
"It's a moment aimed at delegitimising part of the political spectrum and casting the triumphant far right as a victim," the moderate right-winger wrote on X.
"Let's stay vigilant. Let's not concede ground to the far right."
burs-ah-as/rmb

nuclear

Trump says weighing strike on Iran as Tehran says draft deal coming soon

  • Ratcheting up the pressure, Trump has deployed a significant naval force to the region.
  • US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran after ordering a major naval buildup in the Middle East aimed at heaping pressure on Tehran to cut a deal to curb its nuclear programme.
  • Ratcheting up the pressure, Trump has deployed a significant naval force to the region.
US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran after ordering a major naval buildup in the Middle East aimed at heaping pressure on Tehran to cut a deal to curb its nuclear programme.
The latest threat came after Iran's foreign minister said a draft proposal for an agreement with Washington would be ready in a matter of days following negotiations between the two sides in Geneva earlier this week.
Trump had suggesting on Thursday that "bad things" would happen if Tehran did not strike a deal within 10 days, which he subsequently extended to 15.
Asked by a reporter on Friday whether he was contemplating a limited military strike, Trump answered: "The most I can say -- I am considering it."
After the talks in Geneva, Tehran said the two sides had agreed to submit drafts of a potential agreement, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US media would be the "next step".
"I believe that in the next two, three days, that would be ready, and after final confirmation by my superiors, that would be handed over to Steve Witkoff," he said, referring to Trump's main Middle East negotiator.
Araghchi also said US negotiators had not requested that Tehran end its nuclear enrichment programme, contradicting statements from American officials.
"We have not offered any suspension, and the US side has not asked for zero enrichment," he said in an interview released Friday by US TV network MS NOW.
"What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran's nuclear programme, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever," he added.
His comments stand in contrast to information relayed by high-ranking US officials, including Trump, who has repeatedly said Iran must not be allowed to enrich uranium at any level.
Western countries accuse the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies, though it insists on its right to enrichment for civilian purposes.
Iran, for its part, is seeking to negotiate an end to sanctions that have proven to be a massive drag on its economy.
Economic hardships sparked protests in December that evolved into a nationwide anti-government movement last month, prompting a crackdown from authorities that left thousands dead, rights groups say. 

'No ultimatum'

The two foes held an initial round of discussions on February 6 in Oman, the first since previous talks collapsed during the 12-day Iran-Israel war last June, which the US joined by striking Iranian nuclear facilities.
Washington has pursued a major military build-up in the region in tandem with the talks, and both sides have traded threats of military action for weeks.
On Thursday, Trump again suggested the US would attack Iran if it did not make a deal within the timeframe he laid out.
"We have to make a meaningful deal otherwise bad things happen," Trump told the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace", his initiative for the post-war Gaza Strip.
Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, warned that US bases, facilities and assets would be "legitimate targets" if the United States followed through on its threats.
Araghchi, however, insisted that "there is no ultimatum". 
"We only talk with each other how we can have a fast deal. And a fast deal is something that both sides are interested about," he said.
"We are under sanctions, (so) obviously any day that sanctions are terminated sooner it would be better for us," he said, adding Iran had "no reason to delay".
Washington has repeatedly called for zero enrichment, but has also sought to address Iran's ballistic missile programme and its support for militant groups in the region -- issues which Israel has pushed to include in the talks.
The Israeli army said Friday that it was on "defensive alert" regarding the situation with Iran, but that its guidelines for the public remained unchanged.
Ratcheting up the pressure, Trump has deployed a significant naval force to the region.
After sending the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and escort battleships to the Gulf in January, he ordered a second carrier, the Gerald Ford, to depart for the Middle East.
Iranian naval forces also conducted military drills this week in the Gulf and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz in their own show of force.
smw/ser

indicator

US GDP growth misses expectations as Trump blames shutdown

BY BEIYI SEOW

  • - Fed divisions - A separate government report Friday showed that the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation picked up a touch more than analysts expected as well.
  • US economic growth cooled much more than expected in the final months of 2025, government estimates showed Friday, capping the first year of Donald Trump's return to the presidency.
  • - Fed divisions - A separate government report Friday showed that the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation picked up a touch more than analysts expected as well.
US economic growth cooled much more than expected in the final months of 2025, government estimates showed Friday, capping the first year of Donald Trump's return to the presidency.
The Republican leader was quick to blame a lengthy government shutdown last year for the deceleration, pinning responsibility on Democratic lawmakers in a social media post before the latest data was released.
The world's biggest economy expanded at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the October to December period, the Department of Commerce said.
This was significantly below the 2.5 percent pace that analysts had forecasted for the quarter.
Full-year GDP growth came in at 2.2 percent in 2025, lower than the 2.8 percent figure for the prior year.
"The Democrat Shutdown cost the U.S.A. at least two points in GDP," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, about a half-hour before the official results were published.
He also pointed the finger again at the Federal Reserve, bashing outgoing Chairman Jerome Powell and calling for "LOWER INTEREST RATES."
In an unusual move, Trump ushered reporters out from a working breakfast with governors after the GDP report was released.
Analysts generally expect any hit to economic growth from the record-long shutdown, which lasted from October to mid-November, to be temporary. But some warn of repercussions from prolonged stoppages.
"At first glance the first reading of fourth quarter GDP was very disappointing," said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management.
"However, the government was shut down for almost half the quarter," he added.
Some analysts estimate that if the shutdown hadn't occurred, fourth quarter GDP growth would have been closer to 2.4 percent, Zaccarelli said, but conceded this is hard to predict accurately.

Consumers, AI investment

"Solid consumption and the AI boom kept the economy growing," said Navy Federal Credit Union chief economist Heather Long.
But she added in a note that 2025 was also a year of jobless growth "where hiring was anemic during the expansion and that left many Americans frustrated and uneasy."
The Commerce Department said slower fourth quarter growth "reflected downturns in government spending and exports and a deceleration in consumer spending."
This was partially offset by a pick-up in investments.
The fourth quarter figure was a marked slowdown too from the 4.4 percent growth in the third quarter.
Yet, the economy saw a boost from consumer spending and investment in the year overall.
The US economy expanded at a decent clip last year despite warnings that Trump's economic policies -- ranging from sweeping global tariffs to deportations -- could weigh on growth.
This has not immediately taken place. 
Consumption has driven growth as households kept spending despite the squeeze from stubborn inflation and a weaker jobs market.
But many Americans, particularly from middle- and lower-income families, have become more conscious of prices, turning increasingly to warehouse stores as they tighten their budgets.
Bernard Yaros of Oxford Economics told AFP that fourth quarter GDP was helped by business investment.
The artificial intelligence capital expenditure cycle "is a major driver of the strength on the investment side of the economy," he said.
Yet, while AI investments and spending by well-off families have powered the economy, it remains unclear if households feel uplifted.

Fed divisions

A separate government report Friday showed that the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation picked up a touch more than analysts expected as well.
The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index was up 2.9 percent from a year ago in December, higher than the 2.8 percent economists anticipated and also above November's figure.
This underscores the Trump administration's challenges as he tries to convince Americans of his economic successes.
Analysts say this could bring complications to the central bank too.
Zaccarelli expects the GDP report will "prolong the disagreement" between Fed officials who want to keep interest rates higher to fight inflation, and those who want to slash rates sooner to help an economy that may be more fragile than expected.
bys/md

Global Edition

AI summit statement delayed to 'maximise' signatories: India

BY KATIE FORSTER

  • Vaishnaw declined to give details of what the statement would say as he thanked participants of this week's event that was attended by tens of thousands of people, including world leaders and tech CEOs. The summit was the fourth annual international meeting to discuss the implications of fast-evolving AI technology, and the first hosted by a developing country.
  • Dozens of national delegations at an artificial intelligence summit in India will issue their statement on how the world should handle the technology on Saturday, a day later than expected, the host country said.
  • Vaishnaw declined to give details of what the statement would say as he thanked participants of this week's event that was attended by tens of thousands of people, including world leaders and tech CEOs. The summit was the fourth annual international meeting to discuss the implications of fast-evolving AI technology, and the first hosted by a developing country.
Dozens of national delegations at an artificial intelligence summit in India will issue their statement on how the world should handle the technology on Saturday, a day later than expected, the host country said.
"There is huge consensus on the declaration. We are just trying to maximise the number," India's IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Friday.
"The declaration and its contours will be shared transparently tomorrow," he said, adding it had more than 70 signatories so far but he hoped the figure would cross 80.
Vaishnaw declined to give details of what the statement would say as he thanked participants of this week's event that was attended by tens of thousands of people, including world leaders and tech CEOs.
The summit was the fourth annual international meeting to discuss the implications of fast-evolving AI technology, and the first hosted by a developing country.
Some visitors had complained of poor organisation, including chaotic entry and exit points, at the vast summit and expo site.
Police detained on Friday a group claiming to be from the youth wing of the opposition Congress party who staged a shirtless protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi inside the venue.
Hot topics at the summit included the societal benefits of multilingual AI translation, the threat of job disruption and the heavy electricity consumption of data centres.
But analysts said that the broad focus, and vague promises made at its previous editions in France, South Korea and Britain, would make concrete commitments unlikely.

'Less hype, less fear'

The next AI summit will take place in Geneva in 2027.
In the meantime, a UN panel on AI would start work towards "science-led governance", the global body's chief Antonio Guterres said Friday.
"We are barrelling into the unknown," he said. "The message is simple: less hype, less fear. More facts and evidence."
The UN General Assembly has confirmed 40 members for a group called the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, Guterres said.
It was created in August, aiming to be to AI what the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is to global environmental policy.
However, the head of the US delegation warned against centralised control of generative AI, highlighting the difficulties of reaching a consensus.
"As the Trump administration has now said many times: We totally reject global governance of AI," White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios said at the Delhi summit.
The United States did not sign last year's summit statement, and it released its own bilateral declaration with India on Friday.
The two countries agreed to "pursue a global approach to AI that is unapologetically friendly to entrepreneurship and innovation".
India has used the summit to push its ambition to catch up with the United States and China in the AI field, including through large-scale data centre construction, and new nuclear power plants to power them.
Delhi expects more than $200 billion in investments over the next two years, and US tech titans unveiled a raft of new deals and infrastructure projects in the country this week.
Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, has called for oversight on AI in the past but said last year that taking too tight an approach could hold the United States back.
"Centralisation of this technology, in one company or country, could lead to ruin," he told the summit on Thursday.
"This is not to suggest that we won't need any regulation or safeguards. We obviously do, urgently, like we have for other powerful technologies."
bur-kaf/ami

diplomacy

Germany's Merz to visit China next week

  • Merz leaves Berlin Tuesday and is scheduled to be welcomed with military honours on Wednesday in Beijing by Prime Minister Li Qiang before later meeting Xi for talks and a dinner, Hille said.
  • German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping centred on trade between the top EU economy and the Asian giant, Berlin said.
  • Merz leaves Berlin Tuesday and is scheduled to be welcomed with military honours on Wednesday in Beijing by Prime Minister Li Qiang before later meeting Xi for talks and a dinner, Hille said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping centred on trade between the top EU economy and the Asian giant, Berlin said.
The visit, the conservative leader's first to China since taking office last May, will be just after Lunar New Year festivities, his spokesman Sebastian Hille pointed out Friday, calling this "a good omen".
China's top diplomat Wang Yi told Merz at the Munich Security Conference last week that Beijing hoped to bring ties "to a new level" and wanted Germany to be a "stabilising anchor for strategic relations".
Merz leaves Berlin Tuesday and is scheduled to be welcomed with military honours on Wednesday in Beijing by Prime Minister Li Qiang before later meeting Xi for talks and a dinner, Hille said.
During the two-day visit, Merz will also visit Beijing's Forbidden City and German car company Mercedes-Benz. He then travels to Hangzhou to visit Chinese robotics firm Unitree and German turbine-maker Siemens Energy.
Hille said Merz would travel with a delegation of business leaders, but without yet naming the companies.
The talks between the leaders of China, the world's number two economy, and Germany, the third-biggest, come at a critical time for Germany, whose car makers and other companies are increasingly reeling from intense Chinese competition.
The countries' traditionally deep economic ties have frayed in recent years over issues ranging from claims of unfair trade practices to protectionism and the supply of critical minerals.

'No illusions'

The visit comes as US President Donald Trump, with his unpredictable foreign- and trade-policy manoeuvres, has upset traditional allies and threatened to upend the international order.
Merz said Friday he was going to China in part because export-dependent Germany needs "economic relations all over the world".
"But we should be under no illusions," he added, pointing out that the one-party state has its own global ambitions and political beliefs.
"China today sees itself in stark contrast to the US and claims the right to define a new multilateral order according to its own rules," Merz told a congress of his CDU party.
He said that when it comes to freedom of opinion, religion and the press, Beijing considers human-rights advocacy "as interference in its internal affairs".
Hille, asked earlier if sensitive rights questions would be up for discussion, said it could be assumed Merz would "of course discuss the whole spectrum of issues".
Another point of contention will be the Ukraine war, where Germany has been a strong backer of Kyiv since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion four years ago next week.
China and Russia are close partners, and while Beijing has said it takes a neutral stance on the Ukraine war, it has never condemned the invasion.
Germany's foreign minister Johann Wadephul visited Beijing in December, pressing Chinese officials including Wang to use their influence to help end Russia's war in Ukraine.
bur-vbw/fz/jhb

tech

X appeals EU's 120-mn-euro fine over digital content violations

  • X said it filed an appeal at the General Court of the EU challenging the fine by the commission, which acts as the EU's digital watchdog.
  • Elon Musk's X social media platform said Friday that it had filed an appeal with the European Union's top court against a 120-million-euro ($142 million) fine for breaking its digital content rules.
  • X said it filed an appeal at the General Court of the EU challenging the fine by the commission, which acts as the EU's digital watchdog.
Elon Musk's X social media platform said Friday that it had filed an appeal with the European Union's top court against a 120-million-euro ($142 million) fine for breaking its digital content rules.
The European Commission imposed the penalty in December for violations including breaching its transparency obligation, triggering an angry reaction in the United States.
X said it filed an appeal at the General Court of the EU challenging the fine by the commission, which acts as the EU's digital watchdog.
The fine was the first ever under the bloc's landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), which has come under fierce attack in the United States, including claims that it allows censorship.
X on Friday denounced what it called the EU's "incomplete and superficial investigation".
Its global government affairs team said on the platform that the EU's probe included "grave procedural errors, a tortured interpretation of the obligations under the DSA, and systematic breaches of rights of defence and basic due process requirements suggesting prosecutorial bias".
"This landmark case is the first judicial challenge to a DSA fine," it added.
An EU spokesman told AFP the commission was aware of the appeal, and "is ready to defend its decision in court".

Wider probe

The EU said last year that X was guilty of breaching the DSA's transparency obligation as part of an investigation that began in December 2023.
The commission also said that X's breaches included the deceptive design of its "blue checkmark" for supposedly verified accounts, and its failure to provide access to public data for researchers.
Musk at the time hit back by saying the EU should be "abolished".
A few weeks later, the US State Department announced sanctions on five individuals including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton.
A former top tech regulator at the commission, Breton often clashed with tech tycoons including Musk over their obligations to follow EU rules.
X has frequently been in the EU's crosshairs.
Under the same DSA probe, EU regulators are still investigating how X tackles the spread of illegal content and information manipulation. 
The first part of the probe had appeared to stall since 2024.
Then in January 2026, the EU opened another investigation under the DSA law over its AI chatbot Grok's generation of sexualised deepfake images of women and minors after an international backlash.
raz/del/js

AI

'Alpha male' AI world shuts out women: computing prof Hall

BY KATIE FORSTER

  • She was made a dame in 2009, and has also acted as a senior adviser to the British government and the United Nations on artificial intelligence.
  • Artificial intelligence could change the world but the dearth of women in the booming sector will undermine pledges for inclusive technology, top computer scientist Wendy Hall told AFP on Friday.
  • She was made a dame in 2009, and has also acted as a senior adviser to the British government and the United Nations on artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence could change the world but the dearth of women in the booming sector will undermine pledges for inclusive technology, top computer scientist Wendy Hall told AFP on Friday.
Hall, a professor at Britain's University of Southampton known for her pioneering research into web systems, said that the gender imbalance had long been stark.
"All the CEOs are men," the 73-year-old said, describing the situation at a major AI summit held in New Delhi this week as "amazingly awful".
"It's totally male-dominated, and they just don't get the fact that this means that 50 percent of the population is effectively not included in the conversations."
Gender bias "creeps through everything, because they don't think about it when they build their products", Hall said.
She was speaking in an interview at the AI Impact Summit, where dozens of governments are expected to lay out a shared vision on how to handle the promises and pitfalls of generative AI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is pushing for India to become a global AI power, said Thursday that advanced computing systems "must become a medium for inclusion and empowerment".
But when he posed on stage for a photo with leading tech business figures, 13 men were present and only one woman -- Joelle Pineau, a former Meta researcher who is now chief AI officer at Cohere.
It was a similar story at another photo opportunity with world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

'Biased world'

Many studies have shown how generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini reflect stereotypes contained in the vast reams of text and images they are trained on.
"We're a biased world, so the training is done on biased data," Hall said.
A 2024 UNESCO study found that large language models described women in domestic roles more often than men, who were more likely to be linked to words like "salary" and "career".
While tech companies work to counter these built-in machine biases, women have found themselves targeted by AI tools in other ways.
Several countries moved to ban Elon Musk's Grok AI tool this year after it sparked global outrage over its ability to create sexualised deepfakes depicting real people -- mostly women -- in skimpy clothing.
Hall, a longtime advocate for women in technology, said that things had "not really improved that much" since she had her start decades ago.
"In AI, it's getting worse."
Few women choose to study computer science in the first place, then "once you get more senior, women fall away", Hall said.
Women-led startups "don't get the investment that the men get", and many simply "get fed up", she added.
Women also "drop out because they just don't want to be part of that alpha male world".

'Felt like giving up'

Hall, who wrote her first paper about the lack of women in computing in the late 1980s, said she had faced "all sorts of barriers" during her career.
"I've had to push through, be strong, have good mentors. And yeah, I felt like giving up many times."
She was made a dame in 2009, and has also acted as a senior adviser to the British government and the United Nations on artificial intelligence.
But at her first job interview at a university nearly five decades ago, "I was told I couldn't have the job because I was a woman" by an all-male panel, she recalled.
"I was supposed to be teaching maths to engineers, and they said as a young woman I wouldn't be able to control a class of male engineers."
Although she has noticed no uptick in women entering the field overall, Hall said she had been inspired in New Delhi.
"The wonderful thing about this conference are the young people here," she said.
"There are a lot of young women here from India and they're all abuzz with the opportunities."
kaf/pbt

politics

Outspoken Laos lawmaker's election exit sparks rare dissent

  • Despite the stiff restrictions in Laos, he pointed to signs of change, such as more online discussion about politics and younger candidates on the ballot compared to previous elections.
  • When one of the few lawmakers willing to call out corruption in single-party Laos was left off the candidate list ahead of this weekend's heavily managed election, a rare wave of dissent erupted.
  • Despite the stiff restrictions in Laos, he pointed to signs of change, such as more online discussion about politics and younger candidates on the ballot compared to previous elections.
When one of the few lawmakers willing to call out corruption in single-party Laos was left off the candidate list ahead of this weekend's heavily managed election, a rare wave of dissent erupted.
Weeks after the candidates were publicised, outspoken MP Valy Vetsaphong announced she had removed herself from the ballot, ending her decade-long career in parliament -- but some remain sceptical about her departure.
Her announcement came just days before Sunday's poll, in which all 243 candidates contesting 175 seats are pre-selected by the ruling communist party, making the exercise largely performative.
The Southeast Asian nation has no opposition parties and no fully independent news outlets. The ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party has held power for more than 50 years.
Dissent is dangerous, protests are swiftly crushed and government critics are often jailed or disappear.
But after Valy, one of only six non-communist party members allowed in the National Assembly, said she was quitting politics to focus on economic development work and allow herself "more personal time", social media erupted.
Some users openly expressed support for her online, while others voiced discontent over her exit -- revealing a rare crack in the state's overarching control.
Comments referred to her as "number one in the hearts of the people" and warned that "those who speak for the people are often eliminated".
"It's sad to see this, as she was very vocal and really represented the Laos people," said a 30-year-old development worker in the capital Vientiane.
Valy, who serves on the board of Laos' chamber of commerce, may have been allowed more space to speak out due to her business background, said the development worker, who requested anonymity for security reasons.
Despite the stiff restrictions in Laos, he pointed to signs of change, such as more online discussion about politics and younger candidates on the ballot compared to previous elections.
"It may look the same, but we do see some improvements, more openness from the government, and things are more relaxed compared to the past," he said.
Laos state media this week also touted a shifting profile of candidates.
"Younger and middle-aged candidates make up the majority," the Lao News Agency said, adding that the government was aiming to elect women to at least 30 percent of seats.
But Valy will not be one of them.

Speaking bluntly

The 57-year-old representative of Vientiane and medical clinic owner made her name with unusually blunt speeches in which she called on the state to step up anti-corruption efforts and enforce punishments for financial crimes.
Valy once demanded corrupt officials be "punished and demoted as in other countries" rather than merely warned, and lobbied for a complete overhaul of the financial sector to address Laos' currency crisis.
She also vocally opposed selling majority control of state-owned carrier Lao Airlines to China, criticised electricity price hikes and advocated for tourism police to better serve foreign visitors -- all positions that resonated with Laotians frustrated by economic hardships and limited accountability.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday explaining why she was not standing in the election, Valy thanked party officials, saying she wanted to step back from politics and "give younger representatives the opportunity to step forward".
"I have had the opportunity to be a voice for the people and to reflect their concerns to the relevant authorities," the post reads.
"It is important to recognise that progress happens when leadership listens to the people through their representatives."
Valy declined an interview request from AFP.

'The only hope'

Emilie Palamy Pradichit, executive director of rights group Manushya Foundation, said it was unlikely Valy "stepped down of her own accord".
"We think she was put under pressure," Pradichit told AFP. "She's not that old; she could have stayed on." 
But with a younger generation that is increasingly vocal on social media, Pradichit said Valy's re-election "would have been problematic in the eyes of the one political party".
"Her voice mattered a great deal, especially to young people," Pradichit added.
"Valy Vetsaphong really was the only hope."
A 28-year-old Laotian living in Vientiane said many people had "expressed disappointment about not seeing her participate again", which showed the "level of support she had built". 
About two weeks after the candidate list without Valy's name was released, prominent Laotian activist Joseph Akaravong publicly endorsed her anyway, sharing her CV to his nearly 700,000 Facebook followers.
Akaravong, who fled Laos in 2018 and survived an assassination attempt in France in June, has long been critical of the government, and his page functions as a forum for debate about Laotian politics and society.
"She wasn't selected," he wrote of Valy, "possibly because she had too much public support, which may have been seen as annoying."
str-sdu/sco/jfx/ami

court

Thai activist's jail term for royal insult extended to 30 years

  • A Bangkok court handed the new sentence to Arnon and two others accused of royal insult and violating a Covid-19 emergency decree, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said.
  • A Thai court sentenced a prominent lawyer to more than two years for royal insult on Friday, a rights group said, bringing his combined sentence for monarchy reform activism to over three decades.
  • A Bangkok court handed the new sentence to Arnon and two others accused of royal insult and violating a Covid-19 emergency decree, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said.
A Thai court sentenced a prominent lawyer to more than two years for royal insult on Friday, a rights group said, bringing his combined sentence for monarchy reform activism to over three decades.
Thailand's strict lese majeste laws shield the royal family from criticism, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison for each offence -- punishments critics say are used to muzzle dissent.
Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa rose to prominence in youth-led protests that saw tens of thousands take to the streets in 2020, calling for reform of the military-drafted constitution and the monarchy.
The 41-year-old has been jailed since 2023 on multiple royal defamation convictions linked to the protests and his social media posts.
A Bangkok court handed the new sentence to Arnon and two others accused of royal insult and violating a Covid-19 emergency decree, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said.
"The court initially handed down a four-year sentence, but it was reduced to two years and eight months due to the defendant's useful testimony," said a statement from the organisation.
The group's spokesperson told AFP that Arnon now faces a total sentence of 31 years and nine months. He still has three pending royal defamation cases.
At least 289 people have been charged under the law since 2020, according to TLHR.
Earlier this month, a Thai court extended the sentence of a man in prison for social media posts deemed insulting to the king to 50 years.
And in 2024, a clothing vendor was sentenced to 50 years in prison for insulting the monarchy over posts made on his personal Facebook account.
tak/jts/lb

Global Edition

Fans flock to Japan zoo to see viral baby monkey Punch

  • Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up their muscles. 
  • Dozens of fans flocked to a Japanese zoo on Friday to catch a glimpse of a baby macaque who shot to social media stardom months after being abandoned by his mother. 
  • Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up their muscles. 
Dozens of fans flocked to a Japanese zoo on Friday to catch a glimpse of a baby macaque who shot to social media stardom months after being abandoned by his mother. 
Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy was widely shared on X.
Punch's mother, perhaps due to it being her first litter or reduced stamina from the summer heat, showed no interest in caring for her young, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported. 
Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up their muscles. 
The zoo looked for an alternative, such as a towel or different soft toy, but Punch chose the long-legged orangutan. 
"It was easy for him to grab," a zookeeper told Fuji TV. 
"Maybe he also liked (that) it looked like a monkey."
Punch's predicament sparked sympathy online, spawning a devoted fanbase who began posting updates on the monkey under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch. 
The baby monkey was raised in an artificial environment after being born in July, and began training to rejoin his troop last month.
His situation began looking up this month when zookeepers at Ichikawa City Zoo, near Tokyo, posted that he was gradually integrating, including "playfully poking others and getting scolded".
On Friday, more than 100 visitors gathered around the zoo's monkey enclosure, straining to take photos and shouting "hang in there!" as Punch tried to approach others in the troop.
"We're here since this morning. We rarely come to a zoo but we wanted to see cute Punch," said 32-year-old Sayaka Takimoto, who drove two hours with her husband to see the monkey. 
The couple said they found social media posts of Punch carrying around the soft toy "adorable".
Another visitor, who gave her name as Yoko, said: "He's so cute, so I had to come see him." 
"I studied his pictures in advance so that I could recognise him," the 50-year-old told AFP. 
"It makes me a little sad he's growing so fast, but I'm relieved to see he's making friends."
Some fans, however, were worried by a widely shared video showing Punch being dragged by an adult monkey. 
The zoo issued a statement on Friday asking them to "support Punch's efforts" to socialise as his troop has not shown any serious aggression. 
"While Punch is scolded (by other monkeys), he shows mental strength and resilience," it said. 
nf-aph/lb

Israel

Somaliland, where Muslims love Israel

BY JORIS FIORITI

  • "I love Israel so much," she said, smiling in her head-to-toe black abaya.
  • "I love Israel!"
  • "I love Israel so much," she said, smiling in her head-to-toe black abaya.
"I love Israel!" Three little words rarely heard together in the Muslim world, and yet have become a common phrase in Somaliland, the breakaway region of Somalia. 
Israel became the only country in the world to recognise Somaliland's independence in December -- something the territory has been seeking since declaring its autonomy from Somalia in 1991. 
As Ramadan started this week in the deeply Muslim territory, almost all its citizens -- young and old, men and women -- were happy to sing Israel's praises. 
While most of the Muslim world focuses on allegations of genocide and war crimes against the Palestinians, Somalilanders are more concerned with atrocities committed by Somalia during their war of independence in the 1980s, which, they say, no Muslim country has ever condemned. 
In the central square of the capital Hargeisa, an old Soviet MiG sits atop a memorial -- one of the fighter jets used by Somalia's then-president Siad Barre's forces in a bombing campaign in 1988-89 that destroyed some 70 percent of the city. 
"We were waiting for recognition for 35 years. This is the product of our grandparents who fought in the war," said Ahmed Abiib Ibrahim, a 20-year-old student in the square. 

'Are Muslims helping us? No!'

"It is the first Ramadan when the world knows us," added 22-year-old Muna Ali, finishing her day at a nearby travel agency. 
"I love Israel so much," she said, smiling in her head-to-toe black abaya.
Filling his water tank at a petrol station outside the city, lorry driver Abdilrashiid Adam Jamac told AFP he now had an Israeli flag hanging in his home.
"I will think of Israel during Ramadan... The Jews are my friends. Are Muslims helping us? No!" he said. 
Shortly after Somaliland's recognition at the end of December, social media was flooded with photos of men and women displaying the Israeli flag, one of them even using it as a hijab. 
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on the other hand, denounced it as "the greatest violation of Somalia's sovereignty" and a "threat to the security and stability of the world and the region". 

Strategic battleground

The government in Mogadishu still considers Somaliland an integral part of Somalia, even though the territory has run its own affairs since 1991, with its own passport, currency, army and police force. 
Somaliland also stands out for its relative stability compared to the rest of the country, which has been plagued by Islamist insurgencies and clan conflicts for decades. 
No Muslim country has followed Israel's lead for now, many fearing it could provoke secessionists in their own lands.
"Israel's recognition of Somaliland benefits neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to Ethiopia on Tuesday. 
The Horn of Africa, situated between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal on one of the world's busiest trade routes, has become a strategic battleground for regional powers in the Gulf and beyond, forcing many to look beyond their previous concerns. 
Many see the United Arab Emirates, which operates a major port in Berbera in Somaliland, as a key player behind Israel's recognition. 
A Somaliland official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Somalilanders had raised $2 million for Palestinians during last year's Ramadan, but they had to focus on their own concerns. 
"Palestinians, we feel for them, but... it's our brothers from Somalia who want to kill us," he said.
jf/er/fg