flood

Thailand floods affect hundreds of thousands, eight dead in Myanmar

housing

Deal for evicted Spanish pensioner as PM seeks new housing law

BY ROBIN BJALON WITH ROSA SULLEIRO IN BARCELONA

  • Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was removed on a stretcher from the Madrid home where she had lived for 70 years and became a symbol of the protest against runaway housing prices and a lack of tenant protections.
  • A Madrid pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests that have piled pressure on the government to resolve Spain's housing crisis can return home after a deal with the property's owners, her lawyer said on Monday.
  • Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was removed on a stretcher from the Madrid home where she had lived for 70 years and became a symbol of the protest against runaway housing prices and a lack of tenant protections.
A Madrid pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests that have piled pressure on the government to resolve Spain's housing crisis can return home after a deal with the property's owners, her lawyer said on Monday.
Unaffordable housing has been a running sore for years in Spain, but the outcry over last Wednesday's eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal thrust the crisis to the forefront of the political debate.
Demonstrators have set up roughly 100 tents in Madrid's emblematic Puerta del Sol square since Saturday night, while tens of thousands of people have protested across the country.
"If this agreement we have reached is signed, it will obviously be a better and happier outcome for everyone," Abascal's lawyer Beatriz Duro told reporters, calling it "a result of the social mobilisation".
"Hopefully this agreement, this different way of ending this type of situation, which unfortunately are experienced every day in this country, helps to change the paradigm when it comes to housing in general," Duro said.
Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was removed on a stretcher from the Madrid home where she had lived for 70 years and became a symbol of the protest against runaway housing prices and a lack of tenant protections.
She had always paid her rent, but the real estate firm that owned her apartment hiked the monthly rent by 275 percent to 2,650 euros ($3,000), supporters say.
Duro said there had been "goodwill from both parties" and that the rent would be "similar to what she had been paying".
Abascal will be able to return to her apartment in Madrid's upmarket Retiro neighbourhood after leaving hospital, where she is being treated for exhaustion, added Duro, who said the aim was to "accelerate the procedures".

'Be courageous'

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government is seeking agreement on a new housing package to present to cabinet on Tuesday to placate the popular anger.
"We are living through a serious situation in Spain right now," said Carlota, a 29-year-old protester who spent Sunday night in Sol, calling for "an end to putting capital and investment funds before people".
In Barcelona, which has seen several demonstrations in recent years linking housing costs to overtourism, around 2,000 protesters gathered on Monday night to demand ambitious measures during a visit by Sanchez.
"We have come here to tell him (Sanchez) that we don't want a sham decree," Carme Arcarazo, a spokeswoman for the Catalan Tenants' Union, told reporters, including AFP.
"We don't want sticking plasters... we want decent housing so that what happened to Maricarmen doesn't happen again," said Arcarazo, demanding a rent freeze, indefinite contracts and anti-eviction measures.
The Socialists are holding talks with far-left junior coalition partners Sumar and an array of other parties to pass a law.
But the coalition lacks a majority in parliament, making the success of any such initiative unclear, while a similar housing bill was defeated earlier this year.

'Jungle'

Over the past decade, the average rental price per square metre in Spain has almost doubled, reaching 15.10 euros per square metre in August, according to real estate portal Idealista. 
For buyers, it now stands at 2,355 euros, an increase of more than 50 percent over the same period, according to official figures.
"It's a jungle, it's impossible to become fully independent without flat-sharing," Laura Requena, a 32-year-old teacher, told AFP at the Barcelona protest.
"We can't make ends meet while having to pay a rent," she added.
The Bank of Spain estimates the country of around 50 million people is short of 700,000 homes, based on the gap between demand and new construction.
Spain has little public housing, while rents have been driven up by increased demand, including from tourism and population growth linked to immigration, analysts say.
bur-imm/ach 

pope

Pope says concerns about AI 'should be taken seriously'

  • "If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode?
  • Pope Leo XIV on Monday warned concerns about artificial intelligence "should be taken seriously" but added he was not in "panic mode".
  • "If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode?
Pope Leo XIV on Monday warned concerns about artificial intelligence "should be taken seriously" but added he was not in "panic mode".
In wide-ranging comments, the pope also said parts of the Catholic Church had sometimes been "abusive" but said he would not call sex abuse "systemic" in the Church.
"If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode? No, I'm not. I sleep at night," he told reporters at a press conference on the plane returning from his visit to France, referring to concerns about AI.
He also defended his opposition to assisted dying, saying it was not intended to be a political position but a moral one.
Asked if he had crossed the line between church and state during his visit with his comments on assisted dying, he said: "I did not cross it".
France's parliament this year passed a law allowing assisted dying in certain cases.
The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics was returning to the Vatican after a four-day trip where he has been greeted by crowds.
The visit comes seven months before French voters choose a successor to President Emmanuel Macron, with the eurosceptic, anti-immigration far-right seeking power.

'Sit down and talk'

During his visit, the US pontiff repeatedly warned about the need to safeguard humanity against AI.
"If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment," he said.
The debate over the risks of the technology has intensified in recent months, fuelled by several incidents and apocalyptic warnings from industry professionals.
On the plane on Monday, the pope said the warnings were not "fake news, as some have said, to try and cause whether financial or some other kind of benefit".
"This is a problem that I think we need to sit down and talk about," he said, adding: "To simply say 'Oh, it's not going to happen' and close our eyes to it, I think is probably not the most responsible way to go about that".
The Vatican has in recent months stepped up its rhetoric and initiatives in support of international AI governance, particularly in the fields of nuclear technology, culture and artistic creation.

'Deeply wounded'

The visit was particularly closely watched for the relatively new pope's comments on the wave of abuse scandals that has swept the Catholic Church.
After a meeting with abuse victims in France, the pope said several of them had spoken to him "about systemic abuse in the Church".
"Personally, I prefer to express it in a different way, although I did speak about some organisations within the church who have at times, if you will, as a system, been abusive."
The pope said that abuse within the Church also meant that "people's lives of faith are deeply wounded and sometimes even destroyed.
"So there's a particular responsibility of the church to walk with them and to help them seek healing," he said.
Asked about his stance on assisted dying, the pope said that the Church was "not entering into politics".
He said the Church wanted to be close to people "in the midst of sickness or disability or pain" and "to affirm the values that life itself I think holds for all of us".
"So I would say if that's politics, I did that, but it was not to get involved in French politics," he said.
cmk/dt/ach 

Taiwan

Trump denies offering to sell arms to China's Xi

BY DANNY KEMP

  • He actually asked President Xi -- would he like to buy some?
  • US President Donald Trump on Monday denied asking Xi Jinping if he wanted to buy American weapons, countering his own envoy's claim that Trump made the offer to his Chinese counterpart.
  • He actually asked President Xi -- would he like to buy some?
US President Donald Trump on Monday denied asking Xi Jinping if he wanted to buy American weapons, countering his own envoy's claim that Trump made the offer to his Chinese counterpart.
US Ambassador to China David Perdue told Fox News on Sunday that Trump made the extraordinary offer to sell arms to the rival superpower.
"I've never heard of that one, I'm going to have to ask him," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about Purdue's comments.
"They'd probably like to buy it because we do make better equipment than them, so maybe it's a good idea. But we didn't discuss it."
Purdue had said Trump made the offer during Xi's state visit to the White House last week in response to Chinese concerns over US weapons sales to Taiwan.
"President Trump continues to say, 'Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world.' He actually asked President Xi -- would he like to buy some? -- at one point," Perdue said in an interview with Fox News.
"There are continuing conversations about other sales, (Trump) and President Xi talk about that every time they get together," Perdue said, adding that the US position has not changed. 
A US official told AFP earlier that "the US government has no plans to sell weapons to China", when asked about Purdue's remarks.
US arms sales to Taiwan, a self-ruled island which China claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force, have long been a thorny issue between Washington and Beijing.
The United States is required by law to supply Taiwan, which has a democratically elected president and legislature, with weapons for its defense.

'Negotiating chip'

The US State Department said in a statement to The New York Times that "US law prohibits arms sales to China and there is no offer or plan to sell arms to China."
The Chinese foreign ministry did not directly answer when asked about the comments on Monday. 
But it said China has "always strengthened its national defense capabilities based on its own needs, and remains committed to maintaining world peace and stability."
Trump has maintained a strategically ambiguous stance over Taiwan, refusing to say directly whether the US would come to its aid if China invades, while continuing to approve weapons sales.
Beijing warned Taiwan in June that seeking independence "by relying on the United States or through military means is a dead end."
Washington approved a $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December, which Perdue said was a sale of "more arms to Taiwan than any other president since 1979."
The US paused a $14 billion weapons purchase by Taiwan in May, with Trump calling it a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China, raising fears that Taiwan's security could be traded away.
During his Washington trip, Xi repeated his warning that Trump should show "prudence" over Taiwan, and went further to urge the United States to oppose Taiwan independence explicitly.
Trump has declined to say whether he discussed Taiwan with Xi during the visit, preferring to stress what he says is his good relationship with the Chinese leader as the two countries seek to manage their tensions.
The two leaders have met twice already this year, with Trump having traveled to Beijing in May. 
They have confirmed they will meet for a third and fourth time at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November and the G20 forum at Trump's Doral resort in Miami in December.
dk/dw

police

UK police release on bail five men held over airbase incident

BY AKSHATA KAPOOR WITH JOE JACKSON IN LONDON

  • Police said in their latest update Monday that the five men held, who all live in inner London boroughs, were being released on bail.
  • British police said Monday five men arrested near an airbase used by the United States were released on bail, as officers probed whether a "foreign state" could be involved in a suspected bomb plot.  
  • Police said in their latest update Monday that the five men held, who all live in inner London boroughs, were being released on bail.
British police said Monday five men arrested near an airbase used by the United States were released on bail, as officers probed whether a "foreign state" could be involved in a suspected bomb plot.  
US President Donald Trump, speaking in Washington, said he was "surprised that they released them", adding that "I wouldn't have done that".
The release of the five -- all London-based Britons in their mid-20s -- came as British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced an emergency meeting of top officials to ensure they have "the full picture".
Earlier, Iran had denied involvement in any plot to target the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford base in Gloucestershire, southwest England, following the security scare there early Sunday.
Here's what we know so far:

Counter-terror probe

UK counter-terror police are leading the investigation after authorities received reports Sunday of three "suspicious" white vans near the airbase, which has been used by the US to bomb Iran.
Police said in their latest update Monday that the five men held, who all live in inner London boroughs, were being released on bail.
"This does not mean the investigation is over," Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said, adding the five would be subject to "stringent" bail conditions.
He said officers were "considering this from every possible angle, including that this may be activity committed by proxies, or individuals either knowingly or unknowingly, working on behalf of a foreign state".  
The men were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and "preparation of a terrorist act" under UK anti-terrorism laws, according to police.
They had been travelling in the three suspect vehicles, which have since been subject to "extensive examination, with the support of military assets and forensic experts".
  

Bomb-disposal team

Amid huge questions about what happened, authorities have not confirmed any details of the threat, but bomb-disposal experts were seen at work at the scene.
The Daily Mail and Press Association both reported late Monday they understood from sources that tests on materials in the back of the vans established they were "not viable explosives".
A farmer living in the village of Whelford near the airbase said she rang the police after seeing the vans blocking a road and a group of masked men.
The anonymous woman told media on Monday that she believed the police had "dropped the ball" on the threat.
But UK defence minister Wes Streeting said she only had a "partial picture".

Iran denies involvement

Trump on Sunday said the UK and US had the suspects "under investigation" for a while and alleged "they were looking to do big damage to our fort". 
On Monday, after hearing news of their bail, Trump said the case "might be" linked to Iran but declined to elaborate.
Pressed to give details, Trump said: "I'd rather not. I mean I know the answer, I could be very specific, but I'd rather not say. I would not have released them."
Iran's embassy in London said on X that it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" speculation that Tehran was involved.
It criticised "the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran" to the incident.

US used base

In March, Britain gave the US permission to use Fairford for "specific defensive operations into Iran" to destroy Iranian missiles at source.
Since then, US bombers and other planes have been seen taking off and landing from the base -- the only one on Britain's mainland used for this purpose.
Residents in the rural Cotswolds area surrounding Fairford said the site, which hosts a range of US military equipment and personnel, had seen increased activity and security in recent months.
Around 85 households were evacuated from the village early Sunday, and had to stay elsewhere overnight, but were allowed back to their homes late Monday.
Tehran has previously warned London against allowing its bases to be used by the US in operations against Iran.
In March, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused London of "putting British lives in danger" by allowing the bases to be used "for aggression against Iran".
aks-ctx-adm/rmb/ach 

racism

French far-right's Bardella denies alleged 2013 antisemitic comments

BY CAMILLE MALPLAT

  • Bardella made an unprecedented visit to Israel in 2025, the first by a French far-right leader, in a bid to demonstrate the RN's new credentials.
  • A French investigative website on Monday alleged that far-right National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella made antisemitic comments in writing in 2013, but the close ally of presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen dismissed the claims as fake.
  • Bardella made an unprecedented visit to Israel in 2025, the first by a French far-right leader, in a bid to demonstrate the RN's new credentials.
A French investigative website on Monday alleged that far-right National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella made antisemitic comments in writing in 2013, but the close ally of presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen dismissed the claims as fake.
According to the report by Mediapart, Bardella wrote, among other comments, in a chat: "The Jew has to dominate other peoples, crush them, and rob them; a Zionist is necessarily a Jew, and fundamentally so." 
Bardella, 31, tipped to be prime minister if Le Pen becomes France's president, wrote on X he "formally" rejected the allegations which he described as "crude forgeries".
He later told the CNews broadcaster that his lawyer had filed a lawsuit for defamation. Bardella said he believed he was being targeted in an attempt to "destabilise the campaign" by the RN to win the French presidency and to "kill me off politically".
Mediapart's investigation is built on comments in private chats allegedly written by Bardella in the summer of 2013 when he was 17 or 18 years old. Mediapart maintains it authenticated the comments. It did not specify where the messages had been written or publish screenshots.
The young activist, who had joined the far-right party then known as the National Front (FN) a year and a half earlier, allegedly also said: "And that is what they want: a New World Order dominated by Israel, with Jerusalem as the capital, of course."
He was also alleged to have written "all the banks are owned by Jews".
Le Pen herself told reporters she believed the purported comments were "fake" and accused Mediapart, which has locked horns with the RN on multiple occasions, of "dirty tricks".
"I am, like everyone else, astonished by the violence of the antisemitic remarks attributed to Jordan Bardella, which obviously cannot be explained away even by youth," Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), told AFP.
Slamming Bardella's party as a "haven for identitarians and conspiracy theorists," he said: "You cannot claim to be fighting antisemitism on the one hand while continuing to be a haven for identitarians of all kinds, especially those who propagate antisemitic rhetoric."
Anti-discrimination minister Aurore Berge said the comments, if authenticated, were "extremely serious". 
"Their antisemitic and conspiracist nature reminds those who would like to forget it of the true nature of the far right," she added on X.

Far-right 'breakthrough'

Bardella, a savvy user of social media who projects a clean-cut image, has been a key player in Le Pen's project of "de-demonisation" to make the RN into an electable force.
Both have moved to rid it of the legacy of her father Jean-Marie Le Pen who founded and led the FN and repeatedly made antisemitic remarks. 
Bardella made an unprecedented visit to Israel in 2025, the first by a French far-right leader, in a bid to demonstrate the RN's new credentials.
The allegations emerged as Le Pen's prospects for the 2027 elections appear stronger than at any point in her previous campaigns.
A new poll Monday showed that Le Pen would lead the first round of voting to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, and suggested she could easily defeat potential rivals in the second-round run-off.
She also hailed as "historic" the RN winning enough seats in France's Senate to form a faction in the upper house chamber for the first time. Le Monde daily described it as a "breakthrough" for the movement and a "warning" for other parties.
The Toluna-Harris survey for RTL and M6 published on Monday showed that Le Pen would win around 35-36 percent in the first round of voting, scheduled for April 18, if the election were held now.
In the second round, on May 2, the poll indicated she would emerge victorious against hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) leader Jean-Luc Melenchon or centrist frontrunner Edouard Philippe.
bur-rmb/rh

EU

Pope urges Europe to help combat 'lies and deceit' in world affairs

BY CLéMENT MELKI

  • "Relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly uncivilised.
  • Pope Leo XIV wrapped up a historic four-day visit to France on Monday after warning that relations between nations were becoming increasingly uncivilised and urging Europe to help break the spiral of "lies and deceit".
  • "Relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly uncivilised.
Pope Leo XIV wrapped up a historic four-day visit to France on Monday after warning that relations between nations were becoming increasingly uncivilised and urging Europe to help break the spiral of "lies and deceit".
Speaking in the eastern city of Metz near the border with Germany, the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics did not mention any world leaders by name.
The pope sees Europe as a counterweight to major powers and has in the past called on the European Union to overcome tensions and rediscover unity in pursuit of peace in Ukraine and beyond.
Leo, the first US pontiff, has clashed with President Donald Trump in recent months over the harsh crackdown on immigration in the United States and the war on Iran. 
"Relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly uncivilised. The value of keeping one's word is dismissed. Instead, people boast of lies and deceit," Leo said in French, alongside President Emmanuel Macron and a handful of other leaders.
"Europe can help to break this cycle through the respect for others that it has learned to cultivate and preserve," Leo said, on the first official papal visit to France in nearly two decades.
Metz, which changed hands between France and Germany in past conflicts, is associated with Robert Schuman, considered one of the founding fathers of the European Union, who is buried just outside the city.
Macron saw off the pope in Metz. "We're sad that he’s leaving, but happy that everything went well," he said.

'Pope with political stand'

Throughout his trip, the pope has appeared smiling and warm, readily engaging with crowds.
"We are very pleased to have a pope who dares to take a political stand," said Isabelle Gerber, a Protestant pastor.
On Monday morning, the pontiff, who is passionate about aviation, spent half an hour in the cockpit of the Air France plane that flew him to Metz and also blessed the crews of the Rafale fighter jets escorting his aircraft.
In his speech, Leo urged "courage in negotiation" and compromise to put an end to war on the continent, in an apparent reference to Russia's war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
"Sadly, war has returned, even to Europe," he said.
"We need to commit ourselves to patient dialogue, to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace."
Vladimir Putin has shown little readiness to negotiate an end to the war against Ukraine.
Leo appealed for unity as nationalist movements are gaining strength in Europe. France's anti-immigration far right hopes to win next year's election and succeed Macron, a centrist. 
The pontiff said Europe was "entering a new stage" with the arrival of men and women fleeing war and persecution, urging countries to welcome them. 
"We must grasp the historical significance of what is taking place, namely an unprecedented encounter between peoples and cultures."
Three undocumented migrants, including a 10-year-old boy, died on Monday off the French coast while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French authorities said.
- 'Something very positive' - 
Speaking alongside the pope, Macron said Europe should counter resurgent nationalism.
Europe "must rediscover the courage of its founders -- yes, courage -- in order to become the force for peace, independence and democracy that it is meant to be," he said.
Later Monday, Leo rode in his popemobile through Metz and celebrated mass in St. Stephen's Cathedral, a jewel of Gothic architecture famous for its stained-glass windows.
Macron and his wife Brigitte attended the service. 
Citing the example of Metz, a city shaped by two world wars, Leo said in his homily that reconciliation was "only possible when one has the courage to break the chains of resentment".
Leo's visit has stirred excitement among the faithful in the secular nation with deep Catholic roots.
"Whether you're deeply religious or not, seeing so much joy is moving," Celine Denis, 53, said in Metz.
"It gives you the feeling of a truce, of something very positive in a context that is anything but positive, because everything feels anxiety-inducing."
bur-ach/rmb

SpaceX

SpaceX puts Starship megarocket in orbit for first time

BY RONALDO SCHEMIDT, WITH CHARLOTTE CAUSIT IN WASHINGTON

  • After about only three hours into the flight, SpaceX engineers made the decision to de-orbit the spacecraft into the Pacific Ocean.
  • SpaceX's Starship megarocket reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 satellites before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, reaching a major milestone for the developmental spacecraft key to Elon Musk's audacious plans.
  • After about only three hours into the flight, SpaceX engineers made the decision to de-orbit the spacecraft into the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX's Starship megarocket reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 satellites before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, reaching a major milestone for the developmental spacecraft key to Elon Musk's audacious plans.
The black-and-silver behemoth, standing more than 120 meters (131 yards) tall, blasted off from SpaceX's Texas base early Monday morning with the aim of reaching orbit and spending about 10 hours circling Earth.
Following the successful separation and splashdown of the Super Heavy booster, the Starship upper stage reached orbit -- but only after some engine trouble raised doubts the mission would proceed.
"Starship is orbital," a member of the launch team said on a livestream, with cheers ringing out among assembled SpaceX staff.
Minutes later, the spaceship began deploying next-generation Starlink satellites, adding to the massive satellite internet constellation that represents a major revenue stream for the now-publicly traded company.
After about only three hours into the flight, SpaceX engineers made the decision to de-orbit the spacecraft into the Pacific Ocean.
The livestream showed the upright upper stage rapidly gliding back down through the atmosphere before the engines re-lit, slowing its descent into the water.
After touching down vertically, the Starship appeared to sink onto its side and was engulfed by a large explosion.
Musk intends for Starship to one day be rapidly reusable, landing on platforms that will catch the rocket before it touches the ground or water.

More challenges ahead

After several years of development and testing in Texas, SpaceX began flying Starship in its full configuration in 2023 and has since made numerous modifications through the successes and failures of its tests.
But enormous technical challenges remain before Starship can fulfill Musk's dreams of reaching the Moon and even Mars -- including proving the ship can be refueled in orbit.
NASA is also betting on using a modified version of Starship for missions to return US astronauts to the lunar surface.
Kathleen Curlee, a senior analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, told AFP that Monday's test was not "super successful" but did make significant progress.
"It's an achievement for achieving flight and getting into orbit, but from SpaceX's own metrics and goals, they did not accomplish a 10 hour flight and did have the engine trouble," she said.

Public expectations

The plan had called for the rocket to finish its journey in the Pacific Ocean after six orbits, but it ultimately only made two trips around the Earth.
The huge first-stage booster meanwhile landed in the waters off of Texas, with SpaceX choosing not to attempt to return it to base.
The company has previously successfully caught the booster back at the base with the launchpad's so-called "chopstick" arms.
From an engineering point of view, "just achieving flight and getting data" would be considered a  success, Curlee said ahead of the launch.
But spectators and investors have different expectations.
"They need to have flashy tests" because anything less would be seen as a failure, she added.
The development of Starship has faced repeated delays, and a Chinese company has recently made progress in the field of reusable rockets.
Still, SpaceX continues to dominate the global space launch market, thanks to its partially reusable Falcon rockets, and has made risk-taking its mantra.
Highlighting its frontrunner status, the Starship test will be followed this week by three other SpaceX rocket launches, one of which will carry a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station.
cha-pnb-des/bgs

climate

France puts out largest wildfire since 1949

  • The blaze was the largest recorded in France since a 1949 wildfire in the same region that burned about 50,000 hectares. 
  • A wildfire that scorched 42,000 hectares in southwest France has finally been declared extinguished, two months after the country's largest blaze since 1949 broke out, authorities said Monday.
  • The blaze was the largest recorded in France since a 1949 wildfire in the same region that burned about 50,000 hectares. 
A wildfire that scorched 42,000 hectares in southwest France has finally been declared extinguished, two months after the country's largest blaze since 1949 broke out, authorities said Monday.
The fire erupted in July near the village of Saumos in the Gironde region and forced the evacuation of around 224,000 people as it threatened both the tourist peninsula of Cap-Ferret and the outskirts of Bordeaux. 
"The Saumos forest fire, which burned 42,000 hectares this summer, including 37,296 hectares destroyed, is now extinguished," state services wrote in a statement, adding no deaths had been reported.
The blaze was put under control on August 1, but continued to smoulder underground for weeks before finally being declared out.
More than 3,300 firefighters took part in the operation, which officials described as the largest firefighting effort in modern French civil security history. 
The blaze was the largest recorded in France since a 1949 wildfire in the same region that burned about 50,000 hectares. 
France has seen around 98,000 hectares destroyed by wildfires this year, the highest level since 1976, according to provisional figures. 
jed/hj/ial/rh/pdw

Palestinians

Netherlands regrets Israel retaliation in settlements row

BY LIESA PAUWELS

  • Israel retaliated after Dutch authorities began implementing a ban on imports of any products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
  • The Netherlands said Monday it regretted Israel's decision to revoke accreditation of Dutch diplomats based in the West Bank, the latest retaliation by Israel to mounting Western pressure over settlements.
  • Israel retaliated after Dutch authorities began implementing a ban on imports of any products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The Netherlands said Monday it regretted Israel's decision to revoke accreditation of Dutch diplomats based in the West Bank, the latest retaliation by Israel to mounting Western pressure over settlements.
Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and exerts power over diplomats' entry into the Palestinian territory, on Monday ordered Dutch officials to surrender their diplomatic privileges.
"I deeply regret this unnecessary decision," Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said.
Israel retaliated after Dutch authorities began implementing a ban on imports of any products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
In later comments after meeting his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, Berendsen told reporters he would summon the Israeli ambassador to "talk about the details of the measures and the impact on our diplomats, who have to leave within seven days".
Berendsen said Dutch authorities were still assessing how many diplomats were affected by the sanctions. 
The exports decision, Berendsen said, was "not directed against Israel" but rather "the obligation, under international law, not to contribute to an unlawful situation: the illegal settlements".
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, announcing the move on Sunday, vowed: "Any country that acts in a hostile and one-sided manner against Israel will lose its influence and relevance in the region."
"If the Netherlands wishes to continue representing its interests vis-a-vis the Palestinians, it may do so from the territory of the Palestinian Authority and not from the territory of the State of Israel," he said.
Israel controls entry points into the West Bank and the Oslo peace accords in the 1990s gave Israel control over diplomatic accreditation in the Palestinian territories.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the move, saying Israel was trying to "reduce the international and diplomatic presence in Palestine so that it can carry out its crimes without witnesses".
"The State of Palestine affirms that Dutch diplomats are welcome on the territory of the occupied State of Palestine, and that Israel has no sovereignty over any part of the land of the State of Palestine," the foreign ministry said.
- Rising tensions - 
The Dutch government imposed the sanctions in July amid increasing attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and talk by Israeli politicians of formally annexing the territory.
Britain, France and Canada also announced in early September they would impose sanctions on trade from Israeli settlements. Israel responded by ordering the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem.
Ahead of Israeli elections on October 27, opposition figure Yair Lapid, a centrist former prime minister, said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bore responsibility for the "anti-Israel wave".
"The fact that Israelis landing in the Netherlands are having their bags rummaged through and products from the settlements confiscated is a diplomatic failure unlike anything we have seen before," Lapid said, promising improved diplomacy but not mentioning a change in policy on settlements.
The United Nations says extremist settlers have been responsible for an average of six attacks per day on Palestinians and Palestinian property in the West Bank in 2026.
Palestinians have also attacked Israelis, with a Palestinian shooting dead a settler last week and a car-ramming attack seriously injuring the soldier son of the Israeli ambassador to Washington.
burs-lpa/ric/pdw

Labour

UK to reopen refugee resettlement scheme to push 'safe' migration

  • The scheme will be relaunched immediately, and along with three new "community" refugee sponsorship routes previously announced, is initially expected to welcome hundreds of applicants, according to the interior ministry.
  • UK interior minister Shabana Mahmood announced Monday the reopening of a scheme for refugees to settle in Britain as part of a renewed focus on "safe and legal routes" for vulnerable people to reach the country.
  • The scheme will be relaunched immediately, and along with three new "community" refugee sponsorship routes previously announced, is initially expected to welcome hundreds of applicants, according to the interior ministry.
UK interior minister Shabana Mahmood announced Monday the reopening of a scheme for refugees to settle in Britain as part of a renewed focus on "safe and legal routes" for vulnerable people to reach the country.
The scheme will be relaunched immediately, and along with three new "community" refugee sponsorship routes previously announced, is initially expected to welcome hundreds of applicants, according to the interior ministry.
Mahmood formally unveiled the plan in a speech at the ruling Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool, when she said "fairness" would be integral to the government's immigration agenda.
It comes amid pushback from some within centre-left Labour over a series of hardline policies aimed at both tightening the rules for migrants arriving via legal routes while curbing asylum-seeker numbers coming by irregular means.
To be run in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), it follows the closure of an Afghan resettlement route last year.
The planned changes include contentious proposals to make some legal migrants wait years longer than under current rules before they can apply to settle permanently in the UK.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, an influential figure within Labour, said in a newspaper interview last week that she was concerned about some of the plans because they "change the goalposts".
Around a quarter of applicants to the reopened resettlement scheme are expected to be Afghan women and girls and Palestinians, Mahmood told the Labour conference.
"We will take vulnerable refugees from across the world and give them the chance of a new and better life here in Britain with the first arrivals this year," she said.
Within days, charities and nonprofits will be able to apply to become sponsors of refugees, with the first arrivals under this route expected in around a year's time.
The numbers arriving under the legal programmes "will grow into the low thousands as levels of illegal migration fall", according to the ministry, which noted an annual cap will be set.
"I know that the British people have not given up on their belief that we should be compassionate, live up to our international obligations, and save the lives of those fleeing war and persecution," Mahmood said.
"But I also know this process must be capped and controlled, with communities ready and able to welcome those who come here."
jj-pdh/jkb/pdw

climate

Trump admin finalizes reversal of US fuel economy standards

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • "Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we have finally ended the illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn't want," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
  • President Donald Trump's administration on Monday finalized its rollback of US fuel economy standards that were meant to spur the transition towards electric vehicles and reduce planet-warming emissions from transport, the country's biggest source of greenhouse gases.
  • "Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we have finally ended the illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn't want," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
President Donald Trump's administration on Monday finalized its rollback of US fuel economy standards that were meant to spur the transition towards electric vehicles and reduce planet-warming emissions from transport, the country's biggest source of greenhouse gases.
The new standards require a fleet average fuel economy of 34.9 miles per gallon (6.74 liters per 100 kilometers) by model year 2031 -- a figure that the rule's own data shows was already achieved two years ago.
"Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we have finally ended the illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn't want," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
The statement said the rule change would reduce the average cost of new vehicles by $1,300, save $138 billion over the next five years, and "prevent more than 300,000 serious injuries and save 1,900 lives by encouraging new car sales."
The change was hailed by Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a lobby group that includes Detroit and international carmakers.
"The standards finalized under the previous administration effectively required a switchover to electric vehicles that was out of step with market realities and customer demand. Today's final rule is an appropriate course correction," said John Bozzella, the group's president and CEO.

EV incentive rollback

It is the latest step under Trump and his Republican allies to undo incentives for automakers to produce electric cars, at a time when China is dominating the global market. 
Earlier this year, the administration ended federal limits on greenhouse gas emissions from cars, while Congress last year repealed EV tax credits, and blocked California from banning the sale of new gasoline cars from 2035.
The rule revises the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, created in 1975 in response to the Arab oil embargo, which require vehicles to achieve the "maximum feasible" mileage per gallon. 
The rule change was partly symbolic: Biden-era updates to CAFE had been rendered toothless after the Republicans' "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" of 2025 zeroed out the penalties for automakers failing to meet the standards. 
But because the new rule retroactively lowers standards to model year 2022, automakers will earn credits for having beaten the weaker targets over the past four years -- a cushion should a future government move to increase standards.
Environmental critics hit out. 
"The standards that Trump is gutting represent the biggest single step any nation has ever taken to cut gas consumption, save consumers money at the pump and cut global warming pollution," Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's Safe Climate Transport Campaign, told AFP. 
The nonprofit has vowed to sue, arguing the administration's action unlawfully excludes the feasibility of clean technology and the millions of fuel-efficient cars already on the road.
The United States is the world's second-biggest emitter of planet-heating gases.
Biden's administration had set a target of 50.4 mpg by the year 2031, which it calculated would have saved 64 billion gallons of gas through the year 2050 and, even before the present price hike caused by the war against Iran, delivered $35 billion in savings to consumers.
ia/des

kidnapping

Dozens kidnapped in two weekend attacks in northern Nigeria

  • On Saturday, at least 47 farmers were abducted by armed men while harvesting peanuts in Niger state, and on Sunday, 40 women were kidnapped in the neighbouring state of Zamfara, according to two security reports seen by AFP and a local source.
  • More than 80 people, mostly women, were missing Monday after being abducted by armed gangs in two separate weekend attacks in northern Nigeria, the latest mass kidnappings to rock the country. 
  • On Saturday, at least 47 farmers were abducted by armed men while harvesting peanuts in Niger state, and on Sunday, 40 women were kidnapped in the neighbouring state of Zamfara, according to two security reports seen by AFP and a local source.
More than 80 people, mostly women, were missing Monday after being abducted by armed gangs in two separate weekend attacks in northern Nigeria, the latest mass kidnappings to rock the country. 
Gunmen on motorcycles -- members of gangs specialising in ransom kidnappings and cattle rustling, locally known as "bandits" -- have for years terrorised rural communities in northwestern and central Nigeria. 
On Saturday, at least 47 farmers were abducted by armed men while harvesting peanuts in Niger state, and on Sunday, 40 women were kidnapped in the neighbouring state of Zamfara, according to two security reports seen by AFP and a local source.
Bandits regularly carry out bloody raids on villages, killing residents and torching homes after looting them. 
Jihadists in Nigeria also use kidnapping as a money-making tactic and have at times collaborated with bandit gangs -- though the latter are motivated by money more than ideology, sometimes leading to clashes between the groups.
A local source said the 47 farmers, most of them women, were taken from their farms in Rimi, an agricultural community in the Mariga area of Niger state. 
A security report prepared for humanitarian groups and seen by AFP confirmed the attack, without giving a toll.
The women kidnapped on Sunday were taken from Yargada, in the Gusau area of Zamfara, according to a security report prepared for the UN and seen by AFP. 
Adamu Lawwali, a resident of Magama Mairake, said his village and neighbouring Maikogo were also hit in the Yargada raid.
"The bandits have been burning homes in Magama Mairake since yesterday up till this moment," he told AFP, adding the death toll wouldn't be known until survivors could return to assess the situation.
Lawwali and Umar Abdullahi, a Magami resident, said the attack was carried out in reprisal after local vigilantes had killed a number of bandits.
Both men said the actual toll from the kidnapping was likely higher.

Elections on the horizon

Kidnapping has become a key source of income for criminal groups in Africa's most populous nation.
According to research from SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, armed groups raised some 7.8 billion naira -- nearly $6 million -- in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026, more than triple the 2.6 billion naira paid during the same period last year.
Security, along with the rising cost of living, is set to be a major issue in January's presidential elections.
While the government has touted successes against the country's various armed groups -- including the killing of a major Islamic State group leader earlier this year with US military support -- violence is worsening, according to researchers.
Last week, communities in Niger state attacked by jihadists protested when the governor said only a few dozen were taken in a mass kidnapping. 
Locals put the number at nearly 550.
The jihadist insurgency is concentrated in the northeast, though that attack was near the western border with Benin -- an area that has seen increased activity by local armed groups and militants from the neighbouring Sahel as the conflict has splintered.
abu-strs-fvl/nro/cw

conflict

Seoul says North Korean mines 'highly suspected' as cause of DMZ blast

BY KANG JIN-KYU

  • And while South Korean landmines have a lethal radius of around 20 metres or more, the blast radius of the mines that exploded last week was relatively small, it added.
  • A blast that injured three South Korean military officers inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) last week was likely caused by North Korean landmines, Seoul's military said Monday.
  • And while South Korean landmines have a lethal radius of around 20 metres or more, the blast radius of the mines that exploded last week was relatively small, it added.
A blast that injured three South Korean military officers inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) last week was likely caused by North Korean landmines, Seoul's military said Monday.
The DMZ is a 248-kilometre (154-mile) long and roughly four-kilometre (2.5-mile) wide buffer zone that has divided the Korean Peninsula since the 1953 armistice.
While the zone itself is officially demilitarised, its northern and southern boundaries are among the world's most heavily fortified frontiers and remain littered with landmines.
With no peace treaty signed, Seoul and Pyongyang technically remain at war.
The preliminary findings of a joint probe with the United Nations Command into the September 21 explosion suggested that "recently planted mines" were involved, Kwon Dae-won, vice chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a live briefing.
"The mines exploded at a location about 10 metres (33 feet) south of the Military Demarcation Line, and we have confirmed that the site was about 10 metres from an area where changes in the terrain were observed and where North Korean forces are believed to have recently planted mines," he said.
"Taking into account the crater and the pattern of the flames from the explosion, the extent of the injuries sustained by the service members... we assess that North Korean landmines are highly suspected to have caused the blast."
Kwon said two landmines exploded and that a third, unexploded mine was found while soldiers were withdrawing after the blast.
The three officers suffered severe injuries in the explosion, including one who lost his foot.
 
- 'All options on the table' - 
 
The ongoing investigation found that while the exploded landmines used TNT -- a substance also used in South Korean mines -- they displayed characteristics different from domestic landmines, including the absence of "metal fragments", the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
And while South Korean landmines have a lethal radius of around 20 metres or more, the blast radius of the mines that exploded last week was relatively small, it added.
Once completed, should the probe conclude that nuclear-armed Pyongyang was responsible, "North Korea would bear full responsibility for the incident, and our military will take appropriate and corresponding measures," Kwon said, without giving further details.
Whether the North Korean mines were deliberately planted or had drifted would be determined by the final investigation, said Joint Chiefs of Staff director of operations Yang Jin-hyeok.
"All necessary options are on the table" in deciding what measures to take once final results are available, he told the briefing.
South Korea and the UN Command have inspected the area inside the DMZ where the incident took place.
Since 2024, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un designated South Korea as his country's "principal enemy", Pyongyang's military has laid mines and built anti-tank barriers along the frontier as part of efforts to permanently seal it off.
Landmine incidents have previously heightened tensions between the two Koreas.
In 2015, two South Korean soldiers were seriously wounded when a landmine exploded on the southern side of the DMZ, with one losing both legs.
Seoul concluded that North Korean troops had crossed the Military Demarcation Line to plant the mines, an accusation Pyongyang denied.
The incident prompted South Korea to resume anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts along the border.
kjk/ami

migration

Boy among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossing accident: French authorities

BY LAURA SALABERT AND BERNARD BARRON

  • Including the latest deaths, at least 22 people have died this year trying to cross the Channel, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.
  • Three undocumented migrants, including a 10-year-old boy, died on Monday off the French coast while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French authorities said.
  • Including the latest deaths, at least 22 people have died this year trying to cross the Channel, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.
Three undocumented migrants, including a 10-year-old boy, died on Monday off the French coast while trying to cross the Channel to Britain, French authorities said.
France has long been a staging post for asylum seekers without visas hoping to cross the sea to Britain.
They pay smugglers thousands of dollars to board unstable and often overcrowded rubber dinghies to make the hazardous illegal journey across one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
The dinghy left the area of Sangatte in northern France at around 5:15 am (0315 GMT) carrying 105 people, local prefect Francois Xavier Lauch said.
Its passengers called rescue services at around 8:00 am when they were some six kilometres (nearly four miles) off the English coast, he added.
Two women in their thirties and a 10-year-old boy who were believed to be Eritrean died, seemingly in a crush as the dinghy was carrying too many people, he said.
The boy appeared to have been travelling with his mother and siblings.
Including the latest deaths, at least 22 people have died this year trying to cross the Channel, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.
At least 29 lost their lives last year, according to the same tally.

'Most dangerous' time for crossings

All other passengers on board asked to be rescued and were taken into care, the maritime prefecture said earlier, adding that the dinghy had not sunk.
Survivors disembarked a rescue boat at the French port of Calais in the mid-morning, some on stretchers and in wheelchairs, many wrapped in emergency blankets, an AFP correspondent said. Children were among them.
"These days of autumn, when the weather is still good but the sea is already starting to become dangerous" are delicate periods, the prefect said.
"It is during these times that crossings are the most dangerous," he said.
Three bodies were found last week after chaotic so-called "taxi boat" departures of this kind in northern France.
"Taxi boat" refers to a dinghy that approaches the beach from the sea to pick up migrants in shallow waters off the beach.
Successive British governments have grappled with how to curb the crossings, a sensitive political issue in the United Kingdom, where the hard-right Reform UK party has surged in popularity by encouraging growing anti-immigration sentiment.
A total of 781 people arrived in Britain on Wednesday after crossing the Channel on small boats -- a daily record for 2026 -- although overall numbers remain below previous years.
As of Sunday, some 19,135 people had crossed the Channel from France so far in 2026, down 42 percent year-on-year.
las-cnp/ah/gil

conflict

Wartime Ukraine works to keep its railways on track

BY ISABEL MALSANG

  • Repairing damaged locomotives is difficult because parts are becoming harder to find, said Pokotylo.
  • Oleksandr Pokotylo is the chief engineer at the Poltava Locomotive Repair Plant and it's his job to help keep Ukraine's trains running -- a difficult task when they are increasingly the target of Russian attacks.
  • Repairing damaged locomotives is difficult because parts are becoming harder to find, said Pokotylo.
Oleksandr Pokotylo is the chief engineer at the Poltava Locomotive Repair Plant and it's his job to help keep Ukraine's trains running -- a difficult task when they are increasingly the target of Russian attacks.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, "at least 500 locomotives" have been destroyed by drones and missiles, he told AFP at the recent InnoTrans trade fair in the German capital, Berlin.
"Today in Ukraine, it's hard for us," he said. "But we are still working."
The head of Ukrainian Railways, Oleksandr Pertsovsky, earlier this month said there was a "virtually continuous campaign of strikes against the railway", with attacks getting worse each week.
Air links have been suspended since the start of the war, making trains a vital link not just for civilians and foreign diplomats but for soldiers, military equipment and freight cargo.
In Berlin, brochures for Pokotylo's company PTRZ proudly show rows of gleaming locomotives in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.
The lack of locomotives is a "huge problem" for the country, he added. "We're starting to repair older locomotives just to keep the system running."
- New orders - 
French manufacturer Alstom is due to deliver some 55 new locomotives, funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank, to Ukraine but not before next year.
The head of Alstom France, Frederic Wiscart, who was also in Berlin, told AFP that the Traxx Hauler locomotives dedicated to freight were being assembled at the Belfort plant in eastern France.
Production began in 2025, he added.
In the meantime, Ukraine's engineers are having to get mechanically creative in the workshop to keep the network on track, including the use of older stock.
Repairing damaged locomotives is difficult because parts are becoming harder to find, said Pokotylo.
Next to him at the Ukrainian railways companies stand in Berlin, Anna Shevtsiv, head of the equipment manufacturer Striy Avto in Lviv, said "life goes on" in the west of the country.
Striy Avto's 250 employees produce train seats and gangways, supplying most of the country's carriages on tender from Ukrainian Railways.
In her notebook, Shevtsiv stapled business cards from contacts made at the trade fair, including Polish and Latvian buyers, and even an American entrepreneur from Pennsylvania who wanted to source train seats.
Her two factories have been fitted with industrial-sized generators.
"Whenever there is a blackout we can still work, it does not stop," she added.

'War is our life now'

Mariia Moroz said she is moving heaven and earth to try to save the railway industry in her home city of Kharkiv, in Ukraine's east, less than 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Russian border.
The group of 26 firms that she works for aim to construct an underground factory able to withstand the drones and missiles that regularly rain down on the city.
"We have underground schools already, why not a plant?" she said.
Building it began last year and it is 10 percent complete, thanks to funding from Norway, but finance is lacking.
At the current rate, the underground facility could be up and running in five to 10 years, she estimated.
"My goal is to make people understand that they should not be scared... Kharkiv is always bombed. War is our life now... we create new technology, we create new ideas," she added.
im/abb/abx/phz/pdw

flood

Thailand floods affect hundreds of thousands, eight dead in Myanmar

BY LAPYAE KO AND THANAPORN PROMYAMYAI

  • In neighbouring Myanmar, rescuers said heavy floods and landslides in the southern region of Tanintharyi had killed at least eight people, with up to 30 more missing.
  • Heavy rains have killed eight people in Thailand since mid-September, the government said Monday as Bangkok battled flooding for a fourth consecutive day, with at least eight more confirmed dead in neighbouring Myanmar.
  • In neighbouring Myanmar, rescuers said heavy floods and landslides in the southern region of Tanintharyi had killed at least eight people, with up to 30 more missing.
Heavy rains have killed eight people in Thailand since mid-September, the government said Monday as Bangkok battled flooding for a fourth consecutive day, with at least eight more confirmed dead in neighbouring Myanmar.
The casualties in Thailand have occurred in three eastern provinces since September 16, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with none reported in the capital.
More than 500,000 households and 1.7 million people across 27 provinces have been impacted by floods in Thailand after an intense weather system hit the region, it said.
In Bangkok, schools were closed and authorities urged people to work from home where possible -- a call that many heeded, with roads and public transport networks noticeably quieter.
More than 80,000 people were unable to leave their homes on Monday, the interior ministry said, including residents of one apartment complex in the eastern Bang Kapi district.
"We can't go outside. The water level is so high -– it would come up to neck level for tall people," Suranee Panoh, who manages a flat in the complex, told AFP.
They have had no electricity since water rushed in early on Saturday morning, flooding the carpark and turning the central courtyard into a lake filled with floating rubbish.
"It's extremely difficult," said 32-year-old Suranee.
With no running water, residents put out plastic buckets to collect rainwater, which they used to wash.
Yanika Luangcharoen, 44, who lives there with her parents and two cats, said they have been relying on food handouts and using candles for light.
"We weren't prepared at all. We only knew it was going to rain, but there was no warning whatsoever," she told AFP reporters who visited by boat.
"I never thought I'd become a flood victim. I've never experienced anything like this," she added, saying that during devastating floods in 2011, they were not even affected.
But signs of life returned to other parts of the neighbourhood on Monday, with vendors setting up stalls in a street that has become a murky river.
Buyers glided past in boats or pushed shopping trolleys through the floodwater, while one shopper pulled along an inflated swimming pool which he used to keep his purchases dry.
 

Myanmar teens killed

 
Bangkok authorities declared a city-wide disaster on Saturday after almost 48 hours of heavy rain, while flooding was also reported in parts of eastern Thailand.
In neighbouring Myanmar, rescuers said heavy floods and landslides in the southern region of Tanintharyi had killed at least eight people, with up to 30 more missing.
Three of the recovered bodies were teenagers who had gathered at a local monastery on Sunday.
They were swept away by a landslide that hit their village, burying 18 buildings, according to local volunteer Hein Htet, in Launglon township.
"There are still people and villages in the danger zone with continued rainfall," he warned.
Myanmar's civil war often makes the scale of natural disasters hard for humanitarian organisations to judge, as well as complicating relief efforts.
"We are inundated not only with the scale of the flood but also with the lack of resources. This is a natural disaster in the conflict area," said Hein Htet.
 

'Up to a week'

 
September is the peak of Thailand's rainy season, but many Bangkok residents said this year's floods seemed worse than previous ones.
Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as global warming accelerates because of fossil fuel emissions.
The city is built on former marshlands and is intersected by a network of canals, many of them heavily flooded by the rains.
Pumping stations have been operating at full capacity for days, but Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said Sunday it could take "up to a week" for the waters to fully drain.
Thousands of residents have decamped to temporary shelters.
"I was so shocked, things happened so quickly," said Samran, a retiree whose building was flooded, asking AFP not to publish his family name.
"I have drinking water but I do not have water for my toilet," he said, saying he had to use a bucket to pull water up through the window to his second-floor apartment.
bur-ar/sco/ami

EU

Pope urges Europe to help combat 'deceit and lies' in international ties

BY ANNA SMOLCHENKO, TONI CERDA AND CLEMENT MELKI

  • "Relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly uncivilised.
  • Pope Leo XIV warned on Monday that relations between nations were becoming increasingly uncivilised with people boasting of "lies and deceit", urging Europe to help break the cycle and foster respect in international ties.
  • "Relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly uncivilised.
Pope Leo XIV warned on Monday that relations between nations were becoming increasingly uncivilised with people boasting of "lies and deceit", urging Europe to help break the cycle and foster respect in international ties.
Speaking in the city of Metz near the border with Germany, where he was wrapping up a four-day visit to France, Leo did not mention any world leaders by name.
The pope sees Europe as a counterweight to major powers and has in the past called on the European Union to overcome tensions and rediscover unity in pursuit of peace in Ukraine and beyond.
Leo, the first US pontiff, has repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump in recent months over the harsh crackdown on immigration in the United States and the war on Iran. 
Trump has called him "weak" on crime and "terrible" on foreign policy.
"Relations between individuals and states are becoming increasingly uncivilised. The value of keeping one's word is dismissed. Instead, people boast of lies and deceit," the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics said, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
"Europe can help to break this cycle through the respect for others that it has learned to cultivate and preserve," Leo said, on the first official papal visit to France in nearly two decades.
Throughout his trip, the pope has appeared smiling and warm, readily engaging with crowds.
On Monday morning, the pontiff, who is passionate about aviation, spent half an hour in the cockpit of the Air France plane that flew him to the city on the final leg of the apostolic journey, Air France told AFP.

'Force for peace'

Metz is closely associated with Robert Schuman, considered one of the founding fathers of the European Union, who is buried just outside the city.
In his speech on unity in Europe, Leo also urged "courage in negotiation" and compromise to put an end to war on the continent, in an apparent reference to Russia's war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year and showing no sign of abating.
"Today, sadly, war has returned, even to Europe: a new 'senseless slaughter,' claiming countless civilian lives every day," he said.
"We need to commit ourselves to patient dialogue, to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace," the pontiff added.
Leo appealed for unity as nationalist movements are gaining strength in Europe. France's anti-immigration far right hopes to win next year's election and succeed Macron, a centrist. 
The pontiff said Europe was "entering a new stage" with the arrival of men and women fleeing war and persecution, urging countries to welcome and integrate them. 
"We must grasp the historical significance of what is taking place, namely an unprecedented encounter between peoples and cultures, which calls us to rediscover our roots in new and creative ways, while at the same time listening carefully to others."
Macron for his part said Europe should counter resurgent nationalism.
Europe "must rediscover the courage of its founders -- yes, courage -- in order to become the force for peace, independence, and democracy that it is meant to be," he said.
"The courage not to give in to withdrawal, to hatred of others, to the return of nationalisms that divide," he said.
- 'Something has changed' - 
Leo has repeatedly called for peace, a message shaped in part by his family history.
His father, Louis Marius Prevost, who served in the US Navy, witnessed war firsthand, taking part in the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944.
In Metz, home to around 120,000 people, the pope's visit had sparked excitement, with hotels fully booked and restaurants reporting a surge in reservations.
"This is his fourth day in France, and you can feel that something has changed in the atmosphere," said Florence Prieur, 45.
"We're seeing more kindness and more joy."
Philippe Ballot, archbishop of Metz, said the visit carried strong symbolic significance in a city shaped by "three wars, including two world wars".
bur-as/ah/st

hurricane

Hurricane Polo approaches Mexico, threatens severe damage

BY JAVIER TOVAR

  • The hurricane is expected to make a second landfall in northwestern Mexico on Monday or Tuesday, the NHC said.
  • Hurricane Polo is expected to make landfall on Monday in a small town off Mexico's Pacific coast, where authorities expect heavy rain and severe damage.
  • The hurricane is expected to make a second landfall in northwestern Mexico on Monday or Tuesday, the NHC said.
Hurricane Polo is expected to make landfall on Monday in a small town off Mexico's Pacific coast, where authorities expect heavy rain and severe damage.
Puerto San Carlos, a small fishing port of nearly 6,000 people, lies in the path of the hurricane, which is a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The NHC said "life-threatening winds and flash floods" were expected across Mexico's Baja California Sur and Sonora states on Monday and Tuesday. 
Only a handful of homes and businesses in Puerto San Carlos, which is in Baja California Sur, had wooden boards up to protect doors and windows on Sunday.
"Let's hope it doesn't hit so hard," Marta Maldonado, a 62-year-old waitress at a seaside restaurant with no protection, told AFP.
"Tomorrow they'll surely put up some boards," she said.
The hurricane is expected to make a second landfall in northwestern Mexico on Monday or Tuesday, the NHC said.
Mexico gets hit by hurricanes every year, both on the Pacific coast and the Atlantic coast, usually between May and November.
The El Nino weather pattern has intensified this year's storm season.
The cyclical climate phenomenon raises surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and causes global changes in winds and rainfall as well as erratic weather conditions.
jt/ahg/lkd/pnb

NKorea

Seoul summons Ukraine envoy in row over North Korean POWs

BY HIEUN SHIN AND KANG JIN-KYU

  • South Korea's foreign ministry said it had "summoned Andrii Vieshkin, charge d'affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy... and conveyed the government's serious concerns regarding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war".
  • South Korea summoned Ukraine's envoy in Seoul on Monday to express "serious concerns" over Kyiv's disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to the South, saying the operation should have been kept confidential.
  • South Korea's foreign ministry said it had "summoned Andrii Vieshkin, charge d'affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy... and conveyed the government's serious concerns regarding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war".
South Korea summoned Ukraine's envoy in Seoul on Monday to express "serious concerns" over Kyiv's disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to the South, saying the operation should have been kept confidential.
The move followed Seoul's demand for an apology from Ukraine for denying an agreement to keep the transfer from the public.
The intensifying dispute risks complicating Kyiv's efforts to obtain weapons from allies including South Korea to fight off bombardments from Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed last week that his country had sent two North Korean soldiers to the South, saying they were "not easy to capture alive".
South Korea's foreign ministry said it had "summoned Andrii Vieshkin, charge d'affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy... and conveyed the government's serious concerns regarding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war".
Expressing "strong regret", the ministry said Kyiv had "unilaterally revealed" the transfers without prior consultations or explanation.
Kyiv's actions "seriously undermine trust between the two governments and risk damaging friendly bilateral relations", it said.
Hours after Zelensky's remarks at the United Nations, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung expressed his dismay.
"I do not know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing," he wrote on X.
Seoul said confidentiality was key to protecting the POWs' relatives from any repercussions in North Korea.
"The families left behind in the North could face severe punishment," Cho Seong-ryoul, a former policy adviser to the presidential national security office, told AFP.
In a statement to AFP on Monday, the foreign ministry said that "as the matter concerns the personal safety of the individuals involved and their families, the two sides had agreed to handle it confidentially".
Zelensky's aide Dmytro Lytvyn sought to play down the disclosure, saying that the president did not share any personal details.
Ukraine is an "open country" and it would be unusual to hand over the prisoners in secret, he added.
But Seoul condemned the decision, noting that Zelensky's press office had denied there was a confidentiality agreement.
The South Korean presidential office has demanded "an official explanation and apology", said Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, in a statement late Sunday, adding that Seoul was "considering additional measures that may be necessary regarding this matter".

'Backlash'

Ukraine captured the two North Korean soldiers early last year among Pyongyang's troops fighting for Moscow.
One of them told South Korean media he was conscripted aged 17 and had served in a reconnaissance unit.
A South Korean lawmaker had previously said the pair wanted to live a "normal life" in the South.
Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said Kyiv's disclosure may have sparked concern that it could feed into Pyongyang's antipathy towards South Korea.
Since taking power in June 2025, Lee has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions.
The South Korean president "appears to be taking a 'low-key' approach as he is mindful of a possible backlash from North Korea," said Park.
"North Korea has been using the deployed soldiers to create a heroic narrative for regime propaganda, and the South Korean government appears concerned that confirming the prisoners' return to the South and publicising it could further fuel hostility towards Seoul," he said.
The row also risks complicating Kyiv's requests to Seoul for armaments supplies.
South Korea has so far not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing a domestic ban on militarily aiding countries at war.
Nevertheless, it has been considering requests for defensive weapons, especially since North Korea deployed troops to support Russia.
The incident "has dealt a significant blow to the relationship of trust between South Korea and Ukraine", Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, told AFP.
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US

Colombian police capture wife, daughter of Ecuador drug lord

  • His wife Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez and daughter Michelle Jamileth Macias Penarrieta, who are wanted in Ecuador for money laundering, were arrested in northeastern Colombia in an operation involving the FBI and Ecuadorian authorities, De la Espriella said.
  • Colombian police have arrested the wife and daughter of one of Ecuador's most powerful drug lords who was extradited to the United States last year, President Abelardo de la Espriella said Sunday.
  • His wife Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez and daughter Michelle Jamileth Macias Penarrieta, who are wanted in Ecuador for money laundering, were arrested in northeastern Colombia in an operation involving the FBI and Ecuadorian authorities, De la Espriella said.
Colombian police have arrested the wife and daughter of one of Ecuador's most powerful drug lords who was extradited to the United States last year, President Abelardo de la Espriella said Sunday.
Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito," is the leader of Los Choneros, a notorious Ecuadorian gang with ties to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel.
His wife Inda Mariela Penarrieta Tuarez and daughter Michelle Jamileth Macias Penarrieta, who are wanted in Ecuador for money laundering, were arrested in northeastern Colombia in an operation involving the FBI and Ecuadorian authorities, De la Espriella said.
He said Ecuadorian authorities were investigating the women for "using shell companies to launder the organization's (Los Choneros') money."
"I will gladly send them to my good friend, President Daniel Noboa, so they can answer to Ecuadorian justice," De la Espriella said in a post on X.
"That's how we work, Abelardo: together and with results," his Ecuadorian counterpart replied on the same platform.
Macias was captured and extradited to the US last year, after escaping from a prison in Ecuador's port city of Guayaquil in 2024.
He had been serving a 34-year sentence for involvement in organized crime, drug trafficking and murder.
He faces seven charges in a New York court, including drug trafficking and arms trafficking, which carry sentences ranging from 20 years in prison to life.
The US designated Los Choneros as a terrorist organization last year.
Ecuador, once one of Latin America's safest countries, has become a key cocaine transit hub between top producers Colombia and Peru, and consumers around the world.
Mexican cartels have forged alliances with local gangs, including Los Choneros, who battle for the control of ports and shipping routes.
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