US

Spanish PM says Middle East war 'far worse' than Iraq in 2003

diplomacy

Trump's Beijing trip rescheduled for May, after Iran delay

BY DANNY KEMP

  • "My meeting with the Highly Respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our Military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled, and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
  • US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing in May after delaying an earlier summit because of the war against Iran.
  • "My meeting with the Highly Respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our Military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled, and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing in May after delaying an earlier summit because of the war against Iran.
Trump said he was looking forward to the "monumental" trip, which was originally due to take place at the end of March, and would host Xi and his wife in Washington later this year.
"My meeting with the Highly Respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our Military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled, and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
Trump said US and Chinese officials were "finalizing preparations" for the "historic" Beijing and Washington visits.
"I look very much forward to spending time with President Xi in what will be, I am sure, a Monumental Event," Trump added.
The White House had announced the new dates shortly before Trump's social media post. 
Trump had been set to travel to Beijing between March 31 and April for the first time in his second term, for a summit aimed at resetting trade ties between the world's two largest economies.
The Chinese and US presidents met in South Korea in October on the sidelines of a regional summit, and agreed a truce in the trade war sparked by Trump's sweeping global tariffs.
But Trump said on March 16 that he had asked China to postpone the meeting while he deals with the war in the Middle East.
"Because of the war I want to be here, I have to be here, I feel. And so we've requested that we delay it a month or so," Trump told reporters at the time.

'Do the math'

The White House remained coy as to whether the formal rescheduling of the visit meant Trump expected the war with Iran, one of China's closest geopolitical allies, to end by that time.
"We've always estimated approximately four to six weeks (for the length of military operations against Iran), so you could do the math on that," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added.
"President Xi understood that it's very important for the president to be here throughout these combat operations right now. He understood obviously the request to postpone and accepted it."
But analysts have suggested China will be in a stronger position to extract concessions from Trump when he finally visits.
His decision last month to join Israel in strikes on Iran has plunged the Middle East into violence, pushed energy prices to years-long highs and seeded fears of global supply shortages due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
With Trump struggling to define how the intervention will end and traditional allies reluctant to back him, the US leader may come to China needing a diplomatic win.
Trump's weakened position could help Beijing argue for deeper tariff cuts and limit Washington's ability to push for change on other trade issues like access to critical minerals.
dk/sms

US

Middle East war: global economic fallout

  • - WTO sounds fertiliser warning - Disruptions to fertiliser supplies caused by the Middle East war pose a double threat to global food security through scarcity and high prices, a top World Trade Organization official warned.
  • Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war: - Industry warning - As World Trade Organization ministers prepared to meet in Yaounde, the head of the International Chamber of Commerce bluntly warned that the conflict could cause the "worst industrial crisis" in decades.
  • - WTO sounds fertiliser warning - Disruptions to fertiliser supplies caused by the Middle East war pose a double threat to global food security through scarcity and high prices, a top World Trade Organization official warned.
Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war:

Industry warning

As World Trade Organization ministers prepared to meet in Yaounde, the head of the International Chamber of Commerce bluntly warned that the conflict could cause the "worst industrial crisis" in decades.
"The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that the world is facing an energy crisis more severe than the oil shocks of the 1970s," said John Denton. "From a business perspective, we believe this could yet become the worst industrial crisis in living memory."

Iran eyes 'other fronts'

Iran would target shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial conduit for global oil and other goods leading up to the Suez Canal, if the US launches a ground invasion, an unnamed military official told local media.
"If the enemy attempts a ground operation on Iranian islands or anywhere else on our territory, or if it seeks to impose costs on Iran through naval manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, we will open other fronts as a 'surprise'," the official was quoted as saying by the Tasnim agency, saying Iran could mount a "fully credible threat", notably against the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

'Non-hostile vessels' in Hormuz?

Iran has said "non-hostile vessels" can transit the Strait of Hormuz if they meet safety and security regulations in coordination with the relevant authorities, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said Tuesday.
In a statement, Iran insisted that "vessels, equipment and any assets belonging to the aggressor parties -- namely the United States and the Israeli regime -- as well as other participants in the aggression do not qualify for innocent or non-hostile passage".

Oil drops

Crude oil prices dropped back on hopes of de-escalation after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about ending the nearly month-old war and Iran indicated ships from countries not party to the conflict could pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
After rising on Tuesday, Brent crude was down 3 percent at $101.44 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was off 2.6 percent at $90.22 a barrel.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf has battered energy and financial markets, with oil prices up around 40 percent since the start of the fighting.

WTO sounds fertiliser warning

Disruptions to fertiliser supplies caused by the Middle East war pose a double threat to global food security through scarcity and high prices, a top World Trade Organization official warned.
Iran has virtually shut the Strait of Hormuz, choking a vital transit route for oil and gas -- as well as fertilisers.
A third of the world's fertilisers normally transit the strait, and the disruption has prompted multiple warnings about the impact on food production.

IEA ready for another oil stocks release

The head of the International Energy Agency said Wednesday he was "ready to move forward" with an additional release of oil reserves "if and when necessary".
Fatih Birol's comments in Tokyo came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked the agency "to prepare to implement an additional release in case the situation drags on" with the war in the Middle East.
- Fire at Kuwait airport after drones hit fuel tank - 
Drones hit a fuel tank and sparked a fire at Kuwait International Airport, the Gulf state's civil aviation authority said on Wednesday, as Iran presses on with its attacks in the nearly four-week regional war.
Citing preliminary information, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement posted online that the attack had caused only "limited" damage and no casualties.

German business morale falls

German business morale fell in March due to the fallout from the war in the Middle East, a survey showed Wednesday, as the conflict roils energy and financial markets.
The Ifo institute confidence barometer dropped from 88.4 in February to 86.4 in March as the energy price surge raises fears of higher inflation in Europe's biggest economy.
burs/cw/sbk

conflict

Gaza civil defence says Israeli strike kills one, tents on fire

  • The strike hit the Al-Sitt camp in the Deir el-Balah area, said the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas.
  • A fireball erupted over Gaza on Wednesday as an Israeli strike tore through a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians, killing one person and injuring seven, the territory's civil defence agency said.
  • The strike hit the Al-Sitt camp in the Deir el-Balah area, said the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas.
A fireball erupted over Gaza on Wednesday as an Israeli strike tore through a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians, killing one person and injuring seven, the territory's civil defence agency said.
The bloodshed was the latest to rock the war-shattered Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire in place since October 10.
The strike hit the Al-Sitt camp in the Deir el-Balah area, said the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue service under Hamas.
AFP photographs showed flames engulfing the tents, sending thick black smoke into the sky.
Gaza's Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital confirmed the toll.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.
Suhaila Khalil, who lives in a tent in the area, said she heard screams as the strike tore through the camp.
"The explosion happened several hundred metres from our tent, but smoke and shrapnel rained down on displaced people, leaving several injured," Khalil, 57, told AFP.
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been living in makeshift camps since the war erupted after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Violence has persisted in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with both Israel and Hamas regularly accusing each other of violations. 
Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority, says at least 689 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the truce.
The Israeli military says at least five of its soldiers have been killed in the same period.
Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.
bur-my-jkd/dc

politics

UK govt denies cover-up after PM ex-aide's phone stolen

  • The theft of Morgan McSweeney's mobile phone is raising questions about whether the government will be able to disclose all the relevant messages relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States.
  • UK officials denied Wednesday any conspiracy over the theft of a phone belonging to the prime minister's ex-chief aide after the government vowed to release messages related to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
  • The theft of Morgan McSweeney's mobile phone is raising questions about whether the government will be able to disclose all the relevant messages relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States.
UK officials denied Wednesday any conspiracy over the theft of a phone belonging to the prime minister's ex-chief aide after the government vowed to release messages related to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
The theft of Morgan McSweeney's mobile phone is raising questions about whether the government will be able to disclose all the relevant messages relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States.
Lawmakers in February ordered Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government to release tens of thousands of emails, messages and documents detailing how Mandelson, a friend of late US sex offender Epstein, was vetted for the role and appointed in late 2024.
McSweeney quit Downing Street last month, saying he took "full responsibility" for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson to Washington.
Mandelson was sacked after only months in the post after the depth of his ties to the convicted US sex offender were revealed, and police have opened an investigation into allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson.
A spokesperson for the main opposition Conservative party suggested Wednesday that the theft of McSweeney's phone in London in October 2025, a month after Starmer sacked Mandelson, was "very fortunate timing".
But Downing Street and senior government ministers denied any cover-up.
"The phone was stolen... several months before the... motion passed," Starmer's spokesman said Wednesday, referring to a parliamentary mechanism that triggered the disclosure of the documents.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Times Radio the loss of any correspondence between McSweeney and Mandelson was a "cock-up rather than conspiracy".
London's Metropolitan Police force meanwhile took the highly unusual step Wednesday of releasing the transcript of the 999 call that McSweeney made after his phone was stolen.
It showed that McSweeney failed to inform the call handler that he worked for Downing Street, however he did say the stolen device was a "government phone".
His employment "was not information provided to us and could not reasonably have shaped our decision making", police said in a statement.
The force is investigating Mandelson over allegations he leaked sensitive documents to Epstein when he was a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crash.
Britain's former prince Andrew is also the subject of a similar police probe. Neither man has been charged.
Starmer sacked Mandelson as his ambassador to Washington in September 2025 when new details emerged showing the extent of his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.
The first tranche of documents related to the appointment were released earlier this month and showed Starmer was warned that appointing Mandelson carried a "reputational risk".
The second batch is due to be released after MPs return from their Easter break in mid-April.
pdh/jkb/pdw

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • Netanyahu said in a video statement that the zone had so far prevented any infiltration towards the northern border, and is being expanded "to push the threat from anti-tank missiles further away and to establish a broader buffer zone".
  • Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Wednesday: - Israel expanding Lebanon 'buffer zone' - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's forces were expanding a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon as the military pressed ahead with its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
  • Netanyahu said in a video statement that the zone had so far prevented any infiltration towards the northern border, and is being expanded "to push the threat from anti-tank missiles further away and to establish a broader buffer zone".
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Wednesday:

Israel expanding Lebanon 'buffer zone'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's forces were expanding a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon as the military pressed ahead with its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Netanyahu said in a video statement that the zone had so far prevented any infiltration towards the northern border, and is being expanded "to push the threat from anti-tank missiles further away and to establish a broader buffer zone".

Oil prices slip on reports of US plan

Oil prices tumbled and stock markets rallied on reports of a US plan to end the war with Iran -- which promptly rejected Washington's overtures, according to state media.
After nearly four weeks of conflict, investors jumped on signs that hostilities could be winding down, with the safe-haven dollar losing support.
However, analysts pointed out that the arrival of more US troops in the Middle East and fresh missile strikes between Iran and Israel suggested chances of escalation remained.

Hormuz 'toll booth' legally risky

Maritime trackers reported that a handful of vessels are still crossing daily through the Strait of Hormuz, which is guarded by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) -- most of them leaving the Gulf.
Leading shipping journal Lloyd's List reported that the handful of vessels still crossing daily through the strait were taking a new Iranian-approved route, dubbed the "Tehran Toll Booth".
At least one vetted vessel paid $2 million to use the corridor around Larak Island just off Iran's coast, it reported.

Hezbollah: Talks are 'surrender'

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said negotiating with Israel while under fire would amount to "surrender" for Lebanon, and urged the government to reverse its ban on the party's military activities.
"When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender," Qassem said, rejecting the Lebanese president's initiative to start direct negotiations "with an enemy that occupies our land and carries out daily attacks".

Tehran rejects US peace plan

Iranian state television, citing an unidentified senior official, reported that Iran had rejected a peace plan proposed by the United States to end the Middle East war.
"Iran has responded negatively to an American proposal aimed at ending the ongoing imposed war," the official said, according to the English-language broadcaster Press TV.
"The end of the war will occur when Iran decides it should end, not when Trump envisions its conclusion."
Earlier, two senior officials in Islamabad confirmed to AFP that the 15-point plan to stop the fighting, which has spread across the Gulf and Middle East, had been "conveyed to Iran via Pakistan".

Lebanon must not become 'next Gaza'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said fighting between Israel and Hezbollah must not condemn Lebanon to the same fate as Gaza, the Palestinian territory devastated by years of conflict. 
"The Gaza model must not be replicated in Lebanon," Guterres told reporters, also saying the wider war in the Middle East is "out of control", as the United States, Israel and Iran have carried out strikes for more than three weeks.

UN condemns Gulf strikes

The UN Human Rights Council condemned Iran's "egregious attacks" on its Gulf neighbours, calling for full and swift "reparation" to all victims of its strikes.
The 47-member council backed a resolution condemning Tehran's actions aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz and demanding Iran immediately "cease all unprovoked attacks".

Iraq to file UN complaint

Iraq will submit a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council over strikes in its territory, the prime minister's office said, following an attack in the country's west that killed seven security personnel.

Iran targets US carrier

Iran fired cruise missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the military said in a statement carried by state television, warning of further launches when the strike group's ships come in range.
burs-rh/db/sbk

Global Edition

Oil prices slip, stocks rally on Mideast peace hopes

  • Crude futures earlier plunged more than six percent before moving back up after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism at ending the war and said officials were "in negotiations right now". 
  • Oil prices tumbled and stock markets rallied Wednesday on reports of a US plan to end the war with Iran -- which promptly rejected Washington's overtures, according to state media.
  • Crude futures earlier plunged more than six percent before moving back up after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism at ending the war and said officials were "in negotiations right now". 
Oil prices tumbled and stock markets rallied Wednesday on reports of a US plan to end the war with Iran -- which promptly rejected Washington's overtures, according to state media.
After nearly four weeks of conflict, investors jumped on signs that hostilities could be winding down, with the safe-haven dollar losing support.
However, analysts pointed out that the arrival of more US troops in the Middle East and fresh missile strikes between Iran and Israel suggested chances of escalation remained.
While shares rose modestly, oil prices dipped back as the Brent crude benchmark was down 3 percent at $101.44 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was off 2.6 percent at $90.22 a barrel.

Crisis warning

As World Trade Organization ministers prepared to meet in Yaounde, the head of the International Chamber of Commerce bluntly warned that the conflict could cause the "worst industrial crisis" in decades.
"The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that the world is facing an energy crisis more severe than the oil shocks of the 1970s," said John Denton. "From a business perspective, we believe this could yet become the worst industrial crisis in living memory."
Offering respite to some countries, Tehran announced it would let oil vessels from "non-hostile" nations pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Crude futures earlier plunged more than six percent before moving back up after US President Donald Trump voiced optimism at ending the war and said officials were "in negotiations right now". 
The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said he was "ready to move forward" with an additional release of oil reserves "if and when necessary".
Wall Street was in the green two hours into the session, with the Dow and the broader-based S&P 500 rising 0.8 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added one percent.
In Europe, London, Frankfurt and Paris closed up just shy of 1.5 percent ahead.
Asian markets closed with strong gains, led by Tokyo, which won nearly three percent.
European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde meanwhile said the ECB has several options for dealing with the energy shock, vowing policymakers would not be "paralysed by hesitation".
At its most recent meeting last week, the ECB kept interest rates on hold, while warning of higher inflation and lower growth in the eurozone owing to the war.
However, analysts have raised bets on the central bank hiking borrowing costs as soon as next month to try and keep the lid on an expected surge in consumer prices.

Key figures at around 1645 GMT

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 3.0 percent at $101.44 a barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.6 percent at $90.22 a barrel
New York - Dow: UP 0.8 percent at 46,487.24 points
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.8 percent at 6,606.02
New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 21,986.86
London - FTSE 100: UP 1.4 percent at 10,106.84 points (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.3 percent at 7,846.55 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.4 percent at 22,957.087 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 2.9 percent at 53,749.62 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.1 percent at 25,335.95 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.3 percent at 3,931.84 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1570 from $1.1583 on Tuesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3379 from $1.3381
Dollar/yen: UP at 159.17 yen from 159.03 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.48 pence from 86.57 pence
burs-bcp/ajb/cw/sbk

US

Spanish PM says Middle East war 'far worse' than Iraq in 2003

  • "This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq.
  • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Wednesday that the Middle East war presented a "far worse" scenario than the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
  • "This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Wednesday that the Middle East war presented a "far worse" scenario than the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq. We are facing something far worse. Much worse. With a potential impact that is far broader and far deeper," he told parliament.
"This time, it's an absurd and illegal war. A cruel one that sets us back from achieving our economic, social, and environmental goals."
The Socialist premier has refused Washington's requests to use Madrid's military bases against Iran, despite US President Donald Trump's threat to sever trade with Spain as a result. 
Sanchez said the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 had failed to achieve its goals and instead made life worse for ordinary people, saying it led to a sharp increase in fuel and grocery prices, a migration crisis and jihadist attacks in Europe.
He warned that the attacks on Iran could have a similar economic impact for millions.
"Every bomb that falls in the Middle East eventually hits -- as we are already seeing -- the wallets of our families," Sanchez said.
His government approved last week a sweeping package worth five billion euros ($5.8 billion) aimed at cushioning the economic impact of the Middle East war, which included reductions on taxes on fuel.
"It is not fair that some set the world on fire while others bear the ashes. It is not right that Spaniards and other Europeans should pay out of their own pockets for this illegal war," Sanchez said.
His Iraq reference may strike a chord with Spanish voters.
Support for that war by the conservative Popular Party (PP) in power at the time which sent troops to Iraq was widely unpopular and sparked mass protests.
Some analysts say it paved the way for the Socialist Party’s surprise win in March 2004, days after deadly jihadist bombings hit Madrid.
A branch of Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks and called for the withdrawal of Spanish forces from Iraq.
A majority of Spaniards, 53.2 percent, back Sanchez's decision not to let the United States use the Rota naval base and Moron airbase in strikes against Iran, a poll published earlier this month in daily newspaper El Pais showed.
bur-mdm/ds/yad

church

Ex-midwife enthroned as first female Archbishop of Canterbury

BY BY LENA VOELK WITH HELEN ROWE IN LONDON

  • Mullally, who is married with two children, becomes the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first having been appointed in the late sixth century.
  • A former nurse made history Wednesday when she was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to lead the centuries-old mother church of the world's 85 million-strong Anglican community.
  • Mullally, who is married with two children, becomes the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first having been appointed in the late sixth century.
A former nurse made history Wednesday when she was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to lead the centuries-old mother church of the world's 85 million-strong Anglican community.
Sarah Mullally, 63, formally steps into the role after an abuse scandal led to the departure of her predecessor.
The former midwife was formally installed in the historic ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England in front of around 2,000 people including heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine.
In accordance with tradition, the ceremony began with Mullally knocking three times with a staff on the cathedral's west door to request admission.
Dressed in deep yellow-gold robes, she was greeted by local school children who asked why she had been sent.
"I am sent as archbishop to serve you, to proclaim the love of Christ and with you to worship and love him with heart and soul, mind and strength," she responded.
The ceremony then culminated with Mullally being seated in two different thrones.
The seats symbolise the dual responsibilities of the role -- as a bishop in the diocese of Canterbury and as the spiritual leader of Anglicans worldwide.
Mullally's predecessor Justin Welby announced his resignation as head of the Church of England in November 2024 over failures in handling an abuse scandal.
He stepped down after a report found the Church of England had covered up a 1970s serial abuse case and that he failed to report the abuses to authorities when they came to his attention in 2013.

Chief nurse

Mullally has stressed her commitment to "do all I can to ensure that the Church becomes safer and also responds well to victims and survivors of abuse."
The church was "seeking to become more trauma informed, listening to survivors and victims of abuse", she said in an interview with the BBC this week.
The Church of England became the country's state establishment church following King Henry VIII's split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s.
The British monarch is its supreme governor, while the Archbishop of Canterbury is seen as the spiritual leader of Anglicans worldwide.
Mullally, who is married with two children, becomes the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first having been appointed in the late sixth century.
She worked in Britain's state-run National Health Service for more than three decades, rising to become its chief nursing officer for England in 1999.
Ordained a priest in 2002, she became the first female Bishop of London in 2018, only four years after the church began allowing women bishops after years of bitter factional wrangling.
Some churches around the Anglican world have long permitted women bishops, with the first appointed in the United States in 1989.
Others, however, remain opposed such as the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, Laurent Mbanda.
He has previously insisted the "majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy".
More than 40 of England's 108 bishops are now women, with a similar proportion among priests, after women clergy were first permitted in the early 1990s.
har/jkb/fg

US

Iran media casts doubt on US peace plan

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

  • As the human and economic cost of the fighting mounts, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war was "out of control". 
  • State media in Iran said Wednesday that Tehran had rejected a US plan to end fighting, as the head of the United Nations warned that the Middle East war was spiralling out of control.   
  • As the human and economic cost of the fighting mounts, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war was "out of control". 
State media in Iran said Wednesday that Tehran had rejected a US plan to end fighting, as the head of the United Nations warned that the Middle East war was spiralling out of control.   
In a first public acknowledgement of US efforts to discuss peace, state television cited an unidentified official as saying the war would end on Tehran's terms, shortly after Iran said it had fired a volley of cruise missiles at a US aircraft carrier.
"Iran has responded negatively" to the American proposal, the official said, dismissing the reported overture from US President Donald Trump, according to the English-language broadcaster Press TV, in a report picked up by Iran's main news agencies.
"The end of the war will occur when Iran decides it should end, not when Trump envisions its conclusion," the Iranian official said.
Tehran had five conditions for ending the war, he added, including guarantees against future attacks and reparations for war damages.
The rebuttal came after two senior officials in Islamabad told AFP that Pakistan had conveyed to Tehran a 15-point plan proposed by the US to stop the fighting that began on February 28 with a US-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran and sparked retaliatory strikes across the region.
As the human and economic cost of the fighting mounts, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war was "out of control". 
"The conflict has broken past the limits even leaders thought imaginable," he told reporters. "The world is staring down the barrel of a wider war, a rising tide of human suffering, and a deeper global economic shock. This has gone too far."
On the ground, there was no let-up in the hostilities, with targets in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia all coming under fire.
Iran's military said its cruise missiles fired at the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group had "forced it to change its position", warning of "powerful strikes" when the "hostile fleet" comes into range.
US ally Israel, meanwhile, said it had struck targets in Tehran as well as a submarine development facility in the central city of Isfahan.
From the Iranian capital, 40-year-old Shayan told AFP: "There is gasoline, water and electricity. But there is a sense of helplessness in all of us. We don't know what to do and there's really nothing we can do."  
- Iran sets five conditions - 
Trump has in recent days repeatedly claimed progress in talks with Iran, even as Tehran denied any formal negotiations were taking place.
But there have been increased signs of tentative diplomatic efforts, with mediators in the region saying work was ongoing behind the scenes to relay messages.
"There is hope but it's too early to be optimistic," said a diplomatic source in the region, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.
Both sides need to be able to climb down without losing face, the source noted.
According to the New York Times, citing anonymous officials, the American 15-point plan touches on Iran's contested nuclear and missile programmes, as well as "maritime routes".
Tehran has largely blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz oil route in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, pushing up global energy prices.
The Iranian official quoted by Press TV said Tehran has put forward its own five conditions for hostilities to end.
These include ending "aggression and assassinations" against the country and its leaders, setting up a robust mechanism guaranteeing that neither Israel nor the US will resume the war, as well as compensation for the destruction caused.
Iran's conditions also include a cessation of hostilities on all regional fronts and against all "resistance groups" -- an implicit reference to the Tehran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Tehran also wants international recognition and guarantees of Iran's rights to exercise its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

'Our heart is here'

It remains unclear whether Israel is on board with America's diplomatic overture.
While striking targets in Iran Wednesday, Israel kept up its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israeli warplanes pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut.
An AFP correspondent saw a street covered in shattered cement and warped metal after the early morning strike, while an apartment building's upper floors appeared damaged.
Lebanon was pulled into the war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to Lebanese authorities, more than 1,000 people have been killed in over three weeks of Israeli strikes and upwards of one million people displaced.
In the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, almost cut off from the rest of the country by bombs, Khalil, a man in his 30s, voiced his defiance.
"They'll have to take us by force," he told AFP.
Despite Israeli ground operations and the spectre of a full-blown invasion, "we don't want to leave our land... our heart is here", said Khalil, sheltering with his young family in a theatre.

'Unbelievable price'

Stocks rose and oil prices tumbled on optimism over potential negotiations, but focus remained on the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world's oil passes.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that Iran had given him "a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money", which he said demonstrated that "we're dealing with the right people".
The US president did not elaborate further but said it was related to the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran, in a message circulated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), assured safe passage through the strait to "non-hostile vessels".
However, the IMO also cited a statement from Iran's foreign ministry as saying no passage would be granted to vessels belonging to "the aggressor parties -- namely the United States and the Israeli regime".
Hanoi resident Nguyen Van Chi said higher fuel prices meant he had not driven his truck in the past two weeks, instead opting to cycle.
"With this unbelievable price of diesel, I cannot even sell my truck as no one is going to use it," the 54-year-old businessman told AFP.
burs-mfp

court

Study links major polluters to big climate damages bill

BY NICK PERRY

  • "We were surprised not only by the overall magnitude of estimated damages, which are in the tens of trillions of dollars, but also by how much larger future damages from past emissions are than past damages from past emissions," Burke said. 
  • The economic cost of carbon emissions is far higher than previously estimated, said a new study Wednesday that links big polluters to tens of trillions of dollars in climate-related damages worldwide.
  • "We were surprised not only by the overall magnitude of estimated damages, which are in the tens of trillions of dollars, but also by how much larger future damages from past emissions are than past damages from past emissions," Burke said. 
The economic cost of carbon emissions is far higher than previously estimated, said a new study Wednesday that links big polluters to tens of trillions of dollars in climate-related damages worldwide.
The study in the journal Nature measures how human-caused warming affects economic growth and assigns a share of global damages to specific emitters -- from major economies to oil giants.
The findings land as a growing wave of lawsuits seek to hold fossil fuel producers and other carbon-heavy businesses accountable for climate "loss and damage".
Claimants argue that large polluters are legally liable for their outsized contribution to climate change and its associated extreme weather events, particularly in poorer nations.
This study did not seek to answer the "legal and ethical" question of compensation, said Marshall Burke, a professor at Stanford University and the study's lead author.
"Our goal was first and foremost scientific, but we hope to contribute to the broader policy discussion of how to measure loss and damage and what to do about it," Burke told AFP.
It does offer "guidance" on the scale of potential costs and a framework "for estimating how specific emissions from specific emitters at specific points in time lead to damages" worldwide, he added.
They assessed the impact of rising temperatures on economic factors including labour productivity and agriculture, but also some associated climate-driven weather extremes.
US emissions between 1990 and 2020 were the largest source of estimated global damages at $10.2 trillion followed by China ($8.7 trillion) and the European Union ($6.4 trillion).
Emissions linked to Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco between 1988 and 2015 resulted in $3 trillion in cumulative global economic damages by 2020, the study also said.

Settling debts

But the authors found the largest share of climate damages lies ahead.
"We were surprised not only by the overall magnitude of estimated damages, which are in the tens of trillions of dollars, but also by how much larger future damages from past emissions are than past damages from past emissions," Burke said. 
One tonne of C02 emitted in 1990 caused about $180 in global damages by 2020, but was expected to inflict a further $1,840 through 2100 -- roughly 10 times more than the costs already incurred.
This is because CO2 has a long lifespan, lingering in the atmosphere where it contributes to warming for decades to come.
For this reason "settling debts for past damages will not settle debts for past emissions", the authors wrote.
Even under relatively conservative assumptions, the cost per tonne of carbon emitted is far higher than many government estimates.
The research also highlights how high-emitting activities such as air travel contribute to future damage. Taking a long-haul flight each year over a decade, for example, could generate around $25,000 in losses by 2100.
As emissions rise and poorer nations bear the brunt, wealthy countries and fossil fuel businesses are facing mounting scrutiny over their disproportionate role in driving climate damage.
Last year, a separate Nature study found extreme heat linked to emissions from 111 fossil fuel companies caused $28 trillion in global economic losses between 1991 and 2020.
Companies have long argued it is impossible to attribute harm from a global problem to any single emitter, and courts have been cautious about awarding compensation.
np/st

media

Ex-Google chief Matt Brittin made new BBC director-general

BY ANNA MALPAS

  • Brittin's name has been circulating in the UK media for weeks, after the current director-general, Tim Davie resigned in November over the editing of a documentary about Trump.
  • The BBC named a former Google executive with no television or journalism experience as its next director-general Wednesday.
  • Brittin's name has been circulating in the UK media for weeks, after the current director-general, Tim Davie resigned in November over the editing of a documentary about Trump.
The BBC named a former Google executive with no television or journalism experience as its next director-general Wednesday.
The long-expected appointment of Matt Brittin to the high-profile role comes as the under-fire British broadcaster faces drastic shifts in the media landscape and a $10-billion lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump.
Brittin, 57, said he was honoured to be appointed at a "moment of real risk, yet also real opportunity".
"Now, more than ever, we need a thriving  BBC that works for everyone in a complex, uncertain and fast-changing world," he added.
The British-born executive was president for over a decade of Google's Europe, Middle East and Africa division, which earns around a third of its revenue. He had previously worked as a consultant for McKinsey. 
Samir Shah, chairman of the BBC board, said Brittin "brings to the BBC deep experience of leading a high-profile and highly-complex organisation through transformation."
He "is an outstanding leader and has the skills needed to navigate the organisation through the many changes taking place in the media market," Shah added.
Brittin's name has been circulating in the UK media for weeks, after the current director-general, Tim Davie resigned in November over the editing of a documentary about Trump.
The Times wrote that appointing a tech executive with no broadcasting experience "has raised some eyebrows".
"While his experience in the world of big tech could be an advantage, Mr Brittin will have to quickly demonstrate a commitment to public service broadcasting," opposition lawmaker Caroline Dinenage told the daily.
A columnist at the right-wing Daily Telegraph wrote that Brittin was "just what the BBC doesn't need: a new Lefty boss".
Davie, who has held the BBC post since 2020, will step down on April 2, and Brittin will take on the challenging role on May 18.
The BBC had described it as one of "the most important, high-profile public posts in the UK".
Brittin stepped down from Google last year after 18 years saying he wanted a break.

'Dr Who' fan

Last year he became a fellow of the Royal Television Society, which hands out prestigious awards.
In his acceptance speech he admitted to "imposter syndrome".
He voiced admiration for the British television industry he had "been trying to get into for a very long time", saying his favourite shows included cult BBC sci-fi series "Doctor Who".
Brittin updated his Linkedin profile on Wednesday after the appointment was announced, saying "Got a job" and "Gap year: completed".
He grew up in southern England and was educated at the University of Cambridge, but he has said his late father grew up in a small shop in London with "BBC wireless (radio) for news and entertainment".
He represented Great Britain at the Olympics as a rower after competing in the university Boat Race against Oxford as a student.
Early in his career he worked at Trinity Mirror newspaper group, now called Reach, in non-journalistic roles.
Last year he was made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to technology and digital skills.

'Under pressure'

The BBC said earlier this month it had formally asked a US federal court in Florida to dismiss Trump's lawsuit over the editing of a speech he gave to supporters ahead of the US Capitol riot in 2021 in a BBC documentary.a
The film was "never aired in Florida -- or the US" or available to stream there on any platform, a BBC spokesperson said.
Brittin takes up the job at a politically sensitive time for the BBC, which is due to renegotiate the Royal Charter that outlines the corporation's governance. Its current charter will end next year.
A sizeable proportion of the BBC's income comes from the licence fee, which is payable by all UK households with a television, or whose occupants watch live screening online.
But the BBC lost more than £1.1 billion in revenues last year as fewer homes felt the need to apply for one, a parliamentary committee report said in November.
It also found that while the BBC remained "a trusted institution", it was "under pressure" struggling to retain its foothold in an evolving media landscape and among younger people.
am/jkb/fg

US

Aviation, tourism, agriculture... the economic sectors hit by the war

  • But all airlines feeling the heat from soaring prices of jet fuel, which has more than doubled from pre-war levels.
  • The war in the Middle East is impacting numerous economic sectors and not only in the region, both by direct disruptions and rising fuel prices.
  • But all airlines feeling the heat from soaring prices of jet fuel, which has more than doubled from pre-war levels.
The war in the Middle East is impacting numerous economic sectors and not only in the region, both by direct disruptions and rising fuel prices.

Aviation

Airlines bore an immediate impact from the outbreak of hostilities as they cancelled flights to the region.
While airlines based in the Middle East account for only 9.5 percent of global capacity, they play an outsized role they have developed into a major hub for long-haul travel between Europe and Asia.
These airlines have been particularly hard hit.
Qatar Airways has had to cancel nearly 91 percent of its flights since the fighting broke on February 28, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has cancelled nearly three-quarters of its flights and Dubai-based Emirates nearly half.
But all airlines feeling the heat from soaring prices of jet fuel, which has more than doubled from pre-war levels.
Fuel accounts for between a quarter and a third of the operating costs of airlines, and some have already begun to pass along the higher costs to consumers by adding surcharges or hiking fares.
Several airlines have begun cutting back on their service schedules due to higher jet fuel costs as well as limited stocks, which have disrupted by the conflict and export restrictions some countries have imposed.

Tourism

Disruptions and higher airline ticket prices will have an impact on the willingness and financial means of tourists to travel.
Oxford Economics estimates that even with a quick end to the conflict the Middle East is facing an 11-27 percent drop in visitor arrivals this year, against previously forecast 13 percent growth.
But with Middle East airlines being important travel hubs and airlines everywhere raising fares the impact is likely to be wider.
The conflict could cause a reduction in 116 million visits and 858 million nights in hotel stays outside the Middle East this year, Oxford Economics estimates.
Some countries might benefit from tourists choosing its beaches over those in the Middle East region, however, such as Spain and Portugal, it noted.
In Europe, there was a six percent drop in hotel revenue per room, a key financial metric, during the first week of the war, according MKG Consulting.
Over the following two weeks the drop was just one percent in Britain and France, but 23.5 percent in Ireland and 15.4 percent in Portugal, two countries more dependent upon foreign tourists.

Maritime transport

Maritime transport carries 80 percent of the goods traded in the world. Fuel costs, which are up an average of 20 percent for ships, will raise overall shipping costs.
While shipping between Asia and North America has been little affected, routes between Asia and Europe, as well as Asia and Africa, have been impacted as ports in the Gulf and Red Sea are often used as transfer zones, said Cyrille Poirier Coutansais at the French defence ministry's maritime security research centre. 
Shipping companies also have a number of vessels blocked in the Gulf.
Those that don't want to travel through the Red Sea and take the Suez Canal have to take the considerably longer route around Africa, increasing delivery times and shipping costs.

Agriculture

The Gulf region produces around 30 percent of the world's fertiliser, which is key agricultural input in terms of cost as well as ensuring high yields.
The region is a big supplier for Asian nations, several of which have had to suspend their own output as the price of natural gas used in its production has soared.
There are concerns that an extended conflict could result in shortages while high prices could force some farmers to do without.
Farmers are also facing higher costs of diesel for their tractors and other equipment, as well as for gas to heat greenhouses and animal enclosures.

Luxury

The Middle East is an important market for the luxury industry and the Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai airports were also important distribution hubs.
Analysts at Bernstein expect luxury sales in the region to be cut in half in March, mainly due to a drop in tourism.
bur-jul/rl/cw

US

Defying Israeli bombs, Lebanese hold out in southern city of Tyre

BY CELIA LEBUR

  • Israel has bombed several bridges spanning the Litani, saying it wants to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying there, while Lebanon's president has accused Israel of wanting to cut off the area from the rest of the country.
  • Khalil and his young family are sheltering in a theatre in south Lebanon's Tyre, refusing to leave despite Israeli bombardment on the city that is now almost cut off from the rest of the country.
  • Israel has bombed several bridges spanning the Litani, saying it wants to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying there, while Lebanon's president has accused Israel of wanting to cut off the area from the rest of the country.
Khalil and his young family are sheltering in a theatre in south Lebanon's Tyre, refusing to leave despite Israeli bombardment on the city that is now almost cut off from the rest of the country.
"They'll have to take us by force," said the man in his thirties, who fled his home with his wife and two-year-old son, insisting they "will not surrender".
Despite Israeli ground operations and the spectre of a full-blown invasion, "we don't want to leave our land... our heart is here", he told AFP.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israel has responded with intense strikes and has sent ground troops into south Lebanon.
Around 20,000 people, including some 15,000 displaced from nearby villages, are defying Israeli army evacuation orders covering most of the coastal city and swathes of the country's south.
In Tyre's old city, people are crammed into a Christian district that has not been ordered to evacuate, and into a few schools.
But many wonder how long the city can hold out.
On Tuesday, around a dozen explosions rocked Tyre and nearby, the heaviest bombardment there since the start of the war.
Israeli fighter jets and drones circled the sky until nightfall, launching attacks that wounded at least 24 people, according to authorities, and sending black smoke billowing into the air.
Hezbollah has a strong presence in Tyre. Its yellow flag bearing a Kalashnikov flies from lampposts in the city famous for its long sandy beaches and ancient ruins.
Black-clad men are seen stationed near roundabouts, zipping through deserted streets on scooters or inspecting buildings reduced to rubble.
After Israeli army strike warnings, they shoot into the air to warn remaining civilians to flee.

Stocks depleted

Mustafa Ibrahim al-Sayed, 50, said he never leaves the school compound where he has taken refuge with his two wives and their 11 children.
Originally from a border village, they fled to Tyre during the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024.
"Everyone is afraid for their homes and land, but what can we do?" he said.
"In my lifetime, this is the fifth time I've been displaced," he said, explaining that the first time was after Israel invaded south Lebanon in 1978.
"I don't want to be displaced again."
Israel's army on Wednesday accused Hezbollah of stationing military infrastructure in residential areas in Tyre and nearby.
A day earlier, Israel said it intended to take control of a "security zone" in south Lebanon up to the Litani River, which runs north of Tyre.
The move would effectively create a buffer zone stretching around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
Israel has bombed several bridges spanning the Litani, saying it wants to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying there, while Lebanon's president has accused Israel of wanting to cut off the area from the rest of the country.
Only one bridge still links Tyre to areas further north, along a narrow, battered coastal road winding between banana plantations and orange trees.
"If they target that bridge, we're headed straight for a humanitarian catastrophe," warned Alwan Charafeddine, Tyre's deputy mayor.
"It will be a siege -- supply convoys will no longer be able to reach Tyre." 
"Our stocks are almost depleted," he said, listing urgent needs including food and fuel for electricity generators.

'End it'

Several local and emergency officials told AFP they had received calls from Israeli officers telling them to make residents comply with Israel's evacuation orders.
"'I know my job, you do your job'" Mortada Mhanna, head of Tyre's disaster management unit, said he told the Israeli officer.
"We advised all the people to leave. And we told them we can get buses" escorted by the army, he told AFP.
"Everyone says, 'no, we want to stay here'," Mhanna said, adding: "I will be the last one to leave."
Nada Reda Abu Sari, 82, however, has not stayed by choice.
She has been sleeping on a mattress on a classroom floor for months after fleeing her now destroyed border village after the previous hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah erupted.
"I'm sick and I don't even have the money to buy medication," she said, empty boxes in her wrinkled hands.
"I'm not sleeping. Every time we hear a strike, we get up... we're dying every day," she said.
"We have no more homes, no land... nothing," she said.
"My children are all in different areas... I can only reach them by phone, but I don't have a phone."
Weeping, she asked: "Is this life?"
"Sometimes I think I should throw myself into the sea and end it, just end it."
cl/ris-lg/amj

war

IEA chief says 'ready' to release more oil reserves if needed

  • The IEA previously said member countries would unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves to ease the impact of the Middle East war, the biggest such release ever.
  • The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Wednesday that he was "ready" to approve the release of more oil reserves if needed to cushion the impact of the Middle East war on global supplies.
  • The IEA previously said member countries would unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves to ease the impact of the Middle East war, the biggest such release ever.
The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Wednesday that he was "ready" to approve the release of more oil reserves if needed to cushion the impact of the Middle East war on global supplies.
Fatih Birol made the comments on a visit to Tokyo, where Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked the IEA to carry out an additional release "in case the situation drags on".
Since last month, US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran's subsequent responses, including its de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have severely disrupted global oil supplies, causing concern over rising prices in Japan and other import-dependent Asian economies.
The IEA previously said member countries would unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves to ease the impact of the Middle East war, the biggest such release ever.
Birol said Wednesday that the amount was only 20 percent of the agency's stocks and there was "still a significant amount of oil" left over.
"If and when necessary we are ready to move forward (with another release), but I very much hope that it will not be necessary," he said.
"The world is facing a serious energy security threat, but the International Energy Agency is ready to play its core role of being a guardian of global energy security."
In a meeting with Japan's Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Birol said the IEA was "monitoring all the energy assets in the Middle East".
"If we believe there is a need, we will not hesitate to release more stocks to the market."
Japan depends on the Middle East for 95 percent of its oil imports.
The country started releasing 15 days' worth of private-sector petroleum reserves last week, and will begin tapping into government stockpiles on Thursday.
Tokyo also plans a release from joint stockpiles held by producing nations in the country by the end of the month.
A joint reserve is held in Japan by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, according to the Petroleum Association of Japan.
Under normal circumstances, the jointly stored crude is commercially used, but in the event of an emergency, Japanese oil companies have preferential purchasing rights.
tmo-aph-hih/mjw

SKorea

Belarus leader visits North Korea for first time

BY KANG JIN-KYU

  • - Prison camps - North Korea has been under a barrage of Western sanctions, mostly due to its nuclear weapons programme and missiles activity, but also because of its support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
  • Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko began his first official visit to North Korea Wednesday, with the two countries united by Western sanctions, closeness to Russia and accusations of rights violations.
  • - Prison camps - North Korea has been under a barrage of Western sanctions, mostly due to its nuclear weapons programme and missiles activity, but also because of its support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko began his first official visit to North Korea Wednesday, with the two countries united by Western sanctions, closeness to Russia and accusations of rights violations.
Belarusian state news agency Belta reported that that the two sides would sign during the two-day visit a treaty of friendship and cooperation.
Both nations have provided Moscow assistance with its war in Ukraine, with Pyongyang dispatching ground troops and weapons and Minsk serving as a launchpad for Russia's invasion in 2022.
Kim Jong Un and Lukashenko met in September in Beijing when they attended a military parade at Tiananmen Square, where the North Korean leader reportedly extended an invitation.
The visit is intended to "show solidarity" among nations opposed to the Western order, Lee Ho-ryung of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses told AFP.
"Kim will try to use the occasion to raise its diplomatic profile and strengthen solidarity among the so-called anti-Western bloc," she said.
In a letter to Lukashenko earlier this month, Kim said he was "willing to expand and develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation... to a new, higher stage in line with the demands of the new era", the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The Belarusian leader in return said that "Minsk affirms it has an interest in actively expanding political and economic ties with Pyongyang at all levels".
Belta quoted Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov as saying that in addition to the treaty of friendship and cooperation, the two sides would agree to cooperate in an array of fields from agriculture to information.
"Our greatest interest... is strengthening truly friendly, partnership relations. We have friends here, and they are waiting for us. Just as we await them in Belarus," Ryzhenkov said.

Prison camps

North Korea has been under a barrage of Western sanctions, mostly due to its nuclear weapons programme and missiles activity, but also because of its support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have estimated that the North has sent thousands of soldiers to Russia, primarily to the Kursk region, along with artillery shells, missiles and rocket systems.
Around 2,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded, according to estimates from South Korea.
Analysts say North Korea is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy supplies from Russia in return. President Vladimir Putin visited in 2024.
This has enabled Pyongyang to lessen dependence on its main long-term backer, China.
International rights organisations accuse the North Korean regime of torture, public executions, prison camps, forced labour and restrictions on the freedom of expression and movement.  

Crackdown

Lukashenko meanwhile has moved Minsk deeper into Russia's orbit and come down hard on any dissent inside the country during his three decades in power.
The West had heavily sanctioned Minsk over its role in facilitating the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as a crackdown on protests in 2020.
But US President Donald Trump has sought to build ties with Belarus in his second term, easing sanctions and welcoming it to his "Board of Peace".
Belarus has released dozens of prisoners in recent months, largely due to US efforts, including 250 earlier this month.
But it still holds hundreds of political prisoners in its jails, many of whom were arrested after the 2020 election that saw a landslide victory for Lukashenko seen as a sham by the opposition.
Trump met Kim in his first term and there has been speculation of a re-run when the US president makes his delayed upcoming visit to China.
bur-kjk/stu/fox

US

US reportedly sends peace plan as Iran opens to 'non-hostile' oil vessels

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

  • Iran, in a message circulated by the International Maritime Organization shortly afterward, assured safe passage to "non-hostile vessels" going through the strait, the gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil.
  • Washington sent a peace plan to Iran, US media reported, as Donald Trump voiced optimism Tuesday at ending nearly a month of warfare and Tehran announced that it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
  • Iran, in a message circulated by the International Maritime Organization shortly afterward, assured safe passage to "non-hostile vessels" going through the strait, the gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil.
Washington sent a peace plan to Iran, US media reported, as Donald Trump voiced optimism Tuesday at ending nearly a month of warfare and Tehran announced that it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The tentative signs of a diplomatic solution came despite new violence, with an Iranian missile causing injuries in Israel, which in turn pressed on multiple fronts and vowed to seize control of a strip of southern Lebanon.
Trump, whose pronouncements in recent days have swung wildly from vowing massive attacks on Iran to declaring the nearly month-long war virtually over, said the United States was "in negotiations right now" with Iran -- which has not confirmed any formal talks.
"They did something yesterday that was amazing actually. They gave us a present and the present arrived today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"That meant one thing to me -- we're dealing with the right people."
He did not explain further but said it related to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has largely blockaded in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes, sending global energy prices soaring.
Iran, in a message circulated by the International Maritime Organization shortly afterward, assured safe passage to "non-hostile vessels" going through the strait, the gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil.
Iran had already in recent days said it was not targeting friendly nations, although many vessels have shied away as insurance companies refuse to take risks.
The benchmark price of crude oil dropped close to six percent after the latest developments. Prices at the pump have soared in the United States after the war by Trump, causing him a political headache.

New nuclear deal?

Trump had earlier threatened to "obliterate" Iran's power plants, which some argue would be a war crime, if it did not open the strait by late Monday Washington time. Before US markets opened Monday, Trump abruptly extended that deadline by five days, citing diplomatic progress.
Pakistan's prime minister has offered to host US-Iran talks, which Trump said involved top officials including Vice President JD Vance.
Trump said it "all starts with, they cannot have a nuclear weapon."
The New York Times, quoting unnamed officials, said that the United States had sent the 15-point plan to Iran through Pakistan.
Israel's Channel 12 said that Trump was proposing a one-month ceasefire during which the sides would discuss a proposal that would include handing over Iran's enriched uranium and banning further enrichment.
Iran would also ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran in turn would see an end to all sanctions, which have been in place in various forms for years, the Israeli report said.
Iran would also receive assistance in developing civil nuclear energy at Bushehr, a key site which dates from before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Iran on Tuesday accused Israel of carrying out a second strike on Bushehr, which lies perilously close to Gulf Arab population centers. 
"The sounds, the explosions, the missiles -- they are part of our daily life now," a 35-year-old woman in Tehran told AFP by telephone. "Our one real worry now is that our oil and gas infrastructure isn't targeted by missile strikes."
Iran had agreed in 2015 to broad restraints on its contested nuclear program in a deal that Trump ripped up during his first term as he joined Israel in applying pressure to the cleric-run state.
The reported new proposal would keep in place the Islamic republic which weeks earlier ruthlessly crushed mass protests, killing thousands, despite earlier vows of regime change by Trump and especially Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Troops en route despite diplomacy

Despite Trump's stated hopes for diplomacy, The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is planning to send 3,000 soldiers from the elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
Trump's envoys were negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran just two days before the United States and Israel launched the massive attack on February 28, killing Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day.
Iranian missiles have found growing success penetrating Israeli defences, with AFP images showing rubble-strewn streets in the commercial hub Tel Aviv. On Tuesday, more than a dozen people were injured in Israel, including an infant, first responders said.
Israel said it conducted a "large wave" of airstrikes across several areas of Iran. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said his country's war plan was "unchanged" despite Trump's remarks and that it would continue "to deepen the damage and remove existential threats". 
Israel has also stepped up its campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, saying its military would take control of south Lebanon up to the Litani river, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border.
Israel -- which occupied southern Lebanon for nearly two decades until 2000 -- carried out new strikes across the country. The Israeli military late Tuesday warned residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, strongholds of Hezbollah, to evacuate in the face of imminent strikes.
The Israeli campaign has killed at least 1,072 people in Lebanon, with more than one million people displaced, according to authorities. Another nine people died in Israeli strikes in the south, officials said.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Khamenei.
Lebanon, whose central government has long been fragile, grew increasingly assertive by announcing it was ordering the Iranian ambassador to leave by Sunday, accusing the Islamic republic of meddling and commanding Hezbollah operations.
Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia all said they had intercepted renewed drone and missile attacks as Iran kept up retaliatory strikes on US-allied Gulf states.
Kuwait reported a fire at its main airport after drones hit a fuel tank.
burs-sct/jgc

music

BTS concert drew 18.4 million viewers, says Netflix

  • Netflix said its livestream of the show on Saturday "drew 18.4 million global viewers... proving the group's influence has only intensified during their time apart".
  • The comeback concert by K-pop megastars BTS drew an estimated 18.4 million viewers worldwide, streaming giant Netflix said Wednesday.
  • Netflix said its livestream of the show on Saturday "drew 18.4 million global viewers... proving the group's influence has only intensified during their time apart".
The comeback concert by K-pop megastars BTS drew an estimated 18.4 million viewers worldwide, streaming giant Netflix said Wednesday.
The seven-member group took to the stage together for the first time at the weekend following a years-long hiatus prompted by mandatory military service, and a day after releasing their latest studio album, "ARIRANG".
The comeback concert was held against the backdrop of the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace -- fitting for the "Kings of K-pop".
Netflix said its livestream of the show on Saturday "drew 18.4 million global viewers... proving the group's influence has only intensified during their time apart".
The live broadcast from Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square reached Netflix's weekly Top 10 in 80 countries and secured the number one spot in 24 countries, it said.
The event marked Netflix's first live event in South Korea, as well as its first instance of live-streaming a music performance on a global scale.
Netflix added that its estimates were derived from so-called first-party data.
During the performance, they sang "Body to Body," a track from the new album that incorporates a choral sample of the traditional Korean folk song Arirang, after which the album is named.
The folk song, about longing and separation, is often dubbed South Korea's unofficial national anthem.
Fans waved a sea of glowsticks and sang along to the group's hits, holding their phones aloft to film the performance as giant screens set up across the venue allowed the crowd to watch.
It drew more than 100,000 fans to central Seoul, according to the group's label.
The figure includes ticket holders and factors in data from the three major telecom carriers, budget mobile users and foreign visitors. 
According to the Seoul metropolitan government's crowd-tracking system, an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people were in the area that night, a city official said.
Local reports said the figures vary as Seoul's crowd-tracking system relies largely on mobile base station connections and does not capture signals from foreign visitors.
The group's label, citing streaming platform Spotify, said "SWIM," the title track of its latest album, topped the Daily Top Songs Global chart for three straight days from March 20 to 22, while "Body to Body" held at No. 2 over the same period.
Around 15,000 police officers and security personnel were mobilised for the concert, with barricades lining the roads and nearby venues shut.
The latest album, "ARIRANG", released Friday, is billed as reflecting the maturing boy band's Korean identity. 
It sold nearly four million copies on its first day, according to the label.
Following Saturday's concert, the superstars will embark on their "ARIRANG" world tour, beginning April 9 in Goyang, South Korea.
The 2026–27 tour spans 82 concerts across 34 cities in Asia, North America, Europe and Latin America. 
Tickets for shows in South Korea, North America and Europe sold out within hours.
cdl/fox

conflict

OSCE's 'chaotic' Ukraine evacuation put staff at risk: leaked report

BY BLAISE GAUQUELIN

  • - Staff still in jail - While the OSCE managed to get hundreds of its staff to safety when Russia invaded in 2022, "a number of vital and sensitive records were not evacuated during the emergency evacuation," said the report, compiled as part of a "lessons learned" process.
  • A confidential report into the OSCE's "chaotic" evacuation of its monitors from Ukraine after Russia invaded four years ago is damning about how it put its own staff at "serious security risk", AFP can reveal.
  • - Staff still in jail - While the OSCE managed to get hundreds of its staff to safety when Russia invaded in 2022, "a number of vital and sensitive records were not evacuated during the emergency evacuation," said the report, compiled as part of a "lessons learned" process.
A confidential report into the OSCE's "chaotic" evacuation of its monitors from Ukraine after Russia invaded four years ago is damning about how it put its own staff at "serious security risk", AFP can reveal.
It comes as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is angling to send a mission back to Ukraine to monitor any eventual ceasefire.
The internal inquiry seen by AFP blasts the organisation's "insufficient preparedness" and lack of a "standing security risk assessment and an up-to-date and operational evacuation plan".
A month before the invasion an order was even given to "destroy preparatory work done for the evacuation and cease further planning going ahead to avoid 'creating panic' in the host country", the report says.
One Ukrainian staffer, Maryna Fenina, was killed during the Russian assault on her hometown Kharkiv on March 1, 2022, while three others who stayed on in the rebel-held east were arrested and are still languishing in Russian prisons. 
The OSCE, of which both Russia and Ukraine are members, believes it can be a key player in moves to end the war.
It has proposed sending a new monitoring and verification mission to Ukraine should a ceasefire be negotiated, with top OSCE officials visiting Moscow in February.
Local and international staff from the Vienna-based body had been monitoring a ceasefire with Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014 when war broke out. 
One of the staffers, American medic Joseph Stone, was killed in 2017 when his armoured vehicle struck an anti-tank mine in a part of rebel-held Lugansk, with two of his colleagues wounded.

Staff still in jail

While the OSCE managed to get hundreds of its staff to safety when Russia invaded in 2022, "a number of vital and sensitive records were not evacuated during the emergency evacuation," said the report, compiled as part of a "lessons learned" process.
"There was and continues to be a high concern of sensitive information being released that can lead to NMM (locally-hired 'national mission members') persecution," it added.
The three jailed Ukrainian employees -- Dmytro Shabanov, Maxim Petrov and Vadym Golda -- were convicted of espionage by Russian authorities, charges which the OSCE strongly disputes.
The report, dated September 2022, highlights "a general lack of clarity of roles, responsibilities and decision-making authority of all the stakeholders involved".
"Plans were not properly and timely communicated" by senior management of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to staff nor "reinforced through training and exercises", it added.
This "led to somewhat chaotic movements of people and assets out of Ukraine and within the country, posing a serious security risk and complications".

Countries wanted to withdraw

Some nations in the Ukraine mission had been pressing since "late autumn 2021" for the OSCE to plan for a possible withdrawal, according to the report's annexes. 
But a number of other states, and the OSCE chair and its secretariat had "a strong desire" to preserve the mission, even reinforce it.
Then in mid-February -- just over a week before the invasion -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Denmark said they were withdrawing their contingents, while Netherlands and Sweden announced partial withdrawals.
With the opposing positions, it was "very difficult for the mission to develop and communicate contingency plans without potentially exposing itself politically", the report said.
The decision was not "coordinated in advance" with the mission's leadership and placed it "in a difficult position at a particularly sensitive time," it added.
The OSCE -- which was set up in 1975 during the Cold War -- said it had "strengthened our crisis response framework" since the invasion, taking on board the findings of the "lesson learned" reviews. 
"We have also introduced regular crisis response training through simulation exercises," a statement added.
"Each exercise stress-tested crisis preparedness and response elements of both field operations and the OSCE Secretariat, identifying areas for improvement and honing coordination between executive structures," it said.
"The lessons learned from 2022 also contributed to continued efforts to ensure that staff and assets are adequately prepared in the event of a critical incident," the OSCE added.
bg-jza/fg/rmb

manufacturing

Dirty diapers born again in Japan recycling breakthrough

BY HIROSHI HIYAMA

  • In 2024, Japan produced 9.6 billion adult diapers and incontinence pads, compared to eight billion for babies, according to the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association.
  • Billions of dirty diapers end up buried or burned every year in Japan  -- more from seniors than babies -- but a recycling breakthrough has given them a new lease of life, one hot mess at a time.
  • In 2024, Japan produced 9.6 billion adult diapers and incontinence pads, compared to eight billion for babies, according to the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association.
Billions of dirty diapers end up buried or burned every year in Japan  -- more from seniors than babies -- but a recycling breakthrough has given them a new lease of life, one hot mess at a time.
A pilot project, billed as a world first, reuses the main ingredient in nappies to make new ones, offering hopes to ease bloated landfill sites and respond to a growing need for adult diapers in ageing Japan.
"Demand for baby diapers is falling. But a growing number of elderly people wear diapers, and more recently, even pets do too," Takahisa Takahara, president of Japanese hygiene product maker Unicharm, the firm behind the new initiative, told AFP.
"If we can transform the sense of guilt ordinary consumers may feel about using disposable products into something positive, and make using recycled products the norm in society, it will become economically viable," he said.
Unicharm is testing the scheme in two pioneering southern Japanese municipalities, Shibushi and Osaki, which recycle 80 percent of household waste -- four times the Japanese average.
The two localities, home to about 40,000 people, decided to take radical action around 25 years ago after predictions that their communal rubbish dump would be full by 2004.
Now, the landfill site will stay open for another four decades.
In 2024, diapers were included in the recycling drive, with residents required to write their names on designated bin bags.
"Ultimately, our top priority is to reduce our trash and extend the life of the landfill," Shibushi environment official Kenichi Matsunaga told AFP.

Nappy ending

The collected diapers are shredded, washed and separated into pulp, plastic and super-absorbent polymer (SAP).
Unicharm has been able to recycle these materials into products with less rigorous sanitary requirements, like toilet paper.
It has also achieved the breakthrough of managing to use the pulp, which makes up the bulk of a diaper, to make new ones.
The process follows a special ozone treatment for sterilisation, bleaching and deodorisation.
By 2028, Unicharm aims to recycle the plastic and absorbent polymer from soiled diapers to make new ones as well, Tsutomu Kido, senior executive officer of Unicharm's recycling business, told AFP.
For now, its recycled products are on sale only in some local stores, priced around 10 percent higher than those with fresh raw materials, or distributed to selected childcare and senior care centres.
The company is also testing a method to cut the amount of water in the recycling process, and aims to team up with 20 municipalities by 2035 to recycle their diapers.  

Ageing nation

Japan has a poor recycling rate, reusing not even 20 percent of municipal waste, according to the National Institute for Environmental Studies.
That compares to 67 percent in Germany, 44 percent in Britain and around 32 percent in the United States.
Waste per capita, however, is less than two-thirds the OECD average -- a typical American throws almost three times more.
Japan does relatively well on generating electricity by incinerating trash, too.
In the ageing nation, home to almost 100,000 people over 100, diapers and related products are used more by seniors than babies.
In 2024, Japan produced 9.6 billion adult diapers and incontinence pads, compared to eight billion for babies, according to the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association.
The group predicts Japan will throw away 2.6 million tons of dirty diapers every year by 2030, up from around 2.2 tons in 2020.
By that date, the share of dirty diapers in Japanese trash by weight will rise to 7.1 percent from 5.2 percent in 2020, the environment ministry said.
By 2030, the national government wants at least 100 of more than 1,700 municipalities to start recycling diapers, or at least talk about it.
hih/stu/cms/lb