conflict

Russian strikes kill seven in Ukraine, Zelensky vows winter campaign

AI

At UN, tech chiefs urge caution in AI development

BY THOMAS URBAIN

  • "We will slow down as much as necessary in order to make sure that every successive AI technology that we release is actually safe," Amodei said in a video feed.
  • Leaders of major AI firms told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the technology calls for heightened vigilance, with Anthropic's CEO pledging to slow down where needed to ensure the safety of new releases.
  • "We will slow down as much as necessary in order to make sure that every successive AI technology that we release is actually safe," Amodei said in a video feed.
Leaders of major AI firms told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the technology calls for heightened vigilance, with Anthropic's CEO pledging to slow down where needed to ensure the safety of new releases.
"This moment calls for extreme care," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in New York at an emergency meeting of the 15-member council.
He warned that as AI systems become more capable and autonomous, they could move faster than institutions or concentrate power into too few hands.
Altman was among industry leaders briefing the council following weeks of global headlines about the risks of uncontrollable artificial intelligence and calls for a slowdown, which have been resisted by US President Donald Trump.
"The industry must not accept too much technological risk just because the benefits are too great and important to slow down," Altman told the United Nations' top body.
He also urged governments to work with each other and the industry on decisions shaping the technology's future.
"In our history, there have been times where countries who compete and don't always like each other very much still come together for shared interests and the collective good in the face of a powerful new technology," he said.
"We believe this must be one of those times," he added.

Slowing down

Speaking after Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said his company understands that as AI models become more powerful, "even more stringent standards of safety will be required."
He said Anthropic aims to improve its ability to prevent misuse of the technology.
"We will slow down as much as necessary in order to make sure that every successive AI technology that we release is actually safe," Amodei said in a video feed.
"If managed poorly, I even believe that AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole," Amodei added.
Other speakers included Clement Delangue of Hugging Face, which was the target of a recent cyberattack by autonomous OpenAI software.
This marked the first in a series of incidents that have raised alarm bells over the rapidly evolving technology.
In early September, Jacob Coxon, a researcher who worked at both OpenAI and Anthropic, decided to leave the industry and accused both companies of "gambling with our lives" in the race to develop AI models capable of self-improvement.

'Middle path'

The executives' remarks come shortly before Trump is due to welcome Chinese leader Xi Jinping, hosting him for a summit where AI will be on the agenda.
On Wednesday, Altman said his company would try to walk a "middle path."
"We don't want to fall into the trap of blind optimism," but he cautioned against falling into "doomerism" too.
Yoshua Bengio, the Canadian computer scientist considered one of the founders of AI, told the Security Council that "more and more people are rightly worried about recent advances."
"We must channel that concern into productive action," he said.
Delangue of Hugging Face noted that while his company was targeted by AI, it also used the technology to fend off the attacks. "The world needs open-source AI more than ever to defend itself."
Altman, Amodei and several other leading AI executives have been calling for global oversight of the technology.
OpenAI has urged the United States to lead a global effort on establishing standards for AI, noting that its industry is at the technical frontier.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday that Britain would launch an effort to set up global AI standards during its 2027 G20 presidency.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot similarly urged joint action within the UN framework and with companies to set rules for a new era.
But diplomatic efforts could clash with the US position.
Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said rapid advancement is not a reason to pause AI's development or constrain it with new governance structures.
Trump on Tuesday rejected international regulation of AI, calling such proposals a "globalist scheme."
bys/msp

migration

Venezuelan shot by ICE needs urgent surgery, mother tells AFP

  • In an interview from her home in the Venezuelan state of Lara, she said he had suffered paralysis on the left side of his body and required urgent surgery to remove the bullet.
  • The family of a Venezuelan man shot by US immigration agents while delivering a DoorDash order told AFP on Wednesday that he required surgery urgently for a bullet lodged near his spine.
  • In an interview from her home in the Venezuelan state of Lara, she said he had suffered paralysis on the left side of his body and required urgent surgery to remove the bullet.
The family of a Venezuelan man shot by US immigration agents while delivering a DoorDash order told AFP on Wednesday that he required surgery urgently for a bullet lodged near his spine.
Wilber Garces Perez, 28, told reporters he was working on Sunday in Austin, Texas, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents rammed his vehicle.
He said he performed a U-turn with the intention of parking the car when an agent shot him in the back.
The shooting marked the latest instance of violence by ICE agents tasked with enforcing President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
The US Department of Homeland Security said it was investigating the incident.
It claimed Garces Perez "illegally entered our country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal."
HIs family, however, insisted that he entered the US legally under a humanitarin parole program for Venezuelans that Trump halted after returning to the White House last year.
Garces Perez was hospitalized for his injuries and then taken to an ICE detention center, with the bullet still inside his body.
His mother, Flor Perez, who spoke to him by phone, told AFP that her son called her from his car after being shot, saying: "Mom, they shot me, they shot me."
In an interview from her home in the Venezuelan state of Lara, she said he had suffered paralysis on the left side of his body and required urgent surgery to remove the bullet.
Speaking to reporters by phone on Monday, Garces Perez confirmed that he was "in a lot of pain."
He said the shot fractured his clavicle and "at the hospital where they took me they couldn't remove the bullet because it's close to the spinal cord."
He said the doctors appeared in a hurry to discharge him and that his room at the detention center had no bed.

'Not a criminal'

Garces' other relatives in Venezuela denounced what they saw as the lack of transparency in his arrest and unjustified use of force.
"The truth is, there was no reason to shoot Wilber. They say he fled. However, I don't think that's a valid reason. He's not a criminal," his aunt Gladys Perez, a teacher, said.
Garces Perez's lawyer Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said he was in the US "legally with a work permit."
The injured man's son, who suffers from cerebral palsy, lives with his grandmother in Venezuela.
The family said he depends financially on money that his father sends from Texas for his treatment.
ICE agents have shot and killed several people during Trump's second term, including three Americans, two of them activists, and a Mexican migrant.
str-afc-pgf/cb/jgc

Trump

Judge urged to lift Trump's White House ban on media outlets

BY CHRIS LEFKOW

  • In a previous case involving CNN during Trump's first term, Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to temporarily restore the White House access for a CNN reporter whose pass had been revoked.   
  • A lawyer for CNN, MS NOW and Politico urged a US federal judge on Wednesday to immediately restore White House access for the news organizations after President Donald Trump abruptly revoked their credentials.
  • In a previous case involving CNN during Trump's first term, Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to temporarily restore the White House access for a CNN reporter whose pass had been revoked.   
A lawyer for CNN, MS NOW and Politico urged a US federal judge on Wednesday to immediately restore White House access for the news organizations after President Donald Trump abruptly revoked their credentials.
District Judge Timothy Kelly declined to issue an immediate decision after a nearly one-hour court hearing but told lawyers for the media outlets and the government he would rule "as soon as I can."
CNN, MS NOW and Politico went to court after Trump on Friday ordered that they be barred from the White House as punishment for distributing what he called "fake news" and "fiction and lies."
The news organizations filed a lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order against the ban on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds the right to a free press.
The Department of Justice responded with a court filing that said Trump can "control reporters' access to restricted presidential areas, such as the Oval Office."
"Access to the White House is a privilege -- not a right," it said.
In an accompanying letter to CNN, the White House Press Office accused the cable news network of "trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information."
Similar accusations were leveled against MS NOW and Politico.
The letter to CNN cited several stories about the Iran war and a story on Trump's plans to build a military bunker below the planned East Wing ballroom which allegedly "disclosed 'top-secret' construction details."
Theodore Boutrous, representing the media outlets in court on Wednesday, told the judge that in his Truth Social post on Friday announcing the bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, Trump "didn't say anything about national security."
"All of a sudden this is a national security case," Boutrous said.
"The idea that reporters could be punished by the government simply for reporting on national security issues... that the government would rather have not be reported on is just contrary to First Amendment principles," he added.

'Trump TV'

Journalists for the three news organizations were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday and had their passes confiscated in the latest flare-up of the 80-year-old Republican president's years-long assault on the mainstream US media.
In a previous case involving CNN during Trump's first term, Kelly, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to temporarily restore the White House access for a CNN reporter whose pass had been revoked.   
In a rare move, the top five US broadcasters said on Monday that they were halting pool coverage of the White House -- where a broadcaster films on behalf of all television outlets for the day -- in solidarity with CNN.
"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said.
On Tuesday, Trump appeared to suggest that CNN should not be covering him outside of the White House too.
"I'm surprised that CNN is here covering me. You shouldn't be here," Trump told a CNN reporter at the UN General Assembly in New York.
On Monday evening, the White House launched a streaming channel, "Trump TV," which it said would show "top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time."
The billionaire former reality TV star has long attacked media outlets that have aired critical coverage of his campaigns and administrations, repeatedly blasting the press as the "enemy of the people."
But the ban comes at a time when his approval ratings are at record lows, his Republican Party risks losing control of Congress in November's midterm elections, and the Iran war drags on with no end in sight.
cl/md

climate

Outgoing UN chief makes final climate push at New York summit

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • He called on countries to lift their emissions cutting targets and release concrete plans to quit fossil fuels -- a cause given a boost by Germany, Europe's biggest economy, which issued its roadmap hours before Guterres' swansong address as a summit convener. 
  • Outgoing UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday hailed the "unstoppable" rise of renewable energy and urged countries to develop firm plans to quit fossil fuels in his final climate meeting at the world organization's New York headquarters.
  • He called on countries to lift their emissions cutting targets and release concrete plans to quit fossil fuels -- a cause given a boost by Germany, Europe's biggest economy, which issued its roadmap hours before Guterres' swansong address as a summit convener. 
Outgoing UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday hailed the "unstoppable" rise of renewable energy and urged countries to develop firm plans to quit fossil fuels in his final climate meeting at the world organization's New York headquarters.
Speaking a day after denouncing "Big Oil" for treating the atmosphere like an "open sewer," the 77-year-old secretary-general used his opening speech to sound a note of hope.
"Renewables are the cheapest, fastest, and most secure source of new electricity almost everywhere," he said. "Clean energy has gone from alternative to unstoppable." 
He called on countries to lift their emissions cutting targets and release concrete plans to quit fossil fuels -- a cause given a boost by Germany, Europe's biggest economy, which issued its roadmap hours before Guterres' swansong address as a summit convener. 
Germany is the third country to do so, after France and the Netherlands. 
"We are the first generation with the tools to end the fossil fuel age -- and the last who can avert climate catastrophe," Guterres concluded. 
The former Portuguese prime minister made climate change a defining issue of his nine-year tenure that ends on December 31, and was hailed by Rachel Cleetus of the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists as "an extraordinary climate champion," for consistently elevating the voices of the most vulnerable during his term.
The stakes are clearer than ever, as the impacts of climate change surge around the world -- from heat waves and wildfires in Europe to catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet triggered by a glacier collapse.
Extreme weather events are set to worsen with a strengthening El Nino cycle that has already tied a record for intensity, months from its peak.
And the world is set to shoot past -- at least temporarily -- 1.5C of warming. Scientists say temperature increases above that level will bring on worse climate-linked catastrophes.

Turkey tempers expectations

His remarks at the "High-level Event on Climate Action and the Just Transition" were followed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two countries are co-hosting COP31 climate talks in Antalya in November in an unusual arrangement, with Australia running the talks but Turkey hosting the event and rallying support for voluntary pledges.
"Action is not optional. For Australia, as it must be for all of us, that action starts at home," said Albanese, touting the fact that during the height of the last Australian summer, half of the power for the grid came from renewables. 
Yet his climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen is traveling to India and Saudi Arabia this week for talks on strengthening Australia's oil supplies.
Erdogan followed and appeared to temper expectations about the degree of ambition at COP31. 
"Any proposal that fails to reconcile our climate objectives with social and economic realities will be doomed to fail," he said. 

Emissions cuts, financing, electrification 

Guterres asked leaders to accelerate the greening of their economies and mobilize climate financing for developing countries. Momentum is also gathering for electrification: switching combustion-based systems, like in heating and vehicles, to electricity. 
Turkey has advanced a "35x35" target to increase electricity's share of global energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. However, it has not specified that the electricity should be generated by renewables, which is key to tackling climate change. 
Global renewable power capacity grew by a record amount last year. But as energy demand increases -- not least from AI data centers and air conditioning in a warming world -- clean energy is not growing fast enough to displace fossil fuels. 
Pledges for Nepal -- where thousands remain missing after a devastating August 26 flood -- could also feature at the summit.
Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal recently told Kantipur TV that financial support "is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of legal and moral liability" for his climate-vulnerable country, which produces negligible emissions.
ia/gw/md

conflict

Russian strikes kill seven in Ukraine, Zelensky vows winter campaign

BY FLORENT VERGNES

  • But after Lavrov set out Russia's hardline stance, Zelensky told the General Assembly that his country would hit back.
  • Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least seven people on Wednesday, including two in a new barrage on Kyiv, as it vowed there would be no "pause" in Europe's worst conflict since World War II.   The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly in New York that his forces would hit Russian heating and energy facilities this winter as he again slammed Kremlin chief President Vladimir Putin.
  • But after Lavrov set out Russia's hardline stance, Zelensky told the General Assembly that his country would hit back.
Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least seven people on Wednesday, including two in a new barrage on Kyiv, as it vowed there would be no "pause" in Europe's worst conflict since World War II.  
The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly in New York that his forces would hit Russian heating and energy facilities this winter as he again slammed Kremlin chief President Vladimir Putin.
But Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN Security Council there would be no "pause" in the war. He accused Europe of seeking a a halt to fighting to "pump the Kyiv regime with weapons".
Russia has pummelled the Kyiv region at an intensity unseen since March 2022, weeks after it invaded Ukraine, while stepping up attacks across the rest of the country, according to an AFP analysis of figures from the ACLED conflict monitor.
Kyiv officials said that on top of the new deaths, more than 40 people were wounded in strikes on gas stations, offices, a college building, businesses and the rail network, while the internet was cut to some 100,000 households.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga accused Russia of putting civilian lives at risk by targeting data centres that provide information to the public on the threat from incoming missiles and drones.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the UN General Assembly that Washington was pushing for both sides to end attacks on energy targets. US President Donald Trump meanwhile invited Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December.
But after Lavrov set out Russia's hardline stance, Zelensky told the General Assembly that his country would hit back.
"Putin is always looking for someone who can help him kill more, kill more people for every kilometer of land, take more territory and take another country instead of simply stopping and running his own country," Zelensky said.

Strikes hit new peak

"Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us, but in response we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too," he said.
AFP reporters in Kyiv saw clouds of smoke across the city amid air-defence explosions, while the smell of burning filled the air as commuters headed to work.
Artem Derevyaha said he and his colleagues evacuated the canteen where they work after a strike hit their building.
"Everyone went out, and we had literally just moved two metres away when the second strike happened," he said.
"You just have time to lie down on the floor, that's all. You don't have any thoughts in your head."
In a sign of how the Kyiv region has suffered, AFP analysis of data from the ACLED armed conflict monitor showed that there were more Russian strikes in the first 18 days of September than in any full month since the start of the war apart from March 2022.
A total of 118 incidents have been recorded this month. In March 2022, as the invasion gathered pace, there were 174 in the whole month. 
Elsewhere in Ukraine, at least four people were killed, including a young child, when a residential building was hit in Oleksandrivka, west of Kramatorsk, in the eastern Donbas region.

Turkey protests

In Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, the captain of a cargo ship was killed in a Russian attack -- part of a wave of strikes from both sides on commercial vessels designed to hit export revenues.
The head of the Odesa region, Oleg Kiper, said the vessel was sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.
At least 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been hit on the Black Sea since the start of the conflict, Turkey's IMEAK chamber of shipping said. 
Seventy percent -- or 163 attacks -- took place in the first eight months of this year, prompting Turkey to call on both sides to halt attacks on civilian ships. 
Russia's defence ministry said its latest attacks on the Kyiv region hit a warehouse and business linked to the production of military drones. Similar sites were hit in the Odesa area, as well as a vessel delivering military cargo, it added.
burs-brw-phz/tw/ach 

trade

China's Xi to get rare airport welcome from Trump

BY DANNY KEMP

  • American presidents very rarely travel to the airport to greet foreign leaders, although Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin planeside in Alaska last year.
  • US President Donald Trump will roll out the red carpet for Xi Jinping on Wednesday, giving the Chinese leader a rare personal welcome at the airport for a state visit that is expected to cover everything from AI and trade to Iran.
  • American presidents very rarely travel to the airport to greet foreign leaders, although Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin planeside in Alaska last year.
US President Donald Trump will roll out the red carpet for Xi Jinping on Wednesday, giving the Chinese leader a rare personal welcome at the airport for a state visit that is expected to cover everything from AI and trade to Iran.
Trump is laying on extraordinary levels of pomp for Xi's first state visit to the White House in over a decade, including a lavish state banquet, military flyover and  21-gun salute.
The spectacle underscores Trump's desire to maintain a fragile diplomatic and trade truce between the rival superpowers -- although no breakthroughs are expected on any of the key issues.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Xi "left Beijing by special plane" Wednesday, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, his right-hand man Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, among others.
In a highly unusual move for a US president, Trump and his wife Melania will travel to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland near Washington to personally welcome Xi on the tarmac at 6 pm (2200 GMT).
Tellingly, Xi did not afford Trump the same courtesy for the US president's state visit to Beijing in May. Instead, Trump was greeted at the airport by China's vice president.
Trump will hold a formal welcome ceremony for Xi at the White House on Thursday including a flyover of F-22 fighters and a B-2 bomber, followed by talks in the Oval Office and a state dinner.

'Gentleman's agreement'

Xi's visit will wrap up on Friday morning when the two presidential couples will have tea at the White House and then visit the National Archives, home to the US Declaration of Independence.
When the two leaders sit down for their highly anticipated talks, they will be confronting a host of thorny issues led by rising fears that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity.
But with China and the United States racing for AI supremacy there are few expectations of any deal to regulate the rapidly advancing technology.
Preliminary talks on Sunday between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng discussed creating a communication channel for AI concerns.
The two men held further "substantive" talks on Wednesday to prepare for Xi's visit, Bessent said in a statement.
The simmering trade war between the world's two biggest economies will also loom large, with both sides looking at prolonging a tariff truce agreed when Trump and Xi met in South Korea last year.
Jonathan Czin of the Brookings Institution told AFP that expectations were low for any concrete results from the meeting but "I think there will be some extension of the gentleman's agreement."
Analysts said that China had meanwhile begun to look past Trump, whose second term ends in early 2029, and was in many ways playing for time and using the truce to consolidate its position.

'Oppressive dictator'

Trump's five-star welcome for Xi has drawn criticism from China hawks within his own party, especially amid reports that Beijing supplied Iran with intelligence for attacks on US troops.
"Our commander-in-chief should keep in mind that his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator," said Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.
Trump however has played down the need to bring up the allegations of Chinese help for Iran, justifying it on the grounds that both Beijing and Washington spy on each other.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Taylor Rogers said Wicker was "wrong," telling US broadcaster Spectrum News: "The president is doing what is best for our national interests here." 
For Trump, Xi's visit is also a chance to focus on pageantry instead of problems at home, where the Iran war's effect on fuel prices has sent his approval rating plummeting to historic lows ahead of midterm elections in November. 
American presidents very rarely travel to the airport to greet foreign leaders, although Trump welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin planeside in Alaska last year.
The last such welcomes at Andrews -- apart from papal visits -- are believed to be John F. Kennedy's welcome for British prime minister Harold Macmillan in 1962, and Dwight D. Eisenhower's for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1959. 
dk/md/mjf

conflict

Zelensky says Putin using fighters from 47 countries in Ukraine war

  • "Putin is always looking for someone who can help him kill more, kill more people for every kilometer of land, take more territory and take another country instead of simply stopping and running his own country," Zelensky said at the UN. "We know that Russia uses citizens of 47 countries in its war," he added, pointing to citizens of countries from Ghana, Nepal, and India who had been caught up in the conflict.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of using third-country fighters from 47 countries to prosecute Moscow's war against Ukraine. 
  • "Putin is always looking for someone who can help him kill more, kill more people for every kilometer of land, take more territory and take another country instead of simply stopping and running his own country," Zelensky said at the UN. "We know that Russia uses citizens of 47 countries in its war," he added, pointing to citizens of countries from Ghana, Nepal, and India who had been caught up in the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of using third-country fighters from 47 countries to prosecute Moscow's war against Ukraine. 
Highlighting Russia's growing defense relationship with North Korea, Zelensky also said that two North Korean troops deployed to fight against Ukraine had been captured and sent to South Korea.
"Putin is always looking for someone who can help him kill more, kill more people for every kilometer of land, take more territory and take another country instead of simply stopping and running his own country," Zelensky said at the UN.
"We know that Russia uses citizens of 47 countries in its war," he added, pointing to citizens of countries from Ghana, Nepal, and India who had been caught up in the conflict.
"Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea. These guys are not easy to capture alive," he added.
Zelensky also touted the deals on drone technology that Kyiv, now a world leader in the field, had struck with allies.
"We are already working with partners in the Gulf, the South Caucasus, and across Europe through drone deals. Today, I signed a drone deal, a serious drone deal, with Finland," he said.
"Also today, I signed (a) security agreement with Australia, and drones are part of it too."
Zelensky added that Kyiv was also preparing a drone deal with Canada.
The Ukrainian president warned that this winter his forces could seek to target Russian heating and energy facilities to use the region's bitter frost against Russia. Moscow has targeted Ukraine's civilian heating and fuel infrastructure since the start of the conflict, weaponizing the region's brutally cold winters.
"Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us, but in response we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too," he said.
Zelensky's defiant message to Moscow came just hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed Washington was pushing for Russia and Ukraine to cease attacks on each other's energy infrastructure.
Zelensky also insisted that it was not Ukraine's goal to destroy Russia's supplies of gasoline and diesel, but rather to deprive Moscow of the main source of revenue for its war machine.
"When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time. That is exactly why we insist on limiting trade with the aggressor, and why we are burning Russia's revenues ourselves," he said.
"The longer Putin is able to wage war, the more evil he will leave behind in this world."
gw/md

conflict

Trump invites Putin to G20 summit in Miami

  • "So we've invited President Putin to the G20," he added.
  • President Donald Trump has invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders in Miami in December, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.
  • "So we've invited President Putin to the G20," he added.
President Donald Trump has invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders in Miami in December, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.
The move comes as Washington struggles to secure a deal to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Trump insisting that he is working with both sides to stop the war.
"In order to solve problems, you have to meet with the people that you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with," Rubio told reporters in New York on Wednesday.
"So we've invited President Putin to the G20," he added.
"We think it's an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders. We hope that's an invitation he'll accept," Rubio said.
The top US diplomat spoke shortly after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a hotel in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Their meeting also comes ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's scheduled address to the United Nations.
Zelensky is expected to appeal again for better air defenses against the barrage of Russian drones and missiles.
But on Wednesday, Lavrov told the UN Security Council that Moscow would not halt its war of more than four years against Ukraine.
"We are not going to have a pause in our special military operation," Lavrov said, accusing Europe of wanting to use a halt to the fighting to "pump the Kyiv regime with weapons."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, speaking after Lavrov, told the Security Council that his Russian counterpart's comment "said it all."
He later added: "Russia's war against Europe is no longer hybrid. Instead of safeguarding peace, Russia is spreading war. That is everyone's problem."

Declaration of support

In a joint declaration issued on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, 51 countries including France, the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada reaffirmed their support for Ukraine.
"We are particularly concerned by the attacks in the Black Sea," said EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who read out the statement alongside French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Sybiga.
The statement added that Russia is trying to choke off Ukrainian grain exports, calling for efforts to safeguard commercial shipping and critical infrastructure.
Rubio also encouraged for Moscow and Kyiv to reach an energy ceasefire. While this does not end the war, it could create a platform for broader agreement, he noted.
Rubio said both sides have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving energy.
Zelensky has told journalists that Ukraine is ready to halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow agrees to do likewise, after Trump called on him to stop hitting diesel refineries.
After meeting with Trump on Tuesday, Zelensky said that Washington and Kyiv want the war with Russia to end "before winter."
While the United States and Russian presidents have spoken by telephone on various occasions, the last time they met was in 2025.
On a separate note about the conflict in the Middle East, Rubio warned Wednesday that the last thing Israel or the wider region needed was for the West Bank to become a new crisis.
"The last thing Israel needs or the region needs is an additional crisis or an additional friction point, we understand that that's the case and that's what's happening," Rubio said.
lb-wd-bys/jgc

diplomacy

Azerbaijan pardons Frenchman after EU lifts sanctions on oligarchs

  • French water company executive Anass Derraz, jailed in Azerbaijan last year for accepting a bribe, was not included on the list of the people pardoned on Wednesday. em-cad-Dt-gw-as/sbk
  • Azerbaijan's president on Wednesday pardoned Martin Ryan, a Frenchman jailed since 2023 on espionage charges, following the European Union's removal of two Russian billionaires from its sanctions list.
  • French water company executive Anass Derraz, jailed in Azerbaijan last year for accepting a bribe, was not included on the list of the people pardoned on Wednesday. em-cad-Dt-gw-as/sbk
Azerbaijan's president on Wednesday pardoned Martin Ryan, a Frenchman jailed since 2023 on espionage charges, following the European Union's removal of two Russian billionaires from its sanctions list.
President Ilham Aliyev pardoned 20 people in total, having taken into account their "personalities, state of health, family circumstances" and other reasons, his office said.
The head of France's DGSE foreign intelligence agency, Nicolas Lerner, accompanied Ryan on his trip back home, an informed source told AFP, confirming reports from an Azerbaijani broadcaster.
Ryan's father thanked the French state for securing his son's release.
"We are delighted our son Martin is returning to France after nearly three years in detention," Richard Ryan told AFP.
"We commend the efforts of the various parties who worked to secure his release," he added. "We are grateful to the state services."
The French foreign ministry praised the "humanitarian gesture".
"This decision is the result of a patient and exacting dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities, which we intend to continue," the ministry said.
A senior diplomat in Brussels told AFP that France had pushed for the EU to lift sanctions on Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov as part of a potential prisoner deal with Azerbaijan.
Luxembourg had then demanded sanctions be lifted from fellow billionaire Mikhail Fridman, who is suing the European country over his frozen assets.
Ryan was arrested in December 2023 at a time when relations between Azerbaijan and France had deteriorated over Paris's support for Armenia, Baku's longtime rival.
A court in March found him guilty of spying against Azerbaijan and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Ryan, who also holds British citizenship, denied the charges.
France said the allegations against him were false and had called for his immediate release, arguing that he had been caught in the crossfire of diplomatic tensions.

Russian opposition outraged

Brussels had sanctioned Usmanov and Fridman following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, over allegations that their businesses provided significant revenues to the Kremlin.
France's push to have Usmanov removed riled other EU member states, some of whom argued lifting sanctions for political reasons set a dangerous precedent.
Ukraine described the move as "shameful".
High-profile members of the exiled Russian opposition were outraged.
Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said the decision to remove Usmanov from the sanctions list was "a moral catastrophe."
"Usmanov is far from being an 'ordinary oligarch.' He is one of the system's key people," he said on Telegram.
Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, added: "Thanks, European Commission, for another reminder that in high-level politics, money still speaks louder than principles."
The Kremlin said it backed taking Usmanov and Fridman off the blacklist and that the bloc should lift sanctions on "all Russian businessmen".
Ryan's pardon comes amid a thaw in relations between France and Azerbaijan, which had long festered over Paris's support for Armenia.
In October, Aliyev said that "past misunderstandings between the two countries have been resolved", after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Copenhagen.
French water company executive Anass Derraz, jailed in Azerbaijan last year for accepting a bribe, was not included on the list of the people pardoned on Wednesday.
em-cad-Dt-gw-as/sbk

Entertainment

Weinstein resentenced to 15 years in prison for 2006 sex assault

BY RAPHAëLLE PELTIER

  • "It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Harvey Weinstein is being sentenced not only for the crime of which he was convicted, but for who he is and what his name has come to represent," he said, referencing the #MeToo movement. 
  • Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was at the center of abuse allegations that spurred the #MeToo movement, was resentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a former production assistant.
  • "It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Harvey Weinstein is being sentenced not only for the crime of which he was convicted, but for who he is and what his name has come to represent," he said, referencing the #MeToo movement. 
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who was at the center of abuse allegations that spurred the #MeToo movement, was resentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a former production assistant.
Weinstein, 74, forcibly performed oral sex in 2006 on Miriam Haley, one of dozens of women who have made accusations against the "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love" producer. 
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in 2020 for the sexual assault, but it was overturned on appeal in 2024. A jury found him guilty again in 2025 after a retrial in New York.
He made a last-ditch plea for leniency Wednesday as he addressed a packed Manhattan court, where Haley sat in the audience.
"I am not a violent man, have some mercy," said Weinstein, who wore a dark suit with a red tie and sat in a wheelchair due to health issues. 
"I sincerely apologize to anyone I have hurt," he added, while continuing to maintain his innocence during remarks met by loud groans inside the court.
After sentencing, his spokesman Juda Engelmayer told AFP that Weinstein planned to appeal the latest sentence and conviction. 
"It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Harvey Weinstein is being sentenced not only for the crime of which he was convicted, but for who he is and what his name has come to represent," he said, referencing the #MeToo movement. 

'Courage'

Judge Curtis Farber slammed Weinstein as a "sexual predator" who had failed to take responsibility for his actions.  
"You had it all. Your legacy could have been cemented with greatness. But you threw it all away by assaulting Miriam Haley," Farber said. 
Prosecutors had sought 20 years in prison for Weinstein, while his lawyers warned that a longer sentence would likely see him die in prison.
Haley said after the hearing that she believed the 15-year prison term "was fair, in my opinion. So I'm happy with it."
She earlier told the court that she had suffered a "life sentence" and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after Weinstein assaulted her in New York.
She said that Weinstein "abused his position of power" and that she "felt embarrassed that he thought I was so insignificant that he dared to do something like this."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg praised Haley for her "powerful, moving and eloquent" testimony in court. 
"I'm moved, as we should all be moved, by their courage and their steadfastness through what has obviously been a challenging process," he told reporters. 

MeToo movement

Weinstein once ruled Hollywood as a kingpin powerful enough to make or break projects and careers.
But investigations by The New Yorker and The New York Times exposed a raft of abusive behavior and prompted an avalanche of allegations from more than 80 people.
Weinstein is also to be resentenced in California for the 2013 rape and assault of an actress in a Los Angeles hotel room, after an appeals court in June upheld the conviction but vacated his 16-year prison term. 
Meanwhile, a New York judge in May declared a mistrial in a separate case after jurors failed to reach a verdict on allegations he sexually assaulted actor Jessica Mann.
It was the third time Mann had taken the stand against Weinstein after a 2020 guilty verdict was overturned due to mishandling of witnesses, and a 2025 case ended in mistrial after a jury-room feud.
Prosecutors later said they would not pursue a fourth trial in Mann's case.
Still, she attended the court Wednesday in support of Haley along with Polish-born actor Kaja Sokola -- Weinstein was acquitted of sexual assault against her in a 2025 retrial. 
pel-bjt/bgs

history

Archaelogical 'breakthrough' could confirm origins of Paris

BY JéRéMY TORDJMAN

  • "It's dizzying to find oneself here and to discover what is probably the origin of the city of Paris," Paris mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said on Wednesday after examining the wall.
  • An ancient wall discovered in central Paris was hailed as a "major breakthrough" on Wednesday, as the archaeological find may have settled a long-standing debate about the location of the city's original settlement.
  • "It's dizzying to find oneself here and to discover what is probably the origin of the city of Paris," Paris mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said on Wednesday after examining the wall.
An ancient wall discovered in central Paris was hailed as a "major breakthrough" on Wednesday, as the archaeological find may have settled a long-standing debate about the location of the city's original settlement.
A roughly 20-metre (65-foot) wall dating from the Gallo-Roman period was discovered in Paris this summer beneath a hospital on the Ile de la Cite, a stone's throw from Notre Dame Cathedral, the French culture ministry said.
The stone-and-wood find is thought to be a fragment of the ramparts of Lutetia -- the ancient name for Paris -- built by the Gallic Parisii tribe which lived along the river Seine in the Iron Age.
The Ile de la Cite has traditionally been regarded as the centre of Lutetia, but a rival theory, backed by archaeological research, contends that it was actually in Nanterre, a suburb to the west.
"We may be looking at one of the most important remains ever discovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia," Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said in a statement, which described the discovery as "a major breakthrough". 
"Scientific caution still requires that we verify its function and its chronology, but the convergence of evidence is particularly remarkable at this stage."
Lutetia was first mentioned in book seven of Roman leader Julius Caesar's "Gallic Wars" series, where it was said to be on an island in the river Seine linked by bridges --  a vague description that has given rise to many theories about its location.

'Dizzying'

The wall, uncovered in the course of excavations beneath the Hotel-Dieu hospital, also bears traces of fire, which may correspond to Caesar's account that the Gauls set fire to their town before the Battle of Lutetia against the Romans.
Through carbon dating technology, the charred evidence is estimated to date from 10-200 BC, the ministry said in its statement -- a timeframe that includes the Battle of Lutetia in 52 BC.
The Ile de la Cite, home to Notre Dame cathedral, is the largest island in the river Seine in the Paris region and became the centre of the Roman settlement of Lutetia.
"It's dizzying to find oneself here and to discover what is probably the origin of the city of Paris," Paris mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said on Wednesday after examining the wall.
It is barely a metre high and had been been buried four meters deep in a courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital, which is the oldest of the capital.
An archaeological dig began there in February.
"All of our predecessors dreamed of finding traces of Gallic presences on the Ile de la Cite," said Dorothee Chaoui-Derieux, coordinator of archaeological operations in Paris for the culture ministry.
"There has been a lot of speculation on the subject. We're fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," she added. 
"Beneath our feet, thanks to the trowels of our colleagues, this wall built in the Gallic tradition is gradually revealing its secrets."
jt-adp/jj

ILO

ILO financial crisis takes centre stage in leadership race

  • The Spanish candidate however emphasised that the ILO's financial crisis was not solely due to a single member state's failure to pay.
  • The three candidates vying for the International Labour Organization helm faced off Wednesday, with the deep financial crisis gripping the organisation at the heart of their pitches to members.
  • The Spanish candidate however emphasised that the ILO's financial crisis was not solely due to a single member state's failure to pay.
The three candidates vying for the International Labour Organization helm faced off Wednesday, with the deep financial crisis gripping the organisation at the heart of their pitches to members.
Alongside current ILO chief Gilbert Houngbo of Togo, two other candidates are seeking the United Nations agency's top post: Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz Perez and Peru's former foreign minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea.
They took part in an hours-long public event in Geneva Wednesday, presenting their platforms and answering questions from government, employer and employee representatives.
The ILO is facing a serious financial crisis, with a $363-million deficit, Diaz Perez warned.
"Continuing on this path is not an option... Continuing this way will lead to the total decline of this institution," she added.

Jobs cuts planned

The UN labour agency's mission is to promote workers' rights and improve working conditions.
However, the Geneva-based agency has recently faced turbulence amidst slumping international funding, especially from the United States, traditionally its biggest contributor.
It recently drafted a reform plan involving cutting up to 120 jobs.
The top priority, Houngbo said, was "to finish up the reform", and ensure "the medium- to long-term financial viability of the institution".
He insisted that it was "within reach" to fully implement the reform, which he said was "expected to generate significant efficiency gains, including savings of approximately 12.5 percent".
Houngbo also proposes maintaining current levels of member state contributions and pledges and to cap the agency's spending at 75 percent of available resources, "creating a buffer of 25 percent".
He said he aimed to establish a reserve fund to help the ILO weather future shocks.

US arrears

The ILO has traditionally relied on the United States for the bulk of its funding -- 22 percent of the budget -- but according to the agency's website, Washington has accumulated arrears totalling more than 173 million Swiss francs ($214 million) for 2024 and 2025.
It has also yet to pay its 2026 contribution of 84 million francs, the ILO says. 
The Spanish candidate however emphasised that the ILO's financial crisis was not solely due to a single member state's failure to pay. US cuts to other parts of the multilateral system had not had the same impact, she noted.
"The financial management of this crisis has been flawed," she charged, proposing that the ILO diversify its funding sources.
Gonzalez-Olaechea also argued for a "financially viable" ILO, saying the situation was "not an insoluble puzzle".
He pledged to engage in dialogue with states in arrears to understand why they had failed to meet their obligations and to persuade them to settle their dues.
The vote, by secret ballot, will take place on November 16, with the next ILO chief's term set to begin in October 2027.
apo/nl/jj

luxury

Fendi brings disco bling, Italian style, to Milan Fashion Week

  • "Raffaella had a strong awareness of her body and a great sense of fashion, which had a big influence on us," Chiuri said on Instagram of the collection.  
  • Fendi's Maria Grazia Chiuri unveiled a wardrobe of sensual, sheer, 1970s-influenced looks Wednesday at Milan Fashion Week, inspired by legendary performer Raffaella Carra. 
  • "Raffaella had a strong awareness of her body and a great sense of fashion, which had a big influence on us," Chiuri said on Instagram of the collection.  
Fendi's Maria Grazia Chiuri unveiled a wardrobe of sensual, sheer, 1970s-influenced looks Wednesday at Milan Fashion Week, inspired by legendary performer Raffaella Carra. 
In her second Milan collection for the Rome-based brand, Chiuri alternated between nightclub and boudoir, with mostly black, sheer and airy dresses, plunging V necklines and backless cuts -- along with fringes and feather boas for good measure. 
Models strutted in front of mirrors inspired by the 1974 Italian TV variety show known by scores of Italians in which Carra famously danced to "Prisencolinensinainciusol", an iconic hit sung in English-sounding gibberish by pop star Adriano Celentano.
Carra, a singer, dancer, actress and television presenter known to generations of Italians for her blond hairdo, energetic dance moves and often exposed midriff, died in 2021. 
"Raffaella had a strong awareness of her body and a great sense of fashion, which had a big influence on us," Chiuri said on Instagram of the collection.  
The day after Prada's all-skirt collection and Diesel's night-out silhouettes, the men at Fendi brought back tunics worn over jeans, while the women revived their sequined caps and furs, symbols of the LVMH-owned brand.
Dozens of anti-fur protesters demonstrated outside Fendi's show, where in the front row sat celebrities such as Monica Bellucci and Bang Chan, a member of the South Korean group Stray Kids.
Earlier Wednesday, Sardinian designer Antonio Marras used an urban park for his runway, presenting military jackets and wide grey suits embroidered with flowers, nostalgic silk or tulle dresses and deconstructed parkas. 
The mixed Spring/Summer 2027 collection evokes "the day after the night, when you’re still wearing your party clothes and have sea salt on your skin," the designer explained in a statement. 
Marras's models of all ages walked down a basketball court covered in rugs opposite his Milan workshop, before dancing around a wedding table. 
At Jil Sander, Simone Bellotti -- now in his second year as creative director -- continued to explore the house’s core codes: understated and functional.
Jackets were strict, grey, fitted with broad shoulders, yet long and comfortable. 
Beyond the deluge of grey, the palette was pastel, with beiges, yellows and blues. 
"The uniform becomes vulnerable. Vulnerability, in turn, becomes the uniform," the brand said on Instagram. 
tsz/ams/jj

Global Edition

President tells Trump that Iran will never 'bend at the knee'

BY BEIYI SEOW

  • We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," he said.
  • Iran's president struck a defiant tone at the UN on Wednesday where he spoke for the first time since Washington and Israel launched an all-out war on his country, vowing Tehran would never "bend at the knee."
  • We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," he said.
Iran's president struck a defiant tone at the UN on Wednesday where he spoke for the first time since Washington and Israel launched an all-out war on his country, vowing Tehran would never "bend at the knee."
Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of "terrorism" for assassinating former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict, insisting Tehran had never started a war.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump had told the UN General Assembly that he was weighing whether to "annihilate" Iran but went on to hail renewed talks between Tehran and Washington's negotiators.
Pezeshkian made no reference to the talks to resolve the stalled war in his steely speech.
"(Trump) must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying. We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," he said.
Pezeshkian insisted Tehran would not allow the Strait of Hormuz, which it has choked off since the start of the war causing global energy prices to spike, to be used as leverage against his country.
"We cannot let some have free access and bolster their interests from the waterway, while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggression upon us," he said.
Pezeshkian's attendance at the UN's signature diplomatic event, in the heart of Manhattan, had been in doubt as it was unclear if the United States would issue a visa.
Ultimately Washington granted the permit, but denied visas to several members of Pezeshkian's entourage.
Soaring fuel prices threaten to cost Trump's Republicans their control of Congress in November's midterms, but the US president has sought to dismiss the domestic impact of the war.

AI and Ukraine

Also Wednesday, the future of artificial intelligence is expected to dominate the UN gathering of world leaders.
Following weeks of worldwide headlines about risks of uncontrollable AI -- and calls for a slowdown -- industry leaders are set to brief an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Clement Delangue of Hugging Face will brief the 15-strong Council, the United Nation's top body.
In his speech Tuesday, Trump rejected international regulation of AI, calling such proposals a "globalist scheme."
"The very same people who said we'll all be dead in 12 years because of global warming... are now saying that AI is going to kill us all," Trump said.
Besides AI and conflict in the Middle East, Russia's war against Ukraine will again be raised.
The Security Council will meet on Ukraine, while President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to address the UN General Assembly as well.
Zelensky, after meeting with Trump on Tuesday, said that Washington and Kyiv want the war with Russia to end within months.
He added that he is ready to halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow agreed to do the same.
gw-bys/bgs/acb

US

President tells Trump that Iran will never 'bend at the knee'

  • We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," he said.
  • Iran's president struck a defiant tone at the UN on Wednesday where he spoke for the first time since Washington and Israel launched an all-out war on his country, vowing Tehran would never "bend at the knee."
  • We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," he said.
Iran's president struck a defiant tone at the UN on Wednesday where he spoke for the first time since Washington and Israel launched an all-out war on his country, vowing Tehran would never "bend at the knee."
Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of "terrorism" for assassinating former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the war.
He held up a photograph of the dead leader, before insisting Tehran had never started a war.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump had told the UN he was weighing whether to "annihilate" Iran, but went on to hail renewed talks between Tehran and Washington's negotiators.
Pezeshkian made no reference to the talks to resolve the stalled war in his steely speech.
"(Trump) must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying. We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," he said.
Pezeshkian insisted that Tehran would not allow the Strait of Hormuz, which it has been intermittently blockaded since the start of the war causing global energy prices to spike, to be used for aggression against his country.
"We cannot let some have free access and bolster their interests from the waterway, while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggression upon us," he said.
Soaring fuel prices threaten to cost Trump's Republicans their control of Congress in November's midterms.
Pezeshkian's attendance at the UN's signature diplomatic event, in the heart of Manhattan, had been in doubt as it was unclear if the United States would issue a visa.
Ultimately Washington granted the permit, but denied visas to several members of Pezeshkian's entourage.
gw/bgs

court

ICC convicts C.Africa rebel leader

BY RICHARD CARTER WITH PACôME PABANDJI IN BANGUI

  • The ICC sentenced Yekatom to 15 years behind bars for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and torture.
  • The International Criminal Court on Wednesday convicted a former Central African Republic rebel commander on four counts of crimes against humanity including torture and unlawful imprisonment.
  • The ICC sentenced Yekatom to 15 years behind bars for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and torture.
The International Criminal Court on Wednesday convicted a former Central African Republic rebel commander on four counts of crimes against humanity including torture and unlawful imprisonment.
The ICC found that Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, 56, oversaw beatings and maltreatment as head of a feared prison unit as the CAR spiralled into civil war in 2013.
Wearing a blue sweatshirt and jeans, Said shook his head multiple times in the courtroom as presiding judge Miatta Maria Samba detailed the crimes.
The ICC will deliver a sentence for the crimes at a later date. Said was also acquitted of three counts of war crimes.
Said ran the Central Office for the Repression of Banditry (OCRB) detention centre in the capital Bangui where horrific acts of torture and deprivation were inflicted on prisoners.
Samba said a frequently used torture method was "arbatachar", in which prisoners' hands, elbows, and feet were tied tightly together behind their backs.
Others were beaten with ropes and whips, and doused in water, said Samba.
The court acknowledged the suffering and trauma of the victims, who testified about the long-lasting impact of the crimes on them, their families and their lives.
Samba cited one victim as saying he had been "completely unbalanced and that his life had been completely destroyed by the mistreatment he suffered."
Said kept some detainees in a cramped cell under his office without sanitary facilities, according to the ruling.
"Detainees had to urinate and defecate inside the underground cell. The underground cell was dark, cramped, dirty, and insufficiently ventilated," she said.
"The floor was covered in waste and it smelled of faeces and urine."
Said was involved in the interrogation and mistreatment of detainees and present when they were being tortured, the judge ruled.

'Anti-Balaka'

Said was a top commander of the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group that ousted president Francois Bozize and plunged one of the world's poorest countries into a bloody sectarian conflict.
The Seleka overthrow of Bozize sparked a catastrophic civil war in the country of some five million people, with thousands of civilians losing their lives and war crimes alleged on both sides.
Bozize set up militias dominated by Christians and animists, known as "anti-Balakas", to regain power. 
French troops under a UN mandate helped the government secure the main cities from 2014.
The country has stabilised since a peace agreement was signed in Khartoum in 2019.
President Faustin-Archange Touadera has won three terms in office, touting his efforts to steady the nation after decades of conflict.
In Bangui, some victims' associations voiced disappointment that the war crimes charges had been dismissed.
"Our reaction... is one of dismay. Why? Because the court rejected several of the charges. So will the sentence be less?" asked Landry Makokpala, from the association of victims from crises in Central Africa.
"It's not what we expected as victims," Makokpala told AFPTV.
Last year, the ICC convicted two top anti-Balaka figures for war crimes.
Ex-sports minister Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona was a senior anti-Balaka leader, while Alfred Yekatom, a former MP, commanded them on the ground.
The ICC sentenced Yekatom to 15 years behind bars for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and torture.
Ngaissona received 12 years for 28 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Set up in 2002, the ICC is the world's only independent tribunal capable of prosecuting those accused of the world's worst crimes.
Fernand Mande Njapou, from a civil society organisation in CAR, said Wednesday's verdict was a source of pride for victims.
"But I know there are other big fish out there. We ask the ICC to get their hands on those big fish," he told AFPTV.
ric/rh

conflict

French foreign minister says Palestinians 'must' hold polls

  • The Palestinians are scheduled to hold legislative elections for the first time in two decades on November 28 –- a month after close-fought Israeli elections -- but there are wide doubts on whether the vote will take place.
  • France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Wednesday the Palestinians "must" hold fresh elections amid growing international concerns they will be delayed because of logistical challenges.
  • The Palestinians are scheduled to hold legislative elections for the first time in two decades on November 28 –- a month after close-fought Israeli elections -- but there are wide doubts on whether the vote will take place.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Wednesday the Palestinians "must" hold fresh elections amid growing international concerns they will be delayed because of logistical challenges.
"They absolutely must be held," he said, noting legislative polls had been slated for this November and presidential elections for the first quarter of 2027.
The Palestinians are scheduled to hold legislative elections for the first time in two decades on November 28 –- a month after close-fought Israeli elections -- but there are wide doubts on whether the vote will take place. A senior Palestinian official, Jibril Rajoub, recently said a dialogue was needed on how to hold them.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, 90, has been ruling by decree since his term ended in 2009. He announced in June that he would also call presidential elections for early 2027.
The Islamist movement Hamas won the last Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, defeating Abbas's Fatah. As a result, the Palestinian Legislative Council, the parliament of the Palestinian Authority which in is charge of much of the West Bank, has not convened since 2007.
Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007. On October 7, 2023, Hamas led the deadliest attack ever on Israel, which has responded with a major offensive that has left Gaza in rubble.
gw-sct/acb

Israel

Israel squeezing UN Palestinian refugee agency ahead of polls: chief

BY GREGORY WALTON

  • Prime Minister Netanyahu, who heads the most right-wing government in Israeli history, is locked in a tight election race and is focussing his campaign on security concerns ahead of next month's vote.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Israeli government is squeezing the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees ahead of elections in Israel in an effort to boost its appeal to voters, the agency's leader said.
  • Prime Minister Netanyahu, who heads the most right-wing government in Israeli history, is locked in a tight election race and is focussing his campaign on security concerns ahead of next month's vote.
Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Israeli government is squeezing the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees ahead of elections in Israel in an effort to boost its appeal to voters, the agency's leader said.
UNRWA's acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders said Israel was being "extremely difficult" about letting in vital supplies like engine oil to Gaza for relief operations while permitting luxury commercial products.
"About 30 percent of what's coming in is humanitarian aid -- the rest is commercial... I would consider some of the stuff coming in to be luxury goods. I mean, you do not need Nutella to survive," he told AFP late Tuesday.
Speaking at the UN's signature New York diplomatic gathering, Saunders also warned he would be forced to cut long-term services to refugees if his agency could not begin to bridge a $100 million shortfall in the next two months.
"We implemented a number of austerity measures, including putting the staff on an 80 percent work week with a 20 percent reduction in salary... although you cannot keep people on an 80 percent work week and a 20 percent reduction in salary forever," he said.
Saunders said he believes Israel's October 27 elections are contributing to UNRWA's challenges because "the current government is pushing to implement as much of their program before the elections as they can."
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who heads the most right-wing government in Israeli history, is locked in a tight election race and is focussing his campaign on security concerns ahead of next month's vote. UNRWA has long attracted Netanyahu's ire.
"I think they're trying to show the Israeli public why they should re-elect them," Saunders added.
Last month, Israeli forces took control of a vocational training center run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in an east Jerusalem suburb.
The raid drew condemnation from UN chief Antonio Guterres, and followed warnings by UNRWA that Israeli authorities were threatening its Qalandia training center, located between the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab and the Qalandia refugee camp.
The center was established in 1952 and offers vocational training to around 340 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank every year, according to UNRWA.
"We've been doing this for 76 years. We will find alternative ways in which to provide those young people with the necessary training," Saunders said.
In January, Israel began demolitions at UNRWA's headquarters in east Jerusalem, in what the organization called an "unprecedented attack."
Netanyahu's government has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of its employees took part in the group's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Legislation severing ties with the agency and banning it from operating on Israeli territory took effect in January 2025. 
A series of investigations, including one led by France's former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some "neutrality-related issues" at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.
gw/mjf

Eurovision

Dutch to resume Eurovision with new broadcaster

BY RICHARD CARTER

  • "The Dutch public broadcaster will once again take part in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2027 onwards with a Dutch participant. 
  • The Netherlands will participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest after all, as its public broadcaster said Wednesday it would step in to replace a company that had pulled out over the Gaza conflict.
  • "The Dutch public broadcaster will once again take part in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2027 onwards with a Dutch participant. 
The Netherlands will participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest after all, as its public broadcaster said Wednesday it would step in to replace a company that had pulled out over the Gaza conflict.
"The Dutch public broadcaster will once again take part in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2027 onwards with a Dutch participant. An independent team of experts will carefully guide the process surrounding the act," said the NPO (national public broadcaster).
In August, the AVROTROS broadcaster, which selected the Dutch entry and broadcast the show, had pulled out, saying the event can "no longer be considered neutral" given divisions over the Gaza war.
"The EBU (European Broadcasting Union that runs Eurovision) has since taken significant steps regarding the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest," said the NPO.
Acknowledging the contest provokes "mixed feelings" in the Netherlands, NPO said it had "explicitly asked the EBU to once again make the unifying character of the festival an important part of the event."
Jurre Bosman, NPO's director of media, said in a statement: "It is important that, as a public broadcaster, we remain part of this unifying European event at this moment in particular."
The contest has recently been hit by a wave of boycotts over Israel's participation, in protest at the country's deadly offensive in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas militant attacks in 2023.
In August, organisers announced they were excluding any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.
But when it pulled out, AVROTROS had said those changes did "not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored".

'Bangaranga'

Next year's contest, the world's biggest live televised music event, will take place on May 15 in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Burgas.
It will be the first time the Balkan nation has hosted the contest, coming after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year's contest in the Austrian capital Vienna with the catchy floor-filler "Bangaranga".
Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, as well as boosting the likes of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John.
The 2026 competition was watched by 131 million viewers, down 35 million on the year before after five countries boycotted it over Israel's participation.
The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all pulled out of the 2026 contest -- with the latter three refusing to broadcast the show at all.
The Dutch took part in the very first Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956, and have won on five occasions.
Their most recent winner was Duncan Laurence, whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally.
It became the first Eurovision entry to reach one billion streams on Spotify, according to the Eurovision website.
ric/rlp

US

UK says will revisit Chagos deal after latest Trump criticism

BY PETER HUTCHISON AND JOE JACKSON

  • Meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump said he believed Burnham would be reconsidering the "terrible deal", as the UK leader sat beside him, nodded and said "yep".
  • Britain will rework its deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a minister confirmed Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump branded the agreement "terrible" during his first meeting with UK leader Andy Burnham.
  • Meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump said he believed Burnham would be reconsidering the "terrible deal", as the UK leader sat beside him, nodded and said "yep".
Britain will rework its deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a minister confirmed Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump branded the agreement "terrible" during his first meeting with UK leader Andy Burnham.
London's decision to hand back the Indian Ocean archipelago to its former colony and pay to lease a strategic US-UK military base on Diego Garcia has been a bone of contention with Trump's administration for months.
The UK confirmed in April that it was pausing the plans agreed last year between the Mauritian government and Britain's then-prime minister Keir Starmer.
It faced vocal opposition from Trump, who had initially supported the pact, but then later branded it "an act of great stupidity".
The unpredictable American leader railed against the deal again Tuesday in his first face-to-face with Burnham, who replaced Starmer in July.
Meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump said he believed Burnham would be reconsidering the "terrible deal", as the UK leader sat beside him, nodded and said "yep".
Burnham later told broadcasters Britain would "work hard" to find a resolution on the thorny issue and that he was "confident we can find it working with our US partners".
Hours later, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Trump's opposition was "not news to us" but that his latest comments "provide absolute clarity that his position on this Chagos deal as currently drafted is not changing". 
"So we have to do more work with our American allies, with President Trump and his administration, to get the deal to a place where we can support it," he told the BBC on Wednesday.
Streeting confirmed that annual payments worth at least £120 million ($159 million) to lease back the military base from Mauritius would not be made "at this stage".
Starmer struck the deal after insisting that international legal rulings have put Britain's ownership of the Chagos in doubt and only a deal with Mauritius would guarantee continued US and UK use of the base.

 'Millstone?'

Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s.
It evicted thousands of Chagos islanders who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius.
The deal would have given Britain a 99-year lease of the base, with the option to extend.
James Cartlidge, defence spokesman for the main opposition Conservative party, said the agreement "should be binned entirely".
But Streeting told Times Radio: "The ostrich strategy of sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it (will) go away ... is not a wise strategy when it concerns one of the most sensitive national security assets we have anywhere in the world."
Jack Pannell, a senior researcher at the British Foreign Policy Group think-tank, said Burnham's priorities with Trump would be on "the big international issues" like AI regulation, Ukraine and the Middle East. 
"Success for Burnham means avoiding this issue becoming a millstone around his neck while he pursues his other foreign policy priorities and focuses on his domestic agenda," Pannell told AFP.
"The chances of a breakthrough on this issue are slim, and that may suit the prime minister just fine."
On Tuesday, Trump signed a security deal with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark that will allow the US to build two military bases in southern and eastern Greenland.
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