justice

Trial of accused USS Cole attack mastermind opens at Guantanamo

  • "Panel selection began" on Monday afternoon, Ronald Flesvig, spokesperson for the Office of Military Commissions, told AFP. The attack on the USS Cole was carried out by two militants in a speedboat laden with explosives that detonated near the warship -- a guided missile destroyer -- as it took on fuel in the harbor at Aden, Yemen.
  • Jury selection began on Monday in the long-delayed trial of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the accused mastermind of the 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship that left 17 American sailors dead.
  • "Panel selection began" on Monday afternoon, Ronald Flesvig, spokesperson for the Office of Military Commissions, told AFP. The attack on the USS Cole was carried out by two militants in a speedboat laden with explosives that detonated near the warship -- a guided missile destroyer -- as it took on fuel in the harbor at Aden, Yemen.
Jury selection began on Monday in the long-delayed trial of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the accused mastermind of the 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship that left 17 American sailors dead.
Nashiri was captured in Dubai in 2002 and underwent harsh interrogations in a secret CIA prison before being transferred to the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba 20 years ago, where he has been held ever since.
"Panel selection began" on Monday afternoon, Ronald Flesvig, spokesperson for the Office of Military Commissions, told AFP.
The attack on the USS Cole was carried out by two militants in a speedboat laden with explosives that detonated near the warship -- a guided missile destroyer -- as it took on fuel in the harbor at Aden, Yemen.
Nashiri was charged in April 2011 with offenses including murder in violation of the law of war and terrorism, but his case has been mired in pre-trial proceedings for years.
Several of the charges faced by Nashiri -- a Saudi national who was considered close to late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- can carry the death penalty.
His case has been complicated by abuse during his detention, with defense lawyers unsuccessfully arguing that Nashiri was not competent to stand trial due to trauma he suffered.
He was subjected to so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" on at least four occasions during his detention, according to a US Senate report released in 2014.
During one session in December 2002, Nashiri was blindfolded by a CIA officer who put a pistol near his head and "operated a cordless drill" close to his body.
An internal CIA investigation found that the officer, among others, slapped Nashiri "multiple times," blew cigar smoke in his face, and implied his mother would be brought in and sexually abused in front of him.
They also subjected him to "improvised stress positions" causing cuts and bruises, before a medical officer expressed concern that his shoulders could end up dislocated.
Nashiri has said he suffered abuse while at Guantanamo as well, complaining of having to wear chains and of enduring "ill-treatment" by guards.
A military judge ruled in August 2023 that a confession by Nashiri was tainted by years of abuse at the hands of the CIA and FBI and could not be used as evidence.
Guantanamo Bay, located 430 miles (700 kilometers) southeast of Miami on the southeastern coast of Cuba, has been used to indefinitely hold detainees seized during the wars and other operations that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Conditions there have prompted outcry from rights groups, and UN experts have condemned it as a site of "unparalleled notoriety."
President Donald Trump's administration has also used the base as a holding center for migrants who are being deported from the United States.
wd/msp

conflict

Ukraine says Russian strikes dash peace progress hopes after 18 killed

  • But hours after the truce, Russia targeted a village in a region adjacent to Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, with repeated strikes that killed at least 18 people, some of whom had come to collect aid at a local school.
  • Ukraine on Monday said multiple Russian strikes on a school where humanitarian aid was distributed killed at least 18 people and dashed fragile hopes of "progress toward peace" after a local ceasefire in the south expired without violations.
  • But hours after the truce, Russia targeted a village in a region adjacent to Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, with repeated strikes that killed at least 18 people, some of whom had come to collect aid at a local school.
Ukraine on Monday said multiple Russian strikes on a school where humanitarian aid was distributed killed at least 18 people and dashed fragile hopes of "progress toward peace" after a local ceasefire in the south expired without violations.
Russia resumed its strikes on the southern region of Kherson after the end of a local ceasefire in the area, the longest truce in the war raging between the neighbours since Russia's 2022 invasion, Kyiv said.
A rare pause in fighting, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump to enable a mission to the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, ended Sunday after starting on Tuesday, with neither side reporting violations.
But hours after the truce, Russia targeted a village in a region adjacent to Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, with repeated strikes that killed at least 18 people, some of whom had come to collect aid at a local school.
Footage posted by Ukrainian emergency services showed the building reduced to piles of smouldering rubble and rescuers working at the site.
"People were receiving humanitarian aid there. After the first aerial bomb strike, there was a double-tap strike with nine more bombs, specifically targeting the shelter where people were taking cover," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.
He called the strikes "utterly horrific".
Among those killed were "a police officer and two State Emergency Service rescuers", regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram.
Zelensky said that after the Oleshky truce, "there was a moment when the next steps could have shown that progress toward peace was possible."
"With these killings, Russia is sending an entirely opposite signal: Russia is counting on more killings. There must be a response to this -- a response from the world."
 

Russia fortifies positions

 
The ceasefire last week enabled an evacuation of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
It was the longest pause in fighting between the neighbours in the war, now in its fifth year, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
A senior Ukrainian figure told AFP Sunday that Russia refused a Ukrainian offer to extend the truce.
Kyiv's military also alleged that Moscow had used the pause in fighting to "fortify its positions". 
The Kremlin did not deny the accusations, with its spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters Monday: "This is a completely normal practice in such situations."
He alleged the Ukrainian army had also used pauses in fighting in the past to regroup.
Moscow saw the Oleshky humanitarian mission as "successful", Peskov added, praising the "good cooperation between all sides" and singling out the role of its human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova. 
Lantratova oversaw the ceasefire alongside her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets, with the pair visiting the city to deliver aid and arrange the evacuation of civilians -- one of the most substantial instances of Russian-Ukrainian cooperation since the start of the war.
The mission saw people taken both to Ukraine-controlled territory and to Moscow-annexed Crimea. 
The Kremlin said that no other similar missions were being planned "at the moment".
US-led talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume this month.
President Donald Trump has pushed for a settlement to the dragging war but efforts have not yet led to a breakthrough and have been largely sidelined by the Iran conflict. 
The talks -- expected to be held in Abu Dhabi -- come as Kyiv and its European allies worry Trump has increasingly sided with Moscow.  
 
- Cyberattacks - 
 
Both Russia and Ukraine said overnight that their emergency warnings apps were hacked in apparent cyberattacks that came after the truce had ended. 
Ukraine said it suspected its air raid alert system had been compromised, after baseless alerts of a radiation threat were sent to millions. 
The warning system provides vital information about incoming Russian drones and missiles.
Russia has intensified its attacks this year, firing ballistic missiles and fast jet-powered drones, both of which are hard to intercept.
Moscow said that an app belonging to its emergency situations ministry that also warns of attacks had been hacked, too. 
The app is not widely used in Russia, where warnings of Ukrainian drone attacks are not as common and typically sent by text message in border regions.
bur-mmp/rlp

adventure

UK adventurer ends epic 28-year trek across jungles, frozen sea

BY HELEN ROWE

  • "Each one of those has been an emotional event and then walking down my childhood street into my childhood home with mother (there), that's been quite something," he said.
  • British adventurer Karl Bushby enjoyed an emotional reunion with his mother and family on Monday as he arrived back home after a 28-year, 50,000-kilometre (31,000-mile) trek from South America, crossing four continents on foot.
  • "Each one of those has been an emotional event and then walking down my childhood street into my childhood home with mother (there), that's been quite something," he said.
British adventurer Karl Bushby enjoyed an emotional reunion with his mother and family on Monday as he arrived back home after a 28-year, 50,000-kilometre (31,000-mile) trek from South America, crossing four continents on foot.
Cheers erupted as the 57-year-old former paratrooper was greeted in the street outside his mother's house in the northeastern UK port city of Hull.
Bushby, who set off on his odyssey from Chile in 1998, had two golden rules for his journey -- avoid all forms of transport to advance and not return until he completed his challenge.
He was met in the centre of Hull by a crowd of up to 1,000 cheering people before being reunited with his mother, Angela, 36-year-old son Adam and a 12-year-old granddaughter he had never met.
Speaking after the reunion, Bushby paid tribute to the kindness of the strangers he had met, from hotel owners to the "poorest of the poor" who had given him bowls of rice and something to drink along the way.
"And that would happen throughout the world," he said adding that the world had been his "support network".
 

'Indiana Jones' moments

 
The route back to his home city has seen him walk the length of the Americas, across the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia and then through parts of Central Asia and Europe covering jungles, mountains, and deserts.
The journey had been full of logistical headaches and scary "Indiana Jones" and "I think I'm going to die moments", he told reporters.
Bushby had already been applauded Sunday as he crossed the iconic Humber Bridge near Hull in thick mist, ahead of his final push into the city centre and then on to his mother's home where he grew up.
"So many people have followed Karl on his epic journey. We have all felt inspired by his spirit, tenacity and dogged determination," Hull Mayor Maria Coward said ahead of his arrival.
"It's quite emotional. I'm proud of him and what he's done. What an achievement," neighbour Laura Chaplin, 47, told AFP as he returned home.
British leader Andy Burnham's spokesman said it was "an extraordinary achievement and the prime minister welcomes him back to the UK".
 

Challenges met

 
Bushby began his adventure when he was 29, after his marriage broke down and his wife returned to Northern Ireland with their son.
He was forced to pause the journey several times, including when Moscow refused him a visa. The 2008 financial crisis and then the Covid-19 pandemic caused other hold-ups.
At those times, he stepped away from the journey, living notably at a base in Mexico, then once the situation had been resolved, he would resume from the exact spot where he had left off.
Erin Anderson, 28, a theatre marketing officer among the crowd in Hull, said she thought Bushby was "amazing".
"I've been following him for the last eight years. He's been walking for as long as I've been alive. It's brilliant".
 

UK soil

 
Bushby swam across the Channel from France in early October to arrive back in the UK.
Legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog and a film crew accompanied Bushby on his homecoming, making a feature-length documentary about the journey entitled "Walk of Life".  
The production company behind the film has been supporting Bushby's progress for the past 16 years, providing financial and logistical assistance.
Bushby said he would now be focusing on the documentary as well as writing a book and making the adjustment back into normal life.
"I'm still in that shocked phase," he told AFP. "Over the last few days it's been the last time I've been camping in my tent... last time spending all day on the road.
"Each one of those has been an emotional event and then walking down my childhood street into my childhood home with mother (there), that's been quite something," he said.
He added that he still had the drive for adventure but ruled out any more big walks.
"I think I'm hanging my boots up -- 28 years is a good run," he said.
har-jkb/aks/rlp

Global Edition

Trump makes final US midterm pitch at troubled Reflecting Pool

BY FRANKIE TAGGART

  • Trump has predicted victory in the midterms for his Republicans, but he acknowledged the alternative in an interview released Monday by the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast.
  • Donald Trump chose Washington's Reflecting Pool -- an iconic landmark where botched repairs came to symbolize the 80-year-old's chaotic presidency -- for a final speech Monday to rally Republicans against a predicted tide of Democratic victories in midterm elections.
  • Trump has predicted victory in the midterms for his Republicans, but he acknowledged the alternative in an interview released Monday by the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast.
Donald Trump chose Washington's Reflecting Pool -- an iconic landmark where botched repairs came to symbolize the 80-year-old's chaotic presidency -- for a final speech Monday to rally Republicans against a predicted tide of Democratic victories in midterm elections.
Polls show Democrats poised to seize the House of Representatives and within reach of the Senate in Tuesday's vote -- a shift that would impose tight political constraints on the president.
A White House official told AFP the speech would highlight "this administration's achievements to make the country safer and wealthier" while contrasting "the Republicans' commonsense America First agenda" with "the Democrats' radical, America Last agenda."
The site is one of the US capital's historic stages. Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, overlooking the pool.
Trump said Sunday he picked the site "just to show how beautiful it is." But the roughly $15 million renovation left the pool's lining peeling and its water green with algae. He pointed at vandalism, but federal prosecutors blamed faulty work.
Under Trump, it has also become part of a sweeping drive to remake Washington, which has included tearing down part of the White House and threatening to demolish the city's premier arts center.
Trump has predicted victory in the midterms for his Republicans, but he acknowledged the alternative in an interview released Monday by the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast.
"I think we're going to do great -- but if we didn't win, I veto everything," he said. "I'll be vetoing, vetoing. And then they'll come along and we'll probably make some deals along the way."
Winning just the House would give Democrats voting power over the federal budget and control of committees able to investigate alleged corruption under Trump, the Epstein files and other explosive issues.
A Democratic Senate could also block Trump's lifetime appointments to the courts, including the Supreme Court.

'Ransack, rape and plunder'

Trump warned Republican lawmakers in January that losing the midterms would lead to his impeachment.
The loss of total Republican control would push him toward lame-duck status, with high inflation at home and the war against Iran still weighing on his presidency.
Democrats, meanwhile, prepared final rallies in battleground states, including in Texas with James Talarico and in Kansas with Adam Hamilton -- two star Senate candidates seeking major upsets. Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century.
But a decade into the Trump era, Democrats remain wary of predicting victory.
Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock told CNN that the mood was "nauseously optimistic."
Republicans have run a scorched-earth campaign, painting Democrats as communists and branding Abdul El-Sayed, the Muslim Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, a terrorist.
Addressing a crowd in Iowa on Sunday, Trump said Democrats are "extreme and dangerous radicals" who will "steal your wealth" and let in migrants to "ransack, rape and plunder."
Democrats have faced late divisions of their own, with left-wing candidates at times clashing with the party establishment.
On Sunday, Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, in Michigan's pivotal Senate race. Stevens lost a bruising primary to El-Sayed in August despite establishment backing.

Senate in play

While the House appears highly likely to turn Democratic, the battle for the Senate is far closer.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control. Only a third of the 100 seats are being contested, and few of those races initially looked favorable to the party.
To win, Democrats must flip seats in states that Trump carried by double digits two years ago.
Forecaster Decision Desk HQ has Democrats winning the Senate 52-48 and the House by a comfortable 241-194.
The final New York Times/Siena poll, released Sunday evening, showed Democrats leading in all seven of the most competitive Senate races, though five were within the margin of error.
Tuesday is election day, but a record 54 million people have already cast ballots.
The midterms have also drawn about $11 billion in advertising, with large chunks coming from individual mega-donors.
Elon Musk, the Trump ally who led the so-called DOGE drive to slash the federal government, has given nearly half a billion dollars to help elect Republicans.
ft-sms/bgs

Jabareen

Top Arab-Israeli leader tells AFP opposition must join to oust Netanyahu

BY HIBA ASLAN

  • "Like everyone else in the political arena, Lieberman must deal with the political reality and the numbers in the Knesset," or parliament, Jabareen said.
  • The leader of the largest Arab-majority party in the incoming Israeli parliament told AFP on Monday that it was time for reluctant opposition members to accept "political reality" and join forces to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
  • "Like everyone else in the political arena, Lieberman must deal with the political reality and the numbers in the Knesset," or parliament, Jabareen said.
The leader of the largest Arab-majority party in the incoming Israeli parliament told AFP on Monday that it was time for reluctant opposition members to accept "political reality" and join forces to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List, pointed to the inconclusive results of last week's election, in which the pro-Netanyahu bloc won 53 seats and the opposition camp won 48 -- both well short of a 61-seat majority.
But the Joint List and its fellow Arab-led party Raam bagged 11 and eight seats, respectively, enough to push the opposition over the finish line should it choose to accept their support.
The Arab parties' performance "is what is stopping Netanyahu from celebrating the continuation of his government," he said, calling it "a far-right government with all the dangers it represents".
He criticised holdouts in the opposition camp who have publicly voiced opposition to a coalition that includes Arab parties, including Avigdor Liberman's secular-right Yisrael Beiteinu.
"Like everyone else in the political arena, Lieberman must deal with the political reality and the numbers in the Knesset," or parliament, Jabareen said.
"Given the current parliamentary arithmetic, Netanyahu's government... cannot be replaced without coordination with the Joint List," he said in an interview in Nazareth, an Arab stronghold and the boyhood home of Jesus Christ.
Israeli-Arabs, who make up around 20 percent of the population, are descendants of Palestinians who stayed after Israel's creation in 1948.

Distance from main parties

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will begin meeting this week with representatives of parties that won seats in the October 27 vote, to determine to which leader to give the first shot at forming a government.
Opposition camp leader Gadi Eisenkot has expressed misgivings about a coalition government including Arab parties, but has not ruled it out publicly.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, spent the campaign painting the parties as a threat to the country.
Jabareen said he had met with Raam leader Mansour Abbas on Monday, and would the following day with The Democrats' Yair Golan, the veteran left-winger who is the only member of the opposition bloc publicly to urge a governing partnership with the Arab-led parties.
"The political landscape is now clear: the opposition parties do not have a majority to pass legislation without the Joint List. We are therefore saying that we are willing to extend our hand in support in legislation and decisions that serve our political project and programme."

'Room for dialogue'

The Joint List diverges strongly from most Jewish-majority opposition parties in key areas including in its support for a Palestinian state.
Jabareen played down such issues, saying his party was focused on the interests of Arab-Israelis.
"The need to ensure their safety in the face of crime and violence, house demolitions, discriminatory policies and budget allocations are issues on which there is room for dialogue," he said.
But he said potential partners would have at least to look positively on the party's positions repudiating Netanyahu including his "path of wars, destruction in Gaza and settler terrorism in the West Bank".
Eisenkot shares much of Netanyahu's security outlook, and his opposition to a Palestinian state. But he has promised to repair the damage done to Israel's international standing by the devastating Gaza war, and to crack down on West Bank settler violence.
"What I would emphasise is that our positions are based on human rights and are supported by international law and international conventions," Jabareen said.
"These positions can only be described as extremist if the person making that accusation is himself an extremist."
ha/smw/sct/ris

food

Caught cold: fridge cyberattack highlights internet gadget weaknesses

BY ZOé LEROY AND FABIEN ZAMORA

  •     - Real world effects -    Industrial equipment such as refrigeration systems, once operated largely offline, is now commonly connected to the internet so it can be monitored and managed remotely, cybersecurity specialists including Antoine Hautin, secretary-general of the Almond cybersecurity consultancy, told AFP.  That connectivity can also provide an avenue for attackers to interfere with physical systems through digital networks.
  • Cyberattacks affecting supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries on Monday highlighted the risks associated with connecting industrial equipment to the internet.
  •     - Real world effects -    Industrial equipment such as refrigeration systems, once operated largely offline, is now commonly connected to the internet so it can be monitored and managed remotely, cybersecurity specialists including Antoine Hautin, secretary-general of the Almond cybersecurity consultancy, told AFP.  That connectivity can also provide an avenue for attackers to interfere with physical systems through digital networks.
Cyberattacks affecting supermarket refrigeration systems in several European countries on Monday highlighted the risks associated with connecting industrial equipment to the internet.
After a previous attack in France in October, several chains in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden experienced stark rises in fridge and freezer temperatures on Monday, forcing them to throw away spoilt produce. 
 
 
- Real world effects - 
 
Industrial equipment such as refrigeration systems, once operated largely offline, is now commonly connected to the internet so it can be monitored and managed remotely, cybersecurity specialists including Antoine Hautin, secretary-general of the Almond cybersecurity consultancy, told AFP. 
That connectivity can also provide an avenue for attackers to interfere with physical systems through digital networks.
In France, the attackers targeted the fridge regulation system made by the Danish firm Danfoss, which is used by many shops. 
"Most of the time, that's done through a web interface. You connect to it with a password and you then have the possibility to choose what the temperature in the fridge is," said Kevin Tellier, cybersecurity engineer at Synacktiv.
While these systems "are normally on a closed network" and "are not supposed to be accessible from the Internet", a number of them ended up being exposed "to anyone with some basic knowledge", he added.
Without proper protections, "any factory or equipment" connected to the internet -- ranging from carmakers to electricity or transport infrastructure -- could face similar risks, said Olivier Daloy, a cybersecurity expert at Zscaler.
 

How was it done?

 
According to another cyber expert who requested anonymity, industrial infrastructure is particularly vulnerable because it links IT systems with oft-outdated physical equipment. 
By infiltrating those IT systems, hackers could hijack that infrastructure and cause disruption in the real world.
Daloy highlighted two particular risks: the exploitation of a technical vulnerability and the use of compromised credentials allowing hackers to log in to the equipment.
He pointed to the Stuxnet virus in 2010, which caused a series of failures in Iran's centrifuge fleet used for uranium enrichment, as a past example.
In France, the October cyberattack was made possible by "basic security shortcomings", according to Vincent Strubel, head of France's National Cybersecurity Agency.
In particular, he blamed the fridges' "direct exposure to the internet... without any particular security and with weak passwords".
 

Who could be behind it?

 
Figuring out who could be behind the attack in France is "extremely complicated", Daloy said.
Tellier agreed. "It could be anybody. The attack was not extremely sophisticated, so we cannot determine whether the hackers have significant resources or not." 
One security source told AFP that the investigation into the breach will "extend far after the event itself".
A 2025 French national security document identified such attacks as "one of the threats that must be treated as a priority". 
"These incidents highlight how vulnerable food supply chains are to cyberattacks," with far-reaching consequences, the document said. 
dec-fz-zl/sbk/rmb

food

Fridge cyberattack hits supermarkets across Europe

BY OLIVIER BAUBE WITH PIA OHLIN IN STOCKHOLM

  • "They are a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers' confidence in it -- a warning that we must take seriously," Hansen said in a statement.
  • Grocery stores from Sweden to Portugal were hit Monday by a suspected cyberattack on their freezer systems, in what the EU denounced as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the bloc's food chain.
  • "They are a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers' confidence in it -- a warning that we must take seriously," Hansen said in a statement.
Grocery stores from Sweden to Portugal were hit Monday by a suspected cyberattack on their freezer systems, in what the EU denounced as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the bloc's food chain.
Supermarkets in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were among at least eight countries affected in the incident, which came three weeks after a cyberattack caused mass disruption in French grocery stores.
Food retailers were forced to throw out produce that had spoiled or was at risk of spoiling after refrigerator temperatures soared overnight.
No one had yet claimed responsibility for Monday's incidents, nor for the October 12 attack on major French retailers that likewise forced hundreds of stores to toss out food.
The EU's food and agriculture commissioner, Christophe Hansen, said the bloc was taking the incidents "very seriously", calling the repeated cyberattacks "deeply concerning".
"They are a deliberate attempt to disrupt our food supply chain and undermine consumers' confidence in it -- a warning that we must take seriously," Hansen said in a statement.
In Belgium, where dozens of stores across multiple grocery chains reported disruptions, federal prosecutors announced the opening of an investigation, without qualifying the incident as a cyberattack at this stage.
But several of the chains affected were unequivocal.
"It's a cyberattack, there is no other reason," said Mich Vergauwen, a spokesman for Carrefour Belgium which reported disruption in about 15 of its 700 stores. 
An Ikea Belgium spokeswoman likewise said its store in southwestern Mons was hit by a cyberattack, causing freezer temperatures to rise suddenly in the early hours of Monday.
 

'Cyber incident'

 
Belgian industrial refrigeration group Sabcobel told AFP it had begun securing its installations after the October 12 attack in France, but around 10 percent were still not fixed and some were in the shops affected on Monday.
While they did not explicitly call it a cyberattack, chains Delhaize, Colruyt and Intermarche also experienced technical problems with fridges in dozens of stores across Belgium, with four Delhaize stores in Luxembourg also affected.
Musgrave, which owns Supervalu in Ireland, said 13 of its stores were affected by a cyber-incident. A small number of corner shops in the Netherlands also suffered disruptions.
In Portugal, the Mosqueteiros group confirmed to AFP incidents at seven Intermarche stores linked to a cyberattack, which "appears to have targeted an external service provider responsible for managing the refrigeration systems."
And in Sweden, chain Coop confirmed six of its around 800 stores had been hit.
"We can confirm that it is a cyber incident. The problem has now been resolved and the fridges and freezers are working as normal," spokesman Carlos Cancino told AFP.
He said Coop did not know who was behind the attack, but noted that the affected stores had been connected to a 4G mobile network, not the updated 5G system, which made them "more exposed" to hackers. 
 

'Vulnerabilities'

 
Swedish chain Ica also said "a limited number" of its stores experienced refrigeration problems, without confirming a cyberattack.
According to Ica spokesperson Helena Johansson, the affected stores were all connected to an external refrigeration control system provided by Danish manufacturer Danfoss -- the same supplier targeted in the October 12 cyberattack on French retailers.
She referred all queries to Danfoss, which had yet to respond to an AFP request for a comment.
In Finland, irregular temperatures had also been detected in a few smaller grocery stores belonging to the Kesko group.
"We are currently investigating the cause, and interference via the network has not yet been ruled out," Petri Kayhko, head of Kesko's corporate security, told AFP.
Roni Kokkola, an information security specialist at the National Cyber Security Centre at Finland's Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, would not rule out cyber interference "as far as Finland is concerned."
"We've seen this in Europe in the past few months, so it spreading beyond France to other countries has been expected," he told AFP.
"Nowadays it's very typical that all kinds of vulnerabilities are being exploited ever more actively and rapidly." 
In Estonia, at least one supermarket was attacked by hackers who raised the temperature in the refrigeration units to 50C, public broadcaster ERR reported.
The units were older models delivered by Danfoss, similar to the ones targeted in the France attack, Jann Mutso, director of Kitman Coldtech, a manufacturer and distributor of advanced refrigeration systems, told ERR.
"The handwriting is the same," Mutso said.
po-bur-ec/rmb
 

Global Edition

Oil prices plunge on US-Iran detente hopes ahead of midterms

  • "We believe the (Trump) signals may be tactical ahead of tomorrow's US midterm elections," noted Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at Global Risk Management. 
  • Oil prices sank around seven percent on Monday, the eve of crucial midterm elections in the United States, as signals that Tehran and Washington were renewing dialogue boosted hopes of ending the Middle East war. 
  • "We believe the (Trump) signals may be tactical ahead of tomorrow's US midterm elections," noted Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at Global Risk Management. 
Oil prices sank around seven percent on Monday, the eve of crucial midterm elections in the United States, as signals that Tehran and Washington were renewing dialogue boosted hopes of ending the Middle East war. 
Iran on Monday said "intensive" exchanges were underway with Washington and offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under strict conditions, as efforts escalated to avert a return to conflict.
Earlier, the Axios news outlet reported that US Vice President JD Vance had sent a letter to Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei about possible new talks.
That was the highest-level move from the administration of US President Donald Trump in months.
"We believe the (Trump) signals may be tactical ahead of tomorrow's US midterm elections," noted Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at Global Risk Management. 
"Meanwhile, attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz continue (and) we maintain our higher-for-longer outlook for energy prices."
Nevertheless, share prices of energy majors dropped, while many other sectors were boosted by the cooling fuel costs.
Traders were also focused on Tuesday's midterms, with Democrats expecting to win at least partial control of Congress that would impose political constraints on Trump for the first time in two years.
The loss of total Republican dominance would push the president into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory: a lame duck period beset with high inflation at home, the sputtering war against Iran and hostile Democratic investigations into his activities in Washington.
"Investors are bracing for a fresh round of turbulence ahead of US midterm election fireworks while they assess the extent that companies are burning through cash to keep the AI bonfires burning," said Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club.
Technology firms' share prices recovered modestly on Wall Street after Friday's sell-off, as more poorly received earnings from US titans fanned deepening concerns about the investment boom for artificial intelligence.
Results updates from Apple, which reports after the close of trading on Monday, as well as Advanced Micro Devices and software titan Palantir will be closely watched this week.
"With Apple starting things off, the earnings cadence will start with a bang, only we won't know until after the close if that 'bang' is a celebratory bang or a take-cover kind of bang," said analyst Patrick O'Hare at Briefing.com.
Shares in Apple were down one percent in late morning trading.
Concerns about the profitability of AI-related firms did not disappear altogether.
The share price of Japanese chipmaker Kioxia plunged nearly 16 percent on Monday after the company gave a cautious outlook that fell short of forecasts.
The company's stock has plunged about 70 percent from its record high set in June, though it is still up more than 200 percent since the start of the year.
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were steadier after Friday's retreat triggered by the world's biggest crypto exchange Binance suffering the sector's largest hack, of more than $6 billion stolen.
 

Key figures at around 1630 GMT

 
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 7.1 percent at $105.33 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 6.8 percent at $97.08 per barrel
New York - Dow: UP 1.0 percent at 52,306.43 points
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.6 percent at 7,626.07
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HIV

US approves cheap generic of breakthrough HIV shot for poorer countries

BY ISSAM AHMED

  • Oral PrEP pills came along in 2012, and before lenacapavir, a PrEP drug called cabotegravir was approved in 2021 requiring shots every two months.
  • The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a low-cost version of a twice-yearly HIV prevention shot, bringing the breakthrough drug closer to market in low-income countries.
  • Oral PrEP pills came along in 2012, and before lenacapavir, a PrEP drug called cabotegravir was approved in 2021 requiring shots every two months.
The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a low-cost version of a twice-yearly HIV prevention shot, bringing the breakthrough drug closer to market in low-income countries.
The tentative approval was announced by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, the Indian maker of the generic version of lenacapavir, and by Unitaid, a global health initiative.
The generic will be available for $40 per person per year in 120 countries, under a pricing agreement announced in September 2025 between Unitaid, the African health research institute Wits RHI, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and Dr. Reddy's.
Lenacapavir was first developed by US pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences and approved in June 2025 after proving more than 99.9 percent effective in large clinical trials.
"This is an extraordinary milestone for global health. For too long, people in lower- and middle-income countries have had to wait a decade or more to access breakthrough medicines already available elsewhere," Carmen Perez-Casas, Unitaid's senior strategy lead for HIV and pandemic preparedness, told AFP.
"With lenacapavir, we've reduced that gap to little more than a year. Having an FDA-approved generic at $40 per person per year -- a price comparable to daily HIV prevention pills -- is a remarkable achievement."
A twice-yearly injectable that is akin to a vaccine -- albeit without training the immune system -- can be a more effective way to administer HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) than daily pills, which first won US approval in 2012 but only work if taken consistently.
But lenacapavir's high cost -- roughly $28,000 per year in the US, though insurance lowers what patients pay -- was a major obstacle to its becoming a game-changer against a disease that has killed over 40 million people in four decades.
In late 2024, Gilead granted voluntary licenses for lenacapavir to six generic manufacturers, including Dr. Reddy's.
Even before generic availability, more than 125,000 people in 10 early adopter African countries have already started Gilead's lenacapavir, Unitaid's statement said.
"This is a moment of immense pride for all of us at Dr. Reddy's," said Deepak Sapra, CEO of Pharmaceutical Services and API at Dr. Reddy's, in a statement.
The generic was granted "tentative approval" by the FDA, Unitaid said, under an accelerated pathway that allows sponsors to use existing data. 
 
- From approval to rollout - 
 
Lenacapavir was named "Breakthrough of the Year" in 2024 by the prestigious journal Science, which hailed the basic research underpinning the drug, specifically a new understanding of HIV's capsid protein, which forms a protective shell around the virus's genetic material and which lenacapavir targets.
An HIV infection once condemned patients to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), when the immune system is so damaged that everyday germs make people very sick.
The first antiretrovirals that could fully suppress HIV and stave off AIDS were developed in 1996, with current generations even better, allowing people to live normal life spans while managing their chronic infection.
Oral PrEP pills came along in 2012, and before lenacapavir, a PrEP drug called cabotegravir was approved in 2021 requiring shots every two months.
Perez-Casas said the real work for lenacapavir was still ahead, in moving from approval to rollout.
"An estimated 1.2 million people acquired HIV last year, even as we now have a medicine offering near-100 percent protection with just two injections a year," she said.
"The demand is high, and we cannot afford to lose momentum. Unitaid is already working with governments and partners to support country-led rollouts, ensuring that communities play a central role in bringing this breakthrough to the people who need it most."
ia/bs

textile

Bangladesh garment workers clash with police protesting higher wages

BY SHEIKH SABIHA ALAM

  • The protesters demand a 30,000-taka monthly wage ($241), more than double their current pay.
  • Thousands of striking Bangladeshi garment workers clashed with police on Monday, demanding a monthly minimum wage more than double their current pay, as protests spread across industrial hubs.
  • The protesters demand a 30,000-taka monthly wage ($241), more than double their current pay.
Thousands of striking Bangladeshi garment workers clashed with police on Monday, demanding a monthly minimum wage more than double their current pay, as protests spread across industrial hubs.
The South Asian nation of 170 million people is the world's second-biggest garment exporter behind China, producing clothes for major international brands.
Hundreds of workers in Gazipur, north of the capital Dhaka, blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, with some damaging cars including torching a police vehicle. Large groups took to the streets in the Mirpur district, where police dispersed demonstrators with tear gas, AFP reporters saw.
Industry representatives said workers from at least 670 factories walked out on Monday.
At least 58 police officers have been injured since protests erupted on Saturday, the force said, giving no figure for protesters hurt in clashes.
Police fired stun grenades and tear gas canisters on Monday to disperse crowds in Ashulia, a Dhaka suburb and the site of some of the country's largest factories. Strikes also spread to Narayanganj, another major manufacturing hub.
At least 57 people have been arrested.
The protests have continued despite the government's announcement on Sunday that it would establish a board to review the minimum wage in the vital garment industry, which employs millions of people and generates the bulk of Bangladesh's export earnings.
Labour leaders say workers' grievances extend beyond the formation of the board, citing inflation at eight percent and rising household expenses.
The protesters demand a 30,000-taka monthly wage ($241), more than double their current pay.
Workers currently earn about 13,000 taka a month, according to Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity.
"Food prices, cooking gas and electricity bills have all gone up -- the government must either bring down the prices of essential commodities or raise our wages," said Mamun, 28, a factory worker.
Machine operator Sharmin, 24, said: "We keep the wheels of the economy turning. They must listen to us."
 

'Iron hand'

 
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government was taking strong action to stop the protests.
"Those engaging in unlawful activities and conspiracies under the guise of labour movements will be tackled with an iron hand," he said after meeting industry leaders on Monday.
However, Ahmed also said earlier that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had instructed officials after an emergency cabinet meeting late on Sunday to "ensure workers' rights and improve their living standards".
He said Rahman had told them to make sure production and exports continued "unhindered".
Bangladesh produces clothes for companies that range from Fruit of the Loom to Levi Strauss and VF Corp, whose brands include Vans, Timberland and The North Face.
The country's main manufacturer associations for garments and knitwear warned that "prolonged unrest could disrupt production, delay export shipments and affect Bangladesh's commitments to international buyers", the state-run BSS news agency said on Monday.
Kamrul Hasan, general secretary of the Ekota Garments Sramik Federation, told AFP some labour leaders had gone into hiding.
"We were not prepared for this unrest either, as the wage board has already been formed," he said. "But workers are now protesting over wages and other unresolved issues."
In Ashulia, security officers chased protesters as they scattered down narrow side streets, while tear gas drifted into densely packed residential compounds where families often share single rooms.
"Police fired tear gas shells inside our compound," said Kamona, 24, who gave only one name. "We have children, but they don't care."
sa-pjm/ami

Global Edition

Dakar mash-up combines Swiss and Senegalese wrestling traditions

BY ABDOURAHMANE DIALLO

  • As part of a cultural exchange, three Senegalese and three Swiss wrestlers faced off Sunday in Dakar, mixing their own ancestral wrestling traditions.
  • At the entrance to a dirt field between buildings in a Dakar suburb, a Senegalese guide scatters salt into the air, then onto the ground ahead of Swiss wrestlers who one by one break into a run.
  • As part of a cultural exchange, three Senegalese and three Swiss wrestlers faced off Sunday in Dakar, mixing their own ancestral wrestling traditions.
At the entrance to a dirt field between buildings in a Dakar suburb, a Senegalese guide scatters salt into the air, then onto the ground ahead of Swiss wrestlers who one by one break into a run.
As part of a cultural exchange, three Senegalese and three Swiss wrestlers faced off Sunday in Dakar, mixing their own ancestral wrestling traditions.
The event was organised on the sidelines of the Youth Olympic Games which opened in Senegal on Saturday, marking the first ever Olympics on African soil.
The encounter started with the Swiss wrestlers trading in their usual getups for Senegalese wrestling attire.
In Switzerland, traditional wrestling known as "Schwingen" is practised wearing thick sackcloth shorts over trousers, with a wrestler grabbing hold of an opponent's shorts in an attempt to throw the fighter off balance and pin the person to the ground.
In Dakar, the wrestlers encountered a different attire.
Senegalese wrestling, known as "laamb", is performed bare-chested and in a loincloth, with the participant often adorned in "gris-gris", charms and amulets believed to offer protection.
To ensure their loincloths were tied correctly, the Swiss wrestlers received help from a Senegalese wrestling star, Emile Francois Gomis, known as "Franc".
Next came a mystical bath ritual: a little bit of water poured over the body, part of a protective tradition that some Senegalese wrestlers undergo.
Then drums started to beat and the singing of traditional songs began.
 

'Great fighting'

 
The Senegalese wrestlers entered, draped in traditional "leppi" cloth wraps.
The initial rounds featured young wrestlers, with the crowd cheering them on.
Then Modou Lo, a Senegalese wrestling legend and local resident, appeared to shouts and applause.
Together with his proteges, he performed a dance to the beat of percussions, and the Swiss wrestlers joined in, drawing further applause.
Then came the laamb matches, with the Senegalese naturally prevailing.
Swiss wrestler Matthieu Burger said his opponent "does it all the time, for me it's the first time. And he was stronger".
But he described the match as "great fighting, conducted with mutual respect".
The main difference, in his opinion, was that Swiss wrestling entails maintaining a constant grip on one's opponent, whereas there is more distance between wrestlers in Senegal.
Burger said he was confident the experience would prove useful in his own traditional wrestling.
Next, the roles were reversed: Senegalese wrestlers put on traditional burlap shorts to try their hand at Swiss wrestling, with the Swiss avenging their earlier defeat.
 

'Our pride'

 
For "Franc", who initiated the event, the mission was accomplished: "This is what we wanted, to come and show Senegalese culture, our pride. Wrestling, it's our sport," he said.
The Senegalese style, with its raw power and rituals, and Swiss style, with its rigour and centuries-old history, serve as a "cultural and sporting bridge", said Aboubacar Djamil Sane, mayor of Dakar's Parcelles Assainies municipality, where the event took place.
On the Swiss side, Patricia Danzi, a former Olympian who is representing the Swiss government at the Youth Olympic Games as the director general of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, said she was moved.
The Games, she said, "don't just take place in the stadiums, they also happen in our neighbourhoods".
ard/lp/bfm/jhb

HIV

US approves cheap version of breakthrough HIV prevention shot: manufacturer

  • A twice-yearly injectable that is akin to a vaccine -- albeit without training the immune system -- can be a more effective way to administer HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) than daily pills, which first won US approval in 2012 but only work if taken consistently.
  • The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a low-cost version of a twice-yearly HIV prevention shot, bringing the breakthrough drug closer to market in low-income countries.
  • A twice-yearly injectable that is akin to a vaccine -- albeit without training the immune system -- can be a more effective way to administer HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) than daily pills, which first won US approval in 2012 but only work if taken consistently.
The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a low-cost version of a twice-yearly HIV prevention shot, bringing the breakthrough drug closer to market in low-income countries.
The approval was announced by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, the Indian maker of the generic version of lenacapavir, and by Unitaid, a global health initiative.
The generic will be available for $40 per person per year in 120 countries, under a pricing agreement announced in September 2025 between Dr. Reddy's and Unitaid, the African health research institute Wits RHI, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
"This is a moment of immense pride for all of us at Dr. Reddy's," said Deepak Sapra, CEO of Pharmaceutical Services and API at Dr. Reddy's, in a statement.
"Developing and manufacturing a complex long-acting injectable like lenacapavir at an affordable price required strong scientific capabilities and manufacturing expertise to address an urgent access need."
"Unitaid's early risk-taking is helping shorten the time between a scientific breakthrough and real access in countries," added Philippe Duneton, Unitaid's executive director.
Lenacapavir was first developed by US pharmaceutical company Gilead and approved in June 2025 after proving more than 99.9 percent effective in large clinical trials.
A twice-yearly injectable that is akin to a vaccine -- albeit without training the immune system -- can be a more effective way to administer HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) than daily pills, which first won US approval in 2012 but only work if taken consistently.
But lenacapavir's high cost -- roughly $28,000 per year in the US, though insurance lowers what patients pay -- was a major obstacle to its becoming a game-changer against a disease that has killed over 40 million people in four decades.
In late 2024, Gilead granted voluntary licenses for lenacapavir to six generic manufacturers, including Dr. Reddy's.
"Even before generic availability, over 125,000 people in 10 early adopter African countries have already started Gilead's lenacapavir," Unitaid's statement said.
The approval was granted under the US FDA's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, Dr. Reddy's said.
ia/pnb

budget

Belgian PM offers to quit over budget impasse

  • A similar budget impasse occurred a year ago, when De Wever nearly tendered his resignation to the king.
  • Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday as coalition talks deadlocked over a deficit-cutting budget, with the monarch putting off his decision until the end of the week.
  • A similar budget impasse occurred a year ago, when De Wever nearly tendered his resignation to the king.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday as coalition talks deadlocked over a deficit-cutting budget, with the monarch putting off his decision until the end of the week.
The Flemish conservative has been locked in protracted coalition talks to agree a federal budget for next year, with the government seeking 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in savings by 2029 to reduce the country's high deficit.
The latest talks broke down hours before De Wever put forward his resignation.
"The king is withholding his decision and will launch discussions tomorrow with the different party leaders of the governing coalition," said a royal statement, adding that De Wever would be received again on Friday.
Belgium "cannot afford a prolonged political crisis," the palace warned in a statement, adding that "The king regrets the lack of agreement to give the country a credible budget that meets the current challenges."
"The king therefore calls on everyone to show a sense of responsibility and urges all parties involved to put the general interest and the spirit of compromise first," it said. 
De Wever, whose New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) has led a five-party centre-right coalition since February 2025, did not immediately comment.
Instead, it was left to the Instagram account of his cat Maximus, reportedly the second most popular political account on Belgian social media after De Wever's, to opine that "there are days like that".
A similar budget impasse occurred a year ago, when De Wever nearly tendered his resignation to the king.
The government is seeking savings and new revenue to help cut a budget deficit that exceeds five percent of Belgium's GDP.
Its plan relies mainly on cuts to public spending, including on healthcare, but also includes a VAT increase that is strongly opposed by one coalition partner.
That partner, the French-speaking liberal MR party, says tax hikes would fuel inflation. 
Recent months have seen trade unions mobilise against austerity measures with rolling protests that have brought tens of thousands of people into the streets.
One, on October 9, culminated in violence and vandalism.
 

Deadlock

 
The outlook for reviving the deadlocked talks remains bleak.
David Clarinval, an MR member who is also the economy minister, warned that "the level of taxation under discussion remains far too high and far exceeds what was set out in the coalition agreement".
"Refusing to implement genuine reforms to reduce public spending condemns the country to an ever-widening deficit," he added.
Flemish-speaking Christian Democrats within the coalition urged urgent talks, while French-speaking counterparts Les Engages called for an "equitable solution" to ensure that those with "the broadest shoulders" made a fair contribution.
In opposition ranks, meanwhile, Francophone socialists accused the government of trying to "protect, whatever the cost, those with the largest fortunes to the detriment of the rest of the population".
And the far-right Vlaams Belang accused the government of presiding over a "historic budgetary crisis".
The country's main employers' organisation, quoted by the Belga news agency, warned meanwhile of the dangers of a political crisis when "markets are paying increasingly close attention to Belgium."
adc/cw/ec/js
 

religion

Prayers, anticipation await Pope Leo in Argentine care home

BY TOMáS VIOLA

  • The trip also coincides with a mounting controversy over disability benefits in Argentina, under debate ahead of the 2027 budget.
  • A home for disabled people on the outskirts of Buenos Aires is full of anticipation as it prepares to receive Pope Leo XIV, amid a growing controversy over state assistance for those with special needs in Argentina.
  • The trip also coincides with a mounting controversy over disability benefits in Argentina, under debate ahead of the 2027 budget.
A home for disabled people on the outskirts of Buenos Aires is full of anticipation as it prepares to receive Pope Leo XIV, amid a growing controversy over state assistance for those with special needs in Argentina.
Cottolengo Don Orione is almost like a small town with its winding streets, central square and 16 homes for 410 adults, many of whom require permanent care.
The Pope will visit the residence on November 9 as part of his South American tour, which also includes stops in Uruguay and Peru.
Fears that the pontiff would cancel his trip following the removal of a cancerous lung tumor in mid-October did nothing to deter the feverish preparations.
"We're continuing to work in the same way," coordinator Luciana Ponce told AFP, adding that "residents are also experiencing it with great anticipation."
"I'm happy about the pope. I hope I can meet him," said 44-year-old resident Esteban as he took part in a ceramics workshop.
"I hope he feels at home," he told AFP, refining the rim of a cup he had just molded.
Some of Cottolengo's 380 employees have been praying for the pope's health.

Budget cuts

Leo's visit to Argentina goes by the same motto as an encyclical he published in May: "the poor, the sick, the migrants and the least among us... will become the cornerstone, and a solid, welcoming common home will emerge on the earth."
The trip also coincides with a mounting controversy over disability benefits in Argentina, under debate ahead of the 2027 budget.
Ultraliberal President Javier Milei wants to relax state obligations to provide disability assistance, which patients, organizations and the opposition liken to a covert budget cut.
The Catholic Church intervened in September, publishing a  document titled "The Fragility That Makes Us Human" in which it questioned why disability care was being addressed solely from a budgetary perspective.
"In the face of vulnerability, the state's response must not be reduced to a mathematical equation," it said.

'Protagonists'

The pope's 45-minute visit to Cottolengo will include a ceremony, broadcast live to people outside, during which he will bless those present and listen to testimonies from two residents.
"We're going to remove all the pews so we can fit as many wheelchairs as possible. We want people with disabilities to be the protagonists," director Jorge Silanes told AFP.
Screens outside the grounds will project the ceremony for thousands of Catholic worshippers who are expected to attend.
They will be able to greet the pontiff as the Popemobile travels one kilometer to get to the home.
The cameras won't be joining Leo as he visits a ward housing bedridden people, however.
Founded in 1936, the place is named after Saint Jose Benito Cottolengo, an Italian priest who in 1928 opened a home for the sick and the marginalized in Turin.
Don Orione is another Italian priest, canonized in 2004, who devoted his life to assisting others.
His congregation currently runs homes in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, housing around 1,300 people in total.
sa-tev/lm/mar/cc/md/pnb

budget

Belgian PM offers to quit over budget impasse

  • A similar budget impasse occurred a year ago, when De Wever nearly tendered his resignation to the king.
  • Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday over deadlocked budget talks, but the monarch deferred his decision until after a new meeting Friday.
  • A similar budget impasse occurred a year ago, when De Wever nearly tendered his resignation to the king.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday over deadlocked budget talks, but the monarch deferred his decision until after a new meeting Friday.
The Flemish conservative has been locked in protracted coalition talks to agree a federal budget for next year, with the government seeking 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in savings by 2029 to reduce the country's high deficit.
The latest talks broke down hours before De Wever put forward his resignation.
"The king is withholding his decision and will launch discussions tomorrow with the different party leaders of the governing coalition," said a royal statement, adding that De Wever would be received again on Friday.
Belgium "cannot afford a prolonged political crisis," the palace warned. "The king regrets the lack of agreement to give the country a credible budget that meets the current challenges."
"The king therefore calls on everyone to show a sense of responsibility and urges all parties involved to put the general interest and the spirit of compromise first," it added. 
De Wever has led a five-party centre-right coalition since February 2025.
A similar budget impasse occurred a year ago, when De Wever nearly tendered his resignation to the king.
The government is seeking billions in savings and new revenue to reduce Belgium's budget deficit, which exceeds five percent of GDP.
Its plan relies mainly on cuts in public spending, including healthcare spending, but also includes a VAT increase that has been strongly opposed by one coalition partner.
That party, the French-speaking liberal MR party, is firmly against further tax hikes which it says would fuel inflation. 
The talks are taking place under pressure from trade unions, which have been mobilising for months against austerity measures. Rolling protests have brought tens of thousands of people into the streets.
adc/ec/raz/tw

conflict

Israel army withdraws after Hebron operation

  • On October 23, days ahead of close-fought Israeli elections, two Palestinian gunmen attacked an army checkpoint near Hebron, killing two soldiers before being shot dead in a firefight.
  • Israeli troops withdrew on Monday from an area of the occupied West Bank's largest city that they had evacuated of its Palestinian residents, following an attack that killed two soldiers in October.
  • On October 23, days ahead of close-fought Israeli elections, two Palestinian gunmen attacked an army checkpoint near Hebron, killing two soldiers before being shot dead in a firefight.
Israeli troops withdrew on Monday from an area of the occupied West Bank's largest city that they had evacuated of its Palestinian residents, following an attack that killed two soldiers in October.
The operation had emptied a neighbourhood in Hebron city where the two gunmen had lived, with soldiers later destroying their homes -- a practice commonly carried out by the military as punishment for attacks. 
AFP journalists witnessed residents returning to their houses on Monday after the military left, with many in disarray after having been searched by troops.
"This morning, following the completion of all operational activities, the soldiers withdrew from the area of operation in Hebron. Counterterrorism activities throughout Judea and Samaria continue," an Israeli military official said, using the biblical name for the Palestinian territory.
On October 23, days ahead of close-fought Israeli elections, two Palestinian gunmen attacked an army checkpoint near Hebron, killing two soldiers before being shot dead in a firefight.
The attack sparked the immediate demolition of buildings in the vicinity of the checkpoint, as well as vows of a major retaliatory operation from senior officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
By the following morning, the military had cleared out the residents of the assailants' neighbourhood, displacing more than 3,000 people, according to the municipality.
The military official said that "soldiers conducted thorough searches of multiple locations, detained and questioned suspects, and located and confiscated four weapons, several vests, and additional military equipment". 
They also demolished the two attackers' homes and "sealed an underground space located next to" one of them.

'Terrified my children'

On Monday morning, an AFP journalist saw that many buildings had been spraypainted with black X's to indicate they had been cleared and searched.
Mohammad Juaaba, a relative of one of the assailants, said the top floor of the family's home had been destroyed, adding they planned to move back into the lower floors.
Rubble from the demolition blast was strewn around the house, and other relatives could be seen cleaning up the spaces that were still habitable. 
Muhannad al-Tamimi, whose house had been occupied by soldiers since the operation began, returned to a trashed apartment with furniture and clothing littering the floors, mattresses overturned and a child's bicycle broken.
"On the morning of the operation, I was sleeping in my home. The army stormed my house and blew up the door," he told AFP. 
"They assaulted me, put a gun to my wife's head, terrified my children, and kicked my little daughter," he added, also accusing the soldiers of stealing gold and money. 
Asked for comment, the military said it was looking into the allegations.
Reem al-Sharif, a Hebron city council member, said the operation had actually covered two neighbourhoods, telling AFP that municipal workers were helping to clean up around the area.
lba/smw/acc/ser

protest

Limited French school protests resume as holidays end

  • In the southern city of Marseille, several garbage bins were stacked in front of the entrance to one high school on Monday morning. 
  • French students returning from autumn holidays blocked some high schools on Monday, determined to reinvigorate a protest movement despite government concessions during the break.
  • In the southern city of Marseille, several garbage bins were stacked in front of the entrance to one high school on Monday morning. 
French students returning from autumn holidays blocked some high schools on Monday, determined to reinvigorate a protest movement despite government concessions during the break.
Just one percent of France's 3,700 high schools for 15 to 18-year-olds called lycees were blockaded, the education ministry said.
Pupils maintained their protest after hundreds of thousands of people, including students, took to the streets across France on Saturday for a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations.
The cost-of-living rallies emerged after high school students launched nationwide demonstrations in September over learning conditions and inequality.
The government has announced measures, including changing the university admissions process, ensuring more teachers and capping the number of pupils per class.
But some students say it is not enough.
In the southern city of Marseille, several garbage bins were stacked in front of the entrance to one high school on Monday morning. 
"We've resumed the movement because we were supposedly given answers, but... it's clearly not enough," 16-year-old Meriem told AFP, perched on one of the dumpsters.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray told the France Inter radio station students should return to the classroom to avoid failing exams.
"I have students who are sitting the baccalaureate at the end of the year, and several hundred thousand of them haven't attended classes for four or five weeks," he said. 
President Emmanuel Macron has called for classes to resume in a calm manner, arguing that "young people have been heard".
With the European Union's second-largest economy on the brink of recession and under pressure to rein in debt, the government has limited scope to appease student protesters through additional spending.
burs-ah/yad

textile

Bangladesh garment workers clash with police protesting higher wages

  • Protesters demand a 30,000-taka monthly pay ($241), which is more than double their current pay.
  • Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers blocked a major highway and clashed with police on Monday, demanding a monthly minimum wage more than double current pay, as protests spread across industrial hubs.
  • Protesters demand a 30,000-taka monthly pay ($241), which is more than double their current pay.
Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers blocked a major highway and clashed with police on Monday, demanding a monthly minimum wage more than double current pay, as protests spread across industrial hubs.
Bangladesh is the world's second-biggest garment exporter behind China, manufacturing clothes for some of the largest international brands.
Hundreds of workers in Gazipur, north of the capital Dhaka, blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, vandalising several vehicles, while large groups took to the streets in the Mirpur district, where police dispersed demonstrators with tear gas, AFP reporters saw.
The protests came despite the government's announcement on Sunday that it would establish a wage board to review the minimum wage in the vital garment industry, which employs millions of people and generates the bulk of Bangladesh's export earnings.
But labour leaders say workers' grievances extend beyond the formation of the board, citing inflation and rising household expenses.
Protesters demand a 30,000-taka monthly pay ($241), which is more than double their current pay.
Workers currently earn about 13,000 taka a month, according to Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held an emergency cabinet meeting late Sunday.
"The prime minister... instructed us to ensure workers' rights and improve their living standards. He also instructed us to ensure that production and exports continue unhindered," Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters after the meeting.
"We are requesting law enforcement agencies to crack down on those involved in violence, unruly behaviour and unnecessary indiscipline and unrest," he added.
Kamrul Hasan, general secretary of the Ekota Garments Sramik Federation, told AFP Monday that some labour leaders had gone into hiding.
"We were not prepared for this unrest either, as the wage board has already been formed. But workers are now protesting over wages and other unresolved issues," he said.
Industry representatives who asked not to be identified confirmed that workers from at least 529 factories in Dhaka and its surrounding industrial areas, including Savar, Ashulia, Jirani and Gazipur, had left their workplaces yesterday.
sa-pjm/lkd/abs