politics

New rallies urged in France as protests disrupt over 730 schools

auto

Asian carmakers besting US rivals at home, China poised to strike

BY ELODIE MAZEIN

  • "The broader market story continues to be the growing (sales), and mostly on the strength of Asian automakers," said Charlie Chesbrough, a senior economist at Cox Automotive.
  • Major US automakers have watched their domestic market share shrink even more thanks to their Asian competitors -- a situation that may worsen if Chinese firms are able to enter the US market, an idea floated by President Donald Trump.
  • "The broader market story continues to be the growing (sales), and mostly on the strength of Asian automakers," said Charlie Chesbrough, a senior economist at Cox Automotive.
Major US automakers have watched their domestic market share shrink even more thanks to their Asian competitors -- a situation that may worsen if Chinese firms are able to enter the US market, an idea floated by President Donald Trump.
"The broader market story continues to be the growing (sales), and mostly on the strength of Asian automakers," said Charlie Chesbrough, a senior economist at Cox Automotive.
The analyst said that Asian brands are expected to account for more than half of US new vehicle sales in the third quarter, for the second quarter in a row, "approaching record-high market share levels."
At the same time, Detroit's historic Big Three -- General Motors, Ford and FCA/Stellantis (which makes Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge) -- will see their market share dwindle to a bit more than 36 percent, the lowest on record.
Chesbrough says the trend is rooted in the fact that Asian companies have "significant advantages" over US firms on hybrid vehicles, which more and more consumers are embracing given the volatile price of gas due to conflict in the Middle East.
GM is still the overall leader in terms of US sales, but Japan's Toyota is quickly catching up.
GM has slipped from 17.4 percent market share in 2025 to 16.7 percent in the first nine months of this year. Toyota meanwhile went from 15.2 percent to 15.6 percent in the same period, according to Cox Automotive.
In the third quarter, GM sales fell 5.5 percent to 670,974 units, while Toyota sales rose 0.6 percent to 633,223 units.
A similar pattern emerges when comparing Ford and Hyundai-Kia, which are third and fourth, respectively. Market share and sales are down for the Dearborn, Michigan, heavyweight, and up for the South Korean group.
Cox even predicted that Ford would soon drop to fourth place, but Hyundai-Kia's sales did not advance as much as estimated, so Ford remained in the number three spot.
FCA US sits in sixth place behind Japan's Honda.
Michael Orange, head of US retail sales for FCA US, said Friday the companies were operating against "a highly competitive industry backdrop."
And the situation could get worse.

Deal, with conditions

In mid-September, Trump said he was "okay" with the idea of Chinese cars on American highways, as long as their manufacturers opened factories in the United States and hired American workers.
He made the comments before Chinese President Xi Jinping paid him a visit, his first trip to the White House in more than a decade.
Lobbyists representing carmakers, parts manufacturers and dealers reacted quickly, asking Trump to "keep the door firmly shut to Chinese automakers seeking to sell, import or manufacture vehicles inside the US."
Among those who signed the letter were the American Auto Policy Council, which represents the Big Three, and Auto Drives America, which represents carmakers from Japan, Germany and other countries with US plants. 
Peter Nagle, an expert at Mobility Global, estimated recently that Chinese makers such as BYD, Geely and SAIC could sell up to 1.7 million cars in the United States -- about 11 percent of the market -- from now until 2038, according to Bloomberg.
Importing Chinese vehicles is not strictly forbidden, but punitive customs duties and tariffs imposed by multiple governments would make it prohibitively expensive.
According to industry observers, these punitive measures allow the US to avoid a massive influx of low-cost Chinese vehicles, a fate seen in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Last month, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation -- which includes all carmakers present in the United States -- called on congressional leaders to put in place a "permanent ban" on Chinese cars, citing high-risk hardware and software they use.
Such a ban would include sale, importation and manufacturing on US soil.
Alliance president John Bozzella justified the request by invoking national security and the need to curb what he called "China's strategy to dominate global automotive manufacturing."
He accused Chinese carmakers of "dumping subsidized vehicles with connected software and hardware... capable of collecting, processing and transmitting sensitive vehicle and consumer data to the Chinese Communist Party."
elm/sst/pnb

technology

US regulator finds Boeing 737 MAX software bug 'not a safety concern'

  • "Following a thorough review, a panel of FAA safety experts on Friday determined a software issue in certain Boeing 737 MAX flight computers is not a safety concern," the US regulatory agency said in a statement.
  • A software bug that delayed the US certification of Boeing's 737 MAX 10 aircraft does not pose a safety concern, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday after an investigation.
  • "Following a thorough review, a panel of FAA safety experts on Friday determined a software issue in certain Boeing 737 MAX flight computers is not a safety concern," the US regulatory agency said in a statement.
A software bug that delayed the US certification of Boeing's 737 MAX 10 aircraft does not pose a safety concern, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday after an investigation.
The glitch was found in a cockpit software update to the plane model and can cause an automated navigation feature to fail when planes shift their approach to landing.
"Following a thorough review, a panel of FAA safety experts on Friday determined a software issue in certain Boeing 737 MAX flight computers is not a safety concern," the US regulatory agency said in a statement.
The FAA's review board reached this conclusion about the software bug's safety "because pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous."
"As with any situation, the FAA will consider appropriate action if it receives new information about this issue."
Boeing will also send a bulletin to airlines detailing the issue and instructing employees how to recognize and respond to the situation should it take place.
"We will continue to follow the lead of the FAA as our engineers work on the next software update," Boeing said in a statement to AFP.
The aerospace giant on Monday said it had "informed all 737 operators about a software issue where pilots may not have access to automated flight guidance during a specific landing scenario."
Boeing on Friday added that it was working to formalize a procedure with airlines that would allow pilots to restore automated flight guidance in case the glitch occurs.
Despite the FAA review, neither the regulator nor Boeing said whether the certification process for the 737 MAX 10 would be unfrozen.
The model is the last of four 737 MAX planes to receive regulator certification to enter service.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Monday at a press conference that the MAX planes certified by the FAA thus far are safe but that "we will be delaying the 10 until... we're satisfied we don't have an issue here."
elm/tu/ph/jgc/pnb

politics

New rallies urged in France as protests disrupt over 730 schools

BY FREDERIC BOURIGAULT, ULRIKE KOLTERMANN AND STUART WILLIAMS

  • In the western city of Brest, police used tear gas at the Kerichen high school as pupils hurled projectiles at security forces, an AFP photographer said.
  • French high school students on Friday lit fires and hurled projectiles at police who responded by firing tear gas, as activists urged new rallies in an escalating protest movement demanding better conditions in education.
  • In the western city of Brest, police used tear gas at the Kerichen high school as pupils hurled projectiles at security forces, an AFP photographer said.
French high school students on Friday lit fires and hurled projectiles at police who responded by firing tear gas, as activists urged new rallies in an escalating protest movement demanding better conditions in education.
The government says that the pupils in their mid-to-late-teens studying in lycees have every right to air grievances but has condemned violence which has included a policeman being chased, kicked and beaten by a group of youths.
In La Ciotat in southern France, a teacher was sprayed with petrol before being physically assaulted by two individuals, officials said.
A young man wounded in Tours lost the use of his right eye, the city's prosecutor said Friday. He was injured on Wednesday as students clashed with police, said the local prefecture.
On Friday, unions and student groups urged protesters to keep up the pressure on the government and stage new rallies on Tuesday.
"High school students are expecting concrete measures from this government, and so far we have not received them," said Ryad Rani, head of the USL high school union.
The movement, which began in the Paris region in September and spread nationwide, has seen teenage pupils at lycees in their final years of schooling block access to buildings and clash with police. 
The students say their school hours are excessively long, conditions inadequate including overheated classrooms, and that there are too many staff absences. 
The protests have had political reverberations seven months before voters choose President Emmanuel Macron's successor.
Of the country's 3,700 schools, 735 were affected "in one way or another" on Friday, down 30 percent from Thursday, Education Minister Edouard Geffray said after talks with activists.
He said that three staff members had been injured, compared with 31 on Thursday.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there had been 1,747 arrests on Friday, adding there had been "projectiles thrown, attacks on law enforcement, teachers, journalists, passersby."
Geffray said an action plan aimed at "speeding up the replacement" of absent teachers would be launched.
 

'Violent repression'

 
Students and police traded accusations of violence.
James, a high school student in the northern city of Lille, denounced what he called "extremely violent police repression, which inevitably fuels students' anger."
"When we see fellow students being beaten, choked, blinded in one eye, and tear-gassed from all sides while we're simply trying to have a dialogue with the government, of course it makes people angry," he said.
In the western city of Brest, police used tear gas at the Kerichen high school as pupils hurled projectiles at security forces, an AFP photographer said.
Interior Minister Nunez said images from the eastern city of Belfort showing a group of youths encircle a lone policeman and kick him to the ground were of a "rare violence and intolerable".
In Paris on Friday, fire damaged the entrances of two high schools, with the fire brigade called to extinguish the blazes, an AFP photographer said. 
The police force has launched internal probes after accusations of brutality against demonstrators.
In the southern city of Toulouse, protesters administered eye drops to each other after police used tear gas, AFP images showed.
In Aubervilliers, north of Paris, police used batons and riot shields to control protesters.
 

'Children in danger'

 
The government has accused the hard left France Unbowed (LFI) -- whose firebrand leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is again standing for the presidency -- of being behind the movement.
Senior LFI official Manuel Bompard had accused the government of "descending into conspiracy theories".
The education minister said "the high school student movement is being held hostage by ultra-violent fringe groups".
Geffray told BFMTV at least 65 staff members had been injured, including 40 high school principals, since the start of the movement.
Some 170 students have been wounded while over 100 high schools have suffered "severe damage", he added.
"What matters now is ensuring our children are no longer out on the streets, because they are in danger."
According to Nunez, more than 300 police officers and gendarmes were injured.
burs-ach/jj

politics

G7 agrees deal to ease global energy supply concerns

BY VALERIE LEROUX WITH UMBERTO BACCHI IN BRUSSELS

  • The seven countries agreed to a coordinated release through the International Energy Agency (IEA) of 100 million barrels "to begin immediately over four months, including a frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days," the leaders said in a statement released by Macron's office.
  • G7 countries agreed Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil to ease global energy supply concerns, as President Donald Trump hailed the decision and said the US would not impose a threatened diesel export ban.
  • The seven countries agreed to a coordinated release through the International Energy Agency (IEA) of 100 million barrels "to begin immediately over four months, including a frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days," the leaders said in a statement released by Macron's office.
G7 countries agreed Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil to ease global energy supply concerns, as President Donald Trump hailed the decision and said the US would not impose a threatened diesel export ban.
The announcement came following a video conference of G7 leaders chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron after Washington stepped up pressure on Europe to release strategic reserves and threatened a diesel export ban.
The talks, convened by Macron after a conversation with Trump, focused on coordinating a response to soaring fuel prices among the other G7 economies of Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has sent energy prices skyrocketing, coming back to bite Trump at home with high fuel costs that have become a key issue ahead of midterm congressional elections in a month.
Trump had floated the possibility of banning US exports of diesel, which is used in trucks and other hauling vehicles, an alarming prospect for the EU, which relies heavily on fossil fuel imports.
The seven countries agreed to a coordinated release through the International Energy Agency (IEA) of 100 million barrels "to begin immediately over four months, including a frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days," the leaders said in a statement released by Macron's office.
They also said there would be no ban on diesel exports between them.
"We reaffirm our commitment to refrain from export restrictions on energy and energy products between G7 countries and call on all producers to refrain from imposing bans that could exacerbate market tensions," the leaders said.
"Our citizens' concerns about energy prices remain a top priority."
Trump said European countries had agreed to release a "massive amount" of diesel from their reserves.
"The process will begin immediately," he posted on his Truth Social network.
"Europe has a lot of diesel and they're going to be making a major world contribution -- and so are we," Trump said later, adding "Europe did a great thing". 
"And we're not going to be doing the export ban," he said.

US pressure

Earlier the EU pushed back hard against US threats to impose a diesel export ban, something Macron also warned against during his conversation with Trump.
The flurry of diplomatic activity came a day after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cranked up the pressure on European nations.
"American farmers, truckers, and businesses should not be left carrying the burden of a global diesel shortage," he said.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright likewise held talks with his British counterpart Miatta Fahnbulleh on the crisis, including on the UK's strategic reserves.
British dairy farmer Keith Blackshaw, in the Derbyshire hamlet of Newhaven, complained of a "vicious circle" with high fuel prices being passed onto customers.
"I'd like to see Mr Trump support us a little bit more really," the 69-year-old said. "He looks after his own. Maybe we should do the same, look after our own."
The 32 members of the IEA agreed last March to unlock 400 million barrels of oil from reserves, their largest release ever. 
- 'Sanctions against Russia' - 
Earlier this week, IEA chief Fatih Birol said European nations had yet to release part of those stocks, which could happen soon. 
About a third was yet to come to market, Birol said, adding that further releases were possible since 80 percent of overall IEA stocks were "still in our pocket".
Diesel prices in the United States and Europe have hit record highs in recent weeks, with an export ban imposed by major producer Russia in response to Ukrainian attacks on fuel facilities also contributing to global market pressures. 
The G7 leaders said on Friday: "We will maintain sanctions against Russia while working with the IEA and global partners to prevent further spillovers into fuel, gas, and other commodity markets."
Energy prices surged in the eurozone in September, pushing inflation to 3.8 percent, the highest level in three years.
bur-ub-as/ach/jgc

China

China a better influence in Latin America than US: poll

  • It showed 57 percent of people in Latin America considering the United States to be a positive influence, down from 60 percent in 2020.
  • China's influence in Latin America is now viewed more positively than that of the United States, a major poll conducted in 17 Latin American countries showed Friday.
  • It showed 57 percent of people in Latin America considering the United States to be a positive influence, down from 60 percent in 2020.
China's influence in Latin America is now viewed more positively than that of the United States, a major poll conducted in 17 Latin American countries showed Friday.
The 2026 Latinobarometro survey showed that China overtaking the United States in terms of influence for the first time since the annual survey began in 1995.
It showed 57 percent of people in Latin America considering the United States to be a positive influence, down from 60 percent in 2020.
China, meanwhile, was considered a positive influence by 65 percent of respondents, a jump from 48 percent six years ago.
Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic were the only countries in the region where US influence was deemed more positive than that of China.
The report partly attributed the shift to Washington's "almost complete absence" from the region in the two decades after the 2003 Iraq War.
During that time, Latin America "drew closer to other powers, to China, to the European Union, to Japan," Marta Lagos, director of Latinobarometer, told AFP.
Lagos said China had won over Latin American populations by allowing them to access cheaper imports.
"The void that China fills is the void in people's pockets, more than anything else," she said.
The growing disaffection towards the United States comes nearly halfway through Trump's second term, during which he has openly asserted his desire for hegemony over Latin America, as part of what he calls the "Donroe Doctrine."
 

- US popularity drops -

 
As a country, the United States remains more popular than China, with 63 percent saying they had a favorable view of the world's top economy, compared to 58 percent for its arch-rival.
But America's popularity was markedly down compared to 2024, when Democratic president Joe Biden was in the White House and 73 percent had a favorable view of the United States.
The "Donroe Doctrine" blends Trump's first name with that of James Monroe, the fifth US president, who more than two centuries ago declared Latin America the United States' exclusive sphere of influence.
Trump's push to restore US dominance in what Washington calls "our hemisphere" was in evidence in January when the United States overthrew Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
The Latinobarometro poll showed a majority of people in all but one country -- Argentina -- approving of Maduro's capture by US special forces.
But only 35 percent considered it benefited Venezuela, compared to 28 percent who said it harmed the Caribbean country.
Citizens of Venezuela itself were, however, among those who viewed US influence most positively.
Chile-based Latinobarometro is a non-profit organization that surveys opinions on a range of issues, from democracy to the economy, security and migration.
The 2026 survey was based on some 19,200 face-to-face interviews carried out in 17 countries between May 7 and June 17, with a margin of error of 1 percent.
cb-gma/md/mjf
 
 
 

Tigray

Ethiopian pro-government militia claims Tigray airport as regional tensions spike

  • In a post on X, the pro-government militia, the Tigray Peace Force, claimed to have "taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport" roughly 10 kilometres (six miles) outside the regional capital.
  • Pro-government militias in Ethiopia on Friday claimed they had captured a major airport near the Tigrayan capital from rebels, as the conflict triggered a breakdown in the country's relations with Eritrea and Egypt.
  • In a post on X, the pro-government militia, the Tigray Peace Force, claimed to have "taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport" roughly 10 kilometres (six miles) outside the regional capital.
Pro-government militias in Ethiopia on Friday claimed they had captured a major airport near the Tigrayan capital from rebels, as the conflict triggered a breakdown in the country's relations with Eritrea and Egypt.
Fighting erupted last week in northern Ethiopia as the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks into the states of Afar and Amhara, raising fears of a return to the devastating 2020-2022 civil war.
The government accuses Eritrea of supporting the TPLF, and the two countries broke diplomatic relations on Thursday.
Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and shut its embassy in Asmara, while Eritrea responded that it would "sever all diplomatic ties".
Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without explanation, prompting a reciprocal move by Cairo. The two were already at odds over Addis Ababa's new Nile mega-dam, with Egypt strengthening ties with Eritrea in recent months.
Eritrea has long feared landlocked Ethiopia plans to invade and seize access to its coastline.
The TPLF's leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, said in a video published late Thursday that "the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea".
The African Union, based in Ethiopia, said it was "following with concern the heightened tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt", urging "maximum restraint".

Frontlines

On the frontlines in northern Ethiopia, the Tigrayan rebels appeared to be suffering a pushback.
The government is now engaged in a counter-offensive pushing into Tigrayan territory along three axes towards the capital Mekelle, according to the Critical Threats Project, part of the American Enterprise Institute think tank.
In a post on X, the pro-government militia, the Tigray Peace Force, claimed to have "taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport" roughly 10 kilometres (six miles) outside the regional capital.
The claims could not be independently verified, with media prevented from travelling to affected areas and significant communications disruptions.
Earlier, a humanitarian source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the TPLF had been pushed out of Afar.
"The humanitarian situation has little changed as they raided and destroyed as they left and there is no access to food in the north," they said, speaking from the area.
Conflict monitor ACLED said pro-government forces had retaken control of the Afar towns of Abala, Erebti and Megale, while the Critical Threats Project said the Ethiopian military had "largely repelled the rebel offensive".

Drone strikes

For the first time, the conflict appeared to reach the capital overnight Wednesday-Thursday when an explosion was reported at the defence ministry, housing the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) headquarters.
Drone strikes were the "most likely" cause, a diplomatic source based in the city told AFP, "though we haven't been able to obtain imagery or independent confirmation".
The devices used were likely FPV (First-Person View) drones -- "essentially militarised commercial drones fitted with an explosive charge", the source said, adding that an army base in the capital was hit around the same time.
Though the military has a far more substantial fleet of drones, rebel forces have deployed them against airbases and airports elsewhere in the country -- including three attacks last Sunday in Oromia and Amhara states, according to ACLED.
The Critical Threats Project said rebel forces had "launched a drone strike campaign across Ethiopia", including Addis Ababa, to demonstrate "its ability to expand the conflict across the country".
The government and army have refused to comment on the strikes in the capital, which were also reported to AFP by residents and workers near the army headquarters in the Tor Hayloch area of Addis Ababa.
tfg-er-rbu/ach 

Global Edition

Lula, Bolsonaro trade blows in final scramble for votes in Brazil

BY FACUNDO FERNANDEZ BARRIO WITH LUCIA LACURCIA IN RIO DE JANEIRO

  • Washington suspended consular services in Brasilia over "security concerns" and Australia closed its embassy for the same reason.
  • President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and rival Flavio Bolsonaro are pulling no punches in a last-ditch effort to win voters ahead of Sunday's election in Brazil, where the US suspended consular services Friday over security concerns.
  • Washington suspended consular services in Brasilia over "security concerns" and Australia closed its embassy for the same reason.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and rival Flavio Bolsonaro are pulling no punches in a last-ditch effort to win voters ahead of Sunday's election in Brazil, where the US suspended consular services Friday over security concerns.
US President Donald Trump said he was "very closely" watching the nail-biter poll, which comes after a string of recent right-wing victories across Latin America.
Washington suspended consular services in Brasilia over "security concerns" and Australia closed its embassy for the same reason. Neither gave details.
Police said in a statement they had executed two search and seizure warrants to investigate possible threats to US diplomatic facilities but "no evidence has been found to corroborate the initially reported risks."
US pressure has loomed large over an insult-driven, scandal-littered campaign that has done little to mend Brazil's political fragmentation.
Edinho Silva, president of Lula's Workers' Party (PT), told journalists that the US closing its consulates "makes absolutely no sense. It is one of the ways Trump has to vie for Brazilian public opinion."
Veteran leftist Lula, 80, is in a dead heat with the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro in polls that predict an October 25 runoff, which will take place if no candidate gets more than half the first-round vote.
"The race is tied but not at a standstill," Felipe Nunes, director of the Quaest polling institute, told AFP.
Horns honked raucously at a Lula rally in Rio de Janeiro attended by thousands on Friday.
"The left has put itself in a position of defending the poorest, the weakest, the minorities," said Alex de Oliveira Rangel, a 55-year-old evangelical pastor.
"As Christians, we have to defend the values that are right for society and defend democracy, which is under serious threat from the right," he told AFP.
Flavio Bolsonaro meanwhile called for a "mega-motorcade" of motorcycles at his final campaign rally in Sao Paulo state on Saturday.
 
- Saintly spat, gynecological gaffe - 
 
Keenly aware of undecided voters, both sides have kept a close eye on anything they can twist to their advantage.
In recent days, the debate lasered in on Brazil's patron saint, Our Lady of Aparecida, as rumors erupted that Flavio Bolsonaro planned to demote her if elected.
Bolsonaro, 45, issued fierce denials as Lula appeared clutching a statue of the beloved saint, declaring that "messing" with her was "unacceptable."
The electoral court ordered Thursday that posts with the "untrue" claims be taken down.
Next, Bolsonaro and his supporters pounced when Lula said that men were "cowards" when it comes to getting their prostates examined, while "women learn to receive a touch from a young age," referring to gynecological exams.
Clips of his comment circulated widely on social media as if it were an allusion to abuse.
Amid all the drama, many of the nation's 160 million registered voters are disenchanted with their options.
"It's really turned into a circus," said Gisele Sousa, 45, a clothing shop employee in the southeastern city of Juiz de Fora. "My vote won't go to any of them."

Tough foe

 
Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, boasting he is fitter than ever despite his advanced age.
He made Brazilian sovereignty a central plank of his campaign, warning Trump not to "meddle" in Brazilian elections.
The former union leader has overseen a drop in inflation and unemployment while massively curbing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
But voters complain about a high cost of living, and many are jaded by violence and crime.
The president unveiled a flurry of crowd-pleasing measures in recent weeks, increasing social welfare payments and banning sports betting that has ensnared many in debts and gambling addiction.
Bolsonaro vowed that Lula would be "ousted from the presidency" on Sunday.
The once little-known Bolsonaro, a senator since 2019, has proven a tough foe for Lula, even as it emerged Bolsonaro was under investigation for corruption over the financing of the biopic "Dark Horse" about his father.
He was forced during the campaign to admit he had asked jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro, at the heart of one of Brazil's largest financial fraud cases, to bankroll the film.
ffb-fb-ll/cc/mjf

investment

Argentina unveils passports-for-investment scheme

  • The Citizenship by Investment Program announced by the government proposes two "simple and transparent mechanisms" for obtaining an Argentine passport.
  • Argentine President Javier Milei's government said Friday that the country would offer citizenship to foreigners who invest at least $350,000 in the country.
  • The Citizenship by Investment Program announced by the government proposes two "simple and transparent mechanisms" for obtaining an Argentine passport.
Argentine President Javier Milei's government said Friday that the country would offer citizenship to foreigners who invest at least $350,000 in the country.
South America's second-largest economy attracted the lowest level of foreign direct investment of any major Latin American economy in 2025, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The Citizenship by Investment Program announced by the government proposes two "simple and transparent mechanisms" for obtaining an Argentine passport.
Investors can either make a "direct, non-refundable contribution of $350,000 to the National Treasury" or "subscribe to an $800,000 government bond created specifically" for the purpose.
The spouses and children of applicants can also secure citizenship, in exchange for a contribution of $100,000 to the Treasury, or $25,000 if they are under 18 years of age. 
"The resources obtained will be used to continue strengthening the fiscal and financial position of the Argentine Republic," the government said.
Writing on X, the economy ministry said that the investments would be subject to a "rigorous evaluation process (...) guaranteeing the traceability of funds, the prevention of money laundering, and national security."
The program comes days after the Supreme Court abolished limits on the purchase of rural land by foreigners.
The court on Tuesday upheld a 2023 decree by Milei repealing a 15-percent cap on foreign ownership of such land in place since 2011. 
Veterans of Argentina's 1982 war with Britain over the Falkland Islands -- known to Argentines as Las Malvinas -- had bitterly opposed the decree, accusing Milei of "putting the Republic of Argentina up for sale."
A demonstration has been called for next week to condemn the change in the land ownership law, which the opposition will seek to block in Parliament. 
According to the OECD, Argentina received $3.134 billion in foreign direct investment last year, a fraction of $76.877 billion attracted by Brazil and the $40.871 billion secured by Mexico.
 
sa/lm/cb/md

Guyana

King Charles to evoke colonial 'darkest days' on Caribbean tour

  • The palace spokesperson told reporters the king's visit, from October 27 to November 4, would not "shy away from the 'darkest days of our past' as His Majesty has described them".
  • King Charles III will acknowledge the "darkest days" of colonial rule and slavery while touring Caribbean countries on a visit beginning this month, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Friday.
  • The palace spokesperson told reporters the king's visit, from October 27 to November 4, would not "shy away from the 'darkest days of our past' as His Majesty has described them".
King Charles III will acknowledge the "darkest days" of colonial rule and slavery while touring Caribbean countries on a visit beginning this month, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Friday.
The king will first visit the Bahamas and Guyana alone, followed by a trip to Antigua and Barbuda with Queen Camilla, where Charles will give a speech at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government, the palace said.
Charles, 77, who is still receiving treatment for cancer, will visit former colonies that are now independent from Britain and are members of the British Commonwealth. 
He remains head of state in the archipelago nations of the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, a role that is largely ceremonial.
The palace spokesperson told reporters the king's visit, from October 27 to November 4, would not "shy away from the 'darkest days of our past' as His Majesty has described them".
Charles used the phrase in a speech in Barbados when he attended the ceremony in which it became a republic in 2021, removing his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as head of state.
He also said then that the "appalling atrocity of slavery" stains Britain's history.
The palace said Charles had worked to acknowledge "the wrongs of the past" and "right inequalities that endure", and on this trip would "renew his personal, wholehearted and continuing commitment to that process".
The UK government reiterated last month its rejection of calls for the payment of slavery reparations after a Jamaican delegation filed a petition addressed to Charles on the issue.
It called on the monarch to refer three questions on the legality of the transatlantic slave trade to the Caribbean island's highest court of appeal based in London.
Modern British royals have expressed remorse for the brutal slave trade that enriched their ancestors, but like the UK government have not issued an official apology for the slave trade.
The palace said discussions about the colonial legacy and the slave trade were "important" but "primarily matters for governments to address".
On a 2022 Caribbean tour, Charles's son William and his wife Kate were met with anti-monarchy protests and calls for slavery reparations.
Charles's younger brother, Prince Edward, later that year cancelled a visit to Grenada after pro-republican protests there.
In Antigua and Barbuda, a state named after its two main tropical islands, the royals will attend a parade to mark 45 years of independence.
Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, is a republic and so Charles will be making a state visit on the 60th anniversary of its independence from Britain.
The trip will feature plenty of meetings with local people and will focus on "the vibrant present and promising future of each country", the palace said.
The programme includes meetings with cricketing legends in Antigua and Barbuda, where the West Indies team is based, and meeting conservationists responsible for Guyana's rain forest.
jhj-am/jkb/giv

conflict

Russia 'tearing Kyiv apart', mayor says, as strikes paralyse traffic

BY TETIANA DZHAFAROVA

  • It's impossible to cross the bridges today," she told AFP. Traffic built up due to the complete closure to all vehicles going in both directions on the Southern Bridge, one of eight bridges connecting the east and west of Kyiv over the Dnipro river.
  • Russian attacks on key infrastructure were "tearing Kyiv apart", the city's mayor said Friday, as strikes on a bridge linking the capital's east and west brought traffic to a standstill.
  • It's impossible to cross the bridges today," she told AFP. Traffic built up due to the complete closure to all vehicles going in both directions on the Southern Bridge, one of eight bridges connecting the east and west of Kyiv over the Dnipro river.
Russian attacks on key infrastructure were "tearing Kyiv apart", the city's mayor said Friday, as strikes on a bridge linking the capital's east and west brought traffic to a standstill.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of ripping up the rulebook of armed conflict by sanctioning massive attacks on civilian areas, an accusation the Kremlin has rejected.
The grinding conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has largely focused on ground fighting in the east, with Kyiv mostly spared from the devastation wrought near the frontline.
But Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city should now be on a war footing.
"The capital is in a very dramatic situation," he posted on Telegram. "It's no longer possible to pretend that we can live now as we lived in peacetime.
"The enemy is tearing Kyiv apart."
His message came as the authorities shut one of Kyiv's main bridges and restricted movement on a second after another wave of deadly strikes by fast-moving, jet-powered drones.
Long lines of stationary cars and buses were gridlocked on main roads as commuters sought alternative routes -- or even made their way on foot.
"I've been travelling for three hours... to get to work," said Tetiana Osypenko, a 49-year-old seamstress whose bus was stuck in a traffic jam.
"There's just no way to get there. Nothing. It's impossible to cross the bridges today," she told AFP.
Traffic built up due to the complete closure to all vehicles going in both directions on the Southern Bridge, one of eight bridges connecting the east and west of Kyiv over the Dnipro river.
The cable-stayed bridge has been hit several times since Thursday, with new strikes confirmed by Klitschko on Friday in the afternoon.
The Paton Bridge, further north, was open in one direction only, though there were no reports that it had been struck.
On X, Zelensky accused Putin of last month declaring there were "no rules now", citing unnamed intelligence and people around Putin.
"The Russians couldn't occupy us. So now they are doing massive attacks and massive killings," Zelensky said in remarks first made in a Financial Times interview.
The Kremlin made no immediate public response to the claim.
- Daily disruption - 
Kyiv has been increasingly under aerial bombardment in recent months, putting the city on near-constant alert and disrupting daily life.
Air raid sirens warning of approaching threats in the skies sound almost round the clock, urging the city's estimated three million people to seek shelter.
Repeated strikes on trains and petrol stations have already hit the rail and road networks while attacks on energy facilities threaten power and heating as winter approaches. 
Osypenko, the seamstress, said previous disruption to subway services during air raids has forced her to spend the night in a metro station near the Southern Bridge.
Loss of earnings compounds the financial pressures caused by the war, she added. "You just spend the whole day feeling completely beaten down."
The latest Russian attacks killed one person and wounded at least two other people when a 25-storey residential building was hit in southeast Kyiv.
Two people were killed and dozens more injured when Russian shelling hit residential areas in the eastern city of Kharkiv, city mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram. 
- 'Political will' - 
Zelensky urged tougher sanctions to prevent Russia from manufacturing jet-powered drones, which are harder to intercept.
Russia's production of the weapons was "critically dependent" on foreign components, he wrote on social media on Friday.
"Every Russian drone can actually be stopped right at the production line. What is needed is the political will of these countries," he added.
Zelensky has repeatedly called on Ukraine's Western allies for more military support, particularly for US-made Patriot missile interceptors.
On Thursday, he said Ukraine had used its FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, without disclosing where or what it had been used against.
He also said Ukraine was testing five of its own interceptors against drones.
Ukraine's military on Friday said it struck an oil refinery in Volgograd and another facility in Samara, both in southwest Russia, for allegedly supplying fuel to Russian forces.
Kyiv also dismissed reports that its F-16 fighter jets -- another key tool used against jet-powered drones -- could be grounded due to delays in maintenance inspection and the supply of parts.
But Zelensky told the Financial Times that around half of Ukraine's fleet was spending lengthy maintenance periods in Europe.
bur-phz/giv

government

Swedish Social Democrats leader to make new bid to form government

  • "On the basis of the conversations I have had, I have decided that Magdalena Andersson, the Social Democrats' party leader, will be given the task of continuing to resume her exploratory assignment," Norlen told a press conference.
  • Sweden's parliament speaker said Friday that he had asked Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson to make a new attempt to form a government, days after a first bid failed.
  • "On the basis of the conversations I have had, I have decided that Magdalena Andersson, the Social Democrats' party leader, will be given the task of continuing to resume her exploratory assignment," Norlen told a press conference.
Sweden's parliament speaker said Friday that he had asked Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson to make a new attempt to form a government, days after a first bid failed.
Speaker Andreas Norlen said Andersson should report back to him by October 12.
"On the basis of the conversations I have had, I have decided that Magdalena Andersson, the Social Democrats' party leader, will be given the task of continuing to resume her exploratory assignment," Norlen told a press conference.
In Sweden's September 13 election, centre-left opposition parties won 176 seats in parliament, versus 173 for outgoing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's right-wing bloc -- which includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats.
Norlen first tasked Andersson to start government talks on September 18, but she gave up on September 28, after failing to unite the three other parties in her group due to deep ideological differences -- primarily between the socialist Left Party and the Centre Party.
There was speculation that the speaker could give the assignment to Kristersson.
"We have four parties in our parliament with a majority and they have Magdalena Andersson as their number one prime minister candidate," Norlen told AFP.
"So I think it's reasonable that she can explore her options to form a government on her side of Swedish politics first and continue the task that I gave her some time ago," he added.
Asked whether it was possible Kristersson could be given a chance if Andersson failed again, Norlen said "anything is possible" but he wanted to see how Andersson's attempt "plays out".
In a comment to media, Kristersson said it was "natural" that Andersson should be tested given the election result.
Norlen stressed that Andersson's assignment would formally begin on October 5. "I want to give the parties some time for reflection before the formal process resumes," he told the press conference.
In a statement to social media, Andersson said she welcomed the announcement.
"Over the weekend I will reflect on how I can move the process forward. I hope that other parties will also reconsider their positions," Andersson said.
The speaker has four attempts to propose a prime minister candidate for a vote in parliament. If the fourth attempt fails, a snap election must be called.
Sweden has become accustomed to lengthy negotiations to form a government. After the 2022 election it took 37 days and 134 days in 2018.
jll/tw

military

China widens military footprint with Laos air base

BY MATT SURRUSCO

  • The Joint Flight Training and Support Centre in Laos is the "first air force base that China has abroad", said Joshua Kurlantzick, a Southeast Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.
  • When China opened its first overseas air force base this week, a joint facility in isolated Laos, it was sending a signal -- its foreign military foothold is set to grow, analysts said.
  • The Joint Flight Training and Support Centre in Laos is the "first air force base that China has abroad", said Joshua Kurlantzick, a Southeast Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.
When China opened its first overseas air force base this week, a joint facility in isolated Laos, it was sending a signal -- its foreign military foothold is set to grow, analysts said.
Beijing has long sought to increase its influence across Asia-Pacific, competing with Washington and its allies over crucial shipping routes and undersea resource exploration, including in the disputed South China Sea.
Under leader Xi Jinping, the world's second-largest economy has sought to modernise its military, ramping up defence spending and pressure on Taiwan, which it claims.
Until now, installations abroad were primarily naval bases.
The Joint Flight Training and Support Centre in Laos is the "first air force base that China has abroad", said Joshua Kurlantzick, a Southeast Asia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.
He told AFP that more will likely be established, in the region and in other nations friendly to China, as it experiments with how to run an air base beyond its borders.
China is "not building one base in Laos and stopping", he said.
The two communist nations said the centre at Ban Keun airfield, north of the Laotian capital Vientiane, was aimed at training Laotian air force pilots.
China's defence ministry added that the site would be "maintained for normal operations by both sides" and did not target any third party.
Security researcher Collin Koh said that China -- Laos's largest creditor -- was "trying to showcase that it is able to extend itself in defence diplomacy", at least with "amenable countries".
Training Laotian pilots will require China to put military assets there -- whether modest transport aircraft or modern fighter jets.
"From training then you have a (Chinese) military presence," Koh said.

Chinese bases

China only spends around a third of what the United States does on its military, according to the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, and its foreign military footprint is dwarfed by the US, which has several hundred bases around the world.
China opened its first overseas base in 2017 in Djibouti, an east African nation strategically located near the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The site has been expanded to include a sophisticated signals intelligence facility, which has prompted France and the US to consider moving their own bases in Djibouti to avoid Chinese intercepts, according to Kurlantzick.
China has also funded upgrades to the Ream naval base in Cambodia, a staunch ally, situated on the Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and a Chinese military delegation inaugurated a joint logistics and training centre there last year.
Washington says the base, which was originally built partly with US funding, could give Beijing a strategic position near the South China Sea.
Two Chinese anti-submarine corvettes have docked at its port for long stretches, although US and Japanese vessels have also made port calls since the base's revamp.
By contrast the Laos centre will likely be used exclusively by the Laotian and Chinese militaries, Koh said.
Ban Keun could be used as a "convenient stopover" for China's air force, and Chinese personnel may be stationed there, he added.
"We cannot discount the deployment of combat assets in the area in the name of training the Laotian air force."
Neither government has released details on the personnel or military hardware to be based at the site.

'Keeps China happy'

The US and its regional partners, such as Vietnam and Thailand, will be watching closely for signs of military build-up.
The US defence department said last year Beijing had likely considered establishing military facilities in around 20 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia -- not including Laos.
Asia military specialist Carl Thayer warned against alarmism, noting that the Ban Keun site could only support light aircraft and military trainers for now. 
And it was unclear whether any Chinese military presence in Laos would be permanent or well-equipped, he said.
"You have China's advancement," he added, but "it's not a crisis at the moment". "It's not Djibouti, it's not Ream, but it marks a change."
For underdeveloped Laos, the new joint facility offers military training and equipment, financial incentives and even stronger ties with Beijing, analysts say.
"The benefit for Laos is it keeps China happy," Kurlantzick said.
sco/ar/ane

conflict

Ethiopia's conflict: the regional dimension

  • Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat on Thursday, without giving a reason.
  • Renewed fighting between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels has worsened regional tensions, with Ethiopia and Eritrea breaking diplomatic ties on Thursday.
  • Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat on Thursday, without giving a reason.
Renewed fighting between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels has worsened regional tensions, with Ethiopia and Eritrea breaking diplomatic ties on Thursday.
Heavy fighting resumed between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) last week, and fighting has been ongoing across several fronts in northern Ethiopia.
The geopolitics of the Horn of Africa are fiendishly complex, with shifting alliances and the involvement of many outside actors with conflicting interests.
Here is what is at stake for the countries concerned:

Eritrea

Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of backing the TPLF, including with troops, which it has denied. 
On Thursday, they expelled each other's diplomats and shut down their respective embassies.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and the two sides fought a brutal border war between 1998 and 2000. 
Relations improved markedly with the rise of Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018, and Eritrea even fought alongside Ethiopia during the last civil war against the TPLF in 2020-2022.
But relations have since cratered, with Eritrea fearing landlocked Ethiopia plans to invade and seize access to the Red Sea.
"The TPLF is silently allied with its former foe, Eritrea, with supply lines chiefly secured through Tigray's northern border," the Chatham House think tank said in a report.
Eritrea's "priority is to keep war away from its own territory", it added, before cautioning the country's actions increase the risk of regional escalation.

Sudan

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have close ties with the TPLF and Eritrea. Tigrayan fighters have reportedly fought with the SAF in Sudan's civil war.
Ethiopia is accused of assisting the United Arab Emirates in supplying the SAF's opponent, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which it has denied. 
Sudan was accused of funnelling weapons and supplies to the TPLF during the last war. There were clashes along the shared border in August, suggesting it remains an active concern for the Ethiopian government.

Egypt

Egypt is strongly opposed to Ethiopia's new Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which it says will affect downstream Nile waters. It has forged closer ties with Eritrea and Somalia in an apparent anti-Ethiopia front.
Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat on Thursday, without giving a reason. Cairo responded by expelling an Ethiopian diplomat.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE has invested deeply across east Africa as it seeks security partnerships to counter rivals and control the Red Sea, as well as agricultural land, and investments.  
It has been one of Abiy's principal backers, giving him a $3 billion loan and investment package when he came to power in 2018, and building his giant new palace in Addis Ababa, as well as providing military drones and logistical support during the last civil war.
In return, it is alleged that Ethiopia has helped funnel arms to the UAE's allies in Sudan, though that is denied by both countries. 

United States

Washington was closely involved in the peace deal that ended the last civil war in 2022. 
Its focus has lately been on the Red Sea -- and its efforts to contain Iran and its proxies. As a result, it allowed sanctions on Ethiopia and Eritrea to end, with the ill-timed claim that the "national emergency... has expired".

Somalia

Ethiopia's relations with Somalia were ruptured in January 2024 when Addis Ababa signed a sea-access deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland. 
Relations were ultimately restored with Turkish mediation and the deal with Somaliland seemingly put on the back burner. 
er/rbu/pdw

pandemic

Life expectancy almost back to pre-Covid levels, says WHO

  • The UN agency said healthy life expectancy had recovered from the pandemic more slowly, standing at 62.8 years in 2023 -- 0.4 years below the 2019 level.
  • Global life expectancy is close to the levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, but the outlook for years lived in good health is recovering more slowly, the WHO said Friday.
  • The UN agency said healthy life expectancy had recovered from the pandemic more slowly, standing at 62.8 years in 2023 -- 0.4 years below the 2019 level.
Global life expectancy is close to the levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, but the outlook for years lived in good health is recovering more slowly, the WHO said Friday.
Life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023 -- close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019 before the pandemic struck, the World Health Organization said in its annual Global Health Estimates (GHE) report.
The coronavirus crisis plunged global life expectancy down to 71.5 years in 2021.
"Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health," said Alain Labrique, head of the WHO's data department.
"The next challenge is to ensure that those additional years are lived in good health, while health systems adapt to respond to the changing needs of populations."
The UN agency said healthy life expectancy had recovered from the pandemic more slowly, standing at 62.8 years in 2023 -- 0.4 years below the 2019 level.
Meanwhile dementia deaths have tripled and anxiety- and depression-related health loss has risen sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between 2000 and 2023, the WHO Americas region recorded the largest increases in risk of mortality and healthy life loss, while the Western Pacific saw substantial declines.
 

Biggest causes of death

 
Of the 61 million deaths worldwide in 2023, the 10 leading causes accounted for 33 million.
Noncommunicable diseases represented eight of the 10 leading causes; NCDs now account for 74 percent of global deaths, up from 58 percent in 2000, when the GHE study began.
The world's biggest killer is ischaemic heart disease, responsible for 16 percent of  deaths. It has seen the largest increase in deaths between 2000 and 2023, up from 3.0 million to 9.5 million.
Stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the second and third leading causes of death in 2023, responsible for approximately 11 percent and six percent of total deaths respectively.
Lower respiratory infections, the world's most deadly communicable disease, came fourth.
Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia came fifth in 2023, killing 2.1 million people.
Covid-19 dropped out of the top 10 leading causes of death for the first time since the pandemic exploded.
It was directly responsible for an estimated 5.3 million deaths (third place) in 2020 and 9.4 million (first) in 2021.
It fell to 900,000 directly attributable deaths in 2023, making it the 14th leading cause of death.
Deaths from HIV and AIDS have fallen by 62 percent since 2020, moving from the world's seventh leading cause of death in 2000 to 22nd place in 2023.
ag-rjm/tw

government

Swiss president to quit government

  • Switzerland's presidency rotates annually among the seven members of the government, called the Federal Council, of which Parmelin, 66, was the longest-serving minister.
  • Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced Friday that he will quit the government at the end of the year, in a sudden move after more than a decade of ministerial service.
  • Switzerland's presidency rotates annually among the seven members of the government, called the Federal Council, of which Parmelin, 66, was the longest-serving minister.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced Friday that he will quit the government at the end of the year, in a sudden move after more than a decade of ministerial service.
Switzerland's presidency rotates annually among the seven members of the government, called the Federal Council, of which Parmelin, 66, was the longest-serving minister.
Parmelin told a press conference in Bern that he had informed ministerial colleagues of his decision to step down on December 31.
"By then, it will have been 11 years since I was elected to this role, and the time has come for me to make way for new energy in these times of great uncertainty," he said, admitting to feeling "a certain weariness", while insisting he was not stepping down for medical reasons.

Tariff tussle with Trump

A pragmatist, Parmelin seemed to make more headway with US President Donald Trump than his predecessor Karin Keller-Sutter.
Trump shocked Switzerland in August 2025 when he announced 39-percent duties on imports of Swiss goods, among the highest in his global tariff blitz.
Parmelin, the economy minister, went to Washington three times in a bid to reduce the rate.
Eventually, Switzerland and the United States announced a declaration of intent to cut tariffs to 15 percent, with the Swiss vowing to invest $200 billion in the United States.
A winegrower by trade, Parmelin is from the French-speaking western canton of Vaud. He is from the hard-right Swiss People's Party (SVP), which is the biggest in the country,
Parmelin was previously president in 2021 and took centre-stage as Switzerland hosted a summit in Geneva between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden.
The president of the Swiss Confederation is first among equals on the Federal Council, chairs its meetings and typically represents the country in major domestic and international matters.
The position goes to whoever has had the longest run on the council without being president.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will become president in 2027.
Parmelin joined the Federal Council in 2016 as defence minister and has held the economy brief since 2019.
The Federal Council seven seats are shared 2-2-2-1 among the four main political parties under a decades-old tacit agreement known as "the magic formula".
Parmelin's successor will come from the SVP. Candidates have until October 23 to come forward, and parliament will choose on December 9.
Parmelin will visit India for a three-day state visit from Monday.
rjm/ag/tw

housing

Spain housing package at risk in parliament, as protests mount

BY DIEGO URDANETA

  • Housing affordability has been one of Spain's main social concerns for years but protests intensified following Abascal's eviction.
  • Spain's parliament was to vote Friday on government housing decrees introduced after nationwide protests triggered by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, but there were doubts the measures would pass.
  • Housing affordability has been one of Spain's main social concerns for years but protests intensified following Abascal's eviction.
Spain's parliament was to vote Friday on government housing decrees introduced after nationwide protests triggered by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, but there were doubts the measures would pass.
The uncertainty followed a decision late Thursday by the Catalan separatist Junts party to oppose both measures, potentially depriving Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's coalition of a parliamentary majority.
The housing crisis has dominated political debate since the eviction, on a stretcher, of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal on September 23 from the apartment she had occupied for around seven decades.
Her case has become a symbol of growing frustration over housing affordability.
"It can't go on like this!" Miel Diaz, a 23-year-old teacher at the protest Friday, told AFP.
"Most people in this country have a housing problem or know someone who does," he added. 
Teresa Morollón, 46, said she felt "let down" by the likelihood of parliament voting against the measures.
"We understand that the parliamentary arithmetic is extremely complicated, but bold and inclusive policies need to be put in place for everyone," she added.
Abascal's case galvanized thousands of Spaniards to protest the housing situation, and tent camps have sprung up in Madrid and other cities to press for urgent government action.
The pensioner was forced out of her flat after it was acquired by an investment company that sought to increase her rent by 275 percent.
On Monday, though, the company reversed course and agreed to allow Abascal back into the apartment.
 

'Hour of truth'

 
The government decrees include the automatic renewal of rental contracts when they expire, and measures aimed at restricting the eviction of vulnerable tenants.
They also target so-called vulture funds: investment firms that buy properties at low prices in pursuit of higher returns.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly urged lawmakers to support the measures, calling on them to act with "responsibility" in the fragmented parliament, where his coalition government lacks a majority.
"The hour of truth has arrived," he wrote on X late on Thursday, arguing parties must choose if "they are with the social majority or with the speculators".
Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez said on Friday that thousands of people were waiting for the result of the vote.
"The session today is not just another session," she said.
The government had negotiated the decrees with business-friendly Junts, which backs less regulation on landlords.
But the Catalan party announced late Thursday that it would oppose both decrees unless the government withdrew them and agreed to draw up new measures. The government refused.
Junts argues that the proposed measures unfairly lump small landlords who rely on rental income together with profit-driven real-estate companies, and could have "negative and irreversible" effects.
Sanchez's government relies on the support of the Junts party's seven lawmakers to pass legislation.
 

Early election?

 
The Spanish Tenants' Union criticised the prospect of defeat, with spokeswoman Alicia del Rio accusing parliament of defending speculation and highlighting what she called the "colossal gap" between demands from society and what lawmakers were preparing to vote on.
It has called for a general strike and has vowed to keep occupying Madrid's central Puerta del Sol until its demands are met.
A defeat would increase pressure on Sanchez's minority government and could intensify opposition calls for an early election.
The leader of far-right Vox party,  Santiago Abascal, said on Friday that "the sooner elections are held, the better".
Spain's next general election is not due until 2027, and Sanchez has repeatedly ruled out calling an early vote.
Housing affordability has been one of Spain's main social concerns for years but protests intensified following Abascal's eviction.
Recent opinion polls have generally placed the opposition Popular Party ahead of the Socialists.
bur-du/ds/rmb

diplomacy

North Korea calls Seoul 'despicable' after DMZ apology demand

BY CLAIRE LEE

  • In the first public response from Pyongyang, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said South Korea "even called for an apology" and added that it is "really despicable".
  • Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, called Seoul "despicable" on Friday after it demanded an apology over a demilitarised zone blast that wounded three South Korean soldiers.
  • In the first public response from Pyongyang, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said South Korea "even called for an apology" and added that it is "really despicable".
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, called Seoul "despicable" on Friday after it demanded an apology over a demilitarised zone blast that wounded three South Korean soldiers.
Pyongyang has denied being behind a landmine blast that caused severe injuries to three soldiers last month inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the heavily mined buffer dividing the two Koreas since their 1953 armistice.
Seoul as well as the US-led United Nations Command said the blast was caused by North Korean mines laid on the South Korean side of the border.
The South Korean military demanded an official apology this week, accusing Pyongyang of "a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement".
In the first public response from Pyongyang, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said South Korea "even called for an apology" and added that it is "really despicable".
Her statement may dampen hopes of smoother relations between the neighbours after South Korea's dovish President Lee Jae Myung had urged Pyongyang to return to dialogue, even as his military called for an apology.
Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Since 2024, after Kim Jong Un designated South Korea as his country's "principal enemy", Pyongyang's military has laid mines and built anti-tank barriers along the frontier as part of efforts to permanently seal it off.
The mines responsible for last month's blast were believed to have been laid as part of Pyongyang's border fortification work, according to South Korea's defence minister Kang Shin-chul.
The United Nations Command, which oversees the Korean War armistice and the southern side of the DMZ, said Wednesday it had found an active North Korean anti-personnel mine on the South Korean side of the border.
South Korea's Lee, who took office in June 2025, has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions.
On Thursday, a day after the South Korean military demanded an apology, Lee said that he hoped the North would "join us now on the path of restoring trust and resuming dialogue, following a long interruption".
"My administration will consistently pursue practical measures to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas," he said.
 

'Mocked'

 
However, Kim Yo Jong ridiculed Lee's latest overture, calling it "the climax of the farce that everyone should watch".
South Korea's opposition People Power Party responded by accusing Lee of failing to criticise Pyongyang when warranted even as he takes a hard line on Ukraine for disclosing the confidential transfer of North Korean prisoners of war.
"South Korean soldiers have been injured, and far from receiving an apology, we have been mocked by North Korea," the opposition party said in a statement.
"We fail to see how selectively turning a blind eye to North Korea serves South Korea's dignity or the safety of its people."
As a possible response to the DMZ blast, analysts have floated resuming blaring K-pop music across the border, which the isolated North has long bristled at.
But others say Seoul has few realistic options for retaliation without further burdening border residents already exposed to disruption and danger.
The flare-up comes at a sensitive time. US President Donald Trump's recent overtures to Pyongyang raised concerns that Seoul -- an ally of Washington -- could be sidelined in potential nuclear talks involving the North, which is backed by Russia as well as China.
Lee said last month that Washington should seek a freeze, rather than the immediate elimination, of North Korea's nuclear programme and offer sanctions relief in return.
"For the time being, North Korea has good income from military supplies to Russia and uses it to balance China, hence little interest in normalisation with Japan, South Korea or even the US," Vladimir Tikhonov, Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo, told AFP.
"However, the war (in Ukraine) will end at some point, the profits from arms exports to Russia will drop and North Korean diplomatic tone may change, too."
cdl/ami

Israel

Indian flydubai pilot opened cockpit door to save passengers

BY UZMI ATHAR

  • I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there," he said.
  • Indian flydubai captain Smit Machchhar knew he had to act quickly after an alleged in-flight attack by his co-pilot, opening the cockpit door in a "last push" to get help and avert disaster, he said Friday.
  • I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there," he said.
Indian flydubai captain Smit Machchhar knew he had to act quickly after an alleged in-flight attack by his co-pilot, opening the cockpit door in a "last push" to get help and avert disaster, he said Friday.
"I was trying to save my own life, but I knew I could not let all those people die," Machchhar said during a call from his hospital bed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a video posted by the leader on social media.
The Boeing 737 flight to Tel Aviv, operated by Dubai-based flydubai, was carrying 174 passengers when the altercation took place on Wednesday.
Machchhar, who has 17 years of aviation experience -- 11 as a captain -- described the moment he realised the plane was going down while he was lying injured.
"I had suffered so many injuries that I had collapsed. At that time, I could feel that the aircraft was going down. I knew this was the last push, that the door was right there," he said.
"I was being hit even then, but I just opened the door and everyone came in."
Machchhar told Modi that during the ordeal, he had recited a Hindu devotional prayer dedicated to the deity Hanuman.
"I know God himself saved me," he said.
Machchhar said years of aviation experience allowed him to understand what was happening even while he was injured.
The circumstances of the confrontation are under investigation.
 

'Very proud'

 
The co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar, leaving him wounded and triggering a struggle for control of the aircraft.
Passengers described rushing the cockpit and a fight for control after the plane suddenly plummeted -- losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website -- before eventually making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
Modi said Machchhar's actions helped save many lives and avert "a great tragedy".
"You have done such a great thing that people across the country and around the world are eager to see you and speak to you," Modi told him.
"You have truly made the whole country proud."
Machchhar became emotional during the conversation, telling Modi that he felt proud of himself for the first time since the incident.
"I am feeling very proud right now. I had not felt proud of myself until now," he said.
The pilot, his head wrapped in bandages, and with a breathing tube in his nose, said the path to recovery was long.
"I am not thinking of it as a wound, I am thinking of it as a journey," he said.
"And it will take time, but I am very, very confident that I will recover."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier credited Machchhar, as well as the flight's passengers, with averting catastrophe.
uzm/pjm/

China

Taiwan receives its first US-made F-16V fighter jets

BY AKIO WANG

  • The F-16V is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter and a significantly upgraded version of Taiwan's ageing F-16 A/B jets.
  • Taiwan received its first F-16V fighter jets made by the United States on Friday, as the island democracy upgrades its military capabilities to deter a potential Chinese attack.
  • The F-16V is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter and a significantly upgraded version of Taiwan's ageing F-16 A/B jets.
Taiwan received its first F-16V fighter jets made by the United States on Friday, as the island democracy upgrades its military capabilities to deter a potential Chinese attack.
The warplanes are part of an $8 billion deal for 66 F-16Vs approved during US President Donald Trump's first term and scheduled for delivery this year.
The arrival of the aircraft comes as Taiwan awaits Washington's approval of a separate $14 billion arms package that Trump paused after Chinese objections.
China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.
The two F-16Vs, made by US defence contractor Lockheed Martin, touched down under a clear sky at Taiwan's air force base in Taitung, on the island's southeast coast.
President Lai Ching-te hailed "a major milestone in elevating Taiwan's air defence capabilities", and thanked the United States for its "long-standing support".
The jets had been expected in early September after making refuelling stops in Hawaii and Guam.
Local media reported that the planes had turned back to Hawaii shortly after taking off for Guam. No official explanation was given.
Dozens of locals, some equipped with binoculars and long-lensed cameras, gathered near the air base's perimeter fence on Friday to watch the highly anticipated arrival of the jets.
Kimi Chi, a salesman from the central city of Taichung, had travelled through the night to be able to photograph the aircraft landing in Taitung.
He was philosophical about the delays, saying "good things take time."
"In terms of hardware capabilities, there will definitely be an improvement," the 37-year-old told AFP.
"But what we are actually lacking the most right now is pilots. Of course, I hope the government can provide better additional allowances for these military pilots."
Former Air Force serviceman Eric Chan, 57, marvelled at the improvements made to the F-16 over the past 30 years and said the fighter jets based in Taitung will "play a very important defensive role" against China.
 
"The threat from the CCP has always been there so we definitely need to strengthen our defence capabilities," Chan told AFP, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
The F-16V is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter and a significantly upgraded version of Taiwan's ageing F-16 A/B jets.
Equipped with more advanced combat, detection and engine capabilities, the F-16V will be "a valuable addition to Taiwan's air force in countering China's military threat," said Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
 

'Negotiating chip'

 
The United States is Taiwan's most important security backer and biggest arms supplier. But bottlenecks have slowed delivery of critical weapons.
Taiwan's Defence Minister Wellington Koo said previously it would be "challenging" for all the F-16Vs to be delivered this year, despite Lockheed Martin ramping up production.
On Friday, Koo said more F-16Vs would be delivered to Taiwan "before the end of the year", but did not say how many. 
"At present, I think aircraft are gradually
moving through the production line, and there are also aircraft that have passed the tests," Koo said. 
"As for when they will fly back, we will coordinate further with the US side."
Trump has stalled signing off on the record $14 billion weapons purchase by Taipei, calling it in May a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China, which raised fears that Taiwan's security could be traded away.
Experts believe approval for the package is unlikely before the G20 summit in the United States in December where Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Trump are expected to meet for the fourth time this year. 
A US official said recently it was increasingly likely the $14 billion worth of arms, which include the Patriot air defence system, would be broken up into smaller amounts to temper China's response. 
bur-amj/tc

climate

World powers gather in Pacific to chart climate battle

BY BEN STRANG

  • Top delegates to the Pacific talks will hold a one-day retreat on low-lying Tuvalu, a small island nation laying plans to relocate the population if it is consumed by the ocean.
  • World powers are flying delegates to the Pacific to haggle over the fight against global warming, and to see the plight of island nations surrounded by a rising ocean.
  • Top delegates to the Pacific talks will hold a one-day retreat on low-lying Tuvalu, a small island nation laying plans to relocate the population if it is consumed by the ocean.
World powers are flying delegates to the Pacific to haggle over the fight against global warming, and to see the plight of island nations surrounded by a rising ocean.
Ministers, climate negotiators and a handful of leaders will meet in the Fijian city of Nadi for the October 5-8 talks.
They will be charting the course for a major UN-sponsored global climate summit, known as COP31, to be held in November in Turkey's Antalya province.
For Pacific nations, hosting the preliminary talks in their region offers an opportunity to draw the world's attention to life on the frontline of climate change.
Pacific leaders are pushing for the world to stick to a target of limiting global warming to 1.5C, enhance access to climate finance, and give more attention to the impact on oceans.
The sea level is rising at a record pace, driven by warming oceans and glacier melt, according to a UN report.
Up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050, with Pacific island countries experiencing sea level rise at twice the global average, said the report released in August.
It also highlighted a financing gap, with developing countries needing US$310-US$365 billion to adapt, yet having only US$26 billion in adaptation finance available in 2023.
Top delegates to the Pacific talks will hold a one-day retreat on low-lying Tuvalu, a small island nation laying plans to relocate the population if it is consumed by the ocean.
They will be shown Tuvalu's land reclamation efforts.
The island capital Funafuti's highest point is just two metres above sea-level, and two of its nine coral atolls are already largely swamped by rising seas.
 

'Act now'

 
"Sea-level rise is not a future threat, it is a present reality," Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo told the UN General Assembly ahead of the climate talks.
"Tuvalu's message is clear: the world must act now decisively, collectively, and with urgency to protect the future for generations to come."
Last year, Australia bowed out of a contest with Turkey to host the COP31 summit in a deal that let it preside over negotiations and bring the preparatory talks to the Pacific.
As leader of the climate talks, however, major coal exporter Australia has faced heat over the scale of its fossil fuel extraction.
Chris Bowen, the country's climate minister, says Australia is rapidly expanding its renewable energy sources, which are essential for a transition away from fossil fuels.
Bowen, president of the COP31 negotiations, also rejected media criticism that the pre-COP talks in the Pacific had failed to lure enough world leaders.
Fewer than a dozen world leaders have so far publicly confirmed that they will attend the meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, mostly from the Pacific.
Fiji said last month it expected the heads of state for Antigua and Barbuda, Cape Verde, Thailand, the Maldives and Timor-Leste would attend.
"It's not normally a leaders meeting," Bowen told reporters in the run-up to the talks, which are usually held at the ministerial and senior-negotiator level.
 

'Very, very sad'

 
Organisers have not released detailed figures on attendance.
Bowen said last month 4,000 people from 60 nations would attend, without providing a full breakdown. 
Marine scientist Rajneel Singh -- part of a team that reported large-scale coral death around Tuvalu from a 2024 marine heatwave -- said he was disheartened by a perceived lack of attention to the climate challenge.
"It's very, very sad. There's no awareness of what's happening," Singh told AFP.
Nepal's foreign minister, Shisir Khanal, has confirmed he will attend the Pacific climate meeting, after the August 26 Himalayan flood disaster.
A tsunami-like wall of water and debris triggered by a glacial and rock collapse on the Nepal-China border on August 26 killed nearly 1,500 and left 5,800 missing in the two countries.
"What we're trying to convey to the world is this: these issues of climate change are not theoretical anymore," Khanal told AFP in an interview in New York.
bes/djw/abs