Bondi

Australian inquiry opens public hearings into Bondi Beach shooting

health

Cruise ship operator says Dutch to repatriate two ill passengers

  • "Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a joint effort to organise the repatriation of the two symptomatic individuals on board MV Hondius from Cape Verde to the Netherlands," the operator said.
  • Dutch authorities will attempt to repatriate two sick people from a cruise ship battling a suspected outbreak of hantavirus that has already claimed three lives, the vessel's operator said Monday.
  • "Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a joint effort to organise the repatriation of the two symptomatic individuals on board MV Hondius from Cape Verde to the Netherlands," the operator said.
Dutch authorities will attempt to repatriate two sick people from a cruise ship battling a suspected outbreak of hantavirus that has already claimed three lives, the vessel's operator said Monday.
In a statement on the crisis, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed it was dealing with "a serious medical situation" on board the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.
The operator confirmed the three deaths, two on board and one after disembarking the ship. One passenger is in intensive care in Johannesburg and two others "require urgent medical care," the statement said.
"Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a joint effort to organise the repatriation of the two symptomatic individuals on board MV Hondius from Cape Verde to the Netherlands," the operator said.
Such a repatriation would depend on several factors, including authorisation from local officials in Cape Verde, said Oceanwide Expeditions.
Contacted by AFP, the Dutch foreign ministry did not immediately respond to confirm the repatriation efforts.
The ship is currently located off the coast of Cape Verde. While local doctors have visited to assess the medical condition of the two sick passengers, no permission has been given to evacuate them to shore.
"Disembarkation and medical screening of all passengers require coordination with local health authorities and we are in close consultation with them," said the operator.
Hantavirus, an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents, has been confirmed in the passenger currently in intensive care in Johannesburg, the operator said.
However, it has not yet been established whether the virus caused the three deaths, said Oceanwide Expeditions.
There has also been no confirmation of hantavirus in the two symptomatic passengers still requiring attention on the ship.
"The exact cause and any possible connection are under investigation," said the ship's operator.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization said one case of hantavirus had been confirmed and that there were "five additional suspected cases."
"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response," said the WHO.
burs-ric/yad

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • - US to escort ships through Hormuz - President Donald Trump said Sunday that "very positive discussions" were under way with Iran on resolving the war and that US forces will soon start escorting ships out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz in a mission dubbed "Project Freedom."
  • The latest developments in the Middle East war: - Iran warns over Hormuz -  Iran's military said that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump announced Washington would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.
  • - US to escort ships through Hormuz - President Donald Trump said Sunday that "very positive discussions" were under way with Iran on resolving the war and that US forces will soon start escorting ships out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz in a mission dubbed "Project Freedom."
The latest developments in the Middle East war:
- Iran warns over Hormuz - 
Iran's military said that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump announced Washington would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.
"We warn that any foreign armed force -- especially the aggressive US military -- if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked," said Major General Ali Abdollahi of the Iranian military's central command, in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.
"We have repeatedly stated that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and under all circumstances, any safe passage must be coordinated with these forces," he added.

Tanker struck near the UAE

Unidentified projectiles struck a tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Monday, adding that all crew members were safe.
The incident occurred 78 nautical miles north of the UAE city of Fujairah, the agency said. 

US to escort ships through Hormuz

President Donald Trump said Sunday that "very positive discussions" were under way with Iran on resolving the war and that US forces will soon start escorting ships out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz in a mission dubbed "Project Freedom."
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called it a "humanitarian gesture," saying many of the marooned ships "were running low on food," but offered few details on how the mission would work.
US Central Command said on X that its forces would begin supporting Project Freedom with guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

US 'interference' would violate ceasefire

In response to Trump's announcement, a senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ongoing ceasefire.
"Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran's parliament, posted on X.

Iran weighs US response to plan

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday the United States faced a choice between an "impossible" military operation or a deal with Tehran, after Trump disparaged Iran's latest peace proposal.
Iran's foreign ministry said Tehran had submitted a 14-point plan "focused on ending the war" and that Washington had already responded to it in a message to Pakistani mediators, which Iran was reviewing.

Germany's Merz not 'giving up' on working with US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he would not give up on working with Trump, despite a spat between the leaders over the Iran war and Trump's announcement that the number of US troops stationed in the European country would be cut by "a lot further than 5,000."
"I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship," Merz told public broadcaster ARD. "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump."

US says blockade 'suffocating' Iran

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the US was "suffocating" Iran's leadership through an "economic blockade" launched alongside Washington's military offensive known as Operation Epic Fury.
"This began with the order last March from President Trump on max pressure, and three weeks ago the president gave the order to Treasury myself to begin Economic Fury," Bessent told Fox News.
burs/yad/cw

US

Iran warns will attack US forces in Hormuz after Trump announces escort plan

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, WASHINGTON AND MIAMI

  • "We warn that any foreign armed force -- especially the aggressive US military -- if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked," said Major General Ali Abdollahi in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB. By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertiliser to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
  • Iran's military warned on Monday that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting ships through the waterway.
  • "We warn that any foreign armed force -- especially the aggressive US military -- if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked," said Major General Ali Abdollahi in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB. By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertiliser to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran's military warned on Monday that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting ships through the waterway.
Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran took effect on April 8, with Tehran's stranglehold on the strait a main point of contention.
Trump said on Sunday that the new maritime operation, which he dubbed "Project Freedom", was a "humanitarian" gesture for crews aboard the many ships swept up in the blockade who may be running low on food and other supplies.
"We will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation," Trump posted on Truth Social, saying operations would begin on Monday.
In response, the Iranian military's central command said any safe passage through Hormuz must be coordinated with its forces "under all circumstances".
"We warn that any foreign armed force -- especially the aggressive US military -- if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked," said Major General Ali Abdollahi in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.
By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertiliser to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Trump in his post said he was "fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all."
But he made no direct mention of a 14-point plan that Tehran said it put forward last week to end the war.
US Central Command said it would use guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members in the Hormuz effort.
As of April 29, more than 900 commercial vessels were located in the Gulf, according to maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine.

'Impossible operation'

US news website Axios, citing two sources briefed on the Iranian proposal, reported that Tehran set "a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the strait", lift the US naval blockade and end the war.
On Sunday, the Revolutionary Guards sought to put the onus back on Trump, saying he must choose between "an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran". 
Washington's European allies are concerned that the longer the strait remains closed, the more their economies will suffer, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul demanded that it be reopened.
In a call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Wadephul stressed that Germany supported a negotiated solution but that "Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately open the Strait of Hormuz".
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, who has tried to coordinate a post-war mission to the strait alongside Britain and an international coalition, called for "a coordinated reopening by the United States and Iran".
"That is the only solution for reopening", he said.
Oil prices are currently about 50 percent above pre-conflict levels, largely due to the supply snarls in the strait.

'Suffocating the regime'

The US president, who spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, declined on Sunday to specify what could trigger new US military action.
But in his post he said that "if in any way, this Humanitarian (ship-guiding) process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully".
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US naval blockade was only part of a broader economic embargo.
"We are suffocating the regime, and they are not able to pay their soldiers," he told Fox News. "This is a real economic blockade, and it is in all parts of government."
burs-axn/dcp

Global Edition

India's Modi eyes win in opposition-held West Bengal

BY SAILENDRA SIL

  • Trends released by the Election Commission of India on Monday showed BJP leading in 176 out of 294 seats in West Bengal.
  • Vote counting in key Indian state elections was underway Monday under tight security, with the focus on West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party appeared set for victory.
  • Trends released by the Election Commission of India on Monday showed BJP leading in 176 out of 294 seats in West Bengal.
Vote counting in key Indian state elections was underway Monday under tight security, with the focus on West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party appeared set for victory.
And in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, veteran politician MK Stalin was trailing, challenged by a political debutante -- film star C. Joseph Vijay.
Elections in five states and territories took place in April and May, with Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the national parliament, seeking to make inroads into opposition-held states.
In West Bengal, the Hindu-nationalist BJP waged an aggressive bid to dislodge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), in power in the state of 100 million people since 2011.
Trends released by the Election Commission of India on Monday showed BJP leading in 176 out of 294 seats in West Bengal.
"The entire country has its eyes on this state's election results," political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told AFP, in the capital Kolkata. "The contest can tilt the balance of power."
The campaign this time was marked by protests over the removal of millions of names from voter rolls, billed as removing ineligible voters, but which critics said was skewed against marginalised and minority communities.
Banerjee, speaking ahead of the count, insisted her party would win. 
"The BJP is not coming, take my word for it," she said. "Be patient till the last."
But West Bengal's BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya told AFP he was confident of a win.
"It was an election of rejection," he said. "People of the state want change. The ruling Trinamool Congress will be defeated."
Past elections have resulted in violence in the state, where BJP has never been in power.
- 'Political earthquake' - 
In Tamil Nadu, a key industrial hub with more than 80 million people, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under Chief Minister MK Stalin was trailing, according to early Election Commission trends.
Stalin is being challenged by C. Joseph Vijay, 51, one of India's most bankable actors, especially in Tamil regions.
The political debutante launched his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party in 2024. 
Election Commission trends showed Vijay's TVK leading, a surprise result in the state where exit polls suggested Stalin's DMK would return to power.
Votes are also being counted in Assam, a northeastern state of more than 31 million which the BJP is widely expected to maintain control of, and the small coastal territory of Puducherry, where the BJP is part of a ruling coalition.
In Kerala, the tightly contested race in the southern state of approximately 36 million, trends suggest the Congress party-led alliance will oust the Communist party.
Wins in the state elections would put Modi on a stronger footing while battling a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rate and a pending US trade deal.
Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said a win for BJP in West Bengal and the TVK in Tamil Nadu would be nothing short of a "political earthquake".
"The aftershocks of these results will be felt far and wide for a long time," he said on social media, "probably all the way" to the 2029 general elections.
str-ash/pjm/abh/mtp

vote

In Wales, UK Labour Party loses grip on storied heartland

BY PETER HUTCHISON

  • Labour has led Wales' devolved government -- whose powers include running health, education and transport -- since the inception of the parliament, called the Senedd, in 1999.
  • Wales -- the cradle of Britain's revered National Health Service and a former industrial powerhouse -- has been a Labour Party stronghold for well over a century.
  • Labour has led Wales' devolved government -- whose powers include running health, education and transport -- since the inception of the parliament, called the Senedd, in 1999.
Wales -- the cradle of Britain's revered National Health Service and a former industrial powerhouse -- has been a Labour Party stronghold for well over a century.
But that is set to end in crunch polls Thursday as impatient Britons abandon their old political loyalties for anti-establishment parties amid persistent cost of living pressures.
A Labour defeat in the country of three million people will be a major indictment of lacklustre UK leader Keir Starmer's two-year-old premiership and likely amplify calls for his resignation.
"I feel very sad that I'm not voting Labour this time," said 59-year-old Ross Mumford, explaining he had always supported the centre-left party, just like his father and grandfather. 
"It's been a part of the family but it's coming to an end this year," the delivery driver told AFP outside the Welsh parliament in the capital Cardiff.
Wales, with its strong working-class roots and deep sense of community, has been woven into the fabric of Labour since the party was founded in 1900.
The party's first leader, Keir Hardie, represented a constituency in the country's industrial South Valleys, while Welshman Aneurin Bevan spearheaded the founding of the NHS in 1948.
Labour has led Wales' devolved government -- whose powers include running health, education and transport -- since the inception of the parliament, called the Senedd, in 1999.
Polls widely predict that 27-year-run will finish when voters head to the polls on May 7, although a new voting system means who will triumph instead is uncertain.

'Upset'

Surveys show Labour trailing the hard-right Reform UK party and progressive Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru, mirroring a UK-wide squeeze of Britain's ruling party from both ends of the political spectrum. 
Mumford thinks Starmer has "lied through his teeth" in a scandal over sacked US envoy Peter Mandelson. He will vote Reform, believing firebrand leader Nigel Farage is a straight-talker. 
"Let's give them a try. What have we got to lose?" he said, a common refrain among voters unhappy with how Labour has governed the UK since July 2024 following 14 years of Conservative rule. 
Hope Porter, 35, another previous Labour voter told AFP she will likely cast her ballot for the left-wing Greens. She is angry at Starmer's stance on the Gaza war.
"They're Tories in red at this point. I don't think they are actually for working class people anymore," the artist said, enjoying an evening stroll outside the Senedd.
In Cardiff city centre, sitting near a statue of ex-Labour MP Bevan, 83-year-old Sue Jenkins said she isn't ready to give up on Labour yet.
The retiree thinks Starmer "could do better" but feels he has done well to stand up to President Donald Trump over the US and Israel conflict.
"If Labour don't get in, I'll be very upset," Jenkins told AFP.
Labour candidate Huw Thomas insists one party will find it difficult to win a majority, meaning "it's all to play for".
"The narrative that this is the end of the Labour Party in Wales, I don't think that's a given," he told AFP.
Twenty-three miles (37 kilometres) north in Merthyr Tydfil -- where Hardie was an MP -- half a dozen Reform volunteers hand out fliers from under a gazebo.
Several passing drivers sound their horns in support, receiving thumbs up from the canvassers, although one woman shouts "racists" at the group.
Unemployment and deprivation are the main issues in the post-industrial town once famous for its coal mining and ironworks, says candidate David Hughes.
"People are losing hope," the 59-year-old told AFP.

'Enormous problems'

Volunteer Robert Clarke, 69, likes Reform's pledge to scrap net zero energy targets -- he's "not a great fan" of wind turbines on Wales' rolling hills -- and cut irregular immigration.
"Unless we change the direction this country is taking, I feel my grandchildren will not have a country," he told AFP.
In the nearby picturesque town of Pontypridd, Plaid Cymru campaigners buoyantly knock on doors, sensing victory in another traditional Labour heartland.
"We're definitely picking up disaffected voters," candidate Heledd Fychan told AFP, saying people felt "betrayed" by Labour's moves to remove heating subsidies from the elderly.
Back in Cardiff, 65-year-old retired teacher Ceri James says he will vote for Plaid because of their "positive" messaging.
Speculation is rife in Westminster that losing Wales could be the moment restless Labour MPs decide to try to oust Starmer as leader. 
Defeat "will pose enormous problems for the party," politics expert Laura McAllister of Cardiff University told AFP.
pdh/jkb/giv

Bondi

Australian inquiry opens public hearings into Bondi Beach shooting

  • Sajid Akram and son Naveed are accused of opening fire as Jewish families thronged Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration in December, carrying out Australia's deadliest mass shooting for 30 years.
  • An inquiry into a shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah festival near Australia's Bondi Beach heard Monday that Sydney's Jewish community feared "catastrophe" was coming as antisemitic attacks rose.
  • Sajid Akram and son Naveed are accused of opening fire as Jewish families thronged Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration in December, carrying out Australia's deadliest mass shooting for 30 years.
An inquiry into a shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah festival near Australia's Bondi Beach heard Monday that Sydney's Jewish community feared "catastrophe" was coming as antisemitic attacks rose.
The federal royal commission -- the highest level of government inquiry -- was called to probe factors leading to the attack by two gunmen on Jewish families near Australia's best-known beach in December.
"The sharp spike of antisemitism that we have witnessed in Australia has been mirrored in other Western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East," inquiry chief Virginia Bell said in opening remarks.
"It's important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility towards Jewish Australians simply because they are Jews."

'Oldest hatreds'

The inquiry has received thousands of submissions about the impact of "one of society's oldest hatreds", said the counsel assisting the inquiry, Zelie Hegen.
Sheina Gutnick, whose father Reuven Morrison was killed in the Bondi attack, told the inquiry there had been a shift in antisemitism since 2023, when the Gaza war began.
"Antisemitism was allowed to come into the open," she said.
Her refugee parents had met at Bondi Beach, a scene of many happy childhood memories for her.
"Now Bondi holds a really, really heavy weight in our community's heart," she said.
The inquiry heard from witnesses, some granted pseudonyms because of their fear of reprisals, about the impact of antisemitic chants during a protest against the war in Gaza outside Sydney's Opera House in October 2023, shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel.
Jewish community groups recorded 2,062 antisemitic incidents the following year, and parents feared sending children to Jewish schools.

'An un-Australian thing'

That summer saw a string of arson and grafitti attacks against synagogues and Jewish businesses in Sydney and Melbourne.
A woman who works with a Jewish security group recounted having to escort people to safety from a Melbourne synagogue in November 2023 on the anniversary of the Nazi Kristallnacht pogrom as a "mob" of around 30 people dressed in black, their faces masked, appeared.
A Jewish woman who grew up near Bondi -- and whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors -- told the inquiry she was "shocked to see flags being burnt at the Opera House -- it was such an un-Australian thing".
She was "incredibly disappointed that police hadn't stepped in before things got as bad as they did", she said.
In her experience, many Australians she worked with had never previously met a Jewish person, and she asked the community to listen when Jewish people "feel like history is repeating itself".

'Patriots'

Alex Ryvchin, chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry who migrated from Ukraine as a child, said many victims of the Bondi attack were from a tight-knit community of refugees from the Soviet Union.
"They were patriots who loved this country," he said, recalling several friends who died.
A firebomb attack on Ryvchin's former family home in January 2025 marked an escalation in antisemitic attacks because it targeted a private home, he said.
"We were on a path to catastrophe," he told the inquiry, detailing death threats he continues to receive.
He sent his children away as he fielded concerned calls from the prime minister, police and the counter-terrorism squad.
"That was January; by December on that same road, three kilometres down, there was a horrific massacre that has transformed us permanently," he said.
Sajid Akram and son Naveed are accused of opening fire as Jewish families thronged Bondi Beach for a Hanukkah celebration in December, carrying out Australia's deadliest mass shooting for 30 years.
Sajid, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault. 
Naveed, 24, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.
kln/djw/fox

Global Edition

India's Modi faces key test as vote count underway

BY SAILENDRA SIL

  • Elections in five states and territories took place in April and May, and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the national parliament, is hoping to make inroads into opposition-held states.
  • Vote counting in key Indian state elections was underway Monday under tight security, with the focus on West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party is hoping for crucial gains.
  • Elections in five states and territories took place in April and May, and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the national parliament, is hoping to make inroads into opposition-held states.
Vote counting in key Indian state elections was underway Monday under tight security, with the focus on West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party is hoping for crucial gains.
Elections in five states and territories took place in April and May, and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the national parliament, is hoping to make inroads into opposition-held states.
In West Bengal, the Hindu-nationalist BJP waged an aggressive bid to dislodge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), in power in the state of 100 million people since 2011.
Exit polls last week predicted the BJP has a slight edge over TMC, although exit polls have a patchy record in India.
"The entire country has its eyes on this state's election results," political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told AFP, in the main city Kolkata. "The contest can tilt the balance of power."
The campaign this time was marked by protests over the removal of millions of names from voter rolls, billed as removing ineligible voters, but which critics said was skewed against marginalised and minority communities.
Banerjee, speaking ahead of the count, insisted her TMC would win. 
"The BJP is not coming, take my word for it," she said. "Be patient till the last."
But West Bengal's BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya told AFP he was confident of a win.
"It was an election of rejection," he said. "People of the state want change. The ruling Trinamool Congress will be defeated."
Past elections have resulted in violence in the state.
In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, a key industrial hub with more than 80 million people, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under Chief Minister MK Stalin is widely expected to be re-elected.
Votes are also being counted in Assam, an eastern state of more than 31 million which the BJP is widely expected to maintain control of, and the small coastal territory of Puducherry, where the BJP is part of a ruling coalition.
In Kerala, the tightly contested race in the southern state of approximately 36 million, exit polls suggest the Congress party-led alliance is tipped to oust the Communist party.
Wins in the state elections would put Modi on a stronger footing while battling a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rate and a pending US trade deal.
str-ash/pjm/mtp

US

Iran warns of ceasefire violation as US plans to escort Hormuz ships

BY AFP TEAMS IN MIAMI, TEHRAN AND WASHINGTON

  • By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertilizer to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
  • Iran warned on Monday that it would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the Mideast ceasefire, as President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.
  • By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertilizer to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran warned on Monday that it would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the Mideast ceasefire, as President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.
Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, and Iran's stranglehold on the strategic strait following US-Israeli attacks on Tehran has been a main point of contention.
Trump said Sunday the new maritime operation, which he dubbed "Project Freedom," was a "humanitarian" gesture for crews aboard the many ships swept up in the blockade and which may be running low on food and other crucial supplies.
"We will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation," Trump said in a Truth Social post, noting operations would begin on Monday.
In response, the head of the Iranian parliament's national security commission said: "Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire."
By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertilizer to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
Trump in his post said he was "fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all."
He made no direct mention of what Tehran described as a 14-point plan "focused on ending the war."
US Central Command said it would use guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members in the Hormuz effort.
As of April 29, more than 900 commercial vessels were located in the Gulf, according to maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine.

'Impossible operation'

US news website Axios, citing two sources briefed on the proposal, reported that Iran set "a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the strait," dissolve the US naval blockade and end the war.
Earlier Sunday, the Revolutionary Guards sought to put the onus back on Trump, saying he must choose between "an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran." 
Washington's European allies are concerned that the longer the strait remains closed, the more their economies will suffer, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul demanded that it be reopened.
In a call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Wadephul stressed that Germany supported a negotiated solution but that "Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately open the Strait of Hormuz."
Oil prices are currently about 50 percent above pre-conflict levels, largely due to the supply snarls in the strait.

'Suffocating the regime'

The US president, who spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, declined on Sunday to specify what could trigger new American military action.
But in his post he said that "if in any way, this Humanitarian (ship-guiding) process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US naval blockade was only part of a broader economic embargo.
"We are suffocating the regime, and they are not able to pay their soldiers. This is a real economic blockade, and it is in all parts of government," he told Fox News.
In yet more bellicose rhetoric, Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iranian forces would sink US ships. 
"The US is the only pirate in the world that possesses aircraft carriers. Our ability to confront pirates is no less than our ability to sink warships. Prepare to face a graveyard of your carriers and forces," he posted on X.
burs-dcp/mlm/sst/lga/sla

energy

Japan PM says oil crisis has 'enormous impact' in Asia-Pacific

  • "The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been inflicting enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific," the Japanese leader told journalists.
  • A global oil supply squeeze is inflicting an "enormous impact" on the Asia-Pacific region, Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday.
  • "The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been inflicting enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific," the Japanese leader told journalists.
A global oil supply squeeze is inflicting an "enormous impact" on the Asia-Pacific region, Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday.
Speaking in Canberra after talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, she said the two countries would respond urgently to secure stable energy supplies.
Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil normally flows through the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has been throttled by Iran since it was attacked by the United States and Israel.
Eighty percent of that oil is destined for Asia, according to the International Energy Agency.
"The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been inflicting enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific," the Japanese leader told journalists.
"We affirmed that Japan and Australia will closely communicate with each other in responding with a sense of urgency."
The two countries aim to strengthen autonomy and  resilience to secure stable supplies of energy, Takaichi said.
Australia is the biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas to Japan, which in turn is a source for about seven percent of Australia's diesel.

'Global shocks'

The two countries issued a string of statements vowing to work together on energy, the economy, defence, and critical minerals.
"These agreements are to the benefit of both of our people," Albanese said.
"For Australians, it will mean we are less vulnerable to global shocks like we are seeing right now because of conflict in the Middle East."
Japan's government has said it is also keen to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, essential for semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries and weapons systems.
Australia has touted its abundant critical minerals as a way to loosen China's grip over global supplies of rare earths.
Australia and Japan have strengthened their defence ties, too, striking a Aus$10 billion (US$6 billion) deal last year for Japan to to provide Mogami-class stealth warships to the Australian navy.
In a foreign policy address delivered in Vietnam at the weekend, Takaichi promised to do more to ensure a "free and open Indo-Pacific" -- a strategy that has rankled China.
Japan aimed to build its resilience, she said, notably strengthening its supply chains for energy and critical minerals, and enhancing security cooperation.
First articulated a decade ago by Takaichi's mentor Shinzo Abe, the idea of a "free and open" Indo-Pacific has since been embraced by multiple US partners and allies seeking to curb China's influence in the region.
bur-djw/abs

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • "Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran's parliament, posted on X. - Iran weighs US response to plan - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday the United States faced a choice between an "impossible" military operation or a deal with Tehran, after Trump disparaged Iran's latest peace proposal.
  • The latest developments in the Middle East war: - Tanker struck near the UAE - Unidentified projectiles struck a tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Monday, adding that all crew members were safe.
  • "Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran's parliament, posted on X. - Iran weighs US response to plan - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday the United States faced a choice between an "impossible" military operation or a deal with Tehran, after Trump disparaged Iran's latest peace proposal.
The latest developments in the Middle East war:

Tanker struck near the UAE

Unidentified projectiles struck a tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Monday, adding that all crew members were safe.
The incident occurred 78 nautical miles north of the UAE city of Fujairah, the agency said. 

US to escort ships through Hormuz

President Donald Trump said Sunday that "very positive discussions" were underway with Iran on resolving the war and that US forces will soon start escorting ships out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz in a mission dubbed "Project Freedom."
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called it a "humanitarian gesture," saying many of the marooned ships "were running low on food," but offered few details on how the mission would work.
US Central Command said on X that its forces would begin supporting Project Freedom with guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

US 'interference' would violate ceasefire

In response to Trump's announcement, a senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ongoing ceasefire.
"Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran's parliament, posted on X.

Iran weighs US response to plan

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday the United States faced a choice between an "impossible" military operation or a deal with Tehran, after Trump disparaged Iran's latest peace proposal.
Iran's foreign ministry said Tehran had submitted a 14-point plan "focused on ending the war" and that Washington had already responded to it in a message to Pakistani mediators, which Iran was reviewing.

Germany's Merz not 'giving up' working with US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he would not give up on working with Trump, despite a spat between the leaders over the Iran war and Trump's announcement that the number of US troops stationed in the European country would be cut by "a lot further than 5,000."
"I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship," Merz told public broadcaster ARD. "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump."

US says blockade 'suffocating' Iran

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the US was "suffocating" Iran's leadership through an "economic blockade" launched alongside Washington's military offensive known as Operation Epic Fury.
"This began with the order last March from President Trump on max pressure, and three weeks ago the president gave the order to Treasury myself to begin Economic Fury," Bessent told Fox News.

Germany demands Hormuz reopening

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Sunday that he demanded Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and give up its nuclear weapons programme, in a telephone call with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
"I emphasised that Germany supports a negotiated solution," Wadephul posted on X about the call. "As a close US ally, we share the same goal: Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately open the Strait of Hormuz, as also demanded by" US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Israel's Lebanon warning

Israel's military issued new evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon for villages beyond the area it occupies, despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The warning covers more than 10 villages and towns, including several in the district of Nabatieh, which lies north of the Litani River.
Sunday strikes by Israel on southern Lebanon killed at least one person and wounded four rescuers on Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said.
burs-sbk/mjf/mlm/lga/fox

trade

Japan, Australia discuss energy, critical minerals

  • Takaichi held talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese before jointly addressing the media, with energy, critical minerals and defence expected to be on the agenda.
  • Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi opened talks in Australia on Monday as the two countries seek to navigate a global oil supply squeeze.
  • Takaichi held talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese before jointly addressing the media, with energy, critical minerals and defence expected to be on the agenda.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi opened talks in Australia on Monday as the two countries seek to navigate a global oil supply squeeze.
Australia is a major supplier of coal and liquefied natural gas to Japan, which in turn is a source for about seven percent of Australia's diesel.
Takaichi held talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese before jointly addressing the media, with energy, critical minerals and defence expected to be on the agenda.
"Gas plays a role in all our discussions because it fundamentally underpins the shared energy security between our countries," Foreign Minister Penny Wong told journalists in Canberra before the talks.
"Our export partners have always put to us they want reliability," she said.
Roughly one-fifth of the world's oil normally flows through the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has been throttled by Iran since it was attacked by the United States and Israel.
Japan's government has said it is also keen to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, essential for semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries and weapons systems.
Australia has touted its abundant critical minerals as a way to loosen China's grip over global supplies of rare earths.
"We want to make sure that we're resilient in a time where we see a lot of economic and global disruption," Wong said.
"Critical minerals are necessary for our economy."
Australia and Japan have strengthened their defence ties, too, striking a Aus$10 billion (US$6 billion) deal last year for Japan to to provide Mogami-class stealth warships to the Australian navy.
In a foreign policy address delivered in Vietnam at the weekend, Takaichi promised to do more to ensure a "free and open Indo-Pacific" -- a strategy that has rankled China.
Japan aimed to build its resilience, she said, notably strengthening its supply chains for energy and critical minerals, and enhancing security cooperation.
First articulated a decade ago by Takaichi's mentor Shinzo Abe, the idea of a "free and open" Indo-Pacific has since been embraced by multiple US partners and allies seeking to curb China's influence in the region.
djw/abs

justice

Ex-NY mayor Giuliani hospitalized in 'critical' condition: spokesman

  • The New York Times reported that Giuliani was hospitalized in Florida.
  • Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized in "critical but stable condition," his spokesman said Sunday, without disclosing what ails the 81-year-old former politician.
  • The New York Times reported that Giuliani was hospitalized in Florida.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalized in "critical but stable condition," his spokesman said Sunday, without disclosing what ails the 81-year-old former politician.
"Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he's fighting with that same level of strength as we speak," spokesman Ted Goodman said in an X post.
Goodman did not say where Giuliani was receiving care or how long he had been there, but he asked "that you join us in prayer for America's Mayor Rudy Giuliani."
The New York Times reported that Giuliani was hospitalized in Florida.
Giuliani earned the moniker of "America's mayor" for leading New York City through the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in Manhattan. 
Earlier in his career, he gained fame as the fearless Mafia-busting prosecutor whose aggressive use of racketeering laws brought down New York's organized crime families. 
But Giuliani experienced a stunning fall from grace in recent years, including in 2023 when a federal jury ordered him to pay $148 million to two election workers after defaming them by falsely tying them to alleged fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Giuliani, a Republican, became a fierce defender of President Donald Trump, joining his personal legal team in Trump's first White House term.
He came under scrutiny by the Manhattan US attorney's office in 2019 over his activities connected with investigations about Ukraine and apparent efforts to dig up dirt on Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden. 
Giuliani was also part of the effort to reverse his client's clear election loss to Biden in 2020. But one by one, the post-election court challenges were withdrawn or dismissed as groundless.
He has since been disbarred in New York and Washington.
Giuliani was facing criminal charges in Arizona related to the 2020 election and other legal issues when Trump issued him a sweeping pardon last November.
On Sunday Trump hailed Giuliani as a "true warrior" and New York's best-ever mayor.
"What a tragedy that he was treated so badly by the Radical Left Lunatics, Democrats ALL — AND HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!" Trump added. 
"They cheated on the Elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did anything possible to destroy our Nation, and now, look at Rudy. So sad!" 
mlm/sla

Armenia

Europe, Canada leaders hold Yerevan talks in Trump's shadow

BY UMBERTO BACCHI

  • The Yerevan gathering is the first of its kind in the Caucasus and comes as Armenia fosters closer ties with Europe while seeking to cautiously loosen itself from Russia's grasp.
  • European leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gather in Armenia Monday as they seek to navigate a fraught geopolitical environment under an unpredictable White House.
  • The Yerevan gathering is the first of its kind in the Caucasus and comes as Armenia fosters closer ties with Europe while seeking to cautiously loosen itself from Russia's grasp.
European leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gather in Armenia Monday as they seek to navigate a fraught geopolitical environment under an unpredictable White House.
US President Donald Trump will loom large over the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC). It takes place in Yerevan, a crossroads between Russia and the Middle East -- the two main issues on the agenda. 
"Leaders from across the continent, with Canada as a guest, will discuss how to cooperate to strengthen security and collective resilience," European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on social media as he arrived in the Armenian capital Sunday.
The Iran war, which has rattled the global economy by sending energy prices soaring, has deepened a rift in transatlantic ties.
Following a spat between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had criticised Washington's handling of the conflict, the United States announced it would withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany.
That has added to the doubts surrounding the US commitment to defend its European allies as Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine grinds into a fifth year.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO chief Mark Rutte will be present in Yerevan, while Merz will be represented by France's Emmanuel Macron.
They will be joined by Canada's Carney -- the first-ever non-European leader to join the EPC talks, in a sign of the ever-closer ties between Ottawa and Europe ushered in by Trump. 
The summit "in a nutshell, will be an opportunity to emphasise that Europe's security is a 360-degree challenge", said a senior EU official.
Like Europe, Canada's economy has been hurt by Trump's tariffs -- but Carney has remained defiant, emerging as something of a figurehead for countries looking to stand up to the Republican president. 
In a stirring speech earlier this year, he urged middle powers to join forces in the face of a new global reality defined by great power competition and a "fading" rules‑based order. 
"The EPC was initially perceived as an anti-Putin club," said Sebastien Maillard, a special adviser at the Jacques Delors Institute, a think tank.
"With the invitation to Canada, this initiative -- which was initially driven by geography -- is now taking on an anti-Trump slant."
Moving to diversify away from its southern neighbour, Ottawa has joined the EU's defence financing scheme -- the first non-European country to do so -- and sought to increase cooperation on trade.
"Canada has a way of looking at the world and looking at ways to solve the challenges we have currently that Europe shares to a great extent," said the EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
- 'Reorientation' - 
A biannual political forum, the EPC was established on the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. 
It brings together the members of the European Union and, this time, 21 other countries, from Albania to Britain.
EPC summits do not normally produce concrete decisions but offer the opportunity for leaders to exchange in groups and bilaterally. Most leaders arrived in the Armenian capital for an informal dinner on Sunday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was expected to join the meeting on Monday, Madrid said, after a technical problem with his plane forced him to make an emergency landing in Turkey and spend the night in Ankara. 
The Yerevan gathering is the first of its kind in the Caucasus and comes as Armenia fosters closer ties with Europe while seeking to cautiously loosen itself from Russia's grasp.
It will be followed Tuesday by an EU-Armenia summit with the bloc's chief officials Costa and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who described it as a "major milestone" in the country's rapprochement with Europe.
Relations between Yerevan and its traditional ally Moscow have become strained in recent years, in part because Russian peacekeepers failed to intervene during military conflicts with neighbouring Azerbaijan.
Under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia has formally pursued a strategy of what he calls "diversification", in which the landlocked country pursues ties with both Russia and the West.
Costa says the bloc looks forward to "deepening this relationship" with the country of three million, which signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with the EU in 2017 and last year declared its intention to apply for membership.
In April the EU established a mission to help the former Soviet nation tackle foreign interference, with Russia suspected of a disinformation push ahead of June elections.
Putin has declared himself "completely calm" about Armenia's overtures to Europe -- while also warning that belonging to both the EU and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union was "simply impossible".
ub/ec/pdw/lga

conflict

Israel court extends detention of two Gaza flotilla activists

BY NIR KAFRI WITH JAY DESHMUKH IN JERUSALEM

  • "The court extended their detention by two days," Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP. Adalah said the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences committed by the pair, including "assisting the enemy during wartime" and "membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation".
  • An Israeli court on Sunday extended for two days the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, who were brought to Israel for questioning, a rights group representing them said.
  • "The court extended their detention by two days," Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP. Adalah said the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences committed by the pair, including "assisting the enemy during wartime" and "membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation".
An Israeli court on Sunday extended for two days the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, who were brought to Israel for questioning, a rights group representing them said.
The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and bring supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.
They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday, with Israel saying it had removed some 175 activists -- two of whom were taken to Israel for questioning.
Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon on Sunday.
AFP footage showed the pair being escorted into the courtroom, with Avila walking with his hands behind his back and Abu Keshek's feet in shackles.
"The court extended their detention by two days," Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP.
Adalah said the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences committed by the pair, including "assisting the enemy during wartime" and "membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation".
But Adalah's lawyers challenged the state's jurisdiction, arguing against the "unlawful abduction" of the two activists in international waters.
Its lawyers told the court Avila and Abu Keshek had testified to "severe physical abuse amounting to torture, including being beaten and held in isolation and blindfolded for days at sea".

Call for swift release

Israel's foreign ministry rejected claims that the men were subjected to physical violence.
"Contrary to the false and baseless claims prepared in advance, at no point were Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila subjected to torture," ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told AFP.
"Following violent physical obstruction by Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila against Israeli staff members, staff were compelled to act in order to stop these actions. All measures taken were in accordance with the law," he said.
No formal charges were filed against the two, Adalah said.
"We argued that ... they were part of a humanitarian mission that aimed to provide humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza, and not to any other organisation, whether terrorist or not," lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih told journalists after the court hearing.
"We deny all the accusations that were presented... and demand these two men be released immediately," she said.
Spain's government has called for Abu Keshek's "immediate release", the foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP, indicating the Spanish consul had accompanied Abu Keshek to the hearing.
Adalah's lawyers had met the activists at Ashkelon's Shikma Prison on Saturday. 
They said Avila recounted being "subjected to extreme brutality" by Israeli forces when the vessels were seized, saying he was "dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice".
Abu Keshek was also "hand-tied and blindfolded ... and forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure" until reaching Israel, it said.

Accused of Hamas ties

Israel's foreign ministry said the pair were affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) -- a group accused by Washington of "clandestinely acting on behalf of" Palestinian militant group Hamas.
It said Abu Keshek was a leading PCPA member, and that Avila was also linked to the group and "suspected of illegal activity".
The Global Sumud Flotilla's first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza last year drew worldwide attention, before being intercepted by Israeli forces off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza.
Avila was one of the organisers of that flotilla, which was also intercepted by Israeli forces, with crew members -- including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg -- arrested and expelled.
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid entirely.
burs-jd/dc

defense

Massive search continues for two missing US soldiers in Morocco

  • "Initial reports indicate the two soldiers may have fallen into the ocean."
  • Two US soldiers that disappeared while on a training deployment in southern Morocco were last seen near seaside cliffs and may have fallen into the ocean, a US defense official confirmed to AFP. A massive land, air and sea search was launched by US, Moroccan and allied forces in Cap Draa Training Area after the service members went missing late Saturday, both militaries said.
  • "Initial reports indicate the two soldiers may have fallen into the ocean."
Two US soldiers that disappeared while on a training deployment in southern Morocco were last seen near seaside cliffs and may have fallen into the ocean, a US defense official confirmed to AFP.
A massive land, air and sea search was launched by US, Moroccan and allied forces in Cap Draa Training Area after the service members went missing late Saturday, both militaries said.
The search remained underway as of shortly before 2000 GMT on Sunday, the US official told AFP.
"I can confirm this incident is not related to terrorism but appears to be an accident," the official said. "Initial reports indicate the two soldiers may have fallen into the ocean."
The Wall Street Journal reported that officials believe the missing pair went on a hike after training had concluded. AFP has not been able to independently confirm this.
CBS News reported that one of its journalists heard helicopters "throughout the night" and into Sunday after a "base-wide head-count" failed to account for the two soldiers.
Morocco's armed forces confirmed they were part of the search in a post on Facebook.
The US defense official said that several helicopters, vessels, drones, mountaineers and divers were involved in the search.
The troops were taking part in an annual joint military training exercise called African Lion, which brings together US, allied African, and NATO militaries for drills in northern and west Africa.
The US military describes the training as "Africa Command's largest premier, joint, annual exercise," bringing together "more than 10,000 participants from more than 20 nations, including contingents from NATO." It is hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia.
In 2012, two US Marines were killed and two more were injured in an aircraft crash in the same area during that year's African Lion exercise.
pnb/mlm

illness

Three die on Atlantic cruise ship from suspected hantavirus: WHO

BY WITH AGNES PEDRERO IN GENEVA AND FRANCOIS AUSSEILL IN JOHANNESBURG

  • "To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," the World Health Organization told AFP. "Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa."
  • Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the WHO said Sunday, one a confirmed case of hantavirus -- an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents.
  • "To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," the World Health Organization told AFP. "Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa."
Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the WHO said Sunday, one a confirmed case of hantavirus -- an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents.
The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.
"To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," the World Health Organization told AFP.
"Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa."
Earlier Sunday, South Africa's health ministry told AFP there had been an outbreak of a "severe acute respiratory illness", which had killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg.
The patient treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said.
In its statement, the WHO said hantavirus infections "are typically linked to environmental exposure (exposure to infected rodents' urine or faeces).
"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response." 

Husband and wife

The first person on the cruise to develop symptoms was a 70-year-old passenger. He died on board the ship and his body was currently on the island of Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic, Mohale the South African spokesman said. 
His 69-year-old wife also fell ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital, he said, adding that they were not yet able to confirm the victims' nationalities.
The third case, a 69-year-old Briton, was also evacuated to Johannesburg, where he was being treated in intensive care.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X that the agency was working with the ship's operators and member states affected.
"WHO is facilitating medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, conducting a full risk assessment, and supporting affected people onboard," he added.
"Rapid, coordinated action is critical to contain risks and protect public health."
Earlier Sunday, a source close to the case speaking on condition of anonymity had said a Dutch couple were among the dead. The third fatality was still on board the ship.
Discussions were under way to decide whether two other sick passengers should be placed in isolation in hospital in Cape Verde, after which the ship would continue to Spain's Canary Islands, the anonymous source said.
The MV Hondius is listed as a polar cruise ship on the websites of several travel agencies. It is operated by a Dutch-based tour company, Oceanwide Expeditions.
One of the cruises offers an itinerary departing from Ushuaia for Cape Verde, with stops in the islands of South Georgia and Saint Helena. 
According to several online ship-tracking sites, the MV Hondius was just off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
The vessel can accommodate around 170 passengers and has some 70 crew members.
Humans can catch hantaviruses from contact with infected mice or rats or their droppings, or being bitten or inhaling contaminated dust. There are multiple types of hantaviruses in different parts of the world, with different symptoms.
AFP contacted the cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions but has not yet had a reply.
fal-apo/jj/pdw/mlm

diplomacy

Germany's Merz says not 'giving up on working with Donald Trump'

  • "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump."
  • German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he would not give up on working with US President Donald Trump, despite a spat between the leaders over the war in Iran.
  • "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he would not give up on working with US President Donald Trump, despite a spat between the leaders over the war in Iran.
"I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship," Merz told public broadcaster ARD in an interview set to air Sunday night. "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump."
Merz sought to downplay any tensions with Trump, arguing for instance that an abrupt public announcement that the US would pull 5,000 troops from bases in Germany was not surprising and should not be seen as retaliation.
"It may be being exaggerated a bit, but it's not new," Merz told talk show host Caren Miosga.
Criticism of the US-Israeli war against Iran from Merz and other European leaders has clearly aggravated Trump. The latest rift came after Merz on April 27 said that Iran was "humiliating" Washington at the negotiating table.
That provoked a series of angry responses from Washington, including Trump's comments that Merz was doing a "terrible" job as chancellor.
Merz on Sunday said the US decision on troops had "no connection" with the recent disagreements.

'Important partners'

The chancellor also appeared to confirm that a planned deployment of US long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Germany -- announced by former US president Joe Biden -- was being called off, at least for the time being.
He cited depleted arsenals because of the wars in Iran and Ukraine as the reason.
"The Americans themselves don't have enough at the moment," he said.
"Objectively speaking, there is hardly any possibility from the US of relinquishing weapons systems of this kind."
But he insisted the "train has not departed" for possible cooperation in the future, and that European NATO powers could continue deterring Russia without those particular missiles or US forces.
Trump's criticism of European leaders has not been confined to Merz. 
He previously ridiculed British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, and on Thursday told reporters that "Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible".
But Merz insisted that he still shared Trump's goal of ensuring Iran never obtains an atomic weapon, even if he has criticised the US handling of the conflict.
"We have a different view of this war. That's no secret," Merz said in the interview. "I'm not the only one who feels that way."
Merz insisted that Trump respects his right to hold differing views -- though perhaps "a little less for the moment".
"But that does not alter the fact that I remain convinced that the Americans are important partners for us -– our most important partners in the North Atlantic alliance," Merz said.
bst/jj

conflict

Kyiv hits Russian oil sites as eight killed in both countries

  • The extent of the damage was not immediately clear and Russian officials gave no details. - 600 drones - On the Russian side of the front line, two people were killed in the Belgorod border region, one near Moscow and a teenager in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine in separate attacks overnight and throughout Sunday.
  • Ukraine said Sunday it had hit several Russian ships -- a cruise missile carrier and three shadow fleet tankers -- as both sides fired hundreds of drones in a spree that killed at least eight people.
  • The extent of the damage was not immediately clear and Russian officials gave no details. - 600 drones - On the Russian side of the front line, two people were killed in the Belgorod border region, one near Moscow and a teenager in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine in separate attacks overnight and throughout Sunday.
Ukraine said Sunday it had hit several Russian ships -- a cruise missile carrier and three shadow fleet tankers -- as both sides fired hundreds of drones in a spree that killed at least eight people.
The two neighbours have been firing waves of explosive-packed drones at each other daily throughout the four-year war, as talks to end the conflict have gone nowhere.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday vowed to step up retaliatory strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow did not halt its invasion.
"Russia can end its war at any moment. Prolonging the war will only expand the scale of our defensive operations," he said on social media.
The Ukrainian leader said his troops had struck a vessel equipped with cruise missiles at the port of Primorsk, in Russia's northwestern Leningrad region.
The region's oil export terminals have been hit several times in recent weeks, triggering massive fires that billow plumes of toxic black smoke into the atmosphere. 
Kyiv says the strikes have knocked out billions of dollars' worth of Russia's vital export earnings.
Zelensky said Sunday three of Russia's so-called shadow tankers -- ageing vessels that ferry its sanctioned oil around the world -- were struck, one at Primorsk and two off the southern Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
He posted night-vision footage of a naval drone approaching one tanker at Novorossiysk.
The Russian governor of the Leningrad region had earlier confirmed a fire at the port after Ukrainian attacks.
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear and Russian officials gave no details.

600 drones

On the Russian side of the front line, two people were killed in the Belgorod border region, one near Moscow and a teenager in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine in separate attacks overnight and throughout Sunday.
In Ukraine, two were killed in the coastal Odesa region, one in the frontline Kherson region and another in an attack on the industrial city of Dnipro.
Photos from Dnipro showed the roof of a five-storey apartment block destroyed, wooden beams exposed and debris scattered into partially collapsed top-floor apartments.
Russia fired 268 drones and one ballistic missile in the overnight barrage, Kyiv's air force said.
Ukraine's army launched 334 drones at Russia, Moscow's defence ministry said.
Kyiv calls its attacks on Russia fair retaliation for Russia's nightly barrages of its cities.
Both sides deny targeting civilians.
Tens of thousands have been killed -- the vast majority in Ukraine -- since Russia invaded in February 2022.
In April, Russia fired a record number of long-range attack drones at Ukraine -- an average of more than 200 a day -- according to AFP analysis of data from Kyiv's air force.
bur-jc/giv

migration

Two women suffocate on migrant boat seeking to reach UK

BY BERNARD BARRON WITH ANNE ROLANDIN IN LILLE

  • UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said it was "deeply saddened by the death of two Sudanese women."
  • Two young Sudanese women appear to have suffocated to death on Sunday while trying to reach Britain from northern France in a small boat crammed with more than 80 people including pregnant women and children, officials said.
  • UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said it was "deeply saddened by the death of two Sudanese women."
Two young Sudanese women appear to have suffocated to death on Sunday while trying to reach Britain from northern France in a small boat crammed with more than 80 people including pregnant women and children, officials said.
This was the third such tragedy in just over a month.
The women, aged around 20, were aboard a small boat carrying 82 people that set out to sea south of the town of Neufchatel-Hardelot, Christophe Marx, a local government official, told reporters.
Separately, Utopia 56, a migrant aid association, described the two victims as a 16-year-old child and a 20-year-old woman. One other victim -- a pregnant woman -- was in critical condition, the group said. 
"We can't see the end of this story. No one has the real solutions. And it's tragic," Paulette Juilien-Peuvion, the mayor of Neufchatel-Hardelot, told AFP.
She said she was sad to see "these young people trying to flee."
"There were notably pregnant mothers among them. I heard about a pregnant mother who also had another child with her," she said.
The boat set out to sea south of Neufchatel-Hardelot, about 12 kilometres (seven miles) south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
But "the engine wouldn't start" and the boat began to drift, Marx said.
Seventeen people were rescued at sea and taken to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The boat with the remaining 65 people on board eventually ran aground on a beach near Neufchatel-Hardelot, he said, adding that the two women had been found "dead inside the boat".
"They did not drown," he said, indicating that the two most likely died from "suffocation, as unfortunately often happens".
The mayor of Neufchatel-Hardelot said the two women suffered cardiac arrest, suggesting that they might have been "crushed at the bottom of the boat when there are so many on board."

'Repressive policies'

Three others suffered chemical burns "due to a mixture of fuel and seawater", the prefecture said.
Fourteen more people had minor injuries and five of them were taken to hospital, officials said, citing the updated figures.
They were "being treated and will be interviewed by border police to determine who is responsible for this crossing", Marx said.
An investigation has been launched.
Utopia 56 blamed "repressive" policies by the French and British governments for the latest tragedy.
"Repressive policies at the Franco-British border are killing," the group said on X. "These lost lives are the result of political choices."
"It is urgent to put an end to this deadly situation: open the borders, establish safe routes for passage, and charter ferries."
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said it was "deeply saddened by the death of two Sudanese women."
"This tragedy once again underscores the need to find solutions to prevent dangerous journeys," it said on X.
On April 1, two migrants died off the coast of Gravelines in northern France while attempting to reach Britain. 
On April 9, two men and two women died near the village of Equihen-Plage, swept away by the currents.
In 2025, at least 29 migrants died at sea in the region, according to an AFP tally based on official French and British sources.
Last month, Britain and France signed a new three-year deal to stop undocumented migrants making the risky journey across the Channel in small boats.
Under the deal, France pledged to increase law enforcement personnel on the coast by more than half, reaching 1,400 officers by 2029.
According to French officials, the number of arrivals in Britain so far this year has been drastically cut from 2025.
According to British figures, 41,472 people reached the UK in small boats in 2025, the second-highest figure since large-scale crossings were first detected in 2018.
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diplomacy

OPEC+ hikes oil production quotas but stays mum on UAE pull-out

  • The statement, following an online meeting of Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Russia and Saudi Arabia, made no mention of the United Arab Emirates, which quit the body on Friday, three days after announcing its withdrawal. 
  • Saudi Arabia, Russia and five other OPEC+ countries increased their oil production quota on Sunday in an expected move aimed at demonstrating continuity at the cartel after the shock withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates.
  • The statement, following an online meeting of Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Russia and Saudi Arabia, made no mention of the United Arab Emirates, which quit the body on Friday, three days after announcing its withdrawal. 
Saudi Arabia, Russia and five other OPEC+ countries increased their oil production quota on Sunday in an expected move aimed at demonstrating continuity at the cartel after the shock withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates.
The seven major producers will add 188,000 barrels per day to their total production quota for June amid the price pressure unleashed by the Mideast war, as part of "their collective commitment to support oil market stability", according to a statement published by OPEC+. 
The statement, following an online meeting of Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Russia and Saudi Arabia, made no mention of the United Arab Emirates, which quit the body on Friday, three days after announcing its withdrawal. 
Rystad Energy analyst Jorge Leon told AFP that the silence on the UAE's departure was a sign of tense relations.
Oil market analysts had widely expected the increase of 188,000 barrels, similar to the 206,000-barrel daily increases OPEC+ announced in both March and April when the portion allotted to the UAE was subtracted.
"By sticking to the same production path -- just minus the UAE -- it's acting as if nothing has happened, deliberately downplaying internal fractures and projecting stability," Leon said.

Strait of Hormuz bottleneck remains

But raising the quota on paper may not have much impact on actual production, which is already short of the limit.
Untapped OPEC+ reserves are mainly located in the Gulf region, and exports there are trapped by the blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz, imposed by Iran in response to the US-Israeli strikes that started the war on February 28.
Leon, the Rystad Energy analyst, told AFP on Sunday that the cartel was looking to send "a two-layer message" that the UAE's exit would not disrupt how OPEC+ operates and that the group still exerts control over global oil markets despite massive disruption to oil trade due to the war.
"While output is increasing on paper, the real impact on physical supply remains very limited given the Strait of Hormuz constraints," Leon told AFP. "This is less about adding barrels and more about signalling that OPEC+ still calls the shots."
The Strait of Hormuz blockade is hitting Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The latter's production will no longer count towards OPEC quotas.
"Total OPEC+ output with quota fell to 27.68 million bpd in March, against a monthly quota of 36.73 million bpd, a shortfall of approximately 9 million bpd driven almost entirely by war-related disruption rather than voluntary restraint," said Priya Walia, another analyst at Rystad Energy, ahead of Sunday's meeting.
Iran, whose exports are now the target of a retaliatory US blockade, is an OPEC+ member but is not subject to quotas.
Russia, the group's second-biggest producer, has been the main beneficiary of the situation. But despite soaring energy prices, it appears to be struggling to produce at the level of its current quotas as its own war in Ukraine drags on and Ukrainian drones hit oil industry facilities.

'A big deal'

Amena Bakr, an analyst at Kpler, described the UAE's exist as "a big deal" for OPEC.
Previous withdrawals from the group by Qatar in 2019 and Angola in 2023 were less significant by comparison, Bakr told a video conference on the UAE withdrawal.
The UAE has invested massively in infrastructure in recent years, and state-owned oil company ADNOC plans to increase output by five million barrels a day by 2027 -- far above the country's last quota of around 3.5 million barrels.
ADNOC also pledged on Sunday to spend $55 billion on new projects over the next two years, confirming that the company is "accelerating growth and delivery of its strategy".
There is also the risk for OPEC+ that other countries will leave such as Iraq and Kazakhstan, which have faced repeated accusations of surpassing their quotas.
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