transition

Venezuela's political transition talks launch in Caracas

  • - US wants 'peaceful transition' - The US State Department welcomed Figuera's delegation "for the start of in-person talks" with Venezuela's interim government.
  • US-backed political transition talks between Venezuela's interim government and opposition representatives began Thursday in Caracas, an AFP photographer in attendance observed.
  • - US wants 'peaceful transition' - The US State Department welcomed Figuera's delegation "for the start of in-person talks" with Venezuela's interim government.
US-backed political transition talks between Venezuela's interim government and opposition representatives began Thursday in Caracas, an AFP photographer in attendance observed.
The talks are taking place seven months after US forces seized president Nicolas Maduro and as interim leader Delcy Rodriguez governs under Washington's watchful eye.
Venezuelans are hopeful the dialogue will eventually pave the way for holding elections in the crisis-hit South American country.
Notably absent from the talks is opposition favorite and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who lives in exile and was not invited to join the discussion.
The opposition is instead being represented by Dinorah Figuera, who returned to Venezuela from exile on Wednesday.
Figuera heads the opposition bloc that won a majority in the 2015 National Assembly, the last legislature elected in a vote widely recognized by the international community.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, who is the interim leader's brother, is meanwhile representing the government.
"We are focused on the official opening this week of this dialogue process, which seeks the restoration of democratic institutions," Figuera told TV station Televen upon her arrival at the airport.
She has notably called for changes to the Supreme Court of Justice and the National Electoral Council, two institutions widely criticized for validating Maduro's disputed 2024 reelection. The opposition rejected the result, claiming victory and alleging widespread electoral fraud.

US wants 'peaceful transition'

The US State Department welcomed Figuera's delegation "for the start of in-person talks" with Venezuela's interim government.
"These direct talks present a unique opportunity," it stated, urging "all concerned to support this effort to deliver tangible results for Venezuelans."
It stressed the importance of achieving "stabilization, economic recovery and political reconciliation, and a peaceful transition."
Only photographers were granted access to the La Carlota military base, the venue of the talks.
According to the official agenda released by both sides, they will discuss the response to the twin earthquakes of June 24, which left more than 6,000 dead, as well as the strengthening of democracy and political rights.
Machado has said she will not stand in the way of the process.
"A democratic transition in Venezuela will restore our freedom and our prosperity," she wrote on X, adding that it would create "a vital and reliable ally for the national security of the United States and regional stability."
"The Venezuelan people are eager and ready!" Machado said.
Despite her gifting her Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump, the US leader has reportedly vetoed her return to Venezuela.
Washington denies the allegation.
Trump has meanwhile repeatedly expressed satisfaction with Rodriguez, who has opened up Venezuela's mining, electricity and oil sectors to foreign and private capital.
fp-pgf/cc/pnb

transition

Venezuela's political transition talks start: AFP

  • The US State Department welcomed Figuera's delegation "for the start of in-person talks" with Venezuela's interim government.
  • US-backed political transition talks between Venezuela's interim government and opposition representatives began Thursday in Caracas, an AFP photographer in attendance observed.
  • The US State Department welcomed Figuera's delegation "for the start of in-person talks" with Venezuela's interim government.
US-backed political transition talks between Venezuela's interim government and opposition representatives began Thursday in Caracas, an AFP photographer in attendance observed.
The talks are taking place seven months after US forces abducted president Nicolas Maduro and as interim leader Delcy Rodriguez governs under Washington's watchful eye.
Venezuelans are hopeful the dialogue will eventually pave the way for holding elections in the crisis-hit South American country.
Notably absent from the talks is opposition favorite and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who lives in exile and was not invited to join the discussion.
The opposition is instead being represented by Dinorah Figuera, who returned to Venezuela from exile on Wednesday.
Figuera heads the opposition bloc that won a majority in the 2015 National Assembly, the last legislature elected in a vote widely recognized by the international community.
National Assembly Chief Jorge Rodriguez, who is the interim leader's brother, is meanwhile representing the government.
The US State Department welcomed Figuera's delegation "for the start of in-person talks" with Venezuela's interim government.
"These direct talks present a unique opportunity," it stated, urging "all concerned to support this effort to deliver tangible results for Venezuelans."
Only photographers were granted access to the La Carlota military base, the venue of the talks.
According to the official agenda released by both sides, they will discuss the response to the twin earthquakes of June 24, which left more than 6,000 dead, as well as the strengthening of democracy and political rights.
Machado has said she will not stand in the way of the process.
fp-pgf/cc/sla

business

UEFA maintains boycott threat as African confederation backs Infantino

  • UEFA's initial threat issued last Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions is said to have been pivotal in forcing Infantino to shelve the private investment deal.
  • Pressure built on FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday over his cancelled plan to bring private finance into football's World Cup, with European governing body UEFA reiterating a threat to boycott tournaments.
  • UEFA's initial threat issued last Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions is said to have been pivotal in forcing Infantino to shelve the private investment deal.
Pressure built on FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday over his cancelled plan to bring private finance into football's World Cup, with European governing body UEFA reiterating a threat to boycott tournaments.
The 56-year-old Swiss official has also been criticised by South American body CONMEBOL. But he did get backing from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Infantino received the "full support" of senior FIFA directors at an emergency meeting in Morocco on Wednesday but UEFA released a blunt statement in response.
UEFA's initial threat issued last Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions is said to have been pivotal in forcing Infantino to shelve the private investment deal.
Calls for him to step down had grown since he abandoned it last Saturday.
FIFA said it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
Although the abandonment of the proposal was one of UEFA's conditions for it to withdraw its threat, it said that not all of its demands had been met.  
"UEFA's associations were very clear about the conditions attached to their non participation in FIFA competitions," read its statement
"First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.
"These conditions have not been met."
Whilst UEFA welcomed the withdrawal of the plan last Saturday, it had slammed Infantino and his "shabby, backroom, opaque deal".
Its tone had not changed in Thursday's statement.
"UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. That position holds," it said.
Several UEFA member associations have withdrawn support for Infantino's bid to be re-elected to a fourth and final term in Rabat next March.
A prominent critic, Norwegian football chief Lise Klaveness, is likely to pour more fuel on the fire when she holds a press conference on Friday.

'Abuse of power'

Infantino was also criticised by usually supportive South American governing body CONMEBOL.
"The Council also unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature," read its statement.
CONMEBOL, though, said regarding Infantino's future it would not countenance anything other than a straight contest -- if a challenger comes forward by November 18 when nominations close -- in Rabat.
There is a mechanism whereby an extraordinary FIFA congress can be called and a vote of no confidence in Infantino held.
North and Central American football's governing body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have both been critical of Infantino, but were yet to react to the latest developments.
CONCACAF -- whose president Victor Montagliani is seen as a potential challenger -- had called for "a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency".     
FIFPRO, the players union, piled into Infantino over the plan calling it "a profound abuse of presidential power".
"FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) is gone," it said in a statement.
"The abuse of power that produced it is not."
Support did come Infantino's way on Thursday, however, as CAF "unanimously reconfirmed its support" for the FIFA president in a statement released following a meeting of its members.
Several CAF members had already expressed their support for the Swiss official, who has been in power for 10 years. South Africa's sports minister Gayton McKenzie had urged African football to resist what he called the "public lynching" of Infantino.
CONMEBOL said it was a shame the hugely successful staging of the World Cup -- the first with 48 teams and spread over three countries -- had had its thunder stolen by the events over the past week.  
"The CONMEBOL Council calls for preserving the unity of the football family," it said.
pi/ea/nf/

Global Edition

2 killed, 13 wounded in bus blast near Syrian capital: state media

  • "According to preliminary information... the explosion in the town of Jaramana was caused by a bomb placed" inside a minibus, state TV reported, citing an official source.
  • At least two people were killed and 13 wounded after a bomb planted on a minibus exploded on Thursday in a Syrian town home to Druze and Christian communities near capital Damascus, state media reported, citing the health ministry.
  • "According to preliminary information... the explosion in the town of Jaramana was caused by a bomb placed" inside a minibus, state TV reported, citing an official source.
At least two people were killed and 13 wounded after a bomb planted on a minibus exploded on Thursday in a Syrian town home to Druze and Christian communities near capital Damascus, state media reported, citing the health ministry.
At the blast site in the town of Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, a minibus had its roof blown out, with the chassis wrecked from the inside and debris strewn across the road, AFP images showed. 
"According to preliminary information... the explosion in the town of Jaramana was caused by a bomb placed" inside a minibus, state TV reported, citing an official source.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
Since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Syria's new Islamist authorities have sought to exercise full control and restore security.
But the Syrian capital and its suburbs have been the site of multiple attacks and incidents targeting civilians and security forces since they took over.
An AFP photographer saw several ambulances heading to the scene, where a main thoroughfare had been closed to traffic.
The health ministry earlier said that "human remains were being identified and processed by forensic medical teams", state news agency SANA reported.
The town of Jaramana was affected by sectarian violence in the spring of 2025.

IS attacks

Recent attacks include one person killed and 36 others wounded in the explosion of two homemade bombs during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus last month.
Syrian officials said they had captured an Islamic State-linked cell responsible for the blasts.
Macron, who became the first head of state from the European Union to visit Syria since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, was not present at his nearby hotel at the time.
A few days earlier, a bombing at a cafe in the capital's centre killed 10 people and wounded around 20.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pledged to protect minorities in the multi-sectarian, multi-ethnic country.
But last year saw massacres of Syrian Alawites in the community's coastal heartland and sectarian bloodshed involving the Druze minority in the south.
The deadliest came in June 2025, when an attack on a Damascus church killed 25 people.
The suicide attack was later claimed by a Sunni Islamist group, while the authorities blamed it on the Islamic State group.
In a speech in December marking a year since the fall of Assad, al-Sharaa emphasised the importance of all Syrians unifying efforts to "to build a strong Syria".
Syria last year joined the US-led coalition against IS, a jihadist group that was largely wiped out in Iraq and Syria by 2019.
However the group retains sleeper cells and has called for attacks against authorities.
mam/sno/jfx/jj

conflict

UN chief denounces Russia, Ukraine for civilian deaths

  • But Guterres called Thursday for an end to the deadly attacks on civilian areas in both countries.
  • United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned both sides for attacks on civilian areas as Ukraine and Russia kept up their artillery war.
  • But Guterres called Thursday for an end to the deadly attacks on civilian areas in both countries.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned both sides for attacks on civilian areas as Ukraine and Russia kept up their artillery war.
Ukraine struck two Russian oil refineries hundreds of kilometres from the border in an overnight attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, as Russia hit a train station and commercial ship in Ukraine.
Both sides have been intensifying their long-range attacks in recent months, leading to a jump in civilian deaths.
Kyiv has been firing record numbers of drones at Russia, while Moscow has been launching all-time high missile attacks.
Zelensky said Ukraine had hit oil refineries in the Bashkortostan and Yaroslavl regions -- about 1,300 (800 miles) and 700 kilometres from the front.
Russian missile attacks on Kyiv a day earlier had killed at least 17 and destroyed warehouses belonging to a number of retailers in what was widely seen as a direct response to Ukraine's campaign targeting Wildberries, widely dubbed "Russia's Amazon".
But Guterres called Thursday for an end to the deadly attacks on civilian areas in both countries.
"These latest series of attacks follow an alarming pattern of escalating strikes against populated areas," spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.
"Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are a clear violation of international humanitarian law, and must stop immediately," he added. 

Strikes on both sides

Earlier Thursday Zelensky said of Ukraine's latest attacks that they were "strengthening the prospects for diplomacy".
Posting a video from Russian social media of black smoke rising above an oil facility, he added: "Russia must choose peace."
Russia's defence ministry said earlier it had downed 605 Ukrainian drones in the night.
The governor of the Yaroslavl region -- north of Moscow, where Zelensky said a refinery had been hit -- said 92 drones had been downed there in what he called the "most massive" attack on the region of the war.
In the Tver region, also north of Moscow, a drone hit a logistics centre belonging to Wildberries -- the Russian e-commerce giant heavily targeted over the past month.
Kyiv was unable to down any of the missiles Russia fired, prompting urgent calls from Zelensky for air-defence supplies.
Fresh Russian attacks overnight killed two people at the Lozova train station in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
A commercial vessel carrying Ukrainian wheat was also hit in the Black Sea by Russia, killing one person, the Odesa region governor said.
More than four years after the start of Russia's large-scale offensive against Ukraine, diplomacy is at a standstill and the two countries are ramping up long-range strikes, causing a growing number of civilian casualties.

Zelensky to Serbia

Later Thursday, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Zelensky would this weekend make his first visit to Serbia since Russia's invasion.
The source described Saturday's visit to Moscow's traditional ally as a "slap in the face for the Russians".
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's office confirmed what it described as an "official visit".
Their statement quoted recent comments by Vucic listing what they needed to discuss, including the two countries' bids for European Union membership, and economic and energy cooperation.
Serbia is one of the few countries not to have imposed sanctions against Russia.
"Serbia has established its policy," Vucic said at a public event.
While Zelensky would state his position, Serbia's policy "will remain the case until further notice", he added.

Nuclear power warning

The UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday warned about a rising number of off-site power losses at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
"This trend, with the rising number of off-site power cuts... is deeply concerning and clearly not sustainable," Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement.
The team at the plant were still reporting "hearing military activity, including explosions, several times a day, often at distances close to the site," the statement added, repeating a call for "maximum military restraint".
The plant -- which is close to the front line of the war -- has repeatedly suffered power cuts, with emergency diesel generators providing power for crucial cooling functions.
Most recently it briefly lost power on Tuesday, with the reason for the cut as yet unclear, it added.
burs-jj/pdw

business

CONMEBOL 'expresses concern regarding repeated unilateral actions' by FIFA

  • "The Council also unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature."
  • South American football's governing body CONMEBOL on Thursday welcomed the withdrawal of FIFA's private investor plan, but expressed "its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken".
  • "The Council also unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature."
South American football's governing body CONMEBOL on Thursday welcomed the withdrawal of FIFA's private investor plan, but expressed "its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken".
CONMEBOL is usually seen as a strong supporter of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but its criticism echoes other confederations which said they were blindsided by the announcement of the investor plan, which was ditched on Saturday.
"In light of the events affecting the football family, the CONMEBOL Council, meeting today, welcomes FIFA's decision to withdraw the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal," read the confederation's statement.
"The Council also unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature."
CONMEBOL, which declared its support for Infantino's re-election bid earlier this year, said the fall-out had overshadowed an "extraordinary" World Cup.
"Within a matter of days, football has gone from being at the center of global attention due to the staging of an extraordinary sporting event to becoming the focus of public debate on matters related to its governance," it said.
But CONMEBOL insisted it would not support any move to unseat Infantino before the FIFA presidential election in Rabat next March.
Infantino's opponents could try to oust him through a vote of no confidence by obtaining the necessary votes to force an extraordinary FIFA Congress.
"On 18 November, 2026, the deadline for submitting candidacies for the FIFA presidency will expire.
"Thereafter, the FIFA Congress will elect, through the votes of its 211 member associations, the person who will lead the organization during the next term, including overseeing the organization of the FIFA Centennial World Cup 2030.
"Accordingly, CONMEBOL will not support any action or procedure that disregards or departs from those institutional mechanisms."
hro-pbl/esp/pi/jc

Global Edition

Taiwan blocks key bridge in drill for potential Chinese invasion

BY JOY CHIANG

  • Working under the bridge's blue lights, dozens of Taiwanese army combat engineers assisted by cranes and trucks set up layers of concrete and steel barriers, barbed wire and Hesco walls along the nearly one-kilometre-long bridge.
  • Taiwanese troops used concrete barriers, barbed wire and Hesco walls to block a key bridge near Taipei on Thursday in a drill to stop invading Chinese forces attempting to advance on the capital.
  • Working under the bridge's blue lights, dozens of Taiwanese army combat engineers assisted by cranes and trucks set up layers of concrete and steel barriers, barbed wire and Hesco walls along the nearly one-kilometre-long bridge.
Taiwanese troops used concrete barriers, barbed wire and Hesco walls to block a key bridge near Taipei on Thursday in a drill to stop invading Chinese forces attempting to advance on the capital.
The recently opened Danjiang Bridge that spans the mouth of the Tamsui River was the stage for the night-time exercise held on the second day of Taiwan's annual "Han Kuang" military drills.
China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize the island of 23 million people.
If China's military, known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA), were to launch an invasion of Taiwan, military experts believe its troops could potentially land on beaches on either side of the Tamsui River and cross the Danjiang Bridge to join forces. 
"Once the PLA controls the Danjiang Bridge and both sides of the Tamsui River estuary, that would also mean its troops could advance along both banks of the river," Chieh Chung, an expert on Taiwan's defence policy at Tamkang University, told AFP.
"The goal is simply to prevent the PLA forces from controlling this section of the river, because once they control this stretch of the river, the two landing bases will effectively be linked as one," he said.
To stop them in their tracks, Taiwan's military practised blocking the bridge in an hours-long drill that was to end Friday morning before peak-hour traffic.
Working under the bridge's blue lights, dozens of Taiwanese army combat engineers assisted by cranes and trucks set up layers of concrete and steel barriers, barbed wire and Hesco walls along the nearly one-kilometre-long bridge.
Their aim was not only to slow advancing Chinese forces but to channel them into areas where Taiwanese troops have more firepower. 
In the water below, troops deployed fishing nets, floating platforms and barrels that potentially could be filled with explosives during wartime to stop small Chinese vessels entering the river.   
Curious locals hoping to catch a glimpse of the spectacle stood on the street in the humid evening air.
"If we ever face an enemy attack, this drill will help us test how to defend it (the bridge), identify any weaknesses and what needs to be improved," Hsu Lien-te, a 75-year-old retired public servant, told AFP.
"That's very important for our country's defence."

'We could end up in a war'

Long-term care manager Kay Li, who had been cycling across the bridge when she was told by the army to leave, said it was "a necessary exercise".
"We could end up in a war," the 37-year-old said.
The drill was held hours after President Lai Ching-te visited the nearby Taipei Port where he observed the loading of missiles and mines onto ships.
On Wednesday night, Lai was put through his paces when he was escorted in an armoured vehicle convoy from the Presidential Office to a secure command centre in a simulated evacuation. 
As part of this year's Han Kuang, which ends on August 14, Taiwanese and US-made surface-to-air missile systems were deployed in Taipei. 
A key part of this year's exercise is decentralising command and control to enable commanders and officers on the battlefield to make operational decisions without waiting for orders.
joy/amj/md  

Global Edition

Venezuela unable to tally missing from cataclysmic quakes

BY PATRICK FORT

  • But officials have stayed mute about the number of missing people since the twin tremors struck on June 24.
  • Official figures show that over 6,000 people died in the horrific earthquakes that struck Venezuela in June, but authorities are keeping their lips sealed about how many more are missing.
  • But officials have stayed mute about the number of missing people since the twin tremors struck on June 24.
Official figures show that over 6,000 people died in the horrific earthquakes that struck Venezuela in June, but authorities are keeping their lips sealed about how many more are missing.
Barring a miracle, those unaccounted for have also died, leaving the families still searching for their loved ones underneath the rubble in a desperate limbo.
The latest government report published Monday listed 6,125 deaths and 60,992 people as having received medical care.
It also recorded 43,679 affected households and 346,755 tons of cleared debris.
But officials have stayed mute about the number of missing people since the twin tremors struck on June 24.
Dozens of volunteers meanwhile dig downwards into collapsed buildings in the coastal Caraballeda neighborhood, as in other parts of the worst-hit La Guaira state.
"We're going to keep going. He's my grandson," said a tearful Victor Morales, who is still looking for the 11-year-old boy.
Morales already pulled his deceased 13-year-old granddaughter from the debris.
"We've been here since day one, digging holes all the way down to the ground floor," the 50-year-old carpenter told AFP.
"Until I find him, I'm not going to stop."

Contradictions

In the disaster's immediate aftermath, United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher estimated over 50,000 people were missing.
But a diplomatic source told AFP the calculation was incorrect.
"It's impossible to know exactly, but around 10,000 or more," the source said.
Making things even harder is the lack of an up-to-date census in Venezuela. The last one took place in 2011, and economic and political crises since then have prevented another from occurring.
This adds to the government's general reluctance to provide demographic or economic statistics, which are only published at seemingly opportune moments.
National Assembly Chief Jorge Rodriguez, the brother of interim president Delcy Rodriguez, stated on June 30 that 30,000 people were located in the disaster zone when the quakes struck.
Nineteen thousand people had fled or been rescued, he said, while the death toll stood at around 2,000 at the time -- a tally that leaves 9,000 people unaccounted for.
La Guaira's Governor Jose Alejandro Teran, however, last week said 1,338 people were missing, basing the count on a residential registry.

'No reliable figures'

In the absence of official information, Venezuelan civilians have created websites to help locate victims.
But this online data also shows discrepancies, with a gap of 20,000 between the lowest and highest estimates of missing people.
According to one site, "Venezuela te busca" (Venezuela is looking for you), 44,274 people were initially reported missing, while "17,790 have yet to be found."
But the website "Desaparecidos terremoto Venezuela" (Missing Persons Earthquake) lists 44,418 people as missing, with 29,518 "uncontactable."
And according to venezuelareports.org, 41,311 people are missing.
Despite the initiatives' good intentions, the diplomatic source said, "there are no reliable figures."
Esteban Chala is an Argentine rescue volunteer with years of experience under his belt.
"In disasters of this magnitude, it always happens that some people are not found and remain missing," he said.
Police officer Fernando Bencomo, 50, lit up a cigarette as he watched a specialist team lift his son's unrecognizable body and his pet dog from the ruins.
It took 40 days to locate 21-year-old student Fernando Antonio.
"He had his whole life ahead of him," Bencomo told AFP.
"From day one, I've been here searching. I didn't want to stop until he could rest in peace," the bereaved father said.
"I'm going to keep helping. There are more bodies" to recover, he added.
With his son's lifeless body found, there is one less missing person in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the death toll creeps upwards.
pgf/esp/ial/cc/des

climate

Low water on Germany's Rhine river threatens new blow to economy

BY JASTINDER KHERA

  • The mighty waterway also winds past car factories, chemical plants and big river ports as it passes through the industrial heartland of Europe's biggest economy and takes cargo all the way to ports in the Netherlands. 
  • Dwindling water levels on Germany's big rivers, worsened by heat and drought, are raising fears that badly constrained riverboat cargo traffic may deal another blow to the struggling economy.
  • The mighty waterway also winds past car factories, chemical plants and big river ports as it passes through the industrial heartland of Europe's biggest economy and takes cargo all the way to ports in the Netherlands. 
Dwindling water levels on Germany's big rivers, worsened by heat and drought, are raising fears that badly constrained riverboat cargo traffic may deal another blow to the struggling economy.
The Rhine riverbed has partially dried up near steelmaker Thyssenkrupp's blast furnaces in Duisburg, a picture of how the low water levels pose a new challenge for German industry.
The mighty waterway also winds past car factories, chemical plants and big river ports as it passes through the industrial heartland of Europe's biggest economy and takes cargo all the way to ports in the Netherlands. 
Shallow water is imposing tighter limits on how much cargo can float down the river -- sending prices up for freight, and heaping pressure on the government to act.
New Transport Minister Steffen Bilger met in Bonn on Thursday with industrial executives, shipping companies and port bosses to discuss the unfolding crisis.
"If you look at the Rhine, the Danube or the Elbe currently, you see the problem," Bilger told reporters at the meeting, referring to Germany's three longest rivers.
"Where normally ships are carrying thousands of tonnes of goods, today we see bare sandbanks," Bilger said, adding that "ships are only able to carry a fraction of their cargo, if at all".
In normal times the Rhine handles around 80 percent of Germany's inland waterway traffic, said Rico Luman, an economist at ING. 
Every year, some 285 million tonnes of goods travel along the river.
Speaking alongside Bilger, the head of Germany's domestic shipping association Jens Schwanen said the dry spell had come early and 2026 could turn out to be "a once-in-a-century event".
Schwanen said that it was important "to speed up in taking measures on the lower and middle reaches of the Rhine, where we have to deepen the navigable sections".

Industry feeling the pinch

The port in Duisburg, in Germany's steel-producing Ruhr region, has reported that vessel loading capacities have dropped to about one-third of their usual levels.
The lower loads have led to a shift of cargo toward smaller vessels, as well as rail and road transport. 
In the oil sector, loads are sometimes capped at between 300 and 400 tonnes for 110-meter tanker barges, leading to a surge in the number of trips required.
That has driven up shipping rates, with prices hitting 200 euros ($230) per tonne this month for petroleum products shipped between Karlsruhe and the coastal ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp.
For German industrial producers the blow comes at a difficult time, as many are already suffering from high energy costs, stiff global competition and US tariffs.
Thyssenkrupp has turned to shallow-draft ships to keep raw materials and finished products moving on the river. 
So too has chemicals giant BASF, which operates a massive production complex upstream from Duisburg in Ludwigshafen.
Speciality chemicals company Covestro said that shipping disruptions are affecting supply and production at certain cites. 
And in the refining sector, Shell said it is making greater use of storage capacity and attempting to divert some shipments to rail, road, or pipelines.

In need of a rainmaker

Bilger said he is considering lifting a ban on truck traffic on Sundays and public holidays to pick up some of the transport load.
But road and rail transport face higher costs and other constraints, making replacing the heavily loaded river barges a tough and expensive challenge.
Germany faces a chronic shortage of truck drivers, and a fresh surge in fuel prices thanks to the ongoing Middle East war.
The country's overstretched rail network, meanwhile, has long been the source of complaints.
ING economist Carsten Brzeski noted that a 2018 drought shaved an estimated 0.3 of a percentage point off German growth, and said that the economic impact could be more pronounced this year.
The lowest water levels on the Rhine normally do not come until September or October, Brzeski noted, but levels this week are already at unprecedented lows with little rain forecast.
Unless the German government can find a rainmaker, he quipped, the dry spell could be a tough blow to an economy that has finally returned to modest growth after a prolonged period of stagnation.
jpl-bst-jsk/fz/tw

migration

How online disinformation fuelled Ceuta migrant surge

BY CRISTINA ALONSO PASCUAL

  • Marcelino Madrigal, an expert in social media and security, told AFP "there was evidence that this was going to happen".
  • A wave of disinformation on social media drove the deadly rush of tens of thousands of migrants into Spain's north African territory of Ceuta last week, analysts told AFP. An unprecedented 72,000 people poured into Ceuta from Morocco from July 30, mostly by swimming around a barrier in the Mediterranean Sea, according to official Spanish figures.
  • Marcelino Madrigal, an expert in social media and security, told AFP "there was evidence that this was going to happen".
A wave of disinformation on social media drove the deadly rush of tens of thousands of migrants into Spain's north African territory of Ceuta last week, analysts told AFP.
An unprecedented 72,000 people poured into Ceuta from Morocco from July 30, mostly by swimming around a barrier in the Mediterranean Sea, according to official Spanish figures.
Spanish authorities have recovered the bodies of 78 migrants who drowned in the attempt, while Morocco says 11 people died on its side of the border.
A rumour that "the Ceuta border is open" spread like wildfire on social media as men, women and children risked their lives trying to reach Spain.
An online campaign that generated 11 million views from early July fuelled the surge, according to a report published by Chema Gil, a security and intelligence analyst at the University of Murcia.
An open-source investigation by technology company Golden Owl concluded "with a high degree of confidence" that the migrant rush "was a deliberately organised operation".
Marcelino Madrigal, an expert in social media and security, told AFP "there was evidence that this was going to happen".
"Rumours, messages and groups that caused this crisis" mainly appeared on Facebook and WhatsApp, said Madrigal, although it was impossible to determine "who or what ignited the flame".
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promptly blamed the migrant rush on human trafficking gangs. His government avoided criticising Morocco, with whom it has delicate diplomatic relations.

'This isn't over'

The Spanish government has singled out a deliberate misinterpretation of a July Supreme Court ruling that said irregular migrants would not be immediately returned if they arrived by sea.
An Instagram post appeared a day after the court ruling making that very claim.
Messages to that effect were "spread by accounts that were unidentifiable and had practically no interactions, which raises questions about the possible use of mass-diffusion algorithms," said Mohamed Benaissa, president of the Northern Observatory for Human Rights.
But Antonio Benitez Ostos and Antonio Jesus Perez, of the Administrativando law firm, told AFP the court decision did not mean the border was "open" for irregular arrivals by sea.
The text specifies that a procedure different to immediate returns at the border applies to those "intercepted on the high seas" because those migrants do not breach physical infrastructure.
"The person may be returned all the same, it's just that this procedure requires basic guarantees", said human rights lawyer Laura Maria Medina Ferreras, adding that in her view these must "always" be respected.
After last week's scenes, Spain has installed floating barriers between Ceuta and Morocco, which could "legally enable" returns at the border if they are deemed elements of containment, said the lawyers Benitez and Perez.
It is not the first time that social media has encouraged irregular crossings into Ceuta. A similar case in 2024 led to more than 150 people being prosecuted in Morocco.
Social media expert Madrigal predicted that "this isn't over", pointing to fresh online posts that are calling for mass arrivals in August.
He said social media platforms bore responsibility for not rebutting in time the content that encouraged last week's rush, warning it was "very likely" a similar event would happen "in any part of the world".
cap-isb/imm/rlp/phz

diplomacy

Myanmar ex-junta chief on first Thailand trip as civilian leader

  • Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his discussion with Min Aung Hlaing at Bangkok's Government House on Thursday was an opportunity to "push cooperation".
  • Myanmar's ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met with Thailand's prime minister in Bangkok on Thursday, his first visit to the neighbouring nation as civilian leader, as he seeks a return to the diplomatic fold for his pariah state.
  • Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his discussion with Min Aung Hlaing at Bangkok's Government House on Thursday was an opportunity to "push cooperation".
Myanmar's ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met with Thailand's prime minister in Bangkok on Thursday, his first visit to the neighbouring nation as civilian leader, as he seeks a return to the diplomatic fold for his pariah state.
As a general, Min Aung Hlaing led a 2021 military coup that ousted democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a civil war estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people on all sides.
He was installed as Myanmar's president in April following stage-managed elections that democracy watchdogs and Western nations called a sham intended to launder the junta's image.
Thailand has since been leading an effort to normalise relations with Myanmar, both bilaterally and through the 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his discussion with Min Aung Hlaing at Bangkok's Government House on Thursday was an opportunity to "push cooperation".
"Both Thailand and Myanmar are members of the ASEAN family, and Thailand fully supports Myanmar's participation in ASEAN," Anutin said, sitting with Thai officials at a long table across from Min Aung Hlaing and his delegation.
The Myanmar leader said his government was working towards democracy and stability in his country, as well as normalising relations with ASEAN.
But his government has refused to buy into the bloc's "five-point consensus" framework aimed at ending hostilities in Myanmar through dialogue.
ASEAN has excluded member state Myanmar's leadership from high-level summits since the putsch, but the country's foreign minister attended an informal meeting with his regional counterparts last month in Bangkok.
And Min Aung Hlaing has been on a diplomatic drive since swapping his military uniform for civilian dress, visiting India, key ally China and ASEAN member Laos.

'Reality, not legitimacy'

In the run-up to his Bangkok trip, Suu Kyi -- who remains under house arrest -- was allowed to meet a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday. It was the first time she has been seen with a foreign official since her ouster.
Full reintegration into ASEAN would open "a pathway for normalisation of relations with others, including Western countries that have remained opposed to the military regime", said Myanmar specialist Morgan Michaels.
But it had already secured recognition from India, China, Russia and Thailand, making restored ties with the regional grouping inessential, he said.
Min Aung Hlaing was welcomed Thursday by an honour guard at Government House and met one-on-one with Anutin.
At a business forum, the coup leader-turned-president said Myanmar and its "good friend" Thailand needed to cooperate in combatting illegal cross-border trade, which cost both nations revenues.
His poor country -- where several million people have been internally displaced by the civil war -- was also inviting investment in energy infrastructure and agriculture, as well as education and healthcare, he said.
Critics say Bangkok has lent legitimacy to Min Aung Hlaing and his nominally civilian government by hosting him.
The former military chief has been sanctioned by several Western nations and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters Thursday that Bangkok's diplomatic overtures were practical.
"It's not about legitimacy, it's about reality," Sihasak said.

Trade and border security

"We have problems that we face along the border and at the same time we have to be proactive in terms of helping Myanmar on the path of peace and stability," the top diplomat said.
"The best way to achieve that is to have talks with those who are in the position of power."
Observers agree Bangkok has cause to repair relations.
Fighting between Myanmar's military and myriad rebel factions has spilled over the long border with Thailand, which hosts millions of refugees from Myanmar.
Thailand also has to deal with cyberscam networks and illicit drugs traffickers in Myanmar's volatile borderlands.
Sihasak said Thursday the two sides had discussed a number of regional issues, including trade, border security and scams, and established a working group to address river pollution.
The Southeast Asian neighbours were aiming to boost bilateral annual trade to $12 billion, from $7.4 billion, he added.
Sihasak earlier this week welcomed Suu Kyi's Red Cross meeting, saying he hoped that Myanmar authorities "will undertake further positive steps" towards peace and stability.
burs-sco/ami

NKorea

North Korea fires ballistic missile: South Korea military

BY CLAIRE LEE

  • On Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that "our military detected one short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea at around 5:00 pm (0800 GMT)".
  • North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Seoul's military said, with the launch coming after Pyongyang lambasted Japan's military build-up in the Pacific.
  • On Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that "our military detected one short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea at around 5:00 pm (0800 GMT)".
North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan on Thursday, Seoul's military said, with the launch coming after Pyongyang lambasted Japan's military build-up in the Pacific.
North Korea, which since 2019 has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state, featured among growing regional threats in a recent Japanese government assessment.
Tokyo's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said this week that Japan's military needs to be boosted with a "sense of urgency and crisis".
In a statement carried by North Korean state media on Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong -- the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un -- said Pyongyang's "leadership will set up additional military options which are obviously due to Japan's transformation".
On Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that "our military detected one short-range ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea at around 5:00 pm (0800 GMT)".
Authorities in Seoul and Washington were analysing the missile's exact specifications, it added in a message to news organisations.
The JCS said earlier the missile was launched towards the East Sea, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
Tokyo's defence ministry posted on X that "something that may be a ballistic missile has been launched from North Korea", later saying there was no impact "on the areas around Japan".
Seoul has strengthened surveillance and maintained readiness for possible additional launches while sharing information with its security allies the United States and Japan, the JCS said.
South Korea and the United States are expected to carry out their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, aimed at containing the nuclear-armed North, later this month.
North Korea has always been infuriated by such joint drills, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion.
Under the South Korea-US combined defence posture "our military is maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation", Seoul's JCS said Thursday.

'New militarism'

North Korea has deepened economic and military ties with Russia, supplying troops and munitions for Moscow's war in Ukraine in exchange for financial support, food, energy and military technology, analysts say.
Some experts said Thursday's launch could have been intended to test weapons before Kim Jong Un's expected visit to Russia this year.
"Before heading to Russia, Kim may have wanted to demonstrate that Pyongyang had already tested these missile systems and achieved satisfactory results," Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean-born researcher, told AFP.
"If the trip materialises, Kim is very likely to showcase them to Russia or seek to export them."
Japan's defence ministry declined to comment directly on Kim Yo Jong's Wednesday diatribe but said the country's defence capabilities "remain bare minimum" and "are not meant to threaten other countries".
Tokyo raised its military expenditure by 9.7 percent to $62.2 billion in 2025 -- equivalent to 1.4 percent of GDP, its highest share since 1958.
China, a key ally of North Korea, has also recently expressed alarm at what it sees as "new militarism" by Japan.
South Korea's dovish President Lee Jae Myung has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor since taking power in Seoul in June 2025, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions.
The hermetic leadership of North Korea has yet to respond to his repeated offers.
The two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-53 was, triggered by a North Korean attack, ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
cdl/jts/ami

US

Israel reports troop deaths as Lebanon talks underway in Rome

  • The Israeli strikes, accompanied by the first evacuation warning in weeks, came as the United States led diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon in Rome aimed at putting an end to hostilities, with Beirut seeking Israel's phased withdrawal from the south.
  • Israel reported on Thursday its first military fatalities in southern Lebanon in more than a month, after carrying out fresh strikes despite ongoing US-backed talks in Rome aimed at ending hostilities.
  • The Israeli strikes, accompanied by the first evacuation warning in weeks, came as the United States led diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon in Rome aimed at putting an end to hostilities, with Beirut seeking Israel's phased withdrawal from the south.
Israel reported on Thursday its first military fatalities in southern Lebanon in more than a month, after carrying out fresh strikes despite ongoing US-backed talks in Rome aimed at ending hostilities.
The military identified the two reservists, who were killed in combat on Wednesday, as Major Harel Birenstock, 34, and Sergeant Major Tamir Vaknin, 33, of the 2855th Battalion, 55th Brigade.
The deaths were the first Israeli fatalities reported in southern Lebanon since June 28.
The Israeli strikes, accompanied by the first evacuation warning in weeks, came as the United States led diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon in Rome aimed at putting an end to hostilities, with Beirut seeking Israel's phased withdrawal from the south.
"In response to a blatant violation of the ceasefire by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation, the IDF has begun conducting precise strikes in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement, shortly after telling residents to evacuate the town of Mansouri in the south.
Lebanese state media said one person died and 11 were wounded in a separate strike.
In Rome, Israel requested that the day's talks with Lebanon end three hours early, a source in the negotiations told AFP, saying the head of the Israeli delegation, US ambassador Yechiel Leiter, had blamed alleged "misleading leaks" by the Lebanese side.
But the talks were expected to resume on Thursday for a third and final day.
In previous US-sponsored talks in June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a framework deal that involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot zones".
This week's negotiations are the seventh round since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran.
Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,300 people.
In its first such warning since June, the Israeli military on Wednesday told the residents of Mansouri: "In light of Hezbollah's violations of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces are compelled to act against it with force."
"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north," the military's Arabic-language spokeswoman, Ella Waweya, posted on X.
The UN's humanitarian agency had said just the night before that more than 800,000 people displaced by earlier fighting in Lebanon had begun heading back home following the recent lull in violence, though more than 360,000 remained displaced.

'Shame, humiliation'

The town of Mansouri, located around nine kilometres (six miles) south of Tyre and 10 kilometres north of Israel, and its surroundings were subjected to several Israeli strikes and artillery shelling in recent weeks despite the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel that took hold in June.
The town's municipality told residents on June 22 that they could return, but asked them to avoid the part of the town that fell within Israel's so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon.
The "security zone" designates a strip of territory where Israeli forces continue to operate that runs around 10 kilometres deep inside southern Lebanon along its border with Israel.
A US State Department official had told AFP that this week's discussions would "include expanding the pilot zone process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement".
As the delegations met in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke with his counterpart from Iran, Hezbollah's main patron, and called on Tehran to halt the group's operations.
Tajani, in a post shortly before the Israeli strikes, voiced hope that the talks would "yield concrete results".
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Tuesday that the direct negotiations would bring "nothing but shame, humiliation" and successive concessions for Lebanon.
Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the direct talks and refuses to surrender its weapons.
Violence in Lebanon has decreased since the Lebanon-Israel deal and the signing in June of a preliminary US-Iran agreement on the Middle East conflict.
But Lebanon continued to report intermittent Israeli strikes and shelling, as well as detonations and demolitions in southern villages.
Since the war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in early March, Israel's military has lost 38 soldiers and one civilian contractor.
acc-lk-sct/smw/abs/fox

US

Iran says close to Hormuz plan with Oman, but reopening depends on US

  • Highlighting the risks, the captain of an oil tanker reported hearing two explosions while transiting the strait, nine nautical miles (17 kilometres) southeast of Kumzar, Oman, Britain's maritime security agency UKMTO said on Wednesday.
  • Iran and Oman have agreed a route for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and were finalising arrangements for jointly managing the strategic waterway, Tehran said Wednesday, even as fresh security incidents highlighted continued risks for regional shipping.
  • Highlighting the risks, the captain of an oil tanker reported hearing two explosions while transiting the strait, nine nautical miles (17 kilometres) southeast of Kumzar, Oman, Britain's maritime security agency UKMTO said on Wednesday.
Iran and Oman have agreed a route for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and were finalising arrangements for jointly managing the strategic waterway, Tehran said Wednesday, even as fresh security incidents highlighted continued risks for regional shipping.
The agreement would be a step towards reopening the key energy route, but official sources briefing Iranian media stressed that any easing still hinged on Washington ending its own naval blockade of Iran's ports.
Iran has exercised de facto control of the waterway and threatened any vessels transiting routes it deems unauthorised ever since the United States and Israel launched their war against the country on February 28.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted Tehran is keen for a deal to reopen Hormuz, but Iran has denied this and said it will instead make arrangements with its neighbour across the strait, Oman.
"The geographical coordinates of the route envisaged by the two sides have been agreed upon and, if certain third parties do not obstruct the process, the joint statement of the two countries, containing the main considerations and points of agreement, is also in the final review and drafting stage," Iran foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state news agency IRNA.
According to the report, Baqaei told journalists that talks with Oman were moving forward, but that even if an understanding was reached, it would not mean that the strait had become safe for all passing vessels.
"The factors making the Strait of Hormuz insecure still exist on the part of the United States, particularly the naval blockade and other aggressive and threatening actions against Iran and its interests," he said.
Highlighting the risks, the captain of an oil tanker reported hearing two explosions while transiting the strait, nine nautical miles (17 kilometres) southeast of Kumzar, Oman, Britain's maritime security agency UKMTO said on Wednesday. The crew and vessel were safe.
Yemen's Houthis said separately they had struck two Saudi oil tankers, the eighth and ninth hit since they launched a blockade of the kingdom last month.
Military spokesman Yahya Saree said missiles hit the tanker Wafa off Yanbu in the northern Red Sea and the tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden. 
Saudi authorities did not immediately comment.

'Fractured system'

Before the war, Hormuz carried around a fifth of the world's oil and LNG exports, and prices have repeatedly surged since the dispute over the waterway erupted, piling economic and political pressure on Washington.
US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged American frustrations with the pace of diplomacy with Iran, saying negotiations would take time because of divisions within the country's leadership.
"It's going to be messy and it's going to take some time to get there," Vance told Fox News in an interview broadcast Wednesday. 
"The reality... is that number one, the Iranians are extraordinarily difficult people. Number two, they have a fractured system," he said.
After imposing an effective blockade on the strait, Iran has insisted ships take a route that hugs the Iranian coast.
Many vessels have instead chosen to take a southern route, close to Oman on the opposite side of the strait, occasionally coming under fire.
Iran wants to control the strait and charge tolls, powers it did not exercise before the war and a development that the US would fiercely oppose.
In what has become a regular pattern, Trump last week threatened to hit Iran "very hard", potentially with attacks against civilian infrastructure, only to pull back, hinting a deal was near.
But Iran's foreign ministry denied negotiations were taking place with Washington.
bur/dc/jfx/abs/lga

education

India youth protests highlight mistrust in 'lapdog' media

BY JALEES ANDRABI AND SUMIT DUBEY

  • The immediate backlash saw protesters target TV journalists.
  • Journalists covering last month's youth-led protests in India became targets of public anger and attacks over their perceived support for the government, exposing a deepening crisis of trust in traditional broadcasters.
  • The immediate backlash saw protesters target TV journalists.
Journalists covering last month's youth-led protests in India became targets of public anger and attacks over their perceived support for the government, exposing a deepening crisis of trust in traditional broadcasters.
In rallies across the country spearheaded by the online Cockroach Janta Party movement, protest signs branded TV channels as "India's worst enemies", and activists criticised "lapdog" media said to be aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration.
The hostility underscored a widening gulf between legacy networks and a growing ecosystem of independent digital outlets that many young Indians increasingly turn to for news.
At New Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest site, many students said they relied on social media and independent platforms.
"It is disheartening to see news channels," said Sukhjeet Narula, 28, a software professional.
"They brand every protest anti-national."
The immediate backlash saw protesters target TV journalists.
Dev Kotak, a reporter with prominent English-language network Times Now, said a crowd in New Delhi threw water at him, but that quickly escalated into slaps and kicks.
"There was anger simmering around me and I was scared for my life," the 36-year-old told AFP.
Videos of an exhausted Kotak running behind security personnel as protesters pursue him spread on social media.
Three of his colleagues were also harassed.
In other footage verified by AFP, a reporter with Zee TV was heckled while broadcasting live from a protest in Mumbai.
Another video showed a journalist being chased by a crowd in the eastern city of Patna.

'Conspiracies'

The Times Network said they had covered the protests in an "entirely neutral manner" but their journalists were still "assaulted in the most reprehensible manner".
"We may differ in views, but we cannot take the law into our own hands," it said in a statement.
Media observers say the public anger reflected years of eroding confidence.
"Godi media are considered anti-people and anti-opposition," journalist Ravish Kumar told AFP.
The term "godi" -- "lap" in Hindi -- is used by critics to refer to so-called "lapdog" media accused of abandoning their watchdog role.
"They have destroyed their own credibility. Genuine public demands are being termed as conspiracies in order to demonise them," said Kumar.
Rights groups have raised concerns about press freedom since Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, citing growing hostility towards journalists perceived as critical of the government.
India ranks 157th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index, down 17 places from 2013.
Journalists critical of the government have faced criminal cases, arrests and online harassment from supporters of the ruling party.
Opposition politicians have long accused news channels of peddling BJP's agenda, including through polarising coverage of Muslim minorities.

'Sold out'

Tensions surrounding the protests became so intense that some TV journalists opted to conceal the name and logo of their organisations.
"They stopped coming with logos on their mics because the youth were targeting them," said Shailendra Singh, 30.
"The mainstream media has completely sold out to the government," added the private sector employee.
Atul Chaurasia, managing editor of the Newslaundry digital platform, argued that traditional newsrooms relied on a "flawed financial model" that depended heavily on advertising revenue from the government.
"The government weaponises advertising, effectively destroying the environment that allows media organisations to operate freely," he told AFP.
Kumar said it was important to distinguish between large TV networks and independent outlets that often face pressure from authorities.
"It is the alternative media and independent journalists who face hostility from the government," he said. "They are subjected to raids, branded anti-national, or even imprisoned."
The recent outburst of anger, Kumar argued, reflected a broader perception that some TV networks have become "a threat to democracy".
"Godi" media outlets have "become a liability, even for Prime Minister Modi", he said.
ja-sd/abh/ami/lga

oceans

Pacific islands alarmed by Trump-backed push for deep-sea mining

BY STEVEN TRASK

  • Nauru and the Cook Islands are among world leaders in seabed mining exploration, while the likes of Samoa, Fiji and Palau have called for a moratorium on the industry. 
  • A Pacific island leader says there were "no consultations" before the US announced swathes of nearby ocean could be auctioned for deep-sea mining exploration, telling AFP the industry faced strong opposition among his people.
  • Nauru and the Cook Islands are among world leaders in seabed mining exploration, while the likes of Samoa, Fiji and Palau have called for a moratorium on the industry. 
A Pacific island leader says there were "no consultations" before the US announced swathes of nearby ocean could be auctioned for deep-sea mining exploration, telling AFP the industry faced strong opposition among his people.
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Governor David Apatang said the idea had caused great unease across the tropical island chain of some 40,000 people.
The United States alarmed its tropical island territories earlier this year, detailing plans to carve up parts of the Pacific Ocean for mining exploration.
Mining companies see enormous wealth in mineral deposits scattered across the seabed, but the fledgling industry has for years been held back by environmental concerns. 
An expanse of US maritime territory near American Samoa in the South Pacific could be auctioned as soon as November, according to official documents.
Separate tracts of ocean surrounding Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific are also under consideration.
"Some concerns include disruption to food security for the people of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, who rely on the ocean resources for their survival," Apatang told AFP.
Washington initially proposed to explore a 140,000 square kilometre (50,000 square mile) block about 200 kilometres east of territory capital Saipan.
But Apatang said he was caught by surprise when the US announced in March that a similar-sized block to Saipan's west could be leased as well. 
"There have been no consultations with the people of the Northern Mariana Islands," he said. 
Deep-sea mining companies want to scour the ocean's abyssal plains for mineral deposits and polymetallic nodules laden with nickel, copper and cobalt.

'Unleashing' resources

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2025 aimed at "unleashing" these seabed resources, stressing the demand in everything from renewable energy to military applications.
Critics fear deep-sea mining will cause irreversible damage, smothering marine life in plumes of waste and disrupting oceanic migrations with the thrum of heavy machinery.
The Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa all want at least a temporary ban on deep-sea mining in their territorial waters.  
But the US territories -- which rely on Washington for funding and defence -- have little say on what Washington does outside their three mile (five kilometre) maritime boundary.  
Guam passed laws this year banning deep-sea mining vessels from calling at its ports, potentially hampering the industry by cutting off a crucial source of fuel and supplies.  
Apatang said the Northern Mariana Islands would "consider following suit". 
Plans for deep-sea mining exploration are most advanced for a vast sweep of ocean near American Samoa, a US territory nestled between New Zealand and Hawaii in the South Pacific. 
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is proposing to hold an auction in November, selling exploration licenses for a 125,000 square kilometre block.
The area borders the vast Rose Atoll marine sanctuary, where endangered species of Hawksbill turtle thrive on vibrant reefs.
Lawmaker Aumua Amata, who represents American Samoa in the US House of Representatives, said she worried deep-sea mining could disrupt fisheries providing the vast bulk of the territory's export earnings.
"I represent our people and I am confident that a majority of American Samoans are opposed," she told AFP.
The licenses cover preliminary surveys and sampling, with future decisions on commercial exploitation needing further bureau approval.

Money for 'nothing'

American Samoa-based environmental advocate Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka said it was impossible to put a "price tag" on the ocean.   
"It's not something you think: 'How much money can you make off it?'."  
Former US diplomat Emily Wood has been working with the Guam governor's office to better understand the risks of deep-sea mining.  
She said leading mining company Impossible Metals had pledged to share one percent of profits with island communities.  
"That's nothing at all, compared to the potential damage they might cause," she told AFP.  
Impossible Metals did not reply to a request for comment.  
The company has previously stated it will not start mining until it is satisfied it is safe. 
Pacific island nations are divided on whether deep-sea mining will deliver economic windfalls, or environmental catastrophe.
Nauru and the Cook Islands are among world leaders in seabed mining exploration, while the likes of Samoa, Fiji and Palau have called for a moratorium on the industry. 
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was approached for comment. 
sft/oho/fox/lga

transport

Environmental disaster looms as tanker leaks off Oman

BY MAHA LOUBARIS

  • Kpler data showed that the Caroline Bezengi, which is believed to be the ship leaking off Oman, loaded one million barrels of crude oil at the Russian Black Sea terminal of Sheskharis on May 11.
  • Oman is facing an impending environmental catastrophe as an alleged Russian shadow fleet tanker leaks oil across hundreds of square kilometres near a nature reserve, NGOs warn.
  • Kpler data showed that the Caroline Bezengi, which is believed to be the ship leaking off Oman, loaded one million barrels of crude oil at the Russian Black Sea terminal of Sheskharis on May 11.
Oman is facing an impending environmental catastrophe as an alleged Russian shadow fleet tanker leaks oil across hundreds of square kilometres near a nature reserve, NGOs warn.
The ship was rocked by explosions, a maritime security firm told AFP, but the cause of the blasts is unclear.
Russia has built up a ghost fleet of old ships with opaque ownership to get around Western sanctions since its 2022 Ukraine invasion, and experts have said the vessels' poor condition increases the risk of oil spills.
Satellite imagery verified by AFP showed what appeared to be an oil slick spreading from a ship that has been stranded for over a month near al-Qibliyyah island, off Oman's southern coast.
It is far from the Strait of Hormuz, which has seen regular tanker attacks in the Middle East war.
"With oil apparently continuing to leak and the vessel stranded in a difficult location, the risk of an even larger environmental disaster remains serious," Nina Noelle of Greenpeace told AFP.
She warned of a "severe and long-lasting" consequence.
Greenpeace said the oil sheen had expanded from up to 20 square kilometres on July 24 to an estimated 600 on August 4, according to satellite imagery it reviewed.
Environmental open-source investigator Wim Zwijnenburg, from Dutch peace organisation PAX, gave the same estimate for the August 4 sheen.
Kpler data showed that the Caroline Bezengi, which is believed to be the ship leaking off Oman, loaded one million barrels of crude oil at the Russian Black Sea terminal of Sheskharis on May 11.
It still had the oil when its last signal was recorded a month later.

Threat to fishing, biodiversity

Large stretches of the island's shoreline appear affected and "additional oil slicks extend far out to sea, further polluting and damaging this protected marine ecosystem", Noelle said.
Zwijnenburg added that "a complete break of the ship can cause a regional environmental catastrophe, affecting both the lives of Omani fishing communities and the wider marine and island biodiversity".
Last year, Oman established a marine reserve around the al-Hallaniyat islands, which include al-Qibliyyah and are home to diverse marine life including rare sea turtles.
"Timely intervention and salvaging the oil tanker is of essence to prevent worse," Zwijnenburg said.
The International Maritime Organization told AFP it was "currently offering assistance to Oman", without providing further details on the incident.
Oman did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
"Oil contamination in the Hallaniyat Islands threatens coral reefs, seagrass meadows and coastal habitats that support endangered sea turtles, migratory seabirds and marine mammals," Noelle said.
Turtles nest and lay their eggs on the beach while many seabirds breed on the islands, with surrounding waters home to the rare Arabian Sea humpback whale, she added.
"Even relatively small oil spills can persist in marine sediments for years, compromising the ecological resilience of this protected marine ecosystem."

Shadow fleet

In February, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the Caroline Bezengi for its suspected involvement in shipping oil from Russia.
Oil exports bring in crucial revenue for Russia's stuttering economy.
Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech told AFP three explosions rocked the ship on June 6, flooding several areas including the steering gear compartment and pump room.
It is not clear what caused the explosions, or whether the ship was attacked.
Vanguard said the main engine and steering gear were "rendered inoperable", adding that the crew was accounted for.
The vessel last emitted a radio transmission while it was off the coast of Yemen on June 11, according to ship tracking sites reviewed by AFP.
Satellite imagery from Europe's Copernicus programme reviewed by AFP suggests that a ship became stranded off al-Qibliyyah island between June 18 and 23.
Its size, shape and deck colour are consistent with earlier satellite observations of the Caroline Bezengi before it turned off its AIS transponder signal.
According to Noelle, the Caroline Bezengi was an example of the "grave environmental risks" associated with Russia's ghost fleet.
"Sanctions are being circumvented using ageing and poorly maintained tankers, putting coastlines and marine ecosystems at risk," she said.
ml-dvz/aya/amj/dc/abs

migration

Ceuta warns of 'unsustainable' situation for child migrants after influx

  • The charity Save the Children estimates that around 1,000 "unprotected" minors are among the migrants still in Ceuta.
  • The leader of Spain's north African territory of Ceuta on Wednesday said the number of children left there after last week's rush of migrants was "unsustainable", pleading for government aid.
  • The charity Save the Children estimates that around 1,000 "unprotected" minors are among the migrants still in Ceuta.
The leader of Spain's north African territory of Ceuta on Wednesday said the number of children left there after last week's rush of migrants was "unsustainable", pleading for government aid.
Spain says 70,000 of the 72,000 migrants who entered Ceuta from Morocco have returned, after the deadly influx sparked a spat with EU partners seeking a harder line on immigration.
But the roughly 2,500 who remain include hundreds of unaccompanied minors who are enduring dire conditions with limited access to food, water, shelter and sanitation.
Ceuta's leader Juan Jesus Vivas, of the main opposition conservative Popular Party (PP), told public broadcaster RTVE that authorities were taking care of 1,100 youngsters against a theoretical capacity of 90.
"This is an absolutely unsustainable situation," said Vivas, adding that there was "a high risk for order and public security" as reception centres were overwhelmed.
Groups of young migrants continued to roam the streets of Ceuta on Wednesday, gathering in parks and beaches as authorities worked to identify and accommodate them, an AFP reporter saw.
The Spanish government's top official in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez, conceded those youngsters were "a priority, a source of great concern".
The charity Save the Children estimates that around 1,000 "unprotected" minors are among the migrants still in Ceuta.
"We are asking for help, for assistance from the rest of Spain" through the leftist central government, said Vivas.
Any redistribution of the children to the rest of Spain under existing legal provisions is likely to meet resistance from regions governed by the PP and the anti-immigration, far-right Vox party.
Socialist deputy prime minister Carlos Cuerpo insisted on public television that the PP and its regional governments "must comply with the law just like everyone else".

'Serious trouble'

The ministry for youth and children has announced 25 million euros ($29 million) of emergency funding for Ceuta to help the tiny territory of 84,000 inhabitants to care for the minors.
Spanish legal authorities raised the death toll from last week's incident to 78 after a body was recovered late on Wednesday.
Morocco's interior ministry on Sunday said 11 people had died on the Moroccan side of the border, all but one by drowning as they tried to swim around a barrier in the Mediterranean Sea.
Vivas said he had contacted Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office on July 27 to warn that hundreds of migrants had entered Ceuta from Morocco and "we were headed for serious trouble".
The office said it would get in touch with "the relevant ministries" to address the matter, he added.
The following day Vivas said he asked the interior ministry to declare a national state of emergency but was told this was "not legally possible".
"We gave sufficient warning that the situation was becoming extremely strained and that exceptional measures needed to be adopted," he added.
The government has maintained that it received no prior warning of the scale of the incident.
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rescue

Colombian baby hippo of Escobar stock dies after rescue

  • Authorities earlier Wednesday rescued the roughly 15-day-old malnourished creature, which had been discovered by fishermen on the banks of a river without its mother.
  • A baby hippopotamus descended from creatures that belonged to Pablo Escobar died Wednesday after being rescued in northwestern Colombia, an environmental organization told AFP. Colombia has around 200 invasive hippos living in the wild, according to the Environment Ministry, all of which stemmed from a colony brought to South America by the late cocaine kingpin.
  • Authorities earlier Wednesday rescued the roughly 15-day-old malnourished creature, which had been discovered by fishermen on the banks of a river without its mother.
A baby hippopotamus descended from creatures that belonged to Pablo Escobar died Wednesday after being rescued in northwestern Colombia, an environmental organization told AFP.
Colombia has around 200 invasive hippos living in the wild, according to the Environment Ministry, all of which stemmed from a colony brought to South America by the late cocaine kingpin. It is the largest hippo colony anywhere outside Africa.
Authorities earlier Wednesday rescued the roughly 15-day-old malnourished creature, which had been discovered by fishermen on the banks of a river without its mother.
The infant hippo "was admitted with chronic signs of dehydration, malnutrition, and an acute gastrointestinal condition that complicated its entire clinical picture," said a vet working for the environmental organization Cornare.
Despite rescue and rehydration efforts, "the animal did not respond adequately to treatment and died," the vet said.
The animal was earlier transferred to a hippo sanctuary at Hacienda Napoles, the estate previously owned by Escobar, is now a theme park.
Escobar imported four hippos in the 1980s for his private zoo at the hacienda.
After the Medellin cartel leader's death in 1993 as he tried to elude capture by police, the animals escaped and settled along the banks of the Magdalena River, where they have disrupted the ecosystem and even attacked local residents.
They are now considered an invasive species and are destabilizing native ecosystems, prompting the government this year to approve a plan to cull around 80 of them after attempts to curb their reproduction through sterilization failed.
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collision

Castaway SpaceX rocket stage crashed into Moon, scientists say

BY MAGGY DONALDSON

  • Scientists anticipated the Falcon 9 upper stage was going to strike the lunar surface at approximately 0635 GMT on Wednesday.
  • Part of a SpaceX rocket approximately the size of a bus slammed into the Moon as predicted, scientists said Wednesday, after a telescope in Chile captured evidence of a stream of debris.
  • Scientists anticipated the Falcon 9 upper stage was going to strike the lunar surface at approximately 0635 GMT on Wednesday.
Part of a SpaceX rocket approximately the size of a bus slammed into the Moon as predicted, scientists said Wednesday, after a telescope in Chile captured evidence of a stream of debris.
The collision, which was not intentional, posed no danger to Earth, and is expected to have left a lunar crater in its wake that space agencies including NASA still hope to document.
Scientists anticipated the Falcon 9 upper stage was going to strike the lunar surface at approximately 0635 GMT on Wednesday.
And it did, the European Southern Observatory said on social media Wednesday, based on observations recorded by its Very Large Telescope.
The telescope "detected spectral lines," the observatory said, what it called "chemical fingerprints" of "sodium and lithium gas in the impact plume lasting for 5-10 minutes after impact."
"The sodium likely originated from the lunar soil, whereas the lithium could come from the rocket itself," the post continued, adding that the team would offer more details following fuller analysis.
Scientific observers had deemed the 5,400 miles per hour (8,690 kilometers per hour) crash inevitable.
"I have Sir Isaac Newton's personal assurance that it did indeed hit the moon, there's no way for it to have escaped," Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and space analyst, told AFP.
NASA and its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter probe and South Korea's Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter were planning to take images of the site after impact, but it could take days to receive that information.
Linking to the European Southern Observatory's post, Benjamin Fernando of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico told AFP "I can confirm that the impact did occur."
Fernando was the lead author of a recent paper on the anticipated impact, which had estimated the spacecraft weighed approximately 8,800 pounds (4,000 kilograms) on impact, assuming all of its propellant was spent.
Prior to the collision NASA had emphasized "there is no danger to Earth."
"NASA scientists are planning to collect lunar data from the event and refine techniques for tracking objects in space," the US agency said. 

'Space junk'

The Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX launched in January 2025 carrying two lunar landers. Its booster returned to Earth, but the upper stage stayed in space to push the landers onward.
Generally on such missions SpaceX performs a maneuver to make sure the second stage "is safe per the appropriate rules and regulations," said Julianna Scheiman, director of NASA Science and Dragon Programs at SpaceX, at a Monday news conference.
"We did that," she continued, but "what has happened is essentially a mixture of solar activity and gravity forces have put it on a path towards the Moon."
Space-trackers like Bill Gray knew it would be tough to observe evidence of the impact from Earth.
"Admittedly, about what we expected" played out in that regard, he told AFP. "But it would have been very nice to be proven wrong, and entirely possible."
NASA hopes to soon establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, making it critical to better understand space debris in lunar orbit.
The rocket stage had been just one of tens of thousands of pieces of "space junk" orbiting Earth. 
The Moon routinely weathers impact from space debris including meteoroids. Artificial collisions are less common.
In the 1970s, the US space agency carried out deliberate crashes during its Apollo program to collect seismic data.
Some experts have warned that amassing too much space junk around Earth could lead to a dangerous chain reaction of collisions known as the "Kessler syndrome."
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