US

Israel aims fresh attack at Tehran: latest developments in US-Iran war

  • - Gulf states targeted - Iran also hit targets across the Gulf, with the army saying it had launched 15 cruise missiles in strikes on a US air base in Kuwait and vessels in the Indian Ocean.
  • Israel traded fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon on Monday and pressed its attacks on Iran as the fallout from two days of US-Israeli strikes widened, with Iranian counterattacks hitting Gulf states and a British base in Cyprus.
  • - Gulf states targeted - Iran also hit targets across the Gulf, with the army saying it had launched 15 cruise missiles in strikes on a US air base in Kuwait and vessels in the Indian Ocean.
Israel traded fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon on Monday and pressed its attacks on Iran as the fallout from two days of US-Israeli strikes widened, with Iranian counterattacks hitting Gulf states and a British base in Cyprus.
US President Donald Trump vowed to avenge the deaths of US service members and said the war with Iran could last for weeks.
Here are the latest developments:

Israel strikes Tehran

The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun a new "broad strike" in the "heart of Tehran" after generals vowed to step up attacks on "key elements of the regime".
Loud explosions were heard in several parts of the Iranian capital, AFP journalists said, shaking apartment buildings in the centre.
Iran's president appointed Revolutionary Guards general Majid Ebnelreza as acting defence minister after his predecessor was killed in Israeli-US strikes.

Hezbollah fighting

The Israeli military said it was simultaneously attacking the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, and claimed to have killed a "senior Hezbollah terrorist" in Beirut, though the army said there was no reason for a ground invasion yet.
The Lebanese government has imposed an "immediate ban" on Hezbollah's military and security activities and called for it to hand over its weapons to the state, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced.

Iran retaliates

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched missile strikes on Israeli targets, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and other sites in Tel Aviv, Haifa and east Jerusalem, calling it a "10th wave" of attacks.
A series of new explosions were heard above Jerusalem on Monday, AFP journalists reported.

Gulf states targeted

Iran also hit targets across the Gulf, with the army saying it had launched 15 cruise missiles in strikes on a US air base in Kuwait and vessels in the Indian Ocean.
QatarEnergy was forced to halt LNG production after a processing base and a power plant were hit, one person was killed as an oil tanker was targeted off Oman, and British officials said a vessel in a Bahrain port had been struck by "unknown projectiles".
The US embassy in Kuwait, where black smoke could be seen, said in a statement that people should not come to the diplomatic mission: "Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside."

Iranian deaths

The Iranian Red Crescent said Monday that "131 cities have been affected" by US-Israeli strikes "and, regrettably, 555 of our compatriots have been killed". Iranian officials confirmed the killings of three Guards members and five army personnel.

Trump vows vengeance

US President Donald Trump vowed to avenge the deaths of three US soldiers killed during operations against Iran, while warning that more casualties were likely.
The US leader also called on Iranians to rise up, saying: "America is with you." He warned the country's Revolutionary Guards to surrender or face "certain death". 

War could last 'four weeks'

Trump said he envisaged a four-week military operation against Iran, where US and Israeli strikes have killed the country's supreme leader and crippled its defence capabilities.
"It's always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so," he told British newspaper the Daily Mail during a round of interviews.

UNESCO site 'damaged'

Iran's UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran has been damaged in US and Israeli strikes, local media reported. 
"Following the joint US-Israeli attack on Arag square in southern Tehran on Sunday evening, parts of the Golestan Palace... were damaged," the ISNA news agency reported, adding that windows, doors and mirrors were hit by reverberations from blasts. 

Nuclear sites undamaged

UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi on Monday said his agency had "no indication" that any nuclear installations in Iran had been damaged or hit in the US-Israeli strikes.

Drone hits Cyprus base

At least one drone crashed into Britain's RAF Akrotiri military base in Cyprus in the early hours of Monday and another two were intercepted, prompting an evacuation of the facility.
While Greece said it was sending two frigates and two F-16 jets to Cyprus, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was "firmly and unequivocally" behind member states following the drone hit.

UK-US spat

Britain had agreed on Sunday to allow the US to use British military bases to fire "defensive" strikes at Iranian missile systems after initially refusing -- but this was not enough for Trump, who took aim at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a newspaper interview.
"It took far too much time. Far too much time," Trump told the Daily Telegraph, adding he was "very disappointed" with the initial refusal.

Saudi attack

Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said some operations at its massive Ras Tanura refinery on the Gulf coast had been halted on Monday following an attack that caused a fire at the complex.

US warplanes shot down

Three American warplanes crashed in Kuwait on Monday morning but their crew survived, with US officials later saying Kuwaiti air defence had "mistakenly shot down" US warplanes.

China urges truce

China called on Monday for a ceasefire and diplomatic talks to end the conflict in the Middle East, as officials in Beijing confirmed one citizen had been killed in Iran.
"The most urgent task is a cessation of military operations and preventing a spillover of conflict," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference.

Gas price surge

European gas prices soared more than 30 percent Monday on fears that the conflict will cut supplies in the Gulf region. Concerns were especially focused on Qatar, whose QatarEnergy halted liquified natural gas output.

Iran says no US negotiation

Iran "will not negotiate with the United States", Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said, denying media reports that Iranian officials had sought to initiate talks.
He said Trump's "delusional fantasies" had plunged the region into chaos.

US officials to make case for war

Top US officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make the case Tuesday to Congress for the attack on Iran.
Rubio, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and military chief Dan Caine "will brief the full membership of both chambers of Congress," White House spokesman Dylan Johnson said.

Maersk suspends Hormuz transit

Container shipping company Maersk said it was halting passage through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz for "safety" reasons.
The Danish group was the latest of several shipping groups to make similar announcements after Iran's Revolutionary Guards reportedly declared the strait closed on Saturday.

Revolutionary Guards HQ 'destroyed'

The US military announced it had destroyed the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) headquarters, with the US Central Command saying: "America has the most powerful military on earth, and the IRGC no longer has a headquarters."
burs-jxb/rmb

Israel

'No indication' Iran nuclear installations hit: IAEA

  • "Regarding the status of the nuclear installations in Iran, up to now, we have no indication that any of the nuclear installations, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the Tehran Research Reactor or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit," he said.
  • The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Monday his agency has "no indication" that any nuclear installations have been damaged or hit in Iran following US and Israeli strikes on the country.
  • "Regarding the status of the nuclear installations in Iran, up to now, we have no indication that any of the nuclear installations, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the Tehran Research Reactor or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit," he said.
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Monday his agency has "no indication" that any nuclear installations have been damaged or hit in Iran following US and Israeli strikes on the country.
Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi said the key nuclear site Natanz had been attacked, without specifying further.
Opening an extraordinary session of the agency's board of governors on Iran, IAEA head Rafael Grossi urged "all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation".
"Regarding the status of the nuclear installations in Iran, up to now, we have no indication that any of the nuclear installations, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the Tehran Research Reactor or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit," he said.
The agency was trying to contact the Iranian nuclear regulatory authorities "with no response so far", Grossi said in his statement, released by the IAEA, as he opened the session. 
"We hope this indispensable channel of communication can be reestablished as soon as possible," he added.
Najafi said the Natanz nuclear site had been attacked, saying the United States accusing Iran of trying to have a nuclear bomb was "just the pretext to attack and invade".
"The head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran yesterday sent a letter to the director general and informed him that the Natanz nuclear facilities, which is a safeguarded facility, have been attacked during this aggression," he told AFP.
Grossi told reporters during a press conference later Monday that he stood by his statement to the board.
"We haven't seen major military activity targeting their facilities. We have been looking at different satellite images. There might be something there, but not significant or comparable in any way to what we saw last time," he said.
A 12-day war in June last year saw Israeli and US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Natanz, which IAEA inspectors have not been given access to visit since then.
No agency inspectors are in Iran at the moment, Grossi said, adding the conversation with Iran is "very limited" since the strikes started.

'Very concerning'

Grossi in his opening statement said that the situation in the Middle East was "very concerning" after the strikes on Iran and its retaliatory missile attacks.
"Iran and many other countries in the region that have been subjected to military attacks have operational nuclear power plants and nuclear research reactors, as well as associated fuel storage sites, increasing the threat to nuclear safety," he added.
Grossi called for diplomatic negotiations to resume "as quickly as possible". 
Grossi attended two Oman-mediated rounds of talks between Iran and the United States last month in Geneva on Iran's nuclear programme. 
"An understanding eluded the parties this time. I am sure we are, quite understandably, feeling a strong sense of frustration," he said.
The extraordinary meeting preceded an already scheduled regular session of the IAEA's board of governors, which represents 35 countries.
The extraordinary session of the Vienna-based body was called at the request of Russia, a key ally of Tehran, following the same request by Iran over the weekend.
Western countries led by the United States and Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, accuse the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
Tehran denies having such military ambitions but insists on its right to this technology for civilian purposes.
str-jza/pdw

telecoms

Middle East fighting overshadows world telecom show

BY MONA GUICHARD

  • Around 30 demonstrators had earlier gathered at the entrance to the vast congress centre, shouting: "Boycott Israel, boycott USA" and shadowed by several police officers.
  • Fighting over Iran impacted the start on Monday of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) telecoms trade fair thousands of miles away in Barcelona, with Israeli firms absent and activists demonstrating for a boycott of the country's pavilion.
  • Around 30 demonstrators had earlier gathered at the entrance to the vast congress centre, shouting: "Boycott Israel, boycott USA" and shadowed by several police officers.
Fighting over Iran impacted the start on Monday of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) telecoms trade fair thousands of miles away in Barcelona, with Israeli firms absent and activists demonstrating for a boycott of the country's pavilion.
Around 30 Israeli participants had been slated to take their place among the stands in the Catalan capital, where around 109,000 people from around the world were expected to view the latest gadgets and network innovations in the vast halls until Thursday.
But with airspace still closed over Israel two days into joint strikes on Iran with the United States, some such as AI security firm DeepKeep were unable to attend, AFP journalists saw on signs posted at the absent companies' stands.
Nine of the 25 businesses supposed to join the Israeli national pavilion were also kept away.
"Due to the current situation, our flights... were cancelled, and we were unable to reach Barcelona," Nofar Moradian-Shiber of the Israel Export Institute told AFP.
Spanish media reported that thousands of prospective MWC attendees had cancelled, as airports across the Middle East have shut down while fighting continues.
The GSMA telecoms association that organises the trade show played down the disruption.
"A small number of exhibitors, attendees and speakers... might have been affected by travel disruptions," a spokesman said.
"No Iranian companies were due to attend MWC this year," he added.
Catalonia's regional president Salvador Illa said there was "very limited disruption" to the trade show.

'Decolonise technology'

GSMA chief Vivek Badrinath referred to the fighting directly in a Monday morning panel discussion, saying: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by the conflict."
Around 30 demonstrators had earlier gathered at the entrance to the vast congress centre, shouting: "Boycott Israel, boycott USA" and shadowed by several police officers.
"Let's decolonise technology," one demonstrator had written on a sign.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had on Sunday condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran at a Barcelona dinner on the sidelines of MWC.
"You can be against a despicable regime... like the Iranian regime, and at the same time against an unjustified and dangerous military intervention," he said.
Beyond the day's dominant story, actors in the telecoms sector are looking ahead to a year with packed to-do lists, from network improvements to the growing capability of generative artificial intelligence.

Robot phone head

Operators and space firms are together racing to offer so-called "direct-to-device" satellite connectivity, in which phones or other connected gadgets communicate directly via satellites overhead without the need for towers on the ground.
Meanwhile governments -- especially in Europe -- are engaged in a push for technological sovereignty to insulate their tech infrastructure from geopolitical tensions.
And device makers are confronted with a surge in the price of working memory (RAM), pumped by massive demand from tech giants building up AI computing capacity.
That could put the brakes on growth in global smartphone sales, which added 1.9 percent to reach 1.26 billion devices last year.
Manufacturers are still betting on the innovations crammed into their latest models.
Chinese producer Honor is displaying what it calls a "robot phone" designed to function as a portable AI companion.
The device has a camera on a small robot arm that acts as its head, which Honor said in a Sunday demonstration would be able to nod along with a conversation or look around in response to the user's questions.
The phone is set for launch in the second half of this year.
Chinese competitors Xiaomi and Huawei, sales champions in the connected devices sector, this weekend announced new ranges of watches, headphones and tablets.
mng-rbj/tgb/

Global Edition

Energy prices soar, stock markets slide on Iran war fallout

  • Asian and European stock markets retreated as much as around two percent as investors exited trades in favour of the dollar and gold, seen as safer bets in times of economic unrest. 
  • Oil and gas prices soared, stock markets slid and the dollar firmed on Monday as the widening Iran war shook financial markets across the globe. 
  • Asian and European stock markets retreated as much as around two percent as investors exited trades in favour of the dollar and gold, seen as safer bets in times of economic unrest. 
Oil and gas prices soared, stock markets slid and the dollar firmed on Monday as the widening Iran war shook financial markets across the globe. 
European natural gas prices rocketed more than 20 percent and world crude futures surged around eight percent on fears of disruption to Middle East energy supplies.
Asian and European stock markets retreated as much as around two percent as investors exited trades in favour of the dollar and gold, seen as safer bets in times of economic unrest. 
The greenback jumped nearly one percent against the British pound, while the precious metal rose 2.1 percent to $5,389.5 an ounce.
There were sizeable gains to share prices of energy majors and defence companies, with BAE Systems jumping six percent in London.
"Investors are scuttling towards safe havens, seeking shelter as conflict widens in the Middle East," noted Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club.
After US and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend, Israel bombarded Lebanon on Monday following rocket fire from Hezbollah.
Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait and Iran lashed out against the region with missiles as the war expanded.
The bombings have also seen the vital Strait of Hormuz -- through which around 20 percent of global seaborne oil passes -- effectively shut and several ships attacked.
Airline share prices took a battering as carriers were forced to cancel flights to and from the Middle East -- with Qantas, Singapore Airlines and British Airways owner IAG each losing around five percent.
Air France-KLM shed more than eight percent in late morning Paris deals.
However, energy firms rallied, with Australia's Woodside Energy jumping more than six percent, PetroChina and TotalEnergies adding almost four percent and Shell nearly three percent.
"If higher oil prices persist, it raises the risk of stickier headline inflation," wrote Saxo Markets' Charu Chanana.
This could prove troublesome for US President Donald Trump, who has promised his electorate low prices, as the United States approaches mid-term elections in November.
Rising energy prices, increased shipping costs and loss of revenue for air transport could have "a harmful effect on growth", said economist Eric Dor from the IESEG School of Management in Paris.
"If it's a matter of three days, it's not serious. But if it's over a longer period, then it will have an additional recessionary effect," he told AFP.
In theory, oil-importing countries have reserves, with OECD members required to maintain 90 days' worth of stocks, but prices above $100 cannot be ruled out according to analysts.
If the disruption at Hormuz continues, "no matter how much spare capacity, (it) is not going to fill that gap. That gap is just too big," said Amena Bakr, head of Middle East and OPEC+ research at analysts Kpler.
Key members of the OPEC+ oil cartel on Sunday announced a greater-than-expected increase to production quotas.

Key figures at around 1030 GMT

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 8.0 percent at $78.65 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 7.5 percent at $72.02 per barrel
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.8 percent at 10,827.47 points
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 1.5 percent at 8,450.04
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 1.7 percent at 24,861.80
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.4 percent at 58,057.24 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.1 percent at 26,059.85 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 4,182.59 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.1 percent at 48,977.92 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1739 from $1.1823 on Friday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3385 from $1.3486
Dollar/yen: UP at 156.89 yen from 156.03 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 87.73 pence from 87.67 pence
burs-bcp/rlp

Tesla

Showdown looms between Tesla and German union

BY CLEMENT KASSER

  • IG Metall has accused the carmaker of poor working conditions and covert redundancies, all enabled by the lack of a collective agreement to protect workers -- almost unheard‑of in Germany's automotive industry.
  • An industrial relations showdown looms this week as Germany's powerful IG Metall union is seeking to gain control of the works council at US billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla plant outside Berlin.
  • IG Metall has accused the carmaker of poor working conditions and covert redundancies, all enabled by the lack of a collective agreement to protect workers -- almost unheard‑of in Germany's automotive industry.
An industrial relations showdown looms this week as Germany's powerful IG Metall union is seeking to gain control of the works council at US billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla plant outside Berlin.
The works council, an elected body of employees that negotiates pay deals and working hours with management, has long been an unshakeable component of German corporate life, especially in the auto sector.
But at Tesla's "Gigafactory", it has been a persistent bugbear for the management since the plant opened in 2022 -- with this week's Monday-to-Wednesday ballot marking a high point in tensions.
In one corner, there is Musk, the world's richest man and a staunch advocate of libertarian ideals.
In the other, there is a century‑old metal workers' union defending Germany's tradition of workers' rights and accusing the US carmaker of engaging in "union busting".
Outside the factory, which employs around 10,000 people in rural Gruenheide in Brandenburg state, an IG Metall banner calling for "change" hangs next to a giant mural celebrating labour solidarity.
IG Metall has accused the carmaker of poor working conditions and covert redundancies, all enabled by the lack of a collective agreement to protect workers -- almost unheard‑of in Germany's automotive industry.
The union won the previous elections in 2024 with 39 percent of the vote. But then four non‑union lists seen as more accommodating toward management joined forces to secure a majority.

'A real exception'

Tesla "is a real exception" in Germany given the absence of a union majority in the works council, said Ernesto Klengel of the Hans-Boeckler Foundation, which has close ties to the trade unions.
He charged that at Tesla "the management has so far not placed any value on constructive cooperation".
Although it is not unusual for various parties to seek to influence in works council elections, this "highly confrontational approach" is unprecedented, he said.
For Tesla, the dispute is another headache in Europe, where sales have been hit amid strong Chinese competition.
In Germany there has also been a backlash against the e-car pioneer after Musk strongly supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
A number of Tesla staff spoke to AFP outside the plant, all asking not to be named given the sensitivity of the labour issues at play.
One of them, a logistics worker from Nigeria, said he was one of around 100 candidates in the plant for IG Metall.
He said he had been working at Tesla for three years and charged that management "does not listen to employees", whereas "IG Metall is working hard to represent our interests".
He also complained that workers from the African community did worse "in the allocation of promotions and certain benefits" and that "very few" African employees were team leaders at the plant.
Another employee, who asked to be called Vikram, said "many colleagues complain about harassment and other problems because they take breaks".
Tesla did not respond to a request from AFP for comment on the allegations.
Another worker, who identified himself as Ali, 31, said he was very satisfied at Tesla, particularly with his salary. 
"They give us everything -- shares, good facilities," the body shop worker told AFP.

Musk threat

Andre Thierig, the director of the site, has told local media that Tesla pays its employees better than its competitors do and has argued that collective agreements are destroying German industry.
In early February, Thierig accused a member of IG Metall of illegally recording a works council meeting.
The union promptly declared that it was preparing legal action against what it called "obstruction of union activity".
Musk himself has weighed in on the dispute, warning that there will be no further investment in the factory if IG Metall becomes the majority union.
Jan Otto, regional manager of IG Metall in eastern Germany, retorted that the US billionaire should "accept the rules of the game of co-determination and democracy in German companies".
Otto has called on the government of Brandenburg to step in.
Contacted by AFP, the regional economy ministry said it "encourages companies in Brandenburg, including Tesla, to conclude collective agreements" and offer "attractive working conditions".
kas-fec/fz/gil

transport

France arrests activists blocking ship over alleged Russia uranium links

BY ETIENNE BALMER

  • The Baltiyskiy-202 -- another vessel that Greenpeace alleges has transported uranium between France and Russia -- has completed more than 15 round trips during the same period.
  • Police arrested four Greenpeace activists on Monday for blocking a cargo ship in France that they alleged was transporting uranium from Russia for the country's nuclear power plants.
  • The Baltiyskiy-202 -- another vessel that Greenpeace alleges has transported uranium between France and Russia -- has completed more than 15 round trips during the same period.
Police arrested four Greenpeace activists on Monday for blocking a cargo ship in France that they alleged was transporting uranium from Russia for the country's nuclear power plants.
Around 20 protestors carrying signs reading "Stop toxic contracts" and "Solidarity with Ukrainians", blockaded the Mikhail Dudin at the northern port of Dunkirk early on Monday morning, to prevent it from unloading its cargo, an AFP journalist observed.
French authorities then arrested four individuals, Dunkirk police told AFP, adding that the blockade was lifted around 09:00 am (0800 GMT).
Greenpeace has repeatedly accused France of maintaining ties with Russia's state-owned energy company, Rosatom, despite President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.
Activists, some on kayaks, had impeded the ship while a large banner stretched across the lock read, "Uranium: EDF loves Putin" -- a jab at the French state-owned energy giant.
In 2018, France's EDF signed a 600-million-euro ($700 million) deal with a Rosatom subsidiary, Tenex, for reprocessed uranium from French nuclear power plants to be sent to Russia to be converted and then re-enriched before being reused in power production.
Rosatom has the only facility in the world -- in Seversk in Siberia -- capable of carrying out key parts of the conversion of reprocessed uranium to enriched reprocessed uranium.
"This trade, which indirectly fuels Putin's war, must stop," said Pauline Boyer, an energy campaigner for Greenpeace France on Monday.
The environment group alleges it has "on numerous occasions" observed the Mikhail Dudin unloading Russian natural and enriched uranium in France.

Repeated round trips

An AFP analysis of Global Fishing Watch tracking data shows the Mikhail Dudin has made more than 20 round trips between Dunkirk and the Russian ports of Vistino, Ust-Luga and Saint Petersburg since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.
The Baltiyskiy-202 -- another vessel that Greenpeace alleges has transported uranium between France and Russia -- has completed more than 15 round trips during the same period.
Both sail under the Panamanian flag and are owned by companies registered in Hong Kong, according to the International Maritime Organisation's register.
EDF did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
In 2022, France ordered EDF to halt its uranium trade with Rosatom when Greenpeace first revealed the contracts in the wake of Russia's invasion.
But in March 2024, Jean-Michel Quilichini, head of the nuclear fuel division at EDF, said the company planned to continue to "honour" its 2018 contract.
France in March 2024 said it was "seriously" looking at the possibility of building its own conversion facility to produce enriched reprocessed uranium.
AFP analysis of French customs data shows that in 2025, France imported at least 112 tonnes of enriched uranium and its compounds from Russia, accounting for a quarter of total purchases by volume -- a level stable compared to 2024.
These imports however fell significantly between 2022 and 2024.
etb-lam-sad/ekf/ah/gil

diplomacy

Canada and India strike agreements on rare earth, uranium

  • "In civil nuclear energy, we have struck a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply," Modi said, adding the countries would also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors.
  • India and Canada on Monday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a "landmark" uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries' leaders said in New Delhi.
  • "In civil nuclear energy, we have struck a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply," Modi said, adding the countries would also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors.
India and Canada on Monday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a "landmark" uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries' leaders said in New Delhi.
The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations.
"Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust, and positivity," Modi said.
Ties effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi of orchestrating a deadly campaign against Sikh activists in Canada, accusations India rejected.
Carney's visit -- his first to India since taking office last year -- is not only aimed to reset strained ties, but also to push efforts to diversify trade beyond the United States.
"There has been more engagement between the Canadian and Indian governments in the last year than there has been in more than two decades combined," Carney said in New Delhi, in a speech alongside Modi.
"This is not merely the renewal of a relationship. It is the expansion of a valued partnership with new ambition, focus, and foresight, a partnership between two confident countries charting our own course for the future."

'New opportunities'

Energy-hungry India -- the world's most populous country with 1.4 billion people -- has ambitious plans to expand nuclear power capacity from its current eight to 100 gigawatts by 2047.
"In civil nuclear energy, we have struck a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply," Modi said, adding the countries would also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors.
Carney said they had agreed the launch of a "strategic energy partnership with significant potential" including CAN$2.6 billion ($1.9 billion) uranium supply agreement "supporting India's nuclear ambitions".
Carney added that Canada was "well positioned to contribute, as a reliable supplier" of liquefied natural gas (LNG), from its west coast. 
"As India seeks access to critical minerals for its manufacturing, its clean-tech, and its nuclear plants, Canada's resource base and world-leading companies position it as a strategic partner," he said.
The two countries agreed last year to resume negotiations on a proposed free-trade deal, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
"Our target is to reach $50 billion in bilateral trade," Modi said. "This is why we have decided to finalise a comprehensive economic partnership soon," he added, saying it "will open new opportunities to invest and create jobs in both countries".

Defence deal

Carney said he wanted to reach a deal on the "ambitious agreement" by the end of the year to "reduce barriers and increase certainty", also said the nations were renewing security cooperation through a "new defence partnership".
Canadian pension and wealth funds have already invested $73 billion in India.
Before Carney took office last year, Ottawa accused Modi's government of direct involvement in the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a naturalised Canadian citizen who was part of a fringe group that advocated for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.
Khalistan militants have been blamed for the assassination of an Indian prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.
India has repeatedly dismissed the Canadian allegations, which sent relations into freefall, with both nations expelling a string of top diplomats in 2024.
Ties improved after Carney took office in March 2025, and envoys have since been restored.
After India, Carney will travel to Australia and Japan -- part of a wider push to broaden Canada's economic partnerships.
Carney has made reducing Canada's heavy reliance on the US economy a centrepiece of his foreign economic policy.
In 2024, before US President Donald Trump returned to office and upended global trade with a flurry of tariffs, more than 75 percent of Canadian exports went to the United States. Two-way trade that year exceeded $900 billion.
So far Trump has broadly adhered to the North American free-trade agreement he signed during his first term, and about 85 percent of US-Canada trade remains tariff-free.
But at the same time, Trump has also imposed painful industry-specific tariffs, and there are fears that if he scraps the broader trade deal, the Canadian economy will be hit hard.
burs-pjm/mtp

Israel

Somaliland's Israel deal could put Berbera port at risk

BY JORIS FIORITI

  • Experts say the UAE was a key player in Israel's recognition of Somaliland, and it is possible that Israeli forces are already present in the Berbera military base.  
  • Somaliland says its recognition by Israel could be a boon for its Berbera port.
  • Experts say the UAE was a key player in Israel's recognition of Somaliland, and it is possible that Israeli forces are already present in the Berbera military base.  
Somaliland says its recognition by Israel could be a boon for its Berbera port. But with missiles flying across the region, it could also be a target. 
Berbera port on the Gulf of Aden has been transformed by the United Arab Emirates firm DP World over the past decade into a state-of-the-art facility on one of the world's busiest trade routes. 
Berbera still handles far fewer containers than nearby Djibouti or Mombasa, but port traffic was up 30 percent from 2023 to 2025, and recent diplomatic moves could lead to much more. 
A deal under negotiation with Ethiopia, a landlocked neighbour with more than 130 million inhabitants, could see traffic rise by another 80 percent, said port authority director Ali Diriye Ahmed. 
Ethiopia did not respond to queries on the subject.
And Israel's recent decision to recognise Somaliland's independence -- the first country to do so since it declared autonomy from Somalia in 1991 -- promises a "tremendous increase", said Ahmed, already envisioning an expansion of the port. 
But an alliance with Israel also brings risks, particularly as the US-Israeli attacks on Iran this weekend increase the threat of regional war. 
Abdel Malek al-Houthi, leader of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen, had already warned that any Israeli presence in Somaliland would be considered a "military target". 
The UAE, which has already been targeted this weekend by Iranian missiles, not only runs Berbera port, but has a nearby military base that it has recently expanded. 
"We really don't know what is going on there. Sometimes there are 20 planes coming in a week," said a DP World employee, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Experts say the UAE was a key player in Israel's recognition of Somaliland, and it is possible that Israeli forces are already present in the Berbera military base.  
"There is a widespread assumption that there is an Israeli military or security presence that is already in the country," a Western diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity, though any military cooperation will remain secretive. 
If their presence was confirmed at the Emirati base, it could leave the port vulnerable to Houthi or Iranian missiles. 
There is also a more local threat from Al-Shabaab, the Somali affiliate of Al-Qaeda, that has said it will oppose any attempt by Israel to use Somaliland. 
Somaliland authorities "only saw the recognition, without thinking about the future," fears Roland Marchal, a regional specialist based at France's Sciences Po university. 

'Contribute to peace'

Hargeisa initially denied any negotiations regarding an Israeli military base on its soil, only to recently indicate that "nothing is off the table".
"We are not partnering with Israel to be against anyone," said Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland's minister of the presidency and advisor to President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. 
Somaliland "wants to contribute to peace in the region," he told AFP. 
In Berbera, a peaceful but little-developed city of 70,000, the atmosphere remains optimistic. 
Its mayor, Abdishakur Mohamoud Hassan, said population numbers and tax revenues had soared since DP World took control of the port, allowing for free primary schools and new health clinics. 
With Israel's recognition, "we expect this city to develop similarly to Dubai," he said with a smile, adding that he was "not afraid" of attacks by Israel's enemies. 
"If a country like Ukraine has been resisting Russia for years, we too will not be intimidated by the Houthis," he said.
jf/er/giv

media

CBS in turmoil as US media feels pressure under Trump

BY ULYSSE BELLIER

  • University of Minnesota professor Christopher Terry told AFP that audiences can expect a possible alignment of CNN and CBS, reducing the editorial diversity in the current media landscape, while likely inspiring copycat megamergers, to keep pace with the new giant.
  • CBS, a mainstay of the broadcast television landscape, has been rattled by editorial changes that insiders fear are tied to President Donald Trump's influence, as concerns grow about a broader erosion of media independence in the United States.
  • University of Minnesota professor Christopher Terry told AFP that audiences can expect a possible alignment of CNN and CBS, reducing the editorial diversity in the current media landscape, while likely inspiring copycat megamergers, to keep pace with the new giant.
CBS, a mainstay of the broadcast television landscape, has been rattled by editorial changes that insiders fear are tied to President Donald Trump's influence, as concerns grow about a broader erosion of media independence in the United States.
Since CBS in mid-2025 became a part of Paramount Skydance, which is headed by Trump ally David Ellison, the network has clashed with its star latenight host Stephen Colbert, and seen a raft of journalists resign.
Colbert recently said the network blocked the broadcast of his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico, who is running to unseat incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn.
Many CBS News journalists -- including top producers of the flagship newsmagazine "60 Minutes" -- have quit while airing complaints of interference in their editorial independence at the company.
"This is yet another troubling example of corporate capitulation in the face of this Administration’s broader campaign to censor and control speech," broadcast regulator Anna M. Gomez said in a statement. 
Of the three current commissioners at the FCC, the government agency that regulates the airwaves, Gomez is the only one not appointed by Trump.
New CBS leadership was brought in at the end of 2025, with the appointment of Bari Weiss -- a longstanding critic of progressive politics -- as Editor in Chief. 
Weiss sparked blowback with her first decisions at the helm of the newsroom, which included yanking a report on the Trump administration's anti-immigrant crackdown hours before it was scheduled to broadcast. It was later aired with a revised introduction.
During that time, many journalists chose to leave the CBS newsroom -- once home to famed US journalists Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow and a long reputation for excellence in American journalism.
Several current and former CBS journalists declined to comment to AFP, even anonymously, pointing to a climate of fear.

'Big fat bribe'

The new approach under Ellison at CBS is "primarily to appease or curry favor with the Trump administration in anticipation for an aspiring acquisition of Warner Brothers discovery," Victor Pickard, professor of media policy and political economy at the University of Pennsylvania, told AFP. 
The 2025 deal for Skydance to takeover Paramount, CBS's parent company, included the unprecedented promise that the organization would "root out bias that has undermined trust," FCC chairman Brendan Carr said.
Before the deal was inked, Paramount also agreed to pay $16 million in response to Trump's complaint over CBS's coverage of the election.
Colbert described that as "a big fat bribe."
But Trump brushed off such allegations, and called the acquisition "the greatest thing that's happened in a long time to a free and open and good press."

'Real danger'

Now the journalists at CNN are holding their breath, as their network has also been purchased by Skydance through its upcoming acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.
Long targeted by Trump for its reporting, CNN is a well recognized international brand, even though its ratings in the US lag behind Fox News.
"We can expect that the Ellisons will do to CNN exactly what they are doing to CBS -- cut down on actual journalism, expand on right wing commentary, and bring the news organization in line with the Trump administration‘s preferred narratives and talking points," Pickard said.
University of Minnesota professor Christopher Terry told AFP that audiences can expect a possible alignment of CNN and CBS, reducing the editorial diversity in the current media landscape, while likely inspiring copycat megamergers, to keep pace with the new giant.
"The real danger is the deals that follow because of this deal," Terry said.
ube/bpe/sla/ksb

diplomacy

Canada's Carney to mend rift, boost trade as he meets India's Modi

BY ABHAYA SRIVASTAVA

  • Khalistan militants have been blamed for the assassination of an Indian prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.
  • Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will seek to reset strained ties and push efforts to diversify trade beyond the United States when he meets his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday.
  • Khalistan militants have been blamed for the assassination of an Indian prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will seek to reset strained ties and push efforts to diversify trade beyond the United States when he meets his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday.
The talks in New Delhi are expected to cover trade and investment, clean energy, defence, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, officials from both sides have said.
A major focus will be reviving negotiations for a long-discussed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Speaking to business leaders in Mumbai on Saturday, Carney said the planned deal, which he was looking to seal by the end of the year, could double bilateral trade by 2030.
"This visit marks the end of a challenging period, and more importantly, the beginning of a new, more ambitious partnership between two confident and complementary nations," he said.
Carney's visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi of orchestrating a deadly campaign against Sikh activists in Canada.
India's foreign ministry said Carney's visit marked a "significant step" in strengthening relations.
India is seeking to attract more overseas investments and says Canadian pension and wealth funds have already invested $73 billion.
Energy-hungry India -- the world's most populous country, with 1.4 billion people -- hopes Canada can support its ambitious plan to expand nuclear power capacity.

'Strategic partner'

"We can be India's strategic partner in critical minerals for India's manufacturing, clean tech, and nuclear industries," Carney said.
"And India can help us double our grid with clean power by 2040."
Before Carney took office last year, Ottawa accused Modi's government of direct involvement in the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a naturalised Canadian citizen who was part of a fringe group that advocated for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.
Khalistan militants have been blamed for the assassination of an Indian prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government further alleged India had directed a broader campaign of intimidation against Sikh activists across Canada.
India has repeatedly dismissed the allegations, which sent relations into freefall, with both nations expelling a string of top diplomats in 2024.
Strategic analyst and author Brahma Chellaney said Carney's trip was "intended to close one of the most acrimonious diplomatic chapters between two major democracies in recent memory".
"For two pluralistic democracies navigating an uncertain century, this may prove to be the most sustainable foundation of all," he said on X.
Ties between New Delhi and Ottawa improved after Carney took office in March 2025, and envoys have since been restored.

'Enormous opportunities'

"Building true strategic autonomy requires diversification, not isolation," Carney said.
"It creates enormous opportunities for India and Canada to work together, to limit risks, to increase prosperity, and to build sovereignty."
Carney has made reducing Canada's heavy reliance on the US economy a centrepiece of his foreign economic policy.
In 2024, before US President Donald Trump returned to office and upended global trade with a flurry of tariffs, more than 75 percent of Canadian exports went to the United States. Two-way trade that year exceeded $900 billion.
So far Trump has broadly adhered to the North American free-trade agreement he signed during his first term, and about 85 percent of US-Canada trade remains tariff-free.
But at the same time, Trump has also imposed painful industry-specific tariffs, and there are fears that if he scraps the broader trade deal, the Canadian economy will be hit hard.
Carney is trying to boost commerce with Europe and Asia as a strategy to backstop Canada's economy, should free trade with Washington collapse.
After India, Carney will travel to Australia and Japan -- part of a wider push to broaden Canada's economic partnerships.
burs-abh/mjw

Israel

Maersk suspends vessel transit through Strait of Hormuz

  • And France's CMA CGM told its vessels in the Gulf to "take shelter" and also suspended passage through the Suez Canal. nzg/jj/phz
  • Maersk, the major container shipping company, said Sunday it was halting passage through the Suez Canal and the narrow Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, next to Iran, for "safety" reasons.
  • And France's CMA CGM told its vessels in the Gulf to "take shelter" and also suspended passage through the Suez Canal. nzg/jj/phz
Maersk, the major container shipping company, said Sunday it was halting passage through the Suez Canal and the narrow Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, next to Iran, for "safety" reasons.
The Danish group was the latest of several shipping groups to make similar announcements after Iran's Revolutionary Guards declared the strait closed on Saturday.
"We have decided... to pause future Trans-Suez sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the time being," Maersk said in an online advisory.
"We are suspending all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice," it added.
"The safety of our crews, vessels and customers' cargo remains our key priority."
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway through which passes nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies, as well as a significant amount of cargo to and from Gulf ports.
Egypt's Suez Canal is the region's other vital waterway, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, a long relied-on shortcut from Europe to Asia's ports on the Indian Ocean.
Maersk said it would be rerouting ships around the Cape of Good Hope -- the southern tip of Africa -- adding thousands of miles to the journey.
It also said it would be closing its offices in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.

'Maximum caution'

MSC, another big shipping company, told its vessels in the Gulf "to proceed to designated safe shelter areas until further notice".
State media in Oman, which sits on the other side of the strait, said Sunday an oil tanker off its coast had been targeted and four of its crew hurt.
And the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre said Sunday that another ship, this one off the UAE's coast also near the Strait of Hormuz, reported being hit "by an unknown projectile causing a fire".
International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement Sunday: "I urge all shipping companies to exercise maximum caution.
"Where possible, vessels should avoid transiting the affected region until conditions improve," he added.
Already on Saturday, two other major shipping firms had warned its vessels away from the area for security reasons.
German shipowners Hapag-Lloyd, the fifth largest in the world, said it was suspending traffic by its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
And France's CMA CGM told its vessels in the Gulf to "take shelter" and also suspended passage through the Suez Canal.
nzg/jj/phz

luxury

Activists pressure Milan Fashion Week to go fully fur-free

BY ALEXANDRIA SAGE

  • Milan Fashion Week ends on Monday, with focus now turning to Paris Fashion Week -- which similarly does not have an anti-fur policy. ams/dt/rmb
  • Animal activists have been turning up the heat on Milan Fashion Week to adopt a fully fur-free policy, with dozens of protesters demonstrating outside the Giorgio Armani show on Sunday. 
  • Milan Fashion Week ends on Monday, with focus now turning to Paris Fashion Week -- which similarly does not have an anti-fur policy. ams/dt/rmb
Animal activists have been turning up the heat on Milan Fashion Week to adopt a fully fur-free policy, with dozens of protesters demonstrating outside the Giorgio Armani show on Sunday. 
Although the Armani Group went fur-free a decade ago, activists hope the powerful luxury company can pressure the National Chamber of Italian Fashion (CNMI), which organises fashion week, to disallow brands which use fur from participating. 
Sunday's demonstration was one of several protests carried out this week in Milan by international anti-fur activists organised under the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT).
Behind a barricade and large banner saying "Milan Fashion Week Go Fur-Free", activists with a megaphone yelled "Shame on you for what you do!" as Armani guests left the show.
Use of fur in the global fashion industry has dramatically fallen in recent years due to concerns about animal cruelty, changing trends and new synthetic alternatives.
But there remain notable holdouts, such as Fendi, owned by French conglomerate LVMH, a storied Italian luxury brand whose roots are in fur. 
Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, the chief executive of Fendi, sits on the board of directors of the CNMI along with brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Ermenegildo Zegna, which have already rejected fur.
Campaigners hope the anti-fur designers can convince Milan Fashion Week to ban fur, as London and New York have done.
Smaller fashion weeks, including in Berlin, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, have also gone fur-free. 
"It won’t be Fendi that helps us reach our goal, because they have no interest in pushing this issue forward, but other brands might be able to contribute," Alberto Bianchi, 25, one of the protest's organisers, told AFP. 
The CNMI did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

Step forward?

The activists had demonstrated Wednesday outside Fendi's Milan headquarters where its runway show took place.
Inside, newly seated designer Maria Grazia Chiuri showed a collection that included "remodelled" furs, or old furs reworked. 
Bianchi said that focus on recycling could possibly be seen as "a step forward" but cautioned that LVMH is still actively investing in the use of fur. 
"I see it as a one-off move maybe to do a bit of greenwashing," he said. 
"As long as we still have fur farms in Europe and we still have the possibility of importing it, it’s a gesture that doesn't change the underlying idea," Bianchi added.
The coalition won a victory in late January when pressure campaigns led to shipping giant DHL and cosmetics company Wella withdrawing as sponsors of Milan Fashion Week.
Later this month, the European Commission is expected to rule on a 2023 citizens' initiative that called on the EU to ban fur farms and the killing of animals such as mink, foxes, raccoon dogs or chinchillas solely for their pelts. 
Activists cite the cruelty inherent in fur farming, in which the animals  are crammed into tiny wire battery cages before being gassed or electrocuted.
Milan Fashion Week ends on Monday, with focus now turning to Paris Fashion Week -- which similarly does not have an anti-fur policy.
ams/dt/rmb

sanction

Belgium seizes Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker

BY UMBERTO BACCHI

  • Sanctions aimed at limiting Moscow's revenues used to pursue its war have shut out many tankers carrying Russian oil from Western insurance and shipping systems.
  • Belgium said Sunday its special forces had boarded and seized an oil tanker from the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, in an overnight operation.
  • Sanctions aimed at limiting Moscow's revenues used to pursue its war have shut out many tankers carrying Russian oil from Western insurance and shipping systems.
Belgium said Sunday its special forces had boarded and seized an oil tanker from the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, in an overnight operation.
The Belgian government said the vessel was intercepted in the North Sea, with aerial support from French military helicopters.
Defence Minister Theo Francken said the tanker was escorted to the port of Zeebrugge after being intercepted in Belgium's exclusive economic zone.
Prosecutors identified the ship, which was said to be on its way back to Russia, as the "Ethera". 
A spokeswoman for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said the ship captain, a Russian national, was being questioned by investigators. 
The tanker flew the flag of Guinea, but an on-board inspection confirmed suspicions that it was sailing under a false flag, the office said, adding that authorities have opened a criminal investigation.  
"If a ship sails under a false flag, this means that it does not comply with several international regulations," the statement added. 
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on X that his country's naval forces assisted in the operation, calling it a "major blow" to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet".
Russia has used a flotilla of ageing tankers of opaque ownership to get around restrictions on its lucrative crude exports imposed over its 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine.
The Belgian defence ministry said the seized tanker was on the European Union's sanctions list. The EU has blacklisted hundreds of vessels in a bid to sap Moscow's war chest. 
"Sanctions only matter if they are enforced. Today, we enforced them," Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, who is also Belgium's deputy prime minister, said on X.

'Bad guys'

The operation was carried out alongside Belgium's G7, Nordic and Baltic partners and in coordination with France, he added. 
"Great job Belgium stopping these bad guys," the US ambassador to the country, Bill White, commented on social media. 
France provided air support with two NH90 helicopters, the defence ministry said. 
Footage of the operation posted online by Macron showed Belgian forces rappelling down from the aircraft to board the ship.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on social media congratulated his country's armed forces on their "professional and decisive conduct" and thanked France for its "essential support". 
Russia's embassy in Belgium said it had not been officially notified of the tanker's detention, nor informed about the nationality of its crew.
"The embassy is currently taking the necessary steps to determine whether there are Russian citizens on board and to ensure their legal rights if confirmed," it said in a Telegram post.
Sanctions aimed at limiting Moscow's revenues used to pursue its war have shut out many tankers carrying Russian oil from Western insurance and shipping systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Belgium's "strong action against Moscow's floating purse" and thanked France for supporting the operation.
"This particular vessel has long been under US, EU, and UK sanctions, but nonetheless continued to illegally transport Russian oil using a false flag and forged documents," he wrote on X.
In February, it was revealed that two employees of a Russian private security company were aboard another suspected Russian "shadow fleet" tanker seized by France in September. 
The two men were employed by Moran Security Group, a Russian private security company, and were tasked with monitoring the crew and gathering intelligence, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP.
French forces boarded another suspected Russian tanker, the Grinch, in January. 
But the ship was later let go after its owner paid a multi-million-euro fine, something an analyst said highlighted legal difficulties related to such operations. 
"Belgium deserves credit. But the harder question is what happens next," said Max Meizlish, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington-based think tank. 
"European governments keep hitting the same wall: they have the will to board these ships, but not always the legal tools to keep them," he said.
"Europe needs to close the legal gap that keeps turning interdictions into mere delays for the shadow fleet." 
ub/rmb

Israel

OPEC+ hikes oil production by more than expected following outbreak of Iran war

BY POL-MALO LE BRIS

  • Leon pointed to the possibility that Iran could target the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which around nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies, in retaliation.
  • Key members of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced a greater-than-expected increase to production quotas on Sunday following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered retaliation by Tehran across the Middle East. 
  • Leon pointed to the possibility that Iran could target the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which around nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies, in retaliation.
Key members of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced a greater-than-expected increase to production quotas on Sunday following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered retaliation by Tehran across the Middle East. 
The eight-strong V8 (Voluntary Eight) group in the alliance, which includes top oil producers Saudi Arabia and Russia -- as well as several Gulf states bearing the brunt of Tehran's missile strikes -- said they had agreed a "production adjustment" of 206,000 barrels per day (bpd).
"This adjustment will be implemented in April," they said in a statement.
The text did not mention the outbreak of the Iran conflict, instead citing "a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals" as their reasons for the increase.
Before the weekend's meeting, experts had forecast a more modest increase of 137,000 bpd. 
But Jorge Leon, an analyst at Rystad Energy, warned the agreed increase was potentially not large enough to prevent the Iran conflict causing a spike in oil prices when trading opens on Monday.
Leon pointed to the possibility that Iran could target the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which around nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies, in retaliation.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have contacted ships to announce the strait was closed. On Sunday, Iranian state TV said an oil tanker in the strait was struck while attempting to "illegally" pass through and was sinking, showing footage of a burning tanker at sea.
"If oil cannot move through Hormuz, an extra 206,000 barrels per day does very little to ease the market," Leon said, arguing that "logistics and transit risk matter more than production targets right now".
The OPEC+ move "is unlikely to calm markets", he said.
"Prices will respond to developments in the Gulf and the status of shipping flows, not to a relatively small increase in output."

'Nightmare scenario'

Besides Russia and Saudi Arabia, the V8 group within OPEC+ includes Kuwait, Oman, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, all of which were targeted by Iranian attacks for a second day on Sunday.
Algeria and Kazakhstan are also part of the group.
Another analyst, Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said that, with the fear of incoming missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, insurers cancelling contracts for vessels wanting to go through there, and jammed electronic signalling in the Gulf region, commercial shippers were scared.
They are "starting to act as if the route is compromised", he said.
"A full closure for more than a few days is the nightmare scenario," he said.
A blockage of the strait could mean oil prices leaping from around $72 before the war to $120 to $150 a barrel when trading starts on Monday, he said, based on industry estimates.
He and other analysts pointed to land pipelines Saudi Arabia and the UAE could use to get around shipping through the strait, but noted that would still leave a shortfall of some eight million to 10 million bpd on the market.
"Those are meaningful pressure valves, but they are not a replacement for the full seaborne flow," Innes said.
While higher prices might seem a boon for OPEC+ countries, it in fact carries the risk of increasing competition from producers outside the cartel, such as the United States, Canada and Brazil.
Kpler analyst Homayoun Falakshahi told AFP that the cartel might "prefer prices of $80-90, but around $70 per barrel is the ideal price level" to cut the incentive for more investment by those rival producers.
He added that Russian production has been on a downward trend since November, leaving analysts to think that it was at its maximum output.
Leon, of Rystad Energy, said the only OPEC+ members "who can really boost their production are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and, to a lesser degree, Kuwait and Iraq".
pml/rmb/giv

film

3D tool Unreal Engine makes real impact in creative industries

  • Film and TV have not hesitated either, with Epic Games' tech deployed in Star Wars series "The Mandalorian" and Oscar-winning short film "War is Over".
  • Massively popular video game "Fortnite", TV news graphics and acclaimed animated series and films have something in common: use of the powerful Unreal Engine that is quickly becoming the go-to tool for 3D projects beyond the video games industry.
  • Film and TV have not hesitated either, with Epic Games' tech deployed in Star Wars series "The Mandalorian" and Oscar-winning short film "War is Over".
Massively popular video game "Fortnite", TV news graphics and acclaimed animated series and films have something in common: use of the powerful Unreal Engine that is quickly becoming the go-to tool for 3D projects beyond the video games industry.
Created for the 1998 game "Unreal" by Tim Sweeney -- who is now the head of "Fortnite" developer Epic Games -- the engine was soon made available for other companies.
It was a rare move in an industry where most studios develop their own engines, an expansive term for the software controlling the main characteristics of a game world such as sound, graphics and physics simulation.
In recent years, the ease of use and power of the latest version of Unreal Engine has seen it integrated into hit games titles such as China's "Black Myth: Wukong" or France's "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33".
"Tomb Raider" star Lara Croft will be crafted in Unreal Engine in her upcoming fresh adventures too, said Scot Amos, director of the Crystal Dynamics studio.
Using Unreal "gives us access to a broad swath" of developers, he said, calling it "an ubiquitous tool that so many people will use and get".
The off-the-shelf solution saves on time and costs as "we don't have to keep teaching people how to use a proprietary tech" developed in-house, Amos added.
More than one quarter (28 percent) of games released for PCs in 2024 were built using Unreal Engine, according to specialist data firm Sensor Tower.
"It's become truly indispensable in the industry," said Brice Roy, director of France's Institute for Digital Creation and Animation (ICAN), a training school with sites in several cities.
"The engine is preconfigured, which is what makes it so attractive: as soon as you create a rough build, it looks really beautiful, it works right away". 

'Planned to diversify'

Epic Games' ambition for Unreal Engine is not limited to underpinning large swaths of the game industry.
A first technical demonstration of its real-time modelling power for high-end carmaker McLaren drew attention from other sectors too.
Unreal has since been applied to modelling architectural projects, onboard navigation for cars and reconstructions in television news reports.
Film and TV have not hesitated either, with Epic Games' tech deployed in Star Wars series "The Mandalorian" and Oscar-winning short film "War is Over".
"We planned to diversify this way," said Sebastien Miglio, Epic's vice-president for Unreal Engine product development.
The developer has been gradually adding "the missing functionality to integrate (Unreal Engine) into production pipelines" across different industries.
Around 600 people work full-time at Epic on the game engine, which boasts a monthly user count of more than one million.
That makes Unreal Engine a "significant" part of Epic's business, Miglio said.
Some of the software's success can be traced to its unique business model, under which Epic offers game developers the software for free and takes a five-percent cut only if their work tops $1.0 million in revenue.
In other sectors, access costs around $1,800 per user for companies making more than a million in annual revenue.

'Standardisation'

Generous access policies have made Unreal Engine a boon to online content creators.
"We see it kind of as a free tool" that "meets the need to illustrate our videos," said Sylvain Szewczyk, who uses Unreal to create interview backgrounds and illustrations for tech-focused stories broadcast to his 540,000 YouTube subscribers.
But the tool's dominance as the first choice for creators could lead to excessive "standardisation" of 3D content, ICAN's Roy warned.
"Games developed with Unreal often have a graphical footprint that's easy to spot," he said.
Epic still has big plans for Unreal Engine, aiming to adapt it for mobile games and add to its capabilities.
"Today we can make multiplayer games on maps of around eight square kilometres (three square miles) with 100 players," Epic's Miglio said.
"What we're looking at today is how to put up to 100,000 players on maps of 100, 200 or 300 square kilometres."
The tool has not escaped the 2020s AI fever, with the developer also planning to integrate a generative tool for 3D objects or for automatically carrying out certain tasks.
kf/tgb/rl/ane

oil

OPEC+ mulls oil production increase in shadow of war

BY POL-MALO LE BRIS

  • - Limited impact - Even if OPEC+ agrees on an output increase of 137,000 barrels per day on Sunday, the impact on oil prices will be limited, especially since the hike would only translate into an actual increase of 80,000 to 90,000 barrels, according to Kpler estimates. 
  • As a fresh Middle East conflict risks sending oil prices sharply higher, Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other key members of the OPEC+ alliance are widely expected to announce an output increase Sunday, analysts say.
  • - Limited impact - Even if OPEC+ agrees on an output increase of 137,000 barrels per day on Sunday, the impact on oil prices will be limited, especially since the hike would only translate into an actual increase of 80,000 to 90,000 barrels, according to Kpler estimates. 
As a fresh Middle East conflict risks sending oil prices sharply higher, Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other key members of the OPEC+ alliance are widely expected to announce an output increase Sunday, analysts say.
The virtual meeting by the eight members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied nations (OPEC+) known as the "Voluntary Eight" (V8) comes a day after the US and Israel launched an ongoing wave of strikes on Iran.
Last year, the V8 group -- comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman -- boosted production by around 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in total before announcing a three-month pause in output hikes.  
But now the picture has changed dramatically.
Even before the conflict erupted on Saturday, the market had already priced in a growing geopolitical risk premium over months of US military build-up in the region.
Brent, the global benchmark for crude oil, jumped more than three percent on Friday to trade over $73 per barrel, up from $61 at the beginning of the year.
Several other developments have squeezed oil supply since early January, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.
They include "cold weather in the US across January (that) resulted in temporarily production shut-ins", "disruptions in Russia" linked to drone attacks, as well as in Kazakhstan, where "a power outage disrupted production from the Tengiz oil field", he added.
That's why, even before Saturday's strikes, the market was anticipating a quota increase of 137,000 barrels per day. 
"These relatively high prices are a good incentive for OPEC+ to resume its production increases" from April, Kpler analyst Homayoun Falakshahi told AFP.
Before the weekend, Falakshahi said a US strike on Iran would not necessarily alter the OPEC+ decision, as the group might prefer to wait and assess the impact on flows before adding more oil to the market than previously planned.

Iran tensions

In the short term, the US attack will likely trigger "a massive surge in prices" with what follows depending on how far the conflict escalates, Falakshahi said.
The conflict could certainly severely disrupt global oil supplies and send barrel prices soaring to a level not seen in years.
Iran is a significant oil producer, but the principal risk remains a prolonged blockade of the Straits of Hormuz, through which around 20 million barrels of crude pass each day -- around 20 percent of global production.
And there are virtually no alternatives for crude transport.
Only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pipeline networks, capable of carrying a maximum of 2.6 million barrels per day, that allow them to bypass the Straits of Hormuz, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
"That said, even if strikes remain limited, we think Brent crude oil prices might rise to about $80pb (around their peak during the 12-day war in June 2025), from $73pb yesterday", wrote William Jackson, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.
But prices would rise much more if the conflict is a prolonged one, particularly if the Strait of Hormuz is blocked for an extended period.
"That could cause oil prices to jump, perhaps to around $100pb," said Jackson.

Limited impact

Even if OPEC+ agrees on an output increase of 137,000 barrels per day on Sunday, the impact on oil prices will be limited, especially since the hike would only translate into an actual increase of 80,000 to 90,000 barrels, according to Kpler estimates. 
"Spare capacity is much smaller than some perceive, and primarily in the hands of Saudi Arabia," Staunovo told AFP, adding that Russian production had been "on a declining trend over the last two months".
Boosting production would nevertheless allow OPEC+ members to regain market share in the face of competition from other key players such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Guyana. 
"OPEC+ would prefer prices of $80-90, but around $70 per barrel is the ideal price level for this strategy" because it is "not enough to encourage further investment by US producers but acceptable for OPEC+," Falakshahi said.
pml-kym/rl/db-jj/ane

conflict

Texas port humming as Trump ramps up Venezuela oil

BY MOISéS ÁVILA

  • At the Port of Houston this past week, a crane loaded trucks, generators and machinery onto the Roibeira as it prepared to set sail to Venezuela, the second vessel from the shipping company International Frontier Forwarders to head to the South American nation.
  • A cargo ship teems with workers in hard hats at the Port of Houston, the latest US vessel headed to Venezuela after President Donald Trump lifted restrictions to boost oil production in the crisis-hit country.
  • At the Port of Houston this past week, a crane loaded trucks, generators and machinery onto the Roibeira as it prepared to set sail to Venezuela, the second vessel from the shipping company International Frontier Forwarders to head to the South American nation.
A cargo ship teems with workers in hard hats at the Port of Houston, the latest US vessel headed to Venezuela after President Donald Trump lifted restrictions to boost oil production in the crisis-hit country.
US sanctions have crippled Venezuela for years, but Trump's administration has been working with interim president Delcy Rodriguez after toppling autocratic leader Nicolas Maduro.
Washington has used a carrot-and-stick approach with Rodriguez, praising her for welcoming US oil companies but at the same time threatening Venezuela with punishment if she does not cooperate.
At the Port of Houston this past week, a crane loaded trucks, generators and machinery onto the Roibeira as it prepared to set sail to Venezuela, the second vessel from the shipping company International Frontier Forwarders to head to the South American nation.
Greg Diaz, the company's Venezuelan-American owner, said there were more than 8,500 cubic meters of goods onboard, equivalent to around 120 containers.
"Before, it took us six to eight months to accumulate enough cargo to go to Venezuela," he told AFP.
"And now, in 20 days, we're able to complete the orders to fill our ship to max capacity and go to Venezuela and complete the orders right away."
That demand, he said, comes from private companies in Venezuela that are investing massively -- something that was impossible under Maduro.

'Venezuelan dream'

Venezuela was once a major crude supplier to the United States, and has the world's largest proven reserves with more than 303 billion barrels, according to global oil cartel OPEC.
This amounts to about a fifth of the world's oil reserves.
But in 2024, Venezuela produced only about one percent of global crude, its industry left haggard by years of underinvestment, mismanagement and US sanctions.
That all changed when US forces captured Venezuela's socialist leader Maduro in a deadly raid on the capital Caracas on January 3.
Rodriguez, who was vice president under Maduro, was accepted by Trump as Maduro's replacement on condition she submit to Washington demands for access to Venezuelan oil.
The US Treasury has since eased a seven-year-old oil embargo on Venezuela and issued licenses allowing a handful of multinationals to operate in the country under certain conditions.
In his recent State of the Union address, Trump said the United States had received more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, describing the nation as "our new friend and partner."
But despite American enthusiasm, major companies remain cautious.
"I think the politics of it is moving a little bit too fast," Jorge Pinon, a researcher at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas, told AFP.
"Everybody was willing to sign" at the White House meeting with oil company executives in January, "except for Exxon, which was the only one that had the courage to say 'we need assurances.'"
Pinon said there was no sense of urgency from the Americans to revive Venezuela's oil industry, though, as the United States is the world's largest producer of crude oil with secure supplies.
For now, the industry is more interested in Guyana, Brazil, and even the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil companies first "have to see what's the state of the infrastructure" in Venezuela, Pinon added.
Political instability is another concern.
"What about if in two years, three years from now, Venezuela has free elections and a new government suddenly changes the rules?" he said.
Back at Houston's port, Greg Diaz remained optimistic.
"It's amazing because we're not only helping the American drilling companies, but also the Venezuelan private companies in the oil and gas sector to buy quality US-made drill rigs," he said.
"But also, we help the mid-size to small companies and entrepreneurs that now can buy, whether it's one piece of machinery or a large order, and make possible the Venezuelan dream."
mav/cms/mlm

technology

Vietnam AI law takes effect, first in Southeast Asia

BY TRAN THI MINH HA

  • The law applies to developers as well as providers and deployers of the technology, whether they are Vietnamese organisations or foreign entities operating in the country.
  • A law regulating artificial intelligence went into effect in Vietnam on Sunday, making it the first country in Southeast Asia with a comprehensive framework on the booming technology.
  • The law applies to developers as well as providers and deployers of the technology, whether they are Vietnamese organisations or foreign entities operating in the country.
A law regulating artificial intelligence went into effect in Vietnam on Sunday, making it the first country in Southeast Asia with a comprehensive framework on the booming technology.
Passed by the National Assembly in December, the law focuses on the risks posed by generative AI, requiring human oversight and control along the lines of the European Union's landmark AI Act.
Many nations are moving to address the dangers of chatbots and image generators -- from misinformation to online abuse and copyright violations -- but few have enacted legislation.
The legislation, which is in force as of March 1, "paves the way for Vietnam to deeply integrate with international standards while maintaining digital sovereignty", the government said in a December report.
It requires companies to clearly label AI-generated content such as deepfakes that cannot readily be differentiated from reality.
It also requires them to disclose to customers when they are interacting with an artificial rather than human agent.
The law applies to developers as well as providers and deployers of the technology, whether they are Vietnamese organisations or foreign entities operating in the country.
Vietnam has set ambitious double-digit growth targets for the next five years, with expansion of the digital economy a key part of its development strategy.
AI and the data economy are "pillars" of a "more sustainable and smarter new development" model, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was quoted as saying Wednesday on the government's website.
Under the law, the government will establish a national AI computing centre, improved data resources and large language models in Vietnamese.

'Not the final word'

So far only a handful of countries have implemented far-reaching regulatory frameworks on AI.
The United States has opposed what Vice President JD Vance called "excessive regulation", warning it could stifle innovation in the key sector.
In January, South Korea became the first country to have an AI law take full effect, while the European Union is gradually phasing in a set of rules that will become completely applicable in 2027.
While Vietnam's law is a regulatory milestone, analysts said its impact would depend on how the government enforces it and on what guidance it issues on implementation.
The law is "not the final word" but rather a "decisive starting point", Vietnam-based LNT & Partners law firm said in an analysis on its website.
"It establishes responsibility, human control, and risk management as the governing themes of AI regulation," the firm said.
However, it added, "the true impact will depend on implementing decrees, sectoral regulations, and enforcement practice".
Patrick Keil, senior legal adviser at law firm DFDL, called the law "a significant statement of national ambition" but told AFP businesses will continue to face some uncertainty about their obligations until the government issues further guidance.
At an AI summit hosted by New Delhi in February, 91 countries and international organisations called for "secure, trustworthy and robust" AI.
But their declaration, signed by the United States and China, was criticised by AI safety campaigners for being too generic to protect the public.
tmh/tym/sco/kaf/ami

technology

OpenAI strikes Pentagon deal with 'safeguards' as Trump dumps Anthropic

BY W.G. DUNLOP AND ALEX PIGMAN

  • Hours later, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a deal with the Pentagon to use its models with similar red lines to Anthropic, using "technical safeguards" that the Department of Defense had agreed to.
  • OpenAI said Friday it struck a deal for the Pentagon to use its models in the US defense agency's classified network, with "safeguards," after President Donald Trump blacklisted AI rival Anthropic.
  • Hours later, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a deal with the Pentagon to use its models with similar red lines to Anthropic, using "technical safeguards" that the Department of Defense had agreed to.
OpenAI said Friday it struck a deal for the Pentagon to use its models in the US defense agency's classified network, with "safeguards," after President Donald Trump blacklisted AI rival Anthropic.
Trump had ordered the government to stop using Anthropic, calling it a threat to national security after it refused to agree to unconditional military use of its Claude models.
The firm vowed to sue over the "intimidation" in what has become a rare public dispute between a major tech firm and the US government, insisting its technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.
Hours later, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced a deal with the Pentagon to use its models with similar red lines to Anthropic, using "technical safeguards" that the Department of Defense had agreed to.
"Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems," Altman wrote on X, adding that those principles went "into our agreement."
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Washington had lashed out at Anthropic over its ethical concerns, saying the Pentagon operates within the law and contracted suppliers cannot set terms on how their products are employed.
"I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic's technology. We don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow," Trump added.

Court challenge

Altman told employees Thursday that he was seeking an agreement with the Pentagon that would include demands similar to Anthropic's, and that he hoped to help broker a resolution.
"Humans should remain in the loop for high-stakes automated decisions," he wrote in a memo to employees, according to US media.
Anthropic echoed those sentiments in a statement earlier Friday, saying no pushback from Washington would "change our position on mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons."
The company said it remains "ready to continue our work to support the national security of the United States."
The Pentagon had said Anthropic must agree to comply with its demand by 5:01 pm (22:01 GMT) Friday or face compulsion under the Defense Production Act.
The Cold War-era law, last invoked during the Covid pandemic, grants the federal government sweeping powers to direct private industry toward national security priorities.
The Pentagon also threatened to designate Anthropic a supply chain risk -- a label typically reserved for companies from adversary nations.
But in response Anthropic said it would seek to overturn the ban.
"We will challenge any supply chain risk designation in court," the San Francisco-based AI startup said in a lengthy statement that outlined the dangers of the Pentagon's demands.

'Dangerous precedent'

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier he was directing the Pentagon to follow through on the latter threat, and that "effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic."
"Anthropic delivered a master class in arrogance and betrayal as well as a textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government or the Pentagon," Hegseth wrote on X.
Calling Hegseth "the least qualified Secretary of Defense in our nation's history," top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries praised what he called Anthropic's courage for pushing back "against this shocking invasion of privacy scheme." 
"Mass surveillance of American citizens is unacceptable," Jeffries added in his statement late Friday.
The conflict had earlier drawn a show of solidarity from others in the industry, with hundreds of employees from AI giants Google DeepMind and OpenAI urging their companies to rally behind Anthropic in an open letter titled "We Will Not Be Divided."
"We hope our leaders will put aside their differences and stand together to continue to refuse the Department of War's current demands for permission to use our models for domestic mass surveillance and autonomously killing people without human oversight," the letter said.
"They're trying to divide each company with fear that the other will give in. That strategy only works if none of us know where the others stand," it added.
wd-arp/mlm/sla/jfx/nro