US

Mideast war presents 'serious risk' for Africa: report

  • The Middle East accounts for 15.8 percent of Africa's imports and 10.9 percent of its exports, the report noted.
  • The Middle East war "presents a serious risk to Africa", the African Union and the African Development Bank (AfDB) said in a report seen by AFP Saturday.
  • The Middle East accounts for 15.8 percent of Africa's imports and 10.9 percent of its exports, the report noted.
The Middle East war "presents a serious risk to Africa", the African Union and the African Development Bank (AfDB) said in a report seen by AFP Saturday.
The conflict threatens to increase the cost of living and curtail growth on the continent, the report warned.
The Middle East accounts for 15.8 percent of Africa's imports and 10.9 percent of its exports, the report noted.
"The conflict, which already has triggered a trade shock, could quickly turn into a cost-of-living crisis across Africa through higher fuel and food prices, rising shipping and insurance costs, exchange rate pressures, and tighter fiscal conditions," it added.
The growth rate of most African countries continues to be slower than before the Covid pandemic, it noted.
"A loss in output growth of 0.2 percentage points on Africa's GDP is projected for 2026 if it (the conflict) exceeds six months," it said.
"The longer the conflict lasts and the more severe the disruption to shipping routes and energy and fertilizer supplies, the greater the risk of a significant growth slowdown across the continent."
Reduced deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Gulf will impact fertilizer production, limiting its availability during the crucial planting period up to May, it added.

Currencies hit

The report was compiled by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
According to recent data from the AfDB, the currencies of 29 African countries have already depreciated, increasing the cost of servicing external debt, making imports more expensive and reducing foreign exchange reserves,
Some countries could see some short-term gains, such as Nigeria for its oil exports or Mozambique for its LNG.
The rerouting of ships around Cape of Good Hope could benefit ports in Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia and Mauritius.
Kenya is establishing itself as a logistics hub in East Africa, while Ethiopian Airlines, the leading carrier in Africa, is serving as an "emergency air bridge" between the continent, Asia, and Europe, the report noted. 
But these gains are likely to be uneven and will not offset the consequences for inflation, budgets, and food security in Africa, they warned.
Above all, the current crisis could hit the costs of humanitarian aid and divert donor funds towards other priorities.
bur-ayv/gv/jj

US

War in the Middle East: latest developments

  • Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south after Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of its backer Iran on March 2.
  • The latest developments in the Middle East war: - Blasts over Jerusalem - Several loud explosions were heard over Jerusalem after the Israeli military warned it had detected missiles inbound from Iran.
  • Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south after Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of its backer Iran on March 2.
The latest developments in the Middle East war:

Blasts over Jerusalem

Several loud explosions were heard over Jerusalem after the Israeli military warned it had detected missiles inbound from Iran.
AFP journalists heard at least six blasts. Earlier in the day, missile attacks on Tel Aviv and parts of central Israel wounded five Israelis, said the rescue services.

US arrests relatives of slain Iranian general

Two family members of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani have been arrested in the United States after their residency permits were rescinded, the US State Department said Saturday.
Federal agents detained the niece and grand niece of Soleimani, killed in a US drone strike in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in January 2020 -- the final year of US President Donald Trump's first term in office.

Trump threatens 'Hell' if no deal in 48 hours

Trump said Iran had 48 hours to make a deal on opening the vital Strait of Hormuz or face "Hell".
"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"Time is running out -- 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them," the president said Saturday.

Israel hits Tyre after evacuation warnings

Israel's military renewed strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing evacuation warnings, following attacks on nearby buildings that damaged a hospital.
Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south after Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of its backer Iran on March 2.

Turkey's Erdogan calls for end to war

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the war had led to a "geostrategic impasse" and called for new efforts to end the conflict, during a telephone conversation with NATO chief Mark Rutte, his office said.

Iran sites hit

US-Israeli strikes on Iran targeted a nuclear plant, a petrochemical hub, a trade terminal and a cement factory, Iranian media reported.
A strike near the Bushehr nuclear power station killed a guard but caused no damage, the official IRNA news agency said. The UN's nuclear watchdog said no increased radiation levels had been detected. 

Ships through Hormuz

An Indian-flagged LPG tanker transited the Strait of Hormuz -- the latest of several vessels to make it through the Gulf chokepoint in recent days.
Turkey said a second Turkey-flagged ship also went through the strait. On Friday, tracking data showed one French-owned ship and one Japanese-owned vessel had passed through the previous day.

Italy PM talks energy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, on a visit to the Gulf, discussed energy issues with leader of gas-rich Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and "possible measures to mitigate the shocks suffered", said her office.

Iraqi fighter killed

An attack killed a fighter in the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq, near the Syria border, the former paramilitary coalition said, blaming a US-Israeli strike.
The PMF -- now part of Iraq's regular army but containing pro-Iran factions -- has been repeatedly targeted since the outbreak of war on February 28.

Iran executions

Iran executed two men convicted of membership of a banned opposition group and carrying out actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic republic.
They were the latest in a series of executions targeting the banned People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). Four members were executed earlier in the week.

Four injured in Bahrain

Shrapnel from intercepted drones wounded four people in Bahrain, authorities said. Separately, two buildings in Dubai were hit by debris, including one housing the US cloud computing firm Oracle, United Arab Emirates authorities said.

Peacekeepers wounded

Indonesia slammed as "unacceptable" an explosion that wounded three of its UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, just days after three other Indonesians were killed in separate incidents.

Missiles fired at Israel

The Israeli army said its air defences responded to missiles fired from Iran, which medics reported wounded one person.
Israel's emergency services said a 45‑year‑old man was treated for minor injuries from glass shrapnel in the central city of Bnei Brak.
burs-pdw/jj

conflict

Erdogan, Zelensky discuss energy security, peace efforts

  • Erdogan "stressed the importance that Turkey attaches to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the crucial nature of the security of energy supply," his office said.
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul Saturday for talks on energy and navigation security, and efforts to end the war with Russia, the Turkish presidency said.
  • Erdogan "stressed the importance that Turkey attaches to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the crucial nature of the security of energy supply," his office said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul Saturday for talks on energy and navigation security, and efforts to end the war with Russia, the Turkish presidency said.
The visit came a day after Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who accused Kyiv of attempting to target the gas pipeline between Russia and Turkey supplying several European countries.
Erdogan "stressed the importance that Turkey attaches to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the crucial nature of the security of energy supply," his office said.
The two leaders had discussed relations between the countries, "peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and regional and international developments", it added. 
Zelensky said they had discussed "steps to implement joint projects in developing gas infrastructure, as well as opportunities for joint development of gas fields".
There was a heavy police presence around the lavish Dolmabahce Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus, which also hosted several rounds of talks between Moscow and Kyiv in the past.
Zelensky was also due to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of most Christian Orthodox churches, a week before the Orthodox Easter, celebrated in Ukraine and Russia on April 12.
Kyiv has been pushing for a truce over the Orthodox Easter holidays that would include a halt in attacks on energy infrastructure.
Russia, which is seeking a permanent settlement rather than a brief ceasefire, said it had not seen any "clearly formulated" proposals from Kyiv.
Ukraine has struck Russian energy infrastructure throughout the more than four-year war in a bid to weaken Moscow's ability to finance its offensive.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities have cut power and heating to millions of people since the beginning the war in 2022.
bur-asy/jj

US

European drivers choke on rising diesel prices

BY NATHALIE ALONSO

  • The international supply-and-demand balance for diesel "was much tighter than the gasoline balance going into the war and the subsequent market response has been one of strong gasoil (diesel) price escalation while gasoline’s price response has been somewhat muted," Susan Bell, a commodity markets specialist at Rystad Energy, a consultancy, told AFP. - Russia dilemma - In Britain, France and other countries, the price of diesel has risen more than 30 percent since the first US-Israeli air strikes on Iran and resulting choking of the Strait of Hormuz.
  • The price of diesel fuel has rocketed by more than 30 percent across Europe since the start of the Middle East war highlighting the continent's dependence on imported energy and the lingering prominence of  diesel on the car market.
  • The international supply-and-demand balance for diesel "was much tighter than the gasoline balance going into the war and the subsequent market response has been one of strong gasoil (diesel) price escalation while gasoline’s price response has been somewhat muted," Susan Bell, a commodity markets specialist at Rystad Energy, a consultancy, told AFP. - Russia dilemma - In Britain, France and other countries, the price of diesel has risen more than 30 percent since the first US-Israeli air strikes on Iran and resulting choking of the Strait of Hormuz.
The price of diesel fuel has rocketed by more than 30 percent across Europe since the start of the Middle East war highlighting the continent's dependence on imported energy and the lingering prominence of  diesel on the car market.
The Easter holiday weekend across Europe is expected to see a surge in demand with queues at petrol stations.
Diesel has been worse hit than other fuels, and was already under pressure before the war. Experts say its cost will rise further -- with a knock-on effect on inflation -- as long as trade through the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.
The per-barrel price of diesel rose above $200 in Europe on Thursday, the highest since March 2022 when Russia's invasion of Ukraine shook markets.
Diesel is ubiquitous in Europe. While electric cars are making inroads in new sales, diesel is still the most widely used fuel. Trucks, farm tractors, buses, building site machinery and even shipping depend on it.
Diesel accounted for 86 percent of transport fuel sales in Latvia in 2024, 73 percent in France and 66 percent in Germany, according to FuelsEurope, a trade body which represents the refining industry.
The international supply-and-demand balance for diesel "was much tighter than the gasoline balance going into the war and the subsequent market response has been one of strong gasoil (diesel) price escalation while gasoline’s price response has been somewhat muted," Susan Bell, a commodity markets specialist at Rystad Energy, a consultancy, told AFP.

Russia dilemma

In Britain, France and other countries, the price of diesel has risen more than 30 percent since the first US-Israeli air strikes on Iran and resulting choking of the Strait of Hormuz.
In France, the price of regular petrol has gone up by just 17 percent, according to government statistics consulted by AFP.
The Netherlands has the most expensive diesel in Europe at more than $2.80 a litre, according to research by the RAC, a British motoring organisation. That is about 20 percent more than Italy, the cheapest country surveyed by the RAC.
Diesel was for a long time cheaper than petrol. At the end of the 20th century, governments and car firms encouraged drivers to buy diesel-engine cars. But not enough refineries were built to keep up with demand for the fuel and in recent years governments have imposed higher taxes on it.
The European Union is now a net exporter of petrol, mainly to the United States and Africa, but an importer of diesel.
Russia was Europe's main source of diesel until Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 set off international sanctions. 
Now EU nations look to India, Turkey, the United States and Saudi Arabia for supplies.
Middle East states provided more than half of Europe's diesel in 2025 (554,000 barrels a day out of 1.06 million), according to Rystad Energy. About one third of this passed through the Strait Hormuz.
Europe is now struggling to find alternatives. 
Slovakia last month ordered a 30-day restriction on diesel sales while foreigners have to pay more for the fuel there. Ireland and Spain have temporarily cut the taxes they charge on the fuel.
"Refineries are working at full capacity," said an expert at French energy giant TotalEnergies which has six refineries across Europe. 
"Even with maximum adjustment to our settings, the room for manoeuvre remains minimal" for TotalEnergies, he added.
Bell said that if there is a shortage of regular petrol then Europe can cut its exports. But that doesn't work for diesel.
"The most efficient and economical solution for Europe would be to source its diesel from Russia," said Bell. 
The EU will not be lifting its sanctions anytime soon however.
Postponing refinery maintenance, using strategic reserves, and reducing consumption appear to be the only other ways to partially address the imbalance, she said.
nal/cda/tw/rmb

politics

Sri Lanka struggles to avert economic collapse over Mideast war

BY AMAL JAYASINGHE

  • An IMF delegation is currently in Sri Lanka to review its four-year $2.9 billion bailout loan before releasing a $700 million instalment.
  • Sri Lanka is struggling to prevent a repeat of its spectacular economic collapse four years ago, as the prolonged Middle East war compounds the fallout from a deadly in November.
  • An IMF delegation is currently in Sri Lanka to review its four-year $2.9 billion bailout loan before releasing a $700 million instalment.
Sri Lanka is struggling to prevent a repeat of its spectacular economic collapse four years ago, as the prolonged Middle East war compounds the fallout from a deadly
in November.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has rationed fuel, raiseditsprice by a third and increased electricity costs by up to 40 percent since the war began disrupting global energy supplies.
Panic buying fuel in Sri Lanka has brought back memories of 2022, when the economy tanked, with inflation hitting 70 percent after Colombo defaulted on its $46 billion external debt.
The accompanying protests toppled the once-powerful president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was accused of mismanagement and corruption.
But the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) that led the "Aragalaya", or struggle, that ousted Rajapaksa has warned that Dissanayake's administration may be facing an implosion.
"We believe that a response to this economic crisis will come politically," FSP politburo member Duminda Nagamuwa told AFP.
"Because of the strength of the (government's) mandate, this economic shock is still being absorbed by the people without exploding politically," he said.
Dissanayake's leftist JVP, or the People's Liberation Front, won a two-thirds majority at the November 2024 parliamentary elections after his own victory two months earlier in the presidential poll.

- 'Into an abyss' -

A vendor at Colombo's Pettah night market, Wasantha Jayalath, 55, said he voted for Dissanayake in 2024 hoping for better times, but felt the situation was getting worse.
"We voted... thinking that a good, self-sufficient era would dawn for our country," Jayalath told AFP. "There is no such situation; instead, what we realise is that the country is going further into an abyss."
A trader at the capital's main wholesale market, Priyantha Sudharshana Silva, 53, is not blaming the administration for the crisis.
"Protesting won't help because the country is already in a difficult position," Silva told AFP. "We believe that moving forward, even with these difficulties, is a significant achievement."

- State of emergency -

Human rights lawyer Bhavani Fonseka said protests have been subdued because people are preoccupied with the day-to-day challenge of securing supplies.
Fuel rationing has shortened queues, but on Thursday, the government began limiting water supply hours to conserve reserves and save pumping costs.
"Compared to what we had in 2022... you're not seeing that level of protest," Fonseka told AFP. "Sri Lanka was just coming out of another disaster -- Cyclone Ditwah -- and the government imposed a state of emergency to deal with that."
Fonseka said the wide powers that emergency laws give the authorities to arrest and detain suspects could be used to stifle any popular protests,raisingserious concerns for rights activists.
"We are in a situation where... laws that are in place, and the way they are being used, raise the question of whether rights could be further eroded in the coming weeks and months," she said. 

- Deadly cyclone -

Cyclone Ditwah, the worst disaster since the 2004 Asian tsunami, killed 641 people and affected almost the entire country late last year. 
The cyclone, which triggered floods and mudslides, caused an estimated $4.1 billion in damage, according to the World Bank.
The money will be used to rebuild devastated homes, roads, bridges and railways, as well as for cash handouts to help people regain lost livelihoods.
Colombo also secured $206 million in emergency financing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in December to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.
An IMF delegation is currently in Sri Lanka to review its four-year $2.9 billion bailout loan before releasing a $700 million instalment.
Sri Lankan authorities have said they may ask the IMF to modify theloan'sausterity conditions, given the country's worsening economic circumstances due to external factors.
aj/lkd/lga

US

Iran hunts crew member of crashed US jet after one reported rescued

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN, JERUSALEM, WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, DUBAI AND SANAA

  • Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported American special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other still missing.
  • Iranian and American forces were racing each other early Saturday to recover a crew member of the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.
  • Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported American special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other still missing.
Iranian and American forces were racing each other early Saturday to recover a crew member of the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.
Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported American special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other still missing.
Iran's military also said it downed a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, with US media saying the pilot was rescued.
The war erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide.
US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the loss of the F-15, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The president has been briefed".
President Donald Trump told NBC the F-15 loss would not affect negotiations with Iran, saying: "No, not at all. No, it's war."

'Valuable reward'

A spokesperson for the Iranian military's central operational command said "an American hostile fighter jet in central Iranian airspace was struck and destroyed by the IRGC Aerospace Force's advanced air defence system".
"The jet was completely obliterated, and further searches are ongoing."
An Iranian television reporter on a local official channel said anyone who captured a crew member alive would "receive a valuable reward".
The US military has announced the loss of several aircraft during Iran operations, including one tanker that crashed in Iraq and three F-15s shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire.
Retired US brigadier general Houston Cantwell -- who has 400 hours of combat flight experience -- said key goals for downed pilots include determining their location and figuring out how to communicate.
"My priority would be, first of all, concealment, because I don't want to be captured," he told AFP.

Blown-out windows

Fresh strikes meanwhile hit Israel, Iran, Lebanon and Gulf countries -- and large blasts rocked northern Tehran, an AFP journalist said. Israel said it had launched a wave of strikes in the Iranian capital, alongside parallel attacks in Beirut.
Strikes by all sides have increasingly targeted economic and industrial sites, raising fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies.
In the area around a bridge west of Tehran that was targeted by the United States, an AFP reporter saw a villa and residential buildings with blown-out windows -- but no military installations.
According to the martyrs foundation of Alborz province, cited by the official IRNA agency, the attack killed 13 civilians and wounded dozens.  

Ex-FM urges deal

Writing in the US journal Foreign Affairs, Iran's former foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said Tehran should make a deal with Washington to end the war by offering to curb its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran has virtually blocked the key waterway since the war began, where one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas normally passes. 
Of the few ships that have managed to cross, most have had links to Iran, with 60 percent of commodity-bearing ships crossing the strait either coming from Iran or heading there, an AFP analysis of maritime data showed.
Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that Iran would increase its own attacks on energy sites in the region in response to threats from Trump of attacks on infrastructure.
A drone attack on a refinery owned by Kuwait's national oil company on Friday sparked fires, while a separate Iranian attack damaged a power and desalination complex.
Bahrain said four of its citizens sustained "minor injuries" as a result of shrapnel from an intercepted Iranian drone.
And one person was killed and four others injured after a fire at a gas complex in the United Arab Emirates caused by falling debris from an intercepted attack.

Bridge destroyed in Lebanon

The Israeli military said Friday it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon in the month since fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah began.
It added that it would attack two bridges in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa region "in order to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and military equipment".
Lebanese state media later reported that Israel destroyed one bridge in the region.
Lebanon's health ministry said Thursday that 1,345 people had been killed -- and 4,040 wounded -- since the start of the war.
Hezbollah has so far not announced its losses.
bur-wd/sst

US

Middle East war: global economic fallout

  • In addition, three tankers -- including one co-owned by a Japanese company -- crossed the strait on Thursday via an alternative, southern route.
  • Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war: - More ships pass Hormuz -  A French-owned and a Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of ships to have transited the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday.
  • In addition, three tankers -- including one co-owned by a Japanese company -- crossed the strait on Thursday via an alternative, southern route.
Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war:
- More ships pass Hormuz - 
A French-owned and a Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of ships to have transited the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday.
The passage, a vital route for oil and liquified natural gas, has been virtually blocked by Tehran since US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered conflict throughout the Middle East.
Both ships made the crossing on Thursday, according to tracking company Marine Traffic.
In addition, three tankers -- including one co-owned by a Japanese company -- crossed the strait on Thursday via an alternative, southern route.
They hugged close to the shore of Oman's Musandam Peninsula, a first in nearly three weeks, according to Lloyd's List.

UAE gas site fire kills one

One person was killed and four others wounded after a fire at a gas complex in Abu Dhabi, caused by falling debris from an intercepted attack on Friday, the government media office said.
It also reported "significant damage" at the facilities.

Italian central bank cuts forecast

Italy's central bank revised down its growth forecasts due to "sudden energy price hikes" linked to the war.
The Bank of Italy now expects gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 0.5 percent both this year and next, and then by 0.8 percent in 2028.
It previously forecast 0.6-percent growth in 2026 and 0.8 percent in 2027.

White House seeks $1.5 tn

US President Donald Trump asked lawmakers to approve a massive $1.5-trillion defence budget for 2027, as the United States faces rising costs from its war with Iran and mounting global security commitments.
The proposal would increase Pentagon spending by more than 40 percent in a single year -- the sharpest rise since World War II.

UAE company needs year to restart aluminium

Emirates Global Aluminium, one of the world's largest aluminium producers, said it could take up to a year to resume full production after an Iranian missile attack damaged its Abu Dhabi site.
Iran has attacked several smelters in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain since the war began on February 28, saying they play a role in supplying US military.

Israel re-opens gas field

Israel resumed operations at its Leviathan offshore major natural gas field.
It had been shut down since the onset of its war with Iran, halting exports to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan. 

Bangladesh cuts office hours

Bangladesh cut office and shop hours and banned decorative lighting at weddings starting Friday, to conserve energy stocks after price hikes.
Bangladesh imports 95 percent of its oil and gas needs. About 60 percent of its electricity is generated using imported gas, while diesel is primarily used for farming.

Free bus rides in Pakistan

State-run public transport in Pakistan's capital and most populous province will be free for the coming month, officials said Friday.
The announcement came hours after a late-night decision to impose a 43-percent rise in the price of petrol and 55 percent on diesel, prompting street protests and long queues at gas stations.

Food prices rise

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its Food Price Index, which measures the monthly changes in international prices of a basket of food commodities, rose 2.4 percent in March from February due to higher energy and fertiliser costs.

Australia faces petrol shortages

Australia's government urged motorists to fill their cars at city petrol stations ahead of any long road trips over the Easter holiday.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said hundreds of service stations in rural towns had run out of diesel nationally and more than a hundred were without unleaded petrol.
burs-aha-bys/sst

indicator

US registers strong job growth in boost to Trump

BY ASAD HASHIM AND MYRIAM LEMETAYER

  • "My Economic Policies have created an enormously powerful engine of Economic Growth, and nothing can slow it down," Trump said on his Truth Social platform, hailing the number of private sector jobs gained.
  • The US economy posted unexpectedly strong job gains in March, data showed Friday, in a development hailed by US President Donald Trump -- but seen with caution by analysts.
  • "My Economic Policies have created an enormously powerful engine of Economic Growth, and nothing can slow it down," Trump said on his Truth Social platform, hailing the number of private sector jobs gained.
The US economy posted unexpectedly strong job gains in March, data showed Friday, in a development hailed by US President Donald Trump -- but seen with caution by analysts.
The world's largest economy gained 178,000 jobs in March, after losing 133,000 in February, and the unemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percentage points to 4.3 percent, the Labor Department said.
Friday's data significantly beat analyst expectations, with economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal expecting an increase of 59,000 jobs.
The data was stronger than forecast, "but vastly overstates the sustainable pace of job growth," said Oxford Economics lead US economist Nancy Vanden Houten.
"The end of a strike, seasonal quirks and a rebound after harsh winter weather likely boosted job growth in some sectors," she said.
Trump touted the numbers as a success.
"My Economic Policies have created an enormously powerful engine of Economic Growth, and nothing can slow it down," Trump said on his Truth Social platform, hailing the number of private sector jobs gained.
Earlier, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said that once the "short-term disruptions" of the US-Israel war on Iran are over, "America's economic resurgence is set to only accelerate."
Markets were closed Friday in the United States for Good Friday.

Health care recovery

Much of March's recovery was fueled by health care jobs, which have remained resilient even as labor demand has dropped in other sectors.
Health care added 76,000 jobs in March, after having lost jobs the month before, in part due to strike actions.
Employment in construction also grew by 26,000 in March, although the Labor Department flagged that it had changed little over its level from a year ago.
Federal government employment continued to decline, down 11.8 percent since October 2024. Trump has taken a hatchet to the sector in a drive aimed at cost-cutting and reducing the size of government. 
The new data reflected a revision in the figures for January and February, showing employment for those two months combined was 7,000 lower than previously reported.

'Look through the noise'

The US-Israel war on Iran has engulfed the Middle East, sent oil prices surging and snarled supply chains, leading to fears of a global economic slowdown.
Analysts signaled caution as the economic impact of the war begins to hit Americans.
Nationwide Chief Economist Kathy Bostjancic said the March report showed the labor market was in "good standing," with "broad-based gains in the private sector."
Oxford Economics' Houten, however, said the report "doesn't change our assessment that the downside risks to the labor market have increased" due to the war.
"As the labor market softens due to the fallout from the war, we expect the unemployment rate to edge up," she said.
High energy prices tend to drive up production costs, curbing economic activity, with analysts expecting the current "low-hire, low-fire" trend to continue.
"If you look through the noise you have, you know that same picture that we've been looking at, which is a labor market that's holding up, but that has become more fragile, and that remains stuck in this low-hire, low-fire type of environment," EY-Parthenon Senior Economist Lydia Boussour told AFP.

Fed fallout

Uncertainty about the war's economic shock has so far led policymakers at the Federal Reserve to adopt a wait-and-see approach on interest rate moves, as they balance curbing stubbornly high inflation with managing unemployment.
Unemployment rates have remained relatively steady in the United States -- but the figure has hidden churn under the surface, analysts warn, as weak jobs growth has been matched by a drop in labor supply.
That drop in supply is largely attributed to Trump's crackdown on migrants.
For Fed policymakers, however, inflation currently appears to be a bigger risk than unemployment.
"We are getting mixed signals, with some key indicators showing signs of steadying while others are suggesting a weakening labor market," New York Fed President John Williams said Monday.
EY-Parthenon's Boussour said Friday's report will provide "a little bit of reassurance and a little bit of breathing room for the Fed to focus on the inflation side of their mandate in the coming months."
aha-myl/sst/mjf/dw 

US

French, Japanese ships cross Strait of Hormuz in first since war

  • - Down to a trickle - Just 221 commodities vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, some more than once, according to Kpler data up to Friday morning.
  • One French- and another Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of vessels to have crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday.
  • - Down to a trickle - Just 221 commodities vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, some more than once, according to Kpler data up to Friday morning.
One French- and another Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of vessels to have crossed the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday.
The passage, a vital maritime route for oil and liquified natural gas, has been virtually blocked by Iran since the start of the war.
But both ships made the crossing on Thursday, according to ship tracking company Marine Traffic's website.
The Maltese-flagged Kribi belonging to the French maritime transport group CMA CGM crossed the waterway to leave the Gulf on Thursday afternoon, Marine Traffic's data showed.
By early Friday, it was off Muscat, Oman, still broadcasting the message "owner France" on its transponder system in the field usually used to give the destination.
The vessel's navigation data showed it had crossed via an Iranian-approved route through its waters, dubbed the "Tehran Toll Booth" by leading shipping journal Lloyd's List.

Southern route

In addition, three tankers -- including one co-owned by a Japanese company -- crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday by taking an alternative, southern route.
They hugged close to the shore of Oman's Musandam Peninsula -- a first in nearly three weeks according to Lloyd's List.
Before the war, which started more than a month ago, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the Strait.
All three ships signalled they were an "OMANI SHIP" in the message broadcast by their transponder as they crossed the strait.
The Sohar LNG, which was empty when crossing, is co-owned by Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K.
That makes it the first Japanese vessel to exit the Gulf since the start of the war, according to a company statement quoted by Japanese media.
The Hong-Kong flagged New Vision, which crossed the strait on March 1 right after the war started, is expected in the French port of Le Havre on Saturday evening.
Since the conflict started however, that has dwindled to a trickle as Iran selectively attacks ships and energy facilities throughout the Gulf in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks.
A few commercial ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz recently have passed through the Iranian-approved route in the north of the waterway.

Down to a trickle

Just 221 commodities vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, some more than once, according to Kpler data up to Friday morning.
In peacetime, the same waterway handles around 120 daily transits, according to Lloyd's List.
Of the vessels that made the crossing, 60 percent either came from Iran or were heading there.
The other countries whose vessels -- of origin or destination -- made the crossing, were in decreasing order: the United Arab Emirates, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Brazil, and Iraq.
It was not clear from the data how many had been cleared to make the crossing by Tehran.
But it did show that, among the 118 crossings by ships carrying cargo, 37 had left the Gulf carrying crude oil.
Most of those oil tankers -- 30 of them -- came from Iran or sailed under the Iranian flag. And most ships carrying Iranian oil did not specify their destination on their transponder.
Of those who did, all but one reported they were heading to China.
In the early days of the war, transponder data showed dozens of ships broadcasting messages such as "Chinese crew" or "Chinese owner" in the field usually used for their destination.
This appeared to be an attempt by the ships to avoid being targeted by Iran.
dvz-jah-ys-lmc-lcr/jj

media

Wary of news media, Silicon Valley builds its own

BY ALEX PIGMAN

  • The show -- like a whole ecosystem of podcasts and media orbiting Silicon Valley today -- operates in a world where the benefits of tech for society need no explaining, and tech enthusiasm runs deep.
  • When OpenAI acquired the tech podcast TBPN this week, it wasn't just buying a show -- it was buying a message.
  • The show -- like a whole ecosystem of podcasts and media orbiting Silicon Valley today -- operates in a world where the benefits of tech for society need no explaining, and tech enthusiasm runs deep.
When OpenAI acquired the tech podcast TBPN this week, it wasn't just buying a show -- it was buying a message.
The move laid bare a strategy that Silicon Valley has been perfecting for years: ditch the tech-sceptics of the traditional press, and build your own media.
TBPN is in many ways a tribute to mainstream news, with co-hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays -- both from the venture capital world -- presenting a three-hour show daily from a studio in Los Angeles that resembles a business or sports program on a cable news network.
But Coogan and Hays insist they are not journalists, even if they line up interviews with key figures in the industry who offer insightful access to the Silicon Valley world.
The show -- like a whole ecosystem of podcasts and media orbiting Silicon Valley today -- operates in a world where the benefits of tech for society need no explaining, and tech enthusiasm runs deep.
Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of AGI Deployment, said the acquisition was driven by a need for "constructive conversation about the changes AI creates," and said TBPN would maintain its editorial independence.
The show and its team now fall under the responsibility of OpenAI's public affairs chief Chris Lehane, a veteran Washington lobbyist who made his name handling scandals for the Clinton administration.
"You could read this as OpenAI needing help translating complexity to decision-makers. You could also read it as buying favorable narrative positioning during a period of intense scrutiny. Probably both," said Monica Kahn, CEO of brand advisory Creator Revolution.
"They're buying the layer where interpretation happens," she added on LinkedIn.
The transaction follows a movement spearheaded by Elon Musk and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen in which the most powerful figures in tech are circumventing mainstream news media to avoid an establishment they describe as anti-tech or left-wing.
The roster of shows where Silicon Valley's elite now prefer to make news constitutes a parallel media ecosystem.
Andreessen Horowitz has invested heavily to build its own media empire, putting out podcasts to showcase its portfolio of tech investments and push a deeply pro-tech agenda without confrontation.

'Mistake'

Lex Fridman's podcast draws millions of viewers or listeners and has attracted tech luminaries including Musk, Zuckerberg, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for two-to-three-hour discussions ranging from business to the personal.
The unabashedly right-wing All-In Podcast has featured the top CEOs, as well as executives closely linked to the Trump administration who avoid the mainstream news coverage they see as unsympathetic.
Zuckerberg used a three-hour January 2025 appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast to defend Meta's rollback of content moderation.
Whether bypassing the news media will actually benefit tech's cause remains an open question.
"I think the TBPN deal is a mistake," said former BuzzFeed reporter Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology Podcast. "Under the OpenAI umbrella, the network loses credibility and everything it says will be seen as OpenAI marketing."
The deeper problem, Kantrowitz argued, is one of reach.
While OpenAI may be looking to reshape public opinion at a moment when AI is polling poorly in the United States, TBPN's audience -- like on other Silicon Valley-made podcasts -- is already a converted one.
arp/bgs

judiciary

French court rules to extradite Russian who owned Portsmouth football club

  • Antonov's lawyer said that his client would challenge the ruling.
  • A French court has ruled to extradite Russian banker Vladimir Antonov, a former owner of English football club Portsmouth, to Lithuania, his lawyer said on Friday.
  • Antonov's lawyer said that his client would challenge the ruling.
A French court has ruled to extradite Russian banker Vladimir Antonov, a former owner of English football club Portsmouth, to Lithuania, his lawyer said on Friday.
Antonov was detained in western France last December on suspicion of fraud, following a European arrest warrant from Lithuania.
He is accused of having stripped assets and funds from a leading Lithuanian bank, Snoras, where he was a majority shareholder, between 2008 and 2011, when the lender was nationalised.
A second arrest warrant issued in December 2025 added charges of corruption, money laundering and bankruptcy, with total losses amounting to at least 478 million euros ($551 million).
Antonov's lawyer said that his client would challenge the ruling.
The court "clearly did not take into account the real risk to Mr. Antonov's life in Eastern Europe", Henry Ermeneux told AFP.
In 2024, a Lithuanian court sentenced Antonov in absentia to 10.5 years in prison for embezzlement.
In 2011, Antonov was arrested in Britain on the strength of a Lithuanian arrest warrant issued over the collapse of the Snoras Bank, but later released.
He purchased Portsmouth, then in the second-tier Championship, in June 2011.
He stepped down the following November when his company, Convers Sports Initiatives, went into administration following his arrest over the fraud allegations.
In 2015, a lawyer said Antonov had fled Britain because he feared for his life.
laf/ekf/as/jj

politics

EU under pressure as fertiliser costs soar on Middle East war

BY ADRIEN DE CALAN

  • A commission spokeswoman said the EU executive was continuously monitoring prices and has already "taken several measures to help farmers with affordability of fertilisers".
  • With the war in the Middle East sending global fertiliser prices soaring, the EU is coming under pressure from farmers and some member states to take action. 
  • A commission spokeswoman said the EU executive was continuously monitoring prices and has already "taken several measures to help farmers with affordability of fertilisers".
With the war in the Middle East sending global fertiliser prices soaring, the EU is coming under pressure from farmers and some member states to take action. 
Agriculture sector representatives are due in Brussels for talks with the European Commission on April 13, as many complain the conflict risks plunging an already strained industry into a deeper crisis. 
"The situation is very dire," lamented Amaury Poncelet, a cereal farmer in central Belgium.
This winter he bought fertilisers for 380 euros ($439) a tonne, up from 330 euros last summer, he noted. "And since things flared up in Iran, prices are going further up," he told AFP. 
About a third of fertilisers shipped by sea reach the global market through the Strait of Hormuz that Iran has effectively closed in retaliation against US-Israeli strikes.
That sent prices up, with the UN expressing concern in particular about the impact on developing countries.
In Europe, the price of nitrogen fertilisers, which are derived from gas, has risen by around 20 percent over the past month, and is approaching 500 euro per tonne -- a one-two punch for farmers already facing higher costs because of the war in Ukraine.
Cereal producers, who need vast amounts of the stuff, have been hit particularly hard, said Luc Vernet of Farm Europe, an agriculture sector think tank.
"They haven't been able to make a living for the past three years," he said. 
In France alone, about 300,000 hectares of land once used for cereal farming has been left fallow or abandoned since 2022, he said. 

'Strategically important'

Brussels, which has slapped high tariffs on fertilisers from Russia -- a major producer -- with plans to end imports by 2022 in a bid to hit Moscow's war coffers, has found itself again the target of requests for help. 
France and farmers groups are pushing for a pause in the application of the EU's carbon border tax on fertilisers. 
But the commission, which has promised an action plan for May, has so far ruled that out. 
Supporters point out that the levy targets carbon-intensive imports to level the playing field for European industries subject to strict emissions rules, noting their development is key if Europe wants to avoid a similar crisis in the future. 
The crisis sparked by the Iran war has made it "clear that maintaining strong domestic fertiliser production is strategically important for Europe", said Fertilizers Europe, an industry group. 
A commission spokeswoman said the EU executive was continuously monitoring prices and has already "taken several measures to help farmers with affordability of fertilisers".
These included suspending duties on all imports with the exception of those from Russia and Belarus and adjusting the carbon border tax to soften its impact, she said.
Its May plan will be addressing "structural vulnerabilities and market imbalances" and look to boost domestic production, including low-carbon alternatives. 
But there is a long way to go before these can become a competitive reality.
Some such green projects have been abandoned as too costly and others are in the initial stages, said Vernet. 
adc/ub/del/gv 

US

Container ship declaring French ownership passes through Hormuz strait

  • The few commercial vessels transiting through the waterway with their transponders on since the start of the war have passed close to Larak Island, according to maritime data analysed by AFP. Most of the transits made since March 1 have been ships coming from or heading to Iran, with some linked to the United Arab Emirates, India, China or Saudi Arabia.
  • A container ship declaring itself to have a French owner has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according Marine Traffic data analysed by AFP Friday.
  • The few commercial vessels transiting through the waterway with their transponders on since the start of the war have passed close to Larak Island, according to maritime data analysed by AFP. Most of the transits made since March 1 have been ships coming from or heading to Iran, with some linked to the United Arab Emirates, India, China or Saudi Arabia.
A container ship declaring itself to have a French owner has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according Marine Traffic data analysed by AFP Friday.
The Maltese-flagged Kribi belonging to the French maritime transport group CMA CGM crossed the strait -- which has been virtually blocked by Iran since early in the Middle East war -- to exit the Gulf on Thursday afternoon, the maritime tracking website showed.
It appears to be the first known transit by a major European shipping group since March 1, when Iranian attacks against ships near the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for US-Israel strikes, reduced crossings to a trickle. 
The ship was off Muscat, Oman, early Friday, still broadcasting the message "owner France" on its transponder system in the field usually used to give the destination.
The vessel's navigation data showed it crossed via a new Iranian-approved route through its waters, dubbed the "Tehran Toll Booth" by leading shipping journal Lloyd's List.
At least two vessels have paid to use the corridor around Larak Island just off Iran's coast, a Lloyd's List Intelligence analyst said in a briefing on Thursday.
The few commercial vessels transiting through the waterway with their transponders on since the start of the war have passed close to Larak Island, according to maritime data analysed by AFP.
Most of the transits made since March 1 have been ships coming from or heading to Iran, with some linked to the United Arab Emirates, India, China or Saudi Arabia.
In peacetime, around 20 percent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the chokepoint. 
In early March, vessels began displaying links to China while sailing or anchoring in the Gulf region in a effort to signal political neutrality and reduce the risk of being targeted by Iran, according to analysts.
Beijing expressed "gratitude" on Tuesday after three of its ships passed through the strait, including two container ships on Monday belonging to state-owned shipping giant Cosco.
The war broke out on February 28, when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the region and by severely restricting access to the Strait of Hormuz. 
dvz-jah-ys/pa/er/lmc/aks/rmb

offbeat

Streaming channel for pets launched in China

  • PetTV is available to paid subscribers of Tencent Video, which said its market research found that 66 per cent of dog owners leave the television on for their pets when they are out.
  • Cats and dogs can now fill the hours their owners are at work with a dedicated all-day streaming channel for pets launched by Chinese tech giant Tencent.
  • PetTV is available to paid subscribers of Tencent Video, which said its market research found that 66 per cent of dog owners leave the television on for their pets when they are out.
Cats and dogs can now fill the hours their owners are at work with a dedicated all-day streaming channel for pets launched by Chinese tech giant Tencent.
Clips of a duckling swimming in a bath or two happy pooches patrolling their neighbourhood are examples of the curated programming on "PetTV".
The new channel on Tencent Video -- China's most popular online streaming platform -- is meant to keep pets company while alone or can act as an activity for animals and humans to enjoy together.
"This is all dog content, when will the cat programme be on?" one person engrossed in the service wrote in the chatroom on PetTV's streaming page.
Tencent Video described PetTV as a "24-hour happiness hub specially designed for your furry kids" in a post on social media app WeChat introducing the service last weekend.
Dogs and cats' senses are different to humans', so the channel's colours, refresh rates and audio frequencies have been designed to suit their specific needs, it said.
PetTV is available to paid subscribers of Tencent Video, which said its market research found that 66 per cent of dog owners leave the television on for their pets when they are out.
But the streaming service isn't the only pet specific media on the market. 
Popular Headspace mindfulness app posted a YouTube video this week titled: "When your pets miss you, play this: 6 hour calming music for dogs and cats".
Tencent Video will also take advantage of third-party content including airing America's DogTV -- the world's first TV channel and streaming service for pets.
The value of China's growing urban pet market is estimated to reach 405 billion yuan ($59 billion) in 2028, according to a recent report by PetData.cn.
On average last year, Chinese households spent more than 3,000 yuan ($435) on each dog and more than 2,000 yuan on each cat for their care needs.
ll/kaf/ane

business

Microsoft to invest $10 bn for Japan AI data centres

  • On Tuesday, the company announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in cloud and AI data centre infrastructure and operations in Thailand over the next two years. nf/kaf/abs
  • Microsoft said Friday it will invest $10 billion in Japan over the next four years to build artificial intelligence data centres and related infrastructure.
  • On Tuesday, the company announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in cloud and AI data centre infrastructure and operations in Thailand over the next two years. nf/kaf/abs
Microsoft said Friday it will invest $10 billion in Japan over the next four years to build artificial intelligence data centres and related infrastructure.
Power-hungry data centres -- warehouse-like facilities that power AI tools from chatbots to image generators -- are springing up worldwide, and the sector is growing particularly fast in Asia.
Microsoft President Brad Smith met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at her office on Friday to announce the investment.
Smith said in a statement that it was a "response to Japan's growing need for cloud and AI services".
Businesses in Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy, are keen to get ahead in the fast-moving AI field.
But data centre expansion there is constrained by limited space and relatively expensive electricity.
The US tech giant will collaborate with Japan's SoftBank Group and Sakura Internet to expand domestic tech infrastructure, it said in a press release.
It follows a $2.9 billion two-year investment Microsoft announced in 2024 to bolster the country's push into AI and strengthen its cyber defences.
The investment unveiled Friday also includes funds to enhance cybersecurity partnerships with Japanese government agencies, and to train one million engineers in cooperation with telecom and tech giants NTT and NEC.
A rush to build data centres in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in India and Southeast Asia, has sparked concerns over the facilities' environmental impact.
That includes increased demand on electricity grids that are often reliant on fossil fuels, and on local water supplies used to cool the hot servers inside.
Microsoft says it has pledged to become carbon negative, zero-waste and "water positive" by 2030.
On Tuesday, the company announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in cloud and AI data centre infrastructure and operations in Thailand over the next two years.
nf/kaf/abs

space

'Breathtaking': Artemis astronauts blast towards Moon

BY MOISéS ÁVILA, WITH MAGGY DONALDSON IN NEW YORK

  • "From this point forward, the laws of orbital mechanics are going to carry our crew to the Moon, around the far side and back to Earth," NASA official Lori Glaze said.
  • Four Artemis astronauts were zooming towards the Moon late Thursday after a major engine firing, a milestone that commits NASA to the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century.
  • "From this point forward, the laws of orbital mechanics are going to carry our crew to the Moon, around the far side and back to Earth," NASA official Lori Glaze said.
Four Artemis astronauts were zooming towards the Moon late Thursday after a major engine firing, a milestone that commits NASA to the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century.
With enough thrust to accelerate a stationary car to highway driving speed in less than three seconds, the Orion capsule engine blasted the astronauts on their trajectory towards the Moon, which they now will loop as part of the 10-day Artemis 2 mission.
In the moments that followed what the US space agency dubbed a "flawless" firing that lasted just under six minutes, astronaut Jeremy Hansen said that "humanity has once again shown what we are capable of."
The astronauts said they were "glued to the window" taking pictures, and later passed a floating microphone back and forth as they took questions from US television networks
They said the spacecraft was a little chilly and they were still making it a home, but the crew was all smiles. 
"There's nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day, and also the Moon glow on it at night with the beautiful beam of the sunset," said Christina Koch.
Thursday's nudge came one day after the enormous orange-and-white Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion capsule launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the long-anticipated journey around the Moon.
The astronauts are now on a "free-return" trajectory, which uses the Moon's gravity to slingshot around it before heading back towards Earth without propulsion.
"From this point forward, the laws of orbital mechanics are going to carry our crew to the Moon, around the far side and back to Earth," NASA official Lori Glaze said.
The astronauts are wearing suits that also serve as "survival systems" -- in the unlikely case of a cabin depressurization or leak, they'll maintain oxygen, temperature controls and the correct pressure for up to six days.
The astronauts -- Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Koch along with Canadian Hansen -- spent their first hours in space performing checks and troubleshooting minor problems on the spacecraft that has never carried humans before, including a communications issue and a malfunctioning toilet.
Queried on the toilet situation, Koch said she was "proud to call myself the space plumber.
"I like to say that it is probably the most important piece of equipment on board," she said. "So we were all breathing a sigh of relief when it turned out to be just fine."

'Herculean'

Crewmembers also had their first workouts of the mission on the spacecraft's "flywheel exercise device" -- each astronaut will carve out 30 minutes a day for fitness, a bid to minimize the muscle and bone loss that happens without gravity.
The 10-day mission is aimed at paving the way for a Moon landing in 2028.
Artemis 2 marks a series of historic accomplishments: sending the first person of color, the first woman and the first non-American on a lunar mission.
If all proceeds smoothly, the astronauts could also set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.
"There is nothing normal about this," said Wiseman. "Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realizing the gravity of that."
The Artemis 2 mission is part of a longer-term plan to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent base that will offer a platform for further exploration.
The current era of American lunar investment has frequently been portrayed as an effort to compete with China, which aims to land humans on the Moon by 2030.
Asked about division closer to home and what message they had for Americans, Glover said from his vantage point, "You look amazing. You look beautiful."
"From up here, you also look like one thing," he added. "We're all one people."
bur-mdo/mlm

Mangione

Mangione federal trial over CEO murder delayed to January

  • The federal trial originally scheduled for September was delayed on Wednesday until October, and has now been pushed to January 25, 2027.
  • The federal trial of Luigi Mangione in the killing of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been delayed further to January 2027, according to court documents filed on Thursday.
  • The federal trial originally scheduled for September was delayed on Wednesday until October, and has now been pushed to January 25, 2027.
The federal trial of Luigi Mangione in the killing of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been delayed further to January 2027, according to court documents filed on Thursday.
The December 2024 shooting outside of a New York City hotel, captured on security cameras, shocked Americans while highlighting deep public anger over the country's private, often costly, healthcare system.
Mangione, 27, faces charges in both federal and New York state courts.
Both trials were delayed on Wednesday. The state trial, originally scheduled for June, was postponed until September. 
The federal trial originally scheduled for September was delayed on Wednesday until October, and has now been pushed to January 25, 2027.
Mangione's lawyers requested the delays because they argued the tight turnaround would make it impossible to prepare adequately for both.
The scheduling order filed on Thursday by US Judge Margaret Garnett said the decision was made "in light of the... decision in the defendant's state court case to adjourn the state trial to September 8, 2026." 
Defendants in the United States can be tried at both the state and federal level for the same crime, although the charges tend to differ -- as they do for Mangione. 
In New York court, Mangione is charged with murder. In federal court, he is charged with interstate stalking.
Mangione has denied all charges.
If convicted in either court he faces life imprisonment without parole.
Mangione was arrested five days after the shooting, at a McDonald's in the state of Pennsylvania -- some 230 miles (370 kilometers) from the crime scene.
pnb/mjf/mlm

France

Airbus bets on copter capability for tomorrow's war drones

BY OLGA NEDBAEVA

  • In this context, there is a need for all kinds of drones," Emmanuel Huberdeau, spokesperson for Airbus Helicopters division, told AFP. The division recently took over management of tactical drones developed by the European aerospace firm.
  • In the heart of southeastern France, aerospace giant Airbus is drawing on its helicopter expertise to develop drones -- a core element of modern warfare -- and enable them to work in tandem with manned aircraft.
  • In this context, there is a need for all kinds of drones," Emmanuel Huberdeau, spokesperson for Airbus Helicopters division, told AFP. The division recently took over management of tactical drones developed by the European aerospace firm.
In the heart of southeastern France, aerospace giant Airbus is drawing on its helicopter expertise to develop drones -- a core element of modern warfare -- and enable them to work in tandem with manned aircraft.
A small, isolated hangar at Pierrelatte airfield in France's Drome region bears the name Survey Copter, a French venture integrated into Airbus, which is expanding its facilities to prepare for a doubling of production rates by 2027.
"This is a key focus area" given "the lessons learnt from the war in Ukraine and the rearmament drive in Europe. In this context, there is a need for all kinds of drones," Emmanuel Huberdeau, spokesperson for Airbus Helicopters division, told AFP.
The division recently took over management of tactical drones developed by the European aerospace firm.
The Pierrelatte site makes Aliaca, a light 25-kilogramme (55-pound) drone with six hours of autonomous flight for surveillance and short-range reconnaissance.
The model is already in service with the French Navy. A heavier model, the 120-kilo Capa-X -- which can operate for 10 hours on similar missions but also alongside manned aircraft -- is currently awaiting contracts.
Twenty Aliaca and 10 Capa‑X are slated for production this year, with 2027 seeing a doubling as staffing rises from 60 to 80 amid a two-million-euro ($2.3-million) investment in a new hangar, site director Christophe Canguilhem told AFP.
Tuesday was to see a hardware demonstration for the media -- but strong winds prevented that.
"When there's no wind or storm, not a week goes by without flights taking off from here. The hangar door opens right onto the runway. That's a real competitive advantage," said Canguilhem.

Reusable

Drones have transformed the war in Ukraine, and now in the Middle East, where Western forces are vulnerable to Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones already in extensive use by Russian forces in Ukraine.
"Ukraine has shown us it is possible to manufacture low-cost drones in large quantities," said Huberdeau.
But for its hardware, Airbus is focusing "added value" on more complex and integrated systems.
"There's also a need for certain non-disposable drone missions, capable of operating in challenging environments... that will be able to return or carry out missions further afield," he added.
"It makes sense for Airbus Helicopters to explore solutions for the armed forces," said Pascal Fabre of the AlixPartners consultancy.
"It's easier when you are Airbus than when you're a start-up."

'Solution for the future'

Airbus's strategy essentially involves fusing cooperation on drones and copters, said Victor Gerin-Roze, programme director at Airbus Helicopters.
"We're convinced drones will greatly enhance the capabilities of helicopters.
"It is a solution for the future," he told AFP.
Tested in Singapore in January, the system lets a copter crew launch a drone, control it from the cockpit and receive live footage to locate an area or a target without putting themselves at risk.
The copter-drone symbiosis will also come into effective play in civilian, firefighting or police missions, said Gerin-Roze.
Up against US firms Boeing, Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin) and Bell (a subsidiary of Textron), the Airbus approach has the crew pilot drones directly from the helicopter.
Its competitors' drones remain a tool linked to the copter but not truly integrated.
Airbus is also exploring development of unmanned copters-as-drones.
For example, the French navy uses the VSR700 drone derived from the small Cabri G2 helicopter for surveillance and reconnaissance.
Airbus is also working on an unmanned version of the H145 helicopter, known as the Lakota in the United States, for the US Navy, a major customer for the conventional model.
It is due for delivery by 2030.
neo/jbo/cw/jhb/jfx

mining

'Metals of the future': copper and silver flow beneath Poland's surface

BY BERNARD OSSER

  • The 24-hour operation runs at a constant roar as machines grind rock at deafening volumes, its tunnels stretching for hundreds of kilometres beneath Poland's surface.
  • Thousands of metres beneath the ground, amid suffocating heat, lies one of the keys to Poland's rumbling mining sector -- and the world economy.
  • The 24-hour operation runs at a constant roar as machines grind rock at deafening volumes, its tunnels stretching for hundreds of kilometres beneath Poland's surface.
Thousands of metres beneath the ground, amid suffocating heat, lies one of the keys to Poland's rumbling mining sector -- and the world economy.
Whitish ore, rich in copper and silver, is extracted from the country's depths and exported around the world to fuel technological and energy transitions.
"These are the metals of the future," Ariel Wojciuszkiewicz, a geologist at the Polkowice–Sieroszowice mine in the west of the country, tells AFP, noting that copper and silver are "indispensable for electronic equipment, electric cars, and renewable energy installations".
Driven by the rise of artificial intelligence, renewable energies, and global defence needs, demand for these metals is expected to keep increasing in the future, with copper even being referred to as "red gold" and a "barometer" for world economic development. 
Poland, responsible for as much as half of Europe's supply, is one of the industry's key players.
Equipped with a helmet and an emergency breathing device, Wojciuszkiewicz leads AFP journalists through the Polkowice–Sieroszowice mine -- one of three sites operated by KGHM, the Polish metals giant, which also owns local smelters and companies in the Americas.  
The 24-hour operation runs at a constant roar as machines grind rock at deafening volumes, its tunnels stretching for hundreds of kilometres beneath Poland's surface.
The world's second-largest silver producer, the KGHM group also supplies between 40 percent and 50 percent of the copper produced in Europe.
Last year, it ranked eighth worldwide in terms of copper extraction volume, behind global giants such as BHP Group, Glencore Plc and Rio Tinto, according to industry statistics.
Global copper demand, already high, is expected to climb by over 40 percent by 2040, according to a 2025 UN Report.  
To meet this demand, "it might take 80 new mines and 250 billion dollars in investments by 2030," the organisation estimates.
The International Energy Agency (IEA), however, predicts that supply will lag 30 percent behind demand by as early as 2035.  
- 1,200 degrees Celsius - 
Dependence on copper is growing exponentially across the world economy's most innovative sectors.  
"We don't realise how much we are surrounded by copper on all sides," Piotr Krzyzewski, KGHM vice president in charge of finance, explains to AFP. 
"An electric car contains 80 kg of copper, compared with 20 kg in a conventional one," he notes, while "a wind turbine contains between four and ten tons of copper per megawatt." 
Farther away, at the Glogow smelter, two workers in protective suits, armed with long lances, open huge furnaces where the ore is melted. 
They work diligently as sparks fly from metal heated to 1,200C. 
Several processing stages later, 99.99 percent pure copper plates, each weighing more than a hundred kilos, are shipped all over the world. 
Last year, the KGHM group as a whole generated more than 36 billion zlotys ($9.7 billion) in revenue. Copper production reached 710,000 tonnes and silver production 1,347 tonnes, according to the group's annual report, published at the end of March. 
No less than half of the silver is used in industry, mainly for electronics, solar panels, and medical applications. The rest goes to jewellery or serves as a safety net and financial asset. 
But it is copper, now an irreplaceable metal for the economy, that has become the object of global strategic contention.
"Copper is on the strategic list of critical metals in Europe, the United States, and China," Krzyzewski tells AFP.  
The metal's impact on geopolitics is already being noted in real time.  
In July, US President Donald Trump announced a 50 percent tariff on copper, eventually limiting the measure to products made with the metal. 
To justify his decision, he invoked the need to "defend national security".  
"Copper is the second most used material by the Department of Defense!" he said.
–  Record prices  –
In 2025, copper prices jumped 41.7 percent, before hitting a record high of $14,527.50 a ton in January of this year.
Even in the face of the war in the Middle East and the slowdown of the global economy, the price remains high at about 12,000 dollars per ton.  
In this uncertain context, Poland's subsoil appears to be a major asset for the energy sovereignty of the Old Continent. 
"It's no longer about the security of our country alone, but the security of all of Europe," Krzyzewski says, adding that KGHM's resources "are still estimated to last for at least 40 years," not counting new exploration and concessions. 
But mining consumes enormous amounts of water, making it subject to the effects of global warming and drought.
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Global Edition

Oil surges, stocks mixed as Trump dashes hopes of quick end of war

  • “It's as if the equity market is a bigger believer that we're closer to the off-ramp than the oil market," said Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth Management.
  • Oil prices surged Thursday after US President Donald Trump threatened more heavy strikes on Iran, while global equity markets reacted indecisively to the latest developments in the conflict.
  • “It's as if the equity market is a bigger believer that we're closer to the off-ramp than the oil market," said Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth Management.
Oil prices surged Thursday after US President Donald Trump threatened more heavy strikes on Iran, while global equity markets reacted indecisively to the latest developments in the conflict.
In a prime-time address Wednesday night, Trump warned that more bombing could take Iran "back to the Stone Ages" but offered no solution on the reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for the world's oil and gas.
Oil prices shot higher, lifting both major benchmarks to about $110 a barrel by the end of the day.
"Trump's much-anticipated address delivered little to nothing new on potential timelines or conditions for ending hostilities against Iran," said Deutsche Bank managing director Jim Reid. "There was no signal of the US seeking an imminent off-ramp out of the war."
US stocks began the session sharply lower, but later regained their footing, with two of the three major indices ending narrowly positive.
“It's as if the equity market is a bigger believer that we're closer to the off-ramp than the oil market," said Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth Management.
After being down more than one percent, European markets closed mixed, with London higher and Paris and Frankfurt slightly lower.
Signs of de-escalation had buoyed markets in recent sessions, but Trump's speech dashed those hopes.
As time passes, markets are treating Trump's statements with greater skepticism, said Dave Grecsek, managing director at Aspiriant Wealth Management.
"Initially there was a lot more weight attached to his comments, whether this was related to tariffs or what happened in Venezuela or in Iran," he said. 
But "at some point, the markets are going to start to question the veracity of some of his statements," he added.
London finished 0.6 percent higher, boosted by oil companies BP and Shell rising almost three percent. 
Paris dropped about half a percent, even as oil giant TotalEnergies was up almost three percent on reports it made a $1 billion profit in March trading petroleum products.
Most markets in Europe and the United States are closed Friday for Good Friday.
Earlier in the day, Tokyo closed down more than two percent, and Hong Kong and Shanghai also fell. 
World Bank Managing Director Paschal Donohoe said he was fearful about the global economic impact of the crisis.
"We are extremely concerned regarding the effect that this will have on inflation, on jobs and on food security," he told AFP as the World Bank partners with the International Monetary Fund and International Energy Agency to coordinate aid responses.

Key figures at around 2015 GMT

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 7.8 percent at $109.03 a barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 11.4 percent at $111.54 a barrel
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.1 percent at 46,504.67 (close)  
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,582.69 (close) 
New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 0,2 percent at 21,879.18 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 10,436.29 (close) 
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,962.39 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.6 percent at 23,168.08 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.4 percent at 52,463.27 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.7 percent at 25,116.53 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.7 percent at 3,919.29 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1535 from $1.1589 on Wednesday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3224 from $1.3305
Dollar/yen: UP at 159.63 from 158.82 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 87.22 pence from 87.10 pence
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