government

Trump's Christmas gospel: bombs, blessings and blame

BY AURéLIA END

  • Across the administration, Christmas messaging leaned hard into Christianity. 
  • Christmas under Donald Trump brought air strikes abroad and political threats at home, as the US president used the holiday to project a vision of power rooted less in peace than grievance, even as aides leaned into their Christian faith.
  • Across the administration, Christmas messaging leaned hard into Christianity. 
Christmas under Donald Trump brought air strikes abroad and political threats at home, as the US president used the holiday to project a vision of power rooted less in peace than grievance, even as aides leaned into their Christian faith.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the president flooded his Truth Social feed with posts that ditched the usual holiday cheer. Instead of goodwill to all, Trump announced military action against jihadists in Nigeria and hurled insults at his enemies.
Trump said Friday that the strikes, conducted the day before, had "decimated" jihadist camps in northern Nigeria, describing the operation as a surprise blow delivered as a "Christmas present."
In an interview with Politico, the president said he had personally delayed the action until Thursday to catch militants off guard -- hitting "every camp" involved.
The strikes, he said, were retaliation for a "slaughter of Christians" in the west African nation. 
Then came a caustic Christmas greeting aimed at his political rivals, branding them "radical leftist scum."
On Thursday, Trump dropped an even darker line: "Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas." The cryptic warning appeared to hint at Democrats he believes will be exposed when files tied to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are all released.
The White House, by contrast, issued a traditional message later that day -- heavy on scripture -- signed by the president and First Lady Melania Trump.
The statement invoked God seven times, celebrating "the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" and praying for "God's abiding love, divine mercy, and everlasting peace."
Trump has long claimed credit for restoring "Merry Christmas" to public life, accusing his first-term predecessor Barack Obama of pushing "Happy Holidays" -- a greeting seen as more inclusive of multiple faiths. In reality, Obama regularly said "Merry Christmas." 
This year, though, Trump skipped formal worship entirely. The official schedule shows the 79-year-old billionaire spent the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida without attending church.
Across the administration, Christmas messaging leaned hard into Christianity. 
The Homeland Security Department urged Americans to "remember the miracle of Christ's birth," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a nativity scene and spoke of "the hope of Eternal Life through Christ." 

'Always... a Christian nation'

The Pentagon even hosted its first-ever Christmas Mass on December 17.
Religious language is nothing new in the politics of the United States -- a country that calls itself "one nation under God." But the First Amendment bars any official creed. 
That hasn't stopped Vice President JD Vance from pushing Christian doctrine into every corner of policy, from diplomacy to immigration.
"A true Christian politics, it cannot just be about the protection of the unborn... It must be at the heart of our full understanding of government," he told a recent rally organized by the conservative group Turning Point USA.
"We have been, and by the grace of God, we always will be, a Christian nation," Vance added. The crowd roared.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, offers a disciplined Christian nationalist vision. But Trump's version is more personal -- and messianic.
In his January inauguration speech, he claimed God saved him from assassination so he could fulfill America's destiny. 
Since then, he has sold $60 "God Bless The USA" Bibles, launched a White House Office of Faith under televangelist Paula White, and posted photos of himself praying at his desk, pastors hovering around him.
Trump, never known as a committed churchgoer, now speaks often of his own salvation. 
"I want to try and get to heaven if possible," he told Fox News in August, suggesting brokering peace in Ukraine might help. 
At other moments, however, he has sounded far less confident.
"I hear I'm not doing well -- I hear I'm really at the bottom of the totem pole!" he has said, again linking any improvement in his prospects to a potential peace deal in Ukraine.
His bleakest assessment came on October 15, when he remarked: "I don't think there's anything that's going to get me into heaven."
aue/ft/mlm

Paris

Police arrest suspect after man stabs 3 women in Paris metro

  • Paris police said two of the women attacked were treated by the emergency services and taken to hospital, but they were not in critical condition.
  • French police on Friday arrested a man suspected of stabbing three women in the Paris metro as the capital's end-of-year festivities were in full swing, prosecutors told AFP. The three victims were attacked at three different locations along the Line 3 metro track that runs across central Paris, the RATP authority that runs the transit service told AFP. An AFP journalist at the Republique station saw a security team treating a woman who had been wounded in the leg and appeared to be in a state of shock.
  • Paris police said two of the women attacked were treated by the emergency services and taken to hospital, but they were not in critical condition.
French police on Friday arrested a man suspected of stabbing three women in the Paris metro as the capital's end-of-year festivities were in full swing, prosecutors told AFP.
The three victims were attacked at three different locations along the Line 3 metro track that runs across central Paris, the RATP authority that runs the transit service told AFP.
An AFP journalist at the Republique station saw a security team treating a woman who had been wounded in the leg and appeared to be in a state of shock.
The attacks happened between 4:15 pm (1515 GMT) and 4:45 pm at the stations Republique and Arts et Metiers -- both next to the Marais district -- and the Opera station, the RATP said.
"The victims were quickly taken care of by the emergency services," it said.
Paris police said two of the women attacked were treated by the emergency services and taken to hospital, but they were not in critical condition. A third woman turned up at hospital seeking treatment, they added.
Police used surveillance-camera footage and mobile-tracking tools to locate the 25-year-old suspected attacker in the Val d'Oise region north of Paris, said prosecutors.
"Activating the gelocation of his mobile phone led to his arrest late afternoon in Val d'Oise," they said.
"The police are on site. Back-up security teams have been deployed to reinforce safety on the line," it added.

'Maximum vigilance'

Paris police chief Patrice Faure paid tribute to "the reactivity and the mobilisation" of the investigators that led to the arrest of the suspect. Police arrested him at 6:55 pm, less than three hours after the first attack, he said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez congratulated the different police services involved in tracking down the suspect.
Transport police have opened an investigation into attempted homicide and assault with a weapon.
European capitals are especially vigilant during the end-of-year period for any violent incidents, given recent attacks and plots targeting festive or religious gatherings.
Last week, Nunez called for "maximum vigilance" in a message to senior officials.
Due to the "very high level of the terrorist threat" and "the risk of public disorder", Nunez asked local officials to strengthen security measures across the country with a visible and deterrent presence.
Nunez specifically asked for particular attention to be paid to security on public transport.
neo/jj/rmb

Christmas

Pope urges Russia, Ukraine dialogue in Christmas blessing

BY CLEMENT MELKI WITH ALICE CHANCELLOR IN BETHLEHEM

  • "May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added.
  • Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.
  • "May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added.
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.
The US pope, who was elected by fellow cardinals in May after the death of his predecessor pope Francis, also condemned the "senselessness" of war and the "rubble and open wounds" it leaves behind.
Speaking to a crowd of some 26,000 people in St Peter's Square, the pope called for "solidarity with and acceptance of those in need" in Europe -- a possible reference to growing anti-immigration sentiment on the continent.
"Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine," he said.
"May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added.
Russian and Ukrainian officials have spoken separately in recent weeks to US negotiators about proposals to end the war started by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Tens of thousands have been killed, eastern Ukraine decimated and millions forced to flee their homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week outlined key points of a plan to end the conflict after US talks.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far shown no willingness to compromise, doubling down on his hardline demands.

'Return of life'

In his first Christmas homily as pontiff, Leo addressed the dismal conditions in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters in wintry conditions weeks after a fragile ceasefire took hold.
"How... can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold," the pope said, adding that the territory's inhabitants "have nothing left and have lost everything."
The UN has said an estimated 1.3 million people currently need shelter assistance in Gaza and has warned of the increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures dip.
"The war, in all its forms, has been harsh on everyone living on this land," Elias al-Jalda, a Palestinian Christian from Gaza, told AFP after attending a Christmas mass at Gaza's only Roman Catholic Church late on Wednesday.
"We hope this year will mark the beginning of a new phase -- one defined by a complete end to the war and the return of life to Gaza," said Jalda, one of dozens attending the mass.

'Compassion and reconciliation'

Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, addressed the issue of immigration directly in her Christmas sermon Thursday.
"Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us,"  said the future archbishop of Canterbury.
"We who are Christians then hold fast to joy as an act of resistance," she added.
Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his annual Christmas Day message broadcast.
"With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong," he said.
"It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died."
As well as being king of the United Kingdom, Charles is head of the 56 countries that make up the Commonwealth.

Joy in Bethlehem

In Bethlehem, the Christian community celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years as the occupied West Bank city emerges from the shadow of the war in Gaza.
Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass on Wednesday night at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.
In Syria, Christmas lights illuminated Damascus's Old City despite the Christian community's fears of violence after a deadly attack in June.
Around the district, home to several important churches, red baubles hung from trees, shopkeepers put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddled warm chestnuts.
"Syria deserves joy and for us to be happy, and to hope for a new future," said student Loris Aasaf, 20.

Trump's Christmas message

In the United States, President Donald Trump issued a starkly different message to those of religious leaders.
He wished a Merry Christmas "to everyone, including the radical left-wing scum", referring to Democrats.
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a sombre message after the deadly attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14.
"After the terror inflicted on Jewish Australia celebrating Hanukkah and Bondi Beach, we feel the weight of sorrow in our hearts," he said
burs-jj/rh

immigration

New Anglican leader says immigration debate dividing UK

  • "Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us," she said. 
  • Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, warned during a Christmas sermon on Thursday that national conversations over immigration were dividing British society.
  • "Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us," she said. 
Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, warned during a Christmas sermon on Thursday that national conversations over immigration were dividing British society.
Currently the Bishop of London, Mullally, 63, will on January 28 become the first woman to lead the centuries-old mother church of the world's 85-million strong Anglican community. 
In her Christmas sermon at St Paul's Cathedral in London, the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury raised concerns about the hot-button issue of immigration.
"Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us," she said. 
She continued: "We who are Christians then hold fast to joy as an act of resistance."
This, she said, was "the kind of joy that does not minimise suffering but meets it with courage".
Immigration has become a central political issue in the United Kingdom. 
In response to undocumented asylum seekers making the perilous journey across the Channel to Britain in small boats, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to "smash the gangs" of people smugglers behind them. 
So far he has struggled to reduce the number of migrants arriving in the country -- the vast majority of them legally -- but the issue is being exploited by the anti-immigration Reform party.
The rise in support for hard-right Reform mirrors advances by far-right parties across Europe. 
Mullally is to succeed Justin Welby, who stepped down from the top post earlier this year over findings that the Church of England had covered up a 1970s case of serial sexual abuse against young boys and men. 
The Church of England has been struggling to shake accusation of years of sex abuse cover-ups and safeguarding failures.
It is currently looking into a complaint from 2020 against Mullally's handling of the allegations made by an individual known as 'N'.
adm/cel/rh

weather

'Starting anew': Indonesians in disaster-struck Sumatra hold Christmas mass

BY AMROE

  • Around 30 worshippers, each of them holding a lit candle, sung Christmas hymns.
  • At a church in Sumatra, dozens of worshippers sang hymns at a Christmas mass, gathered together for their first service since deadly floods swept the Indonesian island.
  • Around 30 worshippers, each of them holding a lit candle, sung Christmas hymns.
At a church in Sumatra, dozens of worshippers sang hymns at a Christmas mass, gathered together for their first service since deadly floods swept the Indonesian island.
The Angkola Protestant Church, in the hard-hit South Tapanuli district, was festooned on Wednesday with balloons and simple Christmas decorations.
Outside, the street leading to the building was buried under mounds of debris and foliage.
Many in the congregation are still sheltering at evacuation sites after the disaster wreaked havoc on the island four weeks ago.
Churchgoer Krismanto Nainggolan said this year's Christmas service was "different", even as he noted joy in the bittersweet moment.
"The feelings are mixed. Every word of the pastor's sermon made us want to cry," he told AFP after the Christmas mass.
"But the spirit of Christmas... gave us strength," he added.
Krismanto lost his house in the flooding, while many of his neighbours were killed.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, 1,129 people died, and more than 170 others are still missing.
While the annual monsoon season often brings heavy rain to Indonesia, this month's deluge was among the worst disasters to strike Sumatra since a magnitude-9.1 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami in 2004.
In South Tapanuli, churchgoer Mea Rosmawati Zebua said she had not expected to be able to celebrate Christmas this year.
"In past years, Christmas was a routine. Now, (we are) very grateful because God still gives us the breath of life," the 54-year-old told AFP.
While Christmas mass is typically held in the evening, the Angkola church moved its service to Wednesday afternoon ahead of rain forecast in the evening, pastor Yansen Roberto Ritonga said.
To prepare for the first service since the disaster, the church had to remove towering heaps of mud that had been washed inside.
Soldiers and police had helped clear the debris and driftwood.
On Wednesday afternoon, a man rang the church's bell before the pastor's entrance, marking the start of the mass.
Around 30 worshippers, each of them holding a lit candle, sung Christmas hymns.
Yansen said this year's Christmas served as a moment of "reflection" for the congregation.
Churchgoer Krismanto said that despite the widespread damage and the personal cost of the disaster, he chose to see it as a new beginning.
"Our hopes depend solely on God because we are now starting over... our lives are starting anew," he said.
str-mrc/lb/mjw

conflict

Cambodian PM's wife attends funerals of soldiers killed in Thai border clashes

  • The Southeast Asian nations' longstanding border conflict reignited this month, killing 23 people in Thailand -- almost all soldiers -- and 21 civilians in Cambodia, according to official counts.
  • The wife of Cambodia's leader has attended funerals for soldiers killed in border clashes with Thailand, according to an official Facebook post, even though Phnom Penh has not announced any military deaths.
  • The Southeast Asian nations' longstanding border conflict reignited this month, killing 23 people in Thailand -- almost all soldiers -- and 21 civilians in Cambodia, according to official counts.
The wife of Cambodia's leader has attended funerals for soldiers killed in border clashes with Thailand, according to an official Facebook post, even though Phnom Penh has not announced any military deaths.
The Southeast Asian nations' longstanding border conflict reignited this month, killing 23 people in Thailand -- almost all soldiers -- and 21 civilians in Cambodia, according to official counts.
Cambodia has not officially announced that any of its troops have been killed since the fighting broke out on December 7.
But a post on Prime Minister Hun Manet's Facebook page late Wednesday said first lady Pich Chanmony had paid "tribute to the soldiers who died in the battle to defend the territory from the invading Thai enemy".
Photos showed her praying while holding incense sticks and comforting bereaved people near displayed names and portraits of at least two soldiers.
"This is a great sorrow for the nation and the families," the post said, adding that Pich Chanmony attended funeral services in Takeo province on Wednesday.
Cambodia's defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata on Thursday declined to comment on the post, referring AFP to the ministry's official page.
The ministry said in a statement that fighting continued on Thursday morning with the Thai military shelling parts of the border province of Banteay Meanchey.
The two countries have blamed each other for instigating the fresh fighting, which has spread to nearly every province along their border.
Each nation has also claimed to have acted in self-defence, and has accused the other of attacking civilians.
Cambodian and Thai officials began four days of talks at a border checkpoint on Wednesday aimed at negotiating an end to the clashes.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.
suy/sco/mjw

migration

Pacific archipelago Palau agrees to take migrants from US

  • Under a new memorandum of understanding, Palau will let up to 75 third-country nationals from the United States live and work on the sparsely populated archipelago, officials said Wednesday.
  • The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau has agreed to accept up to 75 non-American migrants from the United States under a deal worth $7.5 million, the two countries have said.
  • Under a new memorandum of understanding, Palau will let up to 75 third-country nationals from the United States live and work on the sparsely populated archipelago, officials said Wednesday.
The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau has agreed to accept up to 75 non-American migrants from the United States under a deal worth $7.5 million, the two countries have said.
President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to expel undocumented migrants, has accelerated deportations and cracked down on border crossings since returning to power this year.
Under a new memorandum of understanding, Palau will let up to 75 third-country nationals from the United States live and work on the sparsely populated archipelago, officials said Wednesday.
In return, the United States will grant $7.5 million to Palau for public service and infrastructure needs.
With some 20,000 people spread across hundreds of volcanic isles and coral atolls, Palau is by population one of the smallest countries in the world.
The migrants from the United States have not been charged with crimes and will help to fill needed jobs in Palau, both sides said.
"Palau would have to agree on a case-by-case basis as to individuals who will be arriving in Palau under the arrangement," the Pacific nation said in a statement.
The deal was announced following a call between Palau President Surangel Whipps and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
"Through this partnership, the United States and Palau are taking concrete steps to strengthen our security and protect our communities, while also fostering a safe, more secure, and more prosperous Indo-Pacific region," the US State Department said in a separate statement.
During the call with Whipps, Landau said the United States was committed to building a new hospital and improving Palau's capacity to respond to national disasters.
Washington will also provide additional funding of $6 million for reforms to prevent the collapse of Palau's civil service pension plan, while adding another $2 million for law enforcement initiatives.
The Palauan archipelago -- a string of limestone islands and coral atolls -- lies about 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of the Philippines.
Whipps has overseen the expansion of US military interests since winning power in 2020, including the construction of a long-range US radar outpost, a crucial early warning system as China ramps up military activity in the Taiwan Strait.
Palau gained independence in 1994 but allows the US military to use its territory under a longstanding "Compact of Free Association" agreement.
In return, the United States gives Palau hundreds of millions of dollars in budgetary support and assumes responsibility for its national defence.
djw/mjw

Trump

Trump takes Christmas Eve shot at 'radical left scum'

  • "Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
  • US President Donald Trump seized on the occasion of Christmas Eve to assail opposition Democrats, branding them "radical left scum" as he sent out holiday greetings.
  • "Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
US President Donald Trump seized on the occasion of Christmas Eve to assail opposition Democrats, branding them "radical left scum" as he sent out holiday greetings.
From his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the Republican spent the day before Christmas spreading some yuletide cheer. He participated in NORAD Santa tracker calls and sent Christmas greetings to American troops worldwide.
Trump did not share that same bonhomie with rival Democrats.
"Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
"We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women's Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement. What we do have is a Record Stock Market and 401K’s, Lowest Crime numbers in decades, No Inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected," he added.
Trump lashed out at the opposition, which has criticized his administration over its handling of the cost of living, a day after Commerce Department data showed the economy had grown by 4.3 percent in the third quarter -- the highest GDP in two years.
But the report also showed the price index for domestic purchases rose 3.4 percent -- a much higher inflation reading compared with 2.0 percent in the second quarter.
In the week before Christmas, Democrats had criticized the Justice Department over its slow release and heavy redaction of thousands of records from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, once a friend of Trump.
Trump also sent greetings to troops worldwide, including those who are part of a major US naval buildup in Caribbean waters, where Washington has mounted a campaign to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to leave office.
iv/mlm

security

Festive lights, security tight for Christmas in Damascus

BY MAHER AL-MOUNES

  • In the Old City, home to a small but vibrant Christian community and several important churches, red baubles hang from some trees, shopkeepers have put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddle warm chestnuts.
  • Christmas lights illuminate Damascus's Old City while government forces patrol its shadows as security fears haunt Syria's Christian community.
  • In the Old City, home to a small but vibrant Christian community and several important churches, red baubles hang from some trees, shopkeepers have put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddle warm chestnuts.
Christmas lights illuminate Damascus's Old City while government forces patrol its shadows as security fears haunt Syria's Christian community.
They recall the shooting and suicide attack in June at the Saint Elias church in the Syrian capital that killed 25 people and wounded dozens more.
"People are going home early, and are afraid," said Tala Shamoun, 26, a university student who was visiting a Christmas market with family and friends.
Damascus has seen crime including robberies and kidnappings, she said, but the attack on the church "was the biggest tragedy", she told AFP.
Syria's authorities blamed the Islamic State jihadist group, while a little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility.
The Islamists that ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad last year have reaffirmed their commitment to coexistence among all of Syria's religious groups, vowing to involve everyone in the transition.
But earlier this year, the country's Alawite heartland saw sectarian massacres, while Druze-majority areas in the south were hit by major clashes.

'Security plan'

Interior ministry forces searched some pedestrians or stopped people on motorbikes in the Old City.
At one of the district's main entrances, an armed member of the government security forces was holding a walkie-talkie and a map of where his personnel were deployed.
"We've put a security plan in place that includes several districts and areas in the capital, in order to ensure the safety of all citizens," he said on condition of anonymity.
"It is the state's duty to protect all its people, Christian and Muslim, and today we are doing our duty to protect the churches and secure people's celebrations," he added.
Ousted ruler Assad, himself an Alawite, had long presented himself as a protector of minorities, who were the target of attacks during Syria's war, some of which were claimed by jihadists.
Syria's Christian community is believed to have shrunk from one million in 2011, when the war began, to around 300,000 today, with many seeking refuge abroad.
In the Old City, home to a small but vibrant Christian community and several important churches, red baubles hang from some trees, shopkeepers have put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddle warm chestnuts.
So-called neighbourhood committees are also providing additional security, with dozens of local Christians protecting churches in coordination with government forces.

'Syria deserves joy'

Fuad Farhat, 55, from the area's Bab Touma district, was supervising the deployment of several unarmed, black-clad Christian men with walkie-talkies in front of the churches.
Many people fear that Christmas crowds could heighten security risks, but with the additional measures "they feel safer and are more comfortable going out", he said.
"We have been taking steps to protect those celebrating in the Christian neighbourhoods" to avoid any problems, in coordination with the security forces, he said.
University student Loris Aasaf, 20, was soaking up the Christmas atmosphere with her friends.
"Syria deserves joy and for us to be happy, and to hope for a new future," she said.
"All sects used to celebrate with us, and we hope to see this in the coming years, in order to rebuild Syria," she added.
Near the Saint Elias church which saw June's deadly attack, government security forces cordoned off entry and exit areas with metal barriers, while heavily armed personnel were searching anyone entering.
Church-goers lit up a tree decorated with stars bearing the image of those killed in June.
"Christmas this year is exceptional because of the pain and sorrow we went through," said housewife Abeer Hanna, 44.
"The security measures are necessary because we are still afraid," she said.
Nearby, Hanaa Masoud lit a candle for her husband Boutros Bashara and other relatives who were among those killed in the attack.
"If we go to church and get blown up, where can we find safety?" she said, choking back tears.
mam/lk/lg/ser

fire

Grief, trauma weigh on survivors of catastrophic Hong Kong fire

BY HOLMES CHAN AND SAMMY HEUNG

  • - 'Incomprehensible' - As Hong Kong marks the festive season, more than 4,600 people displaced by the fire still rely on temporary accommodation including hotels, according to Hong Kong's government.
  • Hong Kong fire survivor Yip Ka-kui has turned happy holiday photos into a heartfelt tribute to his beloved wife a month after she died in the huge blaze that destroyed their home.
  • - 'Incomprehensible' - As Hong Kong marks the festive season, more than 4,600 people displaced by the fire still rely on temporary accommodation including hotels, according to Hong Kong's government.
Hong Kong fire survivor Yip Ka-kui has turned happy holiday photos into a heartfelt tribute to his beloved wife a month after she died in the huge blaze that destroyed their home.
Yip, 68, is among thousands grieving the 161 killed at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, a disaster few could imagine happening in one of Asia's safest and most developed cities.
Even as the Hong Kong government forges ahead with investigations and relief efforts, experts caution that the psychological scars will be hard to heal for survivors, bereaved families and onlookers alike.
In dozens of shots compiled into a memorial video, Yip's wife of four decades, Pak Shui-lin, 66, gently smiles at the camera at the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal and the Eiffel Tower.
"I blame myself. I always feel I was late to warn her, so she couldn't escape in time," said retired engineer Yip, recalling how the couple tried to flee the burning building on November 26.
Flames quickly engulfed seven out of eight residential towers, which were undergoing renovations and wrapped in substandard netting that may have contributed to the fire's spread.
Yip got out first. When the fire alarms failed to sound, his wife knocked on neighbours' doors to warn them, according to one person she saved.
Yip said he did not think Pak was trying to "exchange one life for another", only that she was "doing what needed to be done".
"The difference of a few minutes between us means that I will never see her again. That's what I can't accept."

Like fighting a war 'every day'

Not long after the fire started, counselling psychologist Isaac Yu helped organise dozens of others in his field to support displaced residents.
"The scale, immediacy and level of shock of this (incident) were beyond" anything they had trained for, Yu said.
Those who lost everything might have appeared calm at first, he recalled, but the fear was that they would break down during quiet moments and develop post-traumatic stress disorder.
NGOs such as the Samaritan Befrienders have contacted bereaved families to offer free mental-health services, with additional support available in transitional housing and schools, authorities said.
Many of Hong Kong's 7.5 million residents obsessively followed live updates of the fire, which could have caused them mental strain, Yu added.
"For those who don't actively seek help, I'm worried about missing the chance to intervene, which may lead to more serious mental health problems and tragedies," he said.
Johnson Wong, a 51-year-old business manager, told AFP that his family struggled to process their grief while two of their relatives remained unaccounted for.
While most of the bodies have been identified, some remains have turned to ash and time-consuming DNA tests are needed, police said, adding the death toll could rise further.
Wong's wife, a nurse, had hoped that her mother and sister would survive. But her worst fears were all but confirmed when she was shown pictures of two charred bodies found inside their flat.
"If the (DNA test) is a match, that marks an ending. But if not, what can we do?" Wong said, adding that the fire had likely deprived his niece, a university student, of her only remaining parent.
"Every day we have been fighting a war... It will take a long time to calm the family."

'Incomprehensible'

As Hong Kong marks the festive season, more than 4,600 people displaced by the fire still rely on temporary accommodation including hotels, according to Hong Kong's government.
Some elderly people who were shunted into unfamiliar districts have had trouble adapting, according to local media.
Having moved in with his sons, Yip said his "unrealistic" wish was for his home to be rebuilt the way it was.
The government has yet to commit to renovating or knocking down the ruined estate, and industry figures say resettlement will take years.
On Tuesday, a judge-led committee visited the site as part of an investigation that is expected to yield a report in nine months.
Police said in early December that 21 people linked to various construction and contractor firms had been arrested, most for manslaughter and some for fraud. Those numbers have not been updated since.
Yip said he hoped the authorities would find the truth in the many "incomprehensible" aspects of the tragedy, but Wong was less sanguine.
"Getting an answer is better than none, but can it restore what we lost?" Wong said.
"What we need most are our family members. Two of them are gone."
hol/je/mjw

conflict

North Korean POWs in Ukraine seeking 'new life' in South

BY KANG JIN-KYU

  • South Korea's foreign ministry has urged Ukraine not to "forcibly repatriate North Korean prisoners of war against their will" and has asked that their desire to go to the South be respected. kjk-oho/mjw
  • Two North Korean prisoners of war held by Ukraine have said they hope to start a "new life" in South Korea, according to a letter seen by AFP on Wednesday.
  • South Korea's foreign ministry has urged Ukraine not to "forcibly repatriate North Korean prisoners of war against their will" and has asked that their desire to go to the South be respected. kjk-oho/mjw
Two North Korean prisoners of war held by Ukraine have said they hope to start a "new life" in South Korea, according to a letter seen by AFP on Wednesday.
Previous reports have indicated that the two men, held captive by Kyiv since January after sustaining injuries on the battlefield, were seeking to defect to the South.
But the letter represents the first time the two of them have said so in their own words.
"Thanks to the support of the South Korean people, new dreams and aspirations have begun to take root," the two soldiers wrote in a letter dated late October to a Seoul-based rights group which shared it with AFP this week.
North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia's nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies.
At least 600 have died and thousands more have sustained injuries, according to South Korean estimates.
Analysts say North Korea is receiving financial aid, military technology and food and energy supplies from Russia in return.
North Korean soldiers are instructed to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner, according to South Korea's intelligence service.
In the letter, the two prisoners thanked those working on their behalf "for encouraging us and seeing this situation not as a tragedy but as the beginning of a new life".
"We firmly believe that we are never alone, and we think of those in South Korea as our own parents and siblings and have decided to go into their embrace," they wrote.
The letter is signed by the two soldiers, whose names AFP has been asked to withhold to protect their safety.

'Death sentence'

Under South Korea's constitution, all Koreans -- including those in the North -- are considered citizens, and Seoul has said this applies to any troops captured in Ukraine.
The letter was delivered during an interview for a documentary film coordinated by the Gyeore-eol Nation United (GNU) rights group, which works to help North Korean defectors.
That interview took place at an undisclosed facility in Kyiv where the two POWs are being held after they were captured.
During the interview, the pair also pleaded to be sent to the South, according to GNU chief Jang Se-yul, himself a North Korean defector who fled the isolated country in the 2000s.
The video has not yet been made public but is expected to be released next month, Jang said.
Yu Yong-weon, a lawmaker who met with the prisoners during a visit to Ukraine in February, said the prisoners had described witnessing wounded comrades kill themselves with grenades.
Sending the soldiers back to the North would constitute "a death sentence", Yu said.
South Korea's foreign ministry has urged Ukraine not to "forcibly repatriate North Korean prisoners of war against their will" and has asked that their desire to go to the South be respected.
kjk-oho/mjw

media

Outcry follows CBS pulling program on prison key to Trump deportations

BY SEBASTIAN SMITH

  • CBS, which was purchased by the Trump-linked Ellison family earlier this year, said that the prison report needed "additional reporting."
  • The leadership of CBS News was facing accusations of political meddling on Monday over a last-minute decision to not air a report on the notorious Salvadoran prison where US President Donald Trump has sent deported migrants.
  • CBS, which was purchased by the Trump-linked Ellison family earlier this year, said that the prison report needed "additional reporting."
The leadership of CBS News was facing accusations of political meddling on Monday over a last-minute decision to not air a report on the notorious Salvadoran prison where US President Donald Trump has sent deported migrants.
CBS had been due to air the investigation late Sunday about alleged abuses at the CECOT center in El Salvador on its flagship "60 Minutes" program, seen by many as one of the most prestigious and hard-hitting institutions in US journalism.
But the broadcaster quietly announced hours before showtime that the segment would "air in a future broadcast," replacing it with a piece on the sherpas working on Mount Everest.
A 13-minute video about CECOT bearing the "60 Minutes" logo was widely circulated on social media platforms X and Reddit late on Monday after the segment was reportedly aired on Canadian station Global TV.
The segment being circulated, titled "Inside Cecot" and viewed by AFP, featured Sharyn Alfonsi as correspondent and listed Oriana Zill de Granados as producer.
AFP has contacted Global TV's parent company Corus Entertainment for comment.
CBS, which was purchased by the Trump-linked Ellison family earlier this year, said that the prison report needed "additional reporting."
Multiple US media outlets quoted the "60 Minutes" correspondent who oversaw the report as saying it had been pulled for political reasons.
"Pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one," Alfonsi said in a note to CBS staff that was first leaked by The Wall Street Journal.
CECOT is a huge, maximum security facility touted by El Salvador's right-wing President Nayib Bukele as the centerpiece of his attempt to rid the Central American country of narco-gangs.
Human rights activists say inmates there are treated brutally.
The facility has been at the center of a major US legal case since March, when the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan and other migrants there despite a judge's order that they be returned to the United States.
Several deportees who have since been released have described repeated abuse at the facility. 

CBS owners close to Trump

CBS's decision to shelve a high-profile story on the Trump administration comes as the broadcaster's parent company, Paramount Skydance, is in a multi-billion-dollar bidding war with Netflix to buy Warner Bros Discovery.
Trump has made clear he is taking a keen interest in the merger, which will likely need regulatory approval.
Paramount was purchased by the Ellison family earlier this year. Larry Ellison is one of the world's richest people and a major Trump donor.
The Republican president has frequently criticized "60 Minutes" and sued CBS in 2024 over his claim that the news program had edited an interview with Democrat Kamala Harris in order to help her.
Paramount chief David Ellison -- son of Larry Ellison -- brought in Bari Weiss as a new editor in chief this October, leading to expectations that she would steer the renowned broadcaster to be more friendly to Trump.
In her note to colleagues, Alfonsi said the CECOT segment had been cleared by corporate lawyers before being "spiked."
"If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a 'kill switch' for any reporting they find inconvenient."
Weiss told The New York Times in a statement that she would be "airing this important piece when it's ready."
"Holding stories that aren't ready for whatever reason -- that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices -- happens every day in every newsroom."
The executive producer of "60 Minutes," Tanya Simon, told fellow employees that she had resisted Weiss's order, but "ultimately had to comply."
"We pushed back, we defended our story, but she wanted changes," Simon was quoted as saying by The Washington Post in a transcript of the producer's private meeting with colleagues.
sms/hol/lb

euro

In Bulgaria, villagers fret about euro introduction

BY ROSSEN BOSSEV

  • But in small villages across Bulgaria concerns are running high that the euro will mean higher prices.
  • In Bilyana Nikolova's grocery store in Chuprene, a village in northwestern Bulgaria, prices are now displayed in levs and euros on hundreds of food products and other items.
  • But in small villages across Bulgaria concerns are running high that the euro will mean higher prices.
In Bilyana Nikolova's grocery store in Chuprene, a village in northwestern Bulgaria, prices are now displayed in levs and euros on hundreds of food products and other items.
Still, the shopkeeper, 53, said she worries that in January when the euro is introduced in the Balkan nation it's "going to be chaos".
Nikolova said she has even considered closing for a few weeks "until things sort themselves out" as she has already had arguments with customers.
"People see the lower price in euros, get confused, and think I'm lying to them," said Nikolova, who has been running the shop for more than 20 years.
Chuprene, nestled at the foot of Bulgaria's Stara Planina mountains near the Serbian border, is home to 400 people.
But in small villages across Bulgaria concerns are running high that the euro will mean higher prices.
The country's political uncertainty is no help. The latest short-lived government resigned earlier this month.
Nevertheless, Bulgaria will become the single currency area's 21st member on January 1, nearly 19 years after the country of 6.4 million people joined the European Union.

'Fear of becoming poorer'

The fear over adopting the euro comes despite the considerable economic advances the country has made.
Over the past 10 years, Bulgaria's GDP has risen from around one-third of the eurozone average to nearly two-thirds today.
But Bulgaria remains the EU country with the highest proportion of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to Eurostat. 
"These are the main concerns we encounter in small municipalities: the fear of becoming poorer, because people have very little in reserve," said Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute. 
"In the villages, three factors stack up: an older population, lower levels of education and financial literacy, and payments made mostly in cash," said Dimitrova, who has been studying attitudes toward the euro for a year.
Food price inflation has added to concerns among Bulgarians.
"We have to acknowledge that the rise in prices has not been negligible," the sociologist told AFP.
Food prices in November were up five percent year-on-year, according to the National Statistical Institute, more than double the eurozone average.

Uncertainty ahead

At another Chuprene grocery shop, the keeper, who only gave her name as Kamelia, said she has struggled to keep the store open that she and her husband took over a year ago. 
"Some say things will get better, others that they'll get worse" with the euro, the storekeeper, in her 30s, told AFP.
The village is located in the country's hardest-hit region for unemployment.
Some 18.7 percent are jobless compared with the average of 4.2 percent in 2024, according to the National Statistical Institute.
A retired teacher in her 80s who stopped into the shop for a coffee didn't express any uncertainty about the impact of the switch to the euro.
"I know we're going to get poorer," said the woman, who only gave her family name Bogdanovska.
For the month of January the lev and the euro will circulate simultaneously.
But shopkeepers will have to give change in euros. 
Businesses can buy coin "starter kits", and according to Bulgarian National Bank governor Dimitar Radev, demand is high. 
"In some places, especially in the post office system and in smaller towns, the feeling of 'not enough' was created, even though there was no real shortage," he said earlier this month.
"This episode shows that we need to maintain close coordination and be ready to react quickly," he added.
rb-jza/rl

disinformation

German Christmas markets hit by flood of fake news

BY JOHANNA LEHN

  • But the cosy family atmosphere of the markets has been tarnished by the shock of recent attacks.
  • Security has been tightened at German Christmas markets after recent deadly attacks.
  • But the cosy family atmosphere of the markets has been tarnished by the shock of recent attacks.
Security has been tightened at German Christmas markets after recent deadly attacks. But if some online videos were to be believed, they've become barbed-wire fortresses guarded by armoured personnel carriers.
A flood of disinformation has circulated on social media, with some doctored clips also giving the wrong impression that an Islamic cleric called for prayers at one of the festive events, and that markets have been stormed by Muslim men.
AFP Factcheck has taken a closer look at false claims circulating online which amplify far-right narratives about immigration and the "Islamisation" of society.
Recent images and videos showed what were claimed to be Muslim men or "Islamist immigrants" massing at Christmas markets in the cities of Hamburg and Stuttgart.
But AFP research showed that the footage was from other events: an October 2024 rally by the activist group Muslim Interaktiv, which has since been banned, and Syrians celebrating the fall of president Bashar al-Assad late last year. 
Several AI-generated pictures have also shown Christmas markets with exaggerated security measures such as metre-high barbed wire fences or military-style vehicles parked around them.

Attacks and backlash

German Christmas markets, a centuries-old tradition, are hosted by nearly every town and city and consist of stalls with merchants selling gifts and decorations as well as sweets, sausages and hot mulled wine.
But the cosy family atmosphere of the markets has been tarnished by the shock of recent attacks.
Last year six people were killed and over 300 wounded in a car-ramming attack on the Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg.
The man now on trial is a Saudi psychiatrist who adhered to conspiracy theories, held strongly anti-Islam views and repeatedly expressed his fury at German authorities.
That attack recalled a 2016 truck rampage through Berlin's Christmas market by a Tunisian man with jihadist motives that killed 13 people.
In mid-December German authorities said they had arrested five men -- an Egyptian, a Syrian and three Moroccans -- on suspicion they were involved in an Islamist plot to plough a vehicle into a Christmas market in Bavaria.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has seized on such attacks and plots as it calls for the "remigration" of foreigners, especially to Muslim majority countries.

'Sow mistrust'

Another much-shared video this month showed a man dressed in a white robe apparently delivering the Islamic call to prayer at an unspecified German Christmas market.
"This Christmas market has completely capitulated!" an Instagram user commented on the video, which was also shared on Facebook in several languages including English, Greek, Russian and Slovak.
But according to AFP research, the video dates from November 2023 and actually shows a market in the Bavarian town of Karlstadt, an event that had nothing to do with Christmas.
The Andreasmarkt has a different theme every year and in 2023 opened with a call to prayer after two local Islamic groups were asked to contribute, organisers told AFP.
A separate Christmas market was due to open in the town in early December, they said -- which is why a Christmas tree can be seen in the video.
Christmas markets are a ripe target for disinformation because of their emotional associations, said Lea Fruehwirth of Germany's Centre for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy.
"Christmas symbolism stands for joy, a warm feeling of community and security," said Fruehwirth, a disinformation researcher at the non-profit extremism monitoring agency.
Narratives that "accuse Muslims of wanting to violently destroy this idealised image can therefore trigger a lot of emotion," she said.
The creators of such posts, she added, are likely seeking to "sow mistrust and deepen divisions in society, as is the case with Russian disinformation campaigns, for example."
jle-fec/fz/fg

festival

A night out on the town during Nigeria's 'Detty December'

BY LESLIE FAUVEL

  • Two pole dancers put on a show in seasonal red-and-white fur boots and red satin bodysuits.
  • The first winds of west Africa's Harmattan dry season are in the air, and Lagos, the economic capital of the continent's most populous country, is abuzz.
  • Two pole dancers put on a show in seasonal red-and-white fur boots and red satin bodysuits.
The first winds of west Africa's Harmattan dry season are in the air, and Lagos, the economic capital of the continent's most populous country, is abuzz.
It's "Detty December", when the city turns into a site of pilgrimage for Nigerians and those in the diaspora to make their way home for the holidays -- and party.
The frenetic mega-city, churning with some 20 million people on a normal day, swells each year as it absorbs the newcomers.
AFP reporters spent a night out on the town on a recent December evening to document a city known for its excess exploding into full-blown extravagance.

6:00 pm

The sun is setting over Ilubirin, a half-finished housing estate being constructed on sand-filled land reclaimed from the swampy Lagos lagoon.
Things have yet to get debaucherous or "dirty" -- the English word which Nigerian Pidgin, with its sonorous accent, deftly spun into "detty".
But the night is still young.
Technicians were still setting up spotlights among the sea of unfinished buildings as the first arrivals made their way to the "Detty December Festival", which was hosting three weeks straight of performances and concerts.
"After the whole hustle and bustle, working all year round, Detty December is the time I have to just come out, enjoy myself and just let loose," said Chioma Chinweze, a 33-year-old marketing consultant with straightened hair worn in a bob.

8:00 pm

Acrobats dressed in white were performing around a moon suspended by a crane, above a small but growing audience.
"This one's going to be bigger than last year," Taiwo Akintunji, a nurse who has lived in Los Angeles for the past two decades, told AFP of the citywide festivities.
While many trek in from across the country or from the diaspora in Europe and the United States, some hotel owners also report growing numbers of foreign tourists as the annual fete grows.

11:30 pm

On Victoria Island, a ritzy neighbourhood where Lagos's old money mixes with new, the party was getting under way at Mr. Panther, a lounge six floors up from the streets below.
"This month, everyone goes crazy. All the clubs are opening, new clubs are opening, new restaurants are opening," said manager Charbel Abi Habib.
"To be very honest and very straightforward, the money is made during Detty December."
A woman in a black minidress was scrolling through her phone, when a man next to her, dressed in black with a cigar dangling from his mouth, slipped two $100 bills in her cleavage -- she popped up to start dancing, as bottles of champagne circulated the club.
The bathrooms are decorated with faux marble, and the image of a black panther with a yellow eye fixed on customers as they freshen up.
"The Nigerian economy is very tight. And living in Nigeria is not really the best. But December is where you are just carefree," said Michelle Wobo, a 32-year-old make-up artist.

2:00 am

For the last two years, the country -- already known for its brutal inequality -- has been battered by double digit inflation, characterised as the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
Across the north, meanwhile, a spate of mass kidnappings reminiscent of Boko Haram's 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok recently led the president to declare a "national emergency".
But none of that anxiety was apparent as guests started to filter out of Mr. Panther.
They weren’t on their way home, instead making their way upstairs to Guestlist, a club that opened just two weeks ago.
Two pole dancers put on a show in seasonal red-and-white fur boots and red satin bodysuits.
"I feel the safest I've ever been," said Liberty Mini, a 33-year-old interior decorator originally from Burundi, who has lived in Lagos for three years.

4:00 am

At Vein, a nightclub not far off, Tiwa Savage, one of Nigeria's biggest Afrobeats stars, took to the mic.
Women in string bikini bottoms and sequined pasties covering their nipples were dancing among swirling hookah smoke, as men tossed banknotes in the air.
The practice is officially banned -- the "spraying" of bills, that is, not the barely clad bumping and grinding.

5:00 am

Babatunde Olabode took in some fresh air in the car park, among the Mercedes Benzes and Lamborghinis.
The 40-year-old real-estate agent figured he would stay out another hour, "then I go to bed".
"Party continues tomorrow," he added.
fvl/nro/sn/kjm

opera

Pets, pedis and peppermints: When the diva is a donkey

BY MAGGY DONALDSON

  • She's played roles in classic New York Metropolitan Opera productions including "La Boheme" and "The Barber of Seville" since 2022.
  • Traffic stops and hallways clear as the diva arrives, her attendants escorting her backstage ahead of her rendition of the role she's perfected over years of delighting audiences.
  • She's played roles in classic New York Metropolitan Opera productions including "La Boheme" and "The Barber of Seville" since 2022.
Traffic stops and hallways clear as the diva arrives, her attendants escorting her backstage ahead of her rendition of the role she's perfected over years of delighting audiences.
"You've got this, Wanda," one opera manager says as she heads inside.
Before the show, she gets a quick pedicure touch-up -- her hooves tend to pick up hay and debris.
Wanda is, after all, a donkey.
She's played roles in classic New York Metropolitan Opera productions including "La Boheme" and "The Barber of Seville" since 2022.
In Act II of "La Boheme" -- Puccini's popular if heartbreaking portrayal of 19th-century Paris -- Wanda joins hundreds of performers including diners, shoppers and vendors.
The donkey pulls the colorful cart of Parpignol, who peddles toys to children in the spectacular street market scene that also literally features a horse-drawn carriage.
But Wanda and her colleague Max -- the elegant brown horse who takes the stage after the donkey exits -- are pros, calmly hitting their marks.
Their handlers don cloaks alongside the animals during the performance, while Wanda's costume includes a magenta cone hat with multi-colored gems and a frilly collar.
As they wait in a holding area for their cues, Max usually naps, handler Angelina Borello told AFP during one performance. 
Wanda gets visits and pets from people including actor Gregory Warren, who plays Parpignol.
Wearing elaborate clown make-up, he pats his co-star lovingly.
"I think it comforts them a little bit just to know who's there and who's dressed like a clown," Warren said. "She's very chill. It's a lot of fun."
"It adds an energy, I think especially for the kids on the stage, to get to see a live animal in action in the middle of it all."

'Confidence'

Wanda debuted at the Met after her predecessor Sir Gabriel retired to Maryland, where he lives on a farm as a companion to a mare whose partner passed.
When she's scheduled for several opera roles in a short period, Wanda lives at stables in the New York borough of the Bronx to minimize her time on the road. 
When she has longer stretches off, she resides in upstate New York. 
She also has regular gigs in Palm Sunday processions in Manhattan.
"She's fabulous," said Nancy Novograd, the owner of the agency All Tame Animals.
Animals well-disposed to show business have similar qualities as people born to perform, Novograd said.
"What I'm looking for is confidence. I'm looking for an animal that can walk into an unusual environment and maintain its focus," she told AFP.
On any given day, Novograd's agency might be working on a commercial shoot with horses on the beach or waxworms appearing in a television show.
Stage manager Hester Warren-Steijn said the logistics of working with live animals is an intricate dance -- much like everything else backstage at the Met, home to a complex revolving stage with hydraulic lifts.
There's always a Plan B in case something goes awry, she said. The occasional allergy to equine hair crops up -- those singers stay away to protect their voices.

Post-show peppermints

Warren-Steijn said part of the job of including animals onstage at the Met is ensuring that "they are well-treated" and "taken care of."
Animal rights advocates over the years have protested the use of live animals in stage productions, especially in Europe. 
The German arm of PETA notably convinced the Berlin State Opera in 2022 to stop using guinea pigs in several performances of Wagner's "Ring Cycle."
At the Met, Warren-Steijn said the live animals in beloved productions like "La Boheme" are part of the grandeur and world-building that "this company does so well."
"People want to see it," she said. "This is the Met at its Mettiest."
According to Novograd, some animals simply aren't right for performance. When that's the case, it's quickly evident to her and the trainers she works with.
When "it's overwhelming," she said, "they should not be working."
But for some animals, "it's something different, it's stimulating," she continued.
"They get to be with the people they like to be with. They see new and different things."
When Wanda's done performing, the donkey, like many high-caliber artists, demands refreshments -- ideally lots of starlight peppermints.
But she gets her treats only after her stroll across the stage, which lasts approximately a minute.
Otherwise, Novograd said, "she'll be asking for them constantly."
mdo/iv

politics

'A den of bandits': Rwanda closes thousands of evangelical churches

BY MOSES GAHIGI

  • The closure of Grace Room Ministries came as a shock to many across the country.
  • Grace Room Ministries once filled giant stadiums in Rwanda three times a week before the evangelical organisation was shut down in May.
  • The closure of Grace Room Ministries came as a shock to many across the country.
Grace Room Ministries once filled giant stadiums in Rwanda three times a week before the evangelical organisation was shut down in May.
It is one of the 10,000 churches reportedly closed by the government for failing to comply with a 2018 law designed to regulate places of worship.
The law introduced new rules on health, safety, and financial disclosures, and requires all preachers to have theological training.
President Paul Kagame has been vocal in his criticisms of the evangelical churches that have sprouted across the small country in Africa's Great Lakes region.
"If it were up to me I wouldn't even reopen a single church," Kagame told a news briefing last month.
"In all the development challenges we are dealing with, the wars... our country's survival -- what is the role of these churches? Are they also providing jobs? Many are just thieving... some churches are just a den of bandits," he said.
The vast majority of Rwandans are Christian according to a 2024 census, with many now travelling long and costly distances to find places to pray.
Observers say the real reason for the closures comes down to control.
Kagame's government is saying "there's no rival in terms of influence," Louis Gitinywa, a lawyer and political analyst based in Kigali, told AFP.
The ruling party "bristles when an organisation or individual gains influence", he said, a view also expressed to AFP by an anonymous government official. 

'Deceived'

The 2018 law requires churches to submit annual action plans stating how they align with "national values". All donations must be channelled through registered accounts.
Pastor Sam Rugira, whose two church branches were shut down last year for failing to meet fire safety regulations, said the rules mostly affected new evangelical churches that have "mushroomed" in recent years.
But Kagame has described the church as a relic of the colonial period, a chapter of its history with which the country is still grappling.
"You have been deceived by the colonisers and you let yourself be deceived," he said in November.
The closure of Grace Room Ministries came as a shock to many across the country.
Pastor Julienne Kabanda, had been drawing massive crowds to the shiny new BK Arena in Kigali when the church's licence was revoked. 
The government had cited unauthorised evangelical activities and a failure to submit "annual activity and financial reports". 
AFP was unable to reach Kabanda for comment.

'Open disdain, disgust'

A church leader in Kigali, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the president's "open disdain and disgust" for churches "spells tough times ahead".
"It is unfair that even those that fulfilled all requirements are still closed," he added.
But some say the clampdown on places of worship is linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which around 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered.
Ismael Buchanan a political science lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, told AFP the church could sometimes act as "a conduit of recruitment" for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Hutu militia formed in exile in DR Congo by those who committed the genocide. 
"I agree religion and faith have played a key role in healing Rwandans from the emotional and psychological wounds after the genocide, but it also makes no sense to have a church every two kilometres instead of hospitals and schools," he said.
Pastor Rugira meanwhile suggested the government is "regulating what it doesn't understand".
It should instead work with churches to weed out "bad apples" and help them meet requirements, especially when it comes to the donations they rely on to survive, he said. 
str-er/rbu/mnk/rh

AI

AI resurrections of dead celebrities amuse and rankle

BY ANUJ CHOPRA IN WASHINGTON, WITH ANNA MALPAS AND RACHEL BLUNDY IN LONDON

  • In one TikTok clip reviewed by AFP, Queen Elizabeth II, clad in pearls and a crown, arrives at a wrestling match on a scooter, climbs a fence, and leaps onto a male wrestler.
  • In a parallel reality, Queen Elizabeth II gushes over cheese puffs, a gun-toting Saddam Hussein struts into a wrestling ring, and Pope John Paul II attempts skateboarding.
  • In one TikTok clip reviewed by AFP, Queen Elizabeth II, clad in pearls and a crown, arrives at a wrestling match on a scooter, climbs a fence, and leaps onto a male wrestler.
In a parallel reality, Queen Elizabeth II gushes over cheese puffs, a gun-toting Saddam Hussein struts into a wrestling ring, and Pope John Paul II attempts skateboarding.
Hyper-realistic AI videos of dead celebrities -- created with apps such as OpenAI's easy-to-use Sora -- have rapidly spread online, prompting debate over the control of deceased people's likenesses.
OpenAI's app, launched in September and widely dubbed as a deepfake machine, has unleashed a flood of videos of historical figures including Winston Churchill as well as celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
In one TikTok clip reviewed by AFP, Queen Elizabeth II, clad in pearls and a crown, arrives at a wrestling match on a scooter, climbs a fence, and leaps onto a male wrestler.
In a separate Facebook clip, the late queen is shown praising "delightfully orange" cheese puffs in a supermarket aisle, while another depicts her playing football.
But not all videos -- powered by OpenAI's Sora 2 model -- have prompted laughs.
In October, OpenAI blocked users from creating videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after the estate of the civil rights icon complained about disrespectful depictions.
Some users created videos depicting King making monkey noises during his celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech, illustrating how users can portray public figures at will, making them say or do things they never did.

'Maddening'

"We're getting into the 'uncanny valley,'" said Constance de Saint Laurent, a professor at Ireland's Maynooth University, referring to the phenomenon in which interactions with artificial objects are so human-like it triggers unease.
"If suddenly you started receiving videos of a deceased family member, this is traumatizing," she told AFP. "These (videos) have real consequences." 
In recent weeks, the children of late actor Robin Williams, comedian George Carlin, and activist Malcolm X have condemned the use of Sora to create synthetic videos of their fathers.
Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams, recently pleaded on Instagram to "stop sending me AI videos of dad," calling the content "maddening."
An OpenAI spokesman told AFP that while there were "strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures," public figures and their families should have ultimate control over their likeness.
For "recently deceased" figures, he added, authorized representatives or estate owners can now request that their likeness not be used in Sora.

'Control likeness'

"Despite what OpenAI says about wanting people to control their likeness, they have released a tool that decidedly does the opposite," Hany Farid, co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told AFP.
"While they (mostly) stopped the creation of MLK Jr. videos, they are not stopping users from co-opting the identity of many other celebrities."
"Even with OpenAI putting some safeguards to protect MLK Jr. there will be another AI model that does not, and so this problem will surely only get worse," said Farid.
That reality was underscored in the aftermath of Hollywood director Rob Reiner's alleged murder this month, as AFP fact-checkers uncovered AI-generated clips using his likeness spreading online.
As advanced AI tools proliferate, the vulnerability is no longer confined to public figures: deceased non-celebrities may also have their names, likenesses, and words repurposed for synthetic manipulation.
Researchers warn that the unchecked spread of synthetic content -- widely called AI slop -- could ultimately drive users away from social media.
"The issue with misinformation in general is not so much that people believe it. A lot of people don't," said Saint Laurent.
"The issue is that they see real news and they don't trust it anymore. And this (Sora) is going to massively increase that."
burs-ac/des

Bondi

Australia falls silent, lights candles for Bondi Beach shooting victims

BY STEVEN TRASK AND JOSHUA KHOURY

  • A candle was lit before thousands of people held their silent vigil at Bondi Beach.
  • Australians fell silent in flickering candlelight on Sunday in memory of the Bondi Beach shooting victims, one week after gunmen fired into crowds celebrating a Jewish festival. 
  • A candle was lit before thousands of people held their silent vigil at Bondi Beach.
Australians fell silent in flickering candlelight on Sunday in memory of the Bondi Beach shooting victims, one week after gunmen fired into crowds celebrating a Jewish festival. 
A father and son are accused of targeting the beachside Hanukkah event, killing 15 people in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades.
From raucous city pubs to sleepy country towns, Australia observed a minute's silence at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT) -- exactly a week since the first reports of gunfire. 
Countless homes lined their windowsills with candles in a gesture of "light over darkness", a key theme of the Hanukkah festival.
"Last week took our innocence and, like the grass here at Bondi was stained with blood, so too has our nation been stained," said David Ossip, president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies. 
Summer winds buffeted flags lowered to half-mast across the country, including over the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge.
A candle was lit before thousands of people held their silent vigil at Bondi Beach.
Anger spilled over at the government's perceived failure to act swiftly and forcefully enough to halt a rise in antisemitic incidents since the outbreak of hostilities in Gaza.
Television images showed police surrounding one man who shouted: "Blood on your hands," as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived at the ocean-side event.
Some in the crowd booed when Albanese's presence was announced at the service.
The prime minister, wearing a traditional Jewish kippah, did not speak at the commemoration.

'Unspeakable' loss

As dusk fell over the Bondi foreshore, event organisers estimated some 20,000 had attended.
"Bondi is with us, Sydney is with us, Australia is with us and the world is with us," rabbi Yehoram Ulman said, before reading out the names of those killed.
They include 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim, and Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, 87, who was killed shielding his wife from bullets.
Paramedics, police and parents of the wounded were invited on stage to light the arms of a Jewish candelabrum known as a menorah. 
A generation of Australians has grown up with the notion that mass shootings simply do not happen in the country.
That illusion was shattered when alleged gunmen Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed trained their long-barrelled weapons on the nation's most famous beach.
The attack was so unthinkable that many shrugged off the first cracks of gunfire as harmless festive fireworks.
"The loss is unspeakable," said rabbi Levi Wolff.

'Guns off our streets'

The alleged attackers drew inspiration from the jihadist Islamic State group, authorities said as they branded the shooting an antisemitic act of terrorism.
Already, it threatens to fray the bonds of social cohesion in a multicultural nation.
Pig heads have been dumped on Muslim graves, and right-wing groups have organised a fresh wave of anti-immigration rallies.
Jewish community leaders have accused the government of ignoring a rising tide of antisemitism.
Ossip, from the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, said the shooting would have been a tragedy if unexpected.
"How much more tragic is it that the loss of life occurred despite all the warning signs being there?"
Grieving families are demanding to know how the gunmen slipped through the cracks.
Unemployed bricklayer Naveed was flagged by Australia's intelligence agency in 2019 but he fell off the radar after authorities deemed he posed no imminent threat.
The government has announced a suite of national measures on gun ownership and hate speech, promising stricter laws and harsher penalties.
Albanese has announced a sweeping buyback scheme to "get guns off our streets".
It is the largest gun buyback since 1996, when Australia cracked down on firearms in the wake of a mass shooting that killed 35 people at Port Arthur. 
Albanese has also ordered a review of police and intelligence services.

Bravery

Alongside the killings, stories of immense bravery have emerged. 
Beachgoers grappled with the heavily armed assailants, while others shielded strangers or dashed through gunfire to treat the wounded.
Shopkeeper Ahmed al Ahmed, a father of two who moved to Australia from Syria almost a decade ago, has been lauded after ducking between cars and then wresting a gun from one of the attackers.
Sajid Akram, an Indian national who entered Australia on a visa in 1998, was shot and killed by police.
Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in hospital under police guard and faces multiple charges, including terrorism and 15 murders.
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Britain

Venison butts beef off menus at UK venues

BY EMMA CARMICHAEL

  • Imperial College London dropped beef from most of its canteens two years ago, replacing it with venison alongside chicken and pork.
  • From school and university canteens to football stadiums and theatres, venison is muscling in on beef as UK chefs hunt for greener options.
  • Imperial College London dropped beef from most of its canteens two years ago, replacing it with venison alongside chicken and pork.
From school and university canteens to football stadiums and theatres, venison is muscling in on beef as UK chefs hunt for greener options.
As climate change concerns mount, some catering services are turning to deer meat as a low-carbon alternative to farmed livestock like beef.
Since the summer, fans at Brentford football club's ground in west London have been offered venison burgers made of wild deer caught in England and Scotland.
Twickenham Stadium, host of the women's Rugby World Cup final in September, sold nearly 5,500 wild venison burgers in a month.
The push has been led by catering giant Levy UK, which now serves venison at more than 20 sports and cultural venues across Britain and Ireland.
They include London's famous O2 Arena and the internationally-acclaimed National Theatre.
Britons are already used to "replacing meat with plant-based alternatives," Levy UK chief executive Jon Davies told AFP.
But he maintained "some of these fake meats can be over-processed or not necessarily great for you".
"I was keen to find something that was good for the planet but also nutritionally beneficial."

'Sustainable choice'

Britain's deer population has exploded from 450,000 in 1970 to two million today, the highest in more than 1,000 years, according to the UK environment ministry.
In medieval England, venison with its gamey taste was highly prized by the aristocracy.
Levy works with companies who supply venison killed by professional hunters on English and Scottish estates.
The wild deer "populations are essentially culled by trained people," Davies said, adding "the traceability is very clear".
Wild venison's carbon footprint is dramatically lower than other meats -- about 38 percent less than beef and 49 percent lower than lamb, according to conservationists Scottish Natural Heritage.
Levy UK is aiming to replace 54 tonnes of beef burgers with its "Game On" signature wild venison burger, served in an eco-friendly seaweed-lined tray.
Brentford FC's head of sustainability, James Beale, said supporters had been impressed by the new menu choice and the club was keen to "champion sustainable change".
Levy maintains the move could save 1,182 tonnes of CO₂ annually, saying "wild venison offers an 85 percent lower carbon footprint per kilogram".
It also "makes economic sense" as beef is among the most expensive proteins.
"Venison is not a cheap meat but the price of beef is widely known. It is a double digit increase in the last 12 months ... and it is one of the things driving food price inflation," said Davies.
Imperial College London dropped beef from most of its canteens two years ago, replacing it with venison alongside chicken and pork.
Hospitals in East Lancashire and London's Guy's and St Thomas's have trialled similar menus, as have schools on Scotland's remote Islay and Jura islands.
But not everyone's convinced. 
"The perspective of it being a reindeer, a Bambi, doesn't really appeal to people," admitted Atesh Luximon, executive head chef at Imperial.
Students are split. "I like it, it's an ethical meal," said Eric Hughet as he tucked into his venison curry.
Fellow student Shengjie Ma shrugged: "I prefer beef."

'Use whole animal'

With no natural predators, deer can damage ecosystems. 
But the venison market is saturated, warned Peter Windsor of the Irish Deer Society, which works to protect and maintain Ireland's wild deer herds.
"Clients would only use the best cuts, the rest goes to dog food," he said.
Levy UK says it aims to use the whole animal, turning lesser cuts into burgers, curries and pies.
But campaigners caution venison isn't the perfect solution to finding sustainable meat.
"Regeneratively farmed beef and culled deer can both be part of the solution -- if eaten in small quantities," said Phil Brooke, of animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming.
But he warned "deer alone would never be able to replace our demand for meat".
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