education

Harvard graduation overshadowed by Trump threats

BY GREGORY WALTON

  • A federal judge in Boston said she would issue an order that "gives some protection" to international students while courts consider the legality of Trump's effort to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students.
  • Thousands of Harvard students in crimson-fringed gowns celebrated their graduation Thursday, as a federal judge said she would temporarily block Donald Trump's bid to bar the prestigious university from enrolling international scholars.
  • A federal judge in Boston said she would issue an order that "gives some protection" to international students while courts consider the legality of Trump's effort to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students.
Thousands of Harvard students in crimson-fringed gowns celebrated their graduation Thursday, as a federal judge said she would temporarily block Donald Trump's bid to bar the prestigious university from enrolling international scholars.
Trump has made Harvard the central target of his campaign against elite US universities, which he has threatened with funding freezes and action against their foreign students over what he says is liberal bias and anti-Semitism.
A federal judge in Boston said she would issue an order that "gives some protection" to international students while courts consider the legality of Trump's effort to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students.
"We want to make sure there's no more shenanigans between now and then," said Harvard's lawyer Ian Gershengorn. 
"Our students are terrified and we're (already) having people transfer" to other universities, he said.
In an eleventh-hour filing ahead of the hearing, the Trump administration issued a formal notice of intent to withdraw Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students -- kickstarting the process.
The filing gave Harvard 30 days to produce evidence showing why it should not be blocked from hosting and enrolling foreign students.
Judge Allison Burroughs had already temporarily paused the policy affecting some 27 percent of Harvard's student body, extending that pause Thursday.
She said she would seek to determine "whether they were terminated for a retaliatory motive."
A law professor present in the packed court said the Trump administration was prolonging the suffering of international students.
"Harvard is in this purgatory. What is an international student to do?" said the Harvard Law School graduate, who declined to be named.

'Bully and threaten'

There also remained "this specter of other actions" the government could take to block Harvard having international students, she added.
The Ivy League institution has continually drawn Trump's ire while publicly rejecting his administration's repeated demands to give up control of recruitment, curricula and research choices.
"Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they're doing is getting in deeper and deeper," Trump said Wednesday.
Harvard president Alan Garber got a huge cheer Thursday when he mentioned international students attending the graduation with their families, saying it was "as it should be" -- but Garber did not mention the Trump fight directly. 
He at one point received a standing ovation, which one student told AFP was "revealing of the community's pride and approval."
Garber has led the legal fightback in US academia after Trump targeted several prestigious universities -- including Columbia, which made sweeping concessions to the administration in an effort to restore $400 million of withdrawn federal grants.
He has acknowledged that Harvard does have issues with anti-Semitism and that it has struggled to ensure that a variety of views can be safely heard on campus.
Ahead of the ceremony, members of the Harvard band sporting distinctive crimson blazers and brandishing their instruments filed through the narrow streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts -- home to the elite school, America's oldest university.
In front of a huge stage, hundreds of students assembled to hear speeches, including one entirely in Latin, in a grassy precinct that was closed off to the public for security.
Many students from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government carried inflatable plastic globes at the ceremony to symbolize the international makeup of the school's student body. 
"In the last two months it's been very difficult, I've been feeling a lot of vulnerability," said one such student, Lorena Mejia, 36, who graduated with a masters in public administration and wore robes marking her as a Colombian.
gw/st

tobacco

France to ban smoking outdoors in most places: minister

  • The restrictions will enter into force on July 1 and will include all places where children could be, such as "beaches, parks, public gardens, outside of schools, bus stops and sports venues," she said.
  • France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, like beaches, parks and bus stops, the health and family minister said in an interview published on Thursday.
  • The restrictions will enter into force on July 1 and will include all places where children could be, such as "beaches, parks, public gardens, outside of schools, bus stops and sports venues," she said.
France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, like beaches, parks and bus stops, the health and family minister said in an interview published on Thursday.
"Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Catherine Vautrin said in an interview published by the regional Ouest-France daily on its website.
The freedom to smoke "stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts," she said.
The restrictions will enter into force on July 1 and will include all places where children could be, such as "beaches, parks, public gardens, outside of schools, bus stops and sports venues," she said.
Violators could be fined up to 135 euros ($154), she said. 
Cafe terraces will be excluded from the ban, which will also not extend to electronic cigarettes, she said.
Some 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France.
According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62%) favour banning smoking in public places.
lby/yad/rmb

education

China condemns 'discriminatory' US plan to revoke student visas

BY MARY YANG WITH SHAUN TANDON IN WASHINGTON AND GREGORY WALTON IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

  • On Wednesday, Rubio heaped pressure on China, saying Washington will "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.
  • Beijing reacted in fury Thursday at the US government's vow to revoke Chinese students' visas, condemning President Donald Trump's crackdown on international scholars as "political and discriminatory".
  • On Wednesday, Rubio heaped pressure on China, saying Washington will "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.
Beijing reacted in fury Thursday at the US government's vow to revoke Chinese students' visas, condemning President Donald Trump's crackdown on international scholars as "political and discriminatory".
Trump's administration on Wednesday said it would "aggressively" remove permissions for Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education.
The US will also revise visa criteria to tighten checks on all future applications from China and Hong Kong, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Blasting the US for "unreasonably" cancelling Chinese students' visas, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing had lodged its opposition with Washington.
Rubio had upped the ante after China criticised his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily.
The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all international students at Harvard University, which has rebuffed pressure from the president related to student protests.
Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, which rely on international students paying full tuition.
China sent 277,398 students in the 2023-24 academic year, although India for the first time in years surpassed it, according to a State Department-backed report of the Institute of International Education.
Trump in his previous term also took aim at Chinese students but focused attention on those in sensitive fields or with explicit links with the military.

Global uncertainty

Beijing's Mao on Wednesday said that China urged the United States to "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China."
Rubio has already trumpeted the revocation of thousands of visas, largely to international students who were involved in activism critical of Israel.
A cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday ordered US embassies and consulates not to allow "any additional student or exchange visa... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued" on ramping up screening of applicants' social media accounts.
On Wednesday, Rubio heaped pressure on China, saying Washington will "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.
"We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong," he said.
But the slew of measures also threaten to pressure students from countries friendly to the United States.
In Taiwan, a PhD student set to study in California complained of "feeling uncertain" by the visa pause.
"I understand the process may be delayed but there is still some time before the semester begins in mid-August," said the 27-year-old student who did not want to be identified.
"All I can do now is wait and hope for the best."

Protests at Harvard

Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting his administration's push for oversight on admissions and hiring, amid the president's claims the school is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and "woke" liberal ideology.
A judge paused the order to bar foreign students pending a hearing scheduled for Thursday, the same day as the university's graduation ceremony for which thousands of students and their families had gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The White House has also stripped Harvard, as well as other US universities widely considered among the world's most elite, of federal funding for research.
"The president is more interested in giving that taxpayer money to trade schools and programmes and state schools where they are promoting American values, but most importantly, educating the next generation based on skills that we need in our economy and our society," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News.
Some Harvard students were worried that the Trump administration's policies would make US universities less attractive to international students.
"I don't know if I'd pursue a PhD here. Six years is a long time," said Jack, a history of medicine student from Britain who is graduating this week and gave only a first name.
Harvard has filed extensive legal challenges against Trump's measures.
burs-sct/mlm/cms/hmn

education

Foreign students seek to quit Harvard amid Trump crackdown

  • She said that a handful of domestic students at Harvard had also "expressed serious interest" in transferring elsewhere because they did not want to attend a university with no international students.
  • Harvard University has been flooded with requests from foreign students to transfer to other institutions as US President Donald Trump's administration seeks to ban it from hosting international scholars, a staff member said Wednesday.
  • She said that a handful of domestic students at Harvard had also "expressed serious interest" in transferring elsewhere because they did not want to attend a university with no international students.
Harvard University has been flooded with requests from foreign students to transfer to other institutions as US President Donald Trump's administration seeks to ban it from hosting international scholars, a staff member said Wednesday.
"Too many international students to count have inquired about the possibility of transferring to another institution," Maureen Martin, director of immigration services, wrote in a court filing.
Trump has upended the United States' reputation among foreign students, who number around one million, as he presses a campaign against US universities he sees as obstructing his "Make America Great Again" populist agenda.
He has blocked Harvard from hosting international scholars in a maneuver being challenged legally, targeted non-citizen campus activists for deportation, and most recently suspended student visa processing across the board.
The president's crackdown has prompted "profound fear, concern, and confusion" among students and staff at the elite university, which has been "inundated with questions from current international students and scholars about their status and options", Martin wrote.
More than 27 percent of Harvard's enrollment was made up of foreign students in the 2024-25 academic year, according to university data.
"Many international students and scholars are reporting significant emotional distress that is affecting their mental health and making it difficult to focus on their studies," Martin wrote in the filing.
Some were afraid to attend their graduation ceremonies this week or had canceled travel plans for fear of being refused re-entry into the United States, she added.
She said that a handful of domestic students at Harvard had also "expressed serious interest" in transferring elsewhere because they did not want to attend a university with no international students.
A judge last week suspended the government's move to block Harvard from enrolling and hosting foreign students after the Ivy League school sued, calling the action unconstitutional.
A hearing into the case was scheduled for Thursday.
At least 10 foreign students or scholars at Harvard had their visa applications refused immediately after the block on foreign students was announced, including students whose visa applications had already been approved, Martin wrote.
"My current understanding is that the visa applications that were refused or revoked following the Revocation Notice have not yet been approved or reinstated," despite a judge suspending the move, she said.
bur-cms/dhw

AI

AI personal shoppers hunt down bargain buys

BY THOMAS URBAIN

  • Shoppers can then set the price they would pay and leave the AI to relentlessly browse the internet for a deal -- alerting the shopper when it finds one, and asking if it should buy using Google's payment platform. 
  • Internet giants are diving deeper into e-commerce with digital aides that know shoppers' likes, let them virtually try clothes on, hunt for deals and even place orders.
  • Shoppers can then set the price they would pay and leave the AI to relentlessly browse the internet for a deal -- alerting the shopper when it finds one, and asking if it should buy using Google's payment platform. 
Internet giants are diving deeper into e-commerce with digital aides that know shoppers' likes, let them virtually try clothes on, hunt for deals and even place orders.
The rise of virtual personal shoppers springs from generative artificial intelligence (AI) being put to work in "agents" specializing in specific tasks and given autonomy to complete them independently.
"This is basically the next evolution of shopping experiences," said CFRA Research analyst Angelo Zino. 
Google last week unveiled shopping features built into a new "AI Mode".
It can take a person's own photo and meld it with that of a skirt, shirt or other piece of clothing spotted online, showing how it will look on them.
The AI adjusts the clothing size to fit, accounting for how fabrics drape, according to Google head of advertising and commerce Vidhya Srinivasan.
Shoppers can then set the price they would pay and leave the AI to relentlessly browse the internet for a deal -- alerting the shopper when it finds one, and asking if it should buy using Google's payment platform. 
"They're taking on Amazon a little bit," Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart said of Google.
The tool is also a way to make money from AI by increasing online traffic and opportunities to show ads, Greengart added.
The Silicon Valley tech titan did not respond to a query regarding whether it is sharing in revenue from shopping transactions.

Bartering bots?

OpenAI added a shopping feature to ChatGPT earlier this year, enabling the chatbot to respond to requests with product suggestions, consumer reviews and links to merchant websites.
Perplexity AI late last year began letting subscribers pay for online purchases without leaving its app.
Amazon in April added a "Buy for Me" mode to its Rufus digital assistant, allowing users to command it to make purchases at retailer websites off Amazon's platform.
Walmart head of technology Hari Vasudev recently spoke about adding an AI agent to the retail behemoth's online shopping portal, while also working with partners to make sure their digital agents keep Walmart products in mind.
Global payment networks Visa and Mastercard in April each said their technical systems were modernized to allow payment transactions by digital agents.
"As AI agents start to take over the bulk of product discovery and the decision-making process, retailers must consider how to optimize for this new layer of AI shoppers," said Elise Watson of Clarkston Consulting.
Retailers are likely to be left groping in the dark when it comes to what makes a product attractive to AI agents, according to Watson.

Knowing the customer

Analyst Zino does not expect AI shoppers to cause an e-commerce industry upheaval, but he does see the technology benefitting Google and Meta.
Not only do the Internet rivals have massive amounts of data about their users, but they are also among frontrunners in the AI race.
"They probably have more information on the consumer than anyone else out there," Zino said of Google and Meta.
Tech company access to data about users hits the hot-button issue of online privacy and who should control personal information.
Google plans to refine consumer profiles based on what people search for and promises that shoppers will need to authorize access to additional information such as email or app use.
Trusting a chatbot with one's buying decisions may spook some people, and while the technology might be in place the legal and ethical framework for it is not.
"The agent economy is here," said PSE Consulting managing director Chris Jones.
"The next phase of e-commerce will depend on whether we can trust machines to buy on our behalf."
tu/gc/st

politics

Foreign students wary of US as Trump presses 'dehumanizing' campaign

BY GREGORY WALTON

  • "International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States.
  • Donald Trump's expanding crackdown on elite universities is prompting some international students to abandon applications to campuses in the United States and spreading stress and anxiety among those already enrolled.
  • "International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States.
Donald Trump's expanding crackdown on elite universities is prompting some international students to abandon applications to campuses in the United States and spreading stress and anxiety among those already enrolled.
The president has upended the country's reputation among foreign students, who number around one million, as he presses a campaign against US universities he sees as obstructing his "Make America Great Again" populist agenda.
He has blocked Harvard hosting international scholars in a maneuver being challenged legally, targeted non-citizen campus activists for deportation, and most recently suspended student visa processing across the board.
Harvard applied mathematics and economic student Abdullah Shahid Sial, 20, said the Trump administration's campaign against US universities that the president accused of being hotbeds of liberal bias and anti-Semitism had been "dehumanizing."
"It's really unfortunate that this is the case for 18, 19, and 20-year-olds who came here without any family, and in most cases, haven't been to the US before," said Sial, who is from Pakistan and hopes to be able to return to Harvard next academic year.
Sial said he advised acquaintances to have backup plans if US colleges became inaccessible, and that a friend applied to Harvard's law school, as well as Columbia's, and two less reputable British institutions -- ultimately opting to go to the UK.
"He definitely liked Harvard way more (but) he doesn't want this amount of uncertainty surrounding his education," Sial said.
Karl Molden, a Harvard government and classics student from Austria, said Trump's move to block the university hosting and enrolling foreign students meant he was unsure if he would be able to return after summer vacation.

'In the dark'

While that decision -- affecting some 27 percent of the overall Harvard population -- was paused by a judge pending a hearing Thursday, the move still threw student plans into chaos.
"I kind of figured I would be in the target group of Trump. I'm personally right in the middle of it, so an option for me would be to study abroad... I have applied to study at Oxford because of all the action" taken by Trump, said Molden, 21.
"It's just really hard."
Harvard academics say they have already started to feel the impact of Trump's vendetta against the school, in feedback from colleagues based outside the United States. 
"I've already heard this from professors in other countries who say 'we encourage our best students to go to the United States'," Harvard professor Ryan Enos told AFP at a noisy rally against Trump's policies Tuesday, adding "we wonder if we can tell them that anymore."
The halt to visa processing revealed this week is reportedly to allow for more stringent screening of applicants' social media -- and protest activity.
"International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States. It is a poor use of taxpayer dollars," said the NAFSA Association of International Educators non-profit.
Trump meanwhile continued his assault on Harvard, saying university leaders have "got to behave themselves.
"Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they're doing is getting in deeper and deeper," he said Wednesday in the White House.
One Spanish student of politics and statistics, who declined to be named for fear of retaliation, told AFP she would not be deterred from pursuing her planned year abroad at Columbia University.
"It's scary, because we think to ourselves that all our activity on social networks could be monitored, for example if we like pro-Palestinian posts or anti-Trump posts. All of that could see us denied a visa," she said.
Students due to return to Harvard after the summer break are in limbo pending a ruling on Harvard's exclusion from the foreign student system.
"I'm completely in the dark," said 20-year-old Alfred Williamson, a Welsh-Danish physics and government student in his second year at Harvard.
"As for my other options, and like all other international students, I'm just clinging on to the hope that Harvard will win this battle against the White House."
Sial, the Harvard student from Pakistan, said foreign students like him were "made to fight this battle which no one signed up for."
"It's really unfortunate that it's come down to that."
gw/mlm

Global Edition

Political protests paralyse Bangladesh daily life

BY SHEIKH SABIHA ALAM AND EYAMIN SAJID

  • Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has called for parties to build unity and calm intense political power struggles.
  • Protests have become part of daily life in Bangladesh's capital, with residents either taking part as political parties jostle for power after an uprising last year -- or avoiding them.
  • Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has called for parties to build unity and calm intense political power struggles.
Protests have become part of daily life in Bangladesh's capital, with residents either taking part as political parties jostle for power after an uprising last year -- or avoiding them.
The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024, fleeing by helicopter as crowds stormed her palace.
Hasina's 15-year-long authoritarian rule contained protests like a pressure cooker, until the student-led movement spearheaded a revolt that toppled her from power.
On Wednesday, at least half a dozen demonstrations were held in the sprawling megacity of Dhaka, home to more than 20 million people. 
This was a typical day, with the demonstrations ranging from political rallies and counter-protests, to worker strikes and celebrations at the release of an Islamist leader from death row.
"I got released this morning after being imprisoned for 14 years," A.T.M. Azharul Islam said, waving at thousands of supporters of the country's main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami.
The tight-packed crowd cheered as the senior leader was released from a prison hospital in central Dhaka, a day after the Supreme Court overturned his death sentence and acquitted him of war crimes.
"There was no justice in the past... we expect the court will ensure that the people get justice in the coming days," Islam said.
Leftist parties say they will demonstrate in opposition to his release.
Across Ramna Park in the neighbourhood of Naya Paltan, thousands choked the streets as part of a rally in support of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP).
Political parties are readying for hugely anticipated elections which the interim government has vowed will take place by June 2026 at the latest.

'Unpredictable'

While tens of thousands gather at major intersections across Dhaka with their demands, others spend hours navigating their way through traffic-snarled streets.
"All the major roads are blocked during the day," chicken seller Zakir Hossain said Wednesday.
"We've had to shift our schedules. I start work at midnight now, even though the law and order situation is worsening every day, and muggings have become common."
It worries many, remembering the violence last year when police tried -- and failed -- to crush the protests that toppled Hasina.
"The situation is unpredictable -- the protests can turn violent at any moment," said a 43-year-old housewife, asking not to be identified as her husband is a government employee.
"I never used to call my husband much, but now I do. If he is even a little late coming home from the office, all sorts of bad thoughts come to my mind."
Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has called for parties to build unity and calm intense political power struggles.
The government warned on Saturday that "unreasonable demands" and obstruction had been "continuously obstructing" its work.

'A balance'

Yunus has said polls could be held as early as December but that having them later would give the government more time for reform.
Rallies organised by the powerful BNP are calling for the government to set an election date, as well as a raft of other demands, including the sacking of multiple members of Yunus's cabinet.
In other protests, tax authority workers, angered at an overhaul of the body that would place it under the finance ministry's control, held a two-week partial strike.
That escalated on Sunday when security forces surrounded the national tax headquarters, before the government later backtracked on its reform.
Civil servants this week also demonstrated at the main government ministry complex to rally against orders changing employment rules -- which the government then said it will reconsider.
On the streets, the protests continue.
"Customers rarely come to the bank when they see the roads blocked," said bank manager Muhammed Sazzad. 
While he supported the right to assemble, he suggested the government "could designate a specific area for protests".
Rakib Hasan Anik, a lecturer at the Bangladesh University of Professionals, said that "academic discipline is suffering", with students stuck in traffic and missing class.
"There needs to be a balance," he said. "We can only hope all sides reach a consensus that prioritises the public."
es/sa/pjm/dhc

police

Sun, sand and suspects: Spain seduces fugitive criminals

BY VALENTIN BONTEMPS

  • Malaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British expats and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista.
  • With its sun-drenched beaches and vibrant nightlife, Spain has long been a top destination -- not just for tourists, but also for criminals looking to vanish.
  • Malaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British expats and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista.
With its sun-drenched beaches and vibrant nightlife, Spain has long been a top destination -- not just for tourists, but also for criminals looking to vanish.
From drug traffickers to sex offenders and cybercriminals, fugitives from around the globe flock to Spain's coastal havens.
That gamble rarely pays off: police stress that their chances of evading justice are slim.
"We're arresting new people every day," said Fernando Gonzalez, the head of an elite Spanish police unit set up in 2004 to hunt down criminals on the run.
"Spain remains a very attractive place for traffickers," he added.
Last year, his unit arrested 460 fugitives -- mostly foreigners -- across Spain, up from 390 in 2023.
The pace has not slowed this year. Recent high-profile arrests underscore the European country's ongoing appeal to fugitives.
In October 2024, police in Barcelona arrested Serbian national Nikola Vusovic, a suspected leader of a major crime gang from Montenegro, the Kavac clan.
At the start of this year, officers arrested the leader of a brutal Peruvian mafia group, Omar Luis Castaneda, near the Mediterranean city of Alicante over his suspected involvement in 16 murders in the Latin American country.
And in February, police in southern Spain arrested one of the gunmen who in 2024 ambushed a prison van in France to free a drug lord, Mohamed Amra, killing two prison guards. The fugitive was living in a luxury villa at the time.
"We deal with a wide range of profiles," from major criminals to petty offenders, as well as a wide range of nationalities, Gonzalez said as he scanned the latest list of arrests, which included Moroccans, French nationals and a growing number of Latin Americans.

'Blend in'

Spain's role as a haven for those trying to evade justice is "historic", a French investigator told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"It's not just a hideout for fugitives... it's also home to career criminals who operate between Morocco, Spain and France."
Spain is home to a large number of expatriates and is the world's second-most-visited country, having welcomed a record 94 million foreign tourists last year, which makes it easier for fugitives to go unnoticed.
"It's a place with a high quality of life. It's easy to rent quiet villas with swimming pools. People blend in," the French investigator said.
Criminal defence lawyer and former extradition judge Carlos Bautista said Spain's location "at the crossroads" of Europe, the Americas and Africa makes it a natural hiding spot for runaway criminals.
Gonzalez said fugitives can often easily find "contacts who can help" them among the large community of foreigners who live in Spain.
He cited as an example the case of a German woman who was arrested in the Balearic Islands where she had lived for years without speaking Spanish.

'Cat-and-mouse game'

Most fugitives are found along Spain's Mediterranean coast where expat communities are concentrated.
Malaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British expats and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista.
Laying low on the coast does not guarantee safety -- these are regions with some of the highest arrest rates.
"It's a cat-and-mouse game. But we usually find them. It just takes patience," said Gonzalez.
Police credit wiretaps, monitoring social media and, above all, close international cooperation for their success.
Through ENFAST, a network of police officers from across Europe who work together to locate internationally wanted criminals, Spain has become a leader in cross-border arrests.
"Spain is extremely active in extraditions. Sooner or later, fugitives get caught," said Bautista.
The walls of Gonzalez's elite police unit are lined with mugshots and mementos from years of operations.
"There may be fugitives living quietly among us. But that doesn't mean they will escape forever," he said.
sm-vab/ds/imm/jhb

transport

'No-kids' holiday venue? Think again, says France

  • "We cannot accept that some people decide they no longer want to tolerate a particular section of the population, in this case children," she told AFP. El Hairy said excluding children was infringing on their rights, putting pressure on their parents and dividing society.
  • The French government is mulling measures to clamp down on adult-only hotels and restaurants, with a top official warning that hospitality venues excluding children in a so-called "no kids" strategy were dividing society.
  • "We cannot accept that some people decide they no longer want to tolerate a particular section of the population, in this case children," she told AFP. El Hairy said excluding children was infringing on their rights, putting pressure on their parents and dividing society.
The French government is mulling measures to clamp down on adult-only hotels and restaurants, with a top official warning that hospitality venues excluding children in a so-called "no kids" strategy were dividing society.
While Paris is considered one of the most child-friendly cities in the world, more and more venues in France have been shunning children in an effort to shield customers from kids' unpredictable behaviour and noise.
The government on Tuesday held a roundtable meeting with key industry players to discuss a trend that France's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Hairy, has said should end.
Socialist senator Laurence Rossignol has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to ban children from venues in France.
"Children are not a nuisance," said Rossignol, adding that the bill is aimed at promoting "a society that is open to children".
"We cannot accept that some people decide they no longer want to tolerate a particular section of the population, in this case children," she told AFP.
El Hairy said excluding children was infringing on their rights, putting pressure on their parents and dividing society.
"There is a growing intolerance, and we must not allow it to take hold," El Hairy told broadcaster RTL. "We are pushing children and families out, and in a way, this is real violence," she added.
"It's not in our culture, it's not our philosophy, and it's not what we want to see as the norm in our country."
On Tuesday, she brought together representatives of the tourism and transport industries, including Airbnb, to discuss the "no-kids" trend.
In France, adult-only services are currently limited.
According to estimates from a travel industry union, they represented around three percent of the market in 2024.
Questions about children's place in society have been at the forefront of the public debate in France in recent years.
The French Federation of Nurseries has repeatedly called on lawmakers to ensure children's right "to make noise".
In the spring of 2024, a report submitted to President Emmanuel Macron said authorities needed to create alternatives to help children reduce the amount of screen time and "give them back their rightful place, including their right to be noisy".
A few months later, the government's High Council for Family, Children and Age (HCFEA) warned about the lack of spaces for children, pointing to the "harmful consequences for their physical and mental health".
Rossignol praised El Hairy's initiative to gather together tourism and transport executives, but said more needed to be done.
"Now we need to go further," she said. "The president's camp must put this issue on the parliamentary agenda."
mep-as/sjw/jhb

diplomacy

Macron gives Vietnamese students a lesson in 'impulsive' superpowers

BY LAM NGUYEN

  • Communist-run Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46 percent tariff by US President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz.
  • Between jabs at Donald Trump's US trade tariffs and criticism of Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Vietnamese students Tuesday that "on the impulse of a superpower, everything can change".
  • Communist-run Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46 percent tariff by US President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz.
Between jabs at Donald Trump's US trade tariffs and criticism of Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Vietnamese students Tuesday that "on the impulse of a superpower, everything can change".
Macron was in Vietnam as part of a six-day Southeast Asian tour, as he tries to pitch his offer of a "third way" between the United States and China to a region caught up in a confrontation between the two.
He left Hanoi and arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday evening, the next stop on his trip which also includes Singapore.
Earlier he spoke to a group of around 150 students at the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi, who listened through translation headsets.
"The conflict between China and the United States of America is a geopolitical fact that casts the shadow of risk of a much larger conflict in this important region," he told them.
China would do well to remember that "freedom of navigation, maritime freedom is important for the South China Sea", he said, adding that what is happening there "worries everyone".
Macron quickly moved on to a swipe at the United States, which he described as "imposing tariffs according to the side of the bed on which he woke up", before presenting France as a reliable alternative.
His address came a day after he visited a Hanoi war memorial to those who fought against French colonial occupation, which ended in 1954 following a bloody uprising by Vietnamese pro-independence forces.
Vietnam has been careful to follow a balancing act between China and the United States.
It shares concerns about Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the contested waterway, but it has close economic ties with its giant neighbour.
Communist-run Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46 percent tariff by US President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz.
France's "Indo-Pacific strategy" could offer a "path of freedom" and "sovereignty", Macron told the students.
More than 100 other students who were unable to fit into the university hall where he spoke tuned in via video link from a side room, often clapping as he spoke.
Some seemed convinced, seeing an opportunity in France to avoid the chaos that many international students in the United States are enduring after Trump attempted to block Harvard University from enrolling foreigners.
"Given the context in the US where visa issues for international students are quite risky, I will prioritise studying in France because it is more stable," 21-year-old Nguyen Quang Bach told AFP.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, 21, who chatted to Macron ahead of the speech, called the president "friendly and approachable".
During the speech, Macron also urged the students, a few of whom spoke French, not to fall into the "world of fools" that prevails on social media, where people are free to criticise with short messages "those whose thoughts you do not understand".
"I do not believe all words are equal. I think there are people who know (things) and people who know less," he said.
fff/aph/tc/des

politics

King Charles to give historic speech to Canada parliament amid US tensions

  • King Charles has never publicly commented on Trump's repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state, but his speech will be closely watched for any comments on the topic.
  • King Charles III is to deliver a historic speech to open Canada's parliament on Tuesday, with the nation, of which he is head of state, facing unprecedented threats from US President Donald Trump.
  • King Charles has never publicly commented on Trump's repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state, but his speech will be closely watched for any comments on the topic.
King Charles III is to deliver a historic speech to open Canada's parliament on Tuesday, with the nation, of which he is head of state, facing unprecedented threats from US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he intends to use the king's first visit to the British Commonwealth nation since his coronation to highlight Canada's sovereignty.
"This historic honor matches the weight of our times," Carney said.
It was at the prime minister's invitation that the 76-year-old monarch, who is battling cancer, traveled to the Canadian capital, accompanied by Queen Camilla.
King Charles has never publicly commented on Trump's repeated talk of making Canada the 51st US state, but his speech will be closely watched for any comments on the topic.
Trump has also ripped up the world trade order and launched tariff wars against friends and foes alike, particularly targeting northern neighbor Canada.
The so-called "throne speech" will be delivered in the Senate -- a former railway station that has been converted while parliament undergoes major renovations.
Although it will be read by the king as if it were in his own words, it was, in fact, written by the prime minister's office and will set out the government's priorities to "build Canada strong" and how it aims to achieve them.
Canada's Liberal Party, led by Carney, a technocrat with no prior political experience, won legislative elections on April 28, after a campaign entirely focused on who would be best to deal with Trump.
Carney has vowed to oversee the biggest transformation of Canada's economy since the end of the Second World War to enable it to "stand up" to Trump.
In cautious diplomatic language, the throne speech should also contain a reaffirmation of Canada's sovereignty, which Trump has threatened repeatedly by suggesting the country should be annexed by the United States.

'Extraordinary' symbolism

"In terms of symbolism, it's extraordinary because this is only the third time the sovereign has read this speech," said Felix Mathieu, a politics professor at the University of Quebec in Outaouais.
The throne speech has only twice before been personally delivered by Canada's monarch, in 1957 and 1977, both by Charles's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
"What will also be interesting is everything surrounding the speech from the throne," Mathieu added, in reference to the "message to Donald Trump" to show him that "Canada is not alone in this fight."
Thousands flocked to the capital on Monday to greet the king and queen on their first day of the brief visit.
For Shrikant Mogulala, 32, the king was here to deliver "a clear message to Trump that we are not for sale."
Retiree Dave Shaw, 60, said it was "a great time for (the king) to be here now at this particular time given the geopolitical circumstances, given the circumstances of our country right now."
On Monday, the monarchs visited a farmer's market and were treated to Indigenous music and military honors before the king held private audiences with Carney and Indigenous leaders.
They were scheduled to ride to the Senate Tuesday morning in a four-wheeled carriage escorted by 28 horses from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's fabled "Musical Ride" unit.
There will be a 21-gun salute and a flypast by fighter jets, and the monarchs will also lay a wreath at a war memorial.
bur/aha/dhc

Floyd

Discarded protest art preserves George Floyd legacy

BY BEN TURNER

  • The stories they have to tell are still heard, and that people understand there's still a lot of work to be done," Zellner-Smith said.
  • Kenda Zellner-Smith hauled up a corrugated metal door to reveal hundreds of wooden boards covered with graffiti, each telling a story of the protests that followed George Floyd's killing by a US police officer.
  • The stories they have to tell are still heard, and that people understand there's still a lot of work to be done," Zellner-Smith said.
Kenda Zellner-Smith hauled up a corrugated metal door to reveal hundreds of wooden boards covered with graffiti, each telling a story of the protests that followed George Floyd's killing by a US police officer.
The 28-year-old has collected and archived the panels that once protected businesses from rioting in Minneapolis, aiming to preserve the legacy of the 2020 murder that shocked the United States.
Five years on, Zellner-Smith said the boards -- kept in a storage unit by an industrial site two miles (three kilometers) from where Floyd died -- still evoke powerful emotions.
They range from blank plywood with text reading "I can't breathe" -- the final words Floyd said as Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck -- to colorful murals depicting rainbows and love hearts. 
"Every time I look at them there's something different I notice," she told AFP. "They reignite an energy or a fire that was felt years ago during the uprising."
Then a university graduate in Minneapolis, Zellner-Smith was among millions of Americans who joined the Black Lives Matter rallies in 2020 that swept US cities. 
The threat of vandalism saw many businesses protect themselves with wooden boards -- which became canvases for protesters' slogans and drawings demanding justice.

'Resistance'

Zellner-Smith said she decided to start collecting the boards after seeing one taken down after the protests and thinking "'Oh my god, these are going to disappear just as fast as they showed up.'"
"Every single day after work, I'd grab my dad's pickup truck and I would just drive around searching for boards," said Zellner-Smith, who searched alleyways and dumpsters. 
Today, her project called "Save the Boards" counts over 600 in its collection, with each stacked vertically in a pair of storage units measuring 10 by 30 feet (three by nine meters).
But with Floyd's legacy under the spotlight on the fifth anniversary of his death as many hoped-for reforms to address racism have not been met, she said the boards are crucial to sustaining the protest movement.
"Art serves as a form of resistance and storytelling, and it speaks to real, lived experiences, and that's what these are," Zellner-Smith said.
Her next challenge is finding a long-term home for the boards as grants that covered storage costs are running dry. 
A handful are already being exhibited -- including in a building restored after it was damaged by arson during the 2020 protests -- and most have been photographed to be archived online. 
"My biggest push is just to make sure they're still seen. The stories they have to tell are still heard, and that people understand there's still a lot of work to be done," Zellner-Smith said.

'Murals gave me hope'

Her initiative is similar to another, more expansive one in Minneapolis called Memorialize the Movement.
That nonprofit exhibited around 50 boards during a memorial event held Sunday on a recreation ground near George Floyd Square, the name given to the area where the 46-year-old was killed. 
With Afrobeat music booming from speakers, dozens of people scanned the display that included one piece with squares of black and brown, each filled with phrases like "We matter" and "Protect us."
Another mostly bare wooden board had just a black love heart with "No justice, no peace" written in the middle. 
"I think it is absolutely vital that these murals and this story that they tell are preserved for future generations," said Leesa Kelly, who has collected over 1,000 pieces while running Memorialize the Movement.
Asked what drove her to start the project, the 32-year-old replied: "I didn't do this because I was motivated or inspired, I did it because I was experiencing trauma."
"A Black man was killed. The murals gave me hope," said Kelly, who also collected many of the boards herself during the 2020 protests.
Darnella Thompson, 43, was one of those looking at the boards on a warm, sunny day, stopping to take a photo in front of one saying "Speak up" and "Hope."
"It's overwhelming," she told AFP. "As a person of color who has experienced quite a bit here in this country, it definitely resonates very much with me."
"It brings up more so sadness than anything because this is continuous," Thompson added.
bjt/des

Floyd

George Floyd's uncertain legacy marked in US five years on

BY BEN TURNER

  • "As anti-racism, inclusion efforts & law enforcement reforms face serious setbacks, we must continue advocating for racial justice & equality globally -- with greater determination & strength," Turk wrote on X. A memorial event was held this weekend at what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
  • Americans on Sunday marked five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.
  • "As anti-racism, inclusion efforts & law enforcement reforms face serious setbacks, we must continue advocating for racial justice & equality globally -- with greater determination & strength," Turk wrote on X. A memorial event was held this weekend at what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
Americans on Sunday marked five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.
Floyd's deadly arrest on May 25, 2020 helped launch the Black Lives Matter movement into a powerful force that sought to resolve America's deeply rooted racial issues, from police violence to systemic inequality. 
But since Trump's return to power in January –- he was serving his first term when Floyd died -– his administration has axed civil rights investigations and cracked down on diversity hiring initiatives.
BLM, meanwhile, finds itself lacking the support it enjoyed when protesters sprawled across US cities and abroad during the Covid pandemic -- with many now agreeing the movement achieved little of substance.
Some Democratic politicians, as well as UN rights chief Volker Turk, commemorated the anniversary on Sunday.
"As anti-racism, inclusion efforts & law enforcement reforms face serious setbacks, we must continue advocating for racial justice & equality globally -- with greater determination & strength," Turk wrote on X.
A memorial event was held this weekend at what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
Dozens of people on Sunday visited the small junction set in a residential part of the northern US city, which is covered with protest art, including a purple mural that reads "You Changed the World, George."
That optimistic message painted in 2020 is now, however, at odds with a president whose more extreme allies have suggested he pardon Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.
Some experts believe Trump's re-election was partly a backlash to BLM activism, which included protests that turned to riots in some cities and calls to defund the police.
Floyd's family members told AFP on Friday that they wanted people to continue pushing for reform despite the hostile political climate.
"We don't need an executive order to tell us that Black lives matter," said his aunt Angela Harrelson, who wore a dark T-shirt depicting Floyd's face.
"We cannot let a setback be a holdback for the great comeback. Donald Trump just didn't get the memo," she added to nods from other relatives standing beside her.
Paris Stevens, a Floyd cousin, agreed: "No one can silence us anymore."

'Easy to forget'

Protests marking Floyd's death have also been planned in a handful of other US cities, including Chicago and Dallas, but no major rallies were expected. 
In Minneapolis, some people cried and others laid flowers or stuffed animals by the roadside spot where Floyd's fatal arrest was filmed and shared around the world.
"George Floyd may be resting in peace and power, but he's alive through everyone that shows up here," WD Foster-Graham, an author who grew up in the same neighborhood, told AFP Sunday.
"It can be very easy to forget, but as one person to another, make sure we never forget and let those powers that be know we haven't forgotten, and we're not going away," the 73-year-old added. 
Jamie Dencklau, 30, said it was important to show that Floyd's death was not just a "moment in time."
But the nonprofit worker from Minneapolis said she was upset about Trump, who has a track record of racially charged rhetoric and heavy support from far-right figures.
"It's disheartening to see that our country has elected this individual as our president, and it really makes me question how important equity and inclusivity are to our community," she said.
Memorial events have been held annually since Floyd's death and the theme for this one -– "The People Have Spoken" -– was suggested by Nelson Mandela's grandson Nkosi when he visited the square, according to Floyd's aunt Harrelson.
She said the defiant title was meant to reflect five years of protesting, adding that "even though it's tiresome, we go on."
bjt/nl

transport

UK renationalises first train operator under Labour reforms

BY ALEXANDRA BACON

  • In an example of how passengers might not immediately notice much difference, South Western's first service under public ownership on Sunday was set to include a rail replacement bus because of engineering work.
  • A private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalise Britain's much-maligned railways.
  • In an example of how passengers might not immediately notice much difference, South Western's first service under public ownership on Sunday was set to include a rail replacement bus because of engineering work.
A private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalise Britain's much-maligned railways.
All UK rail operators are due to be renationalised within the next two years in a key policy launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following his Labour party's return to government last July after 14 years in opposition.
"South Western Railway is now under public ownership. And this is just the start," Starmer said on X, formerly Twitter, naming the service kickstarting his government's plan.
He vowed the renationalisation "will put passengers first", with "better services, with simpler ticketing, on more comfortable trains".
Train passengers in Britain suffer from frequent cancellations, in addition to high ticket prices and regular confusion over which services they can be used on.
The privatisation of rail operations took place in the mid-1990s under the Conservative prime minister of the time, John Major, but the rail network remained public, run by Network Rail.
Four of the 14 operators in England are already run by the state owing to poor performance in recent years, but this was originally meant to be a temporary fix before a return to the private sector.
Labour triumphed over the Conservative party in elections last year, with its manifesto including promises to fix the country's ailing transport services.
Legislation was approved in November to bring rail operators into public ownership when the private companies' contracts expire -- or sooner in the event of poor management –- and be managed by "Great British Railways".
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said in a statement that will end "30 years of fragmentation", but warned that "change isn't going to happen overnight".

'Public good'

"We've always been clear that public ownership isn't a silver bullet, but we are really firing this starting gun in that race for a truly 21st-century railway, and that does mean refocusing away from private profit and towards the public good," she added.
In an example of how passengers might not immediately notice much difference, South Western's first service under public ownership on Sunday was set to include a rail replacement bus because of engineering work.
Government figures show that the equivalent of four percent of train services in Britain were cancelled in the year to April 26.
The rate was three percent for South Western.
Rail unions -- which have staged a stream of strikes in recent years over pay and conditions due to a cost-of-living crisis -- welcomed the state takeover. 
"We're delighted that Britain's railways are being brought back where they belong -- into the public sector," said Mick Whelan, general secretary of union Aslef.
"Everyone in the rail industry knows that privatisation... didn't, and doesn't, work," he added.
Two operators serving towns and cities in southeastern and eastern England are next to be brought back into public ownership by late 2025.
All the current contracts are set to expire by 2027.
UK media reported that the renationalisation of South Western means a third of journeys are now on publicly owned services.
The government has said renationalisation will save up to £150 million ($200 million) per year because it will no longer have to pay compensation fees to rail operators.
The main rail operators in Scotland and Wales, where transport policy is handled by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff, are also state-owned.
ajb/pdh/rmb

film

Trier misses out on top Cannes prize again

BY FIACHRA GIBBONS

  • "I think I was my destiny to win the Grand Prix," a rueful Trier told reporters afterwards -- a reference to the failing fictional director portrayed in the film, who had also won the same prize in 1998.
  • Director Joachim Trier, who won the Grand Prix second prize at the Cannes film festival Saturday, makes Scandinavian movies that can melt the chilliest of hearts.
  • "I think I was my destiny to win the Grand Prix," a rueful Trier told reporters afterwards -- a reference to the failing fictional director portrayed in the film, who had also won the same prize in 1998.
Director Joachim Trier, who won the Grand Prix second prize at the Cannes film festival Saturday, makes Scandinavian movies that can melt the chilliest of hearts.
"Sentimental Value", his moving story about a quietly fractured Norwegian family with Elle Fanning got an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation when its Cannes premiere ended in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Even the director found himself crying behind the camera as he shot it, he told AFP.
"It sounds cheesy, but I wept a lot making this film because I was so moved by the actors," he said of his cast, which play members of an arty family in Oslo who struggle to communicate.
"The actors are my friends. I know that they were being halfway a character and halfway themselves. And that they were also dealing with stuff," said the maker of "The Worst Person in the World".
That film landed the Norwegian two Oscar nominations and won then-newcomer Renate Reinsve the best actress award at Cannes in 2021.
Many critics said it also should have won the Palme d'Or top prize. And many thought Trier should have won it again Saturday, with some calling "Sentimental Value" a contender for best film of the year.
"I think I was my destiny to win the Grand Prix," a rueful Trier told reporters afterwards -- a reference to the failing fictional director portrayed in the film, who had also won the same prize in 1998.
"I am almost as good as him now," Trier joked.
Fanning said "The Worst Person in the World" -- which brought Trier to her attention -- is "easily one of the best films in the last decade or even longer. It is just perfect," she told AFP.
It was the last film in his "Oslo Trilogy" of intelligent, bittersweet explorations of life in the Norwegian capital.

'Crying and crying'

Trier is famous for the rapport he builds with his actors.
"We were a family too," he told AFP of the shoot for "Sentimental Value", rehearsing his script around the kitchen table of the beautiful old wooden home in Oslo where the film was shot, itself a character in the story.
The heads that keep butting in Trier's on-screen family are the absent father, an arthouse filmmaker who has long been put out to grass, played by Swedish legend Stellan Skarsgard, and his stage actress daughter (Reinsve).
"I think a lot of families carry woundedness and grief," Trier said.
"And talk often doesn't help. It gets argumentative. We get stuck in our positions, the roles we give each other unconsciously."
The bad old dynamics are changed by the arrival of an American star -- Fanning playing someone only millimetres from her real self -- a fan of the father.
She comes bearing lots of Netflix dollars to revive one of his long-stalled scripts.
"We don't get too many Hollywood stars wanting to be in small Norwegian-language films," Trier joked of Fanning's interest in his films.
"When Joachim sent me the script, I read it and I was just crying and crying by the final page," Fanning told AFP.
"It is so emotional. It's a very personal piece for Joachim and you can just feel that rawness in it."

Trier 'magic'

The director comes from a family steeped in the Scandinavian film industry. He dedicated his Grand Prix at Cannes to his grandfather, Erik Lochen, a member of the Norwegian resistance during World War II.
"He was captured and his way to survive after the war was to play jazz and to make films," Trier said.
Lochen's film "The Hunt" also competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, in 1960. It didn't win either. It was beaten by a film called "La Dolce Vita".
Trier admitted that that history, which is alluded to in his new movie, made it all very "meta".
"You're making a film about a family with your filmmaking family. And you've got a meta Hollywood star," he said.
But there are not that many parallels with his biological family.
"It's not like I'm throwing anyone under the bus. My whole family has actually seen the film and are very supportive," he said.
The filmmaker father, he insisted, is a mash-up of great auteurs such as Ingmar Bergman, Krzysztof Kieslowski and John Cassavetes.
The "magic" that Fanning said Trier creates on set comes from taking your time, he told AFP, taking on the big themes with a light, humorous touch.
"Anyone who's had experience of therapy -- and I have -- will know that it's about the silences and letting things arrive. Very often (that) is also the case with actors," said Trier.
"We had quite a few moments like that in the film actually. Renate would look at me and I look at her and I say, 'What was that? That was interesting.' And we don't talk about it anymore.
"But when people see it in editing, they go, 'Wow!'"
fg/adp/jhb

France

'It's in our blood': how Vietnam adopted the Latin alphabet

  • Huyen, 35, takes weekly calligraphy classes alongside six others at her teacher's tiny home as "a way to relax after work".
  • At a calligraphy class in Hanoi, Hoang Thi Thanh Huyen slides her brush across the page to form the letters and tonal marks of Vietnam's unique modern script, in part a legacy of French colonial rule.
  • Huyen, 35, takes weekly calligraphy classes alongside six others at her teacher's tiny home as "a way to relax after work".
At a calligraphy class in Hanoi, Hoang Thi Thanh Huyen slides her brush across the page to form the letters and tonal marks of Vietnam's unique modern script, in part a legacy of French colonial rule.
The history of romanised Vietnamese, or "Quoc Ngu", links the arrival of the first Christian missionaries, colonisation by the French and the rise to power of the Communist Party.
It is now reflected in the country's "bamboo diplomacy" approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world's major powers.
A month after China's Xi Jinping visited, French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive on Sunday.
Huyen, 35, takes weekly calligraphy classes alongside six others at her teacher's tiny home as "a way to relax after work".
"When I do calligraphy, I feel like I'm talking to my inner self," she told AFP, her head bent in concentration. 

Missionaries, civil servants

On Monday, Macron is due to visit Hanoi's star attraction, the Temple of Literature, whose walls and explanatory panels are decorated with calligraphy in both traditional Chinese-influenced characters and Quoc Ngu. 
Colonisation led to the widespread use of Quoc Ngu -- which uses accents and signs to reflect the consonants, vowels, and tones of Vietnamese -- but it was created two centuries earlier on the initiative of Catholic priests. 
When the Avignon-born Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes published the first Portuguese-Vietnamese-Latin dictionary under his own name in 1651, it was primarily intended for missionaries wishing to spread their religion in what was then called "Dai Viet". 
The French then spread the Latin alphabet while training the civil servants who helped them govern Indochina, explained Khanh-Minh Bui, a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley, specialising in 19th- and 20th-century Vietnamese history.
Another motive was "severing connections with an older civilisation, which has greatly influenced the elites", in this case China, she said.

Artistic freedom

Compared to the characters that had been in use for centuries, Quoc Ngu was far easier to learn. 
Its adoption fuelled an explosion in newspapers and publishing which helped spread anti-colonial ideas that ultimately led to the rise of the Communist Party.
"Quoc Ngu carried the promise of a new education, a new way of thinking," said Minh.
When Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence in 1945, it was "unthinkable" to turn back the clock, she added. 
Today, a Western tourist lost in the alleys of Hanoi can read the street names, but would have a hard time pronouncing them correctly without understanding the diacritics used to transcribe the six tones of Vietnamese.
Calligraphy teacher Nguyen Thanh Tung, who has several young students in his class, says he has noticed rising interest in traditional Vietnamese culture.
"I believe that it's in our blood, a gene that flows in every Vietnamese person, to love their traditional culture," he said.
Calligraphy in Quoc Ngu offers more artistic freedom "in terms of colour, shape, idea" than that using characters, he believes.
"Culture is not the property of one country, it's an exchange between regions," added Tung, 38.
"English and French borrow words from other languages, and it's the same for Vietnamese."
bur/aph/slb/dhw/rsc

retail

In India's congested cities, delivery apps cash in

BY ANUJ SRIVAS

  • - 'Unprecedented' - For millions of customers, it's an easy way to avoid shopping in the sweltering heat -- visiting multiple food stalls -- and spending hours navigating the country's notorious traffic jams. 
  • In India's sprawling financial hub of Mumbai armies of "dabbawalas" have for decades crisscrossed the city by foot and bicycle, delivering home-cooked food to office workers who are keen to avoid the searing heat and traffic-snarled streets.
  • - 'Unprecedented' - For millions of customers, it's an easy way to avoid shopping in the sweltering heat -- visiting multiple food stalls -- and spending hours navigating the country's notorious traffic jams. 
In India's sprawling financial hub of Mumbai armies of "dabbawalas" have for decades crisscrossed the city by foot and bicycle, delivering home-cooked food to office workers who are keen to avoid the searing heat and traffic-snarled streets.
Now, across the country, young entrepreneurs are taking that tradition to the next level with the explosion of shopping apps that allow customers to get hold of not only food and drink but anything else from clothes to iPhones -- within minutes.
The so-called quick commerce apps are redefining the retail game, not only disrupting e-commerce titans such as Amazon with their speed and efficiency but also long-established "mom and pop" stores which are no longer convenient enough.
At a warehouse managed by online grocer BigBasket in central Mumbai, employees work with military-like precision to pull off deliveries in just 10 minutes.
These warehouses are known within the industry as "dark stores", a reference to being closed off to customers.
When a new order is received, a worker leaps into action, darting through aisles filled with everything from fizzy drinks to vegetables, packing a bag of groceries handed to a motorbike rider -- the modern-day "dabbawala", Hindi for "lunchbox man".
Local tech companies have poured in billions to set up these nifty logistical networks across big cities, fuelling India's rapid shopping industry.  

'Unprecedented'

For millions of customers, it's an easy way to avoid shopping in the sweltering heat -- visiting multiple food stalls -- and spending hours navigating the country's notorious traffic jams. 
Growth has been "very strong", BigBasket co-founder Vipul Parekh told AFP, pointing to forecasts that indicate a compounded annual growth rate of more than 60 percent over the next two to three years. 
"When you talk of a large industry transforming and growing at this pace, that is unprecedented," he said. 
Delivery apps such as Getir or Jokr have faltered in Europe and the United States in recent years, as pandemic-induced demand wore off and rising inflation pinched customer wallets.  
But sales in India have soared from $100 million in 2020 to an estimated $6 billion in 2024, according to projections by market analysis firm Datum Intelligence.
This could hit $40 billion by the end of the decade, according to investment bank JM Financial.    
Companies say India's quick commerce's growth is partly down to the sheer scale of people living in tight-packed cities within a roughly two kilometre (one mile) radius of a "dark store", said Parekh.
"The revenue potential in that catchment is very high," he said.
A lack of many traditional supermarket grocery chains in India aid the business model, he said. 
Rinish Ravindra, a regular user, admits that they make him "lazy", but argues that the convenience is unbeatable. 
"I just press a bunch of keys and all of it comes delivered to home," says the 32-year-old, who works in Mumbai's film industry. 
Local players have made rapid progress but competition is heating up. 
Amazon is getting its act together, along with Walmart-owned Flipkart and billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries as they belatedly roll out rapid delivery offerings.
"One of the problems with e-commerce players like Amazon is that, until now, they've relied on these big fulfilment centres that sit on the outside or outskirts of cities," said Satish Meena of Datum Intelligence.
"These aren't suited for rapid delivery, which is why they now need to invest to build their own dark store networks within urban areas."  

'Just order it online'

However, a more crowded industry threatens the sustainability of the sector that has already seen one prominent start-up go bust.
"My sense is that the market is good enough for two to three players," said Rahul Malhotra of Bernstein, a research firm, adding that the total addressable market may be worth around $50-$60 billion. 
"Some of the early movers, with hyperlocal capabilities obviously, have an advantage here."
The sector could also face challenges from thousands of small, family-run shops. 
The Confederation of All India Traders, a leading industry group that claims to represent over 90 million small businesses, has called for "a nationwide movement" against newer platforms. 
Its president likened quick commerce to being a "modern-day East India Company", a reference to the rapacious British power that began in the 17th century to seize swathes of India, preceding colonial rule.
For now, customers are voting with their wallets.  
"When I think of groceries I think, 'I can just order it online'," said Ravindra. 
asv/pjm/dan/dhc

Floyd

Informal therapy offers healing at George Floyd memorial

BY BEN TURNER

  • "To be here is to be with fellow people who are honoring George Floyd, and that is healing in itself," she said.
  • Down the road from where George Floyd was killed five years ago, a woman listened quietly as the man opposite shared his lingering anger over the death filmed and shared around the world.
  • "To be here is to be with fellow people who are honoring George Floyd, and that is healing in itself," she said.
Down the road from where George Floyd was killed five years ago, a woman listened quietly as the man opposite shared his lingering anger over the death filmed and shared around the world.
"When that video was blasted all over the place I was in disbelief... Haven't we as a country learned?" said the gray-haired Black man, who sat on a foldable red-checkered chair with his outstretched feet crossed. 
Across from him, 76-year-old Rita Davern occasionally nodded, her hands clasped in her lap during most of the half-hour conversation that the pair allowed AFP to witness.
They were taking part in re-evaluation counseling -- an informal practice of peer-to-peer discussions aimed at healing trauma -- which was deployed at a memorial event in Minneapolis marking the five-year anniversary of Floyd's murder. 
Researchers have found his killing by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, took an emotional toll on Black Americans in particular, with a study finding that nearly one million more would have screened positive for depression in the week after his death.
"If you're experiencing fear or grief or anything, if you have somebody you can talk to about it, there's some kind of healing that happens," Davern, a white filmmaker, said later.
"I think it matters that a white person listens because that's what usually doesn't happen," she added. 
The man, 54, who asked to be named only as Mr Davis, agreed: "Change happens with discussions among common people, not among the people in positions of power and influence."

'Re-traumatized'

For some, the emotions on this anniversary have been stirred up by the recent calls from some of President Donald Trump's right-wing allies for him to pardon Floyd's killer.
Janet Kitui, 57, said she felt "re-traumatized" by that news. 
"That struck a raw nerve for me," she told AFP. 
"That would really erase a human life that was George Floyd, and subsequently any of us who are Black in these United States."
Kitui, a procurement officer living in Minneapolis, said attending the weekend memorial event offered her a sense of comfort. 
"To be here is to be with fellow people who are honoring George Floyd, and that is healing in itself," she said.
The memorial event focused partly on self-care, with stands offering free massages and art therapy sessions for children. 
Meanwhile, the informal counseling allowed for people to reflect on the legacy of Floyd's death. 
At one point, Davis asked Davern how race issues are perceived in her neighborhood.
"I see white people, my people, more scared of going out, you know, more scared of talking to their neighbors," Davern said. 
Davis interrupted: "What are they afraid of?"
"We're afraid of what we don't know, we're afraid of coming here today. It's just the division of our society," Davern replied. 
bjt/nl

Floyd

George Floyd's uncertain legacy is marked five years on

BY BEN TURNER

  • An anniversary event is taking place in what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
  • Americans on Sunday mark five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.
  • An anniversary event is taking place in what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
Americans on Sunday mark five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.
Floyd's deadly arrest on May 25, 2020 helped launch the Black Lives Matter movement into a powerful force that sought to resolve America's deeply rooted racial issues, from police violence to systemic inequality. 
But since Trump's return to power in January –- he was serving his first term when Floyd died -– his administration has axed civil rights investigations and cracked down on diversity hiring initiatives.
BLM, meanwhile, finds itself lacking the support it enjoyed when protesters sprawled across US cities during the Covid pandemic -- with many now agreeing the movement achieved little of substance.
An anniversary event is taking place in what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
A small junction in a residential part of the northern US city, the square is covered with protest art including a purple mural that reads "You Changed the World, George."
That optimistic message painted in 2020 is now, however, at odds with a president whose more extreme allies have suggested he pardon Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.
Some experts believe Trump's re-election was partly a backlash to BLM activism, which included protests that turned to riots in some cities and calls to defund the police. 
Floyd's family members told AFP in Minneapolis on Friday that they wanted people to continue pushing for reform despite the hostile political climate.
"We don't need an executive order to tell us that Black lives matter," said his aunt Angela Harrelson, who wore a dark T-shirt depicting Floyd's face.
"We cannot let a setback be a holdback for the great comeback. Donald Trump just didn't get the memo," she added to nods from other relatives standing beside her.
Paris Stevens, a Floyd cousin, agreed: "No one can silence us anymore."

'Keep the memory going'

The Floyd relatives, with around 50 other people, held a moment of silence on Friday afternoon before placing yellow roses on the roadside spot where Floyd's fatal arrest was filmed and shared around the world.
It was a moment of reflection –- others include a candlelight vigil on Sunday night –- during a weekend otherwise devoted to music, arts and dancing.
Memorial events have been held annually since Floyd's death and the theme for this one -– "The People Have Spoken" -– was suggested by Nelson Mandela's grandson Nkosi when he visited the square, according to Harrelson.
She said the defiant title was meant to reflect five years of protesting, adding that "even though it's tiresome, we go on."
Visitors are expected to pay their respects through the weekend.
Jill Foster, a physician from Minneapolis, told AFP at the square on Friday that she felt honoring Floyd's legacy was partly a form of political resistance.
"Under the Trump administration, everything is trying to be rewritten and a new reality created," the 66-year-old said. 
"We have to keep the memory going and keep the information flowing."
Meanwhile, for Courteney Ross, Floyd's girlfriend when he died, the anniversary weekend brings up powerful feelings of personal loss.
"I miss him so much, I miss him by my side," Ross, 49, told AFP, dressed in black and holding a bunch of yellow roses. 
"It's beautiful to see all the people come out and celebrate him," she added.
"You see a unification that you don't get a lot in this country lately, and people are celebrating a man who, you know, gave his life for us."
bjt/bbk

film

Cannes hit by power sabotage as film festival draws to a close

BY ADAM PLOWRIGHT AND ALICE HACKMAN

  • The festival said it had "switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony".  
  • Suspected vandalism knocked out power to the French Riviera town Cannes on the final day of its film festival on Saturday, but organisers said the show would go on at their glitzy closing ceremony. 
  • The festival said it had "switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony".  
Suspected vandalism knocked out power to the French Riviera town Cannes on the final day of its film festival on Saturday, but organisers said the show would go on at their glitzy closing ceremony. 
A suspected arson attack on a local substation and the sabotage of an electricity pylon along the coast were blamed for the more than five-hour outage. 
Festival goers and tourists were left scrambling for paper money during the black-out, which left cash machines out-of-order and restaurants unable to process card payments.
The festival said it had "switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony".  
Inside its headquarters, journalists dressed up in black tie and headed to the the red carpet for the closing ceremony where French actor Juliette Binoche and her jury will hand out awards, including the Palme d'Or for best film.
The best-reviewed contenders include Iranian director Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" and Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa's study of despotism in "Two Prosecutors", according to analysis from Screen magazine.
But cinema bible Variety predicted a triumph for Norwegian director Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value", a moving tale about a quietly fractured family starring Elle Fanning. 
It received an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation after its premiere on Thursday.
Rave-themed road trip movie "Sirat" by Franco-Spanish director Oliver Laxe also has many cheerleaders on Cannes famed Croisette sea-front boulevard.

Fire details

Power was being restored to Cannes by the middle of the afternoon, with traffic lights blinking back into life after they went blank at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT). 
Local officials said a suspected arson attack on the substation about 12 kilometres (seven miles) northwest of central Cannes had caused a major fire at around 02:00 am.
Firefighters in seven different vehicles required five hours to extinguish the flames, the officials told AFP.
Along the coast in the opposite direction, a pylon which carries a high-voltage line was discovered with three of its four legs damaged, the local prosecutor's office announced. 

Politics

Amid the glitz and glamour at this year's politically charged Cannes Festival, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as US President Donald Trump have been major talking-points. 
The Gaza war has been on the minds of some of the festival's guests, with more than 900 actors and filmmakers signing an open letter denouncing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory, according to organisers.
Binoche, "Schindler's List" star Ralph Fiennes, US indie director Jim Jarmusch and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -- in town to present a documentary he stars in -- were among the signatories.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese however said that the festival felt like a "bubble of indifference".
Trump's presidency was denounced by US filmmaker Todd Haynes as "barbaric", while Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal admitted it was "scary" to speak out against the Republican leader.

Awards

Other awards have already started to be announced.
The first Chechen film to screen at the Cannes Festival -- "Imago" -- won best documentary, while the film about the life of Assange -- "The Six Billion Dollar Man" -- picked up a special jury prize on Friday.
In the secondary Un Certain Regard section, Chilean filmmaker Diego Cespedes won the top prize for "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo", which follows a group of trans women living in a desert mining town in the 1980s.
French actor-turned-director Hafsia Herzi won the unofficial Queer Palm for "The Last One", a coming-of-age tale about a teenage lesbian Muslim living in Paris.
"I wanted to show that there were no borders in friendship, in love," Herzi said.
On a lighter note, a sheepdog that features in Icelandic family drama "The Love That Remains" won the Palm Dog prize for canine performers in festival films, organisers announced.
Icelandic director Hlynur Palmason cast his own pet, Panda, in his poignant story about a couple navigating a separation and the impact on their family.
ah-adp/