HKG

Raucous partying and some rugby as Hong Kong Sevens turns 50

BY PETER STEBBINGS

  • A few of the Hong Kong players did not even have the proper footwear, and one of them was a policeman.
  • The first Hong Kong Sevens took place in front of a few thousand curious spectators, and some of the players wore gym shoes in the mud instead of rugby boots.
  • A few of the Hong Kong players did not even have the proper footwear, and one of them was a policeman.
The first Hong Kong Sevens took place in front of a few thousand curious spectators, and some of the players wore gym shoes in the mud instead of rugby boots.
Fast forward 50 years and the event has grown into a sold-out three-day festival of global repute, mixing sport with socialising, schmoozing and big business.
The runaway success of the Hong Kong Sevens played a key part in rugby returning to the Olympics at Rio 2016 after a 92-year absence.
France's thrilling men's sevens gold, inspired by home hero Antoine Dupont, was one of the standout moments of the Paris Games two years ago.
The Hong Kong extravaganza -- where legends such as Jonah Lomu and David Campese played in the past -- also had a central role in developing the rugby across Asia.
Speaking to AFP on Friday as Hong Kong's biggest party kicked off, World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said there was nothing quite like it.
"It's the pinnacle," he said.
"Firstly, it's sort of one of the pinnacle events in global sports, let alone rugby.
"It's the jewel in the crown of our Sevens series."

'Really special'

Packed crowds with many flying in from overseas for the weekend are a far cry from when a group of club enthusiasts launched the event in 1976.
Now there are men's and women's sides from all over the globe, but then it was mostly teams from Asia and the Pacific in a one-day men's tournament.
"It started as a bit of a jolly," former Hong Kong Rugby Football Union president Brian Stevenson, who was involved at the start, once reflected.
A few of the Hong Kong players did not even have the proper footwear, and one of them was a policeman.
A 3,000 crowd packed Hong Kong Football Club to see New Zealand's Cantabrians win the first Hong Kong Sevens.
"It was a kaleidoscope of colour, full of the pace and grace, thrills and spills and the glorious uncertainty that make seven-a-side rugby arguably the fastest and best ball game in sport," local newspaper the South China Morning Post purred in its report at the time.
The seed was sown, and the tournament grew as a commercial and sporting success in tandem with Hong Kong's development as a global financial centre.
The 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium became the tournament's home, with the South Stand in particular providing a raucous backdrop of well-oiled party-goers decked out in outrageous fancy dress.
After the Covid pandemic put a temporary spoiler on things, the tournament last year moved to the new $3.85 billion Kai Tak stadium.
The 50,000-seat arena, which boasts a futuristic purplish facade and retractable roof, is purpose-built for rugby sevens with 24 separate changing rooms.
It is on the site of the old Kai Tak airport, famed for its hair-raising approach over the top of nearby housing estates.
Robinson said that when rugby was applying to become an Olympic sport again, delegations were shown Hong Kong to help stake its case for inclusion.
"It's just really special in terms of the scale of it, the attendance rates, the momentum and the history of the tournament," he said.
pst/fox

conflict

Russia trains teenage influencers to churn out pro-war content

BY ALISA BUTTERWICK

  • At one content creation camp in early April, more than 120 teenagers, clad in green sweaters and red berets, gathered in Moscow for lectures from soldiers and state media reporters on how to produce videos, use artificial intelligence and build audiences.
  • Russia is trying to produce more pro-war  influencers through content creation camps, training teenagers to spread the Kremlin's hardline, anti-West narrative to the next generation.
  • At one content creation camp in early April, more than 120 teenagers, clad in green sweaters and red berets, gathered in Moscow for lectures from soldiers and state media reporters on how to produce videos, use artificial intelligence and build audiences.
Russia is trying to produce more pro-war  influencers through content creation camps, training teenagers to spread the Kremlin's hardline, anti-West narrative to the next generation.
Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has ramped up control of the domestic information space, outlawing criticism of the offensive through strict military censorship laws, throttling foreign media outlets and pushing its agenda across society.
Schools and young people have been targeted -- curricula and textbooks changed to include Russia's justification for its invasion and soldiers despatched to whip up pro-war enthusiasm in the classroom.
At one content creation camp in early April, more than 120 teenagers, clad in green sweaters and red berets, gathered in Moscow for lectures from soldiers and state media reporters on how to produce videos, use artificial intelligence and build audiences.
"We have created a huge team of kids, who understand how to broadcast government values and our organisation's values," Vladislav Golovin, a former soldier and chief of the general staff of Russia's Young Army cadets movement, said in a statement released by the group.
In a promotional video from the event, children were shown cheering a cadet racing against Golovin to see who could reload a sniper rifle the fastest.
Another organisation, the Movement of the First, runs competitions offering rewards for teenagers with the best blogs and biggest followings.

'Easy to radicalise'

The training camps are part of what Keir Giles, director of the UK-based Conflict Studies Research Centre, calls a "concentrated campaign to restore the prestige of the Russian military."
"These 14–16-year-olds have grown up in an environment where they have never known anything other than Putinism. This is their reality, and so we should not be surprised if these new efforts to spread information reflect that reality," he told AFP.
The drive to instil young Russians with Kremlin-approved values comes from the very top.
In 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin quoted Otto Van Bismarck to summarise his approach.
"Wars are not won by generals, but by schoolteachers and parish priests," Putin said in a televised press conference.
"Educating young people in the spirit of patriotism is crucial," he added.
The revival of Soviet-era youth organisations, like the Young Army, Yunarmiya in Russian, and Movement of the First -- which says it has 14 million online members and 1,100 regional initiatives -- has been integral to those efforts.
In their beige military uniforms with red berets, the rows of teenage cadets often resemble a bright poppy field at set-piece state events, like grand military parades dedicated to Soviet victory in World War II.
As Russia has clamped down on media and the internet since ordering troops into Ukraine, the campaign has moved online.
AI and disinformation expert at the Technological University of Berlin, Veronika Solopova, said social media algorithms are ripe for the Kremlin to spread its narrative, delivering individually tailored content to evoke an emotional response.
"Young people are famously easy to radicalise, easy to jump to conclusions on the nature of injustices, which, for Russia, is then all conveniently converted into army enrolments," she added.

'Behind the camera'

More than half of Russians aged 18-24 say social media is their main source of news, polling by the independent Levada Centre found in March.
Young people's "shorter attention spans, combined with the effortless shareability of clips and reels, make digital content an exceptionally powerful tool," said Giorgi Revishvili, a former Senior Advisor to the National Security Council of Georgia.
Social media content can be "direct and radical" or "very subtle, aimed not at generating support for Russia, but at decreasing solidarity with Ukraine," said Dietmar Pichler, a disinformation and propaganda analyst at INVED.
At the training camp in Moscow, the Young Army cadets were quick to grasp the power of their new skills.
"When you are the one behind the camera filming the entire process, making audiences happy, you realise ... you are the one who has aroused these emotions in people," a girl said in a promotional clip published by the organisers.
"The truth lies in a frame, and we are operating the camera."
str/jc/ach 

Global Edition

Harry and Meghan meet survivors of Bondi Beach attack

  • Harry and Meghan toured Bondi on the last day of their whistle-stop trip down under, walking the sand barefoot flanked by first responders from the Bondi Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.
  • Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle visited Australia's Bondi Beach on Friday to meet survivors of last year's mass shooting at the famed surf spot.
  • Harry and Meghan toured Bondi on the last day of their whistle-stop trip down under, walking the sand barefoot flanked by first responders from the Bondi Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.
Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle visited Australia's Bondi Beach on Friday to meet survivors of last year's mass shooting at the famed surf spot.
A father-and-son duo are accused of murdering 15 people last December in an antisemitic shooting spree targeting a beachside Hanukkah festival. 
Harry and Meghan toured Bondi on the last day of their whistle-stop trip down under, walking the sand barefoot flanked by first responders from the Bondi Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.
They later spoke with Jewish community leaders and survivors of Australia's worst mass shooting in three decades.
Photos showed the couple listening intently as they spoke to survivor Elon Zizerb, who was shot multiple times while shielding his children. 
Harry and Meghan have largely received a warm welcome in Australia, although some critics have questioned the use of taxpayer money to provide protection for the pair.
The couple stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later relocated to North America after a bitter royal family rift.
They are raising their two young children in California, as Harry now seeks to repair relations with his father -- who remains the head of state in Australia.
Naveed Akram and his father Sajid are accused of opening fire on a Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney beach in December.
Naveed has been charged with terrorism, 15 counts of murder, dozens of counts of causing wounds to a person with intent to kill, and planting explosives. 
Sajid was shot and killed by police during the attack.
sft/oho

religion

'AI shamans' tell the fortunes of curious South Koreans

BY KANG JIN-KYU

  • The robot shaman told him to "avoid impulse spending" -- advice he took to heart.
  • The sound of tinkling bells drifts through an alley in central Seoul, an unmistakable sign that a shaman is near -- although in this case the mystic is a robot powered by artificial intelligence.
  • The robot shaman told him to "avoid impulse spending" -- advice he took to heart.
The sound of tinkling bells drifts through an alley in central Seoul, an unmistakable sign that a shaman is near -- although in this case the mystic is a robot powered by artificial intelligence.
Many South Koreans still place great value in shamanic traditions, which purport to divine a person's future based on the day and time they were born.
Practitioners, known as "mudang", wear long, colourful robes and perform dances and chants to commune with the gods -- sometimes even walking on sharp blades to demonstrate their spiritual connection.
However, at Vinaida, a cultural products store in the capital, they are computer-generated avatars on screens.
Visitor Kim Da-ae, 36, called it a "unique experience".
A visit with a real shaman can feel "scary and burdensome", she told AFP.
"But I was just walking by and read this AI sign... So I walked in with a light heart."
Portraits of virtual shamans resembling characters from the popular animation "KPop Demon Hunters" greet passersby at Vinaida, which means "I pray earnestly" in Korean.
Inside a booth, Kim typed her name, gender and date of birth into a computer, before a shaman -- a suspended mask with the image of a human face projected onto it --  asked her to explain her concern through a headset.
The technology combines voice recognition with a generative AI chatbot so that the shaman and the customer can interact.
It then refers to a centuries-old belief system called "saju", or the "four pillars of destiny", to interpret their fate according to the year, month and day of their birth.
Customers then receive a plastic "talisman" bearing a digital QR code that they can scan with their phones to read their fortunes in detail.
Across the room, a bespectacled robot uses a camera and a mechanised arm to sketch and "read" a visitor's face, foretelling their prospects.
"A bright, well-balanced fortune. Resilient in the face of change, with auspicious relationships," an impressed Kim read from a printout.
"I felt a sense of similarity with my fate because it matched my own personality, like valuing relationships while also being practical," she said.

Twist on tradition

Fortune-telling is deeply embedded in South Korean life, with newspapers publishing daily horoscopes based on "saju" principles.
Recent cultural hits such as "KPop Demon Hunters" -- Netflix's most-watched film of all time -- have riffed on shamanic traditions.
Vinaida has attracted around 100 visitors a day since opening in February, according to manager Kim Hae-seol. Each service costs up to 8,000 won ($5.50).
"Customers have something tangible or meaningful to take away, which is probably why there aren't many who feel dissatisfied," Kim Hae-seol said.
"We thought it had the potential to succeed, so we seized on this concept."
Customers can talk to the virtual shamans in four languages -- Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.
Singaporean tourist Amos Chun was trying his luck when AFP visited the shop on Wednesday.
The robot shaman told him to "avoid impulse spending" -- advice he took to heart.
"It's quite a good reading, coming from AI," Chun said, laughing.
"Because that's something that I do."
kjk/mjw/pbt

women

France makes reusable period products free for young women

  • Women under 26 with a state health insurance card, as well as women of all ages who benefit from special healthcare support due to their limited income, will be able to get their money back after buying these products in a pharmacy.
  • France's social security is to reimburse the cost of reusable menstrual cups and underwear for women under the age of 26 or battling poverty, the government said Thursday.
  • Women under 26 with a state health insurance card, as well as women of all ages who benefit from special healthcare support due to their limited income, will be able to get their money back after buying these products in a pharmacy.
France's social security is to reimburse the cost of reusable menstrual cups and underwear for women under the age of 26 or battling poverty, the government said Thursday.
The move to tackle period poverty is expected to help 6.7 million people -- almost a tenth of France's population of 69 million -- from the start of the next academic year in the autumn, it says.
Women under 26 with a state health insurance card, as well as women of all ages who benefit from special healthcare support due to their limited income, will be able to get their money back after buying these products in a pharmacy.
Parliament approved the measure as part of the country's social security budget for 2024.
But there was no decree to order implementation, causing anger among feminist groups and companies making the sustainable sanitary items.
A survey of 4,000 women in France in November showed one in ten used alternatives to mainstream period products such as ripped up clothes due to tight budgets, according to French charity Dons Solidaires.
France in 2016 reduced sales tax on period products from 20 percent to 5.5 percent.
In 2020, Scotland became the first country in the world to sign into law free universal access to period products in public buildings.
vac/ah/giv

cryptocurrency

France reports over 40 cryptocurrency kidnappings so far this year

  • Since late 2024 French authorities have been dealing with a string of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting the families of wealthy individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies.
  • France has seen more than forty cases of kidnappings or hostage takings linked to cryptocurrencies since January, a worrying surge since last year as criminals seek to extort digital currency investors for ransom, authorities said Thursday.
  • Since late 2024 French authorities have been dealing with a string of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting the families of wealthy individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies.
France has seen more than forty cases of kidnappings or hostage takings linked to cryptocurrencies since January, a worrying surge since last year as criminals seek to extort digital currency investors for ransom, authorities said Thursday.
Since late 2024 French authorities have been dealing with a string of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting the families of wealthy individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies.
Some of the cases targeted institutional digital currency players or individuals with crypto holdings, while others involved other crimes not involving kidnappings, Philippe Chadrys, deputy national director of the judicial police, told journalists Thursday.
"The modus operandi, the masterminds -- often based abroad -- and the targeting methods" vary, Chadrys said, with the names of targets sometimes revealed to henchmen at the last moment.
The phenomenon of crypto-related abductions, still "marginal” in 2024, gained momentum in 2025 when around  thirty cases were reported, said Annabelle Vandendriessche, head of the interior ministry's Service for Information, Intelligence, and Strategic Analysis on Organised Crime (Sirasco).
On Mondaym a woman and her 11-year-old son were kidnapped in the central Burgundy region ahead of a crypto ransom demand.
After an operation involving around 100 officers, they were freed by Tuesday and seven men were taken into custody.
Also this month, a kidnapping took place in the southern French town of Anglet on April 10, carried out by five individuals searching for a crypto investor. They allegedly stole luxury jewelry, computers and phones.
Police arrested the suspects at Paris's Montparnasse train station after they apparently "mistook their target," Chadrys said.
In a particulalry grisly case from January 2025, kidnappers seized French crypto boss David Balland, co-founder of a crypto firm called Ledger, valued at the time at more than $1 billion.
Balland's kidnappers cut off his finger and demanded a hefty ransom before he was freed the next day, with his girlfriend found tied up in the boot of a car outside Paris.
al/bfa/cw/js

pope

Pope slams 'tyrants' on Cameroon visit as Trump spat continues

BY CLEMENT MELKI AND GUILLAUME GERARD

  • Trump took a new swipe in comments to journalists Thursday, saying the pope can say what he likes about international issues, but needs to understand the realities of a "nasty world".
  • Pope Leo XIV on Thursday criticised the "tyrants" ransacking the world, on a high-security visit to a "bloodstained" region of Cameroon, as his war of words with US President Donald Trump continued.
  • Trump took a new swipe in comments to journalists Thursday, saying the pope can say what he likes about international issues, but needs to understand the realities of a "nasty world".
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday criticised the "tyrants" ransacking the world, on a high-security visit to a "bloodstained" region of Cameroon, as his war of words with US President Donald Trump continued.
Trump has squared off with the first American pontiff in recent days, taking issue with the pope's criticism of the war in the Middle East.
Trump took a new swipe in comments to journalists Thursday, saying the pope can say what he likes about international issues, but needs to understand the realities of a "nasty world".
That came after the pope gave a forceful speech in northwestern Cameroon, his latest stop on a landmark four-nation African tour that has seen him abandon his previous restraint in speaking out in favour of world peace.
"Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth," Leo said in the city of Bamenda, the epicentre of a nearly decade-long English-speaking separatist insurgency that has killed thousands.
"The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters," the pontiff said at Bamenda's Saint Joseph's Cathedral.
Speaking later, Trump struck a more conciliatory tone than in recent days, but still sought to school the pope on the war in Iran.
"The pope has to understand Iran has killed more than 42,000 people over the last few months," he said.
"They were totally unarmed protesters. The pope has to understand that. This is the real world, it's a nasty world."
He denied he was "fighting" with the pontiff, saying he had "nothing against" him.

'Plunder' of Africa 

The barbs come after US Vice President JD Vance -- a Catholic -- urged the Vatican to "stick to matters of morality".
But the mood was joyous as the pope arrived in Bamenda under a military escort in a popemobile with bulletproof windows, blessing the worshippers who had gathered, many singing and blowing vuvuzela horns, to welcome him.
As he left the cathedral, Leo released white doves, a symbol of peace in a region of the central African country he called a "bloodstained yet fertile land that has been mistreated".
At Bamenda airport -- renovated for his visit after being shut since 2019 because of the insurgency -- Leo condemned the ongoing exploitation of Africa in a mass.
He criticised "those who, in the name of profit, continue to lay their hands on the African continent to exploit and plunder it".
Cameroon is rich in natural resources such as oil, timber, cocoa, coffee and minerals, which have attracted both foreign firms and local elites for decades.
On arrival in the country on Wednesday, the pope appealed to Cameroon's leaders to examine their "conscience" and tackle corruption and rights abuses, in an uncharacteristically pointed speech at the presidential palace attended by longtime President Paul Biya.
Leo's trip comes six months after the authorities violently put down protests against 93-year-old Biya's disputed re-election for an eighth term.

Bolstered security

Security measures had been stepped up on the main routes through Bamenda for the visit.
Cameroon's two anglophone regions have suffered almost a decade of armed violence following attempts to secede from the rest of the mostly French-speaking central African country.
Teacher Vivian Ndey, 60, from Bamenda, welcomed the pope carrying a "plant of peace" as a symbol of hope.
She spoke at the cathedral of the difficulty of teaching during the crisis, saying teachers were afraid to come to class and students had vanished.
Conflict erupted after Biya, who has ruled since 1982, violently repressed peaceful demonstrations in 2016 by English speakers who felt marginalised.
Civilians have been targeted with killings and kidnappings. At least 6,000 people have been killed since 2016, according to the United Nations.
On Monday, separatist groups announced a three-day truce to welcome the pope.
After the Bamenda trip, Leo is to hold a mass at a stadium in the economic capital Douala on Friday, before leaving Cameroon for Angola on Saturday. He then travels to Equatorial Guinea.
cmk-gge-lnf/sbk-jhb/rh

politics

UK PM tells social media bosses to step up child online safety

  • Starmer summoned the social media bosses to the Downing Street meeting, also attended by Technology Minister Liz Kendall, amid growing calls for a ban on under-16s using the platforms.
  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday hinted at possible measures limiting children's access to social media, as he met senior tech figures and warned: "Things can't go on like this."
  • Starmer summoned the social media bosses to the Downing Street meeting, also attended by Technology Minister Liz Kendall, amid growing calls for a ban on under-16s using the platforms.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday hinted at possible measures limiting children's access to social media, as he met senior tech figures and warned: "Things can't go on like this."
"They must change because right now social media is putting our children at risk," Starmer told the group who included Wifredo Fernandez of X, Alistair Law of TikTok, Markus Reinisch of Meta, and Ronan Harris of Snap.
"In a world in which children are protected, even if that means access is restricted, that is preferable to a world where harm is the price of participation," he added.
Starmer summoned the social media bosses to the Downing Street meeting, also attended by Technology Minister Liz Kendall, amid growing calls for a ban on under-16s using the platforms.
He told the industry leaders he looked forward to working with them on new safeguarding measures, but insisted there had to be change.
"I do think this can be done. I think the question is not whether it is done, the question is how it is done," he said.
The government is considering restrictions on popular social media apps with ministers under pressure to introduce an Australia-style ban.

'Real world changes'

  
Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit people under the age of 16 from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms.
Greece has since said it will ban social media for under 15s and the European Union has said an expert group will start work this week on recommendations for action across the EU.
Starmer has not ruled out a ban, but previously said he was waiting for the outcome of a public consultation, due to close on May 26.
He said last month he was "very keen" to tackle addictive features following a landmark US ruling that found Meta and YouTube liable for harming a young woman.
Starmer's official spokesperson said the premier had been "clear" with the bosses that he wanted "to know what they're going to be doing, and it has to be done swiftly".
"He's asked them to provide assurances on action that they're taking, and it's been clear that companies must be able to show real world changes that make their platforms safer for children."
The two chambers of Britain's parliament are currently in a stand-off over whether the government should follow Australia.
The unelected upper House of Lords voted in favour of prohibiting social media for under-16s for a second time last month, piling pressure on the government to follow suit.
But the House of Commons, where Starmer's Labour party enjoys a huge majority, has twice rejected the proposal.
har/am/pdw

Global Edition

Meghan Markle claims to be 'most trolled person' in world

  • "Every day for 10 years, I've been bullied and attacked," Meghan told the youngsters on the third day of the visit in the southern city of Melbourne, adding "but I'm still here".
  • Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle claimed Thursday she has been "bullied and attacked" on social media every day for a decade and was "the most trolled person in the entire world".
  • "Every day for 10 years, I've been bullied and attacked," Meghan told the youngsters on the third day of the visit in the southern city of Melbourne, adding "but I'm still here".
Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle claimed Thursday she has been "bullied and attacked" on social media every day for a decade and was "the most trolled person in the entire world".
The 44-year-old former American actress made the comments during the couple's four-day tour of Australia, as they both addressed a roundtable discussion with young people associated with an Australian mental health organisation.
"Every day for 10 years, I've been bullied and attacked," Meghan told the youngsters on the third day of the visit in the southern city of Melbourne, adding "but I'm still here".
She urged those in attendance to remember that social media was a "billion dollar industry that is completely anchored and predicated on cruelty to get clicks".
"That's not going to change. So you have to be stronger than that," Meghan said.
Meanwhile at a separate event, Harry,  41, revealed he had felt "lost, betrayed, or completely powerless" during his life, as he opened up about the impact of losing his mother, Princess Diana, as a boy.
In a discussion after delivering a speech at a leadership summit, King Charles III's youngest son said following Diana's death when he was 12 that he felt like he wanted to cast off his role as a senior royal.
"It killed my mum and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years," he said.
"Eventually I realised: well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?
"And also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective."
Harry and his wife stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later relocated to North America amid a bitter royal family rift. 
They are raising their two young children in California, as Harry now seeks to repair relations with his father -- who remains the head of state in Australia.

'VIP experience'

During the couple's Australia tour, Meghan has also filmed a programme for MasterChef Australia due to air on Sunday.
She will also take part in a "girls' weekend like no other" at Sydney's InterContinental Coogee Beach hotel, according to organisers.
The event features yoga, sound healing and dinners as well as disco dancing at a ticket price of Aus$2,699 per person, about $1,900.
Those willing to pay even more get access to the "VIP experience" -- which includes a group table photo with Meghan and a goodie bag.
The pair is also due to visit the capital Canberra, national broadcaster ABC said.
They have been warmly greeted during their stops so far, but the visit has drawn criticism, with Victoria state opposition leader Jess Wilson condemning the use of taxpayers' money to provide protection for the pair.
jj/jkb/fox

rights

'Transnational repression' worsened last year: report

BY SELIM SAHEB ETTABA

  • "Collaboration among authoritarian governments fueled transnational repression in Southeast Asia and East Africa in 2025," the report states.
  • Authoritarian governments that reach across borders to persecute their own citizens did so at a greater rate last year, particularly in Southeast Asia and East Africa, a human rights group charged Thursday.
  • "Collaboration among authoritarian governments fueled transnational repression in Southeast Asia and East Africa in 2025," the report states.
Authoritarian governments that reach across borders to persecute their own citizens did so at a greater rate last year, particularly in Southeast Asia and East Africa, a human rights group charged Thursday.
The phenomenon of so-called transnational repression exploded into public awareness with the horrific murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
In an annual report on transnational repression, the rights group Freedom House said China was the world's "leading perpetrator" in 2025, followed by Vietnam and Russia.
And six countries joined a long list of violators for the first time: Afghanistan, Benin, Georgia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The new additions raised to at least 54 the number of countries known to carry out this kind of rights violation since 2014, Yana Gorokhovskaia, a co-author of the report, said in an interview with AFP. 
That's more than a quarter of the world's countries. 
"Collaboration among authoritarian governments fueled transnational repression in Southeast Asia and East Africa in 2025," the report states. "Over half of the incidents recorded last year -- 69 of 126 -- occurred in these two regions."
"The trend that's emerging is that a lot of those governments, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, are cooperating to sort of trade dissidents back and forth to help arrest them," said Gorokhovskaia.
She explained that this kind of government behavior tends to happen when such regimes are under election-related stress.
In November 2024 Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was abducted in Kenya and taken to Uganda, where he now faces charges of treason.
And in January 2025, renowned Tanzanian rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai was kidnapped on the streets of Nairobi but released following a swift intervention by rights groups that triggered a media uproar.

'Authoritarian neighborhoods'

In Southeast Asia, Thailand yielded to pressure from China and Vietnam to turn over representatives of ethnic minority groups, fearing reprisal and economic punishment from Beijing, the study said.
Because of immigration restrictions around the world, "dissidents tend to actually not be able to get very far from their own region," said Gorokhovskaia, citing as examples Cambodians who seek refuge in Thailand and Russians who go to Turkey.
"And so what that means is that there's a lot more transnational repression in these authoritarian neighborhoods, because that's where the dissidents can make it to," she said.
"With 49 incidents, detention was the most ubiquitous tactic of transnational repression documented last year. It was followed closely, with 48 incidents, by unlawful deportation," the report said.
Among its recommendations the rights group said countries with democracies should slap sanctions on foreign leaders who favor transnational repression through forced returns of dissidents back to their home countries.
These rule-of-law countries should impose sanctions and visa bans against foreign government officials who facilitate transnational repression via forced returns, Freedom House said.
It added that democratic governments should also seek accountability from government officials in host countries who facilitate and enable such rights abuses. 
"Transnational repression is a low-cost way of maintaining a regime by cracking down on dissent," said Gorokhovskaia.
She argued that, although countries that engage in this kind of repression may be hit with sanctions, this punishment tends to be short-lived -- as in the case of the outcry against Saudi Arabia after the murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi, a US resident who had been critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"There was an instant reaction, but that pressure wasn't maintained, and eventually the relationship sort of normalized," said Gorokhovskaia.
sst/dw/jgc

AI

Chatbots at the ballot box: AI skirts Brazil election rules

BY MARIA CLARA PESTRE

  • In a post on X earlier this month, Flavio Bolsonaro urged his followers to "ask Chat what the truth is." 
  • "Chat, who is the best candidate?"
  • In a post on X earlier this month, Flavio Bolsonaro urged his followers to "ask Chat what the truth is." 
"Chat, who is the best candidate?": Six months out from Brazil's presidential election, AI chatbots are still answering such questions in defiance of new electoral rules banning them from giving voting tips.
The head of Brazil's electoral court (TSE), justice Carmen Lucia, warned in January that artificial intelligence chatbots could lead to the "contamination" of the October vote in Latin America's biggest nation.
In March, the court imposed new regulations which restricted how chatbots are allowed to operate during the 2026 election cycle, as well as increased platform liability for false content.
The TSE has taken a leading role in the fight against disinformation, declaring far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to run for office for spreading false information about the Brazilian electoral system during 2022 polls.
The 2026 election is the first major vote to be held since chatbots became widely available in the country.
The AI tools have been forbidden from providing recommendations, rankings, or opinions regarding candidates and political parties -- even when prompted by a user.
However, in tests conducted by AFP weeks after the new rules were set, at least three leading AI chatbots continued to rank political candidates.
When asked who the "best candidates for the 2026 elections" would be, ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini all weighed in. 
"Honest conclusion. The 'technically' best options today: Tarcisio/Zema," ChatGPT responded.
The bot was referring to Sao Paulo's powerful governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who has ruled out a presidential bid, and former Minas Gerais state governor Romeu Zema, a possible candidate for the right-wing Novo party.

Errors and biases

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, placed between second and fifth, receiving praise from the chatbots for his "vast experience," but facing criticism for his "advanced age."
The veteran leftist is seeking a fourth term in office.
His main rival in the polls, Flavio Bolsonaro -- son of the former president -- came last or did not appear on the lists.
Such responses have raised concerns that technology could influence voting in the highly-polarized and hyper-connected country, based on incorrect or biased information.
This is because chatbot replies are generated by probabilities based on training data, which may contain errors or biases, said Theo Araujo, director of the Amsterdam School of Communication Research.
A study he carried out during 2025 elections in the Netherlands showed that one in ten people were likely to use AI chatbots to seek out information about candidates.

Voters assume AI neutrality

In March, AFP's fact-checking team verified as fake an image that allegedly showed Flavio Bolsonaro with Daniel Vorcaro -- a businessman under investigation for a major banking fraud scandal that has rattled the country's elite.
However, Grok -- X's AI chatbot -- said the picture was real and even provided a date for the alleged meeting.
Araujo said that voters were likely to assume that chatbots were "neutral or objective sources, and consequently process their responses less critically."
Some candidates have reinforced this idea.
In a post on X earlier this month, Flavio Bolsonaro urged his followers to "ask Chat what the truth is." 
Many have done so.
A quick search on the social network revealed various users asking Grok for voting recommendations. 
"Based on the six criteria outlined in my post, which pre-candidate should I vote for?" asked one internet user, while another asked whether they could trust the results of an opinion survey.

No clear punishment

Despite the concerns, it is unclear how the TSE's new rule will be enforced, as it does not provide for specific sanctions.
The court could order a daily fine, Diogo Rais, a lawyer specializing in electoral law, told AFP. 
However, the amounts fined are not set in advance and could be challenged in court.
When contacted, OpenAI stated that ChatGPT is "trained not to favor candidates" and that it continues to refine its models.
Google said that Gemini generates responses based on user prompts, which do not necessarily reflect the company's views.
Attempts to contact X were unsuccessful.
mcp/fb/jgc/abs

religion

Pope urges Cameroon's leaders to examine 'conscience'

BY CLéMENT MELKI AND GUILLAUME GERARD

  • In his address in an unusually direct tone to officials, including Biya, 93, who has led the central African country with a tight grip since 1982, Leo urged Cameroon's authorities to "serve as bridges, never as sources of division, even when insecurity seems prevalent".
  • Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday urged Cameroon's leaders to examine their "conscience" and tackle corruption and rights abuses, in a pointed speech on the first day of his visit to the central African country. 
  • In his address in an unusually direct tone to officials, including Biya, 93, who has led the central African country with a tight grip since 1982, Leo urged Cameroon's authorities to "serve as bridges, never as sources of division, even when insecurity seems prevalent".
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday urged Cameroon's leaders to examine their "conscience" and tackle corruption and rights abuses, in a pointed speech on the first day of his visit to the central African country. 
After two days in Algeria marred by two suicide attacks and a spat with US President Donald Trump, the pontiff received a warm welcome from the thousands of people, some of them singing and dancing, who lined the road en route to a meeting with President Paul Biya.
In his address in an unusually direct tone to officials, including Biya, 93, who has led the central African country with a tight grip since 1982, Leo urged Cameroon's authorities to "serve as bridges, never as sources of division, even when insecurity seems prevalent".
"Security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights," the pope said in the presence of Biya, whose authorities repressed protests sparked by his disputed re-election for an eighth term in October. 
"It is time to examine our conscience and take a bold leap forward," the pope told diplomats and officials in the capital Yaounde. 
"In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption... must be broken," he told the Cameroonian authorities.
The country ranked 142 out of 180 on the Transparency International watchdog's 2025 Corruption Perceptions index.
In response, Biya said that "the world needs the message of peace" brought by Leo.
The pope's four-nation African tour began amid remarks by US President Donald Trump that he was "not a big fan" of Leo after the US-born pontiff called for peace in the Middle East.

Warm welcome

Thousands of people, some of them playing music, singing and dancing, had gathered in the scorching sunshine outside the airport to welcome the pope. 
"It's such a relief that the pope is coming to see us, because there are so many problems in this country," Helene Ebogo, 19, told AFP outside the airport.
The welcome was similarly warm at the Ngul Zamba Catholic orphanage, where the 70-year-old pontiff promised that the children were "called to a future greater than your wounds".  
In the central African country where more than a third of the around 30 million people are Catholic, the Church plays a key mediation role and runs a large network of hospitals, schools and charities.
Clergy members had voiced fears that Leo's meeting with Biya would help the president to burnish his image.
On Tuesday, several civil society groups condemned "an unprecedented period of repression" since the presidential polls.
They also called for the release of political prisoners.

Separatist conflict

On Thursday, Leo will make a high-security visit to a conflict zone where English-speaking separatists are fighting the army in the northwest.
"We hope that as soon as he sets foot on Cameroonian soil, the war will stop," Benedicte Belinka, dressed in a tunic bearing the pope's image, told AFP on Wednesday.
The violence has seen civilians become the target of killings and kidnappings.  
Earlier this week, separatist groups announced a three-day truce starting on Wednesday to allow the highly symbolic visit in the western anglophone region, where nearly a fifth of the population lives.  
The pope will give a speech and celebrate mass in the main city of Bamenda, at the centre of the conflict that erupted after demonstrations in 2016 were put down by the authorities.  
The crackdown led to a full-blown rift between the army and English-speaking separatists that has yet to be resolved.
The violence had caused more than 6,000 deaths by 2024, according to rights groups.

'Blessed are the peacemakers'

On Friday, Leo holds mass for hundreds of thousands in a stadium in the economic capital Douala.
He leaves Cameroon for Angola on Saturday and next week heads to Equatorial Guinea.
Besides Trump's broadsides, US Vice President JD Vance -- himself a Catholic -- has also waded in to the spat, urging the Vatican to "stick to matters of morality... and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy".
Leo brushed the jibes aside.
"I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel," he told reporters on the papal plane as he headed to Algiers on Monday.
burs-sbk/kjm

RSF

'Fantastic feeling': Sudan capital returnees relieved after three years of war

BY BAHIRA AMIN

  • But while it was a relief to be home for returning Khartoum residents, some were still anxious after years of war.
  • Sudanese pilot Mohamad Daafallah grins as he shakes hands with passengers after their landing at Khartoum Airport, exactly three years after it was bombed to shreds during the outbreak of war in Sudan.
  • But while it was a relief to be home for returning Khartoum residents, some were still anxious after years of war.
Sudanese pilot Mohamad Daafallah grins as he shakes hands with passengers after their landing at Khartoum Airport, exactly three years after it was bombed to shreds during the outbreak of war in Sudan.
The airport was one of the last footholds of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), where battles raged as the army launched an offensive last year to retake Khartoum.
A year after the army successfully recaptured the capital, authorities have refurbished a terminal to receive daily domestic flights from the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, allowing relieved residents to return home.
"It's a fantastic feeling, to bring people home, to have our country back," Daafallah told AFP, beaming with pride.
Khartoum's city centre, once home to bustling markets, towering businesses and wealthy districts, remains a ghost town, a mass grave and a minefield.
But despite decimated infrastructure, those coming back were overwhelmed by the thought of seeing their city for the first time in years.
"I'm just so exhausted, I want to be home," Bothaina, a septuagenarian poet dressed in a bright, flowing thobe, told AFP as the plane landed. 
"I've wanted to be home for so long."
Behind her on the runway lie the remains of some bombed-out planes.
The airport's formerly charred and shattered terminals became symbols of the war when fighting broke out between the army and the RSF on April 15, 2023.
Port Sudan served as the government's wartime capital as fighting raged, but has since become a layover for those eager to find a way back to Khartoum with no international flights running.
"Every morning, the flight from Cairo basically unloads straight onto the flight to Khartoum," an airport worker told AFP.

Ghost town

Of the nearly four million people -- around half Khartoum's pre-war population -- who fled during the conflict, more than 1.8 million have returned over the past year.
Yet fewer than 80,000 people have come back to central Khartoum, according to the United Nations.
A quick drive through downtown Khartoum leaves little to the imagination. 
The battles went street by street, first in April 2023 when the paramilitaries swept through town, and again last year when the army and allied fighters forced their way back.
Nearly every building taller than four storeys -- banks, government institutions and office blocks -- looks the same: every window shattered.
Soot covers the structures from floor to roof while bullet-riddled facades overwhelm the city.
The thin spines of minarets are pockmarked with bullet holes, leaving the sky visible through them.
Between the verdant banks of the Nile, a vital bridge connecting Khartoum with twin city Omdurman has its middle chunk missing, the result of an air strike to cut off the RSF.
Even as officials push a reconstruction agenda, thousands of explosives still litter Khartoum. 
Mine clearance teams work every day, but the sheer scale left behind is more than they could handle in a year.
Reliable electricity and water services still haven't returned to much of the city.

'Toxic legacy'

The UN Environment Programme warned on Wednesday that "stagnant pools of water and sewage have become breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes".
A "toxic legacy" has been left in Khartoum, it said, "threatening to sicken and kill for years to come".
There is no confirmed death toll from the war, but authorities say more than 20,000 bodies have been exhumed and reburied in Khartoum.
Many were pulled from mass graves or makeshift cemeteries where families buried their loved ones while under siege, unable to give them a proper burial.
Even the living are hard to find. In much of the city centre, not a soul stirs, save for an odd soldier lounging underneath a tree, or a lone woman walking in the blazing sun.
In Omdurman, which remained relatively safe throughout the fighting, a semblance of normalcy has returned with workers sweeping the streets and commuters waiting for buses.
It is where many returnees are now headed, including Bothaina.
Even the few advertising billboards that dot Khartoum's streets -- those that don't commemorate the army's fallen soldiers -- are all about return. 
A dairy company says "it's back for its people", while a flour milling company vows: "We're back, and stronger than before."
But while it was a relief to be home for returning Khartoum residents, some were still anxious after years of war.
"It's my first time back to Sudan in three years, I'm going to see my house for the first time," said government employee Tarek Abdallah, adjusting his suit jacket, his voice shaky with anticipation.
"But I'm still worried," he added, saying he would not uproot his teenage children to move back to the city, even as the government pushes for revival.
bha-ab/jfx

religion

Pope urges Cameroon authorities to examine 'conscience'

  • Among the around 2,782 prisoners registered by the organisations, 2,630 have not been sentenced, Herve Nzouabet Kweto, from the NGO Source de vie (Source of Life), who signed the statement, told AFP. "It is time to examine our conscience and take a bold leap forward," the pope said in his address.
  • Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called on Cameroon's authorities to examine their "conscience" and break "the chains of corruption" on the first day of a visit to the country.
  • Among the around 2,782 prisoners registered by the organisations, 2,630 have not been sentenced, Herve Nzouabet Kweto, from the NGO Source de vie (Source of Life), who signed the statement, told AFP. "It is time to examine our conscience and take a bold leap forward," the pope said in his address.
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called on Cameroon's authorities to examine their "conscience" and break "the chains of corruption" on the first day of a visit to the country.
After being welcomed by joyful crowds who lined the streets, the US-born pontiff gave his first address in an unusually direct tone to officials, including President Paul Biya, 93, who has led the central African country with a tight grip since 1982.
"Security is a priority, but it must always be exercised with respect for human rights," the pope said in the presence of Biya, whose authorities cracked down on protests sparked by his disputed re-election for an eighth term in October. 
"Public authorities are called to serve as bridges, never as sources of division, even when insecurity seems prevalent," he added.
On Tuesday, several civil society groups condemned "an unprecedented period of repression" since the presidential polls.
They also called for the release of political prisoners, some of whom are held with no legal basis.
Among the around 2,782 prisoners registered by the organisations, 2,630 have not been sentenced, Herve Nzouabet Kweto, from the NGO Source de vie (Source of Life), who signed the statement, told AFP.
"It is time to examine our conscience and take a bold leap forward," the pope said in his address.
"In order for peace and justice to prevail, the chains of corruption... must be broken," he added.
In response, Biya told the officials and diplomats assembled in the capital Yaounde that "the world needs the message of peace" brought by Leo.
The pope's four-nation African tour began amid remarks by US President Donald Trump that he was "not a big fan" of Leo after the US-born pontiff called for peace in the Middle East.

'Social peace'

On Biya's watch, Cameroon has long been plagued by widespread embezzlement, ranking 142nd out of 182 on the Transparency International watchdog's 2025 Corruption Index.
In recent years, the 93-year-old leader has multiplied his trips abroad, either for medical treatment or on holiday to a swanky Geneva hotel, where the opposition accuses him of splashing out vast sums of taxpayers' money. 
An international consortium of investigative journalists, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in 2018 estimated the total length of his private stays abroad at 4.5 years over three-and-a-half decades, with a cost of $65 million.
He highlighted the role of "women's and youth organisations, trade unions, humanitarian NGOs as well as traditional and religious leaders" in "weaving the fabric of social peace".
He urged an end to the separatist conflict in Cameroon's English-speaking northwest, where he will head for a visit on Thursday under tight security.  
cmk/sbk/kjm

museum

New tools rescue old art at Madrid's Prado museum

  • The Prado has always put an emphasis on the conservation and restoration of art since it opened to the public in 1819.
  • In a quiet space secluded from the throngs of daily visitors to Madrid's Prado art museum, a team of experts perpetuate an ancient tradition of restoring centuries-old European cultural treasures.
  • The Prado has always put an emphasis on the conservation and restoration of art since it opened to the public in 1819.
In a quiet space secluded from the throngs of daily visitors to Madrid's Prado art museum, a team of experts perpetuate an ancient tradition of restoring centuries-old European cultural treasures.
Creations by some of art's most illustrious names -- Goya, Velazquez, Rubens, Caravaggio, Bosch and El Greco -- are conserved in the vast, bright space at one of the world's most-visited museums.
The Prado has always put an emphasis on the conservation and restoration of art since it opened to the public in 1819.
Cutting-edge technology and modern tools to analyse and treat paintings and sculptures allow Almudena, Marta, Maria, Alvaro, Alicia, Elena, Sonia and Eva to maintain the tradition.
The team is capable of caring for the museum's most prized collections as well as works from other institutions.
In February, the Prado launched the restoration of "Pablo de Valladolid", an emblematic portrait that Spanish master Velazquez produced in the 17th century.
But the work will first undergo a deep technical analysis by new equipment, the museum said in a statement.
Scanning technology will allow the experts to identify and locate the materials used by the artist, while multispectral infrared reflectography will reveal details invisible to the naked eye.
Everything contributes to a deeper understanding of the artist's technique, the work's state of conservation and preparing its restoration.
ppm-mdm/imm/cw

tech

EU says age-check app 'ready' in push to protect children online

BY UMBERTO BACCHI

  • To that end, a small group of EU countries including France and Italy last year started testing the age-check app that von der Leyen said Wednesday was now "technically ready". 
  • European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that an EU-developed age verification app was ready to go, as the bloc pushes to better protect children from online harm.
  • To that end, a small group of EU countries including France and Italy last year started testing the age-check app that von der Leyen said Wednesday was now "technically ready". 
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that an EU-developed age verification app was ready to go, as the bloc pushes to better protect children from online harm.
The app should be rolled out in the coming months and aims to replace pop-up banners asking users to click to confirm they are over 18 to access adult content sites, EU officials explained. 
"This app will allow users to prove their age when accessing online platforms. Just like shops ask for proof of age for people buying alcoholic beverages," von der Leyen told journalists in Brussels. 
Brussels has been under pressure to come up with more stringent measures to safeguard children online as several EU capitals move ahead with plans to ban social media under a certain age.
To that end, a small group of EU countries including France and Italy last year started testing the age-check app that von der Leyen said Wednesday was now "technically ready". 
The app uses the same model adopted during the Covid pandemic, when Brussels developed a tool allowing people to prove they had been vaccinated as countries reopened after lockdowns, she said. 
Once it becomes available, users would be able to download it from an online store, set it up with their passport or ID card and then use it to prove they are a certain age.
EU digital rules require sites including porn, gambling and alcohol sellers to put in place "effective age assurance methods" to ensure only adults visit their pages. 
But the European Commission, the bloc's digital enforcer, has argued the tools deployed so far are not good enough.  
In March, it accused four porn sites of breaching the bloc's rules by allowing minors to access with a simple click confirming they are over 18.
"As platforms don't have proper age verification tools in place, we came up with the solution ourselves," said EU's digital chief Henna Virkkunen.
EU officials said the EU app will serve as a benchmark to test compliance and the effectiveness of alternative methods.
"Online platforms can easily rely on our age verification app. So there are no more excuses," von der Leyen said. 
"Europe offers a free and easy to use solution that can shield our children from harmful and illegal content".
The app is "completely anonymous" to ensure people cannot be tracked when accessing websites, and based on open-source code, allowing non-EU states to adopt it if they wish. 
Alternatives would have to respect similar privacy standards, Brussels said.  
"We don't want platforms to scan our passport or face," Virkkunen said. 

'Annoying'

The app should be first adopted by seven EU countries that have been piloting it by the end of the year. 
Once the system is in place, people connecting to an adult website from Europe could in practice be requested to verify their identity via that or a similar alternative. 
An EU official speaking on condition of anonymity conceded the verification process might come across as "annoying" but said the harm to online surfing experience was worth it if it helped protect children. 
Concerns that children and young teens could get around the checks using a VPN or asking an "older sister" for help, were well founded but missed the point, the official added. 
The aim was to protect "kids" from "unintended exposure to inappropriate content" the official said, not "policing the people."
Pressure to act at EU level has been rising since Australia's groundbreaking social media ban for under-16s.
France has been spearheading the push alongside partners including Denmark, Greece and Spain -- with a hotly debated ban for under-15s working its way through the French parliament.
Simeon de Brouwer of digital rights group EDRi said he doubted the app would be "practical", arguing that making platforms suitable for children was better than limiting access to them. 
"The focus on age-gates itself takes attention away from the real issue: the platforms' lack of accountability for the harm they design and profit from," he told AFP. "If we address the root causes of harm, all this fuss for 'the most suitable and privacy-friendly exclusion tool' is moot."
The 27-country EU has some of the world's strictest rules regulating the digital space, with multiple probes ongoing into the impact on children of platforms including Instagram and TikTok.
Von der Leyen has advocated going further with an EU-wide minimum age limit, but first wants to hear from experts that are expected to deliver recommendations by summer. 
"It is our duty to protect our children in the online world, just as we do in the offline world, and to do that effectively, we need a harmonised European approach," she said.
ub/del/cw

politics

'Industrial' clickbait disinformation targets Australian politics

BY DENE-HERN CHEN, WITH PURPLE ROMERO AND SAMMY HEUNG IN HONG KONG

  • Several accounts -- run by users in Vietnam and boasting tens of thousands of followers -- later shifted to focus solely on Australian national politics, linking to websites full of AI-generated articles and advertisements.
  • From anti-transgender narratives about Olympic swimmers to fabricated comments from right-wing politicians, a slew of Facebook pages managed from Vietnam are capitalising on Australia's febrile politics to promote AI-generated articles on websites designed for profit.
  • Several accounts -- run by users in Vietnam and boasting tens of thousands of followers -- later shifted to focus solely on Australian national politics, linking to websites full of AI-generated articles and advertisements.
From anti-transgender narratives about Olympic swimmers to
fabricated comments from right-wing politicians, a slew of Facebook pages managed from Vietnam are capitalising on Australia's febrile politics to promote AI-generated articles on websites designed for profit.
With names like "Swimming Secrets" and "Tennis Triumph", the pages started in mid-2025 mimicking fan accounts posting athlete updates but sprinkled with falsehoods, such as claims Aussie swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan would forgo the next Olympics if a trans athlete were allowed to compete.
Several accounts -- run by users in Vietnam and boasting tens of thousands of followers -- later shifted to focus solely on Australian national politics, linking to websites full of AI-generated articles and advertisements.
AFP has tracked over a dozen sports and human-interest pages promoting content that mixes actual news with fabrications, with some posts getting thousands of shares. 
The websites display "almost industrial level forms of misinformation", said open-source intelligence analyst Giano Libot.
"It's designed for the algorithm in search engines to pick up," Libot said.
"It also is reflective that, especially in Southeast Asia, we don't have a lot of policy around it yet."
Meta removed 13 pages in March after AFP contacted the Facebook parent company for comment, citing site violations.
The network is the latest to emerge from Vietnam, where low labour and electricity costs have long bred a cottage industry of click farming via social media.
An AFP investigation last year uncovered more than 30 baseball-themed pages mostly operated from the country publishing false political claims ahead of the World Series, prompting removals by Meta. 
AFP fact-checkers have debunked similar disinformation targeting Dutch politicians.
AFP works in 26 languages with Facebook's fact-checking program, including in Asia and the European Union.
Experts say the surge of AI-generated political clickbait is a relatively new phenomenon for Australia, attributing it to the country's increasing polarisation.
"Often the purpose of disinformation is not to benefit a particular party, but to destabilise communities and create an era of distrust," said Jeannie Paterson, co-director of the University of Melbourne's Centre of AI and Digital Ethics.
"Australia is an ideal place at the moment for this sort of destabilisation exercise."

'Foreign interference'

Recent in-fighting between Australia's opposition coalition and the rise of Pauline Hanson's far-right One Nation party provided ample fodder for the pages AFP identified.
Among the most widespread claims was that Hanson had launched a $12 million lawsuit against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor Party. 
Identical posts appeared on swimming and tennis-focused Facebook accounts linking to websites littered with ads and content in several different languages -- including Vietnamese titles.
Facebook transparency data showed the pages were managed by several administrators in Vietnam, despite listing contact details associated with American hotels and casinos.
On another post falsely claiming Hanson read Foreign Minister Penny Wong's record "on live TV" on CNN, commenters cheered the senator, saying it was time for the top diplomat to "go home". 
But the claims were baseless and an analysis using several AI detection tools -- including one co-developed by AFP -- found the articles were "likely machine-generated".
A One Nation spokesperson told AFP the pages are "a clear case of foreign interference in domestic Australian politics".
Albanese's office did not respond to a request for comment.
AFP could not independently verify the provenance of the Facebook pages and websites.
While Australia's next federal election isn't until 2028, politicking is still happening at the state level, with polls due in Victoria state in November and New South Wales next year.
The onslaught of polarising themes online "can sway electoral behaviour" on the local level, said Ika Trijsburg of the Australian National University, "because it's much less entrenched".

'Cat-and-mouse game'

In a bid to reduce the potential risks of deceptive AI use, Vietnam in March enacted a law regulating the technology -- the first country in Southeast Asia to do so.
The legislation requires companies to clearly label AI-generated content. It applies to developers as well as providers and deployers of the technology, whether they are Vietnamese organisations or foreign entities operating in the country.
Still, the tide of AI slop is likely to persist.
In mid-February, a new Facebook page called "AU News Today" started publishing Australian political news that mirrored the pages AFP identified.
An investigation by the Australian Associated Press uncovered a similar Vietnam-based network of accounts, disguised as news outlets, that continued publishing well into March.
Shaanan Cohney, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Melbourne, said there is "a levelling-up of the skills in the disinformation world, which makes it a cat-and-mouse game".
"Even if things were easy to detect before, it gets harder to bring down these networks."
burs-dhc/sft/df/oho/fox

US

'Listening bars' bloom as hottest new nightlife trend

BY ADAM PLOWRIGHT

  • The vibrancy of the listening bar scene contrasts with a decline in clubbing in many cities where rising rents and changing lifestyles among younger generations have hit demand.
  • Not quite like a gig or going clubbing, but there's a new night out spreading in cities around the world: an evening at a "listening bar".
  • The vibrancy of the listening bar scene contrasts with a decline in clubbing in many cities where rising rents and changing lifestyles among younger generations have hit demand.
Not quite like a gig or going clubbing, but there's a new night out spreading in cities around the world: an evening at a "listening bar".
An increasing number of venues are adopting the concept, which originated in Japan, of installing high-end sound systems good enough to impress the most demanding audio geek.  
Some offer a social experience over drinks, with the music playing in the background, while others sell admission to "active listening" sessions where the songs -- and the speakers -- are the focus of hushed attention.
"It really makes you listen to every word, every instrument, every note," Camille Calloch, 31, told AFP as she left a listening session dedicated to British neo-soul star Sampha at "Listener" bar in central Paris.
"It's become one of the ways I enjoy music, along with concerts, my headphones, bars and festivals," she added.  
Listener's underground, soundproofed audio room has a system worth around 200,000 euros ($235,000) at catalogue prices, with sculptural speakers from niche Greek manufacturer Tune Audio, says co-founder Jerome Thomas.
Listening to albums there reveals subtleties that would go unnoticed in other settings, with the treble crystal-clear and the bass strong enough to be felt physically.
The idea is to combine the vibrancy of a live-music experience and the comfort of listening at home -- all in a way that responds to changes in music consumption habits.
"It's a completely different way of relating to music," Thomas explained. "It's not quick consumption like you have on streaming platforms, with small headphones.
"We really wanted people to take the time to rediscover their favorite artists."

Sound loss

Thomas, who worked in the medical sector before, says one of the joys of running the bar is seeing clients react to sessions dedicated to artists from Marvin Gaye to Mariah Carey.
"They come to me saying 'I thought I knew that track by heart, I've been listening to it for 15 years, but I heard new instruments, I could hear the mix from the sound engineer'," he says. 
Recorded music has never been so ubiquitous and portable, yet most people consume it on Bluetooth headphones or low-quality portable speakers, using streaming platforms as the source.
The music is being highly compressed -- in order to stream smoothly, and then to be transmitted wirelessly -- sharply reducing audio quality compared to CDs or analogue-era vinyl.
Some listening bars use high-quality streaming services such as Tidal or Qobuz but most choose vinyl -- and always with high-end cabling, and often with tube or valve amplifiers.
The vibrancy of the listening bar scene contrasts with a decline in clubbing in many cities where rising rents and changing lifestyles among younger generations have hit demand.
"There's totally been an explosion of these places lately," the co-owner of the New York listening bar Eavesdrop, Dan Wissinger, told AFP.
He and his associates opened their Brooklyn venue in 2022, with one room for active listening and the other more social.
A key feature for any self-respecting listening bar is having its rooms designed for music, he said.
"If they don't have acoustic treatment, then they're just fake listening bars," Wissinger explained. "In a hospitality space, if you don't have good damping, you're not going to be hearing music first."

Japanese influence

The vibrant London scene includes one of the pioneers in Europe, Brilliant Corners, as well as Jumbi, Spiritland or All My Friends.
One of the newest additions is Hidden Grooves, which was created by the Virgin Hotels group for its latest venue in the Shoreditch area of the UK capital. 
They compiled a 5,000-strong collection of vinyls, brought in a London-based sound engineering company behind clubs in Ibiza (Project Audio), and bought speakers from 100-year-old UK manufacturer Tannoy that cost around 50,000 pounds ($68,000) each.
"If I'm going out to experience music, the concept of a good listening bar checks all the boxes for me," Virgin's head of cultural entertainment, Neil Aline, told AFP.  
Like other fans of the hottest trend in night entertainment, the former DJ and club night organiser pays tribute to the originators: Japan's atmospheric and cosy "jazz kissa" bars.
"When I was touring I'd go to these bars in Tokyo and Kyoto and I was like 'wow, this is amazing,'," Aline explained. "As a music lover, it's a whole different way of experiencing music outside of live venues or clubs."  
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US

'Blindsided': US farmers strained as fertilizer costs surge on war

BY BEIYI SEOW

  • - 'Gut shot' - Russell Hedrick, who farms up to 1,000 acres including corn and soybeans around Hickory, North Carolina, said around 75 percent of his fertilizer purchases were made after prices rocketed.
  • On Andy Corriher's farm in North Carolina, planting and preparations are underway for his corn and soybean crops -- but fertilizer costs have surged on war in the Middle East, and orders he placed weeks ago have yet to arrive.
  • - 'Gut shot' - Russell Hedrick, who farms up to 1,000 acres including corn and soybeans around Hickory, North Carolina, said around 75 percent of his fertilizer purchases were made after prices rocketed.
On Andy Corriher's farm in North Carolina, planting and preparations are underway for his corn and soybean crops -- but fertilizer costs have surged on war in the Middle East, and orders he placed weeks ago have yet to arrive.
The 47-year-old is among US farmers facing a double whammy of soaring fertilizer and diesel prices after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered Tehran's blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for such shipments.
"This time of year is when the majority of fertilizer is put out in this country," Corriher told AFP.
"We got hit at the worst possible time, because we're trying to buy fertilizer when it skyrockets and when the supply also gets cut."
The cost hikes strike at a major support base for President Donald Trump, who won 78 percent of the 2024 vote in farming-dependent counties, said news service Investigate Midwest.
Trump blamed "price gouging from the fertilizer monopoly" on Saturday, vowing: "American Farmers, we have your back!"
But spring planting is already ongoing, with Corriher loading bags of dry fertilizer onto a tractor, hauling them to his fields.
"I've ordered several loads of liquid nitrogen a few weeks ago, and they're still saying they're not sure when it'll be delivered," Corriher said.
Since the war, Corriher estimates that the nitrogen fertilizer he uses rose by at least 40 percent in price.
The cost of urea -- a common nitrogen-based fertilizer -- had jumped by around 50 percent at the port of New Orleans.
Corriher has reduced usage by a third, a decision he worries might hurt his yields.

'Gut shot'

Russell Hedrick, who farms up to 1,000 acres including corn and soybeans around Hickory, North Carolina, said around 75 percent of his fertilizer purchases were made after prices rocketed.
Like himself, many US farmers lack storage to stock up far ahead of planting, the 40-year-old told AFP, after blending fertilizers and nutrients to be sprayed on his fields.
He has cut fertilizer use to the "bare minimum," with an option to add more later.
Even before the war, rising costs meant "farmers have essentially become like Breaking Bad chemists with fertilizer, to get the most out of it," he said.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said 80 percent of American farmers had bought fertilizer for the spring planting season before the conflict. But that's cold comfort to those who lacked funds and capacity to do so.
Those remarks were "a gut shot," said Marshville-based farmer Derrick Austin.
Austin, 55, called his supplier upon learning of the strait's blockage, knowing that costs would jump.
"Thankfully, he let me buy three loads of nitrogen at the old price per ton so I could at least fertilize my wheat crop," he said. "It was devastating."
Fertilizer supply has diminished before, like in 2021 when China restricted phosphate exports to prioritize domestic needs.
Usually, farmers can see that coming, Hedrick said.
"This year, we just kind of got blindsided."

'Collateral damage'

Corriher said he has been a supporter of Trump, but added of the war: "It didn't seem like we had really thought out all the consequences to the American people."
"I feel like these things were kind of overlooked as part of collateral damage," he said.
The surge in gas and diesel prices have hit farmers and other American households: "Everybody seems to be suffering."
Asked if the war has changed perceptions of Trump, Austin said: "I'm starting to question some of his reasoning."
But to him, the Trump administration "still beats some of the alternatives."
Hedrick said he has voted for Trump thrice: "He's human like the rest of us. I think he makes good calls, I think he makes mistakes."
He said if the conflict's resolution brings "long-term peace" and a reopened Strait of Hormuz, "that's all I can hope for."
The US agriculture economy has "been in a recession for the last couple of years," said Iowa State University professor Chad Hart.
Net farm income has declined while business costs remain high.
Although margins are squeezed this year, the hit may be less than anticipated as many farmers managed to apply fertilizer last fall or earlier this spring.
But the 2027 crop would be "a big concern" if fighting persists, Hart said.
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lifestyle

Chinese slimmers trade lost fat for beef

BY EMILY WANG

  • "This opportunity just came at the right time, so I signed up," Shu said.
  • In a community centre in eastern China, Shu Fangqiang shrugged off his jacket and stepped onto a scale, one of hundreds of locals signing up for an unusual weight loss programme -- "Trade Fat for Beef".
  • "This opportunity just came at the right time, so I signed up," Shu said.
In a community centre in eastern China, Shu Fangqiang shrugged off his jacket and stepped onto a scale, one of hundreds of locals signing up for an unusual weight loss programme -- "Trade Fat for Beef".
The rules are straightforward: for every half kilogram he loses, Shu will receive the same weight in boneless beef, or 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of beef on the bone.
The programme is one of many springing up across China, backed by local authorities anxious to tackle rising obesity rates, which are fast becoming a pressing public health issue.
Participants who are already keen to lose weight say the initiative is an added bonus.
"Even without the beef, I wanted to lose weight for my health," said Shu, whose body mass index (BMI) of 30 is classified as obese.
More than a third of Chinese adults were overweight in 2022, and around 8.3 percent were obese, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), compared with the United States, where 72.4 percent of adults are overweight and 42 percent are obese.
However, the number of obese people in China has tripled between 2004 and 2018, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
If current trends continue, the share of overweight and obese Chinese adults could reach 70.5 percent by 2030, the National Health Commission (NHC) says, whose obesity criteria is stricter than the WHO's.
"This opportunity just came at the right time, so I signed up," Shu said.
Participants of the campaign in the city of Wuxi were weighed once in March, and will return in January 2027 for a second and final weigh-in.
They will then be rewarded with expensive cuts like oxtail if they lose more weight -- though the total amount of free meat available is capped at 10 kilograms (22 pounds).
Organisers say more than 1,000 people have registered since the Wuxi campaign started in March -- with thousands more turned away for not meeting local community residence requirements.
Queues for weigh-ins reached up to a dozen people at a time in both the men and women's sections, an AFP journalist saw.
At the front of the queues, participants stepped on weighing scales which displayed their height, weight and BMI.
Staff members then measured their waists, logged their data on a form and used an encouraging stamp to mark it and to cheer participants on.
An on-site doctor offered personalised medical advice.

 'Flab for potatoes'

Similar grassroots initiatives have also surfaced in other localities across the country, with many shared widely on social media.
In the southwestern province of Yunnan, slimmers can take part in the "Flab for Potatoes" programme and if they shrink their waistlines considerably, can upgrade to chicken.
Countrywide, popular supermarket chain Yonghui has invited customers to register their losses over 10 days by weighing themselves in-store.
They can then trade every 1.5 kilograms lost for half a kilogram of beef, crayfish or kiwi.
When AFP visited the Wuxi community centre, banners at the weigh-in urged participants to slim down steadily rather than quickly, and to aim for health over thinness.
Organisers also posted warnings against weight-loss drugs, self-induced vomiting and extreme fasting, with doctors on hand to offer guidance.
Participant Shu told AFP he wanted to lose 20 kilograms.
"Being obese affects your mental state, your work performance and your overall well-being," he said.
"Sometimes when I'm heavier, I don't sleep well at night."
As of 2021, there were 402 million overweight or obese adults over 25 in China -- the world's largest population, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Another study, published in The Lancet in 2021, attributed the problem to rapid urbanisation and a shift toward processed, high-sugar and high-fat foods, as well as increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

 'Hard to resist'

In Wuxi, 44-year-old Zheng Haihua said she was signing up to encourage her to "move more and eat less", and to commit to exercising. 
"The biggest challenge for me is... controlling my appetite, because when you see delicious food, it's hard to resist," Zheng laughed. 
Local physician Wu Changyan sympathised, adding "there's life pressure, and the convenience of modern life makes it easy to eat more and eat too much."
The NHC and other authorities have launched national initiatives in an effort to counter the trend, concerned about links with chronic disease and increased healthcare costs.  
Local efforts like the Wuxi one are "a fun way to get people motivated", Wu told AFP. 
But Li Sheyu, a clinical professor at Sichuan University's West China Hospital, said the campaigns might have limited impact. 
"I would not consider it a gamechanger in the big picture," he said, noting they were essentially just a traditional incentive method for weight loss. 
"But (they are) a good example of disseminating weight-loss ideas to the public."
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