shipyard

Women rule the roost atop the Gdansk shipyard cranes

BY BERNARD OSSER

It was Walentynowicz's dismissal in 1980 that triggered the huge shipyard strike and the creation of the first free trade union in the Communist bloc.

For the past 30 years, Halina Krauze has sat atop a 15-metre (49-foot) crane surveying the Gdansk shipyard, the birthplace of the Solidarnosc trade union.
It was Walentynowicz's dismissal in 1980 that triggered the huge shipyard strike and the creation of the first free trade union in the Communist bloc.

For the past 30 years, Halina Krauze has sat atop a 15-metre (49-foot) crane surveying the Gdansk shipyard, the birthplace of the Solidarnosc trade union.

For eight hours, the 65-year-old displaces tonnes of steel that will become ship hulls and wind turbine components.

She is one of dozens of crane operators at the huge yard, the largest in Central Europe.

Far below the cabin, hundreds of workers in overalls, helmets and protective goggles are busy at work.

The noise is constant, sparks fly and the air is full of welding fumes.

Around 70 percent of Poland's construction site crane operators are women, a tradition inherited from the Communist era.

In the Soviet period, "women had to be employed somewhere and since they couldn't do hard labour, they were integrated into other professions", explained Agnieszka Pyrzanowska, spokeswoman for the state-owned Baltic Industrial Group, which now operates part of the shipyard.

"Entire families worked for the same company."

Indeed, Krauze met her husband Stanislaw at the yard and today they work in the same unit.

"He's up there!" she exclaimed, waving energetically at another crane cabin in the sky.

Remembering a legend

Krauze joined what was then called the Vladimir Lenin shipyard in 1983, first in a coal-fired boiler room and later operating a crane.

"In the beginning, it was a shipyard. We built a good dozen ships a year. Now we build dozens of wind turbine towers. It's quite different," she said.

She is proud to have worked on the same crane as Anna Walentynowicz, one of the founders of Solidarnosc.

It was Walentynowicz's dismissal in 1980 that triggered the huge shipyard strike and the creation of the first free trade union in the Communist bloc.

Walentynowicz was "a kind of legend, especially among the older generation", Krauze remembered.

With a steady hand, she manoeuvred a huge wind turbine section, five metres in diameter, across the yard.

"There are people below you so you have to be careful nothing happens to them," said Lesia Kovalchuk, a 48-year-old Ukrainian colleague.

Kovalchuk was a crane operator in Ukraine for 15 years before moving to Poland as a refugee when Russia invaded her country in 2022.

Now she teaches young apprentices on Gdansk construction sites.

"In Ukraine, it's completely normal for women to operate cranes. No-one is surprised," she shrugged.

Both women agreed their male colleagues preferred to work with them than with other men.

"Women are calmer and more precise," Hrauze opined.

"Blokes try to get things done as fast as they can. Girls are all about finesse," Kovalchuk grinned.

One thing has changed though, since the Communist era.

At those days, women workers used to receive small gifts on International Women's Day -- "those famous tights, chocolates, carnations...", Krauze recalled.

"There's nothing any more," she said ruefully. "The unions have all forgotten about women."

bo/rl/gil/rmb

US

Voices from Iran: protests, fear and scarcity

BY MARIAM HARUTYUNYAN IN AGARAK, SYED ALI IN TAFTAN, REMI BANET IN ISTANBUL AND AFP BUREAUS

Here is a selection of their accounts, either from people inside Iran who sent messages to AFP reporters, or from those interviewed at the borders with Afghanistan, Turkey or Armenia.

From Kurdistan in western Iran to the shores of the Gulf and in Tehran, AFP reporters have spoken to Iranians throughout the week to build a picture of their lives under daily US and Israeli bombardment.
Here is a selection of their accounts, either from people inside Iran who sent messages to AFP reporters, or from those interviewed at the borders with Afghanistan, Turkey or Armenia.

From Kurdistan in western Iran to the shores of the Gulf and in Tehran, AFP reporters have spoken to Iranians throughout the week to build a picture of their lives under daily US and Israeli bombardment.

Most spoke of anxiety, but also frustration about rising prices and, for opponents of the government, fear about a crackdown that has seen checkpoints and armed security forces patrol the streets.

Here is a selection of their accounts, either from people inside Iran who sent messages to AFP reporters, or from those interviewed at the borders with Afghanistan, Turkey or Armenia.

AFP is withholding identifying information for their security.

Bukan (north-west Iran)

Reza, 36, runs a cafe in Bukan, in Iranian Kurdistan:

"I run a cafe right in the city centre. Over the past two nights, horror has come to our doorstep: the governor’s office building and the base of the Revolutionary Guards, located barely 200 metres away, were completely destroyed by US-Israeli strikes.

Today, the streets are littered with rocket debris and the remains of destroyed buildings.

Yet, against all expectations, people keep coming to the cafe. What amazes me most is that they insist on sitting outside on the terrace to watch the bombardments, as if it were a show.

Perhaps it is because in this region we have been used to war since childhood. Bombs no longer seem enough to break our routine.

Moreover, it is Ramadan: people are used to spending their nights at cafes or strolling around the city. And with the Iranian New Year (Nowruz) approaching in two weeks, the city is bustling. Despite the chaos, the shops are packed.

The real problem is money -- banks are no longer distributing cash and many bank cards are blocked.

So in my cafe, I made a decision: for those who cannot pay for their coffee, it’s on the house. At times like these, solidarity is the only thing war cannot destroy."

Bandar Abbas (south)

Mustafa, 27, an Afghan fisherman who had fled Iran, interviewed at the Silk Bridge border post in Afghanistan:

"We were near the port of Bandar Abbas. The situation was not good, so we left. Missiles were falling.

Work had stopped and goods had become so expensive that nobody could afford to buy them."

Mohammad, 38, employee at a poultry farm:

"Products have become very expensive. For example, the price of a container of oil went from 400,000 tomans ($1.56) to 2.2 million tomans ($8.25)."

Tehran

Teacher, 26:

"For people like me, life has stopped. We spend almost all our time watching the news. We are all very stressed. We tried to prepare reserves of water, food and an emergency bag.

When you hear the bombs, you have no idea where they will fall.

I don’t think anyone has the mental or physical capacity to endure the continuation of the war for long.

The most vulnerable are the children. They are very afraid. The youngest do not want to be separated from their parents. We cannot even keep them occupied at home because there is no internet, so they can neither play online nor watch children’s programmes."

Mahmed, 34, translator:

"There are many police officers, but it’s not dramatic. There are quite a few spies and the Iranian government is trying to track them down.

As the situation was tense in the streets, I didn’t go out much. There are two groups: those who support the government and those who oppose it. On some days one group comes out, on other days the other demonstrates. In recent days, the streets have mostly been filled with people in mourning after the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."

Robert, 60, businessman:

"Tehran has emptied out, many people have left. You can hear the sound of explosions.

Checkpoints have been set up in the city to prevent looting and maintain control. Law enforcement is present with weapons and special equipment... People are frightened."

Amir, 40:

"Before, we thought that if war ever broke out, electricity would be cut and, by a domino effect, water and gas. But the Islamic Republic has proved it is the enemy of the people: nothing has been cut off except the internet.

Without internet, we have no information about the news, evacuation alerts or what is happening to our relatives.

Since the start of the war, the city has become much more closed in on itself, but there are still shops open. Some are closing because there are no customers. There were queues for petrol during the first two days, but now it’s fine."

Shiraz (south)

Shopkeeper:

"For now we are safe. It seems they are only striking military bases. We hear the strikes and we say out loud: 'Well done'.

After the death of Ali Khamenei, people went out into the streets and celebrated. The streets were packed.

The following night, supporters of the government began driving through the streets in car processions, waving the flag of the Islamic Republic and black flags to show their mourning. The supporters are very few in number. Probably mostly families of the Revolutionary Guards or people connected to the regime."

On the island of Kish in the Gulf

Adult resident:

"From 6 pm, a military check is in place. Cars are stopped and thoroughly searched; sometimes they even check mobile phones. That is why many people no longer dare to go out. During the day, people only go out if they absolutely need to buy food."

bur-jri-adp/rmb

rights

El Salvador's Bukele holding dozens of political prisoners: rights group

Bukele, whose crackdown on street gangs has won over many Salvadorans, was re-elected in 2024 with a massive majority.

The government of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, known for a harsh crackdown on street gangs and dissent, is holding dozens of political prisoners, a rights group charged Thursday.
Bukele, whose crackdown on street gangs has won over many Salvadorans, was re-elected in 2024 with a massive majority.

The government of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, known for a harsh crackdown on street gangs and dissent, is holding dozens of political prisoners, a rights group charged Thursday.

Such detentions had not happened in El Salvador since its long civil war of the 1980s, making the country now as oppressive as Nicaragua and Venezuela, the NGO Cristosal said at a presentation in Guatemala City.

The group's directors fled to Guatemala last July, saying they were being persecuted by Bukele's administration.

Their report tallied 86 political prisoners, including the NGO's chief anti-corruption investigator, Ruth Lopez.

Bukele has called himself the "world's coolest dictator" and is close to US President Donald Trump.

He rules under a state of emergency during which crime has been slashed as authorities have arrested 91,000 people, often acting without warrants and accusing the detainees of gang affiliation.

Thousands of innocent people were swept up in the crackdown, and around 8,000 have been released.

"For the first time since the peace agreements, after the war, we can state that there are political prisoners in El Salvador," Rene Valliente, head of research at Cristosal, told a news conference.

He was alluding to the 1992 accord that ended the war between a US-backed right-wing government and leftist guerrillas supported by Cuba.

The report said that besides the political prisoners at least 245 other people had been harassed in one way or another by the Salvadoran government, while cautioning the figure could be much higher.

Most are human rights advocates who criticized the gang crackdown, journalists, union leaders or environmental activists, the report said.

'Old forms of state violence'

"Ultimately, the famous 'Bukele model' is a regime like so many others -- a dictatorship that kills, tortures, robs and persecutes," said Cristosal's president Noah Bullock.

"What we see is a return to old forms of state violence exercised by tyrants and autocratic regimes to concentrate power and hold on to privileges," he said.

Bukele, who has been president since 2019, secured last August the right to seek indefinite re-election after his party-controlled Congress approved a sweeping constitutional reform.

The Salvadoran government did not immediately respond to the report.

Cristosal said along with using criminal courts as "a means of repression," the harassment included threats, having people followed, attempts at public shaming and "the systemic use of preventive incarceration."

"These methods are similar to those seen in countries like Nicaragua and Venezuela," the report said.

Lopez, the NGO's anti-corruption investigator, was detained in May 2025 on charges of embezzling state funds when she worked for an electoral court a decade ago.

She has denied the charges and accused the government of trying to silence her.

Bukele, whose crackdown on street gangs has won over many Salvadorans, was re-elected in 2024 with a massive majority.

"I don't care if they call me a dictator. I'd rather be called a dictator than see Salvadorans killed in the streets," he said in a speech last year.

bur-hma/axm/js/jgc

US

'Enemy at home': Iranian authorities tighten grip as war rages

BY SUSANNAH WALDEN WITH AFP BUREAUS

Iranians have since found themselves caught between the bombs and their government as authorities deploy heavy security and cut off the population from the outside world with an internet blackout.

War has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets of Iran's capital, but Islamic republic authorities have filled them with checkpoints and security forces as they tighten their grip on the population.
Iranians have since found themselves caught between the bombs and their government as authorities deploy heavy security and cut off the population from the outside world with an internet blackout.

War has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets of Iran's capital, but Islamic republic authorities have filled them with checkpoints and security forces as they tighten their grip on the population.

After the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on Saturday, killing its supreme leader and urging Iranians to "take over" their government, celebrations at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death were quickly stifled.

Iranians have since found themselves caught between the bombs and their government as authorities deploy heavy security and cut off the population from the outside world with an internet blackout.

The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "has closed almost every main street with armed personnel and heavy machine guns to frighten people", a 30-year-old Tehran resident told AFP from Paris.

"The people are the real enemy in their eyes, not the Americans. Their extremists say first you have to deal with the enemy at home."

The public show of force appears intended to avoid any repeat of anti-government demonstrations that peaked in January and saw the streets stained with the blood of protesters who had chanted "death to Khamenei" in their thousands.

The nationwide protests were met with a fierce crackdown that left more than 7,000 people dead, according to the US-based group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which notes the actual toll is likely much higher. More than 50,000 have been arrested, it says.

'Fear and intimidation'

Tehran residents told AFP many of the security forces were from the Basij -- a volunteer militia under the IRGC tasked with maintaining public order.

They have set up checkpoints along with Guards and police to search vehicles and people in the streets.

"There are no traffic jams but the ones that the IRGC has created with their temporary inspection stations in every corner," the 30-year-old said.

Since Khamenei's death, plainclothes security forces are "in the streets in spades" and "they are all armed, so we can't protest for now", said Tehran resident Amir, who gave only his first name for security reasons.

"They have taken over the places that belonged to the people," the 40-year-old said.

An engineer living in Tehran said security forces "roam the streets on their own, creating fear and intimidation, checking people's phones, going through them, and harassing people".

The tensions are even felt on the island of Kish in the Gulf, where "people hardly dare to go out anymore" except to buy food, a resident said, with a "military-style control" in place from 6:00 pm.

Iranian authorities have a formidable internal security apparatus, numbering an estimated "850,000 agents of repression", Pierre Razoux, director of studies at the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies, told French lawmakers on Wednesday.

The 600,000-strong Basij "alone outnumber the regular army and the Revolutionary Guards combined", he said.

Rights groups have warned repression could mount in the war, undermining the chances of a popular uprising that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have encouraged.

"The main existential threat to the Islamic republic is not airstrikes... it's Iranian people who came on the streets," Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Iran Human Rights NGO told AFP.

"The Islamic Republic's aim number one is to protect itself. So there is a threat that we might face new massacres, mass arrests, mass executions," he said.

'When we are free'

The authorities shut down the internet as soon as the war began and have been warning those who succeed in connecting using VPNs that their lines will be blocked and they could face charges.

A warning from the intelligence ministry on Thursday said anyone taking photos at "sensitive locations" could be working as foreign agents and urged citizens to report on each other, according to state television.

Iranians inside the country have expressed fear of giving their names to the media or having messages from journalists on their phones -- both a link to the outside world and a potential source of incrimination.

A resident of Shiraz city said celebrations that packed the streets after Khamenei's death were shut down by government forces, only for people to gather the next night in a government-sanctioned rally.

State television has been flooded with footage of such demonstrations, where crowds wave Iranian flags and mourn Khamenei.

Some Tehran residents still shout protest slogans from their windows at night, one woman said, as others hold out hope they'll soon take to the streets again.

"We are staying at home and hoping we stay alive so we can do a proper dance when we are free," said 39-year-old Elnaz.

sw/adp/

dogs

UK's Crufts dog show opens with growing global appeal

BY JOE JACKSON

Widely regarded as the pinnacle for any canine and its owner, both have travelled in unprecedented numbers from around the world this year to come to heel on Crufts' famous green carpets.

With plenty of barks, treats and tail-wagging, the world's biggest and most famous dog show got underway Thursday in Britain, with a record number of overseas entries among those bidding for Crufts glory.
Widely regarded as the pinnacle for any canine and its owner, both have travelled in unprecedented numbers from around the world this year to come to heel on Crufts' famous green carpets.

With plenty of barks, treats and tail-wagging, the world's biggest and most famous dog show got underway Thursday in Britain, with a record number of overseas entries among those bidding for Crufts glory.

More than 20,000 pooches of varying size, shape and personality will descend on Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre for the four-day showcase, with one claiming the coveted "Best in Show" crown late Sunday.

Widely regarded as the pinnacle for any canine and its owner, both have travelled in unprecedented numbers from around the world this year to come to heel on Crufts' famous green carpets.

"People dream every year to have this piece of paper and the rosetta... it's something very special," Italian breeder and handler Mattia Fasso, 29, told AFP.

"The atmosphere, the air that you breathe here, is different -- there is something magic about it," he added, comparing the annual competition to the quintessentially British tennis championships at Wimbledon.

Although this year sees entrants from as far away as New Zealand, Peru and Argentina, Britain's closest European neighbours make up the biggest slice of foreign competitors.

From a family that has bred Bernese Mountain dogs near Bologna in northern Italy for decades, Fasso has been coming to Crufts since the mid-2010s, witnessing its popularity grow internationally.

This year he has brought two Bernese, a Border Collie, a Pomeranian and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

"There are so many breeds... here in Crufts and generally in the UK, with a very high quality, so people (who) want to improve the quality of their breeds, their dogs, they have to come here."

'Big deal'

Crufts, first organised by dog lover Charles Cruft in 1891 and now run by The Royal Kennel Club, is billed as "a celebration of everything we love about dogs and the people who care for them".

Last year for the first time, a dog from Italy won best in show, perhaps encouraging European entrants to try to repeat the feat at the 2026 edition.

It has attracted 4,299 overseas entries -- the highest in the event's history -- with France leading the international contingent with 538 dogs, according to The Kennel Club.

That is followed by Italy (436), Germany (425) and the Netherlands (353).

Handler Karin Schijff, 61, is among the Dutch contingent.

She made the ferry journey over to England with a fellow Dutch breeder friend and seven pooches between them -- three of them Swedish Vallhunds and four other hounds.

"It's a really big deal on the (European) mainland, if your dog is a Crufts qualifier," Schijff told AFP as she waited to show Ivy, a 22-month-old Swedish Vallhund, which were originally bred as cow herders in Sweden.

Schijff recently attended the Westminster Dog Show in New York but was left disappointed by its relatively smaller scale.

"I imagined it much bigger. It was a wonderful show... but you just can't compare them," she said.

Schijff puts Crufts growing international appeal down to easier travel with pets in the modern era, as well as "great" Kennel Club marketing and the many qualifiers it stages in many countries.

"Crufts presents itself really good. The green (carpets) and the facility is perfect."

jj/har/ach

conflict

The silent struggle of an anti-war woman in Russia

Despite her silence, the war still looms large.

When Vladimir Putin launched Russia's large-scale offensive against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Varvara felt "despair and anger" -- and joined an anti-war protest in central Moscow.
Despite her silence, the war still looms large.

When Vladimir Putin launched Russia's large-scale offensive against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Varvara felt "despair and anger" -- and joined an anti-war protest in central Moscow.

Four years later and amid an unrelenting crackdown on dissent inside Russia, the 32-year-old said she is now simply trying to "survive", keeping quiet and not daring to criticise the Kremlin or the war.

She has little hope that will change soon.

"Any resistance from below will be crushed," Varvara, who asked for her name to be changed, told AFP in an interview in Moscow.

It is a snapshot of the resignation with which many anti-war Russians or would-be activists must now live in a country that has been rigidly mobilised to get behind the war.

Russia has ratcheted up repression at home to levels unseen since the era of the Soviet Union.

Thousands have been jailed or fined for simply speaking out against the offensive. Public protests against the Kremlin are virtually unheard of.

All major opposition figures are in jail, exiled or dead and anti-war groups outside the country are hobbled by bitter factional infighting.

– 'Do something good here' –

Like thousands of others, Varvara took to the streets at the start of the war, joining rallies that were put down forcefully by Russian riot police.

"I went there without knowing what's next," she said.

"I warned loved ones that I might be arrested, leaving a spare set of keys and hoping my cat wouldn't starve in my absence."

She managed to avoid being caught in the brutal police clampdown.

But when she signed a petition against the war, she was fired from her job at a public institution.

Many of her friends -- who were briefly detained by police -- decided to leave the country.

But for Varvara, the uncertainty of emigration outweighed the risks of staying.

"I didn't feel an immediate physical threat. No one was knocking on my door, I wasn't jailed or tortured."

She eventually found a job at a charity and realised that the only way she could get by was to "do something good here", in Russia.

In the summer of 2022, she met her future husband.

"The only reason to leave would be if one of us was facing arrest," she said.

Despite her decision to stop speaking out and commitment to staying inside Russia, the war has completely overshadowed Varvara's life.

It was two years before she could feel happy again without a sense of guilt.

"A friend and I went for a walk. It was summer, we just walked and talked. I realised it was simply a nice day -- and I don't feel guilty about enjoying it," she told AFP.

– 'Escapism' –

Varvara now cares for her husband's two children from a previous marriage -- something she calls "a form of escapism", and which has reinforced her decision to stay quiet.

"If I was alone, I wouldn't be hiding my name. But now I'm a stepmother, part of a complex family structure, and I feel a sense of responsibility," she said.

Wanting children of her own, Varvara said she "can no longer afford to take this kind of optional risk" of speaking out.

Despite her silence, the war still looms large.

In her charity job, she worries about who to cooperate with and who to take money from given how many people and organisations are now connected with the military campaign.

"There's this constant inner struggle: whom can you work with and whom you can't?" explained the young woman.

And in her private life, the war has complicated her relationship with her father.

A member of Russia's security services, he went to fight in Ukraine and regularly offers her financial help.

"He's my father, I love him. But for me, it's impossible to accept this money," she told AFP.

bur/yad/jj

film

Voice coach to the stars says Aussie actors nail tricky accents

BY OLIVER HOTHAM

For Mielewska -- whose company Creative Voice trains everyone from actors to business executives in speaking -- teaching an actor an accent is much more than just an impression.

Geoffrey Rush, Rose Byrne, Cate Blanchett -- voice coach Victoria Mielewska has trained some of Australia's most famous thespians in the delicate art of the accent and says actors from Down Under have a unique talent for getting it right.
For Mielewska -- whose company Creative Voice trains everyone from actors to business executives in speaking -- teaching an actor an accent is much more than just an impression.

Geoffrey Rush, Rose Byrne, Cate Blanchett -- voice coach Victoria Mielewska has trained some of Australia's most famous thespians in the delicate art of the accent and says actors from Down Under have a unique talent for getting it right.

Byrne, a native of the greater Sydney area, is vying for the best actress Oscar this month for her powerhouse role as an overwhelmed mother in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You".

So uncannily convincing is her American accent that some have expressed shock that she is in fact Australian.

"She masters that American absolutely beautiful accent that she does," Mielewska, who worked with Byrne on the 2022 comedy "Seriously Red", told AFP at her home in Sydney's leafy north.

"She's worked quietly and beautifully for many years."

For Mielewska -- whose company Creative Voice trains everyone from actors to business executives in speaking -- teaching an actor an accent is much more than just an impression.

The actor must learn to really live in the physicality of the voice.

"I work in quite a vulnerable, free way," she explained.

"The ultimate goal is not to listen to an actor at work and not to listen to the accent, but for them to be able to work with it and through it -- to get the truth of the work."

'Gym in your mouth'

To go American, Mielewska said it's all about getting the Rs and the vowels right.

"It's very intricate, an American accent," she told AFP, describing it as "very muscular".

"If I'm working with an Australian who is doing an American accent, I will say, 'You have to start going to the gym in your mouth'."

It's as much about where one's tongue sits in the mouth as it is about their seating posture, Mielewska explained.

A Midwestern twang is "a very feet on the ground, back in the heels of your boots type of accent", she said.

And what about the classic English "received pronunciation", long the go-to sound of the British ruling class?

"I'd get them to sit back in the chair... you actually feel that there's a lot of space between you," she said

Australian actors can nail the US accent in part because Americans' natural way of speaking echoes the Antipodean approach to life -- more relaxed and, in some ways, "lazy", Mielewska said.

"Australians can do American pretty well by and large, because we come from a fairly neutral place," she said.

"Australians can go from something that's kind of midline and relaxed and start to work with it, and the muscles respond in time."

Tongue twisters

It's not always so easy the other way round.

For years, some of Hollywood's biggest stars have endured mockery for mangled attempts at accents -- from Don Cheadle as a Cockney in "Ocean's Eleven" to Leonardo DiCaprio playing a Rhodesian (modern-day Zimbabwean) in "Blood Diamond".

Some Americans, Mielewska said, are unfairly maligned.

Meryl Streep's turn as wrongfully accused mother Lindy Chamberlain in the true story 1988 film "Evil Angels" ("A Cry in the Dark" in its US release) -- and her often-misquoted line "a dingo took my baby" -- has sometimes inspired ridicule in Australia.

But Mielewska said that, contrary to popular belief, Streep got it bang on -- Chamberlain was born in New Zealand, and her accent is not typically Aussie.

Australian is also uniquely incompatible with the American lilt, she said.

That's because, Mielewska said, American actors need to "let go" and relax.

"What they're doing is surrendering their own accent and their own muscular habits of the way they speak," she said.

Some actors have shortcuts to get into a tricky voice.

Byrne has said she has a go-to phrase -- "Patty hired 24-hour security for Katie" -- when she finds herself struggling to summon the Yankee drawl.

She is now in the running to become the third Australian to win the best actress Oscar after Blanchett and Nicole Kidman.

Mielewska says the star -- known for her humble and understated style -- "comes from a very soulful, connected place".

"Of course her work is going to be truthful."

oho/djw/sst/jm

US

Iran war exiles describe terror of daily strikes

BY IONUT IORDACHESCU, WITH SYED ALI IN TAFTAN, PARVAIZ BUHARI IN SRINIGAR AND AIDA BAHRAMI IN PARIS

- Fear and hope - In the north of Iran, others are also trying to flee to Armenia, one of seven countries bordering Iran.

Terrified travellers fleeing war in Iran for the safety of neighbouring countries have described the extent of US and Israeli air strikes around the country, which have pummelled many regional cities as well as the capital Tehran.
- Fear and hope - In the north of Iran, others are also trying to flee to Armenia, one of seven countries bordering Iran.

Terrified travellers fleeing war in Iran for the safety of neighbouring countries have described the extent of US and Israeli air strikes around the country, which have pummelled many regional cities as well as the capital Tehran.

AFP spoke to Iranians as well as foreign students and traders at border crossings in Pakistan and Turkey, and was able to interview others trying to flee by phone or text messages despite widespread communication problems.

Taken together, their testimonies offer insight into the scale of the air campaign over the last five days that the US military claimed Wednesday was bigger than the so-called "shock and awe" campaign against Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 2003.

On the Turkish side of the Kapikoy-Razi border crossing, groups of travellers with large suitcases and children clutching teddy bears were trickling through the security checkpoint to seek shelter.

A woman from Tabriz, an economic hub in northwest Iran, reported a barrage of strikes around the city that had pushed her to leave her home and family.

"We sleep in fear and wake up with stress, so the situation is pretty awful," Sanaz, who gave only her first name, told AFP.

"After what we've been through all these years, we are hoping that maybe in two or three months' time, we will see major change in our country, politically, economically."

Around 2,000 kilometres away (1,250 miles) in the far east of the country, Pakistanis are flooding back to their country through the Taftan border crossing, sharing stories about a war none of them expected to be caught up in.

Basheer Ahmed, a 42-year-old trader, was returning from Bandar Abbas, a strategic naval city in southern Iran that lies just across from the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint of global shipping that Iran has effectively closed.

"The situation was very bad. There were five to 10 explosions during the day. We could not even tell where the bombs were coming from," he told AFP.

"The situation was extremely tense, and people were trying to leave the area by any means possible."

Fellow traveller Mushtaq Ahmed, 41, said he had passed through the central cities of Qom and Mashad in the east where he had witnessed pro-regime demonstrations.

"People were chanting and expressing their grief. It felt like a public holiday -- shops and offices were closed," he said.

- Fear and hope -

In the north of Iran, others are also trying to flee to Armenia, one of seven countries bordering Iran.

Shahid Rashid, an Indian student at a medical university in the western Iranian city of Urmia, told AFP by text message that he had seen "around eight strikes" 200 metres away from his hostel on Tuesday.

His university is providing free meals to those trapped in their lodgings because all local shops are closed.

With nothing to do other than wait for the Indian consulate to organise visas for Armenia -- as they did during a 12-day war between Iran and Israel last June -- he is hoping for a quick reaction.

"All I can say is we are depressed here because of the current situation -- and that situation is deteriorating," he added.

Israel and the United States launched military action against Iran last Saturday, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in one of the first missile salvoes.

The two countries have given different objectives for the war, from regime change to destroying Iran's nuclear and long-range missile programmes, as well as its navy.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, the US and Israeli attacks have killed 787 people in Iran, a toll that could not be independently confirmed by AFP.

Nasim, a 35-year-old Iranian woman from central Isfahan, spoke to AFP having completed a perilous journey to Turkey via war-ravaged Tehran without any phone or internet connection, or Google Maps.

For her, the blasts were a source of fear, as well as hope.

"Even if you knew that you could get hit yourself, you were happy that they (the regime) would get what they deserve and that they won't be getting any sleep," she said.

burs-adp/jj

AI

AI not hitting European jobs for now: ECB

The ECB economists warned that the limited effects seen to date might continue in the future.

Artificial intelligence has only had minor effects on employment in Europe so far, European Central Bank economists said Wednesday, but they warned the technology's future impact was uncertain.
The ECB economists warned that the limited effects seen to date might continue in the future.

Artificial intelligence has only had minor effects on employment in Europe so far, European Central Bank economists said Wednesday, but they warned the technology's future impact was uncertain.

Comparing 5,000 firms, some of which reported using AI and some of which did not, the economists overall found no difference in terms of creating or cutting jobs.

Firms that use AI particularly frequently were in fact four percent likelier to hire new staff than average, the economists said in a blog post.

"As things stand, based on firms' overall hiring plans, investment in and the intensive use of AI are not yet replacing jobs," they said.

"In fact, some firms are hiring additional employees -- perhaps because they are looking to develop and implement AI technologies while maintaining their existing production processes, or because AI is a way to help them scale up more quickly," they added.

The economists warned that firms that invested in AI with the aim of cutting jobs did indeed end up doing so, suggesting there could be profound effects on jobs as the technology matures.

"However, only 15 percent of firms that use AI cite reducing labour costs as a factor, and this is insufficient to offset the overall positive effects observed to date," they said.

Concern has grown that AI could have profound effects on employment, and firms including American tech giant Amazon and German insurer Allianz have cited AI-uptake as a reason for job cuts in recent months.

Markets tumbled last week after a viral blog post described a gloomy scenario in which AI led to mass layoffs, depressing economic growth.

The ECB economists warned that the limited effects seen to date might continue in the future.

"AI has not yet significantly transformed production processes," they said.

"Given that this is set to change, the longer-term impact of AI on employment remains less clear."

vbw-sr/rl

court

Unification Church loses Japan appeal against dissolution

The Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order in March last year for the Japanese chapter of the Unification Church, saying it had caused "unprecedented damage" to society.

The Unification Church lost an appeal Wednesday against a Japanese court's order to dissolve the sect, which came under investigation following the assassination of ex-premier Shinzo Abe.
The Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order in March last year for the Japanese chapter of the Unification Church, saying it had caused "unprecedented damage" to society.

The Unification Church lost an appeal Wednesday against a Japanese court's order to dissolve the sect, which came under investigation following the assassination of ex-premier Shinzo Abe.

The Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order in March last year for the Japanese chapter of the Unification Church, saying it had caused "unprecedented damage" to society.

The Church -- which was founded in South Korea and nicknamed the "Moonies" after its late founder Sun Myung Moon -- is accused of pressuring followers into making life-ruining donations, and blamed for child neglect among its members, although it has denied any wrongdoing.

The Church said in a statement Wednesday that "the Tokyo High Court had issued a ruling upholding the dissolution order against our organisation", calling the decision "unjust".

The court confirmed the decision to AFP.

Former prime minister Abe, Japan's longest-serving leader who had spoken at some of the Church's groups events, was shot dead on the campaign trail in 2022 by a man who resented the sect.

In January, Tetsuya Yamagami was jailed for life for the murder, although his defence team argued that the attack was triggered by his mother's blind donations to the Church that pushed his family into bankruptcy.

The 45-year-old appealed his life sentence last month.

Investigations after Abe's murder revealed close ties between the sect and many conservative ruling-party lawmakers, leading to the resignation of four ministers.

This prompted the government in 2023 to seek permission from the courts to have the group legally disbanded.

The Church lodged an appeal in April. Wednesday's decision means liquidation proceedings will begin and the sect will no longer benefit from tax exemption, although the group can still appeal to the top court.

Lawyer Katsuomi Abe, who represents former believers seeking compensation after making huge donations, told AFP the court decision was "a step forward" for victims.

Although the Church can still continue religious practices, "it will become increasingly difficult for them to continue its activities... and politicians are likely to stay away", the lawyer said.

The amount donated by Japanese members over the decades has been estimated by some at hundreds of millions of dollars or more.

The Church rose to global prominence in the 1970s and 80s after its foundation in 1954, becoming famous for mass weddings often held in stadiums.

Japan has long been a financial hub for the Church, which told members they must atone for the wartime occupation of Korea and sell expensive items to obtain forgiveness from sins.

Since Abe's murder, the Church has pledged to prevent "excessive" member donations.

It has become the third religious group ordered to disband in Japan -- another being the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which released a deadly nerve agent on the Tokyo subway 30 years ago, killing 14 people and sickening thousands more.

nf/mtp

X

X suspends revenue sharing for undisclosed AI war videos

Under the new rules, repeat offenders face permanent suspension from the Creator Revenue Sharing program, which pays eligible users a share of advertising revenue generated by their posts.

Social media platform X announced Tuesday it would suspend creators from its revenue sharing program for 90 days if they post AI-generated videos of armed conflicts without disclosing they were artificially made, the company said.
Under the new rules, repeat offenders face permanent suspension from the Creator Revenue Sharing program, which pays eligible users a share of advertising revenue generated by their posts.

Social media platform X announced Tuesday it would suspend creators from its revenue sharing program for 90 days if they post AI-generated videos of armed conflicts without disclosing they were artificially made, the company said.

The policy change, announced by an executive of the Elon Musk-owned platform, targets what the company described as a threat to information authenticity amid the ongoing war pitting the US and Israel against Iran.

"During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground," X's head of product Nikita Bier said, adding that current AI technologies make it "trivial to create content that can mislead people."

X said Monday it would "continue to refine" its policies and product to ensure the platform "can be trusted during these critical moments."

The new AI disclosure policy represents a notable pivot for a platform whose approach to content moderation has been heavily criticized since Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter -- subsequently rebranded as X -- in October 2022.

Since Musk's takeover, X has largely sought to remove its policies against misinformation deeming them censorship.

Under the new rules, repeat offenders face permanent suspension from the Creator Revenue Sharing program, which pays eligible users a share of advertising revenue generated by their posts.

Violations will be flagged through Community Notes — the platform's crowd-sourced fact-checking system — as well as through metadata and other technical signals embedded in AI-generated content.

arp/des

Italy

Patchy Italy disability access 'an insult' ahead of Games

BY ANA PUISSET-RUCCELLA

Even in newly renovated areas, little thought appears to have been given to wheelchair users.

Italy hosts the world's top paralympic athletes this month, but just getting across the street in Rome can feel like an Olympian task for wheelchair users.
Even in newly renovated areas, little thought appears to have been given to wheelchair users.

Italy hosts the world's top paralympic athletes this month, but just getting across the street in Rome can feel like an Olympian task for wheelchair users.

"Sometimes, it's just easier to ride on the road," said Alessandro Bardini, a 48-year-old lawyer, as he navigated the high kerb and cobbles of the Eternal City.

Paralympic organisers and Italy's government have invested tens of millions of euros in making the venues and areas around the Milan-Cortina Games more accessible for people with disabilities.

More than 80 percent of Milan metro stations were already fully accessible, as were all buses, but the city has invested 55 million euros ($64 million) in upgrading the rest, according to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

But the story is not the same across Italy, particularly in the capital Rome, known as much for its uneven roads and anarchic parking as for its ancient ruins.

Bardini was left paraplegic after a motorcycle accident in 1998, and is now an activist for disability rights.

On a recent morning in Prati, a wealthy district near the Vatican, he took AFP with him as he weaved his way between scooters and cars and onto streets of cobbles.

The famed "Sanpietrini" cobbles are pretty but "don't provide any stability -- you risk getting stuck and falling", Bardini said.

At a pedestrian crossing, a small ramp has been cut into the kerb, but only on one side of the road, meaning he can go up one side, but not down the other.

Even in newly renovated areas, little thought appears to have been given to wheelchair users.

In Piazza Pia, an intersection in front of St Peter's Basilica redeveloped for the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee Holy Year, features "a staircase that could have been a ramp", Bardini said.

"It's an insult to people with motor disabilities," he said.

"I am so angry to see that in 2026, they are still building like this, with barriers."

Paralympic mirror

Taking public transport is another adventure. While 61 of Rome's 77 metro stations have lifts, 13 have only stairlifts, which require an attendant to operate, according to the ATAC public transport body.

Often this requires a wait. Double that if there is a stairlift at both ends, add time waiting for space on a busy train and it can take 40 minutes to travel just one stop.

Some stations remain completely inaccessible, ATAC acknowledged, including the one near the Spanish Steps -- one of Rome's most iconic landmarks.

The city council told AFP it has brought 80 percent of its road network up to standard as part of a major works programme.

But it noted that 15 boroughs share responsibility for local roads, leading to major disparities in maintenance.

The council has also significantly boosted its fleet of specially adapted taxis, from 40 five years ago to 250 today.

They are reserved for those who need them, and in February this year, they provided 24,400 trips.

Bardini said he believed there was "a lack of willpower" to change the situation -- and he had little faith the Paralympics would change that.

"The Paralympics are an excellent mirror to show what people with disabilities can do, but then they remain in the Olympic year," he said.

"Once the Olympics are over, the spotlight is turned off... everything goes back to how it was before."

ana-gg/ljm-ar/dt/yad/cms

film

Periods, old age and communal conflict: Oscar shorts showcase variety

BY PAULA RAMON

"Butcher's Stain" tells the story of an Arab-Israeli working in a Tel Aviv supermarket who is accused of tearing down hostage posters after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.

From menstruation mishaps to a meditation on old age, and the challenges faced by Arab-Israelis in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks, one Oscars category is nothing if not varied.
"Butcher's Stain" tells the story of an Arab-Israeli working in a Tel Aviv supermarket who is accused of tearing down hostage posters after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.

From menstruation mishaps to a meditation on old age, and the challenges faced by Arab-Israelis in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks, one Oscars category is nothing if not varied.

"The live action short category, it's particularly diverse in its genres," Julia Aks, nominated alongside Steve Pinder for their satire "Jane Austen's Period Drama," told AFP.

"That makes me very hopeful that the Academy, the pinnacle and the barometer of the industry, is broadening."

Aks and Pinder's 13-minute comedy sees Georgian era heroine Estrogenia Talbot get her period in the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal.

When her suitor mistakes the blood for an injury, it soon becomes clear that his expensive education was somewhat incomplete.

Aks said she never imagined her work would land at Hollywood's biggest gala.

"It's just been really encouraging that the kind of things that we want to make are also being rewarded," she said.

The short film category is seen as a gateway for new talent seeking to stand out in a competitive industry.

Previous winners include writer-director Martin McDonagh, who went on to helm Oscar-winning feature "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and nine-time nominee "The Banshees of Inisherin."

Connection

For Sam Davis, who worked with Jack Piatt to create "The Singers," getting an Oscar nomination has been surreal, but has also validated his ambition to use film to explore issues that matter to him.

"The Singers" focuses on a group of lonely men who spontaneously begin a musical competition one night in a bar.

"I wanted to tell a story about connection and the power of vulnerability, especially today," Davis told AFP.

"Everybody's on their phones, and I think we're less and less connected."

The young filmmaker, who counts "One Battle After Another" director Paul Thomas Anderson among his idols, said the isolation and missed opportunities that technology imposes on men in particular was something he wanted to examine.

"You never know who you're standing next to at the grocery store or sitting next to at the bar," he said.

"Maybe you'd be friends if you just talked."

The same theme of isolation guided the work of debut director Lee Knight, whose "A Friend of Dorothy" stars veteran British actress Miriam Margolyes.

The 20-minute film follows a duo who form an unlikely friendship and is a delightful meditation on the importance of connecting with another human being.

"They come to each other in a time where they need each other, and they're lonely in their own way," Knight told AFP.

"He's lonely; he hasn't found his people, and she's lonely too. It's a simple story, but we need these stories now more than ever."

Stars

For up-and-coming filmmakers, an Oscar nomination -- and the attendant glitz and glamour of luncheons rubbing shoulders with megastars like Timothee Chalamet and Steven Spielberg -- is confirmation that persistence pays off.

"For me, it's about sending a message to other people, to other filmmakers, to other actors, other storytellers, to say: 'You really cannot give up,'" said Knight, who worked as an actor for years before heading behind the camera.

Meyer Levinson-Blount, nominated alongside Oron Caspi for "Butcher's Stain," agrees.

"You just never know where it's going to happen or when it's going to happen," he said.

"Butcher's Stain" tells the story of an Arab-Israeli working in a Tel Aviv supermarket who is accused of tearing down hostage posters after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.

Caspi said the current moment in filmmaking felt like one of enormous optimism.

"Storytelling is one of the most ancient arts, and I think a lot of the changes about technology and a lot of changes about the situation we're in -- that's how we get our stories," he said.

"I feel like we're getting into a very interesting era of storytelling."

The 98th Academy Awards will be held on March 15 in Hollywood.

pr/hg/sst

US

Flights to evacuate stranded travellers in Middle East

- Suspended operations - Airlines including Air France, British Airways, LOT, Norwegian and SAS have all suspended flights to the Middle East for the coming days.

Governments and airlines scrambled Tuesday to repatriate tens of thousands of travellers stranded in the Middle East following the eruption of a regional conflict sparked by Israel-US strikes on Iran.
- Suspended operations - Airlines including Air France, British Airways, LOT, Norwegian and SAS have all suspended flights to the Middle East for the coming days.

Governments and airlines scrambled Tuesday to repatriate tens of thousands of travellers stranded in the Middle East following the eruption of a regional conflict sparked by Israel-US strikes on Iran.

Countries across the region shut their airspace as Iran retaliated against US allies, Qatar saying it had blocked an attack on its airport, one of the major hubs in the region.

At least 12,903 flights were cancelled between Saturday and Monday -- 40 percent of planned departures, according to aviation data analysis firm Cirium, which estimated more than one million passengers had been affected so far.

Slow resumption

On Sunday, nearly all flights were cancelled out of the United Arab Emirates, home to Dubai airport, the second-largest in the world in terms of passengers.

The cancellation rate fell to 93.5 percent on Monday after Dubai -- and Abu Dhabi's airport -- resumed limited operations.

Some Emirates flights took off Tuesday morning, according to the Flightradar24 flight tracking website, flying south out of the Gulf region. Low-cost flydubai and Russia's Aeroflot were also said to be operating.

Flights continued to come in and out of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Oman, though no civilian flights passed through airspace over Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Libya or Qatar.

Israel said its airspace would gradually reopen from Wednesday night, initially just for flights repatriating nationals.

Evacuations

European countries including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania were quick to organise an airlift of their countrymen.

Hundreds of passengers landed back in Prague on two planes on Tuesday morning, with around 100 Slovaks arriving and more than 300 Romanians returning via Egypt.

Italians were set to arrive in Rome and Milan on three flights.

Russia said it had picked up nationals who had fled from Iran to Azerbaijan, as well as a few dozen who were in Egypt.

The United States said it was helping to arrange charter flights from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- adding that more than 9,000 people had already made it back from the region since Saturday.

France is among the most affected Western nations, with an estimated 400,000 nationals in the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday two flights were on their way to Paris with the first groups to be repatriated.

Other European countries were following suit.

Germany said a charter flight would leave Oman on Wednesday with some of the estimated 30,000 Germans stranded in the region, and travel firm TUI started to fly home holidaymakers stranded on two of its cruise ships in the Gulf via Dubai.

Britain said a charter flight would bring home nationals from Oman in the coming days, with Ireland and Spain making similar announcements.

Airlines were playing a part too. Three Indian carriers -- IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa Air -- said they would be running evacuation flights.

British Airways said it had scheduled a flight from Oman on Thursday.

Suspended operations

Airlines including Air France, British Airways, LOT, Norwegian and SAS have all suspended flights to the Middle East for the coming days. Finnair has halted flights to Doha and Dubai until nearly the end of the month.

bur-tq/rl/jxb/tw

politics

China's overstretched healthcare looks to AI boom

BY REBECCA BAILEY

While the app can't replace doctors, "it can reduce the number of questions we need to ask doctors directly", Wang told AFP as her baby dozed in her Shanghai apartment.

Throughout her first pregnancy, Wang Yifan had lots of questions, which she usually put to renowned obstetrician Duan Tao -- or rather, an AI clone of the top Shanghai-based doctor.
While the app can't replace doctors, "it can reduce the number of questions we need to ask doctors directly", Wang told AFP as her baby dozed in her Shanghai apartment.

Throughout her first pregnancy, Wang Yifan had lots of questions, which she usually put to renowned obstetrician Duan Tao -- or rather, an AI clone of the top Shanghai-based doctor.

Duan has created a digital double for healthcare app AQ, which now boasts more than 100 million users in a display of how high-tech parts of China's medical sector have become.

A state-driven digitisation, aiming to inject efficiency into the overstretched healthcare system, has been underway for over a decade.

But with rapid developments in AI and robotics, the government, companies and practitioners see an opportunity to turbocharge that transition.

"Three to five years at most, and our entire medical model will be radically transformed," the soft-spoken Duan told AFP.

To train his avatar, Duan selected

material, including textbooks, clinical case studies and content from his social platforms -- followed by more than 10 million -- to capture his tone.

The chatbot cannot prescribe medication, and AQ's maker, tech giant Ant Group, says it is not a substitute for treatment.

"At the beginning, I did have concerns," Duan said. "I value my personal reputation."

But he believes in "actively embracing" technology to help improve it.

'Democratising access'

Beijing is soon expected to release its 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint for the world's second-largest economy until 2030 with technological transformation at its heart.

An October framework called for scientific breakthroughs to "enter practical application quickly", and referenced intelligent healthcare solutions.

AQ, or Afu in Chinese, now has more than 1,000 expert digital doubles.

The app "gives any ordinary user -- no matter where they are -- the opportunity to get good answers to their questions," Duan said.

"What we're doing is democratising access to medical knowledge."

That's especially appealing in China, where "waiting all morning for a three-minute appointment" is common, he said.

Within half a year, Duan's AI bot had 160,000 patients.

During Wang's pregnancy, digital Duan was a trusted mediator when she and her husband disagreed, for example on using cooking wine in food.

Since giving birth, she has used AQ even more, asking paediatrician avatars about rashes or for general care advice.

While the app can't replace doctors, "it can reduce the number of questions we need to ask doctors directly", Wang told AFP as her baby dozed in her Shanghai apartment.

"If I take my baby to hospital, I worry about cross-infection."

'Urgency drives change'

China's vast population and territory have always posed challenges to consistent, evenly distributed healthcare –- and as its citizens age, stress on the system is increasing.

The challenges are similar to other countries', but are happening "at a greater scale and a greater pace", said Ruby Wang, a writer and director of LINTRIS Health consultancy.

"China's health technology landscape is maturing so quickly, partly because... urgency drives change," she said.

And "state-industry alignment allows many pilots to occur quickly", Wang added.

Chatbot DeepSeek is already used in hundreds of Chinese hospitals, according to one study, and Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University runs a hospital it says is designed to use AI in almost all its processes.

Nationwide, there are more than 100 AI medical projects, an official said recently.

In a top Shanghai hospital, a specialised AI model called CardioMind supports cardiology diagnoses, while a tool called PANDA is being deployed, including in remote towns, to flag early stage pancreatic cancer.

Robotics companies tout their healthcare potential, with firms like Fourier already supplying rural rehab centres with devices like mechanical arms for physiotherapy.

Enthusiasm for AI in healthcare is signalled culturally too.

This year's televised Spring Festival Gala, a state broadcaster-run New Year ritual, featured a sketch that referenced AQ, and one starring humanoid robots caring for a neglected grandmother.

- Human decisions -

At a busy health centre in Shanghai, Yan Sulian, an energetic 65-year-old volunteer, helped older patients with electronic registration.

"Many elderly people just can't keep up with the smartphone era, so we volunteer to teach them how to adapt," she told AFP.

Yan said she and her friends all used AQ, after initially crosschecking its answers with doctors.

Life is already highly digitised in China, which explains the broad uptake of high-tech healthcare, said LINTRIS' Wang, with data and privacy not often cited as a concern.

Globally, its accuracy has come under scrutiny though.

Studies suggest while AI chatbots can match human doctors in exam conditions, they are less effective in messier, real-life conversations.

"We must always remember (AI) can hallucinate," obstetrician Duan said.

"Humans must retain the ultimate decision-making and choice."

But infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong, a top doctor in China's Covid-19 fight, has voiced concerns that if AI becomes default, "without systematic training, doctors will lose the ability to judge whether AI's conclusions are correct".

Others emphasised that the adoption of AI in healthcare will be cautious.

"Doctors as a group are very conservative," Duan said.

"We insist on safety... because the nature of the profession puts us in that mindset."

reb/kaf/cms/lb

US

Geopolitical storm leaves isolated Greenlanders hanging by a telecoms thread

BY FLORENT VERGNES

Here in Kapisillit in western Greenland, a cluster of coloured houses cling to the hillside in a frozen fjord.

In the Greenlandic village of Kapisillit, a crisis meeting has just begun.
Here in Kapisillit in western Greenland, a cluster of coloured houses cling to the hillside in a frozen fjord.

In the Greenlandic village of Kapisillit, a crisis meeting has just begun.

With one table and just two chairs, all members of the local administration are present.

Vanilla Mathiassen, a 64-year-old Danish teacher, has summoned the village chief to discuss her concerns about US President Donald Trump's desire to annex Greenland and the fear that communications could be cut one day.

"If something serious were to happen, I would shout 'Help! Get out!", said an agitated Mathiassen.

"I've put in a request for a satellite phone," village chief Heidi Nolso responded.

Since returning to the White House in 2025, Trump has repeatedly threatened to take control of Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory, alleging this is needed to ensure US national security.

While Trump's threats have ebbed in recent weeks, locals remain shaken.

Here in Kapisillit in western Greenland, a cluster of coloured houses cling to the hillside in a frozen fjord.

Around 30 people live in the settlement, surviving from hunting and fishing.

Located about 75 kilometres (47 miles) from the capital Nuuk, Kapisillit is remote and isolated.

Like hundreds of other villages in Greenland, now caught up in a geopolitical storm, the settlement depends on a fragile and costly telecommunications network.

'Vulnerable'

On the snowy Kapisillit hillside lies a long, yellow building. As Nolso opens the door, a rancid odour escaped.

"This is the old medical clinic. It's been empty for several months," she told AFP.

The settlement is reachable only by boat.

Residents are accustomed to medical appointments online and emergency evacuations by helicopter.

In the event of a heart attack, "it's too late", Nolso said.

Without a telecommunications network, it would be impossible to contact Nuuk.

"It would be terrible if we were to be cut off from the world," she admitted.

In terms of connectivity, Greenland is "the most vulnerable country in the Arctic", said Signe Ravn-Hojgaard, head of Danish think tank Digital Infrastruktur.

The vast Arctic island is connected to the world by two subsea fibre optic cables to Canada and Iceland, in addition to satellite coverage in the north and east.

The cables are nearing the end of their lifespan and a simultaneous cut -- as in 2019 -- would leave inhabitants without an internet connection for months.

"Greenland expects its network to be increasingly targeted, as the Arctic is becoming a conflict zone," researcher and Arctic connectivity expert Michael Delaunay told AFP.

Amid the tensions with Washington, Nuuk secured funding from Copenhagen in October 2025 for a third undersea cable.

- Frequent cuts –

Kapisillit's red wooden schoolhouse has a bell, library and Soviet-era hunting rifle to fend off polar bears.

"I communicate with Nuuk from this tablet," Mathiassen said, pulling off her sealskin mittens to turn on the device.

"I have a big computer but it hasn't worked since I arrived," she said.

"Because of the distance, it's too difficult (to fix)."

Outside the window, the relay tower connecting the village to the world is visible. It was down for a few days and the network was unstable.

"Yesterday, two helicopters landed right here. They tinkered with something, then left again," Mathiassen recalled.

Tablets on the windowsill gather dust, remnants of an abandoned online school project.

Education authorities called in Mathiassen as an on-site teacher after frequent network cuts, even though there are just two pupils.

She teaches her class in Danish and has a local assistant to help her with Greenlandic.

Each morning when 11-year-old Tulliaq and seven-year-old Viola arrive, they put their phones in a box.

"They prefer to speak to their aunt or uncle elsewhere in Greenland than learn Danish," Mathiassen said sourly.

Tulliaq complies reluctantly. His phone is his only link to his friend who lives in Scotland.

Once kids turn 14, they leave the settlement to continue their schooling in Nuuk. Few return.

Social networks have become a vital link for community life in Greenland.

"All relationships, including those of elected officials, go through Facebook or Messenger," explained Mikaa Blugeon-Mered, an Arctic specialist.

For Washington, this represents an "invaluable treasure trove of intelligence on Greenlandic decision-makers".

Experts have warned of a rising number of fake Facebook accounts and a growing polarisation of Greenland's public debate, in a context where the local population is generally not well-versed in the risks of information manipulation.

The threat is even more serious given the fragility of Greenland's society.

Suicide

During a break, Mathiassen pulled a photo album from the cupboard.

On the yellowing front page, 20 or so young Greenlanders smile, feet planted in the snow. On the back, the inscription reads "Class Picture 1997".

The assistant searched for herself in one of the pictures, then scanned the faces, pensive.

"Many of them are dead," she said quietly. "Suicide."

The rural exodus of the 1970s, encouraged by Copenhagen, shattered Greenland's social model.

Staying in touch with loved ones has become a vital need.

But access remains difficult, with an internet subscription costing around $173 a month.

"Only the rich can afford it," lamented Nolso, noting that many elderly people live solely on their pensions.

"If we had Starlink, everything would be easier."

The satellite internet terminals from US company SpaceX are banned in Greenland, where national operator Tusass has a telecommunications monopoly.

Under its pricing model, residents of larger, more affluent towns subsidise isolated areas where costs would otherwise be prohibitive.

Direct competition would jeopardise this balance.

In April 2025, a massive power outage in Spain deprived part of Greenland of telephone service, as it depends on Spanish satellites.

Tusass considered a deal with SpaceX to beef up its network.

But in October it ultimately turned to French company Eutelsat -- despite it being less efficient -- amid fears of US interference.

"Geopolitics played a major role in the choice of a European operator over an American one," said Delaunay, noting that in Nuuk's eyes, Starlink is a "foreign and unstable actor".

Through the school window, a fishing boat could be seen cutting through the waters in the bay.

When storms lash Nuuk, a Danish navy frigate can sometimes be seen as well.

"What would I do if I saw US or Russian ships arriving?", asked Mathiassen.

"A young boy told me, 'If they come, I have a weapon and I know how to use it.'"

For now, her plan is to follow "the people here".

In February 2025, a two-day storm destroyed some houses and cut Kapisillit off from the world.

"In case of an emergency, we would have had no help from Nuuk," Nolso said.

But, she noted, "Greenlanders are patient people".

If everything stops, "they'll just return to nature".

fv/cbw/po

education

Rituals of resilience: how Afghan women stay sane in their 'cage'

"I feel like a bird whose wings have been torn off."

They feel imprisoned "like a bird whose wings have been torn off" but struggle on, defiant in their own way.
"I feel like a bird whose wings have been torn off."

They feel imprisoned "like a bird whose wings have been torn off" but struggle on, defiant in their own way.

Five Afghan women talked to AFP about the things that help them cope with their lives tightly controlled by Taliban government rules, from singing to going up into the mountains to scream.

They are banned from education beyond the age of 12 and from a host of public places, including parks, pools, gyms and beauty salons.

They have to cover up when outside the home, with only their hands and eyes visible. Those who break the law risk imprisonment.

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada insists women have been rescued from oppression since the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021, enforcing their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The United Nations says women are facing "gender apartheid".

The feeling of being trapped has grown as Europe and the United States further tighten entry rules, with neighbouring Iran and Pakistan forcing out 2.5 million Afghans last year alone.

"All doors are closed," said one of the women, who were drawn from across the country and whose identities AFP has disguised for security reasons.

Blue notebook

Sanam, 25, wanted to study medicine but lost her chance when universities were shut to women in 2022.

"I feel disenfranchised and angry because our rights have been taken away from us," she said.

"I feel like a bird whose wings have been torn off."

She lives in a very poor village but feels she is making a difference by teaching 30 girls and young women online.

Every day, they "are waiting for me to say good morning to them and teach them a new lesson".

"Teaching is not allowed and is a crime. I accept this risk because I know it's valuable and I feel valuable."

She also treasures a blue notebook.

"To cheer myself up, I write memories in my notebook every day. I keep the notebook in my closet, among my clothes, so that no one can access it," she said.

"Girls my age are free outside Afghanistan," she said.

"We are in a cage, we can't study, but we still try and have hope, and we continue despite all the dangers."

Screaming in the mountains

Sayamoy, a 34-year-old widow, lives in a two-room home in one of Afghanistan's biggest cities.

Her husband was a military officer who was killed by Taliban fighters before they took power.

"I feel very sad and I wish I wasn't a woman," she said.

"But when I see my children, I find hope again."

"Even if my eyes are filled with tears, I still smile for my children."

"I tell my children imaginary stories. I try to make the stories motivating and uplifting," she said, such as tales of a new home with separate rooms and beds.

She earns her living as a cleaner but also teaches primary school children in her home, pointing to a small whiteboard on the wall.

With women expected to be accompanied in public by a man they are related to, she remembers being turned away from an estate agent's office.

"They said: 'Go away auntie. We don't have any house for rent,'" she recalled.

When she sought help from the government, she was told to marry a Taliban fighter.

"The armed man (the fighter) was there too... I was scared and didn't go again," she said.

But she finds relief by her husband's isolated grave, on a plain between high mountains.

"There is no one to hear my voice. There, I scream a lot," she said, feeling the mountains share her pain as they echo back her cries.

"Then my heart is emptied of sorrow and I feel relieved."

Dressing up

Hura, 24, wanted to be a diplomat and was studying public relations and journalism before universities were closed to women.

"All doors are closed to girls. Only the door to getting married is open. I'm afraid of this door," she said, fearing being forced to stay at home.

"What makes my mood so much better is that I take videos and photos of myself and post them," she said, her nose piercing visible.

She appears in a low-cut blue velvet dress, her hair down and singing in a country where music is effectively banned.

Another post shows her in a colourful traditional dress, smiling and wearing make-up.

"I feel free because that photo is my reality. It's who I want to be.

"I feel free but I'm also scared," she said, having heard of women being imprisoned for social media posts.

She still dreams of being a diplomat and wants women abroad to help her access online courses to resume her studies.

"(Even) if my hair turns white like my teeth, I won't give up till I get my master's degree."

Music of exiled stars

Shogofa, 22, lives in a major city with her parents and eight siblings.

She was supposed to become a teacher.

"I pray that one day I will be free and can study without fear. I hope that one day all girls can laugh freely."

She misses studying and her classmates.

"I'd like to go back to those days, to be able to walk, see my friends," she said.

"I was very happy then and had hope for the future. Now, I'm in the corner of my house and only study online."

Shogofa suffers from arthritis. Music helps her keep her spirits up.

"To cheer myself up, I listen to music and watch cooking shows. I listen to songs by Aryana Sayeed and Farhad Darya," she said, of stars who left Afghanistan.

Darya's "Kabul Jaan" was the first song played on national radio after the Taliban government was ousted from its first stint in power in 2001.

Sayeed, meanwhile, was a judge on the TV show "Afghan Star".

She is known for songs denouncing violence against women and received death threats even before 2021.

- Reading women's stories -

Mohjeza, 30, was an NGO worker who supported women farmers but lost her job last year because of President Donald Trump's cut to US aid.

She lives in a mountainous region with her mother and five siblings, relies on solar power and had to leave home in search of a phone signal to speak to AFP.

"I feel like a prisoner because I can't even go to the market alone," she said.

"There is no public place for us to breathe fresh air for a few minutes," she added.

She volunteers to teach girls in her community -- which "motivates me to keep going" -- and still offers advice to farmers she helped previously.

"I exercise for half an hour in the morning," she said.

She also loves reading books, which she downloads and shares with other women.

"The books I usually read are about women who have seen a lot of hardships... Their stories motivate me to keep going."

For the moment, she remains stuck in the mountains after a visa application to study in China was rejected.

"I made an asylum claim for the US but since Trump came, everything has been scrapped.

"My message to those outside Afghanistan is to never lose hope because the world I'm in is very dark," she said.

"Your world has light and if you follow that light, you will definitely achieve your dream."

str-iw/rsc/fg/gil/lb

internet

AI disinformation turns Nepal polls into 'digital battleground'

BY ANUP OJHA

- Threat to democracy - The protests last year began after the government moved to regulate social media, briefly banning at least 26 platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X. At least 77 people were killed in two days of unrest, parliament was set on fire, and the government of four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli collapsed.

Slick AI-generated disinformation has flooded election campaigns in Nepal, which votes Thursday in the first polls since deadly protests triggered by a brief ban on social media overthrew the government.
- Threat to democracy - The protests last year began after the government moved to regulate social media, briefly banning at least 26 platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X. At least 77 people were killed in two days of unrest, parliament was set on fire, and the government of four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli collapsed.

Slick AI-generated disinformation has flooded election campaigns in Nepal, which votes Thursday in the first polls since deadly protests triggered by a brief ban on social media overthrew the government.

The September 2025 protests were driven by tech-savvy youth angry at job shortages and flagrant corruption by an ageing political elite.

Now parties across the political divide are tapping social media to push their agendas and woo voters, especially the young, including a surge of people registering to cast their ballot for the first time.

But some of the content is manipulated or outright fake, experts and fact-checkers say.

"In a country where digital literacy is low, people believe what they see," said Deepak Adhikari, editor of the independent NepalCheck team.

Kathmandu-based technology policy researcher Samik Kharel described a "digital battleground" in the run-up to the landmark vote, warning that Nepal lacked the expertise to monitor the onslaught of machine-generated content.

"It is even hard for experts to figure out what is real and fake," Kharel told AFP.

Around 80 percent of all of Nepal's internet traffic is through social media platforms, he said.

Internet analytics site DataReportal estimates more than 56 percent of Nepal's 30 million people are online, including 14.8 million Facebook users and around 4.3 million on Instagram. About 2.2 million are on TikTok, according to the Internet Service Providers' Association of Nepal.

"Disinformation remains a top concern that could undermine the integrity of the election process," said Ammaarah Nilafdeen of the US-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate.

"Nepal... is grappling with the scale of the threat that disinformation poses to society and democracy at large."

Threat to democracy

The protests last year began after the government moved to regulate social media, briefly banning at least 26 platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X.

At least 77 people were killed in two days of unrest, parliament was set on fire, and the government of four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli collapsed.

Activists used the group-chat app Discord to put forward their suggestion of interim leader -- and days later their choice, 73-year-old former chief justice Sushila Karki, was appointed to lead the country to elections.

Social media is playing a key role again.

Loyalists of the ousted premier's Marxist party have shared AI-generated images purporting to be drone photographs of a massive gathering -- which were then reposted by top leaders, boasting a sea of more than 500,000 supporters.

Analysis by Nepali online fact-check experts TechPana found the images had been created using OpenAI's ChatGPT, while police said less than 5,000 people were at the real event.

Another AI-generated video that circulated on TikTok purported to show Gagan Thapa, leader of the Nepali Congress party, urging voters to back a rival party. The platform has removed the video.

In neighbouring India, posts calling to restore Nepal's deposed Hindu monarchy have made the rounds on social media, said researcher Nilafdeen.

Such "ideological pushes" online -- in this case "amplified by Hindu far-right supporters in India" -- stand in contrast to "domestic demands for strengthening democratic institutions", she told AFP.

Misinformation race

The Election Commission says there is widespread use of hate speech and deepfake content, including videos created with readily available artificial intelligence tools purporting to show candidates insulting opponents or using obscene language.

"It is a concerning issue," commission information officer Suman Ghimire said.

More than 600 cases have been passed on to the authorities, he added, with around 150 handled by police.

In one case, police detained a pro-royalist supporter, Durga Prasai, for social media posts allegedly meant to intimidate potential voters.

The Election Commission can impose fines or bar candidates from running, but experts say the sheer scale of disinformation and hate speech online outstrips any effective response.

"Candidates and people close to political parties not only compete to win, but also compete to spread misinformation," said Basanta Basnet, editor-in-chief of news website Onlinekhabar, which has collaborated with Nepal FactCheck to verify posts.

The organisation has warned that "misinformation encourages citizens to take wrong decisions", which in turn could undermine the "foundation of democracy".

str/pjm/ami/lb

US

Underground party scene: Israelis celebrate Purim in air raid shelters

BY LOUIS BAUDOIN-LAARMAN

- 'One day at a time' - Some people, like Anna Shilanski, are choosing to spend their nights underground to avoid having to wake up and rush downstairs when air raid sirens wail in the wee hours.

As the sun set in the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Monday, air raid sirens warning of incoming Iranian missiles sent residents hurrying to shelters just as the Jewish holiday of Purim was starting.
- 'One day at a time' - Some people, like Anna Shilanski, are choosing to spend their nights underground to avoid having to wake up and rush downstairs when air raid sirens wail in the wee hours.

As the sun set in the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Monday, air raid sirens warning of incoming Iranian missiles sent residents hurrying to shelters just as the Jewish holiday of Purim was starting.

All public gatherings have been banned by military order, but four floors underground in the basement parking lot of a Tel Aviv mall, hundreds of young people gathered in costume, as is customary for the festive holiday -- typically marked by gift-giving and lots of alcohol.

Purim, which celebrates the Jewish people's rescue from a Persian extermination plot as recounted in the Book of Esther, held a different meaning this year for Israelis after Iran launched strikes in retaliation for an Israeli-US attack on the Islamic republic that began on Saturday.

Maxim Green, 28, said he heard about the car park celebration on the WhatsApp group of his synagogue.

"It's really crazy that it's happening at this time, this war. Because it really does have some similarities with the Purim story. You have an evil regime who wants to topple the Jewish people," he said.

Cowboys, a Peter Pan, a Pikachu and a flight attendant wearing a sign that said "Tel Aviv-Tehran, status: boarding" all stood around a rabbi reciting the Megillah, a passage of the Bible traditionally read for the holiday.

Ethan Cohen, a 26-year-old tech worker who spent part of his day volunteering to clean up debris at the impact site of an Iranian missile, told AFP he came to hear the Megillah and then start partying.

"I wanted to celebrate Purim, and, you know, it's a very meaningful holiday, especially... considering what's currently happening in the world."

As in normal years, worshippers booed and waved noisemakers each time the story's antagonist, Haman, was announced, before drinking and dancing to pop music despite the unusual setting.

The mall's underground parking lot, which serves as a shelter when incoming projectiles are detected, was empty of cars, many of its spots instead filled with tents.

'One day at a time'

Some people, like Anna Shilanski, are choosing to spend their nights underground to avoid having to wake up and rush downstairs when air raid sirens wail in the wee hours.

Though a bit surprised by the crowd, the 32-year-old welcomed the celebration, setting up a tea spot for those also staying in the shelter.

"I'm really happy that people have a place to do this," she told AFP between her table of refreshments and the green camping tent she shares with her mother, stepbrother, and his mother.

"At some point, I think everyone's going to go to sleep, and before that, we're going to have a cup of tea," she said, adding that "when people are stressed, they like to feed people".

Asked how long she thought the war would last, she said she was "taking it one day at a time, not expecting anything soon".

For some partygoers, the basement's low ceilings eventually became uncomfortable, and they decided to leave through the car's exit ramp to get some fresh air in the quiet streets.

Other underground shelters, including level -3 of the same mall, also held Purim gatherings.

But some rabbis turned to online video readings of the Megillah in order to follow army orders while still respecting the religious requirements of the holiday.

Anat Shamir, a 70-year-old retiree sleeping on the opposite side of the parking lot to the Purim celebration, said she was getting used to staying underground and felt Israel's action in Iran was worth her discomfort.

A staunch supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, she said she was confident in Israel's capacity to reach its war goals.

"We have to do it. Otherwise, they kill us," she said from her mattress, which was neatly arranged between the parking spot's painted lines.

vid-lba/acc/smw

Tesla

Showdown looms between Tesla and German union

BY CLEMENT KASSER

IG Metall has accused the carmaker of poor working conditions and covert redundancies, all enabled by the lack of a collective agreement to protect workers -- almost unheard‑of in Germany's automotive industry.

An industrial relations showdown looms this week as Germany's powerful IG Metall union is seeking to gain control of the works council at US billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla plant outside Berlin.
IG Metall has accused the carmaker of poor working conditions and covert redundancies, all enabled by the lack of a collective agreement to protect workers -- almost unheard‑of in Germany's automotive industry.

An industrial relations showdown looms this week as Germany's powerful IG Metall union is seeking to gain control of the works council at US billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla plant outside Berlin.

The works council, an elected body of employees that negotiates pay deals and working hours with management, has long been an unshakeable component of German corporate life, especially in the auto sector.

But at Tesla's "Gigafactory", it has been a persistent bugbear for the management since the plant opened in 2022 -- with this week's Monday-to-Wednesday ballot marking a high point in tensions.

In one corner, there is Musk, the world's richest man and a staunch advocate of libertarian ideals.

In the other, there is a century‑old metal workers' union defending Germany's tradition of workers' rights and accusing the US carmaker of engaging in "union busting".

Outside the factory, which employs around 10,000 people in rural Gruenheide in Brandenburg state, an IG Metall banner calling for "change" hangs next to a giant mural celebrating labour solidarity.

IG Metall has accused the carmaker of poor working conditions and covert redundancies, all enabled by the lack of a collective agreement to protect workers -- almost unheard‑of in Germany's automotive industry.

The union won the previous elections in 2024 with 39 percent of the vote. But then four non‑union lists seen as more accommodating toward management joined forces to secure a majority.

'A real exception'

Tesla "is a real exception" in Germany given the absence of a union majority in the works council, said Ernesto Klengel of the Hans-Boeckler Foundation, which has close ties to the trade unions.

He charged that at Tesla "the management has so far not placed any value on constructive cooperation".

Although it is not unusual for various parties to seek to influence in works council elections, this "highly confrontational approach" is unprecedented, he said.

For Tesla, the dispute is another headache in Europe, where sales have been hit amid strong Chinese competition.

In Germany there has also been a backlash against the e-car pioneer after Musk strongly supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

A number of Tesla staff spoke to AFP outside the plant, all asking not to be named given the sensitivity of the labour issues at play.

One of them, a logistics worker from Nigeria, said he was one of around 100 candidates in the plant for IG Metall.

He said he had been working at Tesla for three years and charged that management "does not listen to employees", whereas "IG Metall is working hard to represent our interests".

He also complained that workers from the African community did worse "in the allocation of promotions and certain benefits" and that "very few" African employees were team leaders at the plant.

Another employee, who asked to be called Vikram, said "many colleagues complain about harassment and other problems because they take breaks".

Tesla did not respond to a request from AFP for comment on the allegations.

Another worker, who identified himself as Ali, 31, said he was very satisfied at Tesla, particularly with his salary.

"They give us everything -- shares, good facilities," the body shop worker told AFP.

Musk threat

Andre Thierig, the director of the site, has told local media that Tesla pays its employees better than its competitors do and has argued that collective agreements are destroying German industry.

In early February, Thierig accused a member of IG Metall of illegally recording a works council meeting.

The union promptly declared that it was preparing legal action against what it called "obstruction of union activity".

Musk himself has weighed in on the dispute, warning that there will be no further investment in the factory if IG Metall becomes the majority union.

Jan Otto, regional manager of IG Metall in eastern Germany, retorted that the US billionaire should "accept the rules of the game of co-determination and democracy in German companies".

Otto has called on the government of Brandenburg to step in.

Contacted by AFP, the regional economy ministry said it "encourages companies in Brandenburg, including Tesla, to conclude collective agreements" and offer "attractive working conditions".

kas-fec/fz/gil

shipyard

BY BERNARD OSSERvar date = new Date("2026-03-07T15:24:59Z") var userTimezoneOffset = Math.abs(date.getTimezoneOffset() * 60000); var dd = new Date(date.getTime() - userTimezoneOffset) + " "; document.write(dd.split('(', 1)[0]);

Remembering a legend

US

Bukan (north-west Iran)

Bandar Abbas (south)

Tehran

Shiraz (south)

On the island of Kish in the Gulf

rights

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'Old forms of state violence'

US

BY SUSANNAH WALDEN WITH AFP BUREAUSvar date = new Date("2026-03-05T20:21:25Z") var userTimezoneOffset = Math.abs(date.getTimezoneOffset() * 60000); var dd = new Date(date.getTime() - userTimezoneOffset) + " "; document.write(dd.split('(', 1)[0]);

'Fear and intimidation'

'When we are free'

dogs

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'Big deal'

conflict

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film

BY OLIVER HOTHAMvar date = new Date("2026-03-05T02:40:32Z") var userTimezoneOffset = Math.abs(date.getTimezoneOffset() * 60000); var dd = new Date(date.getTime() - userTimezoneOffset) + " "; document.write(dd.split('(', 1)[0]);

'Gym in your mouth'

Tongue twisters

US

AI

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court

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X

var date = new Date("2026-03-04T05:11:40Z") var userTimezoneOffset = Math.abs(date.getTimezoneOffset() * 60000); var dd = new Date(date.getTime() - userTimezoneOffset) + " "; document.write(dd.split('(', 1)[0]);

Italy

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Paralympic mirror

film

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Connection

Stars

US

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Slow resumption

Evacuations

Suspended operations

politics

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'Democratising access'

'Urgency drives change'

US

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'Vulnerable'

Suicide

education

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Blue notebook

Screaming in the mountains

Dressing up

Music of exiled stars

internet

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Threat to democracy

Misinformation race

US

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'One day at a time'

Tesla

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'A real exception'

Musk threat

BY BERNARD OSSER

BY SUSANNAH WALDEN WITH AFP BUREAUS

BY JOE JACKSON

BY OLIVER HOTHAM

BY ANA PUISSET-RUCCELLA

BY PAULA RAMON

BY REBECCA BAILEY

BY FLORENT VERGNES

BY ANUP OJHA

BY LOUIS BAUDOIN-LAARMAN

BY CLEMENT KASSER