crime

Gunman 'fascinated by far-right' kills six in Krakow, Poland

BY SONIA BAKARIC

The historic city of Krakow in southern Poland was once the country's capital and attracts millions of tourists every year.

Six people were killed and at least 15 wounded on Saturday when a gunman opened fire in the landmark historic centre of Poland's second city of Krakow, in the country's deadliest shooting in decades.
The historic city of Krakow in southern Poland was once the country's capital and attracts millions of tourists every year.

Six people were killed and at least 15 wounded on Saturday when a gunman opened fire in the landmark historic centre of Poland's second city of Krakow, in the country's deadliest shooting in decades.

Three bodies -- of two women and a man -- were later found at the suspect's home, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, adding there was "much to suggest that they are members of the (suspect's) immediate family".

Tusk also announced Poland would hold two days of mourning over the shooting that he called an act of "terrorism".

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the gunman appeared to be "fascinated by far-right ideologies".

A British national was among the killed, according to Polish police chief, Marek Boron, and five foreigners were among the wounded in hospital, the authorities said.

"Two people who have not yet been identified," Boron said referring to the victims killed.

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was "shocked and saddened by the appalling shooting".

"My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives, everyone injured and all those affected by this senseless violence," he wrote on X.

The suspect -- a Polish citizen born in 2002 -- drove a car onto Krakow's Main Market Square and began shooting at random people, said police.

Two officers were wounded as they tried to stop the man, the police said, before shooting the suspect who was later detained and taken to a hospital.

An AFP reporter at the scene saw ambulances and multiple police cars as personnel cordoned off the area -- one of Poland's landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.

"Everything suggests that the perpetrator held very, very radical views. A number of weapons were found in the car he was driving," Kierwinski said.

"Everything suggests that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies" and held "ultra-nationalist views," he added.

The man was wearing military-style clothing at the time of the attack, said Kierwinski.

Tusk praises 'heroic' police

Andrzej Fijolek, spokesman for the chief of police, said the attacker had used a semi-automatic rifle similar to the American AR-15.

The authorities have not yet disclosed the nationalities of all the victims of the attack, Poland's deadliest shooting since the fall of communism in 1989.

"Our highest praise goes to the heroic police officers who risked their lives in the line of duty," Tusk said.

On Saturday evening, AFP reporters saw the usually bustling Main Market Square sealed off, with heavily armed police and forensic investigators inspecting the site of the attack.

Witnesses told AFP they saw people take refuge in shops and restaurants in the surrounding streets.

"I saw a man shooting at people and walking around the square," Annette, a woman in her sixties, told AFP.

"It's a tragedy for Krakow, we've never seen anything like this before," she added.

"I saw one person who was dead... and several others lying a bit farther away, whom people were still trying to resuscitate. They were taking off their clothes, trying to stem the blood with those clothes," said musician Daniel Wolny, 32.

"It's very frightening to think that there are still risks in Europe -- risks of a terrorist nature," Stella, a 22-year-old tourist from Rennes, northwest France, told AFP.

"Krakow has always been an extremely safe city... this is probably the first situation of this kind we can remember in our lifetime," said 33-year-old Gabriel Bogdan, an employee at a bar near the square.

'Dramatic events'

Deadly shootings are extremely rare in Poland, a European Union and NATO member of 38 million people.

But the country has been on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk denounced as a "cult of violence".

Warsaw, a staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, has repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish soil, accusations rejected by Moscow.

Poland is also seeing a sharp rise in the number of firearms licences. In 2025, more than 50,000 new licences were issued, bringing the total to 411,000, according to police figures.

The historic city of Krakow in southern Poland was once the country's capital and attracts millions of tourists every year.

In 2025, it was visited by 16.2 million people.

Poland's conservative-nationalist president Karol Nawrocki said on X he was awaiting "a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these dramatic events".

"The safety of Poles is an absolute priority," he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his condolences, saying that "Ukraine stands in solidarity with Poland and the Polish people. People have the right to safety."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on X that "Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with Poland as a friend and partner during these difficult times."

The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, described the shooting as "a tragedy that will be felt far beyond Poland".

bur-mmp/hol/abs

science

Pakistan-built robots serve taste of future to Karachi diners

BY SAMEER MANDHRO

For now, the robots are proving a hit with families, who flock to the restaurant to watch the machines in action.

Wheeling its way between dining booths at a neon-lit restaurant in Pakistan's Karachi megacity, a robot waitress drops off a fresh pizza to an awaiting family.
For now, the robots are proving a hit with families, who flock to the restaurant to watch the machines in action.

Wheeling its way between dining booths at a neon-lit restaurant in Pakistan's Karachi megacity, a robot waitress drops off a fresh pizza to an awaiting family.

While global buzz is growing around agile humanoids made in the United States, China and elsewhere, robotic staff are a rare sight in the South Asian country.

"Welcome to Sicilian. My name is Robia," the waitress says in an electronic voice, looking down at diners through blinking red LED eyes.

Robia and her colleague Jojo are the DIY creations of Pakistani engineer Syed Osama Aziz, who is bringing a sci-fi reboot to Karachi's storied dining scene.

They have spherical white heads and dark visors, similar to a motorcycle helmet, and sport black shawls around their neck in the style of a dupatta worn by women in the region.

Aziz, who also established The Sicilian restaurant, developed the machines using mostly locally manufactured parts, designing their circuit boards and programming them in his own lab.

"The equipment, the things needed to make robots, are not so easily available here, so we had to arrange them," he told AFP.

The duo were developed through his robotics company, Cobot, with help from friends and some electronic components imported from abroad.

In China and other East Asian countries especially, robots are an increasingly common sight, shuttling food to customers in chain restaurants and taking on other jobs from cleaning to greeting hotel guests.

But they remain a novelty in Pakistan, where Aziz's home-grown creations are attracting curious diners.

When they arrive at a table, the customers must either take the food off their serving tray themselves or wait for a human member of staff to assist them.

Excited customers

Aziz, whose workshop manufacturing the robots is located in Multan in Pakistan's central Punjab province, hopes to make his creations more sophisticated in the future.

"Our plans are to add camera-based processing and image-processing features," he said.

"That means the robot will also recognise you by looking at you, and it will remember what you ordered last time, and accordingly it will be able to give you better suggestions."

For now, the robots are proving a hit with families, who flock to the restaurant to watch the machines in action.

"The best thing about it is that it introduces itself," excited customer Ahmer Zameer told AFP, explaining the robot also "tells you what things you can order".

Children reach out to touch the robots while their parents snap photographs and selfies.

Young customer Sonia Dilosker said she was impressed by the androids' appearance and preferred their approach to serving customers, "because it is a machine and without any emotions".

Restaurant staff say the novelty has brought a surge in customers -- some travelling from across the sprawling port city to meet the robots.

"Our business has grown. People are coming from far away for this. They have seen a robot for the first time here," staff member Hellen told AFP.

"People are excited to see this."

sma/csp/kaf

protests

Clashes in Paris after new French protests

BY SHAHZAD ABDUL AND STUART WILLIAMS

These figures were lower than the previous three weekends of protests but also came after a mass union protest on Thursday that rallied 575,000 people according to the authorities -- 1.6 million according to unions.

Thousands of people protested across France Saturday in a new show of anger against the government with clashes erupting between police and some protesters in Paris despite a lower turnout than on previous weeks.
These figures were lower than the previous three weekends of protests but also came after a mass union protest on Thursday that rallied 575,000 people according to the authorities -- 1.6 million according to unions.

Thousands of people protested across France Saturday in a new show of anger against the government with clashes erupting between police and some protesters in Paris despite a lower turnout than on previous weeks.

The protests marked the fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations against the rising cost of living which have erupted as the country heads to presidential elections in five months' time where the far right sees its best chance yet to win power.

A total of 146,000 people took part in demonstrations across France on Saturday, including 46,000 in Paris, the interior ministry said. Unions put the figure at 250,000 protesters nationwide, with 75,000 in the capital.

These figures were lower than the previous three weekends of protests but also came after a mass union protest on Thursday that rallied 575,000 people according to the authorities -- 1.6 million according to unions.

At the end of the protest in Paris, police used tear gas against individuals throwing projectiles and homemade fireworks at the security forces, an AFP correspondent said.

Police said a group of 200 violent individuals attacked officers as they were arresting a man who had set fire to a trash bin in the square.

Banned protests thwarted

Some 70,000 members of the security forces were deployed Saturday, ready to move in quickly after mass protests on October 17 degenerated into the worst riots seen in France in years.

Unions had staged a march along a traditional route, from the Place de la Republique in central Paris to Place de la Nation in the east of the city where the clashes erupted at the end of the protest.

But the Yellow Vests movement -- a group whose protests shook Emmanuel Macron in the early years of his presidency almost a decade ago -- called for a rival demonstration at the Place de la Concorde in central Paris, a stone's throw from the president's Elysee Palace and the lower house of parliament.

This action has been banned by the authorities, and on Saturday a large police presence prevented protesters from getting close. Some 100 people who arrived were surrounded by police and one of the movement's coordinators, Benjamin Ball, and its spokeswoman, Azelma Sigaux, were among those arrested by police, an AFP reporter said.

In the southeastern city of Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people in the city centre blocking a road during an unauthorised gathering.

'This can't go on'

The wave of demonstrations was sparked by a movement in late September by high school students angered by conditions at their establishments. These teens, joined by university students, remain at the heart of the protests.

"Today is a date that helps keep the pressure on," said Sabine Kharbach, spokeswoman of the Student Union. "Many young people are mobilising because the government's responses remain unsatisfactory."

The police response has faced criticism for being heavy-handed, with dozens of internal investigations launched into allegations of brutality against demonstrators.

Local businesses are also feeling the pain. "So this can't go on, otherwise I think it will be a disaster before long," said Paris shop manager Jean Emile Moulinier. His store is around the main protest route and he said hardly any customers brave security barricades on protest weekends.

Shop windows of stores in Paris and other cities were again barricaded with wooden shutters and often closed for the day to prevent potential ransacking.

The government is grappling with ways to find solutions but is constrained by France's gigantic debt pile, which is already spooking markets.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is to meet unions and employer federation representatives on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power.

But student and teacher groups in France have called for a new strike on Tuesday to keep pressure on the government for more education spending, saying they were "in a position of strength (and) the government in a position of weakness and starting to yield".

Polls indicate that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favourite to win the Elysee in 2027 with her main rival currently not one of Macron's centrist former allies but hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Melenchon, addressing 20,000 at a rally outside Paris Saturday, declared "we are going to win" and "everything must change".

bur-sjw/jj

pope

Pope Leo begins South America tour in 'fairly good shape'

BY CLARE BYRNE

Leo will celebrate Mass on Saturday in a park in Paysandu, a city in western Uruguay, where 30,000 pilgrims are expected.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay, where he will celebrate a Mass on Saturday, as he began a 12-day tour of South America in "fairly good shape."
Leo will celebrate Mass on Saturday in a park in Paysandu, a city in western Uruguay, where 30,000 pilgrims are expected.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay, where he will celebrate a Mass on Saturday, as he began a 12-day tour of South America in "fairly good shape."

Leo's sixth international tour takes him to the continent that helped shape his priesthood, just three weeks after surgery for a tumor on his right lung.

The 71-year-old pontiff will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on one of the most intense papal trips in decades, meeting political leaders, prisoners and the poor, as well as old friends.

Thousands of people, some waving yellow-and-white Vatican flags, lined the seafront of Uruguay's capital Montevideo to greet him as he waved from a custom-made popemobile.

But the crowds were relatively sparse in Latin America's most secular country compared with Leo's recent visits to France and Spain.

Speaking in a half-empty Plaza Independencia, after being welcomed by left-wing President Yamandu Orsi, the pope lamented Uruguay's high suicide rates -- among the highest in the world -- and appealed for healthcare to be "accessible to everyone."

He said the care he received after his lung cancer diagnosis made him think of the "many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis" or receive treatment.

Leo will celebrate Mass on Saturday in a park in Paysandu, a city in western Uruguay, where 30,000 pilgrims are expected.

He will then return to Montevideo to visit Casavalle, the neighborhood with the highest homicide rate in the capital, as well as the Catholic University and the Centenario Stadium, where he will preside over a prayer vigil for 60,000 people.

Leo's visit to Uruguay is the first to the country by a pope in nearly four decades.

In 'fairly good shape'

He told reporters on the plane carrying him across the Atlantic he was "in fairly good shape" following his surgery, and his advice for others facing their own cancer diagnosis was "not to be afraid."

The pontiff said he was bringing a message of "hope" to the world's most Catholic continent.

Liberal Uruguay is at odds with the Catholic Church -- as well as Latin America's new crop of conservative leaders -- on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia, which was legalized there last year.

Leo issued a call for the "protection of the unborn" but also spoke about issues specific to Uruguay, such as its high suicide rates, which he called "painful."

A committed environmentalist, he had praise for the small country's "remarkable" achievement in greening its economy, which runs mainly on renewables.

'One of my many homes'

The highlight of his tour will be Peru, where he spent nearly two decades as a missionary and which he has referred to as "one of my many homes."

The Church's first US-born pope, who has repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump over the Middle East war, spoke on his plane about voting in this week's US midterm elections.

His mail-in ballot made history because he was the first pope known to have voted in a political election.

"I'm proud to be an American and to exercise the right" to vote, he said.

He will travel on Sunday to Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor Pope Francis, who disappointed many Argentines by not returning to visit during his papacy.

His trip is seen as a double homecoming of sorts, US-based Vatican expert Christopher White told AFP.

"History's first Latin American pope, Francis, never returned to his homeland. Leo, a Peruvian citizen, now carries forward that mantle and legacy," said White, who wrote a book on Pope Leo.

Peru has been gripped by pope fever in the run-up to his arrival.

Vendors in Lima are selling T-shirts and rosaries with his image on them, while Leo bread is on sale in bakeries.

A towering, 14-meter (46-foot) statue of Leo has also been erected in the port city of Callao, which he is set to visit.

The trip will take him to the former Inca capital of Cusco and the Amazon rainforest, but the pope will also revisit his former life as Robert Francis Prevost, with a supper among priests from his old diocese of Chiclayo and a private visit to a chapel he helped rebuild.

bur-ide/lkd/pbt

diplomacy

China's giant pandas make public debut at US zoo

A male named Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang arrived from Chengdu in September via a FedEx flight dubbed the "Panda Express," and are to be hosted in the southern US facility for the next 10 years.

Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang delighted visitors to Zoo Atlanta during their public debut Friday, chewing bamboo and lounging in their new US habitat while on loan from China.
A male named Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang arrived from Chengdu in September via a FedEx flight dubbed the "Panda Express," and are to be hosted in the southern US facility for the next 10 years.

Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang delighted visitors to Zoo Atlanta during their public debut Friday, chewing bamboo and lounging in their new US habitat while on loan from China.

A male named Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang arrived from Chengdu in September via a FedEx flight dubbed the "Panda Express," and are to be hosted in the southern US facility for the next 10 years.

Pandas are "animals that have got a unique ability to inspire curiosity, instill passion, evoke joy, and unite people around the globe," CEO Raymond King told onlookers at Zoo Atlanta.

"This extraordinary spirit of partnership helps create a future for a species that is truly beloved the world over."

In preparation for their arrival, Zoo Atlanta has renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of animal caretakers.

It has also ensured a stable and long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta, which has a climate that is very similar to Chengdu.

"I think they inspire happiness," zoo visitor Rachel Totts told AFP on Friday. "They make people smile. I've never seen someone not say 'Oh, it's so cute!' when they're looking at a panda."

Soft, furry power

Native to temperate forest habitats in East Asia, the lumbering black-and-white mammals do not typically travel long distances in the wild.

But many have been shipped to zoos around the world as apart of Beijing's decades-long "panda diplomacy" program to foster foreign ties.

The furry show of "soft power" came as top US officials on Friday called on China to uphold the trade agreement made in an October 2025 meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The accord calmed tensions after a whirlwind of tariff hikes, and required China to buy US soybeans while suspending export controls on rare earths.

Before 2016 pandas were considered endangered but are now listed as "vulnerable" by wildlife advocates, and an estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild.

The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves for conservation, but in the wild the bears continue to face threats of habitat loss and poaching.

Panda pairs

Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China starting in 1999, and seven panda cubs have been born at the zoo. All are now back in Chengdu, and Zoo Atlanta has not had any pandas since 2024.

Atlanta native John Perez celebrated his 28th birthday at Zoo Atlanta on Friday, telling AFP the pandas drew him to visit for the first time because "it felt perfect, you know?"

Both of the new arrivals were born in 2020, and it's hoped they will be suitable mates. Pandas in captivity typically live for around 30 years.

In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington, following US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to the Communist nation.

Beijing recalled two of its pandas from Japan early this year, following a diplomatic spat that began when Japan's prime minister hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.

sla/mlm/jgc

justice

Cornell faculty vote no-confidence in leadership over alleged gang rape

Friday's resolution states that the faculty "has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University."

Faculty members at Cornell University on Friday passed a no-confidence resolution against the elite college's leadership over its handling of an alleged gang rape that has sparked outcry in the United States.
Friday's resolution states that the faculty "has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University."

Faculty members at Cornell University on Friday passed a no-confidence resolution against the elite college's leadership over its handling of an alleged gang rape that has sparked outcry in the United States.

The vote is not binding but marks a strong symbolic rebuke of administrators at Ivy League college in New York state.

According to a lawsuit, a female student was assaulted by seven male students at a fraternity house on campus. Following her initial allegations in 2024, Cornell shut down the fraternity -- a male social club -- and temporarily suspended the accused students, two of whom were later expelled.

But critics say the college was too lenient, and protests in several US cities last month demanded accountability.

Friday's resolution states that the faculty "has no confidence in the ability of the central administration to effectively address the ongoing crisis of sexual assault at Cornell University."

It passed by a vote of 75-50, with five abstentions.

The alleged gang rape has piled scrutiny on Cornell, which has commissioned an independent probe into its handling of the case.

Cornell's president in October suspended fraternity parties on campus for the remaining academic year as part of several preliminary measures aiming to address sexual assault.

Meanwhile, New York state prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation into the incident after local authorities said they declined to pursue the case in 2024 over an apparent lack of evidence.

Cornell's Board of Trustees, which is the college's top governing body, on Friday voiced support for university President Laurence Kotlikoff.

"Today's Faculty Senate vote reflects the deep anger across our campus and sends a clear signal that what happened to Jane Doe is unacceptable," Board Chair Anne Smalling said in a statement, referring to the female student who brought the gang rape allegation.

"The Board of Trustees remains confident that President Kotlikoff and his administration are the right leaders to thoughtfully and comprehensively address the serious problem of sexual assault on our campus."

bjt-pel/msp

justice

Cornell rape case exposes MeToo backlash, accuser's lawyer tells AFP

BY BEN TURNER

The men accused in the Cornell case belonged to one, and the alleged gang rape took place at a fraternity house.

An allegation of gang rape at the elite Cornell University horrified Americans.
The men accused in the Cornell case belonged to one, and the alleged gang rape took place at a fraternity house.

An allegation of gang rape at the elite Cornell University horrified Americans. But when the alleged victim, known only as "Jane Doe," went public, she suffered a new kind of abuse, her lawyer told AFP.

The doxxing, threats and harassment targeting the woman, Thomas Giuffra said, expose a wider backlash to the MeToo movement that prompted a societal reckoning with sexual abuse by men.

"I think we've gone the wrong way in how sexual assault is viewed in this country," said Giuffra, whose client claims that seven male students assaulted her at the Ivy League college in 2024.

"The message is to other survivors: Keep your mouth shut, or this is going to happen to you."

Giuffra noted one "swatting" incident in October where police drew guns at the woman's home after a man gave her address in a hoax call claiming to have shot his mother.

The lawyer also said he has received death threats.

"Somebody called my office and said 'drop the case, or I'm going to kill your wife,'" he said in an interview at his 29th-floor Manhattan office.

Giuffra has previously represented accusers of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood mogul at the center of abuse allegations that spurred the MeToo movement seeking to end impunity for sexual assault and rape.

"I thought we were moving in the right direction after MeToo, and there was just the backlash, and that set us back," he said, citing so-called "manosphere" influencers who oppose feminism.

In the Cornell backlash, he blamed "people who felt that the status quo was being threatened, people who didn't like the idea of women being treated equally, people who wanted to shut up women."

'Brave woman'

Despite the intimidation, Giuffra said his client wants her lawsuit to transform how Cornell and other US universities deal with sexual assault.

An estimated one in four female students experience rape or sexual assault at some point during their undergraduate studies, according to a 2020 study by the Association of American Universities.

Fraternities -- male social clubs common on US campuses -- are particularly scrutinized. The men accused in the Cornell case belonged to one, and the alleged gang rape took place at a fraternity house.

"It's not just about money; it's also about effectuating some kind of change," Giuffra said, saying any settlement with Cornell would include steps to "protect, educate, support students."

"I think she wants her story to be: I made a difference," Giuffra said. "Jane doesn't want some other woman, if God forbid this happens to them, to be left on their own, thrown overboard like she was."

Cornell has already announced several preliminary reforms to support sexual assault victims, and has commissioned an independent probe into how it responded in 2024.

Following her initial allegations, Cornell closed the fraternity and temporarily suspended the accused male students, two of whom were later expelled. Critics have said the response was too lenient.

And on Friday, Cornell's faculty voted no-confidence in the university leadership.

New York's top prosecutor has also launched a fresh criminal investigation into the rape allegations after local authorities said they declined to prosecute in 2024 over a lack of evidence.

Giuffra praised the changes but said they were long overdue and inadequate: "There's an expression: that's a day late and a dollar short."

He said the accuser is still traumatized by her ordeal and has to take medication to help her sleep. Still, he praised her as a "brave woman."

"She's just trying to get through it every day at a time and trying to bring about some good," Giuffra said.

bjt/sms

sport

Washington state voters approve transgender athlete ban

BY MAGGY DONALDSON

"To all trans girls participating in school sports in Washington, we want you to know that you belong: on the field, on the court, on the team," the advocate continued.

Voters in Washington state approved a measure barring transgender athletes from playing on girls sports teams, a major US midterms loss for LGBTQ advocates in the normally blue state.
"To all trans girls participating in school sports in Washington, we want you to know that you belong: on the field, on the court, on the team," the advocate continued.

Voters in Washington state approved a measure barring transgender athletes from playing on girls sports teams, a major US midterms loss for LGBTQ advocates in the normally blue state.

With about 80 percent of ballots counted Friday, approximately 57 percent of voters approved the measure while 43 percent opted against it, and opponents conceded defeat.

The initiative will require the prohibition of transgender girls from "competing with and against female students."

Approval of the conservative measure in a state that normally votes Democratic stands in stark contrast to the otherwise disappointing November 3 midterm vote for Republicans.

Opponents of the measure included doctors who said that it is "not backed by clinical guidelines, and would create unwarranted stress and harm for young girls."

Under the initiative girls who want to play sports must undergo a physical reproductive organ exam, or genetic and hormone testing.

More than half of states have enacted laws in recent years restricting the participation of transgender students in sports.

The US Supreme Court upheld state bans in June.

The measure in Washington state was considered among the most extreme of four total similar measures that passed in this week's election.

The others were in Arizona, Nebraska and Colorado.

'Fight is not over'

Trans athletes have been the target of Republican lawmakers and anti-LGBTQ groups who argue that their participation in girls and women's sports is unfair.

The political action committee behind the measure, Let's Go Washington -- which is bankrolled by conservative hedge fund manager Brian Heywood -- called its passage "a huge win for girls in Washington state."

"Girls will compete without boys in their sports!" the group said on social media.

Civil rights advocates have countered that such efforts scapegoat a very small group of people, most of them children, who already face discrimination and bullying.

Over half of transgender youth have had suicidal thoughts in their lifetime and 31 percent have made at least one suicide attempt, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which governs school-linked youth sports in the northwestern state, said earlier this year it is aware of just 10 transgender middle and high schoolers who play sports, out of some 200,000 students competing statewide.

Libby Watson -- campaign manager of the group No Hate WA State, which advocated against the Washington measure -- cast the initiative as "deceptive" and a bid "by MAGA forces to target trans kids for their own political gain."

The results are a "disappointment," Watson said in a statement, but "the fight is not over."

"To all trans girls participating in school sports in Washington, we want you to know that you belong: on the field, on the court, on the team," the advocate continued.

"We stand with you and will continue to fight for a day when you can play sports without controversy."

mdo/mlm

Republican

Republican who made Trump rap album wins midterms race

Nationally, the Democrats scored a landslide victory in the midterm elections, winning majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as governorships in traditionally Republican states such as Texas and Georgia. pel/bjt/mlm

Republican Anthony Constantino, who has recorded rap tracks paying tribute to Donald Trump and called for the release of disgraced hip‑hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, won his US House midterms race Friday.
Nationally, the Democrats scored a landslide victory in the midterm elections, winning majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as governorships in traditionally Republican states such as Texas and Georgia. pel/bjt/mlm

Republican Anthony Constantino, who has recorded rap tracks paying tribute to Donald Trump and called for the release of disgraced hip‑hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, won his US House midterms race Friday.

US media called the race for Constantino, 44, after a hard-fought battle with Democrat Blake Gendebien in New York state's 21st congressional district.

Constantino had claimed victory as early as election night in a profanity‑laced speech in which he lashed out at the "evil media," expelling a television crew from the room.

"I think President Trump should consider freeing Diddy. This is a historic New Yorker that did great things for New York State," he said.

Combs, widely known in the music world as Diddy, was sentenced in 2025 to more than four years in prison for prostitution-related crimes.

Constantino first drew attention in 2024 by installing a giant illuminated "Vote for Trump" sign on the roof of a building belonging to the sticker company he runs.

He released an album this year entitled "Thank You President Trump," featuring songs inspired by the president's slogans and books ("Art of the Deal") or his love of golf ("Hole in One").

Nationally, the Democrats scored a landslide victory in the midterm elections, winning majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as governorships in traditionally Republican states such as Texas and Georgia.

pel/bjt/mlm

rights

AFP denounces police 'violence' against its reporters in France protests

"AFP management condemns the violence committed by law enforcement against its journalists during demonstrations," said the international news agency, which has been covering high-school student and cost-of-living protests for a global audience.

AFP on Friday urged protection for its journalists covering demonstrations in France after several instances of apparent police brutality against its reporters.
"AFP management condemns the violence committed by law enforcement against its journalists during demonstrations," said the international news agency, which has been covering high-school student and cost-of-living protests for a global audience.

AFP on Friday urged protection for its journalists covering demonstrations in France after several instances of apparent police brutality against its reporters.

"AFP management condemns the violence committed by law enforcement against its journalists during demonstrations," said the international news agency, which has been covering high-school student and cost-of-living protests for a global audience.

"It is aware of the difficult conditions in which law enforcement officers sometimes operate, but it considers it essential that the status of journalist be taken into account during interventions," it added.

On Thursday, in the city of Lyon, an AFP photographer wearing his press armband was injured during a police charge against the front of a procession of demonstrators. He received five baton blows, three to his helmet and two to the lower part of one leg, suffering a fractured fibula.

On October 17, in the northern city of Lille, a text journalist was hit in the thigh by a rubber-coated projectile ball while he was wearing an armband marked "press".

A video journalist in Paris the same day was targeted by a water cannon while standing with other members of the press.

On October 18, a police officer struck her on the shoulder and collarbone with a baton, while hitting protesters who had their hands in the air right next to her.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP it has recorded 58 cases of journalists being obstructed in their coverage of the ongoing protests, not including Thursday.

They were stopped from working by members of the security forces in 40 cases, and by demonstrators or third parties in 18 cases, the media watchdog said.

In the 58 cases of obstruction, 35 involved physical violence, 21 of which were perpetrated by the security forces.

"The ability of journalists to observe, photograph and film demonstrations and law and order operations is a vital aspect of their role in providing information. It must be guaranteed, including when the situation on the ground is tense," AFP said.

AFP called "for every precaution to be taken to safeguard their physical integrity and enable them to carry out their mission".

arb/ah/jj

UN

COP31 faces tough test as climate threats mount

BY LAURENT THOMET AND JULIEN MIVIELLE

A senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also tempered expectations, saying: "We cannot expect a revolution in terms of climate action from the Antalya COP." The talks follow deadly floods in Nepal, searing heatwaves in Europe and major wildfires in Indonesia.

Nearly 200 nations gather for the COP31 summit in Turkey on Monday but tensions over geopolitics, finance and fossil fuels are tempering expectations of a major breakthrough in tackling the climate crisis.
A senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also tempered expectations, saying: "We cannot expect a revolution in terms of climate action from the Antalya COP." The talks follow deadly floods in Nepal, searing heatwaves in Europe and major wildfires in Indonesia.

Nearly 200 nations gather for the COP31 summit in Turkey on Monday but tensions over geopolitics, finance and fossil fuels are tempering expectations of a major breakthrough in tackling the climate crisis.

More than 100,000 people are expected at the UN's two-week climate negotiations in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

Tougher action on fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change, appears unlikely and budget-strapped developed countries are reluctant to commit more money to help developing nations cope with climate impacts.

An energy crisis and cost-of-living pressures, fuelled by the war in the Middle East, are also looming over the gathering.

"This is not going to be the COP that changes the world," said Paul Watkinson, France's former chief negotiator at climate summits.

"It's an intermediate COP in many ways. But it is an important conference and it does need to make sure it makes progress," he said.

A senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also tempered expectations, saying: "We cannot expect a revolution in terms of climate action from the Antalya COP."

The talks follow deadly floods in Nepal, searing heatwaves in Europe and major wildfires in Indonesia.

An exceptionally strong El Nino climate phenomenon is forecast to peak later this year, adding to extreme weather and possibly helping to make 2026 or 2027 the hottest year on record.

The outlook is increasingly bleak: the United Nations warned in September that global temperatures were on course to exceed 1.5C above preindustrial levels, breaching the most ambitious threshold set by the Paris Agreement.

'Implementation COP'

Turkey is presiding over COP31, with Australia leading negotiations under an unusual arrangement that settled a dispute over who would host the conference.

"COP31 comes at a difficult time for the world," said Australian climate minister Chris Bowen. "Reaching consensus among nearly 200 countries will not be easy but cooperation remains essential."

COP31 president Murat Kurum, Turkey's environment minister, said the conference would strive "to turn the commitments of past COPs into real results".

Turkey is promoting an "action agenda" alongside the formal negotiations that encourages countries to support non-binding pledges on issues from artificial intelligence to waste management.

Its centrepiece is an "electrification" drive to raise the share of global energy demand met by electricity from around 20 percent today to 35 percent by 2035.

"This year's energy crisis has shocked us out of our complacency," Kurum said. "Electrification is the answer. It protects communities from volatile global markets and cuts emissions."

Turkey and Australia also want electrification to appear in a "cover decision" -- an overarching political statement negotiated by consensus.

The European Union has called for "clean" electrification -- a term that could spark debate over the role of fossil fuels in the Turkish initiative.

The EU official suggested the bloc might be willing to find a compromise.

"The word 'clean' may be difficult for some. There may be other ways of formulating this without having it so explicit," the official said.

Cosima Cassel, a climate diplomacy expert at think tank E3G, said the Turkish COP31 presidency's proposal was "carefully worded".

It is "quite an open pledge that I think is going to enable quite a few countries to come on board", Cassel said.

Money fight

Countries committed to transition away from fossil fuels in a landmark pact at COP28 in 2023 but have struggled to agree on how to turn that pledge into action.

COP30 ended with a deal that made no explicit mention of fossil fuels after oil-producing countries opposed the language.

Instead, Brazil produced a voluntary "roadmap" with proposals for phasing out fossil fuels that each country can tailor to their circumstances.

Observers say Turkey and Australia are keen to avoid a repeat of last year's fossil fuel fight.

But a feud looms over wealthy nations' unfulfilled financial commitments to help developing countries deal with climate change.

The group of African negotiators is demanding that a pledge to triple adaptation finance -- money to cope with the worsening impacts of climate change -- be added to the negotiation agenda.

Recent elections, meanwhile, have given climate campaigners a boost, with Democrats seizing control of the US Congress in a setback to President Donald Trump, who calls global warming a hoax.

A US congressional delegation will attend COP31, but the Trump administration is not taking part in the negotiations.

Fresh from his re-election win over conservative challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to Antalya next week.

bur-jmi-lt/rlp

labour

More than 400,000 German workers take action for higher pay

From Sunday to Friday, more than 413,000 workers joined the actions nationwide, which included more than 2,800, mostly small-scale strikes, Germany's biggest union said.

More than 400,000 workers from sectors ranging from car-making to mechanical engineering joined strikes and rallies across Germany this week calling for better pay and conditions, their union said Friday.
From Sunday to Friday, more than 413,000 workers joined the actions nationwide, which included more than 2,800, mostly small-scale strikes, Germany's biggest union said.

More than 400,000 workers from sectors ranging from car-making to mechanical engineering joined strikes and rallies across Germany this week calling for better pay and conditions, their union said Friday.

The IG Metall union organised the actions after several rounds of negotiations with employers on behalf of its members ended with no result.

From Sunday to Friday, more than 413,000 workers joined the actions nationwide, which included more than 2,800, mostly small-scale strikes, Germany's biggest union said.

Workers were "fighting for the future of their families and their jobs," said IG Metall chief negotiator Nadine Boguslawski.

"They expect a tangible increase in purchasing power as well as concrete commitments... from employers to safeguard industrial value creation and investment."

Unions had made a "fair and flexible" offer, and the ball was now in the employers' court, she added.

Talks will continue next week, but the unions are threatening to launch longer walkouts if employers do not meet their demands.

More than 3.7 million workers are covered by IG Metall's current negotiations.

The union's demands range from five percent more pay over twelve months, to profit sharing in successful companies and guarantees on jobs.

So far, employers have offered a wage increase of 1.3 percent from mid-2028 and one-off payments.

The health of the companies represented by IG Metall differs widely.

While the auto sector and its suppliers have long been struggling, regularly announcing job cuts and plant closures, other industries such as aerospace and defence tech are booming.

sr/jsk/jj

US

An AI reckoning? Investors brace for potential fallout

BY FLORIAN CAZERES

- IPO anxiety - The tech-heavy Nasdaq index had already wobbled before this week and now is officially in a correction, having fallen around 12 percent over the past month.

"Correction" is not the word investors want to hear, but the stampede out of AI and technology stocks this week has heightened doubts about the sustainability of the four-year bull run for markets.
- IPO anxiety - The tech-heavy Nasdaq index had already wobbled before this week and now is officially in a correction, having fallen around 12 percent over the past month.

"Correction" is not the word investors want to hear, but the stampede out of AI and technology stocks this week has heightened doubts about the sustainability of the four-year bull run for markets.

Further declines would have wide-ranging financial and economic consequences amid the massive AI spending, much of it fuelled by companies taking on huge amounts of debt.

AFP takes a look at how tech sector weakness could impact governments and households.

The AI motor

Outlays on data centres to train and power artificial intelligence models have become one of the main growth engines for the US economy, the world's largest.

"That contributed to 30 percent of growth in the United States in 2025 and 2026," said Bruno Cavalier, economist at the bank Oddo BHF, with spending on data centres surging by 150 percent.

The resulting demand for cutting-edge chips and other high-tech equipment has boosted share price gains across the technology sector.

But the centres also need power sources, intensive cooling systems, and old-fashioned construction, plumbing and electrical work, all providing money and jobs for local communities and beyond.

Opposition has been building over worries about the environmental and human costs of the huge server farms, including air pollution, higher energy costs, water use and noise.

The Democratic wave in this week's midterm elections in the United States raised investor fears of a regulatory crackdown -- prompting the heavy selling on Wall Street on Thursday.

Markets are pricing in the risk that "Democratic victories in the states with the most projects will make construction more expensive and longer to complete", said Kevin Thozet at the asset management firm Carmignac in Paris.

American households

Share ownership is widespread in the United States, where individual retirement funds invested in stocks and bonds are much more prevalent than government-funded pensions.

"Forty-three percent of household wealth is now exposed to the stock market, an increase of 10 percentage points from 2000," said Cavalier.

A sustained market downturn would directly impact their spending power, especially for retirees, creating a wider economic risk.

And "the richest 10 percent of Americans now account for half of consumer spending", said Alexandre Baradez, an analyst at the brokerage IG France.

"They're the ones who own the most stocks and have benefited the most from the tech stock gains," he said.

A market crisis could crimp their spending as well, meaning it would no longer compensate for the spending pullback among average Americans since the inflation spike provoked by the US war against Iran.

Capital access?

Rising interest rates complicate the picture, since they lift borrowing costs for the billions of dollars in debt AI firms have taken on to finance the data centre rollout.

"This is not an easy time, with shares falling and high rates on debt markets -- and little chance of any easing moves soon by central banks," Baradez said.

Tighter financial conditions and higher cash needs could make investors wary of putting up more money, or lead them to reduce exposure to the sector.

For Jacques-Aurelien Marcireau at Stilgar, an asset management firm in Paris, American politicians are aware of the risks.

"The truth is that Democrats will be pragmatic: there won't be any general halt to data centre construction," he told AFP.

But a slowdown "could even be healthy, by halting the most vulnerable projects", he said.

IPO anxiety

The tech-heavy Nasdaq index had already wobbled before this week and now is officially in a correction, having fallen around 12 percent over the past month.

That wiped off $2.5 trillion in market valuation for Nasdaq companies alone.

Investors now question the prospects for the imminent initial public share offering from Claude-maker Anthropic, which had been tipped to surpass SpaceX's earlier this year as the biggest ever.

It has reportedly been looking to raise a whopping $100 billion this month to buy the chips and other equipment for its computing needs, which could have valued the start-up at up to $2 trillion.

Now it may have to settle for less, potentially complicating its race to dominate the market.

Its rival OpenAI has already pushed back its IPO plans to sometime next year.

"Anthropic will be the big test," Baradez said.

fcz/tq/js/jhb

rape

UK police expect more cases against celebrity sex convict Brand

BY AKSHATA KAPOOR

The comedian and Hollywood actor, who became a household name across Britain in the 2000s, also faces accusations of raping two other women, including a 16-year-old schoolgirl, which the Metropolitan Police is probing.

London's Metropolitan Police believe "many more" women may come forward with accusations against Russell Brand, as the disgraced comedian spent Friday in jail braced for his sentencing for rape and sexual assault.
The comedian and Hollywood actor, who became a household name across Britain in the 2000s, also faces accusations of raping two other women, including a 16-year-old schoolgirl, which the Metropolitan Police is probing.

London's Metropolitan Police believe "many more" women may come forward with accusations against Russell Brand, as the disgraced comedian spent Friday in jail braced for his sentencing for rape and sexual assault.

Brand, 51, was found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults against four women on Thursday following a high-profile trial, in which he was cleared of two other alleged rapes and one count of attempted indecent assault against two other women.

He was remanded in custody and told by the judge he faced a "significant custodial term" at his sentencing on Monday.

The comedian and Hollywood actor, who became a household name across Britain in the 2000s, also faces accusations of raping two other women, including a 16-year-old schoolgirl, which the Metropolitan Police is probing.

"There's two more cases we're investigating at the moment," Met police chief Mark Rowley told the BBC. "I clearly wouldn't be surprised if many more came forward."

After the verdicts, the Met paid tribute to the "extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward".

"Brand used his influence, status and fame to exploit and sexually offend against women," the Met's Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said in a statement Thursday.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham called Brand's actions "horrifying" in comments to Times Radio, praising the "bravery of the women... who've come forward and had the courage to speak out".

Domestic abuse charity Women's Aid said "high-profile, influential men must be held accountable for their actions."

"It should also be a wake-up call to broadcasters, and the media industry more broadly with whom Brand worked for so long," said the charity's head Farah Nazeer.

'Culture and failings'

Once one of the country's most high-profile entertainers, Brand had a reputation for lewd humour and promiscuity, passing through major media organisations including the BBC, Channel 4 and MTV.

The companies have come under pressure in recent years -- including in the wake of a 2023 joint investigation by Channel 4 and the Times into abuse allegations -- for allowing a culture of impunity and even encouraging Brand's behaviour.

On Thursday he was found guilty of sexual assaults against an MTV worker, a Channel 4 worker and a Capital Radio employee, as well as raping a 21-year-old fan.

After the verdicts, the BBC apologised again for the "culture and failings" when Brand was part of the organisation between 2006 and 2008.

He left amid controversy for sending a well-known actor sexually explicit messages about having slept with their granddaughter.

"Across the industry, we must work together to ensure that anyone who suffers at someone else's hand feels able to report it," a BBC spokesperson added.

During that time, Brand openly spoke about being addicted to sex and was named "shagger of the year" three times in a row by The Sun tabloid.

But his career was far from over, and he shot to global fame during his brief marriage with US pop star Katy Perry in 2010, and continued to make primetime appearances on British television shows.

In recent years, he has rebranded himself as a Christian online commentator and guru to his millions of social media followers.

aks/jkb/rlp

Bundesliga

'Enjoy the moment': The German clubs limiting smartphones in stadiums

BY DANIEL WIGHTON

Dortmund are not the only club to try and curb in-game phone usage.

In October, Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund did something not just out of step with modern football, but with modern life: they asked fans to put their phones away.
Dortmund are not the only club to try and curb in-game phone usage.

In October, Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund did something not just out of step with modern football, but with modern life: they asked fans to put their phones away.

Ahead of last month's match with Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund launched a scheme which rewarded supporters for not using their smartphones during games at their 82,000-capacity Westfalenstadion.

By switching on 'fan mode' in the Dortmund app, supporters who kept off their phones were awarded points and could win prizes, including signed jerseys and fan shop vouchers.

But while the scheme likely seems odd, particularly for international fans, it has been warmly received in Germany, where the matchday experience remains sacred to millions of fans.

'Significant positive feedback'

German football's unique governance rules -- which restrict external investment by requiring clubs to be member-owned -- have helped preserve the stadium experience lost elsewhere.

With fans playing a role in club decisions, preserving this experience remains paramount.

Season tickets at Bayern Munich, the defending German champions, start at 180 euros ($200) for 17 home Bundesliga games. By contrast, the cheapest season ticket for English champions Arsenal cost £978 ($1,309) for 19 home matches.

Dortmund are not the only club to try and curb in-game phone usage. Second division sides Hertha Berlin and Dynamo Dresden also implemented restrictions this season.

The Hertha and Dynamo schemes have primarily sought to prevent the growing trend of influencers filming and monetising in-stadium content, but are also targeted at preserving the experience of being in the crowd.

Sporting organisations across the globe have grappled with what to do about influencers during major events. Some see it as a useful source of promotion, but others fear it detracts from the overall experience, while it can violate lucrative broadcast arrangements.

In response to dozens of incidents at the 2026 US Open tennis tournament, Wimbledon has decided to ban so-called content creators from 2027.

Hertha told AFP their scheme had tried to tackle the "fundamental question of how we deal with external video productions in our stadium".

Like Hertha, Dynamo said the policy was partially motivated by a need to protect broadcaster rights, but was also directed at preserving matchdays for everyone.

"The atmosphere and support of the team should be in the foreground for the stadium visit," Dynamo told AFP, while adding the project "received significant positive feedback from fans."

'Scream and stream'

Dortmund chairman Carsten Cramer said the policy preserves what makes the club special.

"It is a very unique approach. It's how to attract people, to tell them, 'hey, it's not a concert where you scream and stream video sequence by video sequence'," Cramer told AFP and other media.

"We should not avoid technological progress, but we should consider how to use it in our landscape, because the very emotional and authentic scenery of a football game has to be protected."

Cramer called on fans to "watch, enjoy and experience the moment."

The jewel in the crown of Dortmund's Westfalenstadion is the famous 'yellow wall', Europe's biggest standing terrace which holds 25,000 supporters.

"The emotion given by the yellow wall is so special that you need the people's attention. And if they just send messages and stream from the game, they lose this attention.

"And if we say Dortmund has this special atmosphere, then we have to keep going (with the project)."

Given the scheme's popularity -- Cramer said it has received "very, very positive feedback from our supporters" -- it will likely spread, although rivals Bayern are lukewarm.

Staying true to the inter-club rivalry between Germany's two biggest clubs, Bayern board member Rouven Kasper joked: "The football is so exciting at Bayern, we don't need to ban phones."

Cramer took the tongue-in-cheek jab in good nature and said the most important feedback was on the field, with Dortmund winning three from three since the scheme was implemented.

"(We did it) to win games -- and we did."

dwi/td/gj

EU

2026 'most likely' to be second-hottest year on record: EU monitor

BY LAURENT THOMET

"An exceptionally strong El Nino is adding further heat to a climate already warmed by human activities," she said.

The world is on track for 2026 to be the second-hottest year on record as an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern turbocharges human-driven global warming, the EU's climate monitor said Friday.
"An exceptionally strong El Nino is adding further heat to a climate already warmed by human activities," she said.

The world is on track for 2026 to be the second-hottest year on record as an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern turbocharges human-driven global warming, the EU's climate monitor said Friday.

This year still has a "20 percent chance of tying or exceeding" 2024 as the warmest ever seen, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a monthly bulletin.

Global temperatures are now "virtually certain" to exceed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in 2026, Copernicus said.

The four-year average from 2023 to 2026 is also expected to top 1.5C, the preferred limit set in the Paris Agreement to avert the worst impacts of climate change.

The world experienced its warmest October on record, with average global surface air temperatures 1.75C above pre-industrial times, an era defined as 1850-1900, Copernicus added.

It was the third straight month exceeding 1.5C.

"October has continued the pattern of remarkable global warmth, with record global and surface ocean temperatures," said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which operates Copernicus.

"An exceptionally strong El Nino is adding further heat to a climate already warmed by human activities," she said.

The latest bulletin comes as nations prepare to meet on Monday for the UN's two-week COP31 climate summit in Turkey after a year marked by deadly floods in Nepal, searing heatwaves in Europe and major wildfires in Indonesia.

El Nino has yet to peak

Global forecasters have been warning for months that this El Nino, which is expected to peak later this year, would likely become the strongest ever observed.

The intensifying weather phenomenon set an all-time temperature record in a key Pacific zone last month, Copernicus said.

The warming phase of a natural climate cycle, El Nino temporarily raises sea temperatures in the tropical Pacific, triggering changes in weather that can increase the risk of drought and flooding, and exacerbate man-made global warming.

Forecasters say El Nino could help make 2027 the hottest year on record.

Nations agreed at the 2015 UN climate talks in Paris to keep global warming "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5C.

But the United Nations declared in September that the long-term 1.5C target would be missed in a matter of years.

Scientists say it is crucial to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels to limit the period of "overshoot" above 1.5C and bring temperatures back down as quickly as possible.

lt/rlp

justice

California governor says commuting all death sentences in state

BY HUW GRIFFITH

He said the decision to issue a blanket commutation for all death row inmates came down to not differentiating among those affected by heinous acts.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday he was commuting all death sentences across the state to life imprisonment, in a move that will affect over 500 prisoners.
He said the decision to issue a blanket commutation for all death row inmates came down to not differentiating among those affected by heinous acts.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday he was commuting all death sentences across the state to life imprisonment, in a move that will affect over 500 prisoners.

Newsom, who is widely expected to make a run for the White House in 2028, said capital punishment was "incompatible" with the values of the most populous state in the US.

"Today I am acting on my long and deeply held conviction that individually and collectively we are stronger as a society when we reject state-sanctioned killing," he wrote in a letter addressed "to all Californians."

With 548 people awaiting execution in California, the state has one of the largest death row populations in the world.

However, it has not carried out a death sentence for two decades, even as courts continue to impose the penalty on those convicted of murder and other serious crimes.

"Many Californians feel that those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. But as governor, I have concluded the state cannot morally kill them," he said, calling the decision "among the most difficult of my career."

"I do, however, pray that this action will finally separate the memories of the victims of these crimes from the fate of those who harmed them. We can now let these offenders die in obscurity while we forever remember and honor their victims."

The announcement comes with a renewed spotlight on the death penalty in the United States, one of the few wealthy countries to retain capital punishment.

Three other US states -- Alabama, Florida and Indiana -- each carried out executions on the same day as Newsom's announcement.

In September, the state of Tennessee failed twice to kill convicted murderer Christa Pike with a lethal injection before rushing her to hospital. The drama made headlines around the world.

Last month Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the firing squad execution of a man who went on a shooting rampage at a US Army base would be livestreamed.

Days later and after an outcry from both sides of the political aisle, as well as from the Catholic Church and the United Nations, President Donald Trump cancelled the plan, saying Nidal Hasan would still die, but that the sentence would not be broadcast.

'Not by our hand'

In a lengthy letter Thursday, Newsom appeared to be walking the public through his thought process and the discussions he said he has had on the issue.

He said the decision to issue a blanket commutation for all death row inmates came down to not differentiating among those affected by heinous acts.

"I have concluded that attempting to distinguish among crimes and offenders for clemency would inadvertently create two classes of murder victims -- those whose perpetrators deserve the death penalty and then the rest," Newsom said.

"I will therefore issue the same commutation to every condemned person -- life without the possibility of parole," he added.

"These offenders will die in prison, but not by our hand."

Jess Nichol, whose sister's killer is on death row in California, said she had previously wanted the culprit to die for his crime.

"But over time I've realized that whether he's executed has absolutely nothing to do with my recovery or with real public safety," she said.

"The system tells survivors that execution matters to our healing. It doesn't. It's a distraction from what we actually need."

The American Civil Liberties Union applauded the move over a practice it said conflicted with "human dignity, fairness, and the values enshrined in our Constitution."

The commutations "reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long."

hg/jgc/mlm

UN

UN climate summits face 'fatigue' and pleas for reform

BY JULIEN MIVIELLE

An annual gathering could still be held, she said, but under a different status.

The UN's annual climate conference is facing mounting calls for reform as it struggles to keep pace with a worsening climate crisis after three decades of hard-fought agreements.
An annual gathering could still be held, she said, but under a different status.

The UN's annual climate conference is facing mounting calls for reform as it struggles to keep pace with a worsening climate crisis after three decades of hard-fought agreements.

The Conference of the Parties (COP), which brings together nearly 200 countries every year, has delivered some landmark pacts in the recent past.

But it is now facing questions about its future, with France's ecological transition minister Monique Barbut warning of COP "fatigue".

No groundbreaking announcements are expected when Turkey opens the next two-week conference, COP31, on Monday.

That follows a modest outcome at last year's summit in Brazil, where countries failed to include an explicit mention of fossil fuels -- the main cause of global warming -- in the final text.

It is a far cry from some of the major agreements of the recent past.

Nations agreed to limit warming to well below 2C in the Paris Agreement in 2015 while striving for a safer 1.5C.

Just three years ago at COP28 in Dubai, the world pledged for the first time to transition away from fossil fuels.

But the UN warned in September that the 1.5C target would be missed while carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels remained around record highs in 2025.

Since the historic pledge in Dubai, fossil fuel-producing countries have used the COP's agreement-by-consensus system to block further progress on phasing out the polluting commodities.

Climate diplomacy has also lost the United States, the world's biggest economy and second-biggest polluter, which walked away from the process under President Donald Trump, who calls global warming a "hoax".

'Designed to fail'

Now there are calls to overhaul COPs, from holding the formal summit every two years to making it a smaller affair or getting rid of the consensus-based system of decision-making.

Panama's Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro said last week that the consensus-based rules allow "one idiot" to block agreement at COP summits and should be replaced by a majority vote.

"COPs have been designed to fail," he told AFP.

In 2023 the Club of Rome, an international think tank of former heads of state, business leaders and scientists, published an open letter calling for an "urgent reform of the COP process".

The manifesto pointed out that the consensus-based COP structure was "predisposed to incremental progress", noting for example that it took seven years for the climate "loss and damage" fund to finally be agreed in 2022.

"This lethargic progress is at odds with climate science and real-world climate damage and risks," the letter said.

The signatories included former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, former Irish president and UN special envoy for climate change Mary Robinson and Laurence Tubiana, the architect of the Paris Agreement.

"Part of the reason COPs are running out of steam is that there are too many of them," Barbut said.

"COPs are not simply conferences. They are legal bodies. For them to have meaning, there must be substantive legal issues to discuss," she said.

Barbut suggested that COPs could be held every two years. An annual gathering could still be held, she said, but under a different status.

The UN's other environment-related summits, the biodiversity and desertification COPs, are held every two years.

Era of 'implementation'

Others suggested that action can be taken by groups of countries outside the COP system.

While COP30 ended with a watered-down text, Brazil offered to create a voluntary "roadmap" on transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Countries that wanted to advance the issue subsequently gathered in Colombia in April this year for a separate conference, outside the UN framework.

Cosima Cassel, an analyst at climate think E3G, said COP31 should build on the "dual-track" model that emerged at COP30.

The formal consensus-based negotiations would "remain essential to provide direction, establish commitments and create a space for countries to collectively identify and overcome barriers", she said.

Alongside this, there would be an "action agenda" bringing together countries and other groups willing to move ahead on specific issues.

Turkey is heavily promoting such an action agenda for COP31, pushing countries to join an "electrification" pledge.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell said in February that climate diplomacy had entered a new era that he billed as "implementation" -- meaning countries must apply the decisions that have been made at COPs.

"We must continue to evolve our own work for this new era," he said in a speech in Istanbul.

jmi/lt/eab

UN

COP31 faces tough test as climate threats mount

BY LAURENT THOMET AND JULIEN MIVIELLE

Observers say Turkey and Australia are keen to avoid a repeat of last year's fossil fuel fight at COP31.

Nearly 200 nations gather for the COP31 summit in Turkey on Monday but tensions over geopolitics, finance and fossil fuels are tempering expectations of a major breakthrough in tackling the climate crisis.
Observers say Turkey and Australia are keen to avoid a repeat of last year's fossil fuel fight at COP31.