It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, September 05, 2025
Portuguese Navy Searches Container Ship After Report of Armed Boarding
Containership Odysseus reported boarders overnight off the Portuguese coast (Portuguese Navy)
The Portuguese Navy confirmed earlier media reports that an operation is underway off the coast after a containership requested assistance. The vessel said there were boarders aboard, and unconfirmed media reports said at least two crewmembers had been locked in the engine room.
The vessel, Odysseus (39,420 dwt), is managed by Cosmoship of Greece and was underway last night, September 3, from Virgo to Malga. The alert requesting assistance went out around 2300 local time while the vessel was off the Algarve coast near the city of Lagos, Portugal.
Built in 2006, the vessel has a capacity for 2,824 TEU. It is registered in Liberia.
The Navy reports the containership diverted to a position approximately six nautical miles off the coast, and that a team from the Navy and National Maritime Authority boarded the vessel. The media reports are that both patrol boats and a helicopter were involved in the operation.
The Navy reports that the vessel is diverting to the port of Sines for further inspection. The media said that the two crewmembers were released from the engine room and that an initial search did not locate the boarders.
Speculation is that it was a drug cartel that boarded the ship. Portugal’s Correio da Manhã tabloid is saying that there were two individuals armed and wearing hoods spotted on the ship. They are thought to have fled before the authorities arrived to assist the vessel.
Land-Based Tests Underway for Seawing Automated Kite System
Testing is proceeding with the company saying Seawing can produce a comparatively larger amount of thrust that other wind systems (K Line)
Japan’s Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” LINE) reports its subsidiary Oceanic wing completed the first phase of land-based testing for the Seawing kite system. The company is continuing to pursue the commercialization of the concept as a more productive means of wind-assisted propulsion.
They acknowledged that while there are several wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) that are under development, they said Seawing is differentiated from the other WAPS by its ability to generate a comparatively large amount of thrust, which is achieved using high-altitude wind. Seawing harnesses natural wind power and can be installed on any type of vessel, including existing vessels. The system is automated and deploys the kite on a tether system placed near the bow.
There have been previous tests of kite systems conducted in France. A series of validation tests was undertaken in 2023 using a RoRo sailing for Airbus.
In the latest tests, completed in June, Oceanicwing verified the tensile strength and performance of the Seawing system using a 300 m2 kite at a land test site.
Confirming that the results of these tests were good, “K” Line says phase two of its development commenced in July. In phase two, Oceanicwing plans to increase the size of the kite and verify the tensile strength, reliability, operability, and safety of the Seawing system at the land test site.
They continue to work toward testing on a large bulk carrier owned and operated by “K” LINE. The goal is to complete the tests within approximately two years and move toward the practical application of Seawing. They expect that Seawing will reduce fuel consumption by more than 10 percent. The actual energy-saving effects they note depend on ship type, speed, route, and season, and in certain combinations of these factors, fuel consumption may be reduced by significantly more.
Report: Korean Steel Giant POSCO is Exploring Acquiring Control of HMM
Reports indicate that new potential buyers are emerging for the government stake in HMM (HMM file photo)
Speculation is being renewed over the ownership fate of Korean shipping company HMM, a year and a half after the deal to sell the company collapsed. In an exclusive report, The Korean Economic Daily writes that steel giant POSCO is drawing up detailed plans to buy control of the shipping company.
The Korean Economic Daily reports that POSCO, which had previously been speculated as a potential suitor, has changed its strategy and now is interested in re-entering the shipping sector after deciding not to participate in the government auction in 2023 for control of HMM. POSCO was invested in Hanjin but sold the company in 1995. It reports that POSCO is searching for new growth strategies as it is facing a slowdown and the impact of U.S. tariffs on its steel business and batteries.
A controlling stake in HMM has been held by two Korean banks, the Korea Development Bank and the Korea Ocean Business Corporation, since the 2016 government-led rescue of Hyundai Merchant Marine. The two government entities collectively hold over 70 percent of stock in HMM, but have been talking of privatizing the shipping company to redeploy taxpayer monies to other investments to grow Korean business.
KDB, which owns an approximately 36 percent stake in HMM, is believed to be the leader in the privatization effort. The banks selected Harim as the preferred bidder last time, but the negotiations reportedly broke down in 2024 over a demand that the banks retain a say in the management of the HMM after the privatization. KDB is believed to be exploring starting a new round of bidding.
The Korean Economic Daily reports POSCO’s strategy is targeting acquiring the shares from KDB in a private deal. KOBC, which also holds approximately 36 percent, is believed to have decided to continue to hold its position, and the strategy calls for co-managing HMM between POSCO and KOBC.
Korean law requires that if the HMM is to be sold, it must be in a public auction. The newspaper reports that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanjin might be bidders if there were a new auction. Harim is also believed to still be interested in the business. The POSCO strategy, however, could avoid a public auction.
HMM has reported that it is pursuing a strategy to diversify its business, which is currently larger in container shipping. It attempted to buy SK Shipping to expand its dry bulk shipping. It is now reported to be pursuing individual vessel purchases of bulkers and tankers as well as building new containerships. It is also ordered car carriers, which will be operated under charter to Hyundai-Glovis, and four multi-purpose cargo vessels.
Hanwha Sells $1B Worth of Stock in Hanwha Ocean to Fund U.S. Projects
A holding company in South Korea's Hanwha Group has sold about $1 billion worth of shares in shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, and it plans to reinvest the proceeds in its new U.S. projects.
Hanwha Impact Partners has sold its entire remaining stake in Hanwha Ocean - about 13 million shares, equal to about four percent of the company - to institutional buyers in a block sale. The holding company started out with a nine percent stake in 2023, the year Hanwha bought the shipbuilder, according to Yonhap. Hanwha Group retains 42 percent of Hanwha Ocean, along with management rights.
The share sale is well-timed: Hanwha Ocean's stock has risen by 250 percent since last year. Hanwha Ocean share prices fell by five percent after the announcement Thursday.
Hanwha owns Hanwha Philly Shipyard, formerly held by Norwegian conglomerate Aker, and it has pledged to spend $5 billion on enlarging the American yard's capacity, taking it from one ship delivery per year today to 20 ships per year by the 2030s. Philly's yard - valued at $100 million at the time of its sale last year - will be upgraded with improved basic infrastructure, as well as South Korean innovations like robotic welding technology. This is one of the first major commitments under the $150 billion program that South Korea's government calls "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again," or MASGA.
Hanwha is also buying two LNG carriers that will be built jointly in Korea and the U.S., then flagged into the United States registry. The project will be an opportunity to transfer Korean LNG shipbuilding techniques and technology to Philly, Hanwha says. In addition, it has ordered a series of 10 MR chemical tankers from Philly, which it says is the biggest commercial order by value ever placed at an American yard.
Hanwha Group said that the share sale will help fund these initiatives, and a company official also told Yonhap that "the goal is also to improve the financial structure by repaying debt."
After Six Years, CSSC Completes its Megamerger With CSIC
After years of preparation, the megamerger of Chinese shipbuilding giants CSSC and CSIC has finally been completed. Though the two enterprises have both been under CSSC's control since 2019, they retained their independent stock listings - until Thursday, when an exchange filing completed the integration of CSIC into CSSC.
At the market close on Thursday, CSIC shareholders received 0.13 shares of CSSC for every share they owned. CSIC's stock will be delisted from the Shanghai Exchange on Friday. After that point, it will be dissolved as a legal entity, and all of its assets and obligations will be assumed by CSSC. The company's hope is that it will be able to better integrate its shipyard assembly operations, improve its purchasing power, achieve as-yet-unrealized synergies from the union of the two companies, and "regulate competition within the same industry."d
As a group, CSSC and CSIC were already the world's largest shipbuilding conglomerate. Now with a unified brand, the merger confirms CSSC as the biggest shipbuilder by assets, revenue and order backlog. In 2024, CSSC-operated yards built more tonnage than the entire production of the U.S. shipbuilding industry since 1945.
The merger is a reunion, and it brings CSSC back full circle to its former might. The giant state enterprise spun off CSIC as a separate entity in 1999, and gave it control of government yards in northern China. CSIC came back under CSSC's ownership in 2019, but it retained its brand, management structure and support departments. In September 2024, CSSC announced long-expected plans to re-merge the two firms fully into a single entity.
The full integration will have implications for Chinese defense procurement. CSIC handles a large share of the PLA Navy's surface fleet construction contracts, and unification with CSSC is expected to help streamline warship production.
Europe hopes to join competitive AI race with supercomputer Jupiter
With the launch of supercomputer Jupiter, the biggest artificial intelligence machine in Europe, on Friday, the continent hopes to join the AI training models race after lagging behind the US and China.
Jupiter is housed in a centre covering some 3,600 metres (38,000 square feet) – about half the size of a football pitch – containing racks of processors, and packed with about 24,000 Nvidia chips, which are favoured by the AI industry
Europe's fastest supercomputer Jupiter is set to be inaugurated Friday in Germany with its operators hoping it can help the continent in everything from climate research to catching up in the artificial intelligence race.
Here is all you need to know about the system, which boasts the power of around one million smartphones. What is the Jupiter supercomputer?
Based at Juelich Supercomputing Centre in western Germany, it is Europe's first "exascale" supercomputer – meaning it will be able to perform at least one quintillion (or one billion billion) calculations per second. The United States already has three such computers, all operated by the Department of Energy.
Jupiter is housed in a centre covering some 3,600 metres (38,000 square feet) – about half the size of a football pitch – containing racks of processors, and packed with about 24,000 Nvidia chips, which are favoured by the AI industry.
Half the 500 million euros ($580 million) to develop and run the system over the next few years comes from the European Union and the rest from Germany.
Its vast computing power can be accessed by researchers across numerous fields as well as companies for purposes such as training AI models.
"Jupiter is a leap forward in the performance of computing in Europe," Thomas Lippert, head of the Juelich centre, told AFP, adding that it was 20 times more powerful than any other computer in Germany.
How can it help Europe in the AI race?
Lippert said Jupiter is the first supercomputer that could be considered internationally competitive for training AI models in Europe, which has lagged behind the US and China in the sector.
According to a Stanford University report released earlier this year, US-based institutions produced 40 "notable" AI models – meaning those regarded as particularly influential – in 2024, compared to 15 for China and just three for Europe.
"It is the biggest artificial intelligence machine in Europe," Emmanuel Le Roux, head of advanced computing at Eviden, a subsidiary of French tech giant Atos, told AFP.
A consortium consisting of Eviden and German group ParTec built Jupiter.
Jose Maria Cela, senior researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, said the new system was "very significant" for efforts to train AI models in Europe.
"The larger the computer, the better the model that you develop with artificial intelligence," he told AFP.
Large language models (LLMs) are trained on vast amounts of text and used in generative AI chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
Nevertheless with Jupiter packed full of Nvidia chips, it is still heavily reliant on US tech.
The dominance of the US tech sector has become a source of growing concern as US-Europe relations have soured.
What else can the computer be used for?
Jupiter has a wide range of other potential uses beyond training AI models.
Researchers want to use it to create more detailed, long-term climate forecasts that they hope can more accurately predict the likelihood of extreme weather events such as heatwaves.
Le Roux said that current models can simulate climate change over the next decade.
"With Jupiter, scientists believe they will be able to forecast up to at least 30 years, and in some models, perhaps even up to 100 years," he added.
Others hope to simulate processes in the brain more realistically, research that could be useful in areas such as developing drugs to combat diseases like Alzheimer's.
It can also be used for research related to the energy transition, for instance by simulating air flows around wind turbines to optimise their design. Does Jupiter consume a lot of energy?
Yes, Jupiter will require on average around 11 megawatts of power, according to estimates – equivalent to the energy used to power thousands of homes or a small industrial plant.
But its operators insist that Jupiter is the most energy-efficient among the fastest computer systems in the world.
It uses the latest, most energy-efficient hardware, has water-cooling systems and the waste heat that it generates will be used to heat nearby buildings, according to the Juelich centre.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
China to impose temporary duties on EU pork over 'dumping'
Beijing (AFP) – China said Friday it would impose temporary anti-dumping duties on European Union pork imports, delivering another blow to shaky ties between the economic powerhouses.
Issued on: 05/09/2025 - FRANCE24
Chinese authorities launched the probe into European pork imports last year during scrutiny by Brussels of Beijing's state subsidies for the domestic electric vehicle industry
Beijing and Brussels have navigated a challenging relationship in recent years, complicated greatly by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Chinese authorities launched the probe into European pork imports last year during scrutiny by Brussels of Beijing's state subsidies for the domestic electric vehicle industry.
The investigation has "preliminarily determined that imports of relevant pork and pig by-products originating in the European Union are being dumped", a statement from China's commerce ministry said.
Authorities have decided to implement "provisional anti-dumping measures in the form of deposits", it added.
The import duties range from 15.6 percent to 62.4 percent and will enter into force on September 10, the statement continued.
The provisional measures are still subject to the commerce ministry investigation, which had already been extended until December.
China -- the world's leading consumer of pork -- imported 4.3 billion yuan ($604.3 million) in pork products from major European producer Spain alone last year, according to official Chinese customs data. Testy relations
Beijing's move comes on the heels of a diplomatic blitz that saw President Xi Jinping meet face-to-face with several prominent adversaries of Western governments, including Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas on Wednesday criticised the three leaders' joint appearance at a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II as "a direct challenge to the international system built on rules".
The statement by Kallas drew choice words from a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, who said Thursday that "remarks made by a certain EU official are full of ideological bias".
Much to the chagrin of EU leaders, Beijing has never denounced Russia's war nor called for it to withdraw its troops.
Many of Ukraine's allies believe that China has provided support to Moscow, repeatedly calling on Beijing to exert pressure on Putin to end the war.
China insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.
Earlier on Friday, Beijing's foreign ministry said it "strongly opposes" calls by US President Donald Trump for European leaders to put economic pressure on China over the war in Ukraine.
Recent years have seen entrenched political disagreements between Beijing and Brussels threaten their strong economic relationship.
The current trade spat erupted last summer when the European Union moved towards imposing hefty tariffs on EVs imported from China, arguing that Beijing's subsidies were unfairly undercutting European competitors.
Beijing denied that claim and announced what were widely seen as retaliatory probes into imported European pork, brandy and dairy products.
Western troops in Ukraine would be ‘legitimate’ target for Russia, Putin warns
Any Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be a "legitimate" target for Moscow's army, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday, a day after 26 countries pledged to deploy protective troops on Ukrainian soil if a ceasefire is reached.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be a "legitimate" target for Moscow's army, a day after Kyiv's Western allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal.
"If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets," Putin said at an economic forum in the far east city of Vladivostok.
He added that the deployment of a Western force was not conducive to long-term peace.
Putin's comments came the morning after more than two dozen countries pledged to join a "reassurance" force to deploy in the wartorn country after any eventual peace deal with Moscow.
A force to deter Russia from again attacking its neighbour is a key pillar of the security backstop a coalition of mainly European countries want to offer to Ukraine if the war ends via a peace deal or a ceasefire.
The extent of any US involvement remains uncertain, even after European leaders spoke to President Donald Trump via video conference following the Paris summit at which the "coalition of the willing" pledged its force.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive to chair the Coalition of the Willing Summit, at The Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, on September 4, 2025.
The meeting represented a new push led by Macron to show that Europe can act independently of the United States after Trump launched direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United States was represented by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who also met with Zelensky separately.
Trump said after his call with European leaders that he would speak to Putin soon, with Peskov confirming Friday that such a call could be organised swiftly. 'First concrete step'
Europe has been under pressure to step up its response over three and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"We have today 26 countries who have formally committed – some others have not yet taken a position – to deploy as a 'reassurance force' troops in Ukraine, or be present on the ground, in the sea, or in the air," Macron told reporters, standing alongside Zelensky.
Zelensky hailed the move: "I think that today, for the first time in a long time, this is the first such serious concrete step."
The troops would not be deployed "on the front line" but aim to "prevent any new major aggression", the French president said.
Macron added that another major pillar was a "regeneration" of the Ukrainian army so that it can "not just resist a new attack but dissuade Russia from a new aggression".
Macron said the United States was being "very clear" about its willingness to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine.
There are also divisions within the coalition, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urging more pressure but remaining cautious about the scope of involvement.
"Germany will decide on military involvement at the appropriate time once the framework conditions have been clarified," a German government spokesman said after the summit.
Taking a similar line, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reiterated that her country will not send troops to Ukraine, but could help monitor any potential peace deal.
There is also growing concern that Putin is not interested in a peace accord, with alarm intensifying after his high-profile visit to China this week. 'Play for time'
Frustration has been building in the West over what leaders say is Putin's unwillingness to strike a deal to end the conflict.
Zelensky said the call with Trump discussed sanctions on Russia and protecting Ukraine's airspace.
"We discussed different options, and the most important is using strong measures, particularly economic ones, to force an end to the war," Zelensky said on social media.
The White House said it urged European countries to stop purchasing Russian oil "that is funding the war".
A Russian rocket attack Thursday on northern Ukraine killed two people from the Danish Refugee Council who were clearing mines in an area previously occupied by Moscow's forces, the local Ukrainian governor said.
Macron warned that if Russia continued refusing a peace deal, then "additional sanctions" would be agreed in coordination with the United States.
He accused Russia of "doing nothing other than try to play for time" and intensifying attacks against civilians.
The gathering followed Putin's high-profile trips to China and the United States, where he met with Trump in Alaska last month.
Speaking Wednesday in Beijing, where he attended a massive military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin hailed his forces' progress in Ukraine, adding that Russian troops were advancing on "all fronts".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Afghanistan earthquake death toll tops 2,200, rescue efforts 'still ongoing'
The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan over the weekend has risen to more than 2,200, officials said Thursday. The deadliest quake to hit the country in decades has also stymied the emergency response as the cash-strapped country contends with overlapping humanitarian disasters.
An Afghan man looks for his belongings amidst the rubble of his collapsed house after a deadly magnitude 6 earthquake that struck Afghanistan on Sunday, at Lulam village, in Nurgal district, Kunar province, Afghanistan, September 3, 2025.
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan at the weekend rose sharply to more than 2,200 on Thursday, according to a new toll, making it the deadliest in decades to hit the country.
The vast majority of those killed in the magnitude-6.0 earthquake that jolted the mountainous region bordering Pakistan late Sunday were in Kunar province, where 2,205 people died and 3,640 were injured, according to a Taliban government toll.
Another 12 people were killed and hundreds injured in the neighbouring provinces of Nangarhar and Laghman.
"Hundreds of bodies have been recovered from destroyed houses during search and rescue operations," deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat wrote on X on Thursday, announcing the new toll, adding that "rescue efforts are still ongoing".
Limited access to the hardest hit areas of mountainous Kunar province has delayed rescue and relief efforts, with rockfalls from repeated aftershocks obstructing already precarious roads etched onto the side of cliffs.
Various countries have flown in aid, but hundreds of villagers in the hard-hit Nurgal district were still stranded in the open air, squeezing multiple families under pieces of tarp pulled from the rubble and unsure of where they would get a morsel to eat.
A fight broke out over food when some finally reached the field in Mazar Dara where hundreds of people were camped out, little aid having reached them.
"Yesterday, some people brought some food, everyone flooded on them, people are starving, we haven't had anything to eat for a long time," Zahir Khan Safi, 48, told AFP. 'Every hour counts'
Poor infrastructure in the impoverished country, still fragile from four decades of war, has also stymied the emergency response.
The World Health Organization warned that local healthcare services were "under immense strain", with shortages of trauma supplies, medicines and staff.
The agency has appealed for $4 million to deliver lifesaving health interventions and expand mobile health services and supply distribution.
"Every hour counts," said WHO emergency team lead in Afghanistan Jamshed Tanoli. "Hospitals are struggling, families are grieving and survivors have lost everything."
The loss of US foreign aid to the country in January this year has exacerbated the rapid depletion of emergency stockpiles and logistical resources.
NGOs and the UN have warned that the earthquake creates a crisis within a crisis, with cash-strapped Afghanistan already contending with overlapping humanitarian disasters.
Filippo Grandi, head of the UN's refugee agency, said the quake had "affected more than 500,000 people" in eastern Afghanistan.
The country is contending with endemic poverty, severe drought, and the influx of millions of Afghans forced back to the country by neighbours Pakistan and Iran since the Taliban's 2021 takeover.
Even as Afghanistan reeled from its latest disaster, Pakistan began a new push to expel Afghans, with more than 6,300 people crossing the Torkham border point in quake-hit Nangarhar province on Tuesday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Deadly land dispute in northern Ghana displaces nearly 50,000 people
At least 31 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced following violent communal clashes in Ghana's Savannah Region, sparked by a land dispute in the village of Gbiniyiri. The conflict, which erupted in August, has forced more than 13,000 Ghanaians to seek refuge in neighbouring Ivory Coast, with authorities now racing to restore calm, provide aid and investigate the root causes of the unrest.
A Ghanaian soldier takes part a counter-terrorism training session during the Flintlock 2023 military training hosted by the International Counter-Terrorism Academy with United States Special Forces in a makeshift village in Daboya,Ghana.
Communal clashes in northern Ghana that started late last month have killed at least 31 people and displaced nearly 50,000, officials said Thursday, with more than 13,000 fleeing across the border into Ivory Coast.
The violence in Ghana's Savannah Region broke out on August 24 in the village of Gbiniyiri, near the Ivorian border, the result of an escalating land dispute that has engulfed a dozen communities.
The conflict began when the local chief sold a parcel of land to a private developer, without broader community consent. When the developer attempted to access the land to begin work, residents resisted violently.
Frustration reached a peak when the chief's palace was set on fire.
Communal conflicts over land and chieftaincy disputes are recurrent in Ghana's north, though displacement on this scale is rare.
Interior Minister Mubarak Muntaka said in a radio interview Thursday that 13,253 Ghanaians had crossed into Ivory Coast, citing figures from Ivorian authorities.
Philippe Hien, president of the Bounkani regional council, told AFP that "there are 13,000 people who have arrived in 17 villages" in the area, which is already home to 30,000 refugees from conflict-hit Burkina Faso.
Ghana's National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) said around 48,000 people had been forced from their homes, mostly women and children.
"For the past five days we haven't had any gunshots, killings or attacks," Savannah Regional NADMO Director Zakaria Mahama told AFP, adding that many displaced are beginning to return home.
Both Mahama and Muntaka confirmed the toll of 31 dead.
Some families are sheltering several dozen relatives in cramped rooms, while those in makeshift displacement camps often only have one meal a day, Mahama said.
On the security front, Muntaka said more than 700 military and police officers had been deployed and a curfew instituted.
Savannah Regional Minister Salisu Bi-Awuribe said calm was gradually returning as chiefs and elders worked with security agencies to prevent further clashes.
Authorities fear food shortages after families abandoned farms and livestock during the exodus.
An investigative committee is being set up with traditional rulers and the National Peace Council to probe the causes and promote reconciliation.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Indonesian president faces continued nationwide strikes over inequality
Indonesia's president continues to face nationwide protests over a government priviledge scandal. But first: the international press continue to focus on China and President Xi Jinping's elaborate Victory Day celebrations. Does this symbolise a new world order? Also, Chinese fast retailer Shein is accused of using the image of an alleged killer as one of its models. Plus: a new study shows scrolling on the toilet could lead to increased chances of haemorrhoids.
The international press is still focusing heavily on China's Victory Day celebrations. The photos from those elaborate celebrations continue to dominate the front pages, in particular those of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. The Australian refers to them as "despots at arms" on its front page. Beijing's massive show of strength and military might is intended to signal a new world order. The leaders are also on the front of the Spanish daily El Pais. In his speech, Xi warned that the world is facing a choice between war and peace. The British daily The Guardian, in its editorial, says one man is to blame for the emergence of this new world order: Donald Trump. Nonetheless, the paper notes that with the celebrations now over, Xi, Putin and Kim may eye a new world order but their domestic issues may well take the focus away from those ambitions.
The Jakarta Post reports that Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto made a quick trip to Beijing to attend the Victory Day commemorations, but he's facing a storm of controversy back home. Anti-government have spread across the country. On Wednesday, hundreds of women dressed in pink joined in. They brandished brooms and carried slogans like "Your sweet promises cause diabetes". The South China Morning Post reminds us that the unrest comes after the revelations that MPs receive housing allowances that are 10 times higher than the minimum wage. The protest movement has become a broader expression of public anger against government privilege and inequality. In a rare concession, Prabowo announced a freeze on MPs' overseas travel and cut housing allowances. He also reinforced security and instilled temporary suspensions on protests to quell the anger. His trip earlier this week to China aimed to strengthen ties with Xi, who offered support in restoring order and security in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the Chinese fast retailer Shein has come under fire for using a model resembling Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing a health insurance CEO last year in New York. Newsweek reports that a product listing featuring a man who looked a lot like Mangione went viral, prompting some to speculate it was AI-generated or photo-edited. Mangione is currently detained in the US, charged with 11 counts, including first degree murder, after the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year. In a statement, Shein said they are investigating what happened. The company has previously come under fire over alleged forced labour and its environmental impact. Mangione, for his part, has been the subject of intense public fascination since his arrest.
Finally, a new study warns of the effects of prolonged periods of time spent looking at your phone on the toilet! Consider this your friendly public health warning of the day. The Guardian reports that a medical study let by a gastroenterologist in Boston examined 125 people for haemorrhoids during colonoscopies for a bowel cancer screening programme. The same participants also had to answer questions about their lifestyle, including how much time they spent on the toilet. The results? Those who scroll on the loo are more prone to haemorrhoids … simply because they spend far more time on the toilet than others. The doctors' advice? Leave your phone outside because when you go in, you have just one job and you should focus on that job! Or in social media parlance, she says: keep to a two TikTok limit while scrolling on the toilet!
Did Xi Jinping snub Narendra Modi during his visit to China?
In the wake of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization summit in Tianjin, which was attended by more than 20 world leaders earlier this week, some internet users are claiming that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was snubbed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the event. But videos alleging to portray Xi refusing to shake Modi's hand were taken out of context in a bid to mislead viewers, as FRANCE 24's Charlotte Hughes explains.
A Venezuelan government official claims footage showing a strike on a vessel allegedly carrying illegal narcotics bound for the US – first shared by Donald Trump – is AI-generated. Though he didn't substantiate with evidence, he attached screenshots of a conversation with an AI chatbot. In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl explains why AI chatbots, and even specific AI detection tools, are never 100% reliable in verifying synthetic content.
