Op-Ed: Robots, AI, and an undefined future – A frame of reference that can’t keep up with itself

By Paul Wallis
EDITOR AT LARGE

DIGITAL JOURNAL
March 21, 2026


EngineAI founder Evan Yao says the China-based maker of humanoid robots is working with US tech titans such as Amazon and Meta on giving them AI brains - Copyright AFP Patrick T. Fallon

The idea of functional robots dates back to ancient Greece. An automatic maid called Automate Therapaenis was created in the 3rd century BC using hydraulics to mix drinks. Robots were also used as automatic players in theatrical performances.

There was a bit of a historical gap. Since then, things have become slightly more complex. The whole idea of robots was basically humanoid for a long time. That idea didn’t really change at all until very recently. Technology has taken a while to catch up, but it has. The humanoid robot is now just one species of robot.

If you define robots by function, you can see how far the technology has driven the thinking. Now, the technology is adding wings and a vast spectrum of new digressions to the thinking. It’s not helping the logic much.

Autonomous thinking robots as a working proposition in the real world can be said to have been mapped by Asimov’s I, Robot. At the time, it was a truly spectacular leap in logic and created the Three Laws of Robotics.

That was about as close to clear thinking as people got on the subject of living with robots for a long time. Now, it’s becoming an almost imponderable real-world problem. Human relationships with robots are very much a cultural issue, now becoming a social issue. It’s almost as if total incomprehension was a problem.

Also built into the theory of robots was human conflict with robots.

This was a sort of quasi-Luddite perspective. It wasn’t even theoretically practical in societies run by robots, like the world of the famous Magnus, Robot Fighter of the 1960s. The robots were the default bad guys. Magnus, raised by robots, is the hero for fighting the bad robots. Robot characters, like B9 in Lost in Space and Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet, slowly evolved. The idea of robots with individual personalities took a long time.

Dependence on robots was also seen as a bad idea. The threat was that humans wouldn’t be able to function without them. Automation in general was and is still seen as a weakness in human survival capabilities.

The social frame of reference for robotics is as critical as it is inevitable. It’s the thinking that’s not working. The ideas may define the technology, but the technology is now forcing the ideas to evolve, rapidly. Autonomous robots and AI are raising many old and new doubts.

AI is integral to autonomous robots and automation in general. The dysfunctionality of AI is becoming a serious, expensive, and by definition, dangerous problem. Now, create millions of robots with those problems. Brilliant, aren’t you?

The conflict with automation is already real enough. It stems entirely and exclusively from human thinking. “AI slop” is human-prompted slop. Human thinking isn’t keeping up with the technology at all.

Nor is business, on any level. You can’t expect a collection of evolutionarily deficient corporate slobs and sycophants to really grasp anything but money. That’s generating (pun intended) disasters regularly. You’re not “saving wages”. Productivity is all about costs and whether you can control them. You’re investing in a class of tech that will be obsolete in 5 years and paying for every second of it. Dumb is as dumb does.

Nor is this moronic superficial thinking keeping up with basic critical technical standards. They’re bleating about regulations that don’t yet exist, while doing nothing about obvious needs for proper controls and safeguards.

What use is a tool that doesn’t work properly?

More to the point, what use are idiot users?

These aren’t even difficult issues. If you define AI and robots by function, you have an instant, ready-made definition of necessary quality controls and technical standards.

Like:

Don’t crash financial markets.

Don’t kill the patients.

Don’t crash the power supply.

Don’t crash the food supply.

Don’t crash the water supply.

Don’t burn down the house, the neighborhood, or the planet.

Strict guidelines for human rights and privacy.

Proper oversight of all operations.

Reliable instant remediation and safeguards for all AI and robot operations as required.

A four-year-old child, presumably a very offended four-year-old child insulted to have such obvious things told to them, wouldn’t need these things explained. For some reason, this idiotic society does. The proper frame of reference needs to be taught in kindergarten. It’s how humans relate to technology that dictates what happens.

Trust nothing. Keep your mind open and your mouth wary.

_______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

Three charged with sneaking Nvidia AI chips from US into China


By AFP
March 19, 2026


Super Micro Computer says a member of its board is among those charged with conspiring to divert servers with Nvidia AI chips to China - Copyright AFP Hector RETAMAL

Employees of a US computer company raked in billions of dollars diverting Nvidia artificial intelligence chips to China in violation of export controls, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, 71, of Silicon Valley conspired with 53-year-old Ruei-Tsang “Steven” Chang and 44-year-old Ting-Wei “Willy” Sun of Taiwan to smuggle computer servers containing high-performance Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) to China, prosecutors contend.

“The defendants participated in a systematic scheme to divert massive quantities of US artificial intelligence technology to customers in China,” US attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.

“They did so through a tangled web of lies, obfuscation, and concealment.”

The company that employed the three defendants, Super Micro Computer, said the employees violated its policies and controls with the scheme.

Yih-Shyan Liaw was a senior vice president of business development and on the company’s board of directors, Ruei-Tsang Chang was a sales manager in Taiwan, and Ting-Wei Sun was a contractor, according to Super Micro.

“The company has been cooperating fully with the government’s investigation and will continue to do so,” it said.

The trio conspired with others starting about two years ago for the sale of at least $2.5 billion worth of computer servers routed to China despite US export controls barring their sale in that country without proper licenses, according to the indictment.

The scheme involved a “pass-through” company based in Southeast Asia used to obscure where the servers packed with Nvidia GPUs were actually going, prosecutors maintain.

Falsified documents were used to hide the trail to China, and non-working “dummy” replica servers were kept in stock to fool auditors, according to the indictment.

Ting-Wei Sun was described in the filing as a “fixer” who worked with others to conceal the scheme.

Sao Paulo AI policing nabs criminals, and a few innocents


By AFP
March 16, 2026


Latin America's largest city has long battled high rates of crime, and the Smart Sampa AI tech was introduced in 2024 to scan the streets and compare images to those in judicial databases - Copyright AFP Jean Baptiste Lacroix

Facundo Fernández Barrio

In the heart of Sao Paulo, a “prisonometer” keeps a live tally of people jailed due to Latin America’s largest AI facial-recognition system, but its successes have been marred by mistaken arrests.

The digital counter stands outside the Smart Sampa monitoring center, where dozens of police officers watch images streaming in from 40,000 cameras in the Brazilian megalopolis.

Latin America’s largest city has long battled high rates of crime, and the AI technology was introduced in 2024 to scan the streets and compare images to those in judicial databases.

Smart Sampa’s dragnet has swept up 3,000 fugitives, while nearly 4,000 people have been caught in the act of committing a crime.

“With the fugitives the system captured, we could fill seven prisons. Today I can no longer imagine Sao Paulo without Smart Sampa,” municipal security secretary Orlando Morando told AFP about the program, which costs about two million dollars per month to run.

To show how it works, he uploads a photo of himself to the system. Within seconds, images of him in various locations around the city of 12 million people pop up on the screen.

“It reminds me of the book 1984 (by George Orwell), with all that control of people: I love it, I approve 100 percent,” said Sonia Ferreira Silva, a 68-year-old retiree, standing next to a Smart Sampa truck serving as a mobile surveillance post on the iconic Avenida Paulista.



– Mistaken arrests –



But the system is far from foolproof.

Official transparency reports analyzed by AFP show that more than 8 percent of people identified as fugitives and arrested in Smart Sampa’s first year had to be released due to errors.

At least 59 detainees were freed because the system mistook them for other people.

In December, an 80-year-old retiree spent hours under arrest because Smart Sampa confused him with a rapist.

And a month earlier, a group of psychiatric patients were attending therapy at a mental health center when armed police burst in and handcuffed one of them.

After hours at the police station, the detainee was released, and authorities said his arrest warrant was no longer valid.

The system relies not only on street cameras but also on cameras in public buildings — including health centers — and private buildings that agree to participate.

At least 141 people were arrested due to outdated warrants, but the Sao Paulo government argues that those mistakes are the judiciary’s responsibility, not theirs.

“No one remained imprisoned by mistake: the people were released,” said Morando.



– ‘Civil control’ –



Among the fugitives captured by Smart Sampa, almost half had their crimes classified as “other.”

Nearly all of them are people who owe child support, a civil offense “that has little to do with public security,” according to the report “Smart Sampa: Transparency for whom? Transparency of what?”

“Smart Sampa is presented as a solution to crime but is used for civil control,” warns Amarilis Costa, director of the lawyers’ network Liberdade and a co-author of the report.

The government denounces attempts to “discredit” Smart Sampa, boasting the city had seen a nearly 15 percent drop in robberies in 2025.

In 2024, nearly one in five cellphone robberies in Brazil, including violent muggings, occurred in Sao Paulo.



– ‘No prejudice’ –



The racial identity of more than half of those found guilty and jailed after being caught by Smart Sampa is not included in official data.

Costa said this creates an information gap that makes it impossibe to know whether Smart Sampa suffers from “algorithmic racism” in a country with one of the world’s largest black populations.

Studies in several countries have suggested that AI facial recognition systems tend to make more mistakes with black people.

The government argues that the lack of racial data is the responsibility of the justice system.

“Smart Sampa has no prejudice — we do not arrest people based on color,” said Morando, the security secretary.

Most Smart Sampa arrests have occurred in outlying neighborhoods, with many of those detained migrants from poorer regions of Brazil’s interior.

Wild possum shelters with plush toys in Australian airport shop


By AFP
March 19, 2026


A video grab from Melissa Oddie shows a wild possum on a shelf among toys at Hobart Airport in Tasmania - Copyright AFP James Brooks

A wild possum joined stuffed furry friends in an Australian airport gift shop this week, surprising travellers in an adorable case of hide and squeak.

Staff at Hobart Airport in Australia’s Tasmania state said the disoriented marsupial was spotted among the stuffed toys on Wednesday.

Video showed the critter nervously perched on a shelf, seamlessly blending in with the toy kangaroos and bears.

“We always knew our plushie toy collection was lifelike, but it seems we finally got the ultimate seal of approval,” store manager Liam Bloomfield said.

“We were very happy to see a special local visitor stop by our terminal gift shop to browse the toy aisle and see if it could find some new friends.”

“We’re just glad we could provide a cozy resting spot in our store,” he added.

Airport employees were quickly on-hand to return the animal to its rightful place in the great outdoors.

“Only in Australia and only at Hobart Airport could a local possum pop in for a quick browse among the souvenirs,” an airport spokesperson said.

Japan ski paradise faces strains of global acclaim


By AFP
March 19, 2026


The scenic ski resorts in Kutchan, Hokkaido have become a flashpoint for immigration after an influx of foreign workers - Copyright AFP Yuichi YAMAZAKI

Mathias CENA

Beneath the powder snow at internationally popular Japanese ski resort Niseko, anxiety is mounting among residents over soaring prices and a massive influx of overseas workers.

At a time when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is talking tough on immigration, upscale Niseko has never been more popular with seasonal workers, investors and skiers from across the globe.

The snow “is the best in the world”, said Gideon Masters, a 29-year-old Australian tourist.

“It’s just soft, powder fluff. You can pick it up with your bare hands, it doesn’t even feel cold… It’s just a shame that it’s become so populated,” he told AFP at the foot of the slopes, snowboard in hand.

Built in the 1960s on the northern island of Hokkaido, the resort began attracting foreigners, mainly Australians, in the 1990s and became a popular destination after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 for those wanting to avoid the United States.

They gradually opened more shops and acquired property, and were later joined by Asian investors from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, among others, pushing land prices ever higher.

In Hirafu, one of the four resorts that make up Niseko, land prices jumped 70 percent between 2020 and 2025.

“If ski resorts in Japan had stayed the way they used to be, they would never have gained such worldwide renown,” said Hiroshi Hasegawa, director of a local real estate agency.

“It’s thanks to the taste and sensibilities of Australians and New Zealanders that this town has grown.”

They are no longer alone, with “funds based in tax havens and all kinds of investors (who) have started pouring money in. Hollywood stars and artists come here, and owners of multinationals are buying second homes,” he added.

“All of this is driving prices up even further,” a trend that will likely continue, according to the agent.



– Unaffordable for locals –



For residents, inflated property prices and living costs are leaving a bitter taste.

“Land is being sold at prices that are no longer affordable for locals,” explained 42-year-old Masatoshi Saito, who runs a painting company.

“In the supermarket, you find luxury products, sea urchins or Dom Perignon champagne, and vegetables have become extremely expensive,” pushing some people to do their shopping in a neighbouring town.

To attract staff, hotels and restaurants are raising wages, but local businesses are struggling to keep up.

“In construction, paying that much is very difficult because market prices are fixed. Raising wages is a huge risk for bosses,” Saito said.

Meanwhile, “care workers sometimes prefer jobs in hotels,” which pay better, creating a risk of labour shortages in social services”, warned Hasegawa.

Driven by tourist demand, the region sees thousands of seasonal workers arrive each year, most of them foreigners.

In Kutchan, a large town in the area, the non-Japanese population doubles in winter to 3,000 people from 70 countries, making up nearly 20 percent of residents.

“Young people in their twenties come here from all over the world (…), which creates a very lively atmosphere,” but also causes problems with neighbours, admitted Kutchan Mayor Kazushi Monji.

Saito and other residents, meanwhile, have complained about littering.

A plan to build housing for 1,200 foreign workers that was approved last autumn sparked outcry among locals.

“Cultures are different, not to mention the language barrier,” the mayor said, urging “mutual support and consideration”.



– ‘Harmonious coexistence’ –



Reflecting growing anti-immigration sentiment, the far-right “Japanese First” Sanseito party made gains in February’s general election.

Prime Minister Takaichi, meanwhile, has promised tougher rules for foreigners in the name of “harmonious coexistence” between communities.

Her government is proposing stricter checks on foreigners entering the country, lengths of stay and illegal work.

It also wants to revise rules on land purchases by foreigners for “national security” reasons.

While acknowledging the need to adapt legislation to current realities, Monji rejects “the somewhat extreme view” that foreigners could “take over”.

The interest Niseko is generating “boosts the economy and greatly contributes to the town’s development”, Kutchan’s mayor said.

And with births falling again in 2025 for the tenth year in a row in Japan, the country desperately needs foreign workers.

Hokkaido is experiencing extreme polarisation, hosting both the localities that saw the sharpest land-price increases in the country last year due to tourism and foreign investment, and those where prices fell the most, due to population decline.

“If we want to share the beauty of this region with the whole world, we must move beyond nationality divides,” Monji said.

GRIFT

Trump gets approval for gold coin in his likeness

“Only those nations ruled by kings or dictators display the image of their sitting ruler on the coins of the realm,” 

By AFP
March 19, 2026


A phone displaying the commemorative gold coin featuring Trump to mark America's 250th anniversary - Copyright AFP Chris DELMAS

An advisory commission hand-picked by President Donald Trump has approved the design of a commemorative gold coin featuring his image, officials said Thursday, in a move slammed by Democratic opponents.

The US Commission of Fine Arts declined to comment when asked by AFP after several media outlets showed the proposed design in reporting on the approval.

The coin is supposed to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

One side of it shows a glaring Trump standing with his fists bunched on a desk, and the other features an eagle perched with wings spread on what appears to be a bell.

The coin does not have a monetary value and its sale price has not been disclosed, but similar commemorative coins sold by the US Mint can cost over $1,000.

“We are thrilled to prepare coins that represent the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, and there is no profile more emblematic for the front of such coins than that of our serving president,” US Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement.

Beach noted that the design would differ from Trump images being planned for two other coins, a $1 piece that would be in circulation, and a one-ounce gold one.

Trump fired all six members of the US Commission of Fine Arts last October and replaced them with hand-picked people as he embarks on a series of renovation and building projects since returning to power in January.

Most controversial are a ballroom he is building at the White House, and the renovation of the famed Kennedy Center for the arts in Washington, which he has renamed after himself.

Another advisory panel, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, had refused in February to put Trump’s coin on the agenda for debate.

Since the signature of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, “no nation on earth has issued coins with the image of a democratically elected leader during the time of their service,” one of the committee members, Donald Scarinci, said at the time.

“Only those nations ruled by kings or dictators display the image of their sitting ruler on the coins of the realm,” he said.

India to tackle global obesity with cheap fat-loss jabs


By AFP
March 20, 2026


India's weight-loss drug sales are projected to soar to over half a billion by 2030 - Copyright AFP Indranil MUKHERJEE

Anuj SRIVAS

A deluge of weight‑loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low‑cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired Friday.

The move will dramatically widen access to treatments that have long been considered a luxury, especially in middle-income countries, where soaring demand has collided with steep prices.

At clinics across Mumbai, doctors say they are already preparing for an influx in new patients.

More than 50 people walk into endocrinologist Nadeem Rais’s office every week seeking weight-loss injections.

“We have around 70 to 80 patients on active treatment right now,” he told AFP.

“When generics come out and prices drop, that could go up to 200 easily.”

His colleague Sunera Ghai agrees saying that demand is “very high” but many “probably aren’t taking it just because it is truly a luxury item at this point”.

The breakthrough comes as patents on semaglutide — the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy — expired Friday in India, the world’s largest supplier of generic medicines.

By the end of 2026, core patents on semaglutide will have expired in 10 countries that represent 48 percent of the global obesity burden, according to a study published earlier this month by researchers.

These include Brazil, China, South Africa, Turkey and Canada, the study said.

– Launching soon –



For India’s drug giants, this marks the start of an aggressive new race.

At least four major firms have already prepared generic semaglutide injections, regulatory filings and compliance documents viewed by AFP show.

Some, including Zydus Lifesciences, have announced “Day 1” launches, suggesting generic versions may become available as soon as this weekend in India.

Research firm Pharmarack estimates the Indian market will soon be flooded with options.

“What we understand is, there will be more than 50 brands that will be launched in the market and there are more than 40 players who will be launching these drugs,” Pharmarack’s vice president Sheetal Sapale said.

The timing aligns with India’s shifting health landscape.

While the country still accounts for a third of the world’s undernutrition according to the World Health Organization (WHO), rising incomes and urban lifestyles have pushed obesity rates sharply upward.

Government data released March last year shows 24 percent of women and 23 percent of men are overweight or obese in India.

“Once a person starts earning money, he becomes more sedentary here,” says bariatric surgeon Sanjay Borude.

“While in first-world countries, the more the money, they become more active and devote time for their health, this is reversed in India.”

These flipped economics have worked well for big pharma players like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk who have been cashing in on the market.

India’s weight‑loss drug sales have grown tenfold in five years to $153 million as of 2026, and are projected to soar to over half a billion by 2030.

But using such drugs can cause side effects including nausea and gastrointestinal issues.



– Breaking price barrier –



Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro became the country’s top‑selling drug by value last year, surpassing even common antibiotics.

Still, high prices — often 15,000 to 22,000 rupees ($161–$236) a month — limit access, says Swati Pradhan, who runs a weight-loss clinic in Mumbai.

She expects patient numbers to rise once generics push treatment costs closer to 5,000 rupees ($60) a month.

The global impact may prove even more profound.

India supplies more than half of Africa’s generic medicines, and cheaper semaglutide could become a lifeline for countries where obesity is rising rapidly but treatment remains unaffordable.

“Lower‑cost semaglutide could significantly expand access to effective treatment particularly in middle-income countries where price has been a major barrier,” Simon Barquera, president of the World Obesity Federation, told AFP.

“Generic products are an important step in breaking the access barrier, now that the scientific one has been overcome.”

Indian firms will be a key driving force, with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories aiming to launch its version of semaglutide in Canada by May 2026.

For patients like 46‑year‑old Sukant Mangal, who lost nearly 30 pounds in eight months, wider access could not come soon enough.

Many he knows simply abandoned treatment mid‑way when they realised they would have to spend 20,000 rupees ($214) a month for seven to eight months.

“Had it been cheaper, (it) would’ve been much easier to have it.”

German auto exports to China plunged a third in 2025: study

The study also showed that the German auto industry as a whole shed nearly 50,000 jobs last year, with the total number of workers reaching its lowest level in 14 years.

By AF
March 20, 2026


Volkswagen cars at a port in Germany. Last year, Germany's auto exports to China plunged, a study showed - Copyright AFP/File -

German auto industry exports to China plunged by a third last year as the country’s manufacturers face fierce local competition, a study showed Friday, underscoring the sector’s deepening crisis.

As well as problems in key market China, German carmakers such as Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes are battling weak demand in Europe and a troubled transition to electric vehicles.

According to the study by consultancy EY, exports to China dropped by 33 percent in 2025 to a value of 13.6 billion euros ($15.7 billion) compared to the previous year.

This meant China fell from second spot down to sixth in the ranking of the German auto industry’s biggest export markets, it showed.

The United States remained the top market, with exports worth 28.5 billion euros — but the figure was down 18 percent from 2024 amid President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz.

The fall in exports to both China and the United States “is causing massive overcapacity across the entire German automotive industry,” said EY auto industry expert Constantin M. Gall.

“The automotive sector is under more pressure than ever before.”

German auto sector exports were down around four percent overall last year, the study showed.

Long a reliable market for German cars, China has become much more challenging due to the emergence of homegrown rivals, particularly for sales of EVs, such as BYD.

Demand has also been weaker in China due to a prolonged slowdown in the world’s number two economy.

China’s new generation of carmakers are also increasingly making inroads into Europe.

In 2025, the value of cars and auto parts imported from China into the European Union exceeded the value of auto sector exports from the EU to China, according to the EU study.

This is despite the EU’s decision to slap hefty tariffs on imports of Chinese-made EVs in a bid to protect its domestic manufacturers.

The study also showed that the German auto industry as a whole shed nearly 50,000 jobs last year, with the total number of workers reaching its lowest level in 14 years.

Bankruptcies filings in the sector also hit a 14-year high.

 Stagflation risk in US ‘quite high’: Nobel-winning economist Stiglitz

By AFP
March 16, 2026


Joseph Stiglitz told AFP the United States was at high risk of falling into stagflation - Copyright AFP Fabrice COFFRINI

The war in the Middle East has put the United States at high risk of falling into stagflation, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz told AFP on Monday.

Even before the war erupted on February 28 with a barrage of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Stiglitz said the US economy was already “close to stagflation” — a troublesome blend of high inflation and anaemic growth.

There were a number of “readings for slow growth before the war”, he said in an interview at the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva, “and this just… pushes us over the brink”.

The Middle East war has virtually halted activity in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil supplies and a substantial amount of gas normally run, sending oil prices soaring.

Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50 percent after Iran choked off the waterway and attacked energy and shipping industry targets in the Gulf in response to the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

This has sparked fears of a shock to a global trading system, which is already under stress from US President Donald Trump’s tariff offensive as well as the fragmentation of supply chains since the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

– ‘Unbalanced’ –

Stiglitz, who jointly won the Nobel Economics Prize in 2001 for his analysis of markets with asymmetric information, said the United States was the country most at risk of falling into stagflation, as it did during the oil shocks in the 1970s.

“The risk of stagflation seems to be quite high for the US,” said the professor at Columbia University in New York.

The situation elsewhere was not as clear-cut, said Stiglitz, who served as chief economist at the World Bank in the late 1990s after being the chairman of US president Bill Clinton’s council of economic advisers.

While Europe would certainly face inflationary pressures on energy too, it was also seeing a growth “stimulus” as it dramatically ramps up defence spending, after Washington “made it very clear that you cannot depend on the US for your defence”, he said.

Trump’s policies had meanwhile significantly weakened the US economy even before the war, he maintained.

Stiglitz pointed to troubling indicators, like the lack of labour force growth in 2025 and last month’s hike in unemployment.

And while there had been growth, it had been “unbalanced”, he said, with around a third coming from the creation of artificial intelligence data centres.

The stock market, meanwhile, “is doing well because it’s dominated by AI and tech firms”, he said.

“If you look at the rest of the stock market, it’s just languishing.”

– Trump ‘destroyed confidence’ –

At the same time, Stiglitz said he expected to see Trump’s tariff policy boost inflation.

Typically, when applying tariffs, a country could expect to see the value of its currency rise, since it is buying fewer goods abroad, which should lower inflation, the economist said.

But in this case, he pointed out that “the dollar has gotten weaker”.

That, he said, is because “Trump has destroyed confidence in America and the dollar”.

“The weaker dollar means that, rather than less inflation from the tariffs, there’s more inflation… Everything we import is more expensive in dollar terms.”

Added to that now is inflation from the war, as well as greater uncertainty among households and businesses.

They “don’t know what the tariffs are going to be, (or) how long this war is going to last. They don’t know what energy prices are going to be”, Stiglitz said.

Businesses, he insisted, “can’t invest in these circumstances”.

Records shattered as US heatwave moves eastward


By AFP
March 21, 2026


Covering up in Redondo Beach, California on March 20, 2026 

- Copyright AFP Patrick T. Fallon

A record-breaking heatwave afflicting the western half of the United States moved eastward Saturday toward the center of the country, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures to places that were at freezing or below just a week prior.

Dozens of cities from California to Colorado recorded their highest temperatures ever for the month of March, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.

On Saturday, areas that saw new records for the highest temperatures in March included 92 Fahrenheit (33.3C) recorded in Kansas City, Missouri, and North Platte, Nebraska.

In addition to monthly all-time highs, the heatwave reached several other temperature milestones.

For instance, in Chanute, Kansas, temperatures went from a record low of 13F (-10.5C) on March 16 to a record high of 91F (32.8C) just four days later.

And in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the hottest cities in the United States, the daily low was a balmy 70F (21.1C) on Saturday, the earliest in the year such a level had been reached, the weather agency said.

Cities recording all-time daily highs Saturday included Denver (86F), Grand Island, Nebraska (98F) and Midland, Texas (98F).

On Friday the heatwave had brought temperatures up to 44.4C (112F) in several areas along the southern California-Arizona border, a national US record for March.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for the same desert areas on Saturday, as well as a red flag warning — indicating high wildfire risk — for much of the central Plains states of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Scientists say there is overwhelming evidence that current heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming, a process driven chiefly by the burning of fossil fuels.

With winter in the northern hemisphere officially ending on Friday — the first day of astronomical spring — the soaring temperatures were wreaking havoc on wildlife in the West.

Many plants and trees are already blooming, and vegetation is growing at a fantastic clip, fueled by heavy rains in December and January.

US earns its lowest-ever score on freedom index


By AFP
March 19, 2026


Fact-checking and disinformation research has become more contentious than ever in the United States. - Copyright AFP Mandel NGAN

A pro-democracy research group said Wednesday that freedom in the United States has declined to its lowest level since it started assessments, as President Donald Trump aggressively wields executive authority.

Washington-based Freedom House said that freedom eroded around the world in 2025 for the 20th straight year, in what it called a “grim milestone.”

The United States remained rated free but fell to 81 points out of 100. It was the lowest score since the survey, which first covered 1972, began its 100-point system in 2002.

The score put the United States at the same level as South Africa and below a number of US European allies as well as South Korea and Panama.

Freedom House said the US decline was due to “both legislative dysfunction and executive dominance, growing pressure on people’s ability to engage in free expression, and efforts by the new administration to undermine anticorruption safeguards.”

Trump has aggressively asserted his power as president, ordering the closure of entire government agencies and deploying armed, masked anti-immigration agents around the country, with the White House promising them impunity.

The United States declined by three points, a drop only experienced by one other “free” country, Bulgaria, where 2024 elections were marred by allegations of fraud.

Overall, only 21 percent of people live in countries rated as “free,” with much of the slip in Africa due to military coups, violence against protesters and the weakening of constitutional protections, Freedom House said.

Over the past two decades worldwide, “many more have fallen into the ‘not free’ category than have democratized or moved up to that free category,” said Cathryn Grothe, a senior research analyst at Freedom House who co-authored the report.

“The world is getting less and less free and that middle area is shrinking, and then the free countries are staying relatively stable” despite the US score decline, she said.

On a positive note, three countries were upgraded to “free” from “partly free” — Bolivia and Malawi, which both held competitive elections, and Fiji, which strengthened the rule of law.

The only country to receive a perfect 100 score was Finland, while only South Sudan was rated 0.

The biggest decline in score was in Guinea-Bissau, where the military last year seized power and suspended an election process days after voting.

Other countries with steep falls in scores included Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Madagascar, while Syria and Sri Lanka both saw gains.

Freedom House, founded in 1941 with bipartisan US support, is independently administered but historically has received US government funding, which was sharply reduced by Trump as he slashes efforts at democracy promotion.

SPACE/COSMOS

Op-Ed: Australia’s first Moon Rover is called “Roover”. A strong dose of realism added.


By Paul Wallis
EDITOR AT LARGE

DIGITAL JOURNAL
March 16, 2026


Beijing, which has poured huge resources into its space programme to catch up with the United States and Russia, is aiming to put humans on the Moon by 2030 - Copyright AFP KARIM JAAFAR

If there’s one thing Australia does far worse than just about any other country, it’s publicizing its science. Australia’s first Moon rover is no exception. I hadn’t heard of it myself.

It’s called Roover because it’s Australian, and it is quite a hop to the Moon. It’s small, painstakingly built to scale, and it has the advantage of current technology. It’s not an El Cheapo exercise. This mission is all about functionality.

The Australian Space Agency has put together some useful information regarding the rover. This is a major step forward and outwards for the long-suffering Australian space sector. Finally, some budget is getting into the mix.

Leaving out the sheer strategic ignorance, ineptitude, and idiocy of putting our space tech on the back burner for so long, this is a must for Australia with many tangible rewards. There are some huge positives already appearing in the new generation approach.

The Australian nanosatellite SpiRIT made its point over a grueling 25 months in orbit recently. The satellite successfully completed an X-ray research mission in the process.

The new space research and exploration environment is totally different from the 20th century. Cost efficiencies and science are very much on the same page. The Australian programs are reflecting this move to pure mission realities.

There’s a preliminary point to be made here.

A gigantic old-style space infrastructure can also build in heritage inefficiencies and instant redundancies on all levels. The never-sufficiently-reviled, absurdly dangerous orbital junkyard is a good example of big mistakes.

OK, the old tech didn’t have much choice about what it could send up, but the mismanagement is unforgivable. If nanosatellites can do these jobs, they can replace the museum up there with better functionality and much better tech. The next generation will be much easier to manage and far less dangerous.

The science is fascinating, but underpinning the science is sheer unambiguous realism. Space is about to become big business in more ways than just sending up missions. With the new missions come new tech, new materials, new AI science, and a virtual encyclopaedia of opportunities for human advancement.

This is where Australia is definitely getting it right in more ways than one. The new Moon rover is built to deliver real value on a realistic, sustainable scale. The nanosatellites could be the most useful peripherals ever mounted in space, both around Earth and the rest of the solar system.

This new tech is rewriting the script. No more logistical hernias. New research doesn’t have to carry the can for sheer bulk and mass. Experimentation becomes more affordable and easier to do. Commitments of money, time, and resources become less onerous.

It’s getting hyper-competitive up there. The Chinese space program alone is breaking barriers on a routine basis. The European Space Agency is delivering a spread of science and tech that continues to expand both the range and scope of missions. If America finally overcomes its moronic opposition to its own greatest achievements, things could get interesting.

The intellectual property values of these technologies cannot be overstated. Just as the original space programs before them, the new space science will inevitably return to Earth in any and every consumer form, from frying pans to robots able to explore a teenager’s room.

Once a jolly swag-rover camped by a valley on Mars? Yeah, it’ll happen.

Well done, all. This could be fun.

_________________________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members

Nvidia making AI module for outer space

By AFP
March 16, 2026


Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says artificial intelligence powered by the company's graphics processing units is quickly infusing nearly everything from Disney character robots to data centers that may one day be orbiting the planet - Copyright AFP JOSH EDELSON

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang on Monday said the leading artificial intelligence chip maker is heading for space with a goal of powering orbiting data centers.

An Nvidia graphics processing unit (GPU) was launched into space late last year by startup Starcloud in what was touted as an off-planet debut for the technology, but now Nvidia is creating a module intended as a building block for data centers there.

“We’re working with our partners on a new computer called Vera Rubin Space One,” Huang said as he kicked off the GPU-maker’s annual developers conference in Silicon Valley.

“It’s going to go out to space and start data centers.”

Partners in the project include Starcloud, which is planning a November satellite launch that will mark the “cosmic debut” of the new Nvidia module.

A Starcloud-1 satellite, about the size of a small refrigerator, is expected to be packed with 100 times more computing power than any previous space-based operation.

“In 10 years, nearly all new data centers will be being built in outer space,” predicted Starcloud co-founder and chief Philip Johnston.

The startup explained that it plans to power Google AI with the Nvidia GPUs to show that large language models can run in outer space.

Nvidia described the Vera Rubin module as being optimized for AI, enabling real-time sensing, decision making, and autonomous functioning.

“Space computing, the final frontier, has arrived,” Huang said.

“With our partners, we’re extending Nvidia beyond our planet — boldly taking intelligence where it’s never gone before.”

Tech firms are floating the idea of building data centers in space and tapping into the sun’s energy to meet out-of-this-world power demands in a fierce artificial intelligence race.

More than a dozen startups, aerospace leaders, and major tech firms are involved in the development, testing, or planning of space-based data centers.

The big draw of space for data centers is power supply, with the option of synchronizing satellites to the sun’s orbit to ensure constant light beaming onto solar panels.

Building in space also avoids the challenges of acquiring land and meeting local regulations or community resistance to projects.

Critical technical aspects of such operations need to be resolved, however, particularly damage to the orbiting data centers from high levels of radiation and extreme temperatures, and the danger of them being hit by space junk.

Attacked Russian tanker drifting toward Libya: Italian authorities


By AFP
March 20, 2026


A series of explosions rocked the Arctic Metagaz on March 3 - Copyright Newsbook Malta/AFP Miguela XUEREB

A Russian tanker that was badly damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean last week is drifting without crew towards the Libyan coast, Italy’s civil protection service said on Friday.

Russia has accused Ukraine of trying to blow up the Arctic Metagaz, which was carrying a consignment of liquified natural gas (LNG) from Russia to Egypt when it was hit on March 3.

Italian officials said there was no sign that the fuel used to power the tanker had leaked, but they were unable to comment on the fate of the gas consignment.

The ship, whose 30 crew abandoned it, faced US and European Union sanctions as a suspected part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” of vessels carrying Russian oil and gas in contravention of international sanctions.

Ukraine has not commented on the case but Italian authorities are among Mediterranean nations nervously watching the ship’s movements. Salvage experts have been waiting in Malta.

Russia has said vessel was carrying about 700 tonnes of fuel as well its gas consignment when it was hit. Libya’s port authority has said the ship was carrying 62,000 tonnes of LNG intended for Egypt.

“At this stage, we have no information that the fuel has started to disperse,” the civil protection service’s press chief, Pierfrancesco Demilito, told a news conference.

He said the tanker was currently in international waters but in Libya’s search and rescue zone about 53 nautical miles north of Tripoli and heading south.

According to the official, it was not possible to say how much gas was on the tanker but he said it was “potentially dangerous” because of the risk of an explosion.

The ship, though still afloat, “is severely damaged and even towing it is a complex operation”, Demilito said.

“It has a large lateral breach and is not a very stable vessel at the moment, even if it is not showing any imminent signs of sinking.”

Images taken by AFP on Sunday showed the tanker much further north from the location given by the Demilito. Some parts had been blackened and seriously damaged by explosions and fire. There were two holes on each side.

Blackened, wrecked Russian tanker nears Malta


By AFP
March 15, 2026


This aerial photo taken on March 15, 2026 shows the wreck of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) carrier Arctic Metagaz, which is adrift near Malta - Copyright AFP Atta KENARE

A liquified natural gas (LNG) carrier Russia claims was attacked by Ukraine in the Mediterranean is blackened by fire with two large holes in the hull, AFP footage showed Sunday.

The 277-metre-long Arctic Metagaz has been drifting without a crew since a series of explosions scuppered the vessel off Libya on March 3.

On Sunday lunchtime, it was 50 nautical miles southwest of Malta.

AFP footage taken from a plane showed it listing onto one side, parts of it blackened and seriously damaged by fire, with two holes either side in the middle of the hull.

Russia accused Ukraine of a drone attack on the ship, which had been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being one of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”.

The fleet is made up of ageing tankers that carry Russia’s oil and gas around the world, skirting Western restrictions.

Russia said that all 30 crew members had been rescued. Ukraine, which Moscow invaded in February 2022, has not commented.

Authorities in Malta and Italy have been monitoring the passage of the wreck, amid pollution fears.

Rome has said the ship was carrying “significant quantities of gas, heavy oil, and diesel fuel”.

Libya’s port authority said the ship had been carrying roughly 62,000 metric tonnes of LNG intended for Egypt.

Environmental group WWF this week said it was also carrying 900 tonnes of diesel fuel, and warned this could cause huge damage if it spilled into the sea.

“A potential spill could cause fires, cryogenic clouds lethal to marine life, and widespread and long-lasting pollution of water and the atmosphere,” WWF Italy warned in a statement.

“The affected area is of exceptional ecological value, with fragile deep-sea ecosystems and some of the highest biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin.”

The Libyan port authority said the ship was hit by “sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking” north of the port of Sirte.

However, Malta’s transport authority last week said the wreck was still afloat, drifting without a crew between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with her defence, foreign, energy, maritime and civil protection ministers on Friday to discuss the situation.

Afterwards, her office confirmed it was in contact with Malta and willing to help where necessary.

Salvage experts are already in Malta in preparation for the ship’s arrival in Maltese waters, while a specialist vessel is on its way, a maritime source told AFP on Sunday.

VENCEREMOS!

First international aid convoy arrives in crisis-hit Cuba


By AFP
March 18, 2026


A group of people transporting humanitarian aid from Europe arrived in Havana with five tons of medical supplies and other essential items. - Copyright AFP Ilia YEFIMOVICH

The first shipment of international aid for crisis-hit Cuba has arrived in the country in the shape of five tons of medical supplies, official sources said Wednesday.

A delegation of around 100 European activists arrived overnight at Havana airport with the aid, which will be distributed to hospitals, the sources said.

Cuba has been mired in an economic crisis exacerbated by the sudden suspension of oil supplies from Venezuela in January after the United States ousted president Nicolas Maduro, a Cuba ally.

The island nation of 9.6 million was already battling the effects of the US fuel blockade against the island.

The aid activists from several European and Latin American countries as well as Turkey belong to the Nuestra America (“Our America”) flotilla who are out to show their solidarity with the Cuban people.

All told, humanitarian organizations and public figures plan to deliver 20 tons of aid to the island by air and sea to help Cuba through its worst economic crisis in three decades exacerbated by the US capture of Maduro and the cut-off in oil shipments from Venezuela.

US President Donald Trump has threatened retaliation against any country sending oil to the Caribbean island.

Official Cuban media said another convoy was leaving Chile on Wednesday with “medicines, supplies and food to help Cuba cope with the tightening of the energy blockade imposed by the United States.”

Additionally, a group of 140 people — including doctors, lawyers, labor leaders and activists — will be flying from Miami, Florida, to Havana on Friday to deliver 2.8 tons of medical supplies to clinics and hospitals, according to the pacifist group CODEPINK, one of the operation’s organizers.

A flotilla from Mexico is also expected to reach Havana by the end of the week.

Separately, leftist activists are also planning to hold a solidarity event along the Havana waterfront.

Among expected attendees are Pablo Iglesias, a former Spanish politician and founder of the left-wing party Podemos, Irish punk-rap group Kneecap, Brazilian climate activist Thiago Avila and leftist British Parliamentarian Jeremy Corbyn, according to a statement by organizers.

In their statement, organizers quoted Corbyn as saying that the United States had blockaded Cuba for six decades and “now the Donald Trump administration is intensifying” it.

Corbyn insisted that a majority of people around the world sided with the Cuban people.

Iglesias said that “to defend the Cuban people is to defend sovereignty and freedom against the criminal logic of the blockade” imposed by Washington.

Cuba hit by second nationwide blackout in a week


By AFP
March 21, 2026


Cuba has been hit by several blackouts due to an aging power grid and a US fuel embargo - Copyright AFP Yamil LAGE

Laurent Thomet and Rigoberto Diaz

Cuba plunged into darkness for the second time in less than a week on Saturday after its national power network failed again, strained by aging infrastructure and a US oil blockade.

As night fell, Havana’s streets were mostly pitch black, with people navigating using phone lights or flashlights, just five days after the previous blackout.

In the touristy old city, some restaurants were able to stay open thanks to generators, with musicians playing music, but the regular blackouts have made life more difficult for Cubans.

“This is becoming unbearable,” Ofelia Oliva, a 64-year-old Havana resident, told AFP.

“It hasn’t even been a week since we experienced a similar situation. It is getting tiresome,” Oliva said as she returned home after giving up on plans to visit her daughter.

The “total disconnection” of the national electricity system was due to an outage in a power unit at one of the country’s thermoelectric plants, causing a “cascading effect”, the state-owned Cuban Electric Union said.

It said it was activating micro-grids to provide power to critical facilities, including hospitals and water treatment plants.

“I wonder if we’re going to be like this our whole lives. You can’t live like this,” Nilo Lopez, a 36-year-old taxi driver, told AFP.



– US blockade –



The country’s electricity generation is sustained by a network of eight aging thermoelectric plants — some in operation for over 40 years — that suffer frequent breakdowns or must be shut down for maintenance cycles.

Cubans face daily blackouts of up to 15 hours in Havana. In the interior of the island, these outages can exceed 40 hours.

The breakdowns have intensified since Cuba’s main regional ally and oil supplier, Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, was captured in a US military operation in January.

And US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.

No oil has been imported to the island since January 9, hitting the power sector while also forcing airlines to curtail flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector.

The blackout occurred as an international aid convoy began to arrive in Havana this week, bringing sorely-needed medical supplies, food, water and solar panels to the island.



– ‘Honor of taking Cuba’ –



The crisis in the country of 9.6 million people comes as Trump has made no secret of his desire to see regime change in Havana.

“I do believe I’ll be…having the honor of taking Cuba,” he said.

“Whether I free it, take it — think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”

The next day, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that “any external aggressor will encounter an unbreakable resistance.”

Tanieris Dieguez, Cuba’s deputy chief of mission in Washington, told AFP earlier this week that Havana was open to broad talks with Washington and allowing more investment.

But she said Cuba’s political system would “never” be part of the negotiations.

The outages as well as regular shortages of food, medicine and other basics are spurring frustrations, with demonstrators vandalizing a provincial office of the Cuban Communist Party last weekend.

With Cuba in desperate need of fuel, maritime trackers reported this week that two tankers carrying Russian oil and diesel appeared to be on their way to the island, but their status remains unclear.

Some took the latest outage in stride.

Meiven Rodriguez, 40, kept working in a small shop, selling cigarettes and using her phone light to count money.

“You have to keep going, otherwise you won’t bring money home,” she said.

A few fishermen cast for sardines into the dark waters of the oceanfront city.

“What would we do at home?” said Leonsio Suarez, 50.

After Cuba beckons, Miami entrepreneurs are mostly reluctant to invest in the island


By AFP
March 21, 2026


Havana's communist authorities have said exiled Cubans can invest on the island to help its ramshackle economy but the idea is being met with caution in Florida A coconut water stall is seen on a street in Havana with a sign reading "Ice-cold coconut water", on March 16, 2026. Cubans living abroad and their descendants will be able to invest and have their own businesses on the island, the communist government announced on March 16, 2026, at a time when the country’s economy is almost paralyzed by the energy blockade imposed by Washington. - Copyright AFP YAMIL LAGE

Gerard MARTINEZ

Havana announced this week that it would allow Cuban emigrants to invest to address the communist island’s severe economic and energy crises. But in Miami, the epicenter of the diaspora, entrepreneurs are generally reluctant.

“I don’t think a single businessman, not a single Cuban in exile, will invest in this island where there is no legal security,” said Ivan Herrera, director of the Univista insurance company, calling the initiative “a huge scam.”

The entrepreneur, whose grandfather was a political prisoner for 12 years before fleeing to Miami, refuses to invest under what he calls the “criminal” government.

This opening by Havana, a serious breach in the island’s anti-capitalist system, comes as the Cuban economy teeters on the brink of collapse. The shortage of essential goods is worsening daily, and power outages have multiplied since President Donald Trump’s administration cut off Venezuelan oil supplies.

Carlos Saladrigas, president of the human resources company Regis HR Group and the think tank Cuba Study Group, viewed the move as a step in the right direction, but said that Cuban authorities needed to resolve many unanswered questions to attract investment.

“Reintegrating the diaspora into the country’s economic life is essential for Cuba’s future,” he said.

“But behind their words lies an entire legal framework that needs to be reformed,” Saladrigas said.

“The government has to say: ‘We are going to discard traditional socialism and a centrally planned economy and adopt market-based measures.'”

– ‘Extremely risky’ –

Hugo Cancio, owner of the digital media outlet OnCuba and Katapulk, an online supermarket that allows the purchase and delivery of products in Cuba, was more enthusiastic.

“Of course I would invest in Cuba, and I would do so with great pleasure,” he said. “Do you know why? Because it’s not just an investment; I would be helping to rebuild my country.”

But Pedro Freyre, a Cuban-American lawyer specializing in the island’s regulatory framework, considers Cuba an “extremely risky” investment destination.

He justified this view by citing a dysfunctional banking system, a highly unstable currency, the absence of the rule of law guaranteeing private property, the failure of the centrally planned economy, and “completely dilapidated” infrastructure.

“It’s very difficult to say to yourself, ‘I’m going to take the money I’ve saved my whole life to open a McDonald’s on the Malecon (Havana’s famous seaside promenade) when I don’t know if there’s electricity, water, or if the Malecon is going to collapse into the sea,'” he said.

Adding to these obstacles is the fact that, under the American embargo imposed since the 1960s, Washington must allow its residents to conduct business on the island.

Herrera hoped to be able to invest “when there is a free Cuba,” to support his compatriots who lack housing, infrastructure, sanitation, and electricity.

“Here in Miami, people and very large companies built the city while we arrived with nothing,” he said. “In the same way, we can build and rebuild Cuba.”

White House piles pressure on Cuba as island fights power cut


By AFP
March 17, 2026


About a quarter of Cuba's citizens are eldery, and many of them are poor 

- Copyright AFP YAMIL LAGE

Washington piled pressure on Cuba’s communist authorities Tuesday to allow free market reforms as the impoverished island scrambled to recover from a nationwide electricity blackout.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba’s decision announced this week to let exiles invest and own businesses did not go far enough.

“What they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It’s not going to fix it. So they’ve got some big decisions to make,” Rubio, a Cuban-American and vociferous critic of the island’s ruling party, told reporters at the White House.

President Donald Trump, who just Monday had said he would “take” Cuba, added: “We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon.”

Cuba’s authorities are under increasingly crushing pressure, with Washington openly stating it wants to end the nearly seven-decades-old US standoff with the one-party communist state.

A total electricity breakdown on Monday underscored the parlous state of the economy. Cuba lost Venezuela as its chief regional ally and oil supplier this January after a US military operation to topple Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.


US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US President Donald Trump renewed pressure on Cuba which is also dealing with its latest mass power cut – Copyright AFP Jim WATSON

Power was restored to two-thirds of the country early Tuesday, including to 45 percent of the capital Havana, which is home to 1.7 million people.

“What we fear all the time is that the blackout will drag on and we will lose the little bit that we have in the fridge, because everything is so expensive,” said Olga Suarez, a 64-year-old retiree.

“Otherwise we are used to it because here almost all the time you go to bed and wake up without electricity,” she told AFP.

Adding another scare, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Cuba early Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

– Trump to ‘take’ Cuba –

Cuba’s ageing electricity generation system is in shambles, with daily power outages of up to 20 hours the norm in parts of the island, which lacks the fuel needed to generate power.

But since the US ouster of Maduro on January 3, the island’s economy has been further hammered by a de facto US oil blockade.

No oil has been imported to the island since January 9, hitting the power sector while also forcing airlines to curtail flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector.

And Trump is explicitly saying he wants the Cuban government to fall.

“You know, all my life I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

“I do believe I’ll be…having the honor of taking Cuba,” Trump said.

“Whether I free it, take it — think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”

burs-sms/msp

TotalEnergies faces ruling in Belgian farmer climate case


By AFP
March 18, 2026


The lawsuit by farmer Hugues Falys is the first time a citizen in Belgium has brought a case against a multinational company - Copyright AFP JOHN THYS

Matthieu DEMEESTERE

A Belgian judge will rule Wednesday in a closely watched case pitting French oil giant TotalEnergies against a farmer seeking compensation for damage to his farm caused by climate change.

Hugues Falys, a farmer from Belgium’s western Hainaut region, was backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace in the David-versus-Goliath case they hope could prove a turning point in the climate fight.

Together they took TotalEnergies to court on the grounds the French group is Belgium’s leading refiner and distributor of petroleum products, launching the country’s first climate case brought against a multinational company.

The plaintiffs argue the firm can be held liable for global warming because of emissions generated when its products are burned — a claim rejected by TotalEnergies which accuses pressure groups of “instrumentalising the judiciary.”

The lawsuit was filed in 2024 before the Tournai business court in western Belgium, and argued over a series of hearings between November and January, with a verdict due at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Wednesday.

“The judges have everything they need to make the right decision,” Falys told AFP.

“But it won’t be black and white, given the number of issues to be decided,” added the farmer, who also serves as spokesman for an agricultural union.

Contacted by AFP, TotalEnergies declined to comment ahead of the ruling.

Falys is seeking 130,000 euros ($150,000) in damages for four extreme weather events that struck his farm between 2016 and 2020.

First a storm destroyed his strawberry and potato crops, then three periods of drought hurt fodder production, affecting cattle in turn.

But the farmer and his backers are also seeking much broader action from TotalEnergies on countering climate change — notably for it to stop investing in new fossil-fuel projects.

– Frequent target –

The goals of the lawsuit are “reparation and transformation”, said Belgium’s human rights league (LDH), which is backing the complaint alongside Greenpeace and food‑rights organisation FIAN.

Making its case in court, the company called it “absurd” to single out a particular firm over the pace of the energy transition — arguing that it accounts for less than two percent of the oil and gas sector.

“It’s a bit easy to blame energy producers for pollution and warming,” argued company lawyer Francoise Labrousse back in December, stressing the overarching role of governments in steering climate policy.

“TotalEnergies doesn’t sell tractors, cars or boilers,” Labrousse argued, describing the group’s strategy to meet the EU’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 as “ambitious and effective”.

TotalEnergies is a frequent target of climate and human rights activists, along with other oil giants.

In 2021, Dutch courts issued a landmark ruling ordering Anglo‑Dutch giant Shell to cut its net carbon emissions, finding they contributed to global warming and its harmful effects.

But the judgement was overturned three years later, when an appeals court found that an NGO and individual citizens could not make such demands.

The case, known as “People vs. Shell”, is now before the Dutch Supreme Court.

Venezuela stun USA to win politically charged World Baseball crown

KARMA IS A BITCH

By AFP
March 18, 2026


Venezuela fans celebrate their national baseball team's victory in Caracas

 - Copyright AFP Juan BARRETO

Venezuela stunned the United States 3-2 to win the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday for the first time, sparking an outpouring of national pride after a tense final dripping with political symbolism.

Eugenio Suarez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning to seal the historic victory in Miami over a star-studded American line-up hyped as a baseball “dream team”.

Jubilant Venezuelans poured into the streets of Caracas to celebrate their heroes following years of economic hardship and weeks after the dramatic US capture of authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro in a military raid.

“In Venezuela we don’t want feuds,” baseball fan Gerardo Oliviera told AFP as cars and motorbikes roared through the streets of the capital, proudly displaying the country’s flag.

“We’ve shown them on the field that we are more than just a sovereign people with character.”

Trailing for most of the game, the USA looked to have hauled themselves back into the contest when Bryce Harper blasted a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth inning.

But Harper’s salvo proved to be in vain as Venezuela regained the lead in the ninth inning, punishing a shaky performance from US reliever Garrett Whitlock to clinch victory.

“What can I say, it’s amazing,” Venezuela hero Suarez said.

“Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship today. This is a celebration for all the Venezuelan country.”

Suarez’s winning double settled a final that had got underway in a raucous atmosphere at LoanDepot Park, with a large contingent of Venezuela fans in a sold-out crowd of 36,190 booing the USA lineup during pre-game introductions.

US President Donald Trump, whose government captured Maduro in a January 3 raid and flew him to New York for trial on drug trafficking charges, had stoked tensions with a social media post on Monday.

He congratulated Venezuela for reaching the final while simultaneously suggesting the country could become the USA’s “51st state.”

Trump again returned to the theme moments after Tuesday’s defeat, declaring in a post on his Truth Social platform: “STATEHOOD!!! President DJT.”

Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez — who replaced Maduro — meanwhile declared a “national day of jubilation” on Wednesday.

“This triumph is the victory of the passion, talent and unity that define us as Venezuelans,” Rodriguez wrote on X.

“An achievement that will remain forever in the heart of our country. ¡VIVA VENEZUELA!”

In Miami, where Venezuelans celebrated into the night, fan Iraima Camacho said: “That’s a joy that moves every Venezuelan and every Latin American.

“It shows, folks, that this is Venezuela.”



– Venezuela dominate –



Venezuela, whose players had been instructed by team management to avoid commenting on politics throughout the tournament, dominated the vaunted USA lineup for long periods.

Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez stifled the USA bats led by New York Yankees home run king Aaron Judge.

The South Americans took the lead in the top of the third as US starter Nolan McLean struggled for command from the mound.

Salvador Perez singled to get on base before Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. drew a walk.

A wild pitch from McLean left Venezuela with runners on second and third base and on the next pitch Kansas City Royals slugger Maikel Garcia’s sacrifice fly allowed Perez to score.

With the USA bats continuing to flail against Rodriguez, the Venezuelans doubled their lead in the top of the fifth inning.

McLean delivered a four-seam fastball into the center of the strike zone and Boston Red Sox left-fielder Wilyer Abreu duly pounced, crushing a 414-foot solo home run to center field for a 2-0 lead.

Venezuela appeared to be closing in on victory but were jolted by Harper’s 432-foot home run to center field off reliever Andres Machado in the eighth.

But the USA rally was short-lived, and Venezuela grabbed the lead again in the ninth when Luis Arraez drew a leadoff walk from Whitlock before Suarez’s blast to left center field gave Venezuela the winning run.

Closer Daniel Palencia removed Kyle Schwarber, Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony in quick succession to seal Venezuela’s triumph.