AUKUS

Australia ‘confident’ in US nuclear sub deal despite review


By AFP
June 11, 2025


The 2021 AUKUS deal joins Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in a multi-decade effort to balance China's growing military might

 - Copyright POOL/AFP COLIN MURTY

David WILLIAMS

Australia said Thursday it is “very confident” in the future of a US agreement to equip its navy with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, after the Trump administration put the pact under review.

The 2021 AUKUS deal joins Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in a multi-decade effort to balance China’s growing military might.

It aims to arm Australia with a fleet of cutting-edge, nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, and cooperate in developing an array of warfare technologies.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has advised Australia and the United Kingdom that it is reviewing AUKUS, a spokesperson for the Australian Defence Department confirmed Thursday.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said he was “very confident” Australia would still get the American submarines.

“I think the review that’s been announced is not a surprise,” he told public broadcaster ABC.

“We’ve been aware of this for some time. We welcome it. It’s something which is perfectly natural for an incoming administration to do.”

Australia plans to acquire at least three Virginia Class submarines from the United States within 15 years, eventually manufacturing its own subs.

– ‘Time to wake up?’ –

The US navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels, which can carry cruise missiles, but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year.

Critics question why the United States would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first.

Marles said boosting the US production of US Virginia Class submarines was a challenge.

“That’s why we are working very closely with the United States on seeing that happen. But that is improving,” he said.

Government forecasts estimate the submarine programme alone could cost Australia up to US$235 billion over the next 30 years, a price tag that has contributed to criticism of the strategy.

Australia should conduct its own review of AUKUS, said former conservative prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, noting that Britain and now the United States had each decided to re-examine the pact.

“Australia, which has the most at stake, has no review. Our Parliament to date has been the least curious and least informed. Time to wake up?,” he posted on X.

Former Labor Party prime minister Paul Keating, a vehement critic of AUKUS, said the US review might “save Australia from itself”.

Australia should carve its own security strategy “rather than being dragged along on the coat tails of a fading Atlantic empire”, Keating said.



– ‘Good deal for the US’ –



Any US review of AUKUS carries a risk, particularly since it is a Biden-era initiative, said Euan Graham, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

But it is “fundamentally a good deal for the US”, he said, with Australia already investing cash to boost American submarine production as part of the agreement.

“I just do not think it is realistic for Australia, this far backed in, to have any prospect of withdrawing itself from AUKUS,” Graham told AFP.

“I don’t think there is a plan B that would meet requirements, and I think it would shred Australia’s reputation fundamentally in a way that would not be recoverable.”

Rice prices Japan’s hot political issue, on and off the farm


By AFP
June 11, 2025


Rice shortages caused by a supply chain snarl-up have fuelled frustration over inflation - Copyright AFP Richard A. Brooks

Kyoko HASEGAWA

All is calm at Satoshi Yamazaki’s rice farm, with its freshly planted rows of vivid-green seedlings, but a row over the cost of the staple in Japan is threatening to deal the government a blow at the ballot box.

Shortages of the grain caused by a supply chain snarl-up have seen prices almost double in a year, fuelling frustration over inflation — and voters could let their anger be known in upper house elections due next month.

To help ease the pain for consumers and restaurants, the government started tapping emergency stockpiles in March, having only previously done so during disasters.

Yamazaki, who grows about 10 percent of his rice organically using ducks to eat pests, said he understands high prices are “troubling” for ordinary people.

But he stressed that thin profits are a concern for many of those who produce it.

“There’s a gap between shop prices and what farmers sell rice for to traders and the like,” he told AFP in the northern Niigata region.

“Not all the money paid at shops becomes our income,” said Yamazaki, a 42-year-old father of seven.

A mosaic of factors lies behind the shortages, including an intensely hot and dry summer two years ago that damaged harvests nationwide.

Since then some traders have been hoarding rice in a bid to boost their profits down the line, experts say.

The issue was made worse by panic-buying last year prompted by a government warning about a potential “megaquake” that did not strike.



– ‘Old’ rice –



Meanwhile, the rising price of imported food has boosted the popularity of domestic rice, while record numbers of tourists are also blamed for a spike in consumption.

Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi has pledged to cut prices quicker by selling stockpiled rice directly to retailers — attracting long queues to some shops.

It appears to be working: the average retail price has edged down for a second week to 4,223 yen ($29) for five kilograms (11 pounds), down from a high of 4,285 yen in May.

That hasn’t stopped opposition politicians — with an eye on the elections — and online critics branding the reserve rice “old”, with some likening it to animal feed.

But analysts also blame Japan’s decades-old policy of cutting rice-farming land. The policy was introduced to support prices that were being hit by falling demand brought about by changes in the Japanese diet.

Under the 1971 policy, farmers were told to reduce the amount of space used to grow the grain in favour of other crops.

That saw the amount of land used for rice paddies — not including for livestock feed — plunge below 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) in 2024, from a peak of 3.3 million hectares in 1960.

While the policy was officially abolished in 2018, it has continued in a form of incentives pushing farmers towards other commodities like soybeans.

Adding to the crisis is Japan’s ageing population. Many rice farmers are old and their children have no interest in taking over.

Eighty percent of rice farmers are part-time with less than two hectares of fields but they account for only 20 percent of production, said agronomy expert Kazunuki Oizumi, professor emeritus of Miyagi University.

Their main revenue comes from other jobs or pensions, he added.



– Agriculture ‘destroyed’ –



Toru Wakui, chairman of a large-scale farm in the northern Akita region who has for decades fought against the acreage reduction, said Japan should “seek an increase in rice production and exports to foreign markets”.

“If you only think about the domestic market while increasing output, of course prices will fall,” he told AFP. “We need to look for markets abroad.”

“The 55 years of acreage reduction destroyed Japan’s agriculture,” said Wakui, 76, who urged Koizumi in a letter last month to “declare an expansion in rice production”.

He also said Japan should consider a scheme to help young people start agriculture businesses without the burden of initial investment in fields and machinery, by involving other sectors including banks and trading companies.

Public support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government has tumbled to its lowest level since he took office in October, which local media say was partly caused by the surge in inflation and soaring rice costs.

He has told parliament that increasing production is “an option” to temper prices, but said food security and the livelihood of producers was also important.

For the farmer Yamazaki, “wanting cheap rice with high quality” is a pipe dream.

“We farmers are a little baffled by the limelight that suddenly shifted to us,” he said.

“But I think it’s a good opportunity for the public to think about how rice is produced.”

Niger-Benin border standoff deepens as trade collapse bites


By AFP
June 12, 2025


Niger shut its border with Benin when the military seized power two years ago, hitting trade - Copyright AFP/File Sai Aung MAIN

Nearly two years after Niger’s military seized power and the border with Benin was shut, tensions over security, sovereignty and French influence have hardened into a stand-off throttling trade and paralysing ties between the west African neighbours.

Benin, which denies hosting foreign forces accused of destabilising Niger, claims it has made repeated overtures to ease the blockade, but efforts have failed despite mounting economic pain on both sides of the border.

“Those who are suffering are the people of both countries,” Nigerien haulier Ibrahim Abou Koura, who is based in Benin’s economic capital Cotonou, said.

General Abdourahamane Tiani has repeatedly accused Benin of harbouring French military bases training jihadists to undermine Niger.

In May, he insisted the border would “remain closed”, saying the fight was not with Benin but with French troops he claims are operating from its soil.

The friction since the coup has taken a heavy toll on cross-border trade and travel between the two countries.

“Buses aren’t as full. There’s not the same number of people,” said Abou Koura, in the deserted yard of his compound in Zongo, where he once stored goods bound for major Nigerien cities.

Still, transport workers in Cotonou say some movement persists, with the Niger River — a natural border — remaining a busy crossing despite the official closure.

“Goods pass and travellers cross the river to continue their journey by bus on the Niger side,” said Alassane Amidou, a resident of Malanville, a city in northeastern Benin.

But for trucks unable to cross by water, perilous detours through jihadist-infested zones in Burkina Faso have become the only option.

“The Niger-Benin corridor is currently the safest, most profitable and shortest route for transporters and businesses,” said Gamatie Mahamadou, secretary-general of a consortium of Nigerien truck driver unions, in Niamey.

He called on Niger’s military rulers to “immediately normalise relations with Benin”, warning that “workers’ safety” and “the national economy” are at stake.



– Cautious optimism –



Niger’s vital oil exports to Benin’s port of Seme-Kpodji resumed in late 2024 via a cross-border pipeline after months of disruption.

Uranium shipments from northern Niger remain stalled, awaiting either a diplomatic thaw or an alternative route.

Benin has denied Niger’s claims it is turning a blind eye to any destabilisation attempts and continues to extend an olive branch to Niger.

Former presidents Thomas Boni Yayi and Nicephore Soglo travelled to meet General Tiani a year ago in a failed bid to restore ties.

Beninese Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari in early June said he hoped for “prospects for recovery” provided security conditions are met.

“We are hopeful that this will be resolved quickly … the blockage is not on Benin’s side,” he told local media.

“We have to accept the fact that we are not on the same wavelength sometimes… The door remains open.”

A new Beninese ambassador may soon be appointed to Niamey, following the quiet February recall of Gildas Agonkan, who had publicly apologised to the Nigerien people “on behalf of all Beninese and the authorities of Benin”.

“The apology to the Nigerien people was seen in Cotonou as a diplomatic weakening of the country during this crisis,” said Guillaume Moumouni, an international relations expert.

“The next ambassador must be someone of great repute and who knows Niger well enough to inspire trust and respect.”

Benin, which maintains it hosts no foreign military bases, has seen a surge in jihadist attacks this year and laments poor cooperation with neighbouring Sahel states also affected.

“Not being able to talk directly with its neighbours increases Benin’s vulnerability,” said Lassina Diarra, head of the Strategic Research Institute of the International Counter-Terrorism Academy in Ivory Coast.

Benin is set to elect a new president in April 2026, which could be a chance to restart “serious negotiations”, Moumouni said.

Archaeologists find France’s deepest shipwreck


By AFP
June 12, 2025


Researchers have called the site 'Camarat 4' - Copyright Marine Nationale/AFP Handout

Archaeologists have discovered what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 2.5 kilometres underwater off southern France, the deepest such find in its section of the Mediterranean or any other French waters.

Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk.

Despite a little modern household waste dotting its sunken cargo at 2,567 metres (more than 1.5 miles) below sea level, they were excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact.

“It’s the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters,” Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry’s underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday.

An underwater drone stumbled upon the sunken ship by chance in early March in waters near Saint-Tropez in southeastern France, deputy maritime prefect Thierry de la Burgade said.

“The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device’s camera, then against with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images,” he said.

The drone was patrolling the seabed as part of a government project to explore and monitor France’s deep-sea resources, from minerals to deep-sea internet cables.

Archaeologist Marine Sadania said experts discovered 200 jugs with pinched spouts among the wreckage at the site they have dubbed “Camarat 4”.

Some of these jugs were marked with the monogram “IHS”, the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, or covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns.

Those details seemed to indicate the jugs hailed from the Liguria region in what is now northern Italy, she said.



– ‘As if time froze’ –



Experts also identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons.

Modern waste, such as a soda can or an empty yoghurt pot, were spotted too.

But despite this, “the site — thanks to its depth which prevented any recovery or looting — has remained intact, as if time froze, which is exceptional,” Sadania said.

Over the coming two years, she and colleagues plan to draw up a 3D digital version of the ship, as well as extract samples from the site to better study them before returning them to the public domain.

According to the defence ministry in charge of exploring France’s deep seas, researchers can remove an item from a shipwreck by guiding a submarine robot with pincers or arms, via a long cable linking the device to a boat on the surface.

The deepest French authorities had found a sunken vessel until now was 2.3 kilometres under sea level off the southern city of Toulon in 2019.

The wreckage belonged to La Minerve, a French submarine that plunged to its demise in 1968 with 52 navy crew on board, four minutes only after the start of a routine assignment.

Hundreds of civilians were tortured by Wagner mercenaries in Mali: report


By AFP

June 12, 2025


Mali's ruling junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, pivoted towards Russia for political and military support - Copyright AFP Sam PANTHAKY

In its more than three years in Mali, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner kidnapped, detained and tortured hundreds of civilians, including at former UN bases and camps shared with the country’s army, according to a report published Thursday by a journalist collective.

The victims, who were interviewed by a consortium of reporters led by investigative outlet Forbidden Stories, spoke from a refugee camp in neighbouring Mauritania about waterboarding, beatings with electrical cables and being burned with cigarette butts.

The investigation revealed that the use of illegal detentions and systematic torture, which sometimes led to death, was similar to that which occurred in Ukraine and Russia.

The investigation, which was conducted in conjunction with France 24, Le Monde and IStories, identified six detention sites where the Russian paramilitary group held civilians between 2022 and 2024, but the actual number could be much higher, it said.

Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, broke off ties with former colonial power France and pivoted towards Russia for political and military support after coming to power.

The country never officially admitted Wagner’s presence, insisting it only worked with Russian instructors.

Nonetheless, last week a Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner announced that the Russian paramilitary group was leaving Mali.

Its personnel will be reintegrated into its successor, Africa Corps, another paramilitary group with links to the Kremlin, according to diplomatic and security sources who spoke with AFP.

For more than three years, Mali had relied on Wagner in its fight against jihadists who have killed thousands across the country.

The paramilitary group’s brutal methods on the ground in Mali have been regularly denounced by human rights groups.

A UN report accused Mali’s army and foreign fighters of executing at least 500 people during a March 2022 anti-jihadist sweep in Moura — a claim denied by the junta.

Western governments believe the foreign fighters were Wagner mercenaries.

Last April, bodies were discovered near a Malian military camp, days after the army and Wagner paramilitaries arrested dozens of civilians, most from the Fulani community.

New tool balances accuracy with fairness in social media


By Dr. Tim Sandle
June 12, 2025

DIGITAL JOURNAL

Australian legislation could force social media firms to take steps to prevent those under 16 years of age from accessing platforms such as X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File Michael M. Santiago

Earlier this year, Facebook rolled back rules against some hate speech and abuse. Along with changes at X (formerly Twitter) that followed its purchase by Elon Musk, the shifts make it harder for social media users to avoid encountering toxic speech.

That does not mean all social networks and other online spaces have given up on the massive challenge of moderating content to protect users. One novel approach relies on artificial intelligence. AI screening tools can analyze content on large scales while sparing human screeners the trauma of constant exposure to toxic speech.

Yet AI content moderation faces a challenge, according to Maria De-Arteaga, assistant professor of information, risk, and operations management at Texas McCombs. This is with: being fair as well as being accurate.

An algorithm may be accurate at detecting toxic speech overall, but it may not detect it equally well across all groups of people and all social contexts.

“If I just look at overall performance, I may say, oh, this model is performing really well, even though it may always be giving me the wrong answer for a small group,” De-Arteaga explains. For example, it might better detect speech that’s offensive to one ethnic group than to another.

In new research, De-Arteaga and her co-authors show it’s possible to achieve high levels of both accuracy and fairness. What’s more, they devise an algorithm that helps stakeholders balance both, finding desirable combinations of accuracy and fairness for their particular situations. De-Arteaga worked with datasets of social media posts already rated “toxic” and “nontoxic” or safe by previous researchers. The sets totaled 114,000 posts.

The researchers used a fairness measurement called Group Accuracy Parity (GAP), along with formulas that helped train a machine learning model to balance fairness with accuracy. Applying their approach through AI to analyze the datasets:It performed up to 1.5% better than the next-best approaches for treating all groups fairly.
It performed the best at maximizing both fairness and accuracy at the same time.

But GAP is not a one-size-fits-all solution for fairness, De-Arteaga notes. Different measures of fairness may be relevant for different stakeholders. The kinds of data needed to train the systems depends partly on the specific groups and contexts for which they’re being applied.

For example, different groups may have different opinions on what speech is toxic. In addition, standards on toxic speech can evolve over time.

Getting such nuances wrong could wrongly remove someone from a social space by mislabeling nontoxic speech as toxic. At the other extreme, missteps could expose more people to hateful speech.

The challenge is compounded for platforms like Facebook and X, which have global presences and serve wide spectrums of users.

“How do you incorporate fairness considerations in the design of the data and the algorithm in a way that is not just centered on what is relevant in the U.S.?” De-Arteaga says.

For that reason, the algorithms may require continual updating, and designers may need to adapt them to the circumstances and kinds of content they’re moderating, she says. To facilitate that, the researchers have made GAP’s code publicly available.

High levels of both fairness and accuracy are achievable, De-Arteaga says, if designers pay attention to both technical and cultural contexts.

“You need to care, and you need to have knowledge that is interdisciplinary,” she says. “You really need to take those considerations into account.”

The article“Finding Pareto Trade-Offs in Fair and Accurate Detection of Toxic Speech” is published in Information Research.

Searches for DeepSeek increase amid ChatGPT crash


By Dr. Tim Sandle
June 12, 2025

DIGITAL JOURNAL


OpenAI's ChatGPt and DeepSeek are among growing ranks of rivals as tech firms compete to lead in the hot field of generative artificial intelligence models - Copyright AFP Lionel BONAVENTURE

Open AI’s ChatGPT faced a global outage on Tuesday, 10th June 2025, with users from all over the world complaining about error messages. the cause of the crash remains unknown. According to an update on the OpenAI website, the situation is currently under investigation, citing that users are having “elevated error rates and latency” on services, Chat GPT, APIs, and Sora.


ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot launched in 2022 by OpenAI. As opposed to predictive AI, generative AI is trained on large amounts of data in order to identify patterns and create content of its own, including voices, music, pictures, and videos. ChatGPT allows users to interact with the chatting tool much like they could with another human, with the chatbot generating conversational responses to questions or prompts.

Across social media and Slack threads, creative teams admitted to delays. Copy drafts could not be finished and brand decks could not be polished.

This was not bad news for everyone. A Google Trends analysis by experts at QR Code Generator has revealed that searches for other generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have significantly increased amid this ChatGPT blackout.

According to the findings, searches for DeepSeek are projected to reach 2.13 million queries today (10th June), a 109% increase compared to past the 30-day daily average of 1.02 million.

DeepSeek refers to a new set of frontier AI models from a Chinese startup of the same name. DeepSeek has caused quite a stir in the AI world this week by demonstrating capabilities competitive with – or in some cases, better than – the latest models from OpenAI.

Searches for Claude AI are also expected to increase significantly, rising from 149,441 average daily searches in the past 30 days to 291,181 today, a 95% increase.

The experts also reveal that searches for Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are projected to increase by 80% and 52%, respectively.

Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator PRO S.L, has told Digital Journal: “While ChatGPT has captured significant market share, many competitors have been steadily building their user bases and capabilities.

“Today’s global outage of ChatGPT shows the importance of diversification and the challenges that come when the world relies on one single platform and it experiences a blackout.

“The immediate 109% surge in DeepSeek searches and 95% increase for Claude shows that users are actively seeking alternatives rather than simply waiting. This ultimately benefits the AI ecosystem by redistributing market attention and proving that no single platform, regardless of popularity, should be considered indispensable or the sole source for critical workflows.”

King Tut gold mask to leave Cairo museum after nearly 100 years


By AFP
June 12, 2025


The golden funerary mask of King Tutankhamun is displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo - Copyright AFP FERNANDO CARTAGENA

After nearly a century in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, King Tutankhamun’s iconic gold mask and remaining treasures are set to move to the new Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids.

Visitors have just days left to see the boy king’s world-famous gold funerary mask before it joins more than 5,000 artefacts from his tomb at the GEM, a $1-billion megaproject opening on July 3.

“Only 26 objects from the Tutankhamun collection, including the golden mask and two coffins, remain here in Tahrir,” said museum director Ali Abdel Halim.

“All are set to be moved soon,” he told AFP, without confirming a specific date for the transfer.

The government has yet to officially announce when or how the last artefacts will be relocated.

Still on display are the innermost gold coffin, a gilded coffin, a gold dagger, cosmetic box, miniature coffins, royal diadem and pectorals.

Tutankhamun’s treasures, registered at the Egyptian Museum on Cairo’s Tahrir square in 1934, have long been its crown jewels.

But the neoclassical building — with faded cases, no climate control and ageing infrastructure — now contrasts with the high-tech GEM.

Once open, the GEM is believed to be the largest in the world devoted to a single civilisation, housing more than 100,000 artefacts — with over half on public display.

In a dedicated wing, most of King Tut’s treasures will be exhibited together for the first time in history since British archeologist Howard Carter discovered the young pharaoh’s intact tomb in 1922.

His mummy will remain in its original resting place in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings as it is “a vital part of the archeological site”, Egyptian officials have said.

A virtual replica, however, will be displayed at the GEM using virtual reality technology.

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, long the historic heart of Egyptology, has lost in 2021 other star exhibits: 22 royal mummies including Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut that were relocated in a widely watched state procession to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Old Cairo.

Still, it is home to around 170,000 artefacts, according to the museum director, including treasures from Yuya and Thuya – Tutankhamun’s ancestors — and items from ancient Tanis, such as the golden funerary mask of King Amenemope.

A total of 32,000 artefacts have already been relocated from storage and display halls at the Tahrir museum to the GEM.

The museum’s director said the space left behind by Tutankhamun’s collection will eventually be filled by a new exhibition “on par with the significance of Tut’s treasures”.

Betraying the revolution: Cuban students reject dollarization


By AFP
June 12, 2025


Cuba's new mobile internet tariff pricing structure made it cheaper to pay in dollars than in Cuba's own currency, the peso -- much to the disdain of the country's student population - Copyright AFP YAMIL LAGE

Jordane BERTRAND, Leticia PINEDA

It took a steep hike in mobile internet tariffs to unleash a rebellion among Cuban students on a scale unseen since the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.

The new pricing structure, which came into effect on May 30, punished people who exceeded their meager monthly data limit of six gigabytes with steep fees.

On top of that, it made rates cheaper to top up in dollars than in Cuba’s own currency, the peso.

State telecommunications company Etecsa said the increases were necessary to fund investments in the mobile network.

But it was also seen as a ploy by the cash-strapped communist government to bring in much-needed foreign currency.

Students in particular reacted angrily to the measure, which not only makes it harder for them to stay connected, but deepens the chasm on the island between dollar-toting haves and peso-using have-nots.

In rare scenes throughout the one-party state, students at several universities organized a boycott of classes, and students’ unions issued statements rejecting the reform.

Anxious to avoid a repeat of the protests that rocked the island in July 2021, when thousands of people demonstrated over shortages of basic goods, the government has taken a conciliatory approach.

The Havana students’ union this week announced the creation of a discussion group with students, teaching staff from a dozen university faculties in Havana, and Etecsa’s representatives.

But on social media, students say they have come under pressure from security forces to fall in line.

In a video shared on social media, which AFP was unable to verify, a medical student claims she was threatened by a state security agent on campus with being taken to “an official place where you won’t be able to use your phone.”

The protests have ballooned into a wider mobilization over the subtle dollarization of the Cuban economy.

Students at the University of Holguin’s law faculty in eastern Cuba issued a statement denouncing the new mobile tariffs as “elitist and classist” and said the growing shift towards dollars was an affront to the principle of equal rights.

In another viral video, a medical student at the University of Havana warned that the currency of the United States was becoming the country’s “flagship currency.”

For opposition activist Manuel Cuesta Morua, the protests mark a return to the kind of activism last seen on campuses in the 1950s, which forged the revolutionary careers of Castro and others.

Today’s students are spearheading “a revolution within the revolution,” Cuesta Morua said, adding that their tirades against inequality marked a return to the “original discourse of a revolution that became militarized and more conservative” over time.



– Not against communism –



The row over the internet fees comes amid the emergence of a two-speed society on the communist island, which is mired in its worst economic crisis in 30 years.

Inflation rose by 190 percent between 2018 and 2023, according to official figures, eroding the value of the peso against the dollar.

Food, fuel and medicine are all in short supply.

Cubans who receive dollar remittances from relatives abroad fare better, with well-stocked dollar payment grocery stores and gas stations only too happy to serve them.



– ‘Last straw’ –



In January, the government announced a partial dollarization of the economy, claiming it wanted to get its hands on some of the greenbacks.

But mobile top-ups in dollars were “the last straw” for many, according to Tamarys Bahamonde, a Cuban economist at American University in Washington.

In a joint manifesto, students from various faculties in Havana made it clear they were not “opposed to the government nor the revolution but to specific policies that betray its (egalitarian) ideal.”

For Bahamonde, the crisis underscores the widening gulf between Cuba’s decision-makers and its citizens.

To win over the students, Etecsa last week announced that they would be allowed two monthly top-ups at the basic rate of 360 pesos ($3), compared with one for the rest of the population.

But the students rejected the offer, saying they wanted everyone to benefit.

For activist Cuesta Morua, their reaction was proof that young Cubans, rather than the government, have become the voice of the people.

“It is the students… who are representing the country’s concerns.”

MYOB

Trump moves to block California electric cars program


By AFP
June 13, 2025


US President Donald Trump signed resolutions blocking California's mandate to phase out gas-powered cars - Copyright CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORCE (CISF)/AFP Handout

Beiyi SEOW with Huw GRIFFITH in Los Angeles

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed resolutions blocking California’s landmark efforts to phase out gas-powered cars in favor of electric vehicles, a move the state immediately contested in court.

Trump’s action, a rebuke of Democratic climate change policies, comes after the Republican-led Congress revoked the state’s waiver allowing it to set more stringent regulations for cars.

California had planned to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035, among other ambitious efforts.

During the signing ceremony at the White House, Trump lashed out at the state’s bid as “a disaster for this country” and said the resolutions he was signing would save the industry from “destruction.”

California swiftly sued the Trump administration over the resolutions, with Attorney General Rob Bonta saying: “The President’s divisive, partisan agenda is jeopardizing our lives, our economy and our environment.”

“It’s reckless, it’s illegal, and because of it, we’ll be seeing the Trump administration in court again for the 26th time,” he added.

California, the nation’s wealthiest state with around 40 million people, has long used the waiver in the Clean Air Act to set its own emissions standards as it tries to mitigate some of the worst air pollution in the country.

The size of the auto market in the state — and the fact that several other states follow its lead — means automakers frequently use its standards nationwide.

Trump’s move also came as he clashes with California over immigration enforcement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused the president of acting like a tyrant over his use of the military to control small-scale protests in Los Angeles.

– Environmental concerns –

Trump’s action was condemned by environmental groups who say the rules are key for easing pollution.

And Newsom recently argued that rolling back the state’s EV ambitions would boost China’s position on the market.

While China is a manufacturing hub for such vehicles globally, the United States is a net importer of them, he said in a May statement.

This is despite the United States being home to technologies that have pioneered the clean car industry, he noted.

Trump has repeatedly criticized subsidies to encourage the EV industry despite significant federal funding allocated to projects in Republican districts — where thousands of jobs are expected to be created.

He took aim at the sector as part of his flurry of executive orders on his first day in office this January in a bid to ensure what he called a “level” playing field for gasoline-powered motors.

California sues Trump for scrapping state’s EV rules

By AFP
June 12, 2025


A driver plugs in a Tesla electric vehicle to charge at a Tesla Supercharger location in Santa Monica, California 

- Copyright CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORCE (CISF)/AFP Handout

California sued Donald Trump’s administration Thursday over his move to scrap the state’s tailpipe emission rules and its drive to phase out gas-powered cars.

“The President’s divisive, partisan agenda is jeopardizing our lives, our economy and our environment,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

“It’s reckless, it’s illegal, and because of it, we’ll be seeing the Trump administration in court again for the 26th time.”

California, the nation’s wealthiest state with around 40 million people, has long used a waiver in the Clean Air Act to set its own emissions standards as it tries to mitigate some of the worst air pollution in the country.

Under that authority, which Bonta said has not been contested by successive Republican and Democrat administrations, the state plans to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035.

The size of the automarket in the state — and the fact that several other states follow its lead — means automakers frequently use its standards nationwide.

That is a source of irritation for Republicans who claim it is unfair that a Democratic-controlled state gets an effective veto on US rules.

“Under the direction of the President, the Republican controlled US House of Representatives and the Senate illegally used the (Congressional Review Act) to target California’s Clean Air Act waivers,” said Bonta.

“That’s why we’re asking the court to declare the resolutions to be unlawful and require the administration to implement the Clean Air Act consistent with the waiver as lawfully granted.

“The bottom line is simple, the President doesn’t have the legal authority to weaponize the CRA against California, and we won’t let him use the CRA for his political gain.”

The lawsuit, which Bonta said was filed in the Northern District of California, came within minutes of Donald Trump signing the legislation.

It also came as a row between Trump and California worsens, with the state’s governor accusing the president of acting like a tyrant over his use of the military to control small-scale protests in Los Angeles.

‘We’re done with Teams’: German state hits uninstall on Microsoft


By AFP
June 12, 2025


Image: — © AFP/File DENIS CHARLET

Léa PERNELLE

At a time of growing concern over the power of the world’s mighty tech companies, one German state is turning its back on US giant Microsoft.

In less than three months’ time, almost no civil servant, police officer or judge in Schleswig-Holstein will be using any of Microsoft’s ubiquitous programs at work.

Instead, the northern state will turn to open-source software to “take back control” over data storage and ensure “digital sovereignty”, its digitalisation minister, Dirk Schroedter, told AFP.

“We’re done with Teams!” he said, referring to Microsoft’s messaging and collaboration tool and speaking on a video call — via an open-source German program, of course.

The radical switch-over affects half of Schleswig-Holstein’s 60,000 public servants, with 30,000 or so teachers due to follow suit in coming years.

The state’s shift towards open-source software began last year.

The current first phase involves ending the use of Word and Excel software, which are being replaced by LibreOffice, while Open-Xchange is taking the place of Outlook for emails and calendars.

Over the next few years, there will also be a switch to the Linux operating system in order to complete the move away from Windows.

– ‘Digital dependencies’ –

The principle of open-source software is to allow users to read the source code and modify it according to their own needs.

The issue of the power wielded by American tech titans has been thrown into sharper relief by Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the subsequent rise in US-EU tensions.

In the case of Microsoft, there have long been worries about the dominant position it enjoys thanks to it owning both the Windows operating system and a suite of programs found in offices the world over.

In 2023, the European Union launched an antitrust investigation against Microsoft over the way it tied Teams to its other programs for businesses.

“The geopolitical developments of the past few months have strengthened interest in the path that we’ve taken,” said Schroedter, adding that he had received requests for advice from across the world.

“The war in Ukraine revealed our energy dependencies, and now we see there are also digital dependencies,” he said.

The government in Schleswig-Holstein is also planning to shift the storage of its data to a cloud system not under the control of Microsoft, said Schroedter.

He explained that the state wants to rely on publicly owned German digital infrastructure rather than that of an American company.

– Taken ‘by the throat’ –

Experts point to economic incentives for the sort of shift Schleswig-Holstein is making, as investing in open-source alternatives and training staff to use them often costs less than the licences for Microsoft’s programs.

This is particularly the case when businesses and public bodies find themselves taken “by the throat” when hit by unexpected extra costs for mandatory updates, said Benjamin Jean from consulting firm Inno3.

Schleswig-Holstein hopes that its move away from Microsoft will eventually save it tens of millions of euros.

But organisations considering this sort of change have to reckon with resistance from staff who fear upheaval.

“If people aren’t guided through it, there’s an outcry and everyone just wants to go back to how it was before,” warned Francois Pellegrini, an IT professor at Bordeaux University.

– Pioneer administrations –

The potential pitfalls can be seen in the experience of Munich, whose city administration was a pioneer in using open-source programs in the 1990s.

In 2017, the city announced an about-turn, citing a lack of political support and the difficulty of interacting with other systems.

But other public bodies are staying the course: France’s gendarmerie, around 100,000 strong, has been using the Linux operating system since the 2000s and India’s defence ministry was in 2023 reported to have launched a homegrown system called “Maya OS”.

Across the border from Schleswig-Holstein, in Denmark, reports say that the local governments of Copenhagen and Aarhus are also looking into ditching Microsoft.

Another factor that could push the trend is the EU “Interoperable Europe Act”, which came into effect last year and encourages the use of open-source software.

According to Jean, “Within the space of two or three years” there could be a number of pioneer administrations who will be able to give feedback on their experiences and inspire others to make the switch