7.4-magnitude quake off Indonesia kills one, tsunami warning lifted

Human remains have been found aboard a cargo ship struck by Iran while transiting the Strait of Hormuz last month, the vessel's owner said Friday, after three crew members were reported missing following the attack.

US-Israeli strikes on Iran late February prompted Tehran to respond by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for global oil supplies.

The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree was struck in March while travelling through the strait after departing Khalifa port in the United Arab Emirates.

"Certain human remains were found within the affected area of the vessel," a statement from transport company Precious Shipping said Friday, adding it could not yet confirm the identities or the number of individuals.

Twenty Thai crew members returned home in mid-March, while three of their colleagues were missing and presumed trapped in the damaged engine compartment.

A search was carried out under "challenging conditions" as the vessel's engine room had been flooded and damaged by fire, the company said.

Thailand's foreign ministry said it was "saddened" by the development and that families of the missing crew had been informed.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in March they had struck the Mayuree Naree, as well as a Liberia-flagged vessel, in the strait because the ships had ignored "warnings".

pk/sjc/abs

Fraudsters running cyberscam operations in Cambodia could face life in prison after the Senate approved a new law on Friday targeting criminals involved in the multi-billion-dollar illicit industry.

The Southeast Asian nation has emerged as a hotspot for crime syndicates running fake romantic relationship and cryptocurrency investment schemes in which scammers -- some willing, others trafficked -- defraud internet users around the world.

Operated out of fortified compounds across the region, the global cyberscam industry has reached "industrial proportions", with estimates of its annual revenues as high as $64 billion, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Ringleaders of cyberscam centres that engage in human trafficking, detention and torture will now face prison sentences of up to 20 years and a fine of up to two billion riel ($500,000) under the law approved on Friday.

Scam centre bosses could face life in prison if their operations lead to the death of one or more people.

The law would deal "serious punishment" to deter repeat offenders, Cambodian justice minister Koeut Rith told a news conference.

Its passage aimed to "send a message to cyber scammers that Cambodia is not a place to do scams".

A draft of the law -- the first of its kind that aims to stamp out transnational cyberscam operations in Cambodia -- was initially approved by the government in March.

A joint statement by UN experts in May said that "hundreds of thousands of people of various nationalities are trapped and forced to carry out online fraud".

Several countries have enacted anti-cyberscam laws to combat the rise of online fraud, romance and cryptocurrency scams, with con artists in Singapore facing 24 strokes of the cane for serious cases.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told AFP in February that scam centres were destroying his country's economy and giving the nation a bad name, vowing to "clean this out".

Authorities have pledged to close all online scam centres by the end of April, but analysts have said the government's crackdown on the industry is unlikely to stamp it out.

The US State Department said last year that "official complicity, including at senior levels, inhibited effective law enforcement action against trafficking crimes" in Cambodia.

Cambodia has denied suggestions its government is complicit.

suy/sjc/pbt

The French capital's new mayor on Friday pledged to prioritise preventing sexual violence in after-school programmes, after allegations that poorly recruited school monitors abused preschool pupils.

Emmanuel Gregoire, a Socialist elected last month who says he too suffered sexual abuse as a primary school pupil, in comments to Le Monde newspaper promised to invest 20 million euros ($23 million) in the plan.

"If another 10 million euros need to be put in, I'll do it," he said, promising better monitor recruitment and training, clearer channels to report alleged abuse, as well as transparency with parents.

In Paris, school monitors recruited and trained by the city help look after children outside the classroom, including in the evening before their parents can pick them up.

Allegations that abusers slipped through the recruitment system to look after small children became a central theme in the run-up to the Paris mayor election.

Last year, 30 of these monitors were suspended in the capital, including 16 on suspicion of sexual abuse, according to figures from the city hall.

Since January, nine more people -- all working at the same Paris nursery school --- have been suspended on suspicion of physical and sexual violence.

Parents of pupils have accused school management of failing to inform them about their suspicions.

"If there was a collective mistake, it was treating these cases as isolated incidents when in fact they reflect a systemic risk, and perhaps even a systemic code of silence," said Gregoire, who left city hall in 2024 to become a lawmaker.

Kindergarten pupils were especially vulnerable, and almost all alleged perpetrators were men, he said.

"Each quarter, I will share the statistics and the number of suspensions," he said.

Gregoire has spoken publicly about being a victim of sexual abuse in an after-school swimming programme for several months when he was in primary school.

juc-ah/ekf/giv

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

- 3,500 targets -

The Israeli military said it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon since fighting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militants began.

- 'Provocative action' - 

Iran warned against any "provocative action" as the UN considers whether to authorise the use of force to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Any provocative action by the aggressors and their supporters, including in the UN Security Council regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, will only complicate the situation," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

- Hormuz vote delayed - 

The UN Security Council has postponed a vote scheduled for Friday on authorising the use of "defensive" force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks, according to the official program.

Bahrain had brought a resolution that, according to the final draft seen by AFP, greenlights member states to use "all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances."

- 'Destroying what's left' -

President Donald Trump warned that US forces have yet to begin "destroying what's left in Iran", as he said more of the country's bridges and energy infrastructure were in his sights.

The US military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, several hours after he said Iran's tallest bridge had been destroyed.

- Missiles at Israel -

The Israeli military said in a statement it had "identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel", adding that "defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat". 

- Fresh Gulf attacks -

Kuwait's military said its air defences were working to intercept missiles and drones fired towards the Gulf nation's territory.

A drone attack on a refinery owned by Kuwait's national oil company sparked fires at several of its units, state media said.

Bahrain's interior ministry reported sirens sounding in the country and told residents to head "to the nearest safe place", without providing further details.

- Hezbollah rockets -

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said that its fighters targeted at least three communities in northern Israel with rockets, as it keeps up attacks in support of ally Iran.

- Fresh Iran attacks -

A military statement carried on Iranian state television said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had launched a fresh wave of attacks on American steel factories in the UAE and Bahrain, as well as an arms factory in Israel.

The statement said the latest salvos were in response to attacks on its own steel industries.

- Pakistan petrol hikes -

Pakistan drastically raised fuel prices in response to spiking global prices caused by the war, the country's petroleum minister said.

Petrol will see a 42.7 percent increase effective on Friday while diesel will be hiked 54.9 percent.

- US aircraft carrier leaves Croatia -

The USS Gerald R. Ford departed Croatia after docking for five days, the US Navy said, while not specifying a destination.

The ship played a major role in US-Israeli strikes on Iran, but sailed to Crete and Croatia following a fire in its laundry facilities on March 12 that injured two sailors and damaged some 100 beds.

- 'Alarming' displacement risk -

The head of the International Organization for Migration told AFP that there are "very alarming" prospects for prolonged mass displacement in Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah are at war.

"There are parts of the south that are being completely flattened... even if the war ends tomorrow, that destruction remains and there needs to be a rebuilding," Amy Pope said.

- Fourth Yemen missile -

Houthi rebels, based in Yemen and allied with Iran, launched a fourth missile attack on Israel, after stepping into the war last week. 

The Israeli military said earlier it had detected a missile launched from Yemen.

- 'Maximum effort' -

Iraq is exerting "maximum effort" to prevent any escalation on its territory, the foreign ministry said, after the US embassy in Baghdad warned of possible attacks in the city by pro-Iran armed groups.

Earlier, the US embassy warned that "Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours".

burs/yad/giv

Cats and dogs can now fill the hours their owners are at work with a dedicated all-day streaming channel for pets launched by Chinese tech giant Tencent.

Clips of a duckling swimming in a bath or two happy pooches patrolling their neighbourhood are examples of the curated programming on "PetTV".

The new channel on Tencent Video -- China's most popular online streaming platform -- is meant to keep pets company while alone or can act as an activity for animals and humans to enjoy together.

"This is all dog content, when will the cat programme be on?" one person engrossed in the service wrote in the chatroom on PetTV's streaming page.

Tencent Video described PetTV as a "24-hour happiness hub specially designed for your furry kids" in a post on social media app WeChat introducing the service last weekend.

Dogs and cats' senses are different to humans', so the channel's colours, refresh rates and audio frequencies have been designed to suit their specific needs, it said.

PetTV is available to paid subscribers of Tencent Video, which said its market research found that 66 per cent of dog owners leave the television on for their pets when they are out.

But the streaming service isn't the only pet specific media on the market. 

Popular Headspace mindfulness app posted a YouTube video this week titled: "When your pets miss you, play this: 6 hour calming music for dogs and cats".

Tencent Video will also take advantage of third-party content including airing America's DogTV -- the world's first TV channel and streaming service for pets.

The value of China's growing urban pet market is estimated to reach 405 billion yuan ($59 billion) in 2028, according to a recent report by PetData.cn.

On average last year, Chinese households spent more than 3,000 yuan ($435) on each dog and more than 2,000 yuan on each cat for their care needs.

ll/kaf/ane

After hours spent in the thick pollution-choking parts of northern Thailand, Pon Doikam gets home and blows her burning nose to find blood clots spattered across the tissue.

"It's suffocating," the 36-year-old coconut seller told AFP in Chiang Mai, a tourist destination among the areas affected by dangerous pollution levels this week.

"It feels like you're trapped in the smoke constantly."

Seasonal agricultural burning, forest fires and weather patterns produce an annual pollution season across much of Southeast Asia.

But parts of northern Thailand are seeing haze that even hardened locals say is exceptional.

"I've lived in Chiang Mai since I was a kid, and this is the worst it has ever been," said Pon, who works outdoors all day.

"I don't have a choice," she added. "I have to come out, making a living day to day."

This week Thailand's second city, Chiang Mai, regularly topped the IQAir monitor website's most polluted big cities list.

The situation is even worse to the west in Pai, a backpacker destination known for its greenery and mountains.

Some monitors there recorded levels of PM2.5 -- particles small enough to enter the bloodstream and linked to diseases like cancer -- of over 900 micrograms per cubic metre.

That is 60 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended 24-hour average exposure.

The area's mountainous geography makes it doubly vulnerable. Smoke is easily trapped, and the forested hillsides are hard to access when fires start. 

- 'Very disappointed' -

AFP saw multiple blazes burning on hillsides and along roads between Pai and Chiang Mai, lighting up patches of otherwise pitch-black countryside.

Volunteer firefighters like Maitree Nuanja do their best to bolster limited local capacity, relying heavily on donations such as drinking water and face masks.

"The fire control centre gave us 20 litres of fuel and lent us leaf blowers. Once the season ends, we have to return them," he told AFP, standing before a blackened, ash-strewn stretch of land.

"Everyone can see how serious it is now. It's so dark and hazy you can't see a thing, and it's gone on for far too long."

He worries about his home next to a forest, and his health.

"We now live with this smoke, breathing it in every day."

On Wednesday, a volunteer firefighter was found dead from suspected exhaustion linked to heat and underlying health conditions, officials told AFP. 

Pollution is particularly dangerous to those with existing health problems, the elderly and children.

In Chiang Mai, the government has installed hundreds of "dust-free rooms" -- equipped with air purifiers and positive pressure systems that keep out the polluted air -- including at the retirement facility that Watwilai Chaiwan now calls home.

The retired nurse, 82, said the pollution made her afraid to go out and aggravated her dizziness and migraines.

"It's a real problem for the elderly. You have to wear a mask the entire time you're breathing this air," she told AFP.

Thailand's government held talks this week on the haze, and some districts in Chiang Mai have issued disaster declarations to help speed up financial support.

But clean air activists say more is needed, and are pushing for the government to move quickly on clean air legislation that stalled last year with the dissolution of parliament.

"A normal government would have been concerned about clean air not only now but a long time ago," said Kanongnij Sribuaiam, legal team leader at Thailand Clean Air Network, which pushed for the legislation.

If no action is taken by May 13, the legislation will expire and the process will have to start from scratch, she added.

"The public is very disappointed."

- 'This is shocking' -

In Chiang Mai, doctor Thanakrit Im-iam was wearing a heavy-duty respirator to protect himself.

He warned that the long-term health consequences of the pollution are "devastating".

"It affects everyone because these toxins and heavy metals enter the body directly," he told AFP, describing "burning eyes, phlegm, and nasal inflammation."

The mask is his only protection, he said.

"We can't control the rest. That's up to the government."

The pollution is also increasingly a deterrent for tourists, who form a key pillar of the region's economy.

"Usually, Chiang Mai is buzzing in March and April, but this year, it's just quiet," said tuk-tuk driver Chakkrawat Wichitchaisilp.

At a viewpoint overlooking Chiang Mai, the city skyline was almost entirely obscured, with only faint outlines of hills visible through a dense grey haze and a dim orange sun hanging in the sky.

"I've taken photos from this very spot, and it's just a beautiful blue sky -- and you can see as far as the horizon," said Martin Astill, 57, a Briton who previously lived in Thailand and was visiting with his family.

"This is shocking. Never seen it as bad as this."

ci/sah/lga/fox

Myanmar's parliament elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday, parliament said, with the ex-military commander set to maintain his rule in a civilian guise after snatching power by force five years ago.

The coup-leading general -- who swept aside democracy in 2021, detaining elected figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi and dissolving her party -- was anointed by pro-military MPs installed in a recent election overseen by the junta he leads.

The vote on Friday across the upper and lower houses of parliament in the capital Naypyidaw saw Min Aung Hlaing secure a huge margin over the second-place candidate in a three-person race.

"We hereby announce Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as president," parliament speaker Aung Lin Dwe announced from a stage in the parliament meeting hall.

He received 429 votes of 584 cast by MPs, a parliament official said after ballot counting was finished.

While the junta touted parliament's reopening last month as a return of power to the people, analysts describe it as civilian window dressing intended to launder the military's continuing rule.

The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won more than 80 percent of parliamentary seats contested in the election which concluded in late January, while serving members of the armed forces occupy unelected seats making up a quarter of the total.

The massively popular Suu Kyi has been detained since the February 2021 coup, criticism or protest over the election was outlawed and voting was blocked in territories controlled by rebels which have risen up to challenge the military takeover in a grinding civil war.

With opposition factions still standing defiant after the poll, the conflict and ensuing humanitarian crisis show no sign of abating.

Tens of thousands have been killed on all sides since the coup.

- Civilian leader -

Min Aung Hlaing is due to take power as president this month, while his two competitors -- current Prime Minister Nyo Saw and Nan Ni Ni Aye, a regional MP from Karen state with the USDP party -- will serve under him as vice-presidents.

In a post-coup period of emergency rule, Min Aung Hlaing served as both commander-in-chief of the armed forces and acting president, but to become permanent president he is constitutionally compelled to relinquish his military post.

He handed over the reins of the military to loyalist and former spymaster Ye Win Oo on Monday. 

Myanmar's military has ruled the country for most of its post-independence history and presents itself as the only force guarding the restive country from rupture and ruin.

The generals loosened their grip for a decade-long democratic interlude beginning in 2011, allowing Suu Kyi to ascend as civilian leader and steer a spurt of reform as the nation opened up from its hermetic history.

After the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's party trounced the pro-military USDP with a landslide victory in 2020 elections, Min Aung Hlaing snatched back power making allegations of massive voter fraud.

Analysts say the claims were unfounded and he acted out of anxiety about the armed forces' waning influence.

Now that the USDP is entrenched in parliament with back-up from military MPs entitled to unelected seats under the constitution, the new government is expected to march in lockstep with the top brass.

bur-sco/abs

Millions of people have been gripped by the juicy twists of an AI-generated TikTok micro-series based on the television hit "Love Island" -- except all the participants are sexy human-like fruit.

The exploits of the bizarre animated characters, including "Strawberina" and a buff open-shirt "Bananito", parody reality TV tropes, from love triangles to emotional re-couplings.

Each short clip is hosted by a voluptuous green apple, and the most popular, "Episode 15: New Dates... New Doubts", has been viewed 39 million times since being posted two weeks ago.

For comparison, the big-budget 2025 Eurovision Song Contest says it reached 166 million people.

Many have dismissed the fruity videos as so-called artificial intelligence "slop" -- poor-quality content churned out to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

But their mass consumption also signals "demand for media that helps people to switch off, to have a laugh, or to relax for a few minutes", Ludmila Lupinacci, lecturer in digital media at the University of Leeds, told AFP.

That desire may be heightened when "social platforms also give us access to horrifying, stressful, violent, and overall negative experiences", she added.

The micro-drama was started in mid-March by an account called "Ai Cinema". It does not disclose who runs it or where it is based.

"Thank you guys for watching this has been fun!" it said in the caption of a series finale posted Wednesday.

The sudden popularity of "Fruit Love Island" has spawned many fake TikTok accounts publishing copycat episodes, while some of the original clips appear to have been removed from the platform.

- 'Hate-watching' -

"I'm not going to lie, I didn't expect you to be this easy to talk to," a watermelon woman tells her dragon-fruit date over their corresponding fruit cocktails at sunset.

"Is this cannibalism?" laughed YouTuber Annamarie Forcino in a review posted this week, titled "Fruit Love Island is pure AI slop".

"Sure, AI data centres consume massive amounts of energy, contribute to air pollution, and drain the water supply from local communities," Forcino said.

"But would you rather have clean air and lower electricity bills or Cocomelon for adults?" she joked, referring to the animated children's channel that is among YouTube's most subscribed.

In her video, Forcino points out the tell-tale visual inconsistencies that pepper AI-generated videos: "Why is this girl's right arm pink, but this one green?"

ChatGPT maker OpenAI recently said it would shut down its AI video generation app Sora, barely six months after its launch, in a shift towards business tools.

Meanwhile, Chinese video generators, like Seedance 2.0 from TikTok creator ByteDance, have wowed users and spooked the creative industries with their almost-cinematic quality.

"Fruit Love Island" is one of a bunch of other fruit-themed content spreading on social media, from fellow TV parody "Fruit Paternity Court" to a slew of other memes in different languages that often reinforce sexist or racist stereotypes.

Fruit is an absurd but also simple way to reflect the formulaic, sensationalist and stereotypical world of dating reality TV, Lupinacci said.

Its AI quirks "might indeed be actually part of the appeal, as they make it funnier, more bizarre, and potentially more engaging -- even if prone to mockery and hate-watching".

kaf/lkd/abs

Israel said Friday it was under attack from a new barrage of Iranian missiles, as President Donald Trump warned the United States had yet to begin "destroying what's left" with more of the Islamic republic's infrastructure in his sights.

The war started more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide. 

The Strait of Hormuz -- a conduit for one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas -- has come into sharp focus after Iran effectively closed it, with Gulf nations pushing for a force to protect shipping there, but a UN vote set for Friday was delayed.

Trump has threatened to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages" and warned US attacks would intensify if Tehran did not reach a negotiated settlement, while Iran has vowed in response to carry out "crushing" attacks against the US and Israel.

Israel's military reported a new missile salvo from Iran on Friday, with its air defences operating to down them, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israeli emergency services reported some damage to houses and cars from an unintercepted cluster missile, while Israeli military radio said a train station in Tel Aviv was damaged by shrapnel.

The Iranian fire came as Trump said the US military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!" on his Truth Social platform, several hours after saying Iran's tallest bridge had been destroyed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted online that "striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender."

Strikes from both sides have increasingly targeted economic and industrial sites, raising fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies and deepening the conflict's impact beyond the battlefield.

- New Gulf attacks -

Gulf states once seen as safe havens have become direct threats, accused by Iran of serving as launchpads for US strikes.

A drone attack on a refinery owned by Kuwait's national oil company on Friday sparked fires at several of its units, state media said, while the oil-rich emirate's air defences responded to new missile and drone attacks.

Iran said one of its latest attacks a day earlier had struck targets in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel.

They included "American steel industries in Abu Dhabi, American aluminium industries in Bahrain, and the Rafael arms factories of the Zionist regime", it said.

Despite the ongoing bombardment in Iran, families gathered in Tehran's Melat Park, with men smoking water pipes and children playing to mark the 13th day after Nowruz, the Persian New Year, when people traditionally picnic outdoors.

A resident said checkpoints manned by the country's Revolutionary Guards had increased across the city.

"They gather in the streets in order to show people that they are still in power and nothing is gonna change," said the 30-year-old man, who requested his name not be used.

In Israel, Passover celebrations continued, though some marked the holiday underground.

"This is not my first choice," said a writer named Jeffrey at a meal in a Tel Aviv bunker.

- Global impact -

The war's economic impact is rippling far beyond the Middle East.

Oil prices surged to around $110 a barrel on Thursday after Trump warned of further strikes on Iran. Oil markets were closed on Friday.

Analysts said that Trump's prime-time address to the nation failed to provide clarity on an exit strategy from the war, with Deutsche Bank's Jim Reid noting there was "no signal of the US seeking an imminent off-ramp".

The World Bank warned of mounting risks to inflation, jobs and food security worldwide.

Airlines in China are raising fuel surcharges, Malaysia has asked civil servants to work from home and Pakistan has sharply raised fuel prices.

Even the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is feeling the strain, with fuel shortages triggering long queues in the capital Thimphu.

"We are helpless," said resident Karma Kalden.

Egypt has ordered shops, restaurants and shopping malls to close from 9:00 pm on weekdays, hoping to curb energy bills that have more than doubled because of the war.

Trump, whose administration has been accused of giving mixed messages about the war's end game, has suggested that Tehran's new leadership could prove "more reasonable" in potential peace talks.

Iran has dismissed US overtures as "maximalist and irrational".

- UN vote delayed -

There was a flurry of diplomatic activity on Thursday over what to do about the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has virtually blocked since the war began.

It has impacted global supplies of vital commodities including oil, liquid natural gas and fertiliser, triggering a sharp rise in energy prices.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper convened about 40 countries to demand its "immediate and unconditional" reopening.

"Iran is trying to hold the global economy hostage in the Strait of Hormuz. They must not prevail," Cooper said in a statement.

Underlining the wider repercussions, Italy called for a "humanitarian corridor" for fertiliser and other essentials through the waterway to avoid a food disaster in Africa. 

The UN Security Council postponed a vote scheduled for Friday on authorising the use of "defensive" force to protect shipping in the strait from Iranian attacks, according to the official programme.

The 15-member body was set to vote Friday morning on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain, but by Thursday night the schedule shifted. 

The reason given was that the United Nations observes Good Friday as a public holiday, according to diplomatic sources -- despite this fact being known when the vote was first announced. 

No new date has been given for voting on the draft.

bur-pst/jfx

Like many of her fellow volunteers, Hungarian beautician Krisztina Menczel sat idle in the past elections that kept nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban in power.

But opposition leader Peter Magyar's hopes of ending the longstanding premier's 16-year reign in Hungary rest in no small part on first-time campaigners like Menczel.

"Canvassing has a big impact," the 41-year-old told AFP in Jaszfenyszaru, a central Hungarian town long considered a stronghold of Orban's Fidesz party. "Even those who wouldn't dare reveal their political preferences come over and chat with us."

Magyar, a former government insider turned critic, is offering voters a radical break from Orban's self-described "illiberal" system, vowing to crack down on corruption and improve public services.

Thanks to his party's on-the-ground network, Orban's grip on small towns like Jaszfenyszaru, population 6,000, appears to be weakening ahead of the April 12 vote.

Orban, who has criticised neighbouring Ukraine and acted as a spoiler at many European Union summits, has long counted on his media dominance to promote his platform.

Instead, Magyar's TISZA party has had to rely on grassroots word-of-mouth to promote its message. 

While the ruling party puts up billboards, TISZA has asked its supporters to hang party signs on homes and shopfronts.

Menczel said she decided to help the party after Magyar visited the town last August on his nearly non-stop nationwide tour.

She now spends up to three hours a day campaigning, on top of managing TISZA's local social media pages.

- 'Revolution of the entrepreneurs' -

When he shot into prominence in 2024, Magyar had no party apparatus behind him.

But his rise came in the wake of a child abuse pardon scandal which shook Orban's tight grip on power.

With many Hungarians already dissatisfied with the economy, the scandal proved a "tipping point", when many voters "realised they had enough of Orban's system", according to Zoltan Lakner, the editor-in-chief of the Jelen weekly newspaper.

After tirelessly criss-crossing the country and a prominent social media campaign, Magyar led a previously dormant TISZA to second place behind Fidesz at the 2024 European elections.

A month after the vote, he called supporters to set up loosely connected associations to handle on-the-ground organising, dubbed "TISZA islands", a nod to the party sharing its name with the country's longest river.

According to the party, around 4,000 "islands" have since been established, including in rural areas which the old opposition parties had effectively abandoned.

These groups organised local community events, such as charity drives, cookouts and political discussions, before switching to full-time campaigning.

Key to these events' success was the involvement of small and medium-sized businesses, according to Lakner, who describes the movement as a "revolution of entrepreneurs".

"This also affects the islands' attitude towards politics: They approach it pragmatically instead of ideologically, simply wanting the country to function well," the analyst explained.

- Breaking the 'spiral of silence' -

Dozens of "islanders" ended up being chosen as party candidates during November's primaries. 

Many of them are locally respected professionals, such as doctors, who are completely new to politics.

"This lends them credibility, given the widespread disillusionment with professional politicians," Bulcsu Zsiga, a researcher at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis, told AFP.

But their political inexperience carries a "danger" which TISZA is "clearly trying to mitigate", the expert noted, pointing to the party's much criticised policy of restricting media access to candidates.

Even so, drawing in local figures has helped to break the "spiral of silence" some Fidesz-dominated rural communities, where opposition supporters previously felt isolated or reluctant to express their views, Zsiga added.

In the Hungarian countryside, activism often comes at a price, some dearer than others, as campaigners in Jaszfenyszaru can attest.

Menczel, the beautician, said that a close relative of the local Fidesz lawmaker stopped frequenting her salon after she posted a picture with TISZA's candidate on social media.

Others have suffered more serious consequences. 

Forty-eight-year-old retailer Eszter Somfai had her home address shared online, after an internal party database with some 200,000 supporters' personal details was leaked last November.

"But we will not let them deter us, we proudly campaign for Tisza," Menczel said.

"I feel people here are increasingly opening up… If everything is conducted fairly, then we will be victorious."

ros/sbk