Arrests, hangings, blackout: Iran cranks up wartime repression

(The Center Square) – Dominance in national air power defense would be enhanced through three proposals awaiting action in the Committee on Armed Services, says senators from North Carolina and New Hampshire and some of their colleagues.

Expanded fighter aircraft production, retention of mid-career Air Force aviators, and a program to “correct the most acute pilot manning challenges for the Air Force” have been brought together led by Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. Shaheen said getting serious about China’s influence is pivotal; Budd said military superiority is tied to the air.

“The future of American military dominance relies on maintaining our air superiority, and the path forward is clear – rebuild our Defense Industrial Base through restoring our combat aircraft forces and retaining experienced aviators,” Budd said. “We cannot afford to fall behind China, and that is why Senator Shaheen and I have brought forward a robust, bipartisan legislative package that gives the U.S. a fighting chance to preserve our airpower to be the most lethal fighting force in modern warfare, while also retaining our nation’s most elite pilots.”

Introductions of the three bills came Wednesday.

“If the administration truly views China as the pacing challenge to our nation, we need to get serious about curbing their growing global influence – and that includes air dominance,” Shaheen said. “Our commonsense, multi-pronged approach will make an overdue investment in American fighter capacity to help ensure the United States keeps our competitive edge for generations to come.”

The Airpower Acceleration Act, known also as Senate Bill 4374, authorizes multi-year procurement of the F-15EX and F-35 fighter jets. The minimum increase of fighter aircraft would rise from 1,369 in 2030 to 1,558 in 2035.

The F-15EX production would rise to 200, helping the aging F-15E fleet.

The Retention Enhancements for Tactical Aircrew Initiative Act, known also as the RETAIN Act and Senate Bill 4375, has incentives to be offered by the secretary of the Air Force. Not all incentives in the legislation include pay raise; rather, it’s duty location of officer’s preference, assignment and status, and ability to transition indefinitely to a noncombat aviation service career path.

There are monetary incentives elsewhere in the proposal.

The Fighter Aircrew Career Flexibility Act, known also as Senate Bill 4373, permits a one-time career intermission for Air Force fighter crew lasting four months to one year. Aviators can go to the civilian workforce and still be able to return to active duty.

Budd and Shaheen have support on the package from Sens. Angus King, I-Maine; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. All are members of the Committee on Armed Services.

In Budd's North Carolina, the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro has more than 90 F-15E Strike Eagles. In Shaheen's New Hampshire, the 157th Air Refueling Wing is hosted at Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington/Portsmouth.

The primary home of the F-15EX Eagle II is the 142nd Wing at Portland Air National Guard Base. The primary operational home for the F-35A Lightning II within the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings is at Hill Air Force Base between Ogden and Layton in Utah.

A delivery driver who jumped onto a Porsche Cayenne after being startled by dogs is not required to pay for the resulting damage, a Munich court said Monday.

Two Dalmatians and a crossbreed emerged from the front door of a house he was delivering to, leading the unnamed man to climb onto the bonnet of the Porsche parked outside, Munich District Court said in a statement.

The September 2024 incident in Freising north of Munich caused more than 2,700 euros' (about $3,170) worth of damage in scratches and dents to the car bonnet, the complainant said.

The case came to court after the delivery driver and his employer refused to cover the cost of repairs.

Finding in their favour, the court ruled that it was not certain whether the damage came from the startled driver, noting that photos of the damage appeared to have been taken several months after the incident.

The complainant should further have controlled his dogs and known that a delivery driver was due to stop by, the court added.

The dogs were about three to four metres away from the driver and not aggressive, the car owner and a witness said, but the court said this did not excuse man from his duty to control his pets.

Barking and running towards the driver was enough to trigger a flight reflex, the court found.

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(The Center Square) – Kevin Warsh’s path to succeed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has the support of U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Republican said multiple times Sunday.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said Friday the Justice Department's criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is being closed. Tillis, staunchly opposed to moving forward while the probe has been active, said since that announcement he’s had a number of discussions with the Department of Justice.

In a network interview, he said in part to Kristen Welker of NBC, “They have made it very clear that the current investigation is completely and fully ended. There may be some confusion because they're moving forward with the appeal, but I have been assured by the Department of Justice that that appeal is simply to challenge the basis for judging on the motion to quash the subpoenas. It would not in any way constitute a basis for reopening the investigation.”

Tillis, later Sunday morning, said he’s been consistently clear. The investigation, he said, was “a serious threat” to independence by the Federal Reserve.

“It needed to end before I could support Kevin Warsh’s confirmation,” Tillis wrote on social media. “I welcome the inspector general’s investigation. This is a necessary and appropriate measure, and I have confidence it will be conducted thoroughly and professionally.

“I take the Department of Justice at its word: the investigation is closed, and any appeal of Judge Boasberg’s ruling will be with respect to legal principles and not for the purpose of reissuing subpoenas. Only a criminal referral from the inspector general would cause a reopening of the investigation.

“With these assurances,” he continued, “I look forward to supporting Kevin Warsh’s confirmation. He is an outstanding nominee, and it is time for the Federal Reserve to move beyond this distraction and return its full attention to its mission.”

Powell’s four-year term ends May 15 and Warsh is the choice to succeed him. A confirmation vote from the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled for Wednesday. A final vote by the full Senate would follow if the panel advances Warsh.

Warsh could begin as the 17th chairman on May 15.

Judge James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, blocked the Justice Department in March and April from probing Powell. He said the investigation had “essentially zero evidence” and felt the initiative was made to manipulate Powell into compliance with second-term Republican President Donald Trump’s request to cut interest rates or resign.

Three weeks after the judge called the case thin and weak came Pirro’s announcement on Friday.

Rates from the Federal Reserve dictate the cost of borrowing money, ranging from mortgages and credit cards to business expansion, employment and inflation.

Benchmark federal funds rates are in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%; the discount window, known as the primary credit rate, is 3.75%; and the effective federal funds rate is 3.64%.

"We'll be putting out a statement," Tillis said in the network interview, confirming he will vote yes on Warsh. "We worked a lot over the weekend to make sure that we were very clear that we had the assurances from the DOJ that I needed to feel like they were not using the DOJ as a weapon to threaten the independence of the Fed."

Asked if he thought Warsh would act independently of the president, Tillis said not only that, "I wouldn't be surprised if the president doesn't get annoyed with him once or twice.

"Look, the Fed body that determines rate hikes, that works on their dual mandate for employment and for inflation, it's a consensus-building body. You have 12 voting members. No one person can actually control it. You have to get a majority of it."

And the outgoing senator whose seat is coveted in November by Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley further endorsed Trump.

"You know, the president's right to just press, and press, and press," Tillis said. "I don't begrudge him for demanding that inflation goes down. We've got to deal with the affordability problem, and this president's trying to do it better than Biden and Obama ever did.

"But you've got to do it by the rules, and you've got to do it within the bounds of the institution so that we maintain this precious, exceptional gift that we have as a nation and the gold standard for a financial system."

China has blocked Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus, the top economic planning body said Monday, after a regulatory review that reportedly also saw Beijing restrict two co-founders from leaving the country.

Facebook owner Meta had agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore, the two firms said in December.

Analysts however had warned then the deal could fall foul of regulators at a time of fierce technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

The Financial Times reported last month that China had restricted two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

Chief executive Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao, who are usually based in Singapore, were reportedly summoned to a meeting in Beijing in March and told they were not allowed to leave China because of a regulatory review of the Meta acquisition.

Beijing's National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Monday that it will "prohibit the foreign investment in the acquisition of the Manus project" and "requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction", without naming Meta.

Meta told AFP in a statement that "the transaction complied fully with applicable law".

"We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry," it added.

Meta said in December that the deal -- the financial details of which were not disclosed -- would "bring a leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products".

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said the purchase was likely aimed at expanding Meta's AI agent task capabilities, and that it could be worth more than $2 billion.

Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can sift through and summarise resumes or create a stock analysis website, according to its website.

- Tech control -

Analysts said this move did not come as a surprise as China has always hoped for greater control over its homegrown technology.

"This is the latest in that trajectory of restrictions," said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

China and the United States "are increasingly looking to separate their tech stacks", he told AFP, adding that places like Singapore would be increasingly unable to "shield firms from such scrutiny".

Beijing is trying to send a clear signal that in areas of "strategic priorities" such as AI, it will increase its scrutiny to prevent talent, tech data and capital leakage, said Dylan Loh, an associate professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"It shows they are prepared to act and also securitise the AI space," Loh added.

Chinese regulators intend to restrict technology firms from accepting US capital without government approval, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

Agencies including the National Development and Reform Commission have told several private firms in recent weeks they should reject capital of US origin in funding rounds unless explicitly approved, Bloomberg said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

"The China government's decision to block the deal is expected and it has already created some chilling effect on other Chinese AI companies who may now need to rethink their going global approach," Chandy Ye, a dual-qualified Hong Kong solicitor and mainland China lawyer, told AFP.

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The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Hezbollah  rejects talks -

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon's planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a "grave sin" that will destabilise Lebanon.

"We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves," Qassem said in a statement, calling on authorities to "back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability".

- Iran blames US -

Iran's foreign minister blamed Washington for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse.

"The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands," Abbas Araghchi said.

He also said "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue".

- Oil prices rise -

Oil prices rose more than two percent Monday while stocks were mixed with the United States and Iran no closer to ending their eight-week-old war.

- Israeli soldier killed -

The Israeli army said one of its troops was killed "during combat" in south Lebanon, where a ceasefire has been in place since mid-April.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have accused each other of breaching the truce.

- ECB seen holding rates -

The European Central Bank is expected to hold interest rates steady again this week as it waits to see if the inflation spike triggered by the Middle East war will prove temporary or begin to weigh on growth.

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China has blocked Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus, the top economic planning body said Monday, after a regulatory review that reportedly also saw Beijing restrict two co-founders from leaving the country.

Facebook owner Meta had agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore, the two firms said in December.

Analysts however had warned then the deal could fall foul of regulators at a time of fierce technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

The Financial Times reported last month that China had restricted two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

Chief executive Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao, who are usually based in Singapore, were reportedly summoned to a meeting in Beijing in March and told they were not allowed to leave China because of a regulatory review of the Meta acquisition.

Beijing's National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Monday that it will "prohibit the foreign investment in the acquisition of the Manus project" and "requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction", without naming Meta.

It added that this was done "in accordance with laws and regulations".

AFP has contacted Manus and Meta for comment.

Meta said in December that the deal -- the financial details of which were not disclosed -- would "bring a leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products".

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said the purchase was likely aimed at expanding Meta's AI agent task capabilities, and that it could be worth more than $2 billion.

Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can sift through and summarise resumes or create a stock analysis website, according to its website.

ll-kaf-isk/dhw/mtp

An American woman who has accused Mohamed Al-Fayed of sexual assault after being recruited in Paris has spoken of the "pain" of the late Egyptian-born businessman never being held to account.

Pelham Spong, a 42-year-old from South Carolina, says Al-Fayed assaulted her in London when she was in her twenties.

She has told The Times she went to British police in 2017, several years before his death in 2023 aged 94, but claims he was not even questioned.

"There's my story, but I know around 30 women who are victims," she told AFP late last month in the French capital, where she is one of several plaintiffs in a French sex trafficking probe.

"Every time a woman tells me her story, the pain multiplies. All these stories live inside me," she added.

The alleged crimes of Al-Fayed first came to light in a BBC investigation in September 2024.

British police have said 154 victims have so far come forward to say the former owner of Harrods, as well as the Paris Ritz and Premier League club Fulham, abused them over a timeframe of more than 35 years.

But his accusers have been frustrated by the British probe.

French authorities last year began investigating Al-Fayed and his brother Salah, who died in 2010, amid allegations of a vast system of sex trafficking and abuse on French soil.

A psychologist spoke to Spong in late March to corroborate her testimony as part of the French investigation, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.

Her lawyer confirmed this, saying it was a "key stage" in any case of alleged sexual violence.

The American says a recruiter approached her in Paris in August 2008 to offer her a job as an executive assistant for Al-Fayed.

She said she then spent "a week of professional orientation" in London and forced to undergo gynaecological exams as part of a medical check-up.

- 'Some kind of silk robe' -

She said Al-Fayed summoned her after 10 pm one evening.

"I'm in his office and he's sitting there in some kind of silk robe with a white tie," she said.

She said he informed her that her new job would include "having sexual relations with him". 

"My whole heart went, 'Oh fuck!' But I laughed," she said, because she was wanted to believe it was a joke.

"I'm serious. You're going to make love to me," he allegedly insisted. 

"I replied that I couldn't do that. He started to be more aggressive and told me, 'God gave you a brain. God gave you beauty. Why don't you use them?' As if I were stupid for not using my body to get ahead in life," Spong said.

She has accused Al-Fayed of then forcibly kissing her.

She says she remained in the recruitment process because her "survival instinct" kicked in, and she believed she could convince him to employ her without having to sleep with him. But it was in vain and she refused the job.

In her complaint filed with French authorities seen by AFP, Spong has accused the management of the Paris Ritz of being "aware that the hotel was being used as a base from which women were to be interviewed and selected to be sent to England to be sexually assaulted by Mr Fayed".

The Ritz in February told AFP that it was "deeply saddened by the testimonies and the allegations of abuse" and that it is "ready to fully cooperate with the judicial authorities".

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A French teenager has been charged with mischief and public nuisance in Singapore for licking a straw and putting it back in an orange juice vending machine, court documents showed Monday.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, allegedly filmed himself "licking a straw and placing it back at the vending machine", uploaded the video on Instagram knowing that it "would or would probably cause annoyance to the public", according to the documents.

The teenager is studying in Singapore, according to court records.

The public nuisance offence carries a jail term of up to three months and a fine.

A second charge of committing mischief said Maximilien knew that he was "likely to cause wrongful loss or damage" to iJooz, the company operating the vending machine which had to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser.

The mischief offence carries a punishment of up to two years in jail on conviction and a fine, according to the charge sheet.

Both offences were allegedly committed on March 12.

The charges were lodged before a district court last Friday, and the next hearing will be on May 22.

The Straits Times newspaper said the video "quickly went viral, sparking shock and concern among netizens".

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Iran's top diplomat blamed Washington on Monday for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks in Saint Petersburg, where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, having sandwiched a trip to Oman in between visits to main mediator Pakistan over the past few days.

Islamabad played host to the first and only round of unsuccessful talks between Washington and Tehran, and Araghchi's visit had fanned hopes for fresh negotiations over the weekend, until US President Donald Trump scrapped a planned trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

"The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands," Araghchi said Monday.

After calling off his emissaries' trip, Trump told Fox News that if Iran wanted talks, "they can come to us, or they can call us", though he has said the cancellation does not signal a return to hostilities.

In a sign that backchannel efforts were ongoing, the Fars news agency said Iran had passed "written messages" to the Americans via Pakistan spelling out red lines, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.

Fars news agency said the messages were not part of formal negotiations, however.

US media outlet Axios -- citing a US official and two other sources with knowledge of the matter -- reported on Sunday that Iran had sent a new proposal to end the war centred on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending a US naval blockade there, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage. 

Iranian state news agency IRNA cited the report without denying it.

- Global issue -

The ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran has so far held, but its economic shock waves have continued to reverberate globally.

Iran has blockaded the strait, cutting off flows of oil, gas and fertiliser and sending prices soaring, raising fears of food insecurity in developing countries. 

In response, the US has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in the waterway and beyond.

Trump faces domestic pressure as fuel prices rise following Iran's closure of Hormuz, with midterm elections due in November. Polls show the war is unpopular among Americans.

The subject of the strait was on the agenda during Araghchi's trip to Oman, which lies on the other side of the waterway from Iran.

"The safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue. Naturally, as the two coastal countries of this strait, we must speak with each other so that our common interests are secured," Araghchi said from Saint Petersburg.

Russian and Iranian state media confirmed Araghchi would speak with Putin, citing officials from their respective governments.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, however, have said they have no intention of lifting their market-shaking blockade, saying control of the Hormuz "and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America... is the definitive strategy" of Tehran.

Oil prices were creeping up again on Monday, though lingering hopes that a deal can eventually be reached have tempered the gains.

- Violence in Lebanon -

Violence, meanwhile, has continued on the war's Lebanese front, in spite of a recently extended ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

The two sides traded blame over violations on Sunday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the military was "vigorously" targeting the group as both sides claimed new attacks.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel to avenge the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with Israel responding with strikes and a ground invasion.

Netanyahu told a weekly cabinet meeting that Hezbollah's actions were "dismantling the ceasefire", while Hezbollah vowed to respond to Israeli violations and its "continued occupation".

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Sunday killed 14 people, the deadliest day since the truce came into force. 

AFP correspondents reported heavy traffic heading north as people fled following the warning and intensified raids.

Israel also reported a soldier killed in combat in south Lebanon. 

The country maintains that under the terms of the truce, it can act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks".

"This means freedom of action not only to respond to attacks... but also to pre-empt immediate threats and even emerging threats," Netanyahu said. 

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Backflipping down a steep and sandy mountainside, Afghan teenager Imran Saeedi wows the crowds of men who gather each springtime to unwind beside breathtaking views.

Hundreds of visitors travel each weekend to Reg-e-Rawan -- "the moving sands" in Dari -- to practice parkour or roll down the honey-coloured sand in Kapisa province.

"I feel afraid when I'm going for a flip or a jump, and of course I can get injured," said 16-year-old Saeedi, who nonetheless loves the thrill. 

"When the week starts, I'm just waiting for the weekend so I can come to Reg-e-Rawan to have fun again," said the high school student.

Men and boys clapped in admiration as he ran down the hill and flipped forwards, then backwards, while his friends filmed on their phones. 

Less daring onlookers sat atop rocks surrounding the mountain, picnicking together and enjoying the scenery.

Reg-e-Rawan is off limits to women and girls, who are banned by the Taliban authorities from recreational spots such as parks.

Families with women were turned away when AFP journalists visited, while officials under the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice patrolled the area.

- 'Humans need nature' -

Mirwais Kamran, a 48-year-old businessman, had driven three hours north from the capital Kabul with some of his 12 children.

"I feel joy when I come here with my children and friends," said Kamran, who climbed up the slope but stopped short of rolling down.

Nusratullah Nusrat, the provincial head of tourism at the Kapisa Department of Information and Culture, said the site dates back thousands of years. 

"The unique feature of this place is that the sand never decreases despite people climbing up and sliding down," he told AFP. 

Some people believe rolling in the sand also helps treat rheumatism, added Nusrat. 

For visitors such as Nohzatullah Ahmadzai, who travelled from Kabul with a group of friends, Reg-e-Rawan lifts his mood.

"I'm someone who gets depressed when I'm sad, so visiting such places erases that feeling," said the 22-year-old, who works for a cargo firm. 

Climbing the slope takes about an hour, rewarding visitors with views over green fields dotted with villages. 

"We humans need nature," said Ahmadzai. "When we feel stressed, we can visit natural places for relaxation or relief." 

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