As Iran war strains ties with Trump's US, UK looks to Europe

A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners broke the world record at a Beijing half marathon on Sunday, showcasing the rapid technological advancement achieved by Chinese makers.

Spectators lined the roads in Yizhuang in the capital's south to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions.

Some of the robots were highly agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic capabilities.

The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21-kilometre (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometres per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

That was far faster than the top human in Sunday's race, while also surpassing the current men's world record of 57:20 held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo.

The result represented spectacular progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.

The number of humanoid entries jumped from around 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector's growing popularity.

- 'Pretty cool' -

Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and snap a picture of the leading robot as it whizzed past.

She told AFP she was enthusiastic about such leaps in technology and thought the event was "pretty cool".

But, she added, "as someone who works for a living, I'm a little worried about it sometimes. I feel like technology is advancing so fast that it might start affecting people's jobs", particularly with artificial intelligence growing increasingly sophisticated.

Humanoid robots have become a common sight in China in recent years, in the media as well as in public spaces.

Xie Lei, 41, who watched Sunday's race with his family, said robots could "become part of our daily lives" within several years, potentially used for "things like housework, elderly companionship or basic caregiving" or "dangerous jobs, even firefighting".

The humanoid half marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularise the technologies used in creating and operating such machines.

In a sign of the industry's strength, investment in robotics and so-called embodied AI amounted to 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency.

"For thousands of years, humans have been at the top on planet Earth. But now, look at robots. Just in terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sport event, they're already starting to surpass us," Xie said.

"On one hand, it does make you feel a little bit sad for humanity. But at the same time, technology, especially in recent years, has given us so much imagination."

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The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Lebanon reopens bridge -

Lebanon's military said it has reopened a road and bridge damaged by Israeli strikes in the country's south, as a fragile 10-day truce holds between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

In a statement, the military said it "fully reopened" a road linking the city of Nabatieh with the Khardali area, and had "partially reopened the Burj Rahal-Tyre bridge".

- War spurs UK towards Europe -

Britain's government is set to announce legislation next month to move the country closer to the European Union, as the Iran war sours the UK's so-called special relationship with the United States.

President Donald Trump's unpredictability and stream of insults towards America's historic ally is adding impetus to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's bid to deepen ties with the 27-nation bloc, a decade after Britons narrowly voted to leave the EU.

- Israeli soldier killed -

Israel's military said a soldier died during combat in southern Lebanon, where fighting has not stopped despite a temporary ceasefire.

It was the second death of a soldier announced by Israel since the start of the truce on Friday.

The total Israeli army death toll in the six-week war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is now 15, according to an AFP tally based on military figures.

- Hormuz closed -

The strategic Strait of Hormuz remained closed on Sunday, a day after Iran's central military command announced a new closure in response to a US blockade of Iranian ports.

On Friday, Iran had declared the strait -- where around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually transits -- open after the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire announcement.

But Trump insisted the US naval blockade against Iran would continue until a deal to end the wider war was concluded, leading Tehran to again close the strait -- a measure Trump called "blackmail".

- Iran says deal is 'far' off -

Progress had been made in negotiations with the United States to end the war, Iran's parliamentary speaker said late Saturday, but the two sides remain far from an agreement.

"We are still far from the final discussion," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, one of Iran's negotiators, said in a televised address. "We made progress in the negotiations, but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain."

- Iran's death toll -

Iran's state-run Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying the war with the United States and Israel had left 3,468 people dead in the country.

- UN chief condemns peacekeeper death -

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned an attack on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon that left a French soldier dead and three wounded.

France blamed the attack on Hezbollah and Guterres said, in a statement issued by his spokesman, that an initial assessment by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was that it was carried out by the Iran-backed group.

Hezbollah has denied accusations that it was involved.

- Israel hits Lebanon -

The Israeli military said Saturday its air force had eliminated a "terrorist cell" operating near its troops in southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire there.

Israeli forces also carried out demolitions in Lebanese towns near the border, including Bint Jbeil, the scene of intense fighting with Hezbollah prior to the ceasefire, Lebanese state media reported.

- Iran navy warning -

"We warn that no ship, of any kind, should leave its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman," Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy said in a statement on its official Sepah News website.

"Any attempt to approach the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted."

- No one-sided truce -

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Saturday the 10-day truce with Israel cannot be one-sided, vowing that his fighters would respond to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

"Because we do not trust this enemy, the resistance fighters will remain in the field with their hands on the trigger, and they will respond to violations accordingly," Qassem said in a statement read out on TV.

"There is no ceasefire from the side of the resistance only, it must be from both sides."

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday condemned the easing of sanctions on Russian oil after the United States extended a waiver meant to soften surging energy prices driven by the Middle East war.

"Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war" and the billions of dollars involved are used for devastating strikes on Ukraine, Zelensky said in a post on X.

He did not mention the United States, but President Donald Trump's administration on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea.

The action was intended to bring down soaring energy prices. But the US Treasury Department extension came two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not renew the waiver.

Zelensky said there were more than 110 tankers carrying Russian oil in breach of international sanctions currently at sea, carrying more than 12 million tonnes of crude "which, due to the easing of sanctions, can once again be sold without consequences.

"That is $10 billion -- a resource that is directly converted into new strikes against Ukraine," Zelensky said.

The Ukraine leader said that in the past week alone, Russia had launched more than 2,360 attack drones, more than 1,320 guided aerial bombs "and nearly 60 missiles of various types at our cities and communities".

A 16-year-old boy was killed and four people wounded in one overnight attack on the northern city of Chernihiv, the head of the local administration said Sunday.

Zelensky said: "It is important that Russian tankers are stopped, not allowed to deliver oil to ports. The aggressor’s oil exports must decrease, and Ukraine’s long-range sanctions continue to work toward that goal."

- Democrats slam 'shameful' move -

Zelensky has a delicate relationship with Trump, who had a memorable blow-up with him in the Oval Office last year.

Ukraine needs US backing to fight off Russia, but has faced pressure from the Trump administration to sign off on a deal to end the more than four-year-old war triggered by Moscow's invasion.

The US sanctions waiver allows for the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that have been loaded onto any vessel as of Friday, through 12:01 am (0401 GMT) on May 16.

It extends an earlier easing of sanctions that expired on April 11.

Trump is keen to contain surging petrol prices ahead of key midterm elections this year.

Several top Democrats slammed the new sanctions relief however.

"This decision is shameful and a 180-degree reversal from Secretary Bessent, just two days after he pledged not to extend sanctions relief for Russia," said Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren in a statement.

"Make no mistake, Putin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of President Trump's war against Iran, as Russia saw oil revenues nearly double in March."

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Tens of thousands gathered outside Angola's capital Luanda for a giant open-air Sunday mass led by Pope Leo XIV on the second day of his visit to the resource-rich country marked by deep poverty.

Leo flew to Portuguese-speaking Angola on Saturday to start the third leg of a four-nation African tour.

He went immediately into a meeting with President Joao Lourenco and other officials, where he spoke out against oppression and the "suffering" caused by poverty and the rampant exploitation of natural resources.

The remarks continued a theme of his 11-day tour during which he has delivered pointed warnings against corruption and the plunder of the continent's natural wealth.

Multitudes -- many seeking a message of hope in difficult circumstances -- turned out to join Leo for the Sunday mass at Kilamba on the outskirts of the capital.

Patricio Musanga, 32, said he was looking for encouragement for young people in Angola, where a lack of work made many seek better opportunities in Western countries.

"He needs to give us hope, to help us understand that from here we can live better than abroad," he told journalists.

"We are very rich in natural resources but ... there is a glaring inequality between those who live well and the others," said Musanga, wearing a cap and a T-shirt showing the Pope's image.

Even though Angola is one of Africa's top producers of crude oil and is also rich in resources like diamonds, around a third of its population of 36.6 million people live in poverty, according to the World Bank.

"There's a concentration of wealth in the hands of very few, and of course the war just aggravated the situation," said Father Pedro Chingandu, who had come from the eastern province of Moxico to attend the mass.

Angola is still scarred by a civil war that erupted after independence from Portugal in 1975 and ended in 2002.

"We need real democracy and the redistribution of wealth and justice," Chingandu told AFP.

- Slave-route shrine -

After Kilamba, the pope is to travel 110 kilometres (70 miles) by helicopter to the town of Muxima, Angola's most venerated pilgrimage site, where a 300-year-old church overlooks a river that was once a major slave trading route.

The church, with a statue of the Virgin Mary known affectionately as "Mama Muxima", draws roughly two million pilgrims a year and large crowds are expected to meet the pope.

Angola's Portuguese colonial settlers built the church to baptise slaves before they were transported down the Kwanza River to the Atlantic and on to the Americas.

The government has embarked on a massive multi-million-euro project to build a basilica, houses and public services in the town, which has drawn some criticism about the government's spending priorities.

Poverty was partly blamed for a three-day looting spree in Luanda and other towns in July last year when around 30 people were killed in what critics said was a heavy-handed police response.

Analysts said the unrest signalled dissatisfaction with Lourenco's socialist MPLA party, which has held power since independence in 1975.

- Regrets Trump spat -

Leo, who was elected a year ago, started his African tour in Algeria on Monday and then headed to Cameroon.

He told journalists on the flight to Angola he regretted that a war of words with US President Donald Trump -- who has called him "weak" after he called for an end to the Middle East war -- had overshadowed much of the trip.

It is "not in my interest at all" to debate the US leader, Leo said.

From Angola, he will travel to Equatorial Guinea, the final stop of a whirlwind 18,000-kilometre journey across the continent. 

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Conservative billionaire Vincent Bollore unapologetically vowed Sunday to find new authors for one of France's most prestigious publishers after about 170 said they would leave in protest at political interference.

The writers shook the normally genteel world of French publishing by refusing to publish new books with Grasset following the departure of its chief executive which they blamed on Bollore. In an open letter, they denounced "an unacceptable attack on the editorial independence" of publishing house created in 1907.

Bollore, a devout Roman Catholic who has spent part of his family's fortune on a media empire aligned with his conservative views, expressed surprise at the "uproar" at the publishing house but insisted it would carry on.

In a commentary published by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, which he also owns, Bollore blamed "a small caste that believes itself above everything and everyone, and that co-opts and supports itself".

Despite the protests, "Grasset will continue, and those who are leaving will allow new authors to be published, promoted, recognised, and appreciated," Bollore said.

Grasset made its name with French literary giants such as Francois Mauriac and Andre Malraux.

Among the authors who have quit in support of chief executive Oliver Nora are philosopher Bernard Henri-Levy and prize-winning writers Virginie Despentes and Sorj Chalandon.

"We refuse to be hostages in an ideological war aimed at imposing authoritarianism everywhere in culture and the media," they said in their letter.

Bollore's family made its money through ports and trading in Africa.

But the tycoon has bought the Hachette group that owns Grasset and other top publishers as well as the Canal Plus pay-TV and C-News channels, the Europe 1 radio station and magazines such as Elle.

His move has been cheered by conservatives as rebalancing what they see as long-standing left-wing bias in French media.

But more than 300 writers and literary industry figures signed a joint commentary published Saturday that highlighted concern over the "the ideological orientation identified in the public debate" on Bollore's companies.

"As for the attacks concerning my 'ideology,' I reiterate once again: I am a Christian Democrat, and Hachette's management will continue to publish all authors who wish to be published," Bollore responded.

Bollore said Nora, who had run the publisher for 26 years, left after a difference over the publication date for a book by French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, who was released from an Algerian prison last year.

He also attacked Nora's management of Grasset, saying that while its turnover had fallen by 25 percent in 2025, Nora's salary had increased from 830,00 euros to one million euros ($977,000 to $1.17 million).

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Jeans, a clerical collar and a rosary on his wrist: this is how Father Guilherme Peixoto -- the "DJ Priest" -- appeared in central Buenos Aires on Saturday to spin electronic music at a massive rave paying tribute to Pope Francis one year after his death.

Techno versions of the "Super Mario" soundtrack and "Ameno" -- the 1990s classic that emulates Gregorian chant -- were mixed with excerpts from Francis's speeches in Plaza de Mayo, the political heart of Argentina, which had been transformed into a Catholic celebration.

From behind the decks, Peixoto energized tens of thousands of people beneath a laser light show, flanked by the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral and Casa Rosada, the seat of the Argentine government.

Peixoto told AFP his goal for the event was "to let the music touch hearts so deeply that young people return home with a desire to change the world."

On stage, an illuminated cross hung above Peixoto as a nearby screen showed a large white dove flapping its wings as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Many people in the crowd wore halos fitted with white lights, sold by street vendors for less than $10.

The concert kicked off with an audio clip of Francis saying, "The Church is not an NGO." Later, the 52-year-old Portuguese priest recited Francis's frequent request to young people to "make some noise."

Francis, who was born in Buenos Aires and served as archbishop of the city before his papacy began in 2013, died on April 21, 2025.

Tomas Ferreira, a 25-year-old lawyer, told AFP that while he is not Catholic, he thought it was "really great that the priest is trying to bring people together through the fusion of electronic music and religion."

"Religion is modernizing, and that's a good thing," he said.

- From Guimaraes to the booth -

A native of Guimaraes, Portugal, Peixoto has served as a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Braga, northern Portugal, since 1999. 

His Sunday masses, he said with a laugh, "are normal. It's a normal liturgy."

He entered the seminary at age 13, but always kept one foot in the world of music. As a young man, he played the organ in a pop-rock band alongside his fellow seminarians.

"Going to church and going out to a bar or a club to listen to music felt the same -- it was normal," he recalled in an interview with AFP.

In the early 2000s, he organized karaoke nights to raise funds for his debt-ridden parish. He learned how to mix music by watching videos on YouTube and practicing the craft over several years.

"When I first started learning how to mix, I also began to immerse myself in electronic music culture. It wasn't just about understanding the technicalities, how to structure a set, but grasping the very essence of what an 'electronic music journey' truly is," Peixoto said.

"It was a long, long process -- a journey that led me right here."

- Breakthrough in Ibiza -

The Covid-19 pandemic marked the turning point for Peixoto.

He began streaming live sets on Facebook, his videos went viral and the nickname "DJ Priest" stuck.

"Techno started becoming a bit more melodic, which is the style I play now," said Peixoto.

"The music isn't quite as intense or heavy as it used to be. Instead, it serves as a vehicle capable of conveying messages, thoughts and melodies."

He said he conveys "messages of peace."

Peixoto's breakthrough moment came in Ibiza in July 2024, when he celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest by performing in front of thousands of people.

He said he was concerned about how people would react to seeing a priest in the DJ booth. But the fear quickly faded when he said he saw young people showing "such incredible warmth."

"I get goosebumps when I feel that we are all united on the dance floor, that we are all on this journey together," he said.

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Wearing a gas mask, a young man performs a rapid series of push-ups, jumps and squats at the German military's recruiting booth at FIBO, the world's largest fitness expo, held in Cologne.

Germany hopes to grow its armed forces, winning tens of thousands of new volunteers -- a tough task in a country where many young people view military service with scepticism.

To find new recruits, the Bundeswehr must rely on the power of persuasion, and sees the FIBO fair -- a celebration of bulging muscles and displays of sweaty stamina -- as a natural venue to win the soldiers of tomorrow.

"The target group is right here -- we rely on young, athletic, motivated people to join the service," the 30-year-old lieutenant commanding the booth, who gave his name only as Peter, told AFP.

"We can approach them very effectively here."

Franz, a 31-year-old physiotherapist who declined to give his last name, set the day's record in the army booth's gas-masked fitness challenge, working his way through 50 jumping jacks, 20 squats, 10 press-ups and five burpees in just 46 seconds.

Shortly after, he told AFP that he would be open to joining the army in coming years: "Being there to defend my country is definitely an option."

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for Germany to become Europe's leading conventional military power, part of a broader rearmament push by European NATO allies to deter a hostile Russia.

By 2035, Berlin has committed to increase its troop strength to 260,000 soldiers -- up from the current 185,000 -- and boost the reserves to another 200,000.

To achieve this, Berlin introduced a system this year to register 18-year-olds to identify potential new recruits -- but so far has refrained from bringing back mandatory military service, which was suspended in 2011.

Conscription is a sensitive subject in Germany, which has a strong pacificist streak often attributed to the horrors of the Nazi regime, and so the Bundeswehr is looking for other ways to win hearts, minds and recruits.

- Obstacle courses, combat sports -

The Bundeswehr stand at the fair dominated the middle of two bustling aisles packed with young men in athletic shorts and young women in leggings and sports bras.

Helping draw attention to the troops was an imposing Fennek armoured reconnaissance vehicle and a troop transporter, parked on either side of the booth.

"We've expanded even further compared to last year due to the success of our recruitment drive at FIBO," the lieutenant told AFP at the big stand, which was manned by 92 soldiers and staff.

With obstacle courses, combat demonstrations and daily raffles offering prizes like water bottles, mugs, T-shirts and backpacks -- all in military shades of sand and khaki -- the Bundeswehr is pulling out all the stops to attract new soldiers.

A banner advertised an upcoming "Olympix" event at the Bundeswehr's sports school in the western town of Warendorf, where young people aged 16 to 19 can compete in football, beach volleyball and combat sports.

"We've become more professional and more attractive" to potential recruits, Peter said of Germany's military, although he declined to provide specific recruiting figures from the FIBO stand.

Potential recruits often "need three or four contacts before deciding to pursue a career path or change professions," he added, comparing the decision-making process for signing up to making a major purchase.

Linda Reinhard -- a 33-year-old physiotherapist who had just completed a combat course at the training stand while wearing a 13-kilogramme (29-pound) vest -- said she thought the public perception of the Bundeswehr had improved in recent years.

"With everything that's happening in the world, the guys and girls here really contribute to making us feel safe," she said, although she is not considering putting on a uniform at the moment.

"I have a great job, I'm very happy, but I think they need good people here they can rely on," Reinhard said, adding that she was keeping an open mind to one day doing military service.

"Maybe that would be an alternative sometime in the future, why not?"

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North Korea test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a recent flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state.

The Sunday launches add to a series of weapons tests Pyongyang has carried out in recent weeks, including ballistic missiles, anti-warship cruise missiles and cluster munitions.

"Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea from the Sinpo area of North Korea at around 6:10 am (2110 GMT)," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to a body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.

"The missiles flew approximately 140 kilometres (87 miles), and South Korean and US intelligence authorities are conducting a detailed analysis of their exact specifications," it added.

Seoul was maintaining a "firm combined defence posture" with its security ally the United States, which stations about 28,000 troops in the South to help it defend against military threats from the North, and will "respond overwhelmingly to any provocation", it said.

South Korea's presidential office said it held an emergency security meeting over the launches.

Analysts said the tests signalled Pyongyang's latest rejection of attempts by Seoul to repair strained ties.

Among them was an expression of regret from Seoul over civilian drone incursions into the North in January, a gesture initially described as "very fortunate and wise behaviour" by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader.

But this month, a senior North Korean official described the South as "the enemy state most hostile" to Pyongyang, reviving a label previously used by leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is subject to multiple United Nations sanctions banning its nuclear weapons development and use of ballistic missile technology, restrictions it has repeatedly flouted.

"Pyongyang must immediately halt its successive missile provocations that are heightening tensions," Seoul's defence ministry said in a statement. 

The North should "actively engage in the South Korean government's efforts to establish peace", it added.

- Two more destroyers – 

Earlier in April, Kim Jong Un oversaw tests of strategic cruise missiles launched from a naval warship, with official photos showing him watching the firings flanked by military officials.

Those tests were carried out from the Choe Hyon, one of two 5,000-ton destroyers in the North's arsenal, both launched last year as Kim Jong Un seeks to ramp up the country's naval capabilities.

The North is also building two more 5,000-ton class destroyers to add to its fleet.

A South Korean lawmaker said this month that North Korea appeared to be speeding up construction of a destroyer at the western port city of Nampo.

Citing satellite imagery from a US-based intelligence firm, Yoo Yong-won of the opposition People Power Party said North Korea was "accelerating the naval forces' modernisation on the back of military assistance from Russia".

North Korea has sent ground troops and artillery shells to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and observers say Pyongyang is receiving military technology assistance from Moscow in return.

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Britain's government is set to announce legislation next month to move the country closer to the European Union, as the Iran war sours the UK's so-called special relationship with the United States.

President Donald Trump's unpredictability and stream of insults towards America's historic ally is adding impetus to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's bid to deepen ties with the 27-nation bloc, a decade after Britons narrowly voted to leave the EU.

"We have a government that is already eager to move closer towards the EU, and the events in Iran provide an opportunity to speed up that process," Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group think-tank, told AFP.

Starmer's administration is preparing an EU "reset" bill that will give ministers powers to align UK standards with EU single market rules as they evolve -- something called "dynamic alignment".

King Charles III will announce the legislation on May 13 when he reads out Starmer's legislative plans for the coming months, a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Starmer has repeatedly called for a deeper economic and security relationship with Europe since his Labour party won the 2024 general election, ousting the Conservatives, who had implemented the 2016 Brexit referendum.

He has upped those calls in recent days, telling Dutch leader Rob Jetten on Tuesday that "he believed the partnership between the UK and the bloc needed to be fit for the challenges we were facing today".

The EU is Britain's biggest trading partner, while the International Monetary Fund warned this week that the UK will be the advanced economy hardest hit by the Iran conflict.

"Certainly Iran has made it (the reset) more prescient," said the UK official.

"We need to build economic resilience across the continent," they added.

Starmer refused to involve Britain in the US and Israel's initial strikes on February 28, angering Trump, although he has since allowed American forces to use UK bases for a "limited defensive purpose".

Under pressure at home for his disastrous decision to appoint former Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, Starmer has received plaudits for standing up to Trump in the face of repeated taunts from the US president.

Days ago, Trump threatened in a phone interview with Sky News to scrap a US-UK trade deal that limited the impact on Britain of his tariffs blitz.

"There's no doubt that there is now momentum in the UK-EU relationship partly as a result of Trump's unreliable behaviour," David Henig, an expert on UK's post-Brexit trade policy, told AFP.

"Independent UK trade policy looks much harder, the prospects of working with the EU much brighter."

- Brexit regret -

Starmer's administration hopes to table the EU legislation in the next few months, meaning it could come around the time of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, held in June 2016.

MPs will get to approve whether to provide the government with a mechanism to adopt EU rules -- sometimes without a full parliamentary vote -- in areas where it has already signed deals with the bloc.

They include a trade agreement designed to ease red tape on food and plant exports and plans for an electricity deal that would integrate the UK into the EU's internal electricity market.

Britain and the EU are also aiming to finalise negotiations on a youth mobility scheme in time for a joint summit in Brussels expected in late June or early July.

Starmer has ruled out rejoining the single market or returning to free movement.

The Liberal Democrats, Britain's traditional third party, wants him to cross one of his other red lines by negotiating a customs union with the EU.

"We need to be doubling down on relations with reliable partners who share our interests and values," the Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller told AFP.

But Brexit remains a toxic issue and the hard-right Reform UK party, leading opinion polls and headed by Eurosceptic firebrand Nigel Farage, have branded the legislation "a betrayal" of the referendum's narrow result.

Surveys regularly now show, however, that most Britons regret the vote to leave the EU, something Starmer hopes to capitalise on.

Rising cost-of-living pressures on family households, which UK finance minister Rachel Reeves has blamed on Trump for starting the war "without a clear exit plan", could also influence minds.

"When the relationship with the United States is fracturing, it means there's reduced opposition to a closer relationship with the EU among the public," said Aspinall.

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Pope Leo XIV will hold a giant open-air mass and visit one of southern Africa's holiest Christian sites Sunday on the first full day of a visit to Angola.

Leo arrived in the Portuguese-speaking nation on Saturday for the third leg of a four-nation tour of the continent.

At a meeting with officials including President Joao Lourenco, he spoke out against the "suffering" and social and environmental "disasters" caused by the rampant exploitation of natural resources.

The remarks continued a theme of his 11-day tour during which he has delivered pointed warnings against corruption and the plunder of the continent's resources.

The trip started in Algeria on Monday, overshadowed by a war of words with President Donald Trump.

The US president criticised the American pope as "weak" last weekend after he called for an end to the conflict in the Middle East.

Leo said on the plane from Cameroon to Angola on Saturday that he regretted that some of his comments during his African visit had been interpreted as a response to Trump's jibes.

He used as an example a reference to "tyrants" during one of his addresses in Cameroon, saying this speech had been written well before Trump's remarks.

It is "not in my interest at all" to debate the US leader, he told journalists.

- Slave-route shrine -

Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out to meet Leo, who was elected a year ago, for the mass at Kilamba on the outskirts of the capital, Luanda.

From there, he travels 110 kilometres (70 miles) by helicopter to the town of Muxima, Angola's most venerated pilgrimage site, where a 300-year-old church overlooks a river that was once a major slave trading route.

The church, with a statue of the Virgin Mary known affectionately as "Mama Muxima", draws roughly two million pilgrims a year and large crowds are expected to meet the pope there on Sunday.

Angola's Portuguese colonial settlers built the church to baptise slaves before they were transported down the Kwanza River to the Atlantic and on to the Americas.

The government has embarked on a massive multi-million-euro project to build a basilica, houses and public services in the town.

The project has sparked criticism over the government's spending priorities in a country which, though rich in resources like oil and diamonds, is marked by poverty and inequality.

"The pope comes to Angola fully aware of the reality our country is facing, particularly in terms of stark social asymmetries and inequalities, which also stem from the unequal distribution of wealth," Catholic lawyer Domingos das Neves told AFP.

"Naturally, the pope cannot avoid addressing the issue of social justice in his official statements during his pastoral visit to our country," he told AFP.

"Angola is in great need of a guiding light to illuminate our collective efforts -- both within ecclesiastical institutions and the state -- so that we do not forget the poor and the destitute," he said.

Poverty was partly blamed for a three-day looting spree in July last year when around 30 people were killed in what critics said was a heavy-handed police response.

Analysts said the unrest signalled dissatisfaction with Lourenco's socialist MPLA party, which has held power since independence in 1975.

On Monday, Leo is due to travel more than 800 kilometres from the capital to visit a retirement home in Saurimo and celebrate another mass before departing the following morning.

He will then travel on to Equatorial Guinea, the final stop of a whirlwind 18,000-kilometre journey across the continent.

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