French hub monitors Hormuz tensions from afar

World officials pushed Monday for faster action to reduce methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector, arguing it would both help slow climate change and boost energy security as the Middle East war chokes off supply.

Using its role as rotating president of the Group of Seven industrialised powers, France convened government officials, industry leaders and experts to build momentum on cutting methane emissions ahead of the UN's COP31 climate summit in November.

Methane, the second biggest contributor to climate change, stays in the atmosphere for far less time than carbon dioxide, but its warming effect is roughly 80 times more potent over a 20-year period.

"I sincerely hope that the discussions we will have today will enable us to join our forces to accelerate the implementation of effective solutions to reduce methane emissions," French Ecological Transition Minister Monique Barbut said in a speech.

"Of course, action on methane is not a fight of any single actor and nobody can win it alone," Barbut said.

Under the Global Methane Pledge, launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, nearly 160 countries committed to cutting global methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared with 2020 levels.

But Barbut said the world remains "very far" from meeting that goal.

Around 60 percent of methane emissions are linked to human actions.

The fossil fuel sector -- oil, gas and coal -- accounts for 35 percent of methane emissions from human activity, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Monday.

"Yet there is still no sign that methane emissions from fossil fuel operations are falling, despite well-known and proven mitigation pathways," according to the IEA's Global Methane Tracker 2026.

Such emissions from the sector remained "near record highs", the report said.

- Time to 'pull this lever' -

Methane emissions from the energy sector come from leaks from gas pipelines and other infrastructure, or are deliberately released during maintenance procedures.

Officials at the Paris conference said that cutting leaks and flaring from oil and gas operations could increase the availability of energy while slashing planet-heating emissions.

"We could have three times more gas on the market if we eliminated this waste," the European Union's energy commissioner, Dan Jorgensen, said. "This shows that methane abatement and energy security are not competing priorities."

"Methane is the single fastest lever we have to limit near-term warming. We can no longer wait to pull this lever," Jorgensen added.

Oil prices have soared since the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran in late February and Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response.

The IEA said 20 percent, or around 110 billion cubic metres, of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) flowed through the Strait of Hormuz last year.

Nearly 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas could be made available annually through a global effort to cut methane from oil and gas operations, the IEA said.

A further 100 billion cubic metres would be unlocked through the elimination of non-emergency flaring worldwide, it added.

"Reducing methane emissions remains one of the best things we can do to slow global warming while cleaning up our air, improving public health, and increasing our energy security," British energy minister Ed Miliband said in a video message.

Agriculture is also a major emitter through livestock -- cows and sheep release methane during digestion and in their manure -- and rice cultivation, where flooded fields create ideal conditions for methane-emitting bacteria. 

Discarded household waste also creates large amounts of methane if left to rot in landfills.

"We must, however, be clear the energy sector offers today the fastest and often the most cost effective reductions," Barbut said.

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A suspected outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship, on which three people have died, presents a low risk to the public, the WHO Europe said Monday, as Dutch authorities planned to repatriate two sick people.

"The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions," the World Health Organization's director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement, adding that hantavirus infections were "uncommon and usually linked to exposure to infected rodents".

In its first statement on the crisis, the vessel's operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed three deaths on board the MV Hondius, travelling across from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa.

Two died on board and one after disembarking the ship. One passenger is in intensive care in Johannesburg and two others "require urgent medical care", the statement said.

"Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a joint effort to organise the repatriation of the two symptomatic individuals on board MV Hondius from Cape Verde to the Netherlands," the operator said.

Such a repatriation would depend on several factors, including authorisation from local officials in Cape Verde, said Oceanwide Expeditions.

An AFP photographer saw the ship on Monday morning, anchored in the port of Praia, off the coast of Cape Verde.

In a statement sent to AFP, the Dutch foreign ministry said it was "busy looking at the possibilities to medically evacuate a few people from the ship".

"If this can take place, the ministry of foreign affairs will coordinate it," said a spokesperson.

- 'Acting with urgency' -

While local doctors have visited to assess the medical condition of the two sick passengers, no permission has been given to evacuate them to shore.

"Disembarkation and medical screening of all passengers require coordination with local health authorities and we are in close consultation with them," said the operator.

The WHO said it was "acting with urgency to support the response to the hantavirus event on board a cruise vessel in the Atlantic, following the tragic loss of life".

"WHO Europe is working with the countries involved to support medical care, evacuation, investigations and public health risk assessment."

Hantavirus, an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents, has been confirmed in the passenger currently in intensive care in Johannesburg, the operator said.

However, it has not yet been established whether the virus caused the three deaths, said Oceanwide Expeditions.

There has also been no confirmation of hantavirus in the two symptomatic passengers still requiring attention on the ship.

"The exact cause and any possible connection are under investigation," said the ship's operator.

On Sunday, the WHO said one case of hantavirus had been confirmed and that there were "five additional suspected cases."

"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response," the United Nations health agency said.

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Hantavirus, the disease which has caused a deadly outbreak on a cruise ship in the southern Atlantic, circulates in rodents and can be deadly when transmitted to humans.

Dutch cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed Monday it was dealing with "a serious medical situation" on board the MV Hondius, travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.

Hantaviruses are among the pathogens that can cause respiratory and cardiac distress, as well as haemorrhagic fevers. 

There are no vaccines or specific medications to combat hantaviruses, meaning treatment consists solely of attempting to relieve the symptoms.

- The virus -

There are many types of hantavirus, which vary in their geographical spread and their pathologies, according to Switzerland's FOPH health ministry.

"Human-to-human transmission has only been observed with one single virus type, which is extremely rare," it says.

Hantaviruses are found on every continent.

The virus is named after the Hantan River in South Korea, where more than 3,000 troops fell seriously ill after becoming infected with it during the 1950-1953 Korean War, the FOPH says.

- Transmission -

Hantaviruses are transmitted to humans through infected wild rodents, such as mice or rats, which shed the virus in their saliva, urine, and droppings.

A bite, contact with these rodents or their droppings, or breathing in contaminated dust can cause infection.

The French National Public Health Agency says human infection generally occurs through the inhalation of dust and aerosols contaminated by the excretions of infected animals.

This is typically "during activities in forests, or in long uninhabited buildings near forests, as well as during activities in rural areas where fields and farms offer a favourable environment for reservoir rodents", it says.

The only way to minimise the risk of infection is to avoid contact with rodents and their secretions and excretions.

The World Health Organization's Europe director Hans Kluge said hantavirus infections are "uncommon" and "it is not easily transmitted between people".

"The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions," he said Monday.

- Diagnosis -

Suspected cases can be confirmed through various laboratory tests, according to the WHO, including through "the presence of hantavirus-specific IgM antibodies".

- Onset -

The two most common illnesses caused by infection are haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), caused by hantaviruses found mostly in Europe and Asia; and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), caused by viruses found in the Americas.

The hantavirus types in the Americas can also cause pulmonary oedema or acute respiratory failure.

Different health authorities give varying time periods before symptoms start to manifest.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPS symptoms usually start to show one to eight weeks after contact.

HFRS symptoms usually develop within one to two weeks after exposure, and in rare cases, up to eight weeks, says the CDC.

- Symptoms -

Though most cases of hantavirus infection pass unnoticed, according to Switzerland's FOPH, hantaviruses can cause infections of varying severity in humans -- sometimes fatal.

The first clinical symptoms generally present like flu: fever, headache, and muscle aches.

The CDC says four to 10 days after initial HPS illness, late symptoms appear, which include coughing and shortness of breath. "Patients might experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid," it says.

The types of hantavirus prevalent in Europe and Asia can cause kidney dysfunction and even acute kidney failure.

- Fatality rate -

The Public Health Agency of Canada says around 200 HPS cases occur each year, primarily in North and South America, putting the average case fatality rate at 40 percent.

It adds that between 150,000 and 200,000 HFRS cases occur each year worldwide, most of which are in China, where the average case fatality rate is from one to 12 percent.

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Dutch authorities will attempt to repatriate two sick people from a cruise ship battling a suspected outbreak of hantavirus that has already claimed three lives, the vessel's operator said Monday.

In a statement on the crisis, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed it was dealing with "a serious medical situation" on board the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.

The operator confirmed the three deaths, two on board and one after disembarking the ship. One passenger is in intensive care in Johannesburg and two others "require urgent medical care," the statement said.

"Dutch authorities have agreed to lead a joint effort to organise the repatriation of the two symptomatic individuals on board MV Hondius from Cape Verde to the Netherlands," the operator said.

Such a repatriation would depend on several factors, including authorisation from local officials in Cape Verde, said Oceanwide Expeditions.

Contacted by AFP, the Dutch foreign ministry did not immediately respond to confirm the repatriation efforts.

The ship is currently located off the coast of Cape Verde. While local doctors have visited to assess the medical condition of the two sick passengers, no permission has been given to evacuate them to shore.

"Disembarkation and medical screening of all passengers require coordination with local health authorities and we are in close consultation with them," said the operator.

Hantavirus, an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents, has been confirmed in the passenger currently in intensive care in Johannesburg, the operator said.

However, it has not yet been established whether the virus caused the three deaths, said Oceanwide Expeditions.

There has also been no confirmation of hantavirus in the two symptomatic passengers still requiring attention on the ship.

"The exact cause and any possible connection are under investigation," said the ship's operator.

On Sunday, the World Health Organization said one case of hantavirus had been confirmed and that there were "five additional suspected cases."

"While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response," said the WHO.

burs-ric/yad

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Iran warns over Hormuz - 

Iran's military said that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump announced Washington would begin escorting ships through the blocked waterway.

"We warn that any foreign armed force -- especially the aggressive US military -- if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked," said Major General Ali Abdollahi of the Iranian military's central command, in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.

"We have repeatedly stated that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and under all circumstances, any safe passage must be coordinated with these forces," he added.

- Tanker struck near the UAE -

Unidentified projectiles struck a tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Monday, adding that all crew members were safe.

The incident occurred 78 nautical miles north of the UAE city of Fujairah, the agency said. 

- US to escort ships through Hormuz -

President Donald Trump said Sunday that "very positive discussions" were under way with Iran on resolving the war and that US forces will soon start escorting ships out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz in a mission dubbed "Project Freedom."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called it a "humanitarian gesture," saying many of the marooned ships "were running low on food," but offered few details on how the mission would work.

US Central Command said on X that its forces would begin supporting Project Freedom with guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

- US 'interference' would violate ceasefire -

In response to Trump's announcement, a senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran would consider any US attempt to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz a breach of the ongoing ceasefire.

"Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran's parliament, posted on X.

- Iran weighs US response to plan -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday the United States faced a choice between an "impossible" military operation or a deal with Tehran, after Trump disparaged Iran's latest peace proposal.

Iran's foreign ministry said Tehran had submitted a 14-point plan "focused on ending the war" and that Washington had already responded to it in a message to Pakistani mediators, which Iran was reviewing.

- Germany's Merz not 'giving up' on working with US -

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he would not give up on working with Trump, despite a spat between the leaders over the Iran war and Trump's announcement that the number of US troops stationed in the European country would be cut by "a lot further than 5,000."

"I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship," Merz told public broadcaster ARD. "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump."

- US says blockade 'suffocating' Iran -

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the US was "suffocating" Iran's leadership through an "economic blockade" launched alongside Washington's military offensive known as Operation Epic Fury.

"This began with the order last March from President Trump on max pressure, and three weeks ago the president gave the order to Treasury myself to begin Economic Fury," Bessent told Fox News.

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Iran's military warned on Monday that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting ships through the waterway.

Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran took effect on April 8, with Tehran's stranglehold on the strait a main point of contention.

Trump said on Sunday that the new maritime operation, which he dubbed "Project Freedom", was a "humanitarian" gesture for crews aboard the many ships swept up in the blockade who may be running low on food and other supplies.

"We will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait. In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation," Trump posted on Truth Social, saying operations would begin on Monday.

In response, the Iranian military's central command said any safe passage through Hormuz must be coordinated with its forces "under all circumstances".

"We warn that any foreign armed force -- especially the aggressive US military -- if they intend to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, will be targeted and attacked," said Major General Ali Abdollahi in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.

By blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has choked off major flows of oil, gas and fertiliser to the world economy, while the United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump in his post said he was "fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all."

But he made no direct mention of a 14-point plan that Tehran said it put forward last week to end the war.

US Central Command said it would use guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members in the Hormuz effort.

As of April 29, more than 900 commercial vessels were located in the Gulf, according to maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine.

- 'Impossible operation' -

US news website Axios, citing two sources briefed on the Iranian proposal, reported that Tehran set "a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the strait", lift the US naval blockade and end the war.

On Sunday, the Revolutionary Guards sought to put the onus back on Trump, saying he must choose between "an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran". 

Washington's European allies are concerned that the longer the strait remains closed, the more their economies will suffer, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul demanded that it be reopened.

In a call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Wadephul stressed that Germany supported a negotiated solution but that "Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately open the Strait of Hormuz".

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, who has tried to coordinate a post-war mission to the strait alongside Britain and an international coalition, called for "a coordinated reopening by the United States and Iran".

"That is the only solution for reopening", he said.

Oil prices are currently about 50 percent above pre-conflict levels, largely due to the supply snarls in the strait.

- 'Suffocating the regime' -

The US president, who spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, declined on Sunday to specify what could trigger new US military action.

But in his post he said that "if in any way, this Humanitarian (ship-guiding) process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully".

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US naval blockade was only part of a broader economic embargo.

"We are suffocating the regime, and they are not able to pay their soldiers," he told Fox News. "This is a real economic blockade, and it is in all parts of government."

burs-axn/dcp

Vote counting in key Indian state elections was underway Monday under tight security, with the focus on West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party appeared set for victory.

And in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, veteran politician MK Stalin was trailing, challenged by a political debutante -- film star C. Joseph Vijay.

Elections in five states and territories took place in April and May, with Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the national parliament, seeking to make inroads into opposition-held states.

In West Bengal, the Hindu-nationalist BJP waged an aggressive bid to dislodge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), in power in the state of 100 million people since 2011.

Trends released by the Election Commission of India on Monday showed BJP leading in 176 out of 294 seats in West Bengal.

"The entire country has its eyes on this state's election results," political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told AFP, in the capital Kolkata. "The contest can tilt the balance of power."

The campaign this time was marked by protests over the removal of millions of names from voter rolls, billed as removing ineligible voters, but which critics said was skewed against marginalised and minority communities.

Banerjee, speaking ahead of the count, insisted her party would win. 

"The BJP is not coming, take my word for it," she said. "Be patient till the last."

But West Bengal's BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya told AFP he was confident of a win.

"It was an election of rejection," he said. "People of the state want change. The ruling Trinamool Congress will be defeated."

Past elections have resulted in violence in the state, where BJP has never been in power.

- 'Political earthquake' - 

In Tamil Nadu, a key industrial hub with more than 80 million people, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under Chief Minister MK Stalin was trailing, according to early Election Commission trends.

Stalin is being challenged by C. Joseph Vijay, 51, one of India's most bankable actors, especially in Tamil regions.

The political debutante launched his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party in 2024. 

Election Commission trends showed Vijay's TVK leading, a surprise result in the state where exit polls suggested Stalin's DMK would return to power.

Votes are also being counted in Assam, a northeastern state of more than 31 million which the BJP is widely expected to maintain control of, and the small coastal territory of Puducherry, where the BJP is part of a ruling coalition.

In Kerala, the tightly contested race in the southern state of approximately 36 million, trends suggest the Congress party-led alliance will oust the Communist party.

Wins in the state elections would put Modi on a stronger footing while battling a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rate and a pending US trade deal.

Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said a win for BJP in West Bengal and the TVK in Tamil Nadu would be nothing short of a "political earthquake".

"The aftershocks of these results will be felt far and wide for a long time," he said on social media, "probably all the way" to the 2029 general elections.

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Wales -- the cradle of Britain's revered National Health Service and a former industrial powerhouse -- has been a Labour Party stronghold for well over a century.

But that is set to end in crunch polls Thursday as impatient Britons abandon their old political loyalties for anti-establishment parties amid persistent cost of living pressures.

A Labour defeat in the country of three million people will be a major indictment of lacklustre UK leader Keir Starmer's two-year-old premiership and likely amplify calls for his resignation.

"I feel very sad that I'm not voting Labour this time," said 59-year-old Ross Mumford, explaining he had always supported the centre-left party, just like his father and grandfather. 

"It's been a part of the family but it's coming to an end this year," the delivery driver told AFP outside the Welsh parliament in the capital Cardiff.

Wales, with its strong working-class roots and deep sense of community, has been woven into the fabric of Labour since the party was founded in 1900.

The party's first leader, Keir Hardie, represented a constituency in the country's industrial South Valleys, while Welshman Aneurin Bevan spearheaded the founding of the NHS in 1948.

Labour has led Wales' devolved government -- whose powers include running health, education and transport -- since the inception of the parliament, called the Senedd, in 1999.

Polls widely predict that 27-year-run will finish when voters head to the polls on May 7, although a new voting system means who will triumph instead is uncertain.

- 'Upset' -

Surveys show Labour trailing the hard-right Reform UK party and progressive Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru, mirroring a UK-wide squeeze of Britain's ruling party from both ends of the political spectrum. 

Mumford thinks Starmer has "lied through his teeth" in a scandal over sacked US envoy Peter Mandelson. He will vote Reform, believing firebrand leader Nigel Farage is a straight-talker. 

"Let's give them a try. What have we got to lose?" he said, a common refrain among voters unhappy with how Labour has governed the UK since July 2024 following 14 years of Conservative rule. 

Hope Porter, 35, another previous Labour voter told AFP she will likely cast her ballot for the left-wing Greens. She is angry at Starmer's stance on the Gaza war.

"They're Tories in red at this point. I don't think they are actually for working class people anymore," the artist said, enjoying an evening stroll outside the Senedd.

In Cardiff city centre, sitting near a statue of ex-Labour MP Bevan, 83-year-old Sue Jenkins said she isn't ready to give up on Labour yet.

The retiree thinks Starmer "could do better" but feels he has done well to stand up to President Donald Trump over the US and Israel conflict.

"If Labour don't get in, I'll be very upset," Jenkins told AFP.

Labour candidate Huw Thomas insists one party will find it difficult to win a majority, meaning "it's all to play for".

"The narrative that this is the end of the Labour Party in Wales, I don't think that's a given," he told AFP.

Twenty-three miles (37 kilometres) north in Merthyr Tydfil -- where Hardie was an MP -- half a dozen Reform volunteers hand out fliers from under a gazebo.

Several passing drivers sound their horns in support, receiving thumbs up from the canvassers, although one woman shouts "racists" at the group.

Unemployment and deprivation are the main issues in the post-industrial town once famous for its coal mining and ironworks, says candidate David Hughes.

"People are losing hope," the 59-year-old told AFP.

- 'Enormous problems' -

Volunteer Robert Clarke, 69, likes Reform's pledge to scrap net zero energy targets -- he's "not a great fan" of wind turbines on Wales' rolling hills -- and cut irregular immigration.

"Unless we change the direction this country is taking, I feel my grandchildren will not have a country," he told AFP.

In the nearby picturesque town of Pontypridd, Plaid Cymru campaigners buoyantly knock on doors, sensing victory in another traditional Labour heartland.

"We're definitely picking up disaffected voters," candidate Heledd Fychan told AFP, saying people felt "betrayed" by Labour's moves to remove heating subsidies from the elderly.

Back in Cardiff, 65-year-old retired teacher Ceri James says he will vote for Plaid because of their "positive" messaging.

Speculation is rife in Westminster that losing Wales could be the moment restless Labour MPs decide to try to oust Starmer as leader. 

Defeat "will pose enormous problems for the party," politics expert Laura McAllister of Cardiff University told AFP.

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Following high-profile testimony from billionaire Elon Musk last week, one of OpenAI's co-founders will testify Monday in the California lawsuit brought by the world's richest man against the creators of ChatGPT.

Musk is seeking to force his rivals in artificial intelligence (AI) development to revert to a non-profit foundation.

Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, will face questioning from Musk's lawyers on Monday in the Oakland courthouse.

OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman, who in 10 years has gone from being Musk's protege to a bitter rival, is not expected to take the stand until the week of May 11.

The outcome of the case could shape the future of OpenAI, the fast-rising generative AI giant now valued at over $850 billion and preparing for an IPO.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, whose company is accused of illegally funding OpenAI's commercial transformation, may also testify this week. 

Over three days of testimony last week, Musk portrayed himself as a selfless early supporter of OpenAI, saying he contributed $38 million between 2016 and 2020 before being sidelined.

The head of SpaceX and Tesla argued that he wanted to counterbalance Google's dominance and ensure that transformative AI technology -- which he has warned poses risks to humanity -- remain free from profit-driven pressures.

-- Global competition --

OpenAI's current structure, while highly lucrative, still operates under a nonprofit parent entity.

Last week, Altman and Brockman sat in the front row for almost the entire hearing, and made no statements inside or outside the courtroom. The trial has drawn intense media attention, with dozens of journalists covering the hearings daily.

OpenAI's legal team has pushed back, questioning Musk's own financial motives. 

The billionaire recently folded his AI venture, xAI -- maker of the chatbot Grok -- into SpaceX, which is reportedly valued at about $1.25 trillion and may also pursue a public offering.

The stakes are high. If Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ultimately rules in favor of Musk, OpenAI's IPO could be jeopardized.

That could reshape the global AI landscape, where major players like Google and Chinese tech firms are competing aggressively.

OpenAI is also facing growing competition from Anthropic and its Claude model. 

While the sector is already generating tens of billions in annual revenue, those figures still fall short of the massive investments required for talent, advanced processors and the construction of energy-intensive data centers powering the AI revolution.

bl/mjf/sla/lga

Vote counting in key Indian state elections was underway Monday under tight security, with the focus on West Bengal, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party is hoping for crucial gains.

Elections in five states and territories took place in April and May, and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in the national parliament, is hoping to make inroads into opposition-held states.

In West Bengal, the Hindu-nationalist BJP waged an aggressive bid to dislodge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), in power in the state of 100 million people since 2011.

Exit polls last week predicted the BJP has a slight edge over TMC, although exit polls have a patchy record in India.

"The entire country has its eyes on this state's election results," political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told AFP, in the main city Kolkata. "The contest can tilt the balance of power."

The campaign this time was marked by protests over the removal of millions of names from voter rolls, billed as removing ineligible voters, but which critics said was skewed against marginalised and minority communities.

Banerjee, speaking ahead of the count, insisted her TMC would win. 

"The BJP is not coming, take my word for it," she said. "Be patient till the last."

But West Bengal's BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya told AFP he was confident of a win.

"It was an election of rejection," he said. "People of the state want change. The ruling Trinamool Congress will be defeated."

Past elections have resulted in violence in the state.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, a key industrial hub with more than 80 million people, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under Chief Minister MK Stalin is widely expected to be re-elected.

Votes are also being counted in Assam, an eastern state of more than 31 million which the BJP is widely expected to maintain control of, and the small coastal territory of Puducherry, where the BJP is part of a ruling coalition.

In Kerala, the tightly contested race in the southern state of approximately 36 million, exit polls suggest the Congress party-led alliance is tipped to oust the Communist party.

Wins in the state elections would put Modi on a stronger footing while battling a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rate and a pending US trade deal.

str-ash/pjm/mtp