Indian tile makers feel heat of Mideast war energy crunch

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in the northern US city of Minneapolis on Saturday as part of the national "No Kings" movement, months after it was wracked with protests due to federal immigration raids. 

The January raids led to the deaths of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both at the hands of federal agents, making the city a flashpoint of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Minneapolis hosted the flagship event for the third "No Kings" protest since the grassroots movement kicked off last year, in protest of Trump's strongman political leadership and right-wing agenda. Organizers later said an estimated 200,000 people went to the event.

Famed US musician Bruce Springsteen headlined the rally in neighboring "Twin City" capitol St. Paul, during which he played his song "Streets of Minneapolis," which he wrote in tribute to Good and Pretti shortly after their deaths. 

"Their bravery, their sacrifice and their names will not be forgotten," Springsteen said about the two deceased Americans.

At the rally, thousands chanted the slogan: "no Kings, no ICE, no war!" 

"Your strength and your commitment told us that this is still America, and this reactionary nightmare and the invasions of American cities will not stand," Springsteen told the crowd.

- 'Wannabe dictator' -

Pamela Sinness, 73, told AFP she attended the rally because she believes "in equal rights for all people, including the immigrants who come to our country." 

"It feels wonderful to see all the like-minded people gathered here, because the people of Minnesota were very traumatized by the violence and the disrespect shown to all people, and the murders in our streets of Renee Good and Alex Pretti," she said.

Among the throngs of people, many carried signs and banners with protest slogans, including some as simple as "ICE OUT," in reference to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which carries out Trump's immigration agenda.

From the rally stage, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, thanked the crowd for standing up to Trump, who he dubbed a "wannabe dictator." 

Leftist US politician Bernie Sanders also addressed the Minnesota rally, telling attendees: "We will never accept a president who is a pathological liar, a kleptocrat and a narcissist who is undermining the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law every day." 

Gina Bilotta-Racelis, who attended the fanfare, said Trump is "incompetent" and that "he has no idea what he's doing." Amid the escalating Middle East war spurred by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, the 73-year-old protester said Trump "should follow the rules and the laws like everyone else." 

Between the Iran conflict and its economic fallout, including soaring oil prices, as well as the controversial immigration raids, Bilotta-Racelis said she thinks Republicans and their narrow majority in Congress will not survive the November midterm elections. 

"I think they'll lose," she said. "If you're watching the polls, you can see it happening day by day."

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iPhone maker Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 1 having marked pop culture and the tech industry like few other firms since its beginnings in 1976.

Here are five things you may not know about the history of the California giant.

- Apple logo -

Designer Rob Janoff said that Apple cofounder Steve Jobs gave him one terse instruction when he commissioned a new logo in January 1977: "don't make it cute".

"I just wanted to make the computer easy and fun to be around," Janoff told Forbes in 2018.

He included the bite mark for scale to set the apple apart from similar round fruit like cherries -- learning only later it was a homonym for the computer term "byte".

And belying urban legends, there was no link to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve or the death of computing pioneer Alan Turing.

Janoff added that the Apple job was "the only time in my entire career where I presented only one solution" to a client.

"But it was just so right".

- '1984' ad -

In a totalitarian sci-fi world, a hammer thrown by a young athlete smashes a "Big Brother" figure declaiming to brainwashed citizens from a vast screen.

Tens of millions of Americans saw director Ridley Scott's one-minute Apple advert during the Super Bowl on January 22, 1984.

Broadcast with an announcement of the release of the Apple computer, it was more than a little inspired by George Orwell's dystopian novel named for the year.

The ad's originality lay in the fact it did not directly show off the product, but instead promised a new world of emancipation for consumers thanks to home computers.

- Bold colours -

Apple's devices have over the years played with colour to set themselves apart from more staid competitors.

Its first-generation iMacs, released in 1998, offered transparent shells in candy-like blue, green and more -- combining a pop of visual interest with a glimpse at the high tech workings within.

The iPod music player, at first available in metallic grey, quickly diversified into a whole spectrum of bright colours.

Later, the "rose gold" variant of the iPhone 6S in 2015, spawned many copycats, surfing a years-long trend dubbed "millennial pink".

- 09:41 photos -

Anyone who has watched more than one Apple product announcement or browsed its website will see a remarkable coincidence: almost every screen appears to show the time as 9:41 am.

Australian game developer Jon Manning said he asked Scott Forstall, then-head of Apple's mobile operating system iOS, about the phenomenon when he bumped into him in California in 2010.

Forstall explained that the timing was down to Steve Jobs' preferred structure for announcements.

"We design the keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation," Forstall said.

"When the big image of the product appears on screen, we want the time shown to be close to the actual time on the audience's watches. But we know we won't hit 40 minutes exactly".

- Apple's third man -

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak have gone down in history as the Apple co-founders.

In fact, a third man also signed the three-page contract that launched the company on April 1, 1976: Ronald Wayne.

According to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, Wayne, an engineer at the Atari video game company, was in charge of hardware engineering and documentation in the fledgling business.

But while his two co-founders were throwing themselves into the business, Wayne feared losing what little savings he had if Apple failed.

Just 11 days later, he gave up his co-founder status, selling his 10 percent stake for two instalments of $800 and $1,500.

That 10-percent share of Apple would have been worth around $370 billion by 2026.

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Iranian forces' threat to ships in the crucial Strait of Hormuz has driven up payments for the insurance that underpins the world freight industry.

Here are facts and figures about how maritime insurance works -- and the impact from the war sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which has virtually cut off shipping in the strait.

- Insurance available -

After the fighting broke out on February 28, some insurers served so-called cancellation notices for war risk policies to "reassess... and then reinstate that cover at adjusted terms", the International Union of Marine Insurance said in a statement.

Despite the name, "a 'Notice of Cancellation' does not, necessarily, end the cover. War cover remains available for owners and operators wishing to take it."

Executives in London -- the world's top shipping insurance market -- insisted captains were avoiding the route to protect their crews, not because they could not get insured.

"Safety concerns, not insurance availability, (are) driving reduced vessel traffic," headlined the Lloyd's Market Association (LMA), a trade body for the London ship insurance industry, in a report.

The price of such policies to cross the strait has shot up, however, according to industry players.

- Surging premiums -

Before the current Middle East conflict, a war risk premium would typically have cost less than one percent of the vessel's so-called hull value.

Now, war risk insurance could run into tens of millions of dollars for a single trip through the Hormuz Strait.

Premiums have surged for ships seeking special cover to cross the strait, according to Robert Peters of UK maritime consultancy Ambrey, which has an insurance arm.

"I'm not sure the market has settled on an agreed range," he added, noting figures typically range "from five percent down to one percent".

David Smith, head of the marine arm at specialist insurance broker McGill, meanwhile estimated it at "anywhere between three and-a-half and 10 percent".

"It is going up and down almost on an hourly basis," he told AFP.

Cargo insurance rates have followed the same trajectory.

"A brand new LNG (liquefied natural gas) ship could be worth $200 million to $250 million alone, and then a cargo could be worth the same again," Smith noted.

- Five-fold cover -

Commercial ships typically need several separate insurance policies.

Hull cover insures against loss or damage to the vessel, while protection and indemnity (P&I) acts like third-party liability coverage.

The cargo on board -- from petrochemicals to containers -- also requires insurance.

In addition, ships need war risk insurance -- typically an annual premium -- but that does not cover ships entering the most active conflict zones, known as "listed" areas.

To do that, they must renegotiate another war risk premium.

"The annual (war risk) premium is not designed for a crisis," said Neil Roberts, head of marine and aviation at the LMA.

- Danger zones list -

In early March, London's marine insurance market widened the "listed" areas in the Gulf region.

The system "enables underwriters to respond quickly and proportionately to areas of increased risk", said Roberts, who sits on the committee that updates the list.

To price war risk premiums, underwriters are considering numerous factors such as the type, flag and owner of the vessel, as well as its size, speed and cargo.

"We have seen some quotes where the underwriter has actually warranted that the vessel goes through at... full throttle," said Smith.

"That is deemed to be an improvement in the risk factor."

- No buyers -

Ships normally have 24 hours to buy insurers' quotes for listed area entry, but that has narrowed to 12 hours for Hormuz, Smith said.

"You line your ship up, you turn the engine on, you get ready to make a charge, then you'll get your quote," he said.

But currently "no one is buying", he added, saying one underwriter reported to him less than one-percent uptake for Hormuz-related policies.

- US insurance scheme -

A US shipping insurance initiative to boost Hormuz crossings will begin operating soon, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday.

US President Donald Trump previously announced the scheme would involve naval escorts and urged Western and other powers to step up. But they have proved unwilling while the conflict rages.

If a crossings framework with military protection could be agreed and proven effective, insurance "rates would tumble very, very quickly" Smith predicted.

jj/rlp/rl

Seafarers' helplines say they are overwhelmed with messages from crews stuck in the Gulf by the Middle East war, desperately seeking repatriation, compensation and onboard supplies.

"Writing to urgently inform you that our vessel is currently facing a critical situation regarding provisions and one crew health conditions," read an email from one seafarer on March 24 to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)'s Seafarer Support team.

"Immediate supply of food, drinking water, basic necessities is required to sustain the crew," said the message to the team's helpline.

The ITF said it had received more than 1,000 emails and messages from seafarers stuck around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region since the war erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

- Bomb strikes -

Some sought to clarify what their rights are while navigating a war zone, while others sent videos of bombings striking next to their ship and asked the federation for help to get off board, according to ITF documents seen by AFP.

"It is an extraordinary situation, there is a lot of panic," Mohamed Arrachedi, ITF's Network Coordinator for the Arab World and Iran, in charge of handling requests from seafarers in the region, told AFP, describing the situation as "really shocking".

"I get calls from seafarers at two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning. They call me the minute they have access to the internet," Arrachedi said on Wednesday by telephone from Spain.

"One seafarer called in a panic, saying: 'We are here bombed. We don't want to die. Please help me, sir. Please get us from here."

About 20,000 seafarers are currently stuck in the Gulf, according to the UN's maritime body, known as the IMO, and at least eight seafarers or dock workers have died in incidents in the region since February 28.

All correspondence was shared with AFP on condition of anonymity, as the helpline guarantees confidentiality to seafarers.

- War zone rights -

The International Bargaining Forum (IBF), a global maritime labour body, has declared the area a war zone.

This normally gives seafarers exceptional rights, including repatriation at the company's cost and double pay for those working on ships covered by IBF agreements -- around 15,000 vessels worldwide, according to the ITF.

Despite this, many seafarers -- especially on ships without such labour agreements -- are reporting difficulties with getting repatriated.

In one email sent to the ITF on March 18, a seafarer said the ship's operator was ignoring crews' requests to leave, arguing that there were no flights from Iraq and refusing alternative routes.

"They are forcing us to continue to do cargo operations and STS (ship-to-ship operations) even (when) we raise our concerns about our safety and we are in war like area. They are keeping us in a position with no options," read the email seen by AFP.

The International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), another organisation operating a helpline, told AFP on Wednesday that it had seen "a 15-20 percent increase in calls and messages" since the start of the war, with a third relating to repatriation difficulties.

- $16 a day -

Another major concern is compensation.

"About 50 percent of emails we receive concern pay," Lucian Craciun, one of five members of ITF's support team processing requests at the organisation's headquarters in London, told AFP.

He said many seafarers choose to stay on board despite the dangerous conditions because they cannot afford to leave.

One email seen by AFP came from a seafarer asking to confirm whether his salary would go from $16 a day to $32 because he was in a designated war zone.

The ITF says such low salaries indicate that the shipowners do not have labour agreements in place to ensure decent pay.

Seafarers working under such arrangements are particularly at risk because their contracts often do not cover operations in war zones, and owners tend not to respond to requests from organisations such as the ITF, according to the support team.

When that happens, the ITF reaches out to the flag states and, if that does not work, to the state port authority where the vessel is located.

Arrachedi said that many such cases in the Gulf are still unresolved, with seafarers desperately awaiting responses from operators. 

lmc/rlp/st/ceg

In a corner of suburban Singapore, Betty Boon vaults a guardrail, crawls underneath a slide, executes forward shoulder rolls and scales a steep slope, finishing the course to applause.

"Good job!" the 69-year-old's coach cheers.

This is "geriatric parkour", where around 20 retirees learned to tackle a series of relatively demanding exercises, building their agility and enjoying a sense of camaraderie.

Boon, an upbeat grandmother, said learning parkour has aided her confidence and independence as she ages.

"When you're weak, you will be dependent on someone," she told AFP after sweating it out with her parkour classmates in suburban Toa Payoh, under the shadow of government-built apartment blocks.

"I feel more alive, it's a whole new world."

The discipline has gained a devoted following of senior citizens in the city-state, which is among the world's fastest-ageing countries.

Singapore is projected to become a "super-aged" nation this year, meaning the proportion of residents aged 65 and above exceeds 21 percent.

By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above, according to the health ministry.

As the society greys, various activities and industries have mushroomed up to cater to seniors' needs, including social activities and group exercise classes.

Coach Tan Shie Boon, 33, said he was initially met with scepticism when he started offering parkour classes for older students in 2017, especially due to the risk of injury.

But his idea was to share manoeuvres that could help seniors with their balance, stamina and coordination.

"It's meaningful, I can see the impact of my work," he said.

- Not just for youngsters -

Parkour, a discipline that originated in France, focuses on overcoming physical obstacles like walls, gaps and platforms without any aid.

Often called the "art of displacement," it involves running, jumping, climbing, rolling and vaulting to quickly dart from one point to another.

The activity has a young, athletic following, but coach Tan and his students insist it can be suitable for every age.

"When people hear the word parkour, they think it's only for youngsters who can jump from rooftops," said retired banker and parkour enthusiast Irene Chuah, 67. "We don't do that. We jump over benches."

Tan, who specialises in coaching senior citizens in his classes across Singapore, tailors all the stunts to match the capabilities of his students, aged between their early 50s to 83.

"The whole point of parkour is to improve your agility ... you'll be faster in your reaction," he said.

"When seniors fall, they get severely injured because they have a lack of coordination, balance and agility. They're not fast enough to react in time," he added.

Chuah experienced firsthand how the moves she learned in parkour class can apply outside of practice.

When a trolley she was pushing at a supermarket hit an obstacle, it overturned and pulled her over.

But thanks to her training, she managed to jump over the mess, remain on her feet and escape unharmed.

"Nobody helped me because the people thought I was young," Chuah told AFP with a laugh.

Retired kindergarten teacher Ling Ying Ying, 66, said doing parkour helped her to be able to mop the floor on her knees "like we used to do when we were young."

- 'Dare to do' -

At the fitness space in Toa Payoh, the parkour students also practised traversing down an incline and scaling a low wall during the 90-minute session.

A couple of students jumped over a gap after some encouragement.

Life after retirement used to be "quite dull", Chuah said.

"After parkour, I can go line dancing, and I can remember the steps. You dare to do a lot of things that you think only young people can do," she added.

Her classmate Boon said one time she brought her grandchildren to a neighbourhood playground and taught them to jump onto a platform and do forward rolls.

When she looked back, she saw a line of other children wanting to try the moves.

"Since then, I became like the favourite grandmother. The children recognise me even when I'm far away," she said.

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Blazing-hot kilns in India's $6.5 billion ceramics manufacturing hub employing hundreds of thousands of people have gone cold, shut down in an energy crunch caused by the Middle East war.

At a cavernous facility in Morbi, in India's western Gujarat state, a 200-metre-long propane-powered kiln that normally fires clay nonstop is silent. It is one of hundreds of plants supplying homeware tiles across the world that have been forced to suspend operations.

Thick layers of dust smother giant grinding and pressing machines, while only a tiny crew of workers transfer the last batch made three weeks ago off snaking assembly lines and into trucks.

"We are suffering a lot," said Kishor Dulera, a tile unit proprietor who closed this factory and two others in early March, sending hundreds of workers home.

India, the world's fourth-largest economy, depends on imports for 60 percent of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) demand.

The overwhelming majority comes through the Strait of Hormuz waterway, which has been effectively blocked by Iran after US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic late last month sparked a broader regional conflict, disrupting global energy supplies.

New Delhi has prioritised supply for households, shielding Indians who use it to cook food. That has squeezed the amount available for industrial use. 

Factories in sectors including stainless steel and plastic have cut back on production as a result.

- 'Disaster' -

"If the main raw material is disturbed, the whole industry is disturbed," Dulera told AFP.

The ceramics hub at Morbi makes up 90 percent of India's total production and is one of the world's largest ceramic manufacturing centres, exporting tiles to countries like the United States and Thailand.

The industry at Morbi provides direct and indirect employment to nearly a million people, according to government statistics.

More than 400 plants have closed after the gas supply chain was "broken", said Manoj Arvadiya, head of the local manufacturing industry association.

Keeping the kilns hot means plants operate around-the-clock -- and emergency shutdowns can damage machinery.

"It is a continuous process," said Arvadiya. 

"You can't run it for two days and then switch it off for one day. It doesn't work like that."

Hitesh Detroja said his now-shut Lexus Granito plant had produced 30,000 tiles per day, calling the closure a "disaster". He said he has no income to pay his fixed costs and interest on loans of $74,000 each month.

"This crisis is horrible," Detroja said.

- 'Worried' -

The ripple effects of the energy crisis have been felt throughout the Morbi ecosystem.

"Everyone is worried," said 29-year-old labourer Bunty Goswami, a migrant worker at a shut plant.

"We are confused about what to do -- whether we should go home, or not." 

India's government has boosted domestic LPG production, negotiated the passage of a handful of tankers and purchased new cargoes from Australia and Russia.

That should, in time, ease supply constraints.

Jitendra Aghara of Simpolo Tiles, one of Morbi's biggest manufacturers, has kept operating by buying propane at more than double the price it was before the war to ensure he fulfills customer orders.

"If now we suffer a loss for two to three months, in the future we will get it back," he said.

The tile industry developed in Gujarat due to the availability of clay and good transport connections, but it relies on overseas energy to fire.

Aghara said the previous abundance of LPG and natural gas meant that there had been few moves to fully develop and adopt electric or hydrogen-powered kilns.

Indian corporate giants like Reliance Industries have big green hydrogen production plans, which could remove Morbi's import dependencies.

But first, development is needed to ensure hybrid kilns can produce tiles of the quality that Morbi is known for. 

Aghara noted alternative fuels can't replace gas "100 percent just yet".

asv/pjm/lga/ceg

On Friday night, Texas A&M ran up the score with a seven-run fourth inning. It happened in the third inning on Saturday.

There was no near-comeback this time, as Mizzou lost 14-6 in Game 2 of the series. The Tigers drop to 17-11 on the season and 1-7 in the Southeastern Conference. 

The starting rotation has been a strength for the Tigers this season. The first two games of the series against the Aggies weren’t exactly the best display of that. In both games, the Missouri starter didn’t make it out of the fourth inning and gave up a decent chunk of the runs.

“Neither one of them have done anything close to what they’ve done the last two (games),” Missouri coach Kerrick Jackson said. “I think the fact that both of them did the same thing, just going on that short rest, they weren’t able to do it.”

In the Saturday evening edition, usual Sunday starter Brady Kehlenbrink tossed just three innings and allowed nine runs on six hits and four walks. Both Kehlenbrink and Friday starter Josh McDevitt were moved up a day due to an injury to usual Friday starter Javyn Pimental.

Two runs crossed in the first, then came the seven-run third that included an RBI double and a three-run homer by Gavin Grahovac. Kehlenbrink also walked in two runs.

The short outing left Mizzou in another hole the team would have to try to dig out of. They weren’t successful.

“It’s tough to battle back when starting in such a big hole,” Jackson said. “We’ve shown that we have some of that (fight), but we’ve come up short both times.”

After the Mizzou pitching staff allowed 11 runners to cross, the offense finally came alive in the bottom of the fourth. A single from Blaize Ward and walks to Mateo Serna and Donovan Jordan loaded the bases for Keegan Knutson, who brought the first run of the inning in with a sacrifice fly.

The next batter, Kam Durnin, laced a double to left on the first pitch of his at-bat to bring in two more runs.

Outside of the three-run inning for the Tigers, Mizzou scattered a few one-run innings. Mizzou stranded nine runners.

The Aggies added two runs in each of the innings following the seven-run outburst. In his 2⅓ innings on the mound, Keyler Gonzalez gave up four runs on four hits, including a two-run homer in the fifth.

Lefty Juan Villarreal finished off the sixth inning for Gonzalez and stranded the bases loaded. He followed it with another scoreless inning — only the third of the game — before giving up a solo shot in the eighth to put the Aggies one run away from the run rule.

In just his second conference start, Jordan highlighted the Tigers offense. On top of his bunt in the bottom of the second, he singled and scored in the fourth and blasted the first home run of his career over the left field wall.

“He’s not trying to hit home runs,” Knutson said. “They threw him that home run.”

The Tigers will try to avoid the sweep in Game 3 of the series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Taylor Stadium in Columbia.

Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary as artificial intelligence challenges the Silicon Valley legend to prove it can deliver yet another culture-changing innovation.

Steve Jobs, a driven marketing genius, and Steve Wozniak, who invented the Apple computer, revolutionized how people use technology in the internet age and built a company now worth more than $3.6 trillion.

The two college dropouts changed the way people use computers, listen to music and communicate on the go, giving rise to lifestyles revolving around smartphone apps.

Apple's hit products — the Mac, the iPhone, the Apple Watch and the iPad — command a cult-like following, long after the company's humble beginnings on April 1, 1976 in Jobs' Cupertino, California garage.

Apple has sold more than 3.1 billion iPhones since the handsets debuted in 2007, generating about $2.3 trillion in revenue, according to Counterpoint Research.

For Counterpoint analyst Yang Wang, the iPhone is the most successful consumer electronics product ever, reshaping human communication while becoming "a global fashion and status symbol."

Before the iPhone, Apple shook up home computing with the 1984 Macintosh, whose icon-based interface and mouse made computing accessible beyond specialists -- and sparked a legendary rivalry between Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates.

"Apple was founded on the simple notion that technology should be personal, and that belief -- radical at the time -- changed everything," chief executive Tim Cook said in an anniversary letter posted online.

- 'Cult of Apple' -

Apple transformed the music market with the iPod and iTunes, made the smartphone a mass-market staple with the iPhone, and took tablets mainstream with the iPad. 

The Apple Watch quickly seized the lead in the smartwatch market, despite debuting later than its rivals.

While not an inventor, Jobs -- who died in 2011 at age 56 -- was renowned for his uncompromising drive to marry technology with design to create products that were intuitive and hassle-free.

Apple marketed the Macintosh as the "computer for the rest of us," but it was the iPhone that fulfilled that promise, said David Pogue, author of the recently released "Apple: The First 50 Years."

The iPhone's dominance reshaped Apple's business model. With the premium smartphone market widely seen as saturated, Cook has increasingly turned to selling digital content and services to the company's vast existing base of users.

Central to that strategy is the App Store, which Apple made the sole gateway to software on its devices, taking a cut of transactions -- and thereby drawing accusations of monopoly abuse, regulatory scrutiny in Europe and court orders in the United States to open up its platform.

- 'China factor' -

No country has been more central to Apple's rise -- or more fraught for its future -- than China, with Cook cementing ties to the Asian superpower through regular appearances at local Apple stores and official visits.

Cook was the mastermind of the strategy that made China the primary manufacturing base for Apple devices, with the vast majority of iPhones assembled by contractor Foxconn and other suppliers in Chinese factories.

It is also one of Apple's largest consumer markets, generating tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue.

But the company faces mounting pressure on both fronts: trade tensions and tariffs have accelerated efforts to diversify manufacturing to India and Vietnam, while competition from domestic rivals such as Huawei has eaten into Apple's Chinese market share.

- 'AI challenge' -

A concern haunting investors is that Apple appears to be easing into generative AI while rivals Google, Microsoft and OpenAI race ahead.

A promised upgrade to its Siri digital assistant was delayed, in what analysts called a rare stumble for the company.

And rather than relying on its own engineers to overhaul Siri, Apple has turned to Google for AI capability.

But whether built in-house or outsourced, Apple's obsession with user privacy and its premium hardware could position it to drive widespread adoption of personalized AI -- and make it profitable, a goal that has proved elusive for much of the AI industry.

Already, Apple's AirPods are being steadily improved with sensors and smart software, and lessons learned from the Vision Pro could feed into AI smart glasses to rival Meta's.

"They are the ones that always seem able to create something so simple that users just fall in love with it," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies.

gc/arp/sst

Conservatives gathering in Texas this week showcased a Republican Party wrestling with its identity, as activists debated whether ideological purity or broader appeal offered the best path to victory in looming midterm elections.

In conversations across the Dallas-area Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), supporters framed the stakes not just in terms of who should prevail in the "primary" elections that pick candidates for November, but what kind of party Republicans should be.

It is an increasingly heated debate that has exposed tensions between hardline conservatives, pragmatists and those unsure of how to reconcile the two.

The discussion is playing out most visibly in high-profile contests such as the Texas Senate primary between incumbent John Cornyn and state attorney general Ken Paxton, a race that has become a proxy for the party's wider struggle.

For some, the answer is clear: the more conservative the candidate, the better.

"Oh, Paxton, definitely. All the way. Paxton, all the way, because he is a genuine conservative," said Petrina Bullard, 49, a realtor and community health worker from Dallas.

"Cornyn is not. He never has been. I honestly believe he's a Democrat parading as a Republican just to get voted in."

- Electability vs ideology -

Bullard said Republicans should prioritize candidates who are "really down in the trenches with the people" rather than establishment figures, arguing that ideological compromise risks diluting the party's core values.

"It definitely needs to be more conservative people rather than establishment people," she said, warning that Texas risked becoming a "purple state" with the Democrats growing as powerful as the Republicans.

Others, however, see that approach as a liability in competitive races.

Sean O'Brien, a 20-year-old from Connecticut who is studying at Alabama's Auburn University, said Republicans need to broaden their appeal -- even as he acknowledged tensions within that position.

"I will say that we need to pivot more towards the center," he said, arguing that President Donald Trump remains "a very divisive figure."

At the same time, O'Brien said he favored candidates aligned with Trump's "America First" agenda, reflecting the balancing act facing many younger conservatives.

He also warned that broader political dynamics -- including the war in Iran -- could weigh on Republican prospects.

"I see Democrats winning more seats...possibly taking the Senate," he said of November's midterms, while suggesting Republicans might still hold the House.

- A party unsure -

For others, the question of direction remains unresolved.

"If we want to try to get more moderate votes, we definitely should be less 'far right, conservative, Trump' and all of that," said Michal Szpak, 31, from Austin.

"But, at the same time, we might lose people who vote for that stuff. So it's a million-dollar question. And I really don't have an answer."

Szpak said voters' immediate concerns -- including rising prices -- could ultimately matter more in November than ideological positioning.

"People care more what's going to happen with Iran. People care how (high) the gas prices are," he said.

He warned that those economic pressures could sway the small bloc of undecided voters who often determine election outcomes.

"If we had the midterms tomorrow, I think we might lose the House," he said, citing rising costs and recent instability.

Despite the disagreements, some activists struck a more optimistic note about the party's ability to avoid damaging infighting.

Bullard said tensions in the Texas primary appeared to be easing, with Republicans increasingly focused on uniting ahead of November.

"I see a lot of people...really working towards that goal, having people work together instead of all of this division," she said.

"I think it's actually coming together slowly."

ft/jgc

US figure skating star Ilia Malinin won a third straight men's gold at the world championships on Saturday, one month after his spectacular meltdown at the Winter Olympics.

Malinin led all the way to take the title with a winning margin of 22.73 points over Japanese rival Yuma Kagiyama after the free skate. Japan's Shun Sato took bronze.

"It's done. That's it," said an emotional Malinin after his performance in Prague.

"My expectation was to finish my free programme in one piece and that has definitely happened."

The 21-year-old told reporters that he felt a lot of "relief" now the season had ended, especially on a positive note.

"I had a different mindset coming here," he added. "All I wanted to do was escape from myself and enjoy every moment on the ice and have fun, and that is exactly what I did."

The world championships in the Czech capital are taking place just a month after the Olympics where Malinin was the overwhelming favourite.

Undefeated for more than two years, the star of skating led after the short programme before crumbling in the free skate to finish eighth.

Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov won the Olympic gold ahead of Kagiyama and Sato, who took silver and bronze respectively. Shaidorov skipped the world championships. 

In his first competition since, Malinin took a 9.44-point lead from Thursday's short programme into the free skate.

On Saturday, Malinin was more cautious than at the Olympic Games and simplified the technical aspects of his routine, notably swapping his trademark quadruple Axel for a triple Axel.

He also reduced the number of quadruple jumps from seven to five, nevertheless making an impressive comeback after the Olympic debacle, scoring 218.11 points for his free skate and 329.40 overall.

- 'No pressure at all' -

Malinin became the first men's skater to win three world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen from 2018 to 2021.

"I think this was probably one of the more easier world championships I've been to just because of the amount of pressure I had at the Olympics," Malinin told reporters.

"And going here I felt like it was almost no pressure at all. I've completely blocked out all the expectations, all the pressure that people put on me. And I was really here just to skate for myself and enjoy every moment of the world championships."

Kagiyama, 22, moved up from sixth after the short programme to win his fifth world medal and fourth silver with 306.67 points.

Sato, 22, took a medal at the worlds for the first time, rising from fourth as France's Adam Siao Him Fa dropped from second to fifth after falling during his routine.

The four-day world championships concluded later Saturday with Olympic champions Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry claiming gold in the ice dance.

Cizeron clinched his sixth world title after five victories with his former partner Gabriella Papadakis between 2015 and 2022.

For Canadian-born Fournier Beaudry it was a first world medal.

Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry have now won a European title, Olympic gold and a world crown as a pair this year.

"I think we'd hoped for it," Fournier Beaudry said of their success.

"But actually achieving it is another matter. And to finish on such a high note is even more satisfying."

The French pair had held a comfortable lead of more than six points over Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, the bronze medallists at the Milan-Cortina Olympics last month, heading into the free dance.

They topped the scores on the night with 138.07 points and finshed with a total of 230.81.

Canada's Poirier and Gilles placed second with a total of 211.52 points.

Americans Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik produced a fine free dance performance to pip Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson to the podium.

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