Iran entrepreneurs angered by months-long internet blackout

One hundred and ten Turkish coal miners who had marched 200 kilometres (125 miles) to stage a hunger strike for their unpaid wages were arrested on Tuesday morning, their union said. 

After a nine-day march to Ankara from the neighbouring province of Ekisehir, the miners arrived on Monday for a topless sit-in outside the country's energy ministry building in the Turkish capital, before being surrounded by the police.

"We are hungry," several of them had written across their own bare skin.

"We were waiting to speak to someone outside the energy ministry, the only response we received was the arrest off 110 of our colleagues," the Bagimsiz Maden-Is miners' union said on X.

The lignite miners are demanding the payment of outstanding wages and redundancy pay from their employer, Doruk Mining.

"In this country, workers don't count, only money matters... Shame on those who run this country," mining union chief Gokay Cakir told the striking miners on Monday evening.

When questioned by AFP, the energy ministry declined to comment for the time being.

rba-fo/sbk/giv

Associated British Foods announced Tuesday that it would spin off its budget fashion chain Primark, splitting up one of the country's largest consumer businesses.

"A demerger of Primark is the best way to maximise long-term returns for shareholders, reflecting Primark's scale today and the need for a better understanding of the Food business," Michael McLintock, chair of ABF, said in a statement.

The demerger review was conducted in consultation with ABF's largest shareholder, Wittington Investments, which will maintain majority ownership in both companies.

Both entities are expected to be listed in London's top-tier FTSE 100 index. 

Ireland-headquartered Primark, which operates across 19 markets and has more than 80,000 employees,  accounts for roughly half of ABF's sales.

The rest of the business is focused on food, with ABF being a major producer of sugar and the owner of brands such as Twinings tea. 

The spin-off is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, with shareholders retaining shares in both businesses.

"The bigger Primark has got, the stronger the call to let it stand on its own," said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell. 

"The type of investor who wants to own shares in a food products and ingredients business is not necessarily the same as one seeking exposure to the retail sector," he said.

ABF unveiled the spin-off as it reported a fall in both profit and revenue.

"We knew the first half of this financial year was going to be challenging and that's borne out in our financial results," ABF's chief executive George Weston. 

But he said "Primark continued to make strong progress in re-energising its customer proposition in a difficult clothing market."

In November, ABF reported a full-year net profit drop of nearly 30 percent to £1 billion ($1.3 billion). 

ajb/js

Pope Leo XIV begins the final leg of his African tour on Tuesday with a visit to Equatorial Guinea, where his increasingly vocal defences of human rights will be closely watched in one of the most closed-off states on the continent.

After three days in Angola, the US-born pontiff is due around noon (1100 GMT) in the Central African country, ruled since 1979 by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 83, the world's longest-serving head of state who is not a monarch. 

Leo follows in the footsteps of John Paul II, who 40 years ago became the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich country of two million people, 80 percent of whom are Catholic, a legacy of Spanish colonisation.

Throughout his African tour, the pope has criticised tyranny and exploitation while promoting peace and social, swapping his previously reserved style for a tougher tone. 

All eyes are whether that trend will continue in Equatorial Guinea, where he will be hosted by a government regularly accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses. 

Most of the country's opposition figures and independent media, hounded by the authorities, are in exile in Spain. 

The Equatorial Guinean authorities are regularly singled out by international NGOs for endemic corruption and repression of the opposition, marked by arbitrary detentions and curbs on public freedoms. 

- 'Spiritual change' -

In the former capital Malabo, located on the island of Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea, giant portraits of the pope and welcome banners line the streets, alongside flags of the Vatican and Equatorial Guinea. 

A hymn composed in his honour will be sung by church choirs across the country throughout his visit.  

Malabo resident Juan Raul told AFP he sees the visit as an opportunity to bring the nation together.

"This will bring spiritual change and motivate many people to go to mass," he said.

Leo will speak on Tuesday before the president, members of the government, the diplomatic corps and civil society, as well as representatives of the cultural sector. 

On Wednesday, he will travel to Obiang's Mongomo stronghold to hold a mass and greet students and teachers at a technology school named after Pope Francis. 

He will then continue to the economic capital Bata to pay tribute to the victims of a 2021 explosion that killed more than 108 people in a military camp and also visit inmates at Bata prison. 

On Thursday, the pontiff will hold a large mass at Malabo stadium before wrapping up his whirlwind 11-day 18,000-kilometre (11,200-mile) journey across Africa.

sam-cmk-cc/cpy/jnd/giv/sbk

Seeking new fans for Hello Kitty, the company behind the enigmatic character on Tuesday launched a video games division aiming to release 10 original titles over the next three years.

Hello Kitty, which started life as an illustration on a 1970s vinyl coin purse, is emblematic of Japan's lucrative culture of "kawaii", meaning cute.

Hello Kitty and other characters owned by the corporate titan Sanrio have appeared in video games before, but these were all made by third parties.

By making original games, Sanrio wants to broaden its appeal, CEO Tomokuni Tsuji told a news conference on Tuesday.

"We also want to approach people who have not been part of our traditional fan base, like boys and adult men," he said.

The company said its first new game, called "Sanrio Party Land", would be released for Nintendo's Switch and Switch 2 consoles by the autumn.

Sanrio is investing up to 10 billion yen ($63 million) in its gaming operations over the three years to March 2027.

"Video games are a very big market. People spend a long time on games," Tsuji said. "This is a sector we must enter."

"Sanrio Party Land" will consist of more than 45 mini-games, featuring more than 145 Sanrio characters, led by Hello Kitty but also joined by the likes of Cinnamoroll and Kuromi.

The release date and price of the new game will be announced later, Sanrio said.

Unlike other Japanese cultural exports such as Pokemon or Dragon Ball, there is minimal narrative around Hello Kitty, who has no mouth.

It has appeared on tens of thousands of products -- everything from handbags to rice cookers --  and has secured lucrative tie-ups with Adidas, Balenciaga and other top brands.

The phenomenon shows no sign of slowing, with a Warner Bros movie slated for release in 2028.

hih/kaf/mtp

In the desert expanse of Turkmenistan, Chinese engineers are hard at work at the vast Galkynysh gas field -- a mega project that is deepening the closed Central Asian state's already extensive ties with Beijing.

Energy-rich Turkmenistan, one of the world's most reclusive and sealed-off states, has stated its desire to diversify its exports towards Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

But it is China that is pouring in the cash to get its hands on Turkmenistan's vast gas reserves, estimated to be the fourth largest in the world.

At the inauguration of a new phase of the Galkynysh plant in mid-April, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov -- former president and now father of the nation -- hailed the country's important ties with Beijing.

"Our country regards China as a strategic partner," he said at the event, to which AFP journalists were granted rare access.

Berdymukhamedov touched down at the ceremony in a white helicopter, where a traditional carpet was laid out across the tarmac.

Standing alongside China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, dancers in the countries' respective national colours performed a routine symbolising the handover of gas from one to another.

Hundreds of green Turkmen flags fluttered in the desert wind, held up by women in red, purple, blue and green outfits.

Led by the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the expansion will increase production and storage at Galkynysh, enabling more exports to China.

The site is the second-largest gas field in the world, according to British energy consultancy Gaffney, Cline and Associates, behind only South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar.

Around 90 percent of Turkmenistan's gas exports already go to China -- according to several independent estimates.

Ashgabat does not publish statistics.

"The paradox of Turkmenistan is that as its proven gas reserves have grown, the country has gained the status of a gas giant, but not a comparable degree of freedom in monetising those reserves," said Abzal Narymbetov, an expert in Central Asia's energy sector.

"The country has a huge resource base, but its export infrastructure is still heavily tied to the Chinese route," he added.

- 'Strategic vulnerability' -

A former Soviet republic, Turkmenistan used to export gas exclusively to Russia until 2009, when a diplomatic spat with Moscow accelerated a pivot towards Beijing.

The Central Asia-China gas pipeline, opened that year, has since delivered "around 460 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas," Berdymukhamedov said.

He wants to increase annual deliveries to 65 bcm.

China, the world's largest importer of natural gas, is a major buyer from Russia and the Middle East, but seeks to diversify its energy sources.

"For Turkmenistan, China is irreplaceable, whereas for China, Turkmenistan is just one of several suppliers. That is why dependence on a single market is not just a trade issue but one of strategic vulnerability," Narymbetov said.

Turkmen authorities are also hoping the expanded field at Galkynysh could help it look further afield.

"In addition to the Chinese route, Galkynysh is also being considered as a resource base for the future TAPI (Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India) gas pipeline," an employee of state-owned Turkmengaz told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It is aiming to supply 33 bcm along that route as well as boosting exports to Europe via the Caspian Sea on the country's west.

- 'Reinforce' -

For now, Beijing is the only viable route.

"Each new phase of Galkynysh so far tends to reinforce the Chinese vector rather than genuinely diversify it," Narymbetov said.

The already-delayed TAPI route faces security challenges in Afghanistan, where it is still under construction.

And the proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline to take Turkmen gas across the Caspian Sea and into Europe, is stalling.

There is no clear agreement on who will finance that project, or long-term gas deals that would make it financially viable.

Asked by AFP, the EU delegation in Turkmenistan said: "We leave a decision on a potential Trans-Caspian Pipeline to Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and/or other parties interested in investing in it financially."

At home, the partnership with Beijing is, for now, an economic lifeline, with authorities presenting Galkynysh as a source of prosperity for the entire country.

Aga, a 22-year-old student at the oil-and-gas university in the capital Ashgabat, told AFP investment at the field was creating many jobs.

"After I graduate, I would like to work there," he said.

al-bk/blb/jc/rl

The sultry songs of Lolita Cercel, an AI-generated singer, are a sensation in Romania, racking up millions of views online -- but angering real-life musicians and drawing criticism from the Roma minority as a racist cliche.

Since debuting late last year, "Lolita" has given TV interviews, landed representation by a top booking agency and had a cabinet member use the digitally generated singer's telegenic image to promote his ministry's projects.

But the videos' popularity has stirred debate in Romania about artificial intelligence replacing humans, and has raised questions about ethnic stereotypes in a country with a history of discriminating against the Roma.

Lolita is "a very sexualised" character, "a non-Roma man's fantasy of what a Roma woman might look like", Bogdan Burdusel, a 35-year-old Roma activist, told AFP, criticising "latent and unaddressed racism" in Romanian society.

Real-life Roma singer Bianca Mihai, a contestant on the Romanian version of reality TV show "The Voice" last year, called Lolita's overnight success "unfair".

"I'm trying to build a career right now, and I feel like there's no room for me," said Mihai, 25, who juggles a full-time job as an IT consultant with studio rehearsals and an acting gig.

In reality, Lolita is the work of a man who calls himself Tom, a 32-year-old visual designer who said he did not necessarily mean for his creation to have a Roma identity.

Tom, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Lolita "doesn't necessarily belong to a specific culture".

"She reflects the reality of millions of people living in the Balkans. She embodies a Balkan identity more than a Romani one," he told AFP.

Tom, who has described his project as "a fusion of Balkan nostalgia and the synthetic future", said he chose folk music traditionally played by Roma for Lolita's songs because it "speaks the truth most bluntly" and represents "a kind of blues of our own".

- 'Didn't mean to offend' -

"I didn't mean to offend anyone," he said, seeming shy and uncomfortable with the media attention the project has generated.

Tom said he wrote the lyrics for Lolita's songs -- about

love and everyday struggles" -- and used prompts to produce the music and videos with AI, not expecting it "to go so viral".

In public comments, he has praised AI for "democratising" musical creation.

AI-generated tracks regularly go viral, and global music industry body IFPI has called on the sector to ensure AI-generated content compensates musicians.

AI is "really good" at focusing in on people's music consumption, mimicking what the industry usually offers, said Grigore Burloiu, a lecturer in interactive technologies at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest.

"No one woke up overnight and said: 'That's it, I like AI'... AI is all about finding the lowest common denominator," he told AFP.

- 'That hurts' -

In one of Tom's most-viewed songs, a teary-eyed Lolita, wearing a red flower dress and hoop earrings, stares into the camera on a train platform.

The avatar calls herself "a cast-out gypsy", asking her married lover if she's not worth a dime compared to his "proper fine lady" who has "furs and money".

"She's exactly the kind of girl we find very easy to accept and exoticise," said real-life singer Mihai.

In general, Lolita's lyrics are "the most cliched things", added Mihai, saying people tell her "all the time" she looks like the AI-generated singer.

"It's nice to borrow elements from Romani culture, but we don't necessarily like the Romani people. And that hurts," Mihai told AFP.

Enslaved from the 14th to the 19th century, Roma were legally treated as property in a swath of Europe spanning what is now Romania and Moldova.

Mihai herself only began to publicly identify as Roma when she was around 18 years old, after her parents -- fearing she would face discrimination -- encouraged her not to reveal it.

While participating in "The Voice", Mihai was the target of anti-Roma hate speech, even receiving death threats on social networks.

Meanwhile, praise abounds on Lolita's channels, with one user calling her Romania's Amy Winehouse.

"Now I understand why people fall in love with AI," wrote another.

Mihai is watching uneasily.

"Lolita released five songs in a month and got a ton of views," she said, calculating that it would take her months to do that.

"We can't really compare. It's very hard."

ani/jza/jhb/yad

A New Yorker with a taste for superlatives and, like his boss, for flashing thumbs-ups to the cameras, US ambassador to Belgium Bill White lives and breathes Donald Trump's MAGA-style brand of diplomacy.

The 59-year-old envoy -- who boasts a relationship with Trump reaching back three decades -- sums up his mission in simple terms: "To get an A plus" from the president.

"President Trump, when I was talking to him about how much I loved him, I said, 'I really want to make you happy,'" he told AFP in an interview in the Belgian capital.

"He laughed, and he said, 'Bring back $50 billion in deals,'" quipped White -- a longtime entrepreneur with an easygoing banter who raised large sums for Trump in recent campaigns.

The US president may be loathed, mocked or feared by many in Europe -- White says the job of representing him is "pretty easy".

- 'Truth Social' on tap -

"I get my news source from him, not from -- no offense -- but not from you or anyone else," White told AFP reporters at his official residence in Brussels.

"I read his Truth Social. I know exactly what he's thinking," said White, who makes it his mission to relay Trump's "message" to the diplomats, politicians and business leaders he rubs shoulders with each day.

Like many of the ambassadors drawn from Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, White has little of the career diplomat about him.

Before politics he built an encyclopaedic career: he started out in real estate, ran a museum, raised funds for Barack Obama, and campaigned on the side for a wealthy Atlanta suburb to secede from the city.

He was also a longtime Democrat, a married gay man and champion of liberal causes with extremely good connections -- Aretha Franklin sang at his wedding.

But the night of Trump's 2016 election win, White decided to throw in his lot with the Republican billionaire, reportedly ditching Hillary Clinton's deflated campaign event and crossing town to Trump's.

Fast-forward to late 2025, and his arrival in Belgium as US ambassador.

Barely had he unpacked than White was summoned to the foreign ministry for intervening in a case involving Jewish circumcisers in Antwerp -- a probe he called "antisemitic."

He insists the row was not serious enough to dent his "amazing relationship" with Belgium -- throwing in a mildly off-colour joke about circumcision to drive home the point.

But it catapulted him onto the front pages in Belgium, a country of 12 million where the new ambassador has already become something of a household name.

"That's a little weird for me," he admitted.

- 'We love America!' -

White likewise plays down the impact of forays into local politics by fellow US ambassadors that have ruffled feathers in France, Poland and elsewhere.

"This whole thing about we don't love Europe, we were leaving NATO -- it's all baloney," he said. "President Trump loves Belgium so much, and Europe too."

He sees claims of anti-American sentiment in Europe as greatly exaggerated -- and has an anecdote to prove it.

"We were on a boat going through Ghent last Saturday, and we're going under the bridge, and these people are saying, 'Ambassador White from America! We love America,'" he recalled -- waving his arms to recreate the scene.

The US diplomat, whose residence is adorned with photos of his husband and of Trump and his wife Melania -- "Isn't she gorgeous?" -- speaks of having close ties with the Belgian government.

He says he speaks regularly with his "friends" the ministers of defence, interior and foreign affairs -- and even claims to have won the good graces of the prime minister's cat.

According to White, Prime Minister Bart De Wever is tapped to give a speech at a US-style bash being staged in Brussels for the 250th anniversary of US independence -- with fireworks, an American pop star and a fighter jet flyby.

It stands to be the "largest, biggest, best, most amazing, extraordinary, phenomenal, fantastic event outside of the president's events in Washington," he promised.

Be it throwing a stars-and-stripes party or wading into local politics, White's approach is unapologetically large and loud -- with an energy lifted straight from Trump's playbook.

As European capitals voice growing frustration with the US leader -- and after Hungarian voters ousted Viktor Orban despite vocal backing from Vice President JD Vance -- does he see any reason to rethink his approach?

"No not at all," said White. "Not at all."

cjc/ec/yad

The appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as head coach of Union Berlin's men's Bundesliga side may have captured global headlines, but few inside the ambitious club were surprised.

The rapid rise of Union's women's side, who Eta will coach from the summer, is a direct result of the club prioritising the team.

While still in the amateur regional leagues, Union took the unusual step of paying players and coaching staff professionally. 

Union are putting the finishing touches on a shiny new complex which will become the first training centre in European football with identical facilities for the men's and women's teams. 

Despite playing in the second division last season, Union's women averaged crowd was 7,190, the best mark in Germany and behind only Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United across Europe. 

The crowds have continued to climb this season as Union secured their top-flight status for next year.

Union host powerhouse Bayern Munich on Wednesday and the club expect over 10,000 spectators, having opened up additional stands in their 22,000-capacity Stadion an der Alten Foersterei.

- 'It's about football' -

A major reason for the support is the club's integration into the community in the eastern Berlin suburb of Koepenick

The club is a core part of Koepenick's identity, giving rise to the saying: 'We don't go to the football, we go to Union'. 

Current women's coach Ailien Poese has had a two-decade association with Union and has guided the women's side through the ranks to the top flight.

Poese, who will return to the club's academy when Eta takes over, said fans went to both the men's and the women's games "because ultimately it's about football. 

"I hope it gets established at many clubs, that it's their favourite club and there might be a home game every weekend, one week the women's and the next the men's," Poese told AFP.

"I'm absolutely delighted with the extra attention and the identification with the women's team."

Union forward Hannah Eurlings agreed. "It says a lot about the fans, that they're just in love with the club. And that's so nice to see." 

Eurlings, a Belgian international, signed with Union in the summer and said the club's focus on women's football was a key pull factor.

"For me it was a bit scary to sign for a second Bundesliga team... But the talks I had with the club and with the women's manager, they were all positive. 

"They want to make the women's team equal to the men's team and also in financial things and also in the facilities we get. I think you don't find that that often in women's football, so I think that's a very big plus for me."

- 'Not a bit of a surprise' -

Eurlings said Eta's appointment is a reflection Union's values of hard work and merit, while also thinking outside the box. 

"It's not a bit of a surprise here in the club or in Koepenick... It doesn't matter what your gender is, do you know a lot about football? You're the right person for the job."

Poese said the appointment was "a completely logical decision."

"She is highly competent, very good technically and very clear in her work and her footballing ideas."

Union are heavy underdogs on Wednesday but even taking on the German giants is an achievement in itself. 

Bayern need just a point to claim the women's Bundesliga title but Poese said her side would relish their role as "party crashers". 

Eurlings agreed, saying "of course it's an extra motivation. They think they can become champions on our pitch? Nobody signed up for that. 

"They're the best team in the league. But of course, in football, you have 90 minutes and if we have a good day, we want to be the party crashers."

dwi/dmc

Hoteliers are switching on the lights to welcome a trickle of visitors back to the once-booming resort towns of India-controlled Kashmir, a year after militants opened fire on holidaymakers in an attack that killed 26 people.

The disputed Muslim-majority region, which India and Pakistan both claim in full, used to attract millions of Indian visitors flocking to take in its famed wooden houseboats on Dal Lake in the centre of the main city Srinagar.

However, dozens of tourist sites across the Himalayan territory closed for security reasons after one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in decades in Indian-run Kashmir on April 22, 2025, which killed mainly Hindu men.

A year on, hoteliers are still feeling the repercussions.

"It used to be full for months on end before the attack," said Younis Khandey, the owner of a 10-room guesthouse in the resort town of Pahalgam, near the site of the attack.

India blamed Pakistan for backing the gunmen, charges Islamabad rejected.

A shadowy group called The Resistance Front (TRF) -- described by the United States as a "proxy" of UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba -- initially claimed responsibility for the attack. The group later retracted its claim.

Two weeks later, anger between India and Pakistan erupted into a four-day conflict in which the nuclear-armed neighbours deployed drones, missiles and fighter jets, killing at least 70 people on both sides.

- 'Not back on track' -

The small mountain meadow of Baisaran, where the gunmen stormed out of pine forests and fired on crowds, remains closed.

Other sites are now open, but travel operators say bookings are still far down from usual.

"Business has been down about 60 percent, even after many spots were reopened for tourists," said travel agent Tanvir Ahmed. "But arrivals are picking up again now."

Before the attack, Kashmir welcomed hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims visiting sacred shrines.

In 2024, a record number of more than 23 million tourists -- including 65,000 foreigners -- visited the region of some 12 million people, according to the Indian government.

Statistics for 2025 have not been released in the wake of the attack.

"The tourism sector is not back on track yet," said Syed Qamar Sajjad, director of the region's tourism department. 

India has at least 500,000 soldiers permanently deployed in Kashmir.

Rebel groups opposed to Indian rule of Kashmir waged an insurgency -- now largely crushed -- since 1989, and the conflict has killed tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians and militants.  

pzb/sjc/cms/pbt

Shares in a Chinese tech firm that supplies US chip titan Nvidia soared almost 60 percent on its Hong Kong debut Tuesday, having raised more than US$2 billion in the city's largest listing this year.

Victory Giant Technology Huizhou has said it will use most of the proceeds to expand production in mainland China.

It comes as the country races to boost domestic production of the microchips used to train and power generative AI tools, in a bid to rival the United States' prowess in the sector.

Shares in the Guangdong-based firm rocketed 59.6 percent in early trade to HK$335 (US$43), having set its price at HK$209.88 and raising HK$17.3 billion (US$2.2 billion).

Victory Giant, whose shares are already listed across the border in Shenzhen, makes high-end printed circuit boards (PCBs), a crucial component of AI servers.

One of its key customers is Nvidia, now the world's most valuable company thanks to feverish global demand for AI chips.

The initial public offering (IPO) is the biggest since Zijin Gold International raised US$3.7 billion in September.

It is also the latest in a recent run of blockbuster debuts from Chinese AI-related companies in Hong Kong, indicating optimism for China's ambitions in the sector.

Nvidia's most cutting-edge AI chips cannot be sold in China under US export rules that Washington says are to protect national security.

So Beijing is accelerating efforts to develop its own advanced semiconductors and break away from reliance on US hardware.

"China continues to prioritise AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor-adjacent supply chains as strategic sectors," Dilin Wu, research strategist at Pepperstone, told AFP.

So "companies like Victory Giant benefit from both policy support and financing accessibility", she said.

While there is "sustained demand" for high-end PCBs owing to booming investment into AI servers and data centres worldwide, high prices may not last, Wu cautioned.

"The current cycle is still characterised by tight supply in high-end PCB manufacturing," she said.

"Whether this persists will depend on how quickly global and domestic capacity catches up with AI-driven demand growth."

This year has already brought strong Hong Kong IPOs from leading Chinese AI startups Zhipu AI and MiniMax, as well as graphics processing unit maker Shanghai Biren Technology and chip firm OmniVision Integrated Circuit Group.

cla/kaf/dan