Pope Leo kicks off African tour under shadow of Trump's ire

US President Donald Trump said the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak on Thursday in what would be a historic first, but there was no confirmation from either side.

Trump's announcement comes as Washington pushes to ease hostilities following the first direct talks between the two countries in decades this week, when their ambassadors met in the US capital.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after the Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, attacked Israel. 

Since then, Israeli strikes in Lebanonhave killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million, despite international calls for a ceasefire, and Israeli ground forces have invaded the country's south.

"Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon," Trump said Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, referring to the ambassadors meeting held in Washington the day before -- the first meeting of its kind since 1993.

Trump said the leaders of Lebanon and Israel would speak on Thursday, without identifying participants or giving details.

An official Lebanese source told AFP however that "we are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels".

Asked by AFP about Trump's announcement, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no comment.

Analyst Michael Young of the Carnegie Middle East Center told AFP that there had never before been contact between the leaders of Lebanon and Israel.

In September 1982, Bachir Gemayel, elected Lebanese president in the wake of an Israeli invasion, met with Israeli leaders but was assassinated before taking office.

In 1992 and 1993, diplomats from the two countries met in Washington in the wake of a Middle East peace process launched at a conference in Madrid.

- 'Durable peace' -

A senior US administration official stressed that any end to the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is not part of talks between Washington and Tehran.

"The president would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The United States wants to see a durable peace but did not demand an immediate ceasefire," the official said. "Negotiations between the US and Iran are not linked to ongoing peace talks between Israel and Lebanon."

Washington's focus is on building trust between the Lebanese and Israeli governments "so that we can create space for a peace deal, and so that any future understandings can be durable."

"Both sides need to build political momentum," the official added.

Israel and Lebanon agreed on Tuesday to begin direct negotiations following the talks between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors.

Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday of two central objectives in the talks: "First, the dismantling of Hezbollah; second, a sustainable peace... achieved through strength."

The Lebanese ambassador, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, said she had called for a ceasefire in Lebanon during the meeting, which Israel has so far rejected.

Hezbollah condemned the talks, calling them "capitulation."

On the ground, the Israeli army again on Thursday called on civilians to evacuate the entire area of southern Lebanon up to the Zahrani River, about 40 kilometres north of the border.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several drone attacks targeting military positions in northern Israel and on Lebanese territory.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported clashes in Bint Jbeil, a town five kilometres from the border where Hezbollah fighters are battling the Israeli army.

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French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies said Thursday its production in the first quarter of the year was expected to have remained stable despite the Middle East war hitting its output in the region.

The war triggered by US and Israeli bombing of Iran at the end of February sent energy prices soaring as transit through the Strait of Hormuz was cut off, stranding a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.

While the conflict shut roughly 15 percent of TotalEnergies's production, the firm said it was able to compensate by launching production at sites in Brazil and Libya. 

It said had even managed to increase LNG production by 10 percent from the last quarter of 2025.

Given the sharp rise in oil prices -- the benchmark international oil contract Brent jumped from under $70 per barrel in February to over $100 for much of March -- the company said it expected to report improved cash flow and earnings in its first-quarter results on April 29.

Market volatility also provided the company with trading opportunities.

In early April, the Financial Times reported that TotalEnergies had made more than billion dollars by buying up almost all exportable oil cargoes in the Middle East that that do not pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The company declined to confirm or deny to AFP it had carried out such a highly unusual operation, saying only that it had to secure supplies for itself as well as its customers.

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Britain's biggest supermarket chain Tesco warned Thursday that its profits could be impacted by the Mideast war lifting food costs, as it posted higher earnings for its last financial year. 

Tesco said adjusted operating profit for 2026/27 could come in lower compared with the 12 months to the end of February.

The figure is forecast to reach between £3 billion and £3.3 billion ($4.1 billion and $4.5 billion), having risen slightly to £3.15 billion in the 12 months to the end of February.

"Reflecting the increased uncertainty caused by the conflict in the Middle East, we are providing a wider range of guidance than we were previously planning," the company said in its earnings statement.

"Much will depend upon the duration of the conflict and in particular, the potential implications for UK households and the economy more broadly."

Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy said the company is "committed to doing whatever we can to help keep down the cost of the weekly shop". 

The group added that its profit after tax jumped nearly 10 percent to £1.79 billion in its 2025/26 financial year.

Revenue grew 5.4 percent to £73.7 billion.

IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva on Wednesday warned of difficult times ahead for the global economy if war in the Middle East is unresolved and oil prices stay high.

"We are concerned about risks for inflation moving into food prices should the delivery of fertilisers at a reasonable price (not be) restarted soon," Georgieva told reporters during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's spring meetings in Washington.

Aarin Chiekrie, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Tesco is "in a better position than most of the competition when it comes to weathering these headwinds.  

"Its enormous scale and strong relationships with suppliers are its key tools in keeping prices down for customers, giving them little reason to look elsewhere," he noted following the earnings update.

Tesco's share price was up 2.5 percent in morning deals on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index, which rose 0.2 percent overall.

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British no-frills airline EasyJet on Thursday said it expects to post a deeper first-half loss compared with one year earlier after the Middle East war sent jet fuel prices soaring.

EasyJet said it expected a headline loss before tax of between £540 million and £560 million ($733 million and $760 million) for the six months to the end of March. 

The figure stood at £394 million for the equivalent period in 2025/26.

"Fuel costs in March were impacted by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, leading to approximately £25 million of incremental costs," the airline said in a trading update, adding its performance had been impacted by other factors including competition for customers.

EasyJet publishes full first-half earnings on May 21.

"Our financial performance worsened year on year, impacted by the conflict in the Middle East and the competitive environment in some markets," group chief executive Kenton Jarvis said in Thursday's statement.

The airline said the US-Iran conflict had "introduced near-term uncertainty around fuel costs and customer demand" but noted it was "well positioned to manage this volatility". 

The first-half was impacted also by a lift in legal provisions of about £30 million to deal with "a number of historic cases".

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Rice farmers Siriporn and Amnat Taidee used to burn their paddy fields between plantings -- a common method of clearing crop residue partly blamed for

toxic smog that blankets much of Thailand every spring.

A quick and affordable way to prepare for a new growing cycle, the practice has long been seen as the only feasible option for millions of Thai rice farmers. 

But for the couple from Chiang Rai, abandoning what Amnat called "the old way of doing things" for new microbial solutions has been a boon.

Thanks to the hungry bacteria that chew up post-harvest leftovers -- their soil is softer, their yields are up and their fertiliser bills are down.

"My life has changed," said Siriporn, 63, as she sloshed through a verdant paddy field in Chiang Rai. "I'm so happy... we don't have to burn anymore."

Every year between January and April, smoke from crop residue, forest fires and industrial emissions -- compounded by smog drifting over from neighbouring countries -- pushes Thailand's air quality to dangerous levels. 

Bangkok has restricted burning for years, but a recent crackdown has put government environmental goals on a collision course with traditional agricultural practices. 

The threat of heavy fines and even prison has frightened farmers -- but many feel they still have no alternative. 

"It simply pushes the burden onto farmers," Witsanu Attavanich, an environmental economist at Kasetsart University, said of the ban on open burning.

- The price of change -

The Taidees were early converts, using a product called Soil Digest developed by a Thai scientist using five strains of Bacillus bacteria -- one of which is derived from traditional fermented soybeans.

Siriporn said the solution decomposed the "terrible" stubble on the fields in a matter of days and helped restore the soil.

"The rice is coming in great and the soil is healthy," she says. "This microbial stuff is a game-changer."

Last year, authorities

in Chiang Rai -- one of Thailand's main rice-growing provinces -- began encouraging local farmers to try microbial solutions.

So far, around 2,000 have made the switch -- a fraction of the province's 100,000 rice farmers, but a start.

"If we are to stop the burning, we must provide them with multiple alternatives," said Orracha Wongsaroj, a provincial agricultural official. 

Microbial products have long been used in Thai agriculture, but demand for newer formulations targeting straw decomposition has grown sharply since the burning crackdown intensified a few years ago. 

The Thai government promotes free access to microbial products for farmers -- but officials told AFP that stocks had run out and they were struggling to scale up supply. 

For those who cannot access government supplies, private market alternatives can be pricey.

In Pathum Thani, a rice-growing province in central Thailand, farmer Samart Atthong spent 1,200 baht ($37) hiring an agricultural drone to spray Soil Digest over his fields.

"People may only see the extra cost of the microbes, but they should look in the long run," Samart said.

"Once the soil heals, we won't need nearly as much fertiliser," he said. "Where I live, burning has dropped to nearly zero."

- Making microbes work -

Striding through air thick with dust from yeast, retired professor Wichien Yongmanitchai watches the whirring machines producing his microbial concoction.

He started by isolating local bacterial strains, convinced that native ones would work best in Thailand's tropical environment.

He hopes his invention -- sold as Soil Digest -- will fix Thailand's annual air crisis for good.

Without microbial treatment, rice straw takes around 30 days to soften enough to till -- his solution works in five to seven days. 

Early trials show yield increases of up to 20 percent. 

Wichien also said the bacteria can reduce methane emissions from paddy fields by at least 20 percent, helping Thailand meet its climate commitments.

"This is one of the biggest benefits to make (for achieving) carbon neutrality in the rice field."

But Wichien knows his small operation cannot reach Thailand's 20 million farmers alone. And without government and corporate backing, the gap may prove too wide.

Independent experts agree the technology shows promise -- but warn the system around it must change. 

"The government wants to reduce straw burning -- but there is no one-size-fits-all solution," said Nipon Poapongsakorn, an agricultural policy expert at the Thailand Development Research Institute. 

To start with he suggests conditional subsidies tied to a no-burn commitment, combined with machinery access and farmer education. 

Wichien is already thinking beyond Thailand to paddy fields across Southeast Asia and ultimately Africa.

"I don't want anything else. I just want to make it work."

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A law clamping down on protests following an antisemitic mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach was overturned by a court on Thursday, a written ruling showed.

Activists had challenged the New South Wales legislation, enacted 10 days after the December 14 attack which killed 15 people and wounded dozens at a beach-side Hanukkah festival.

The law gave police the power to restrict public assemblies in declared areas, making it impossible to get a permit for any protests and allowing officers to order people to move away.

The state government pushed for the crackdown to protect cohesion and community safety at a time of high tensions, the Court of Appeal heard.

But the legal provisions were "constitutionally impermissible", Chief Justice Andrew Bell found in a written ruling.

They effectively discouraged all forms of protest in the declared area, irrespective of the purpose and possible impact on social cohesion, he said.

"The impugned provisions infringe the implied freedom of political communication," the court ruled, declaring them invalid.

Immediately after the protest law was passed in December, the state's police chief declared the first restrictions across a large swathe of Sydney.

Clampdowns continued in various forms until February, including during a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog when police and demonstrators clashed in central Sydney.

Pro-Palestinian activist Josh Lees, who was one of three plaintiffs in the case, said New South Wales Premier Chris Minns had long sought to ban protests, especially over Gaza.

"While Israel and the US wage endless war, destroying the lives of millions of people, supported by Australian governments, they are continuing to try to rip up our democratic rights to protest," the Palestine Action Group spokesman said in a statement.

Minns said the government stood by its decision on the law.

"This was in the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack our country has seen, in which 15 innocent lives were lost," he said in a statement to Australian media.

"We believe it was necessary and important for Sydney at the time."

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The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Lebanon unaware of Israel talks -

Lebanon is unaware of any planned contact with Israel, an official source told AFP, after US President Donald Trump said the leaders of the two countries would speak on Thursday.

"We are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels," the source said.

- Australia diesel boost -

Australia has secured an additional supply of some 100 million litres of diesel from Brunei and South Korea, as the country looked to boost precarious reserves, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday.

- Chipmaker confident -

Taiwan's chipmaking behemoth TSMC said it did not expect the Middle East war to affect its supply of vital materials such as helium and hydrogen in the near term.

- Iran detains spying suspects -

Iran arrested four suspected spies, state media agency IRNA reported citing a Revolutionary Guards statement claiming they were linked to Israeli spy agency Mossad.

- Pakistan pushes for talks -

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he met Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, before a possible second round of US-Iran peace talks.

Iran has targeted US allies in the Gulf -- including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which Sharif is also visiting -- in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Tehran that triggered the war.

"I reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment to advancing its efforts to encourage both the U.S. and Iran towards an agreement aimed at lasting peace and stability in the region," Sharif posted on X.

- Iran in hostage warning -

A top military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned Iran would take US troops hostage if they invaded and sink American ships enforcing a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping waterway for oil, gas and other Gulf exports.

Hardliner Mohsen Rezaei said it would be "great" if Washington launched a ground invasion as "we would take thousands of hostages, and then for each hostage we would get a billion dollars".

- Fresh oil sanctions -

US officials issued new sanctions against Iran, targeting more than two dozen people involved in oil transport, along with companies and tankers that operate within the network of petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani.

"Treasury is moving aggressively with 'Economic Fury' by targeting regime elites like the Shamkhani family that attempt to profit at the expense of the Iranian people," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

Shamkhani is the son of security official Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, both of whom were killed February 28, the first day of US-Israeli attacks and the start of the Middle East war.

- Growing hunger fears -

The conflict in the Middle East could push millions more toward hunger as its economic fallout reverberates around the globe, the World Bank's chief economist told AFP.

"You have about 300 million people who suffer from acute food insecurity already," Indermit Gill said. "That'll go up by about 20 percent very, very quickly" as knock-on effects grow.

- Stock markets soar -

Japanese stocks hit a record high as Asian on heightened optimism the United States and Iran will extend their ceasefire for further talks to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

Major Wall Street stock indices finished at record highs Wednesday.

- 'Identical' goals - 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel and the US are fully aligned in their objectives to contain Iran.

"We want to see enriched material removed from Iran; we want to see the elimination of enrichment capability within Iran; and, of course, we want to see the (Hormuz) strait reopened," he said in a televised speech.

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Turkey will hold funerals for nine victims killed in a school shooting by a 14-year-old, an attack that has sent shockwaves across the country, with authorities saying the suspect had referenced a US mass killer in a WhatsApp profile image.

The attack in the southern province of Kahramanmaras  was Turkey's second such incident this week in a country where such shootings have been rare.

The 14-year-old armed entered two classrooms and opened fire randomly as officials said he carried five guns. 

The funerals will take place in the city of Kahramanmaras for eight children aged 10 and 11 and a 55-year-old teacher, the local authorities said. 

Police said the teenager had referenced US mass killer Elliot Rodger in a photo on his WhatsApp profile.

"Initial findings from the investigation revealed that the perpetrator used an image on his WhatsApp profile referencing Elliot Rodger, who carried out an attack in the United States in 2014," the police said in a statement. 

Rodger -- a 22-year-old American-- killed six people on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, before taking his own life. 

Rodger explained in a video released before his crime that the attack was "punishment" for the women who had rejected him. 

The 14-year-old who carried out Wednesday's shooting died at the scene, officials said, though it was not clear how his death happened.

The father of teenager, identified as a former police inspector, was arrested on Wednesday and taken into custody, the police said. 

"Digital media seized during searches of the perpetrator's home and his father's vehicle have been confiscated and are currently being analysed," the police said. 

"Based on initial findings, no link to terrorism has been established. This appears to be an isolated act." 

Schools will remain closed in Kahramanmaras on Thursday and Friday.

-Police order arrests-

Police said they had ordered dozens of arrests for people accused of posting controversial content on social media after the two deadly school shootings. 

"Arrest orders were issued for 83 individuals found to have engaged in posts and activities praising crime and criminals and negatively affecting public order, and legal action has been taken against them," the police said in a statement. 

In addition, access to 940 social media accounts has been blocked, and 93 Telegram groups have been shut down, it added.

On Tuesday, a student opened fire at his former high school in the Siverek district in the southeast, wounding 16 people including students before killing himself. 

The incidents in a row this week triggered protests. 

Dozens of members of the main teachers' unions gathered Wednesday evening outside the education ministry in Ankara and called for a two-day strike across Turkey.

They carried banner reading "We will not surrender our schools to violence".

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed sadness over Wednesday's "tragic attack" but promised the incident would be shed light "in all its aspects". 

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Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC said Thursday that net profit for January-March leaped to a fresh quarterly record, boosted by the race to develop artificial intelligence technology.

Massive global demand for AI hardware means business is booming for TSMC, the world's biggest contract maker of microchips used in everything from Apple phones to Nvidia's AI processors.

TSMC said its net profit for the first quarter of 2026 rose a whopping 58.3 percent from a year ago to NT$572.5 billion ($18 billion).

The figure trounced estimates of NT$540.20 billion in a Bloomberg survey of analysts.

Governments and tech giants are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into building new data centres that can run and train AI tools such as chatbots, image generators and agents that can execute tasks.

Last month, Jensen Huang, head of top US chip designer Nvidia, said the entire tech world feels they could develop their AI and grow revenue "if they could just get more capacity".

Ahead of the earnings announcement, Ian Lyall at Proactive Investors said it appeared TSMC is "so deeply embedded in the AI supply chain that macro headwinds are struggling to leave a mark".

"Advanced-node chip production, the bleeding-edge manufacturing that only TSMC can reliably deliver at scale, is running at capacity," he noted.

TSMC is "supplying chips for artificial intelligence accelerators, next-generation smartphones, and the data centre build-out that is consuming capital at a pace that has surprised even its most bullish observers", Lyall said.

A weaker Taiwanese dollar had also boosted TSMC's revenues from overseas sales.

On Thursday, TSMC said net revenue for the first quarter came in at NT$1.13 trillion, up 35.1 percent year-on-year.

A note from UBS analysts had predicted strong quarterly results for TSMC but warned that consumer demand was weakening as a result of higher prices caused by a global memory chip shortage fuelled by the AI boom.

"Cloud AI demand continues to strengthen, but we think supply constraints will limit meaningful upside for TSMC this year," the UBS team said.

"Middle East tensions add a layer of macro uncertainty, but AI spend should stay insulated, barring a protracted conflict."

The UBS analysts predicted "limited disruption from tight helium supply on TSMC's production".

Helium gas is a key material in the chip supply chain, and Qatar -- one of the countries affected by the war in the Middle East -- is one of its few large-scale producers.

TSMC said Thursday it does not expect the war to impact its supply of chipmaking materials such as helium and hydrogen in the near term.

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Funerals will be held on Thursday for nine people killed when a 14-year-old opened fire at a school in Turkey, sending shock waves across the country. 

The attack in the southern province of Kahramanmaras  was Turkey's second such incident this week in a country where such shootings have been rare.

The funerals will be for eight children aged 10 and 11 and a 55-year-old teacher, the local authorities said. 

Police said Thursday that the teenager had referenced US mass killer Elliot Rodger in a photo on his WhatsApp profile.

"Initial findings from the investigation revealed that the perpetrator used an image on his WhatsApp profile referencing Elliot Rodger, who carried out an attack in the United States in 2014," the police said in a statement. 

Rodger -- a 22-year-old American-- killed six people on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, before taking his own life. 

Rodger explained in a video released before his crime that the attack was "punishment" for the women who had rejected him. 

The 14-year-old who carried out Wednesday's shooting died at the scene, officials said, though it was not clear how his death happened.

The father of teenager, identified as a former police inspector, was arrested on Wednesday and taken into custody, the police said. 

"Digital media seized during searches of the perpetrator's home and his father's vehicle have been confiscated and are currently being analysed," the police said. 

"Based on initial findings, no link to terrorism has been established. This appears to be an isolated act." 

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