Raucous partying and some rugby as Hong Kong Sevens turns 50

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.  

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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

Competing for attention with Jennifer Lopez is no easy task. But at a recent wedding in India where the American star performed in a barely-there sparkly leotard, it was arguably the cake that stole the show.

The towering multi-tier construction, several metres high and inspired by Rajasthani architecture, became a talking-point among guests and featured prominently in media coverage of the 500-guest extravaganza last November.  

Its designer was French celebrity pastry chef Bastien Blanc-Tailleur, whose creations are to cakes what Haute Couture is to fashion: one-off, hand-made, and requiring extraordinary investments in time and money.

"We rarely work on a wedding that has a budget of less than a million euros," the 34-year-old told AFP in his studio outside Paris, surrounded by five of his latest edible sculptures.

The marriage ceremony of billionaire heiress Netra Mantena and tech entrepreneur Vamsi Gadiraju last November in Udaipur cost a reported $6.7 million, with J-Lo said to have pocketed two million for her appearance.

Blanc-Tailleur declines to reveal prices, saying only that his most modest custom-made cakes start at 20,000 euros ($23,500) and the elaborate signature pieces can cost multiple times that.

The Indian order comprised five cakes in total: the main creation with tumbling orchids, elephants and dome-shaped pavilions in white sugar-paste, and then two more cakes for the families, as well as another pair which were lowered from the ceiling. 

They took an estimated 3,500 hours of work.

"We probably hit the top limit of what we're capable of," Blanc-Tailleur explained, adding: "It was one of the projects that I'm the most proud of."

- Challenges - 

Blanc-Tailleur's artistry, which he says draws on French traditions dating back to the 1700s which then spread to Britain and America, depends on the patronage of wealthy clients around the world. 

Middle East royals, wealthy American scions and European aristocrats compete for his limited services: with a full-time staff of only 10, he can only produce about 20-25 cakes a year.

The US and Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, which has sparked a regional conflict encompassing much of the Middle East, has upended the well-laid plans of some of these customers.

"Lots of weddings have been pushed back to next year or the year after," he told AFP. 

"Several clients who were going to get married in Israel or in Lebanon or in Saudi Arabia have changed and are going to get married in France instead," he added. 

In the eight years since he started his business, he's had other challenges: the Covid epidemic in 2020-21, as well as problems transporting and finishing his fragile cakes at the ultra-VIP castles and hotels that serve as venues. 

Logistical issues at the Indian event last November meant Blanc-Tailleur faced a last-minute dash to source eggs and butter for the cake's base.

"Right up until the last-minute we were not sure we were able to deliver the project in the best way," he explained. 

On another occasion, an over-zealous customs official in Saudi Arabia opened the specially designed boxes used to protect the cakes in transit, but neglected to close them properly, causing damage to the icing. 

- No limits - 

Blanc-Tailleur started out as a baker's apprentice before still in his twenties rising into kitchen management jobs at the prestigious George V hotel in Paris and the team of celebrated French chef Yannick Alleno. 

He says he retained a key lesson from Alleno, the holder of 18 Michelin stars at his various restaurants.

"He used to say that when you're thinking about a project, you shouldn't think about how you're going to do it. Otherwise, you limit yourself in the creative process," Blanc-Tailleur explained.

His designs are drawn by hand on white card -- he disdains AI and ultra-realist renderings that remove the joy of discovering the final product. 

A compulsive collector -- of butterflies, seashells, stones and carvings from fleamarkets -- Blanc-Tailleur estimates he has about 2,000-3,000 different moulds to help make prototypes and the final icing mouldings.

"The flowers are the bit that take the most time," he says, with roses, orchids, even hydrangeas all made with hand-sculptured layers of icing to match a moodboard provided by the wedding planner.

With so much energy-intensive work and international travel -- he attends the weddings of most of his clients -- Blanc-Tailleur has little time for himself. 

"I've been engaged for four years," he confides, with no date set for his own marriage.

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Oil prices fell on Tuesday while most stocks rose on lingering hopes for a deal to end the US-Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as Tehran said it had not decided whether to attend peace talks.

With the end of a two-week ceasefire approaching, the White House said Vice President JD Vance was ready to return to Pakistan for fresh negotiations to end a conflict that has sent crude soaring and revived inflation fears.

However, the Islamic republic's position remained uncertain as it accused Washington of violating their fragile truce through its blockade of the country's ports and seizure of a ship.

Crude plunged on Friday after Tehran said it would allow ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which had been effectively closed since the war began on February 28.

But the commodity rebounded on Monday as Iran closed the waterway again, citing the blockade and seizure.

Donald Trump has similarly accused Tehran of violating the ceasefire by harassing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the transit passage for about one-fifth of global oil.

The US president said the blockade would not be lifted until an agreement had been reached.

"THE BLOCKADE, which we will not take off until there is a 'DEAL,' is absolutely destroying Iran," Trump said on social media. "They are losing $500 Million Dollars a day, an unsustainable number, even in the short run."

He told PBS News that Iran was "supposed to be there" at the talks in Pakistan.

"We agreed to be there," he said, warning that if the ceasefire expired "then lots of bombs start going off".

He separately told Bloomberg News it was "highly unlikely" he would extend the truce.

Based on its start time, the truce theoretically expires overnight on Tuesday, Iran time, although in his comments to Bloomberg Trump said the end was Wednesday evening Washington time.

The Middle Eastern country's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said "Trump wants to turn this negotiating table into a surrender table or justify renewed hostilities, as he sees fit".

"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the last two weeks we have been preparing to show new cards on the battlefield," he wrote on X.

Still, investors remained largely upbeat that the two sides will eventually come to a deal that will reopen the strategic strait.

US benchmark crude West Texas Intermediate rose more than one percent, while Brent was also higher.

- Tech rally -

Seoul led the equity market gains thanks to a resumption of the tech rally that had pushed the Kospi to multiple records before the war, while Tokyo and Taipei were also well up.

Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila also advanced, although Shanghai and Sydney fluctuated.

That came even after a down day on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite retreated from Friday's record closes.

Asia had opened "with a gentle lean into risk as signs Iran may join talks with the US offer a pathway, however narrow, toward easing tensions ahead of the ceasefire deadline", wrote SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes.

"Markets are pricing the possibility of progress rather than its certainty," he said.

"Trump's remark that a ceasefire extension is 'highly unlikely' if no deal is reached has effectively put a clock on the market. 

"However, traders recognize the playbook. Hard deadlines and firm rhetoric often soften as negotiations evolve, but the presence of a timeline still sharpens positioning and raises the stakes around each headline."

In company news, Japanese arms firms enjoyed healthy buying after Tokyo said on Tuesday it would ease decades-old export rules, paving the way for the sale of lethal weapons overseas.

The policy shift, which ends Tokyo's self-imposed restraint on the sale of lethal arms, comes as it seeks to enter the international arms market, hoping to bolster national defence as well as boost economic growth.

Fujitsu climbed 2.4 percent, NEC added 3.7 percent and Mitsubishi Electric was up 0.9 percent, while Mitsubishi Heavy gained 0.4 percent.

- Key figures around 0230 GMT -

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 percent at $88.50 a barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $95.12 a barrel

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.3 percent at 59,596.10 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 26,427.75

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 4,073.82

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1780 from $1.1786 on Monday

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3525 from $1.3535

Dollar/yen: UP at 158.98 yen from 158.88 yen

Euro/pound: UP at 87.10 pence from 87.07 pence

New York - Dow Jones: FLAT at 49,442.56 (close)

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 10,609.08 (close)

dan/pbt

An Alabama-born engineer seen as a supply-chain savant, Tim Cook took on the daunting challenge of succeeding Apple's iconic boss Steve Jobs 15 years ago.

While Cook is not known for the culture-changing "one more thing" gadget reveals that Jobs fans came to expect, he guided the company to a stunning valuation of some $4 trillion based on its share price.

Cook built up Apple's lucrative business selling digital content and services to lovers of its devices, and his legacy is marked by the success of Apple Watch and Airpods, as well as strong ties with China as a manufacturing hub and a major market.

- iPhones galore -

Apple had a market valuation of $350 billion when Cook succeeded Jobs, who died in October 2011.

While Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007, it was then chief operating officer Cook who oversaw the supply chain that met demand while minimizing costs.

Most of the money Apple makes comes from iPhone sales.

- Slow and steady -

Since taking over for Jobs, Cook has faced pressure to show Apple could come up with "the next big thing" without its legendary co-founder.

The Apple Watch launched by Cook in 2015 became the top-selling smartwatch in the world, and he introduced the world to Airpods, wireless earbuds which went on to become sophisticated fashion statements in a sea of competition.

Cook also led a shift to Apple making custom chips, ending 20 years of dependence on outside suppliers and gaining more control of its hardware.

- Digital services -

One of Cook's profitable pivots at Apple was to sell digital content and services, from streaming music and television to cloud data storage and apps for iPhones.

By 2024, Apple's services segment accounted for nearly a quarter of its revenue.

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 -

Cook's reliance on China in the Apple supply chain served the company well until US President Donald Trump targeted the country for tariffs as part of a trade war.

Apple has since worked to diversify production to India, Vietnam and even the United States.

Meanwhile, smartphone competitors in China are seen as gaining an edge as shoppers there are encouraged to buy local brands.

- Stumbles -

Cook's run at the helm of Apple was far from perfect, however.

Under Cook, Apple spent billions of dollars on a self-driving electric vehicle project called "Titan" that it wound up scrapping in 2024.

An Apple Maps service launched in 2012 was so rife with errors that Cook published a letter of apology.

And, while a technical marvel, the Apple Vision Pro "spacial computing" headgear launched in 2024 with a price tag of $3,500 and has made little traction in the market.

A promised upgrade to Apple's digital assistant Siri 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 its AI capability.

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Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 58 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.

Fourth seeds Cleveland, convincing 126-113 victors in game one of the series on Saturday, once again proved too strong for fifth-seeded Toronto as they powered to a wire-to-wire victory.

Mitchell finished with 30 points including four three-pointers while Harden finished with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Evan Mobley also had a big night for Cleveland, weighing in with 25 points from an efficient 11-of-13 shooting display.

The Cavs' victory provided more evidence that the offensive partnership between Mitchell and the 36-year-old Harden, who was traded to the team in February, is blossoming at the right time for Cleveland.

"He's been doing it a little bit longer than me but we've still been doing it for a long time -- just trying to find ways to win," Mitchell said of Harden.

"Whether it's passing, it's rebounding, getting stops -- when you have two guys who are trying to chase the same thing, it definitely helps for sure," Mitchell added.

Toronto's scoring was led by Scottie Barnes with 26 points while RJ Barrett added 22.

Game three of the series takes place in Toronto on Thursday.

rcw/dh

Entering the San Salvador district of Mejicanos no longer means taking your life in your hands, like it did a decade ago when Kathya Quintanilla left home to meet a friend at a local park.

The 16-year-old never came home, one of tens of thousands of people to go missing in the gang wars that throttled El Salvador for decades until President Nayib Bukele began his crackdown four years ago.

Standing at the edge of a ravine on the outskirts of Mejicanos, Kathya's mother Tomasa Lopez points to suspected mass graves below where she thinks her daughter might be buried.

"The worst part is not knowing where she is," said Lopez, 46, who wore a t-shirt featuring her daughter's face and hass her name tattooed on her shoulder.

Bukele pacified the gangs by imposing a state of emergency used to indefinitely detain tens of thousands of men in the Central American nation on suspicion of gang membership.

The campaign resulted in a dramatic decrease in crime but has brought little relief to families of the missing, and their pleas for help have fallen on deaf ears.

- 'Not knowing' -

Light pours from Lopez's bare-bones home on a dirt street lined with abandoned houses whose habitants years ago fled the brutal Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, one of the most powerful in Central America.

Candles flicker in front of a dozen pictures of Kathya pasted to an unpainted wall, Lopez's shrine to her daughter, who stares out from the pictures with brown, almond-shaped eyes and a serene smile.

All information about missing persons in El Salvador -- whether victims of gangs, the civil war, or missing migrants -- is classified.

In June 2025, Bukele claimed, without providing proof, that around 90 percent of the people who disappeared had been murdered by gangs.

He said that adding the disappeared to the estimated 120,000 people killed by gangs since the end of the country's 1979-1992 civil war would take the death toll to 200,000 -- a colossal figure in the country of six million, equivalent to the population of a large town.

The mass incarceration of suspected gang members initially sparked hope among the families of the missing for information about their loved ones.

But those hopes have been dashed.

"It's been ten years of searching, of waiting for answers from the police, the prosecutor's office, or the medical examiner's office. But, for them, those who disappear cease to exist," Lopez said.

AFP reached out to the government, the public prosecutor's office, and pro-government members of parliament for comment, but received no responses.

- Disappeared while buying candy -

In another part of Mejicanos that has paved streets and more robust housing, MS-13's arch-rival, the Barrio 18 gang, killed Carmen Armero's husband and disappeared her son.

Herber, a student who spoke four languages and was planning to get married and travel, disappeared one night when he went out to buy candy. 

"There are only two possibilities: he's alive or he's dead. What I want is to find him. I don't want to hear about who's responsible anymore," Armero said, her voice breaking with emotion.

Armero, who is president of the Search Bloc for Disappeared Persons, a group representing several dozen families, believes the existence of mass graves is being silenced by officials because it would damage Bukele's campaign to rebrand El Salvador.

"If you want to see how safe El Salvador is, go to the ugliest, darkest place, sit on a rock, and wait for dawn," the president wrote recently on social media.

Fernando, a 36-year-old street vendor, disappeared in 2022 in the coffee-rich northwestern Salvadoran department of Santa Ana. 

Sandra Gallegos, his 53-year-old mother, wishes she could "grab a pickaxe and shovel" every morning to go and search for his remains.

But to do so would mean being branded a gang member herself.

"If the police arrive, they'll say we're collaborating with the gangs because we know about the grave," Esmeralda Rosales, Fernando's 40-year-old sister, explained.

- 'Until my last breath' -

In Mexico, where more than 130,000 people have disappeared, primarily due to drug trafficking, families grouped into collectives can compel the state by law to search for mass graves. 

Families "have the right to know what happened to their loved ones," and states have the "obligation" to respond, keep them informed, "and guarantee their participation" in the search, the International Committee of the Red Cross, which protects and assists victims of conflict, told AFP.

Two months ago, opposition congresswoman Claudia Ortiz proposed a law compelling the Salvadoran government to investigate disappearances, maintain a registry of the missing and provide support to their families. 

But Congress, which is controlled by the all-powerful Bukele, refused to debate the bill. 

"We have a government that talks about security but forgets about thousands of families...abandoned by a state that makes the disappeared disappear," Ortiz told AFP. 

Standing before a mural commemorating the disappeared at the University of El Salvador in San Salvador, Gallegos said she draws strength from her 12-year-old grandson, who is convinced his father Fernando, the street vendor, will return. 

"Some people tell me, 'Just give him to God!' but my greatest hope, my faith, is to find him alive," she said.

Even if he were dead, finding and burying him would provide some solace by giving the family "somewhere to mourn," she said, wiping away tears. 

Back in Mejicanos, Lopez worries about construction projects encroaching on the ravine where her daughter may be buried.

She said her daughter appeared to her in a dream recently and urged her to keep up the search.

"I have to keep going...until my last breath," she said.

"I have hope that one day I'll recover and bury what little remains of her, and we'll have peace, she and me."

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Kevin Warsh, US President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Federal Reserve, will vow to protect central bank independence on interest rates at a crucial confirmation hearing Tuesday, according to remarks seen by AFP.

"I am committed to ensuring that the conduct of monetary policy remains strictly independent," Warsh is to say in an opening statement to the Senate Banking Committee.

He is also expected to express commitment to fighting inflation.

The hearing, scheduled for 10:00 am (1400 GMT) Tuesday, will be closely watched as it marks a key hurdle Warsh must overcome in order to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell when his term ends on May 15.

But the session will be tense, with all 11 Democrats on the Banking Committee last week urging for a delay in the nomination's proceedings until separate investigations into Powell and Fed governor Lisa Cook are closed.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who sits on the panel led by his party, has also vowed to block all Fed nominees -- including Warsh -- until the Justice Department probe involving Powell is resolved.

With 13 Republican members on the committee, Tillis' vote against Warsh's confirmation could be enough to set up an impasse.

Warsh is due to face sharp questioning from lawmakers on issues ranging from his wealth to past connections with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alongside his views on economic issues.

- Proving himself -

"The hearing will be important, because it will be his first chance since he was nominated by the president to demonstrate that he intends to be a credible, independent central banker," Brookings senior fellow David Wessel told AFP.

"He has to be really careful to not anger Trump," Wessel added. 

But Warsh will also have to avoid the impression "that he's weak or subject to political pressure."

In his prepared remarks, which were first reported by Politico, Warsh maintains that it is up to the Fed itself to stay free of political influence.

"I do not believe the operational independence of monetary policy is particularly threatened when elected officials -- presidents, senators, or members of the House -- state their views on interest rates," he notes.

"Central bankers must be strong enough to listen to a diversity of views," he adds.

On inflation, he says: "Inflation is a choice, and the Fed must take responsibility for it."

He stresses that price surges bring "grievous harm" to citizens.

But his prepared speech also emphasizes that the Fed "must stay in its lane," adding that "Fed independence is placed at greatest risk when it strays into fiscal and social policies where it has neither authority nor expertise."

- Inflation pressures -

ING economist James Knightley told AFP that all eyes will be on how closely Warsh is aligned with the president on cutting interest rates.

He noted that during Warsh's 2006-2011 tenure as Fed governor, he was considered more "hawkish" -- a term for policymakers who favor controlling inflation by keeping interest rates higher.

But he appears to have shifted his stance, "buying into the idea that the Fed can cut interest rates more aggressively and earlier" than the current rate-setting committee believes.

Knightley pointed to "heavy clues" that Warsh is an advocate for tech investments and AI, which some believe can change the US economy's ability to grow without generating the same degree of inflationary pressures.

But higher gasoline prices due to war in the Middle East prove a more immediate challenge to rate cuts.

The Fed's credibility on inflation could be questioned if Warsh pushes too much for lower rates.

He will have to "play it very carefully" by acknowledging near-term price shocks while explaining that these may not create a more lasting inflationary threat if a ceasefire deal were reached, Knightley said.

myl-bys/jgc

Virginia votes Tuesday in a referendum that could hand Democrats four extra seats in the US House of Representatives, turning President Donald Trump's redistricting push into a potential liability for Republicans in upcoming midterm elections.

The battle over "gerrymandering" -- the long-established but widely criticized US practice of drawing electoral boundaries to benefit one party -- has become one of the defining fights of the campaign for November's midterm elections.

The ballot measure would temporarily let Virginia redraw its congressional map before the next scheduled nationwide redistricting in 2030, giving Democrats a strong advantage in 10 of the state's 11 House districts, up from their current 6-5 edge.

With control of the House on a knife edge, the vote could help determine whether Trump finishes his term with a compliant Republican Congress or a Democratic chamber empowered to block his agenda and investigate his administration.

Redistricting usually follows the national census every 10 years, but Trump last year urged Republican-led states to redraw maps mid-decade to protect the party's fragile House majority.

That triggered a tit-for-tat contest as both parties raced to squeeze out extra seats before November.

Texas moved first, adopting a map that could add up to five Republican seats. California answered with a ballot measure designed to give Democrats five of their own. 

Virginia is now one of Democrats' last major chances to gain ground through redistricting before voters decide control of Congress.

Democratic groups have poured money into the state, making the referendum one of the most expensive redistricting fights in US history. 

The main campaigns on both sides have raised nearly $100 million, much of it from "dark money" groups -- nonprofit organizations that can spend heavily on politics without publicly disclosing their donors.

- 'Unfair advantage' -

The pro-redistricting campaign, Virginians for Fair Elections, has raised the lion's share -- nearly $65 million, according to The Hill. 

Former president Barack Obama, still one of the Democratic Party's most influential campaign voices, has urged Virginians to vote yes.

"By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms... And we're counting on you," he said in a video message.

Democrats argue that the Virginia map is a necessary counterweight to Trump's pressure campaign. Republicans call it a naked power grab in a politically mixed state where Trump took 46 percent of the vote in 2024. 

US Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, a Virginia Republican whose district could be affected, told ABC News that forcing the measure through would "come back to bite" Democrats.

More than one million Virginians have already had their say, with early and absentee voting data cited by The Hill giving Democrats a sizable advantage.

But recent polling suggests supporters hold only a narrow edge, and University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato cautioned that the outcome was not guaranteed.

"To get 10 out of 11 seats is not easy, even with Virginia leaning more Democratic," he told AFP. "And of late... it hasn't been as Democratic as it had been previously."

A victory would boost House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has spearheaded efforts to neutralize Trump-backed maps in Republican states. 

Defeat would be damaging, particularly for Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, whose approval ratings have dipped as she champions the plan.

The result will also shape the final phase of the national map fight. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing a special session that could allow Republicans to gain as many as five seats, potentially wiping out any Democratic gains in Virginia.

ft-rle/ksb

(The Center Square) – Shreveport on Monday continued to grapple with the aftermath of one of the city’s deadliest tragedies.

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released the names of eight young children who were shot to death by suspect Shamar Elkins.

Identified by the mothers, the children killed were Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.

Two women were also shot and remain in critical condition. Police said one of the women is the mother of seven of the children. The eighth child who died is reportedly a family member.

After shooting the victims, Elkins carjacked a passing motorist at gunpoint and fled to Bossier City. The pursuit ended when Shreveport police officers fired on the vehicle, killing Elkins.

Across the city, vigils are being held and residents are openly mourning the events that unfolded early Sunday morning. 

Gov. Jeff Landry was in Shreveport late Monday to address the community. 

“You know I thought that I had seen evil up close as we dealt with last year’s Bourbon Street attack, but the tragedy that unfolded this weekend seems to have eclipsed that,” Landry said at Government Plaza in Shreveport.

The children were killed at three Shreveport homes around 6 a.m. Sunday. The crime scene investigation involves four locations, from Cedar Grove to north Bossier. The children were found deceased on the 300 block of West 79th Street.

The Love One Louisiana Foundation will be paying all of the expenses for the children’s funerals, Landry said.

Elkins had a 2019 conviction for illegal use of a weapon from a confrontation with another man that occurred near a school. His claims of self-defense could not be disproved, according to the Caddo Parish district attorney’s office. 

Elkins received probation for that shooting incident. He also had a 2015 DWI conviction. 

“The incident occurred near a school due to the location of Mr. Elkins’ residence,” the district attorney said. "The court determined the sentence, and there have been no reported interactions with law enforcement or the courts since that time."

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith has repeatedly told the City Council that domestic violence is a critical issue facing the city. As other crime statistics were dropping this year, domestic violence incidents had been rising.

Shreveport Police responded to nearly 3,000 calls related to domestic violence in 2025, Smith told the City Council in February. Last year, more than 20% of the city’s 42 homicides were coded domestic violence, according to Smith.

Shreveport has had 15 homicides so far this year, including the eight from Sunday.

“One of the things that tragedy gives you the opportunity to do is to pull together as a community, not just the city but the state and the people of the state,” said Mayor Tom Arceneaux at Monday's press conference.