South Korea e-commerce probe opens rift in US ties

China has blocked Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus, the top economic planning body said Monday, after a regulatory review that reportedly also saw Beijing restrict two co-founders from leaving the country.

Facebook owner Meta had agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore, the two firms said in December.

Analysts however had warned then the deal could fall foul of regulators at a time of fierce technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

The Financial Times reported last month that China had restricted two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

Chief executive Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao, who are usually based in Singapore, were reportedly summoned to a meeting in Beijing in March and told they were not allowed to leave China because of a regulatory review of the Meta acquisition.

Beijing's National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Monday that it will "prohibit the foreign investment in the acquisition of the Manus project" and "requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction", without naming Meta.

Meta told AFP in a statement that "the transaction complied fully with applicable law".

"We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry," it added.

Meta said in December that the deal -- the financial details of which were not disclosed -- would "bring a leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products".

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said the purchase was likely aimed at expanding Meta's AI agent task capabilities, and that it could be worth more than $2 billion.

Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can sift through and summarise resumes or create a stock analysis website, according to its website.

- Tech control -

Analysts said this move did not come as a surprise as China has always hoped for greater control over its homegrown technology.

"This is the latest in that trajectory of restrictions," said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

China and the United States "are increasingly looking to separate their tech stacks", he told AFP, adding that places like Singapore would be increasingly unable to "shield firms from such scrutiny".

Beijing is trying to send a clear signal that in areas of "strategic priorities" such as AI, it will increase its scrutiny to prevent talent, tech data and capital leakage, said Dylan Loh, an associate professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

"It shows they are prepared to act and also securitise the AI space," Loh added.

Chinese regulators intend to restrict technology firms from accepting US capital without government approval, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

Agencies including the National Development and Reform Commission have told several private firms in recent weeks they should reject capital of US origin in funding rounds unless explicitly approved, Bloomberg said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

"The China government's decision to block the deal is expected and it has already created some chilling effect on other Chinese AI companies who may now need to rethink their going global approach," Chandy Ye, a dual-qualified Hong Kong solicitor and mainland China lawyer, told AFP.

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The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Hezbollah  rejects talks -

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon's planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a "grave sin" that will destabilise Lebanon.

"We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves," Qassem said in a statement, calling on authorities to "back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability".

- Iran blames US -

Iran's foreign minister blamed Washington for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse.

"The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands," Abbas Araghchi said.

He also said "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue".

- Oil prices rise -

Oil prices rose more than two percent Monday while stocks were mixed with the United States and Iran no closer to ending their eight-week-old war.

- Israeli soldier killed -

The Israeli army said one of its troops was killed "during combat" in south Lebanon, where a ceasefire has been in place since mid-April.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have accused each other of breaching the truce.

- ECB seen holding rates -

The European Central Bank is expected to hold interest rates steady again this week as it waits to see if the inflation spike triggered by the Middle East war will prove temporary or begin to weigh on growth.

burs/ach/rmb 

China has blocked Meta's acquisition of AI startup Manus, the top economic planning body said Monday, after a regulatory review that reportedly also saw Beijing restrict two co-founders from leaving the country.

Facebook owner Meta had agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore, the two firms said in December.

Analysts however had warned then the deal could fall foul of regulators at a time of fierce technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

The Financial Times reported last month that China had restricted two Manus co-founders from leaving the country, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

Chief executive Xiao Hong and chief scientist Ji Yichao, who are usually based in Singapore, were reportedly summoned to a meeting in Beijing in March and told they were not allowed to leave China because of a regulatory review of the Meta acquisition.

Beijing's National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Monday that it will "prohibit the foreign investment in the acquisition of the Manus project" and "requires the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction", without naming Meta.

It added that this was done "in accordance with laws and regulations".

AFP has contacted Manus and Meta for comment.

Meta said in December that the deal -- the financial details of which were not disclosed -- would "bring a leading agent to billions of people and unlock opportunities for businesses across our products".

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said the purchase was likely aimed at expanding Meta's AI agent task capabilities, and that it could be worth more than $2 billion.

Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can sift through and summarise resumes or create a stock analysis website, according to its website.

ll-kaf-isk/dhw/mtp

An American woman who has accused Mohamed Al-Fayed of sexual assault after being recruited in Paris has spoken of the "pain" of the late Egyptian-born businessman never being held to account.

Pelham Spong, a 42-year-old from South Carolina, says Al-Fayed assaulted her in London when she was in her twenties.

She has told The Times she went to British police in 2017, several years before his death in 2023 aged 94, but claims he was not even questioned.

"There's my story, but I know around 30 women who are victims," she told AFP late last month in the French capital, where she is one of several plaintiffs in a French sex trafficking probe.

"Every time a woman tells me her story, the pain multiplies. All these stories live inside me," she added.

The alleged crimes of Al-Fayed first came to light in a BBC investigation in September 2024.

British police have said 154 victims have so far come forward to say the former owner of Harrods, as well as the Paris Ritz and Premier League club Fulham, abused them over a timeframe of more than 35 years.

But his accusers have been frustrated by the British probe.

French authorities last year began investigating Al-Fayed and his brother Salah, who died in 2010, amid allegations of a vast system of sex trafficking and abuse on French soil.

A psychologist spoke to Spong in late March to corroborate her testimony as part of the French investigation, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.

Her lawyer confirmed this, saying it was a "key stage" in any case of alleged sexual violence.

The American says a recruiter approached her in Paris in August 2008 to offer her a job as an executive assistant for Al-Fayed.

She said she then spent "a week of professional orientation" in London and forced to undergo gynaecological exams as part of a medical check-up.

- 'Some kind of silk robe' -

She said Al-Fayed summoned her after 10 pm one evening.

"I'm in his office and he's sitting there in some kind of silk robe with a white tie," she said.

She said he informed her that her new job would include "having sexual relations with him". 

"My whole heart went, 'Oh fuck!' But I laughed," she said, because she was wanted to believe it was a joke.

"I'm serious. You're going to make love to me," he allegedly insisted. 

"I replied that I couldn't do that. He started to be more aggressive and told me, 'God gave you a brain. God gave you beauty. Why don't you use them?' As if I were stupid for not using my body to get ahead in life," Spong said.

She has accused Al-Fayed of then forcibly kissing her.

She says she remained in the recruitment process because her "survival instinct" kicked in, and she believed she could convince him to employ her without having to sleep with him. But it was in vain and she refused the job.

In her complaint filed with French authorities seen by AFP, Spong has accused the management of the Paris Ritz of being "aware that the hotel was being used as a base from which women were to be interviewed and selected to be sent to England to be sexually assaulted by Mr Fayed".

The Ritz in February told AFP that it was "deeply saddened by the testimonies and the allegations of abuse" and that it is "ready to fully cooperate with the judicial authorities".

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A French teenager has been charged with mischief and public nuisance in Singapore for licking a straw and putting it back in an orange juice vending machine, court documents showed Monday.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, allegedly filmed himself "licking a straw and placing it back at the vending machine", uploaded the video on Instagram knowing that it "would or would probably cause annoyance to the public", according to the documents.

The teenager is studying in Singapore, according to court records.

The public nuisance offence carries a jail term of up to three months and a fine.

A second charge of committing mischief said Maximilien knew that he was "likely to cause wrongful loss or damage" to iJooz, the company operating the vending machine which had to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser.

The mischief offence carries a punishment of up to two years in jail on conviction and a fine, according to the charge sheet.

Both offences were allegedly committed on March 12.

The charges were lodged before a district court last Friday, and the next hearing will be on May 22.

The Straits Times newspaper said the video "quickly went viral, sparking shock and concern among netizens".

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Iran's top diplomat blamed Washington on Monday for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks in Saint Petersburg, where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, having sandwiched a trip to Oman in between visits to main mediator Pakistan over the past few days.

Islamabad played host to the first and only round of unsuccessful talks between Washington and Tehran, and Araghchi's visit had fanned hopes for fresh negotiations over the weekend, until US President Donald Trump scrapped a planned trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

"The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands," Araghchi said Monday.

After calling off his emissaries' trip, Trump told Fox News that if Iran wanted talks, "they can come to us, or they can call us", though he has said the cancellation does not signal a return to hostilities.

In a sign that backchannel efforts were ongoing, the Fars news agency said Iran had passed "written messages" to the Americans via Pakistan spelling out red lines, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.

Fars news agency said the messages were not part of formal negotiations, however.

US media outlet Axios -- citing a US official and two other sources with knowledge of the matter -- reported on Sunday that Iran had sent a new proposal to end the war centred on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending a US naval blockade there, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage. 

Iranian state news agency IRNA cited the report without denying it.

- Global issue -

The ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran has so far held, but its economic shock waves have continued to reverberate globally.

Iran has blockaded the strait, cutting off flows of oil, gas and fertiliser and sending prices soaring, raising fears of food insecurity in developing countries. 

In response, the US has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in the waterway and beyond.

Trump faces domestic pressure as fuel prices rise following Iran's closure of Hormuz, with midterm elections due in November. Polls show the war is unpopular among Americans.

The subject of the strait was on the agenda during Araghchi's trip to Oman, which lies on the other side of the waterway from Iran.

"The safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue. Naturally, as the two coastal countries of this strait, we must speak with each other so that our common interests are secured," Araghchi said from Saint Petersburg.

Russian and Iranian state media confirmed Araghchi would speak with Putin, citing officials from their respective governments.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, however, have said they have no intention of lifting their market-shaking blockade, saying control of the Hormuz "and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America... is the definitive strategy" of Tehran.

Oil prices were creeping up again on Monday, though lingering hopes that a deal can eventually be reached have tempered the gains.

- Violence in Lebanon -

Violence, meanwhile, has continued on the war's Lebanese front, in spite of a recently extended ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

The two sides traded blame over violations on Sunday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the military was "vigorously" targeting the group as both sides claimed new attacks.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel to avenge the death of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with Israel responding with strikes and a ground invasion.

Netanyahu told a weekly cabinet meeting that Hezbollah's actions were "dismantling the ceasefire", while Hezbollah vowed to respond to Israeli violations and its "continued occupation".

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Sunday killed 14 people, the deadliest day since the truce came into force. 

AFP correspondents reported heavy traffic heading north as people fled following the warning and intensified raids.

Israel also reported a soldier killed in combat in south Lebanon. 

The country maintains that under the terms of the truce, it can act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks".

"This means freedom of action not only to respond to attacks... but also to pre-empt immediate threats and even emerging threats," Netanyahu said. 

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Backflipping down a steep and sandy mountainside, Afghan teenager Imran Saeedi wows the crowds of men who gather each springtime to unwind beside breathtaking views.

Hundreds of visitors travel each weekend to Reg-e-Rawan -- "the moving sands" in Dari -- to practice parkour or roll down the honey-coloured sand in Kapisa province.

"I feel afraid when I'm going for a flip or a jump, and of course I can get injured," said 16-year-old Saeedi, who nonetheless loves the thrill. 

"When the week starts, I'm just waiting for the weekend so I can come to Reg-e-Rawan to have fun again," said the high school student.

Men and boys clapped in admiration as he ran down the hill and flipped forwards, then backwards, while his friends filmed on their phones. 

Less daring onlookers sat atop rocks surrounding the mountain, picnicking together and enjoying the scenery.

Reg-e-Rawan is off limits to women and girls, who are banned by the Taliban authorities from recreational spots such as parks.

Families with women were turned away when AFP journalists visited, while officials under the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice patrolled the area.

- 'Humans need nature' -

Mirwais Kamran, a 48-year-old businessman, had driven three hours north from the capital Kabul with some of his 12 children.

"I feel joy when I come here with my children and friends," said Kamran, who climbed up the slope but stopped short of rolling down.

Nusratullah Nusrat, the provincial head of tourism at the Kapisa Department of Information and Culture, said the site dates back thousands of years. 

"The unique feature of this place is that the sand never decreases despite people climbing up and sliding down," he told AFP. 

Some people believe rolling in the sand also helps treat rheumatism, added Nusrat. 

For visitors such as Nohzatullah Ahmadzai, who travelled from Kabul with a group of friends, Reg-e-Rawan lifts his mood.

"I'm someone who gets depressed when I'm sad, so visiting such places erases that feeling," said the 22-year-old, who works for a cargo firm. 

Climbing the slope takes about an hour, rewarding visitors with views over green fields dotted with villages. 

"We humans need nature," said Ahmadzai. "When we feel stressed, we can visit natural places for relaxation or relief." 

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A Japanese startup has filed for approval of a new drug to treat chronic kidney disease in cats, the founder said on Monday, offering hope for a common affliction that currently has no definitive cure.

The Tokyo-based Institute for AIM Medicine filed the treatment with the agriculture ministry on Friday, researcher Toru Miyazaki said, after a trial showed the drug significantly extended the life of afflicted cats.

"Most cats suffer from chronic kidney disease, and many die from end-stage renal failure or uraemia," Miyazaki, a former professor of the University of Tokyo, told AFP. 

"We undertook drug development with the aim of overcoming this situation and alleviating the financial and physical burden on both cats and their owners," he said.

Miyazaki's research came under spotlight five years ago when he had to halt the development of the drug due to a shortage of research funding during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following media reports, he received a flood of donations from cat lovers and owners totalling nearly 300 million yen ($2 million) between 2021 and 2022.

Chronic kidney disease is common among older cats, affecting up to 40 percent of felines aged more than 10, and 80 percent of those over 15, according to Cornell Feline Health Center in the US.

It is "a progressive disease with no definitive cure", the center said.

Miyazaki's study, published in the Veterinary Journal in February, tracked 11 cats that received the treatment and 15 non-treated cats for a year.

The cumulative survival rate for the treated cats was between 80 and 83 percent, while it was 20 percent for the non-treated cats.

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A technician was killed on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro setting up a stage where pop superstar Shakira is set to perform a free concert this week, authorities and organizers said. 

Crews have been working for weeks to assemble a stage on the sands of the Brazilian city's Copacabana beach, where crowds are expected from around the world to see the Colombian singer perform on May 2 as part of her record-breaking world tour.

The man suffered crushing injuries to his legs in a lifting system, the fire department said in a statement.

Workers managed to free the man and he was taken to hospital, but he did not survive, the state fire department (CBMERJ) said.

"Unfortunately, the technician passed away in hospital," concert organizer Bonus Track said in a statement.

"Out of nowhere, we saw people running, and when we looked, the structure was on the ground," Antonio Marcos Ferreira dos Santos, 51, who was on the beach at the time, told AFP.

"People were saying that a man had gotten trapped underneath. People rushed over to pull him out."

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reaffirmed Pyongyang's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, vowing to help Moscow achieve victory in its "sacred" war, state media reported on Monday.

Pyongyang has sent missiles, munitions and thousands of troops to assist Russia in Ukraine, and analysts say Moscow is sending financial aid, military technology, food and energy to the diplomatically isolated country in return.

A string of high-level Russian officials have visited North Korea in recent days, with Defence Minister Andrey Belousov meeting Kim on Sunday, according to official statements.

North Korea "will as ever fully support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests", Kim told Belousov, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim expressed "belief that the Russian army and people would surely win a victory in the just sacred war", KCNA reported.

Both sides said their delegations had discussed deeper military ties, with Belousov saying Moscow was ready to sign a cooperation plan covering the period from 2027 to 2031.

Kim, Belousov and Russian parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin also attended the opening ceremony of a memorial complex honouring North Korean soldiers killed in Ukraine.

In a speech, Kim paid tribute to their "unrivalled bravery, mass heroism, indomitable fighting spirit and noble sacrifice", KCNA said.

He took part in a ceremony to bury the war dead, recalling their "last heroic moments" and covering the remains of a soldier with earth.

The inauguration also included a concert, a fireworks display and an air force flyover, KCNA reported.

The audience were moved by portrayals of "life-and-death bloody battles" and "death-defying hand-to-hand fights and heroic suicidal explosions the young soldiers chose without hesitation", it said.

North Korea and Russia signed a military treaty in 2024, obligating both states to provide military assistance "without delay" in the event of an attack on the other.

- 'Brilliant war results' -

The opening of the memorial coincides with the first anniversary of Moscow's recovery of parts of Kursk, a region in Russia where Ukraine launched a major counteroffensive starting in mid-2024.

North Korean soldiers were deployed in the area to help beat back the Ukrainian advance.

In his meeting with Belousov, Kim hailed the "brilliant war results in liberating Kursk", according to KCNA.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the "extraordinary bravery and genuine devotion" of North Korean troops in a letter to Kim that was published by KCNA.

Seoul estimates about 2,000 North Koreans have been killed in the Ukraine war.

North Korean troops are said to have been instructed to kill themselves rather than be captured in battle.

Only two North Korean soldiers have been taken alive and are currently in custody of Ukrainian authorities.

- Olive branch shunned -

In contrast with its ties with Russia, North Korea has called South Korea its "most hostile" adversary despite Seoul's efforts at engagement.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday that it was "the destiny of both the South and the North to make the flowers of peace bloom".

He vowed to act "proactively" to restore trust with Pyongyang, adding: "We hope the North will trust the sincerity of our government and respond in kind."

Lee's comments marked the anniversary of the 2018 inter-Korean summit, at which Kim and South Korea's then-president Moon Jae-in memorably crossed into the other country's territory.

The summit yielded a declaration to work towards an official end to the Korean War, but was later suspended as bilateral tensions rose again.

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