The Middle East war: latest developments

US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea, extending an earlier move to soften surging energy prices.

The license, issued by the Treasury Department, comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not renew the waiver.

The latest move allows for the purchase of oil and petroleum products that have been loaded onto any vessel as of Friday, through 12:01 am (0401 GMT) on May 16.

It prolongs an earlier easing of sanctions that expired on April 11.

On Wednesday, however, Bessent had told reporters that the United States would not make such an extension for Russian oil -- or Iranian oil.

Both measures aimed to ease global supply shocks from the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Tehran retaliated by effectively closing off the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for energy shipments.

Oil prices have since surged, squeezing countries and especially those dependent on energy exports from the region.

US gasoline prices have jumped as well, putting pressure on households ahead of key midterm elections this year.

But such waivers could complicate efforts to deprive Russia of oil revenue needed for its war on Ukraine.

Senate Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren slammed the decision as "shameful" in a joint statement.

"This decision is shameful and a 180-degree reversal from Secretary Bessent, just two days after he pledged not to extend sanctions relief for Russia," the senators said.

"Make no mistake, Putin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of President Trump's war against Iran, as Russia saw oil revenues nearly double in March" they added.

This week, after a meeting of Group of Seven finance leaders in Washington, French Finance Minister Roland Lescure stressed that "Russia mustn't be getting benefits from what's happening in Iran."

He added that Ukraine should also not be "collateral damage."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched in 2022, has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.

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Turkey's top diplomat on Saturday accused Israel of creating an international "illusion" and using security concerns as a pretext to seize "more land," in the latest flare‑up in escalating tensions between the two regional powers.

Israel and Turkey have been trading near‑daily diplomatic barbs over a range of regional conflicts, from Israel's war in Gaza to rising tensions linked to Iran.

"Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Mediterranean resort city. 

"Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land," he added, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking in English at a panel discussion, Fidan said Israel had created an "illusion" internationally by portraying itself as acting purely in its own defence.

"It has become very clear, especially in recent years, that it is more than that," he said.

From Palestinian lands including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and now extending towards Lebanon and Syria, Israel was pursuing "an onward occupation and expansionism in the region," Fidan said.

"I think this has to stop."

"Israel has to know that the only way to live peacefully in the region is to let other countries enjoy their own security, territorial integrity and freedom, and not to use power against them," he added.

Turkey and Israel have frequently been at odds, including over Israel's military campaign in Gaza and differences over Syria's future.

Relations were severely strained in 2010 when Israeli forces raided a flotilla of ships attempting to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, killing nine Turkish activists and one US national. The flotilla was co‑organised by a Turkish aid group.

-'Move back to Russia-Ukraine talks'-

Fidan on Friday met the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for talks on regional issues, including the Middle East conflict, on the sidelines of the forum.

Asked about the discussions, Fidan said regional countries needed to come together to address shared challenges.

"It is time for all of us to come together in a very mature way and own our problems," he said, again singling out Israel as the only country seeking territorial gains.

Commenting on Turkey's quiet diplomacy over the Russia‑Ukraine war, Fidan said those efforts had been overshadowed by tensions involving Iran.

"That has left the Russia‑Ukraine war on the side," he said.

He added that attention should shift back to Ukraine talks once tensions with Iran eased, warning that the conflict remained open to escalation.

Turkey, which has hosted several rounds of Russia‑Ukraine negotiations, is also hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha at separate panels during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

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The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Hormuz closed again -

Iran's central military command said it would resume "strict management" of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington.

In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had broken a promise by continuing its naval blockade of ships sailing to and from Iran's ports.

- Turkey slams Israel -

Turkey's foreign minister accused Israel of using security as a pretext to acquire "more land".

"Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land. Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land," Hakan Fidan told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

- Pakistan war diplomacy -

Pakistan's powerful military chief and prime minister concluded separate visits aimed at ending the Iran war, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and premier Shehbaz Sharif headed home from Turkey.

Munir met Iran's top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit to Tehran, a Pakistani military statement said.

A second round of talks between the United States and Iran is expected in Islamabad this coming week.

- Iranian airspace partially opened -

Iran partially reopened its airspace on Saturday to international flights crossing the eastern part of its territory.

"Air routes in the eastern section of the country's airspace are open for international flights transiting through Iran," the country's Civil Aviation Authority said, adding that some airports had also reopened at 7:00 am (0330 GMT).

- Trump says blockade may 'remain' -

President Donald Trump said late Friday he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration.

A ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday. 

"Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked if the ceasefire will be extended.

Asked about a potential deal, Trump said, "I think it's going to happen."

- Trump says US will bring uranium back from Iran -

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States and Iran would jointly remove uranium from Tehran's nuclear sites with excavators under any peace deal, before the material is transferred to US territory.

Trump's comment came despite Iran's foreign ministry saying earlier that the Islamic Republic's stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred "anywhere."

- Lebanon-Israel 'agreements' -

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that his country was on the verge of a "new phase" of "permanent agreements" and no longer an "arena" for anyone's wars, after a ceasefire in with Israel-Hezbollah war went into force.

Aoun added that direct talks with Israel were "not a sign of weakness nor a concession... negotiations do not mean, and will never mean, giving up any right, conceding any principle, or compromising the sovereignty of this nation".

- Kurds killed -

Drone and rocket strikes in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region killed three Iranian Kurds, including two women fighters, an exiled opposition group said, blaming the attack on Iran.

- Iran deal 'very close' -

US President Donald Trump told AFP there were "no sticking points" left for a peace deal with Iran, adding that an agreement was "very close".

"We're very close to having a deal," Trump said in a brief telephone interview. Asked what unresolved issues were left, Trump said: "No sticking points."

- Boeing's war boost -

The Middle East war has so far boosted Boeing's defence business and hasn't affected deliveries to airline customers confronting high jet fuel prices, the company's CEO said.

Kelly Ortberg cited a recent agreement with the US military to triple production of PAC-3 seekers, which identify and strike hostile aircraft and weapons, as an example of increased demand due to the war.

- One killed despite truce -

Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike on a motorcycle in the south killed one person, despite the start of a 10-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

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Iran's military declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again on Saturday, its military command said, hours after reopening it and with more than a dozen commercial ships passing through the vital waterway.

The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump's  optimism the day before, that a peace deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran was "very close".

Tehran had on Friday declared the strait, which usually carries a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, open on Friday after a ceasefire was agreed in Lebanon to halt Israel's war with Hezbollah.

That prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging, but with Trump insisting that a US naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal was concluded, Tehran threatened to shutter the strait once more.

Then, late on Saturday morning, citing a statement from military central command, Iranian state TV reported that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status" and "is under strict management and control of the armed forces", blaming the continued US blockade.

The announcement came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships making a dash through the narrow waterway, hugging close to Iranian territorial waters as instructed by Tehran and, for some, broadcasting their identity as Indian or Chinese in an apparent attempt to show their neutrality.

The same sites showed that late on Friday, a number of ships began heading for the strait before suddenly turning back amid the uncertainty.

By 0900 GMT on Saturday, several ships had fully transited the strait in both directions, but at least two tankers headed eastwards from the Gulf towards India after loading in UAE ports appeared to have turned around and aborted their journeys.

-'We're going to get it' -

There are just four days remaining before the end of the two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran, launched by Washington and its ally on February 28.

Nevertheless, President Trump appeared convinced that a deal could be finished shortly. 

He declared Friday "GREAT AND BRILLIANT," and made a series of social media posts praising talks mediator Pakistan.

Islamabad's powerful military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Saturday finished a three-day visit to Iran aimed at securing the peace deal, during which he met Iran's top leadership.

While Munir was in Iran, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to push the peace process.

Islamabad has emerged as the lead mediator during the conflict, hosting a marathon round of direct peace talks last weekend attended by US Vice President JD Vance.

A second round of talks is expected in the Pakistani capital this coming week, with envoys hoping to end the war that was started by the US and Israel on February 28.

The allies launched a massive wave of surprise attacks on Iran, despite Washington and Tehran being engaged in diplomatic talks, that killed Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and numerous senior leaders.

The war rapidly spread across the region, with Iran targeting US interests in the Gulf and Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into the conflict by launching rockets at Israel. 

In a sign that the two-week ceasefire remained stable, Iran's civil aviation agency declared its airspace was open again, with international flights able to transit Iran via the east of the country.

Nevertheless, two major sticking points in the peace talks -- Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and the future of the Strait of Hormuz -- appeared up in the air.

Speaking by phone with AFP on Friday, Trump said "we're very close to having a deal," adding that there were "no sticking points at all" left with Tehran.

Later the same day, at an event in Arizona, the president declared that Iran had agreed to hand over its 440 or so kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 percent -- close to that needed for a bomb.

"We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators," he said.

But hours before, Iran's foreign ministry had said its stockpile, thought to be buried deep under rubble by US bombing in last June's 12-day war, was not going anywhere.

"Iran's enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV.

"Transfer of Iran's enriched uranium to the US has never been raised in negotiations."

Ordinary Iranians, meanwhile, remained cut off from the international internet, with monitor netblocks announcing on Saturday that the blackout implemented at the start of the war had reached its 50th day. 

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French film star Nathalie Baye, a multi-Cesar Award winner who starred in Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me if You Can," has died at the age of 77, her family told AFP on Saturday.

Baye, a stalwart of French cinema, starred in some 80 films and took home the best actress Cesar -- France's equivalent of the Oscars -- four times, including three years running from 1981 to 1983.

She died Friday evening at her home in Paris from Lewy body dementia, her family said.

The neurodegenerative disease can alter mood, movement and provoke hallucinations.

Baye's career saw a late surge of internationally high-profile roles, including playing Leonardo DiCaprio's mother in "Catch Me if You Can" and a French aristocrat in "Downton Abbey 2".

She also worked with Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan, who cast her as one of his many difficult mothers in "Laurence Anyways" and "It's Only the End of the World".

"Une liaison pornographique" -- whose English title was the more demure "An Affair of Love" -- won her the best actress prize at the Venice film festival.

Baye had a five-year relationship with rocker Johnny Hallyday, dubbed the "French Elvis",  whose death in 2017 sparked national mourning. 

Their daughter Laura Smet is also a famous actress, who starred alongside Baye as a mock version of themselves -- bickering, competitive, yet very close -- in the hit series "Call My Agent!".

Baye was born in 1948 in Normandy to bohemian parents who were both painters. But struggling with dyslexia, she left school at 14 and went to Monaco to learn dance. 

Her breakthrough came in the 1970s when she teamed up with arthouse directors such as Francois Truffaut, Maurice Pialat and Claude Sautet, and then in the 1980s with Jean-Luc Godard.

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Erotic chatbots, video-synced and voice-activated devices mesmerised visitors at a sex toy expo in Shanghai this weekend, as China's adult product firms join the global AI craze.

China is the world's largest producer of sex toys, and the country's entrepreneurs have fully embraced AI tools in other sectors.

Though some businesses at the trade show said they were wary of legal risks posed by machine-generated sexual content, others were keen to advertise their enhanced wares when AFP visited on Friday.

Banners scattered across the large exhibition hall advertised a Guangzhou-based company's "AI character dating" Luvmazer app, which turns conversations with virtual partners into vibrator pulses.

"One sentence can make you shiver," the banners promised. 

A life-size, cyberpunk-inspired silicon doll with metal joints lay in a large vitrine at the Cydoll booth, which factory manager Zhou Yuanqing said was a prototype designed to display "natural" emotions and speech.

"People nowadays don't go out to drink or meet their friends, and they might prefer to play games on their phones or computers on their own... but they still need companionship," Zhou told AFP.

Multiple sex toy companies showed off apps that use machine learning to interpret adult videos and translate them into pressure, speed and pulse pattern changes -- features that were rare novelties just a few years ago.

"Everyone has the video syncing feature now," an employee at teledildonics firm Amorlink told AFP at the company's stand, which showcased vacuum cups equipped with powerful computing chips.

A two-in-one suction vibrator exhibited by domestic condom giant Jissbon meanwhile featured long-distance remote control capabilities, a roster of virtual "boyfriend" personas and the ability to match frequency and intensity to environmental noise levels.

- Regulatory risks -

Multiple businesses offered AI agents for marketing and operating offline adult stores, while others touted tech solutions for brands trying to make their own "smart" toys.

A poster for Hong Kong-based metaXsire, which did not have a booth at the expo, boasted an "adult image and video generator" and dirty talk in more than 80 languages.

The company's website says its app can swap the faces of celebrities or personal acquaintances onto pornographic videos which are then synced to its toys.

The terms and conditions of the app forbid customers to use it to shame or harass others, but did not detail how the company would ensure consent for the faceswap feature.

But multiple exhibitors present on Friday said they were cautious about mixing AI and adult video content, due to legal and privacy concerns.

Pornography is technically illegal in mainland China, and most adult video sites are blocked by the country's Great Firewall and cannot be accessed without specialised VPN software.

Sam Xie, the founder of Shanghai-based adult toy maker Magic Motion, said his products were compatible with AI agents but he had to be selective when choosing software developers to partner with.

"We have to be very careful, or there could be all sorts of problems, and we could get reported by consumers," Xie told AFP.

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Paramount Skydance was on a charm offensive at CinemaCon this week, trying to convince theater owners that its megabucks deal to swallow Warner Bros. would be good for the industry.

A glitzy promotional film narrated by Tom Cruise ended with the world's most bankable movie star sitting atop the company's water tower, gazing over Hollywood.

"The future is Paramount, and the future looks pretty great from here," said Cruise.

The firm's chief executive David Ellison, attuned to fears that the $111 billion offer for a rival studio would result in cuts, bounded onto the stage at Caesars Palace to insist it would not crimp production.

"I came here today... to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word. Once we combine with Warner Brothers, we're going to make a minimum of 30 films annually," he told the audience, pledging 45-day theatrical windows before any film is available to stream.

"Long live the movies!"

The response from theater owners was lukewarm, and maybe for good reason: they've been here before.

"Disney said a lot of similar things when they were acquiring 20th Century Fox. They committed to maintaining the level of output," Matthew Hoopfer of Michigan-based cinema chain Studio C told AFP. 

"20th Century Fox was a major studio; they had 10, 12 movies a year. I think in the Disney showcase (this year) between 20th Century and Searchlight, there were five or six movies."

Cinema United, the umbrella group that organizes CinemaCon, has declared itself skeptical about the takeover.

"While recent pledges attempt to address the threats of consolidation to our industry, they are not yet sufficient in addressing our concerns," organization president Michael O'Leary told AFP.

"We remain open to tangible commitments that will ensure a vibrant global theatrical exhibition industry for years to come."

Cinema owners are not the only ones who are worried.

An open letter signed by thousands of Hollywood luminaries -- from acting heavyweights Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix to directors J. J. Abrams and Denis Villeneuve -- opposed the consolidation and fretted it would mean "fewer jobs... higher costs, and less choice for audiences."

- Hail Mary -

For cinema owners, much depends on what happens with Warner Bros. and whether Paramount Skydance can keep its promise to maintain a steady stream of films.

A decade ago, annual spending at the North American box office frequently topped $11 billion. 

But the Covid-19 pandemic and the explosive growth of streaming put a hole in that, with yearly revenues drooping to less than $9 billion.

Signs are good, however, for 2026.

A strong first quarter, aided by crowd-pleasers like "Project Hail Mary" and "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," has some industry-watchers predicting this year could be one of the best in a while.

In the halls of CinemaCon -- where optimism regarding the box office rebound was palpable -- theater owners said the only guaranteed balm was good content, and lots of it.

Chance Crusenberry, owner of a historical drive-in theater in Virginia, said the new uber studio would have to keep its pledge to pump out movies.

"If they want to be successful and they want us to be successful and the movie theaters to stay open, they have to follow through," he said.

The bidding war for Warner Bros., which industry watchers had long held to be flailing a little, ironically emerged as the studio was having a banner year.

"One Battle After Another" scooped up the Best Picture Oscar, beating out in-house rival "Sinners," with both films also scoring at the box office.

But recent successes are only part of the value proposition: the Warner Bros. library is deep, and includes money-spinners like "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings."

To get its hands on that library, Paramount Skydance had to fend off a rival bid from cash-rich Netflix, with reports suggesting it leaned heavily on financing.

A heavy debt load might muddy the waters, said Bryan Sieve, president of Odyssey Cinemas in South Dakota.

"It's going to be an awful big challenge to service that amount and still be able to maintain the capital requirements necessary to have such an aggressive 30-film slate," he told AFP.

While a vein of skepticism ran through many of the theater owners AFP spoke to in Las Vegas, they were united in one thing: if the merger goes ahead, they need it to succeed.

"We hope that they can do it," said Sieve.

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President Donald Trump said late Friday he planned to maintain a US blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal with Tehran is not reached, adding that he may not extend the ceasefire after its expiration.

Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday in the wake of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, though Tehran threatened to close the vital waterway once again if the US blockade continues.

A ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday. 

"Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked if the ceasefire will be extended.

Asked about a potential deal, Trump said, "I think it's going to happen."

Key differences remain between the demands from the United States and Iran, which earlier failed to reach agreement in talks in Pakistan.

Trump told reporters there were "not going to be tolls" imposed by Iran on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz -- something that the Islamic republic put forward during previous peace deal plans. 

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said China's President Xi Jinping was "very happy" about the global oil chokepoint reopening.

"Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, Historic," Trump added, referring to a summit planned in Beijing in May.

Trump also insisted that Washington and Tehran would jointly transfer enriched uranium stored in Iran to the United States under the touted plan to end the war, which began on February 28.

Iran's foreign ministry earlier said its stockpile of uranium would not be transferred "anywhere."

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The Orlando Magic thrashed the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 to keep their season alive as the NBA playoffs' final teams were determined Friday.

Paolo Banchero top-scored with 25 points to set up a daunting first-round playoff series for the Magic against the Eastern Conference top-seeded Detroit Pistons. 

It was Orlando's last chance to qualify for the post-season via the play-in tournament, having failed at their first attempt against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

The Golden State Warriors take on the Phoenix Suns later Friday for the Western Conference's No. 8 seed, after which the full NBA playoff schedule will be finalized.

A physical, tough Magic outfit outmuscled the youthful Hornets from the tip-off of the win-or-go-home game in front of a sell-out 19,000 home crowd at Orlando's Kia Canter.

Banchero bulldozed Charlotte's defense, scoring 12 in the first quarter alone. 

Having never trailed by more than a single point, Orlando soon stretched comfortably clear, establishing a giant 35-point lead shortly before half-time.

Recovering from a sluggish start, LaMelo Bell -- the hero of the Hornets' first play-in game against Miami on Tuesday -- exploded after the break.

He poured in 21 points in the third quarter alone as he tried to single-handedly extend Charlotte's season. 

But Orlando's lead never dipped below 20 points, as the Magic eased to a win against a Charlotte side that had finished the regular season in strong form.

Victory ensured the Magic have reached the playoffs for the third straight season, while the Hornets' decade-long wait goes on.

The NBA playoffs begin Saturday.

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It's a bitter pill for video gamers: a growing number of older but still-popular titles are being dropped by publishers -- with servers going dark overnight -- in a practice the EU is being urged to outlaw.

More than a million people from across Europe have backed a citizens' petition called "Stop Destroying Videogames", and are now pressing for action in Brussels.

At the heart of the issue: in the past decade, hundreds of video titles have been rendered unplayable at the whim of their publishers, for a variety of reasons ranging from profitability to changes in strategy.

A significant part of popular culture is being wiped out in the process, with no compensation for gamers who in many cases have invested substantial sums, notably on microtransactions inside the playing environment.

The phenomenon has concerned older versions of hugely popular franchises such as the FIFA football simulation series.

But it was the shutdown of car-racing game The Crew that proved the final straw in 2024, prompting players to mobilise with a European petition.

"It's a bit like buying a book from a publisher and then suddenly opening it to find the pages have gone blank because they've decided you can't play your game anymore," Brendan Fourdan, organiser of the French chapter of the petition, told AFP.

- Lawmakers 'listening' -

Buoyed by the success of the citizens' initiative, gamers' rights campaigners have been lining up meetings to persuade the EU's different institutions to step in.

After meeting in February with the European Commission's digital chief Henna Virkkunen and consumer protection head Michael McGrath, they made their case to members of the European Parliament at a hearing on Thursday.

"MEPs were listening to our demands, and their interventions largely went in our direction, with lawmakers who understood the problem and seemed determined to put an end to what we are denouncing," Fourdan said.

Campaigners are calling for existing consumer protection rules to be enforced when it comes to gaming -- but also for EU legislation to be updated, a far bigger challenge.

"Our movement has no intention whatsoever of preventing publishers from stopping the sale of a game," Fourdan said.

"What we want is simply that when they shut down a game, they leave it in a state where it can still be played," for example on private servers run by volunteers.

Failing that, the idea is to require publishers to systematically refund players.

The issue is far from trivial: video games are Europe's largest cultural industry, generating billions of euros in revenue each year.

"It's an industry with a huge amount of revenue, with a lot of cultural and technological importance," said Moritz Katzner, head of the advocacy group Stop Killing Games.

"It most definitely should be on the radar of the European Commission and the European Parliament."

Green EU lawmaker Catarina Vieira says the issue is resonating among lawmakers.

"The desire is there for all political groups to come to a good solution for those who buy games and deserve to use them for a long term," she told AFP.

The European Commission, which has until the end of July to respond to the petition, has already warned solutions would not be easy to implement, due to intellectual property issues in particular.

Gaming companies, for their part, have rejected the solutions proposed by campaigners.

"Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players," industry group Video Games Europe said in a statement.

It argues that without the protections publishers put in place to secure players' data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content, such a system would "leave rights holders liable" for abuses.

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