U.S. will continue blockade 'as long as it takes,' Hegseth says

Britain's Prince Harry on Friday visited deminers from the HALO Trust charity -- made famous by his mother, Princess Diana -- near the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where he tested how drones and AI-powered robots are transforming mine-clearance work.

Russian troops occupied the Kyiv suburb for a month after they invaded in February 2022, killing hundreds of civilians in a massacre that was met with outrage and a hardening of support for Kyiv.

When Moscow's forces withdrew they left large areas around the town contaminated with unexploded missiles, bombs and grenades. 

HALO said most of the land there is now safe after four years of work clearing the area.

"It's amazing to see how technology is transforming the work of the HALO Trust -- making demining smarter, faster and safer," Harry said.

Wearing a virtual reality headset, Harry piloted an AI-powered drone designed to detect and map explosives, and later operated a robot used to retrieve them.

The prince hailed his mother's work to raise awareness of mine clearing efforts in Africa some three decades ago.

"When my mum visited Angola nearly 30 years ago, deminers were doing their work on their knees to find hidden explosives," he said. 

Diana had in 1997 visited HALO Trust sites in Angola, where she was famously walked through a minefield wearing body armour.

"Now they also use drones, artificial intelligence and robots for greater accuracy and protection," Harry said, highlighting the role now played by technology in mind-clearing efforts.

The Ukrainian government estimates that 23 percent of its total territory -- around 137,000 square kilometres, an area larger than Greece -- is contaminated by land mines and other unexploded ordnance.

Harry arrived in Kyiv for a surprise visit Thursday.

In a speech at a security forum he urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt the invasion and called on Washington to step up its efforts to secure an end to the war.

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Budget airline Ryanair said Friday that it would reduce flights to and from Berlin starting in October and relocate aircraft based in the German capital, citing comparatively high costs and taxes.

Ryanair will have 50 percent fewer flights to and from Berlin in the budget carrier's winter flight schedule, which starts from October 24, the Irish airline said in a statement.

Seven aircraft that are currently based in Berlin will be moved to other European airports, it said.

Berlin-based pilots and flight crew were told notified of the decision Friday and will have the chance "to secure alternative positions elsewhere in the Ryanair network across Europe".

Chief executive Eddie Wilson said the decision was in response to a looming increase in Berlin airport fees, and also took aim at Germany's "stupid aviation tax regime".

The Ryanair aircraft will be moved to other European Union countries "that have abolished aviation taxes like Sweden, Slovakia, Albania and Italy", the company said.

Wilson said Ryanair had cut all service to three other German airports since 2019 -- Dresden, Leipzig and Dortmund -- and had already relocated aircraft previously based in Frankfurt, Duesseldorf and Stuttgart.

Ryanair and other airlines have lobbied Germany to slash taxes on the aviation industry.

Despite being Germany's largest city, Berlin lags well behind several other airports in the country for total passenger traffic, and the city has struggled to attract carriers.

A brand-new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (BER), which opened in 2020 after years of embarrassing delays and cost overruns, became a laughing stock during its 14-year construction and was seen by many as a symbol of the city's dysfunction.

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(The Center Square) – The United States will continue it's blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for "as long as it takes," War Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday. 

Hegseth called on Iran to make a deal and agree to give up its nuclear weapons capabilities. 

"Iran has a historic chance to amke a serious deal, and the ball is in their court," Hegseth said. "Either way, the War Department stands ready for what comes next. Locked and loaded."

Hegseth and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, described the United States seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on Sunday called the Touska. Caine said 34 ships met the U.S. blockade and turned around. The Touska was the only ship to not turn around. 

"Over a six-hour period, the vessel and her crew repeatedly ignored U.S. warnings, and then the U.S. Navy destroyer executed a series of pre-planned, carefully calibrated escalation options, including firing five warning shots," Caine said. 

The U.S. military fired nine inert rounds into the Touska's engine room and engine space. After firing shots, Caine said, U.S. Marines boarded and took custody of the ship. 

"The ship and her crew remain safe in U.S. custody today," Caine said. 

Caine also said the United States seized two Iranian dark fleet ships in the Indian Ocean. Both ships remain in U.S. custoy, Caine said. 

The Tifani and the Majestic X were seized over the past week, Caine said. The Tifani, a large crude tanker, is capable of transporting roughly two million barrels of oil. 

"We will continue to conduct similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of the dark fleet," Caine said. 

Hegesth criticized European countries for not aiding the United States' blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. 

"We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do," Hegseth said.

Hegseth also said the U.S. would work to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz and called on other countries to help. He said Iran would be violating the country's ceasefire if it laid more mines in the Strait. 

"America and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal and who understand that being an ally is not a one-way street," Hegseth said. 

Heating with geothermal energy, lighting with solar panels, cooking with biodegradable waste: how can we live with less oil and gas?

It's a long-burning question -- but one that is catching fire as energy costs soar due to the conflict in the Middle East, which has strangled exports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

With the global energy shock caused by the conflict expected to linger, AFP's video journalists around the world have explored how countries are experimenting with the climate transition.

- Geothermal in France -

For a long time, the owners of the building where Anne Chatelain lives near Paris resisted switching from gas heating to geothermal energy. 

But on January 1 they finally began heating their homes using the natural heat from the subsoil -- the soil immediately beneath the surface. 

As energy bills soar elsewhere in the world, "Our property manager has announced a 20 percent reduction in heating and hot water bills for 2026 and 2027," rejoices the 69-year-old retiree.

The tech is both climate-friendly and, as a local resource, "not subject to taxation and geopolitical upheavals" such as the war with Iran, says Gregory Mascarau, a Paris director for the French multinational electric utility company ENGIE.

Shallow geothermal energy allows for heating and cooling by using the temperature of the subsoil at depths of less than 200 meters (650 feet). 

Deep geothermal energy involves extracting hot water from depths of 1,000 to 2,000 metres, where its temperature ranges from 80C to 150C.

Since 2023 it has resulted in roughly 25-30 percent savings compared to the cost of heat provided by fossils fuels, says Ludovic Feron, head of the real estate infrastructure department at Gustave Eiffel University.  

The catch is that a suitable subsoil is required, and that deep geothermal energy in particular can be hampered by high costs and uncertainties. 

In France, this type of heating represents only about one percent of final heat consumption -- for now.

- 'Green coal' in Chad -

It looks like charcoal, but the black briquettes are actually made from plant waste: millet and sesame stalks, palm fronds and cobs. 

The residues are sorted, ground and mixed with a maceration of gum arabic to facilitate ignition, and with clay to slow combustion.

"It doesn't smoke, it lasts, and it's economical. And I can see that it doesn't blacken the pot, and there aren't even any side effects," says Sophie Saboura, 24, a resident of the Chadian capital N'Djamena.

The briquettes last up to three times longer than traditional charcoal, according to Ousmane Alhadj Oumarou, technical director of the Raikina Association for Socio-Economic Development (Adser) factory. 

"From an environmental standpoint, eco-friendly charcoal contributes to sanitation. And it also reduces the effects of climate change. It also helps combat deforestation," says Oumarou.

Adser produces about 10 tonnes of briquettes, used for cooking, every day -- but they aren't available everywhere. 

"There are limits to its use. Because even the manufacturing process takes time ... it can take a week," says Pierre Garba, a renewable energy specialist. 

"Sometimes, when there's demand, you try calling, you wait, and wait, and wait," confirms Saboura.

- Solar in Pakistan  -

The aerial view of Islamabad is striking: solar panels stretch as far as the eye can see from the rooftops of the lush, green Pakistani capital. 

Pakistan's shift to solar power is "one of the fastest consumer-led energy transitions on record", according to a recent study by a Pakistani think tank. 

Unlike Western economies, Pakistan -- whose citizens have long struggled with energy shortages, blackouts and regular loadshedding -- did not impose tariffs on solar technology from neighbouring China from 2013 to 2025. 

The rise in oil and gas prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has also spurred consumers to embrace solar power. 

Imports have surged from one gigawatt in 2018 to 51 gigawatts this year.

In the bustling streets of the ancient Mughal city of Lahore, Pakistan's cultural capital, 49-year-old shopkeeper Aftab Ahmed is looking for solar panels to install at his home. 

"It has become so expensive that an average person can no longer afford fuel for a motorcycle or a car. Fuel prices are also affecting electricity bills, leading to further increases," he says. 

Solar power offers the possibility of "at least some savings".

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Despite heightened security measures, Jewish residents in northwest London remain on "high alert" after a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in recent weeks.

So far there have been no casualties. But since the first antisemitic attack in late March -- when ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were set ablaze in Golders Green -- other incidents have followed.

There was an attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in northwest London as well as the premises of a Jewish charity. And last week, the Finchley Reform Synagogue was targeted in an area of the UK capital home to a large Jewish population.

The Finchley building, which also houses a nursery, is protected by towering metal fences and daytime security guards, whose hours have been extended, Zoe Jacobs, a cantor who leads Jewish prayers and songs at the synagogue, told AFP.

"There's anxiety, particularly among our younger members, but I would also say that there's incredible resilience.

"It's a difficult situation when someone tries to attack a place that feels like your home," she added.

Police have arrested 25 people in connection with the attacks, which began after the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28.

While the motive remains unclear, police are investigating a claim of responsibility by a little-known group calling itself Harakat al‑Yamin al‑Islamiyya (Hayi), believed to be pro-Iranian.

Visiting the targeted Kenton synagogue on Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "increasingly concerned that a number of countries are using proxies for attacks" in Britain.

- 'High alert' -

Most of those arrested are young men. A 17-year-old has admitted responsibility for the attempted arson at the Harrow synagogue.

"Individuals carrying out these crimes often have no allegiance to the cause and are taking quick cash for their crimes," said deputy assistant police commander Vicki Evans.

On Sunday, she warned people not to get involved, saying "the stakes are high -- and it is absolutely not worth the risk for a small reward".

Not far from the Finchley synagogue, along Ballards Lane, lies a large Iranian diaspora community. Many shops prominently display the lion-emblazoned flag associated with the former monarchy, a symbol showing opposition the the current ruling political system.

"Everything that is happening, it affects both of us actually, because it's not only them being attacked," said Sima Darafsheh, who runs a butcher shop with her husband, and whose son attends a Jewish school.

"Most Iranians who support Reza Shah have been attacked," she said, referring to Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran's late shah.

British intelligence services have repeatedly warned of threats by Iranian authorities against opponents based in the UK.

The London offices of Iran International, an opposition Persian-language TV channel, was among the targets of the recent attacks.

A few streets away, in Golders Green, kosher restaurants and shops remain busy. But there is a sense of unease.

"I'm definitely on high alert the whole time, and I think it's a very sad feeling, knowing that I have to live in fear when I'm walking around something that should be safe," said Sarah, a 20‑year‑old student who declined to give her surname.

- 'No higher walls' -

"At the moment, we're all ... very cautious of our surroundings," said Jack Hur, who runs a kosher grocery store.

The Jewish school where his wife teaches now escorts pupils to and from public transport.

He is also "a lot more cautious" about wearing visible religious symbols outdoors.

"I don't have the biggest amount of confidence in the UK police force at the moment," he admitted, regretting the lack of more armed officers.

That feeling was shared by Rabbi David Rose, who said anxiety has been rising since the deadly October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in southern Israel, which triggered the devastating Gaza war.

"Recently, people are feeling a certain sense of unease and that we feel the authorities should be doing more to protect the Jewish community," he told AFP, seated with his family in a restaurant.

Raymond Simonson, director of the JW3 cultural centre south of Golders Green, praised the support from the authorities.

"But we don't want to end up having to build higher fences and higher walls and bigger security," he said.

"That's not the support we want. What we want from government, what we want from the authorities, is to get to the root of this evil in our society, which is not just against the Jewish community, it is against British society."

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The El Nino weather phenomenon, which pushed global temperatures to record highs the last time around, is expected to return in mid-2026, the UN said Friday.

The United Nations' weather and climate agency said El Nino conditions could well develop as early as May to July.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) meanwhile said early signs indicated a particularly strong event.

El Nino is a naturally-occurring climate phenomenon that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns.

Conditions oscillate between El Nino and its opposite La Nina, with neutral conditions in between.

The last El Nino contributed to making 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the all-time high.

"After a period of neutral conditions at the start of the year... there is high confidence in the onset of El Nino, followed by further intensification," said Wilfran Moufouma-Okia, the WMO's climate prediction chief.

El Nino typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts around nine to 12 months.

The WMO said in its latest monthly Global Seasonal Climate Update that sea surface temperatures are rising rapidly in the equatorial Pacific, "pointing to a likely return of El Nino conditions as early as May-July."

Forecasts indicate a "nearly global dominance of above-normal land surface temperatures" in the next three months.

- Temperature spike -

"There is no evidence that climate change increases the frequency or intensity of El Nino events," the Geneva-based WMO said. "But it can amplify associated impacts."

The WMO explained that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded "because of the combination of the powerful 2023-2024 El Nino and human-induced climate change from greenhouse gases".

While forecasting accuracy improves after April, "what we can say for certain is that the El Nino will be strong", Moufouma-Okia said.

El Nino is typically associated with increased rainfall in southern South America, the southern United States, the Horn of Africa and central Asia, and drought over Australia, Indonesia, and parts of southern Asia.

Warmer water can fuel hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific during the middle of the year, though it hinders hurricane formation in the Atlantic Basin.

The WMO hopes advance warning will guide preparedness, especially in climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, water management, energy and health.

The WMO's April Global Seasonal Climate Update said that for May to July, land surface temperatures are expected to be above normal nearly everywhere.

The signals are especially strong over southern North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and Northern Africa.

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German carmaker Porsche announced on Friday the sale of its stakes in sports car manufacturer Bugatti Rimac to a consortium led by a US fund founded by the Egyptian billionaire Sawiris family.

The amount of the transaction, which still has to be approved by regulators, has not been disclosed.

The announcement comes after the German luxury car brand warned it would face a difficult year under pressure from competitors and US tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

Under the terms of the agreement, Porsche will sell all of its 45 percent stake in Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture founded in 2021 with Croatian "supercar" manufacturer Rimac, which holds the remaining 55 percent.

"Following completion, Rimac Group is set to take control of Bugatti Rimac and form a strategic partnership with HOF Capital and BlueFive Capital to support its continued growth," according to a statement from the German carmaker.

Porsche, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, will also sell its 20.6 percent stake in Rimac Group.

Last month, Porsche chief Michael Leiters said the company was facing "tricky times" after sales fell below expectations.

Porsche has struggled with years of falling sales in China amid fierce competition from local rivals as well as US tariffs.

Trump's tariffs have hit the firm particularly badly since it has no plants in the United States.

"In setting up the joint venture Bugatti Rimac together with Rimac Group, we successfully laid the foundation for Bugatti's future," Leiters said in Friday's statement.

"Now, with the sale of our stake, we demonstrate that we will focus Porsche on the core business."

HOF Capital will additionally join Rimac Group as the major shareholder alongside Mate Rimac, founder of Rimac and CEO of Bugatti Rimac.

The consortium led by HOF Capital -- founded by the Egyptian billionaire Sawiris family -- has BlueFive Capital as its main investor, along with a group of institutional investors from the United States and the European Union.

After regulatory clearances, the deal is expected to be finalised before the end of the year. 

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French President Emmanuel Macron denied Friday that a troubled fighter jet programme with Germany was dead, telling reporters Paris and Berlin were still working on that and other defence projects.

The multi-billion-euro project has faltered as disagreements persist between the firms involved -- France's Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain.

Speaking ahead of a EU summit in Cyprus, Macron said that after morning talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the pair had instructed their respective defence ministries to carry on work on a range of issues, including the fighter jet. 

"No, not at all," Macron replied, asked by a journalist whether the European FCAS warplane programme was dead in the water. 

"We had a good discussion this morning with the Chancellor and we have instructed our defence ministries to work on a number of areas, covering various topics –- not just the fighter jet," Macron said. 

"We are continuing to move forward. Europe has never needed unity, greater independence and greater sovereignty more than it does now," he added. 

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme was launched in 2017 to replace France's Rafale jets and the Eurofighter planes used by Germany and Spain.

It is often seen as a bellwether of defence and security cooperation between France and Germany as the two EU powerhouses seek to put up a united front in the face of a hostile Russia and wavering US security commitment.

Mediators tasked with salvaging the struggling initiative requested ten more days to deliver their conclusions, the French government said this week after reports suggesting the effort had failed to bear fruit. 

A German government spokeswoman confirmed Macron and Merz discussed the fighter jet programme Friday morning and instructed defence ministers to continue work "on various aspects of cooperation and to agree on the next steps." 

"This work will be completed in the coming weeks," she said. 

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Greece on Friday named over 250 beaches in environmentally important areas that must be left in their natural state, amid ongoing efforts to limit the impact of overtourism in its multi-billion-euro travel industry.

The initiative bans the use of umbrellas and sunbeds for hire in areas both on the mainland and islands, including many protected marine Natura 2000 sites, some of whom are vital grounds for endangered species such as loggerhead turtles and monk seals.

The initiative "seeks to ensure the effective protection of beaches that have particular aesthetic, geomorphological, or ecological value, as well as the preservation of the habitat types and the plant and animal species found on these specific beaches," the government said in a ministerial decision.

The updated list for 2026 includes 251 beaches compared to 238 last year, and 198 in 2024.

Amid growing concerns over the impact of overtourism on Greece's natural environment, authorities in recent years have dismantled illegal construction on coasts.

On Thursday, crews accompanied by riot police tore down beachfront shacks on the small island of Gavdos south of Crete that the local municipality had deemed a fire risk.

There was also controversy last year on the island of Milos over hotel construction near one of Greece's most famous beaches, the volcanic rock site of Sarakiniko.

In December, several mayors from the Cyclades and Dodecanese warned that overtourism was threatening the "very existence" of the islands.

Greece in 2025 set new records for tourist arrivals and revenue, the country's central bank said in February, with nearly 38 million travellers not counting cruise ship traffic.

The conservative government has also announced the creation and expansion of national marine parks, but has also come under criticism over deals for gas drilling in the Ionian Sea and south of Crete.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday stressed his country was a "reliable member" of NATO, after a report the United States was considering possibly trying to expel Spain over its refusal to support operations in the Middle East war.

The Reuters news agency cited an anonymous US official telling it that the Pentagon had outlined the expulsion option in an email looking at ways to punish NATO allies that steered clear of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

"Spain is a reliable member within NATO" which is fulfilling all its obligations, Sanchez told reporters in Cyprus, where he was attending an EU summit.

"As a result, I am absolutely not worried," he said.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly railed against NATO allies for refusing to join the war, saying he viewed it as a betrayal. 

Some of them -- France, Spain and Italy -- did not allow US military aircraft deployed for the war to overfly their territories or to use bases. Britain initially also refused, but later allowed US flights from its bases for "defensive" missions in the conflict.

Trump also tried, in vain, to get European NATO members to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed with military threats and attacks.

Washington's expectation that NATO members' facilities and territories should be available to the US without question has added to strains within the alliance, which Trump has taken to calling a "paper tiger".

Sanchez added in Cyprus that "we don't work on the basis of emails, we work off official documents and the position that the United States government has set out in this case".

He added that his government's stance was "absolute cooperation with allies, but always within the bounds of international law".

NATO is to hold its next summit in Turkey on July 7-8.

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