Mizzou softball game against South Carolina moved to noon

Russia and North Korea held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the joining of the first road bridge connecting the countries, set to open for traffic this summer, Moscow said.

Ties between the two heavily sanctioned countries have surged amid Russia's war on Ukraine, with Moscow and Pyongyang deepening economic, political, cultural and military links.

South Korea warned last week that Chinese and Russian support was helping revive the North Korean economy, which has struggled for years under sweeping international sanctions, almost complete international isolation and huge military investment.

Moscow's foreign ministry said the opening of the bridge would "become a truly landmark stage in Russian–Korean relations. Its significance goes far beyond a purely engineering task".

The bridge, which crosses the Tumen river that marks the border between the two countries, will be able to handle up to 300 vehicles and 2,850 people a day, Russia's transport ministry said.

Russia and North Korea inked a defence treaty in 2024 that calls for military support in the case of either country being attacked.

Pyongyang that year sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war on Ukraine. They were deployed to the western Kursk region to held fend off a months-long counter-offensive by Kyiv's troops.

Several senior Russian officials have visited North Korea recently, including the interior minister, currently in the country.

Russia's foreign ministry said the bridge would help "develop trade, economic and humanitarian exchanges" between Russia's Far East and North Korea.

North Korea does not publish official data on the size of its economy.

Its nominal gross domestic product was equivalent to about $30 billion in 2024, according to Seoul's official estimate -- a tiny fraction of the South Korean economy, one of the most developed in the world.

North Korea has long faced shortages. A famine in the mid-1990s killed hundreds of thousands of people, and reports indicate that the Covid-19 pandemic also pushed many into extreme hunger.

bur/rmb

Sheikh Nadeem sat on a plastic chair outside his bedding store in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, scrolling through his phone as he waited for customers he knew were not coming.

Between rising fuel costs and rolling blackouts due to the US-Israel war on Iran, and government restrictions on opening hours aimed at saving electricity, he said the effect on business owners has been "devastating".

"We can't cover our expenses, and neither do we have the income to be able to pay our workers' salaries," the 40-year-old told AFP this week.

Pakistan has been enjoying the diplomatic spotlight as it mediates between the United States and Iran, burnishing its credentials as a regional power -- but it has a pressing economic imperative to resolve the crisis, too.

Ravaged by decades of external shocks and mismanagement, Pakistan's economy is heavily dependent on oil and natural gas imports from the Gulf, and a sustained supply and price shock could push the country's nascent macroeconomic recovery back over the edge.

Some say the process has already begun. Petrol prices are up by more than 14 percent at the pump, and last week authorities ordered widespread rolling blackouts to save precious natural gas.

"When petrol goes up, everything becomes more expensive," said Waqar Saleem, a day labourer at an Islamabad shoe store. "Flour, sugar, everything. When we go to get vegetables they tell us that freight transportation is closed."

For economic analyst Khurram Husain, the blackouts are the main problem, with knock-on effects for both industries and households.

"This is the real crisis," he said.

The shock is hitting just as the country was cautiously emerging from the depths of one of its cyclical economic upheavals.

- 'Where is the growth?' -

Consumer inflation hit 7.3 percent in March, according to official data, but Pakistanis have been reeling from years of double-digit pandemic-era price increases, which hit a peak of 38 percent in May 2023.

Unemployment was at 7.1 percent last year, as per government data, but around 29 percent of the country's more than 250 million people remain in poverty -- up from 23 percent in 2018-19.

While policymakers have touted a recovery from the brink of sovereign default three years ago, people say macroeconomic stability has not translated to better opportunities.

"They say that our country is going towards prosperity, but we do not see it," said Saleem, the shoe-store worker.

The real conundrum for Pakistan's economy has always been finding drivers for GDP growth, and that challenge remains. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month lowered its 2026 growth forecast to 3.6 percent -- down 0.8 percentage points due to the Middle East war.

The country remains heavily indebted, and is currently locked into a $7 billion IMF programme.

"This regime has been on for about three years and beyond stabilisation they have nothing to show for it," said a Pakistani economic official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Three years down the line, everybody is asking: where is the growth going to come from?"

The textile sector -- one of the country's largest exporters -- will be first in line to feel the pain from a prolonged energy shock, the official added.

Medium-scale factories and small-scale businesses such as Nadeem's bedding store will likely be the next in line.

"For the last year I have been paying out of my own pocket, how much longer can I go on like this?" he asked.

- 'Hand to mouth' -

The war has posed serious challenges for Pakistani households, too.

The country is shielded from the fertiliser shortages caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz because it produces most of its own supply.

That sector, however, is dependent on imported natural gas. The government has not yet cut supplies, but as imports grow more expensive, there will be a knock-on effect on food prices.

"Food security is a big problem because when there isn't gas then there won't be fertiliser," said the economic official.

Husain was more optimistic about fertiliser prices being managed, but said food prices would likely increase due to higher transportation costs.

Battered by years of economic uncertainty, Muhammad Ahsan said the current crisis has put him at his wits' end.

"If this goes on for another two or four months then our entire business will be finished," he said, sitting at the counter of his small jewellery kiosk.

"We are hand-to-mouth people. We earn in a day so that we can spend it (the same day)."

He was glad to hear Pakistan is taking the lead on mediating an end to the war, but wanted more from policymakers on the home economic front.

"Fine, you are taking the country forward on the diplomatic front, no doubt," he said.

"But the people are being strangled. They are dying."

aha/je/ami

Hollywood was clad in black and glittering sequins on Monday to host the Los Angeles premiere of Michael Jackson's biopic, drawing fans of the King of Pop to the iconic California boulevard.

The film "Michael" chronicles the legendary artist's rise from a child star to one of the world's most famous pop icons, and arrives 16 years after his death. 

It was initially released in Europe and will hit US theaters on Friday.

"It's beautiful to see all these people here to support Michael Jackson and support the movie, and to show love for Michael," the film's director Antoine Fuqua told AFP.

Its premiere in Los Angeles -- the adopted home of the "Billie Jean" performer -- also became a family affair, led by the film's star and icon's nephew Jaafar Jackson.

"(This) being the first time that I've ever got into acting and to be able to portray my Uncle Michael, it's so surreal," Jaafar told AFP.

"I'm still taking it in and not really realizing how much it's going to hit me or when it's going to hit me. But, you know, it's incredible," he added.

Jaafar's performance won praise from his uncles, who highlighted the acting newcomer's "wonderful job" in portraying a figure they knew with an intimacy few others shared.

"When I watch the movie, I think I'm watching Michael on the stage... He did such a wonderful job. (It) brings tears to my eyes," Michael's brother, Jackie Jackson, said on the black carpet.

Marlon Jackson -- another member of the Jackson 5, the youth group where Michael got his start as an artist -- reflected on how the film might offer a window into the famous family's home life.

"I think people understand and realize that the Jackson family is no different than any family. We go through our trials and tribulations, ups and downs, but we learn to agree to disagree," he said.

- Family affair -

Marlon, Jackie, Jaafar and La Toya Jackson -- one of Michael's sisters -- shared embraces on the black carpet, where they met the actors who portrayed them and their parents in the film.

Nia Long, who stepped into the shoes of Katherine -- Michael's mother and close ally -- remarked that, in a male-dominated world, the women of the clan "set the baseline for how the family moved."

The actress hopes the film will allow audiences to view Michael Jackson as "an artist who was a master of his artistry" and someone who "cared deeply about humanity."

As for Colman Domingo, who portrays Michael's strict father Joe Jackson: "Everyone has a story, and everyone has something you can learn from -- just like a great album."

"Hopefully this film is a great album for someone, and if they could take something from it, then we did our job."

pr/lga/cms

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- No Iranian departure -

Iranian state television said that no Iranian delegation had yet departed for talks in Pakistan with the United States. 

"So far, no delegation from Iran has departed for Islamabad, Pakistan; whether it is the main or subsidiary delegation; primary or secondary," state TV said, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.

A source familiar with the US planning for the talks told AFP that an American delegation will head to Pakistan "soon" for a new round of peace negotiations.

- Israel pressure -

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country's campaign in Lebanon relied on both military and diplomatic pressure to disarm Iran-allied Hezbollah. 

"The overarching goal of the campaign in Lebanon is to disarm Hezbollah and remove the threat to the northern communities (of Israel), through a combination of military and diplomatic measures," Katz said.

- Iran hangs man -

Iran executed a man convicted of helping set fire to a major mosque in Tehran and of collaborating with Israel and the United States during pre-war protests, the judiciary said.

"Amir Ali Mirjafari... one of the armed elements collaborating with the enemy who had attempted to set fire to the Gholhak Grand Mosque and was the leader of the Mossad network's anti-security activities in that area, was hanged this morning," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported. 

- Oil dips, stocks rise -

Oil prices fell while stocks rose on lingering hopes for a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Benchmark Brent North Sea Crude was down 0.7 percent at $94.78 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate fell 1.4 percent to $88.35 a barrel around 0715 GMT.

- Iranian ships slip blockade -

Shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd's List reported that more than 20 Iranian so-called "shadow vessels", had transited past the US blockade.

The channel in peacetime sees around 120 daily transits, according to the site. 

- Trump's 'difficult' uranium -

US President Donald Trump said Monday the United States obtaining uranium from Iran would be "long" and "difficult" in the aftermath of last year's US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites.

"Operation Midnight Hammer was a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: "Therefore, digging it out will be a long and difficult process."

The US leader regularly uses the term "nuclear dust" to refer to Iran's stock of enriched uranium but he has also sometimes used it to refer to material left from US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

- US hosts Israel, Lebanon -

America's State Department will host new talks on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity, after a previous meeting saw the start of a tense ceasefire.

"We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments," the official said.

- Trump backs blockade -

Trump said the United States would not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran had agreed a peace deal to end the war.

"They are losing $500 Million Dollars a day, an unsustainable number, even in the short run," he said on social media.

burs-sbk/rmb

One hundred and ten Turkish coal miners who had marched 200 kilometres (125 miles) to stage a hunger strike for their unpaid wages were arrested on Tuesday morning, their union said. 

After a nine-day march to Ankara from the neighbouring province of Ekisehir, the miners arrived on Monday for a topless sit-in outside the country's energy ministry building in the Turkish capital, before being surrounded by the police.

"We are hungry," several of them had written across their own bare skin.

"We were waiting to speak to someone outside the energy ministry, the only response we received was the arrest off 110 of our colleagues," the Bagimsiz Maden-Is miners' union said on X.

The lignite miners are demanding the payment of outstanding wages and redundancy pay from their employer, Doruk Mining.

"In this country, workers don't count, only money matters... Shame on those who run this country," mining union chief Gokay Cakir told the striking miners on Monday evening.

When questioned by AFP, the energy ministry declined to comment for the time being.

rba-fo/sbk/giv

Associated British Foods announced Tuesday that it would spin off its budget fashion chain Primark, splitting up one of the country's largest consumer businesses.

"A demerger of Primark is the best way to maximise long-term returns for shareholders, reflecting Primark's scale today and the need for a better understanding of the Food business," Michael McLintock, chair of ABF, said in a statement.

The demerger review was conducted in consultation with ABF's largest shareholder, Wittington Investments, which will maintain majority ownership in both companies.

Both entities are expected to be listed in London's top-tier FTSE 100 index. 

Ireland-headquartered Primark, which operates across 19 markets and has more than 80,000 employees,  accounts for roughly half of ABF's sales.

The rest of the business is focused on food, with ABF being a major producer of sugar and the owner of brands such as Twinings tea. 

The spin-off is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, with shareholders retaining shares in both businesses.

"The bigger Primark has got, the stronger the call to let it stand on its own," said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell. 

"The type of investor who wants to own shares in a food products and ingredients business is not necessarily the same as one seeking exposure to the retail sector," he said.

ABF unveiled the spin-off as it reported a fall in both profit and revenue.

"We knew the first half of this financial year was going to be challenging and that's borne out in our financial results," ABF's chief executive George Weston. 

But he said "Primark continued to make strong progress in re-energising its customer proposition in a difficult clothing market."

In November, ABF reported a full-year net profit drop of nearly 30 percent to £1 billion ($1.3 billion). 

ajb/js

Pope Leo XIV begins the final leg of his African tour on Tuesday with a visit to Equatorial Guinea, where his increasingly vocal defences of human rights will be closely watched in one of the most closed-off states on the continent.

After three days in Angola, the US-born pontiff is due around noon (1100 GMT) in the Central African country, ruled since 1979 by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 83, the world's longest-serving head of state who is not a monarch. 

Leo follows in the footsteps of John Paul II, who 40 years ago became the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich country of two million people, 80 percent of whom are Catholic, a legacy of Spanish colonisation.

Throughout his African tour, the pope has criticised tyranny and exploitation while promoting peace and social, swapping his previously reserved style for a tougher tone. 

All eyes are whether that trend will continue in Equatorial Guinea, where he will be hosted by a government regularly accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses. 

Most of the country's opposition figures and independent media, hounded by the authorities, are in exile in Spain. 

The Equatorial Guinean authorities are regularly singled out by international NGOs for endemic corruption and repression of the opposition, marked by arbitrary detentions and curbs on public freedoms. 

- 'Spiritual change' -

In the former capital Malabo, located on the island of Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea, giant portraits of the pope and welcome banners line the streets, alongside flags of the Vatican and Equatorial Guinea. 

A hymn composed in his honour will be sung by church choirs across the country throughout his visit.  

Malabo resident Juan Raul told AFP he sees the visit as an opportunity to bring the nation together.

"This will bring spiritual change and motivate many people to go to mass," he said.

Leo will speak on Tuesday before the president, members of the government, the diplomatic corps and civil society, as well as representatives of the cultural sector. 

On Wednesday, he will travel to Obiang's Mongomo stronghold to hold a mass and greet students and teachers at a technology school named after Pope Francis. 

He will then continue to the economic capital Bata to pay tribute to the victims of a 2021 explosion that killed more than 108 people in a military camp and also visit inmates at Bata prison. 

On Thursday, the pontiff will hold a large mass at Malabo stadium before wrapping up his whirlwind 11-day 18,000-kilometre (11,200-mile) journey across Africa.

sam-cmk-cc/cpy/jnd/giv/sbk

Seeking new fans for Hello Kitty, the company behind the enigmatic character on Tuesday launched a video games division aiming to release 10 original titles over the next three years.

Hello Kitty, which started life as an illustration on a 1970s vinyl coin purse, is emblematic of Japan's lucrative culture of "kawaii", meaning cute.

Hello Kitty and other characters owned by the corporate titan Sanrio have appeared in video games before, but these were all made by third parties.

By making original games, Sanrio wants to broaden its appeal, CEO Tomokuni Tsuji told a news conference on Tuesday.

"We also want to approach people who have not been part of our traditional fan base, like boys and adult men," he said.

The company said its first new game, called "Sanrio Party Land", would be released for Nintendo's Switch and Switch 2 consoles by the autumn.

Sanrio is investing up to 10 billion yen ($63 million) in its gaming operations over the three years to March 2027.

"Video games are a very big market. People spend a long time on games," Tsuji said. "This is a sector we must enter."

"Sanrio Party Land" will consist of more than 45 mini-games, featuring more than 145 Sanrio characters, led by Hello Kitty but also joined by the likes of Cinnamoroll and Kuromi.

The release date and price of the new game will be announced later, Sanrio said.

Unlike other Japanese cultural exports such as Pokemon or Dragon Ball, there is minimal narrative around Hello Kitty, who has no mouth.

It has appeared on tens of thousands of products -- everything from handbags to rice cookers --  and has secured lucrative tie-ups with Adidas, Balenciaga and other top brands.

The phenomenon shows no sign of slowing, with a Warner Bros movie slated for release in 2028.

hih/kaf/mtp

In the desert expanse of Turkmenistan, Chinese engineers are hard at work at the vast Galkynysh gas field -- a mega project that is deepening the closed Central Asian state's already extensive ties with Beijing.

Energy-rich Turkmenistan, one of the world's most reclusive and sealed-off states, has stated its desire to diversify its exports towards Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

But it is China that is pouring in the cash to get its hands on Turkmenistan's vast gas reserves, estimated to be the fourth largest in the world.

At the inauguration of a new phase of the Galkynysh plant in mid-April, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov -- former president and now father of the nation -- hailed the country's important ties with Beijing.

"Our country regards China as a strategic partner," he said at the event, to which AFP journalists were granted rare access.

Berdymukhamedov touched down at the ceremony in a white helicopter, where a traditional carpet was laid out across the tarmac.

Standing alongside China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, dancers in the countries' respective national colours performed a routine symbolising the handover of gas from one to another.

Hundreds of green Turkmen flags fluttered in the desert wind, held up by women in red, purple, blue and green outfits.

Led by the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the expansion will increase production and storage at Galkynysh, enabling more exports to China.

The site is the second-largest gas field in the world, according to British energy consultancy Gaffney, Cline and Associates, behind only South Pars, shared by Iran and Qatar.

Around 90 percent of Turkmenistan's gas exports already go to China -- according to several independent estimates.

Ashgabat does not publish statistics.

"The paradox of Turkmenistan is that as its proven gas reserves have grown, the country has gained the status of a gas giant, but not a comparable degree of freedom in monetising those reserves," said Abzal Narymbetov, an expert in Central Asia's energy sector.

"The country has a huge resource base, but its export infrastructure is still heavily tied to the Chinese route," he added.

- 'Strategic vulnerability' -

A former Soviet republic, Turkmenistan used to export gas exclusively to Russia until 2009, when a diplomatic spat with Moscow accelerated a pivot towards Beijing.

The Central Asia-China gas pipeline, opened that year, has since delivered "around 460 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas," Berdymukhamedov said.

He wants to increase annual deliveries to 65 bcm.

China, the world's largest importer of natural gas, is a major buyer from Russia and the Middle East, but seeks to diversify its energy sources.

"For Turkmenistan, China is irreplaceable, whereas for China, Turkmenistan is just one of several suppliers. That is why dependence on a single market is not just a trade issue but one of strategic vulnerability," Narymbetov said.

Turkmen authorities are also hoping the expanded field at Galkynysh could help it look further afield.

"In addition to the Chinese route, Galkynysh is also being considered as a resource base for the future TAPI (Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India) gas pipeline," an employee of state-owned Turkmengaz told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It is aiming to supply 33 bcm along that route as well as boosting exports to Europe via the Caspian Sea on the country's west.

- 'Reinforce' -

For now, Beijing is the only viable route.

"Each new phase of Galkynysh so far tends to reinforce the Chinese vector rather than genuinely diversify it," Narymbetov said.

The already-delayed TAPI route faces security challenges in Afghanistan, where it is still under construction.

And the proposed Trans-Caspian pipeline to take Turkmen gas across the Caspian Sea and into Europe, is stalling.

There is no clear agreement on who will finance that project, or long-term gas deals that would make it financially viable.

Asked by AFP, the EU delegation in Turkmenistan said: "We leave a decision on a potential Trans-Caspian Pipeline to Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and/or other parties interested in investing in it financially."

At home, the partnership with Beijing is, for now, an economic lifeline, with authorities presenting Galkynysh as a source of prosperity for the entire country.

Aga, a 22-year-old student at the oil-and-gas university in the capital Ashgabat, told AFP investment at the field was creating many jobs.

"After I graduate, I would like to work there," he said.

al-bk/blb/jc/rl

The sultry songs of Lolita Cercel, an AI-generated singer, are a sensation in Romania, racking up millions of views online -- but angering real-life musicians and drawing criticism from the Roma minority as a racist cliche.

Since debuting late last year, "Lolita" has given TV interviews, landed representation by a top booking agency and had a cabinet member use the digitally generated singer's telegenic image to promote his ministry's projects.

But the videos' popularity has stirred debate in Romania about artificial intelligence replacing humans, and has raised questions about ethnic stereotypes in a country with a history of discriminating against the Roma.

Lolita is "a very sexualised" character, "a non-Roma man's fantasy of what a Roma woman might look like", Bogdan Burdusel, a 35-year-old Roma activist, told AFP, criticising "latent and unaddressed racism" in Romanian society.

Real-life Roma singer Bianca Mihai, a contestant on the Romanian version of reality TV show "The Voice" last year, called Lolita's overnight success "unfair".

"I'm trying to build a career right now, and I feel like there's no room for me," said Mihai, 25, who juggles a full-time job as an IT consultant with studio rehearsals and an acting gig.

In reality, Lolita is the work of a man who calls himself Tom, a 32-year-old visual designer who said he did not necessarily mean for his creation to have a Roma identity.

Tom, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Lolita "doesn't necessarily belong to a specific culture".

"She reflects the reality of millions of people living in the Balkans. She embodies a Balkan identity more than a Romani one," he told AFP.

Tom, who has described his project as "a fusion of Balkan nostalgia and the synthetic future", said he chose folk music traditionally played by Roma for Lolita's songs because it "speaks the truth most bluntly" and represents "a kind of blues of our own".

- 'Didn't mean to offend' -

"I didn't mean to offend anyone," he said, seeming shy and uncomfortable with the media attention the project has generated.

Tom said he wrote the lyrics for Lolita's songs -- about

love and everyday struggles" -- and used prompts to produce the music and videos with AI, not expecting it "to go so viral".

In public comments, he has praised AI for "democratising" musical creation.

AI-generated tracks regularly go viral, and global music industry body IFPI has called on the sector to ensure AI-generated content compensates musicians.

AI is "really good" at focusing in on people's music consumption, mimicking what the industry usually offers, said Grigore Burloiu, a lecturer in interactive technologies at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest.

"No one woke up overnight and said: 'That's it, I like AI'... AI is all about finding the lowest common denominator," he told AFP.

- 'That hurts' -

In one of Tom's most-viewed songs, a teary-eyed Lolita, wearing a red flower dress and hoop earrings, stares into the camera on a train platform.

The avatar calls herself "a cast-out gypsy", asking her married lover if she's not worth a dime compared to his "proper fine lady" who has "furs and money".

"She's exactly the kind of girl we find very easy to accept and exoticise," said real-life singer Mihai.

In general, Lolita's lyrics are "the most cliched things", added Mihai, saying people tell her "all the time" she looks like the AI-generated singer.

"It's nice to borrow elements from Romani culture, but we don't necessarily like the Romani people. And that hurts," Mihai told AFP.

Enslaved from the 14th to the 19th century, Roma were legally treated as property in a swath of Europe spanning what is now Romania and Moldova.

Mihai herself only began to publicly identify as Roma when she was around 18 years old, after her parents -- fearing she would face discrimination -- encouraged her not to reveal it.

While participating in "The Voice", Mihai was the target of anti-Roma hate speech, even receiving death threats on social networks.

Meanwhile, praise abounds on Lolita's channels, with one user calling her Romania's Amy Winehouse.

"Now I understand why people fall in love with AI," wrote another.

Mihai is watching uneasily.

"Lolita released five songs in a month and got a ton of views," she said, calculating that it would take her months to do that.

"We can't really compare. It's very hard."

ani/jza/jhb/yad