The Mizzou softball team celebrates

How big is the jet fuel threat to Europe's summer holidays? The EU says it is not facing shortages yet, but it is readying for the worst -- and weighing options including using US kerosene as a back-up.

The US-Israeli war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have sent aviation fuel prices soaring and raised the spectre of shortages during Europe's peak travel season.

On Friday, the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is due to publish recommendations on allowing the use of Jet A, a US-produced aviation fuel that is not currently used in Europe for technical reasons.

At the same time, the European Commission will outline measures available to member states to optimise jet fuel use, including aircraft loading and the allocation of airport slots.

- What about Europe's jet fuel stocks? - 

Brussels has repeatedly insisted the 27-nation EU is not yet facing jet fuel shortages.

"At this stage, this is more a problem of economics and fuel costs than availability," Matteo Mirolo, an aviation transport specialist, told AFP.

But "we do have to think about supply, especially as this will not be the last crisis we face."

Before the Middle East war, around 20 percent of the kerosene consumed in Europe transited through the Strait of Hormuz that has been effectively closed by the conflict.

As prices have surged, several airlines, particularly low-cost carriers, have announced flight cancellations.

If the crisis drags on, Brussels is preparing for possible "security of supply issues," EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said Tuesday. 

"We are not there yet, but it can happen," Jorgensen said.

The commission said last week it would establish a "fuel observatory" to track EU production, imports, exports and stock levels of transport fuels. It is expected to be up and running in coming days.

Until now, the EU has lacked a detailed overview of strategic fuel stocks across member states. 

European legislation requires countries to hold oil stocks equivalent to 90 days of net imports and 61 days of domestic consumption, but does not distinguish between different products such as petrol, diesel or jet fuel.

A commission source said some countries, such as Ireland, are more at risk due to a lack of refining capacity, while others, including Finland, appear better prepared.

The same source also voiced concern some airlines may be using the crisis as an opportunity to drop unprofitable routes.

- What will the EU announce? -

Don't expect major new measures from Brussels at this stage.

But the commission will look to clarify for governments and airlines which existing tools can be deployed to ensure jet fuel is used as efficiently as possible and at the lowest possible cost.

It is likely to ease rules restricting "tankering", the practice of aircraft carrying more fuel than necessary to avoid buying more expensive fuel at other airports.

There are also plans for temporary flexibility on airport slots to prevent airlines that exceptionally give up slots because of high fuel costs from being penalised in future slot allocations.

If the crisis drags on, the EU is considering coordinated action by member states to release emergency stocks and voluntarily share jet fuel themselves.

Brussels is also expecting EASA guidance Friday on whether it would be appropriate to turn to alternative jet fuel produced in the United States.

- Can US jet fuel help? -

US-produced Jet A fuel, which differs from the Jet A‑1 type of fuel used elsewhere in the world, is not currently allowed in Europe. 

Jet A has a higher freezing point -- which makes it less resistant to very low temperatures during long-haul flights.

Allowing its use would require regulatory and logistical adjustments that would likely take time. An assessment is under way before any decision, EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said recently.

Nevertheless, the EU wants to explore the option, and some airlines are pushing for temporary exemptions as early as this summer.

In the longer term, Brussels is also stressing the need to develop non‑fossil sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

"The crisis should push states to invest in alternative SAF fuels in civil and military aviation, not only for climate reasons but also for energy sovereignty," Mirolo said.

adc/ec/raz/rl/yad

Mounds of slimey carcasses pile up on a riverbank in Jakarta where authorities are fighting an uphill battle against a fast-breeding invasive fish flourishing in Java island's heavily polluted waterways.

The sapu-sapu, a sucking fish introduced from South America decades ago to keep Southeast Asian aquariums algae-free, has made a home in Javan rivers, many after being thrown out for outgrowing their tanks.

Unlike in the Amazon River where it has natural predators, the sapu-sapu quickly took over in Java, outbreeding indigenous freshwater fish, eating their eggs and outcompeting them for food.

Residents and campaigners have complained about the stinky, unsightly pileups of fishy remains, and the potential health risk for those who consume snacks made from polluted sapu-sapu stock.

Invasive species are spreading ever faster across the globe and cost well over $400 billion a year in damages and lost income, according to a 2023 United Nations assessment.

Surprisingly adept at living in polluted water, the sapu-sapu -- also known as suckermouth catfish, janitor fish or pleco -- can grow to half a metre (20 inches) in length and a female can lay thousands of eggs every year.

"That there are thousands of (sapu-sapu) fish in some of these river bodies, where, you know, the rivers are like dark black, almost smelling like rotten eggs... is completely crazy," clean river campaigner Gary Bencheghib told AFP.

Killing sapu-sapu is not addressing the real problem, he added in a phone interview, nearly halfway through a 1,200-kilometre (746-mile) run from Bali to Jakarta to raise money for river cleanups and having witnessed the crisis at several stops along the way.

The real solution is cleaning up "the waste it lives off... that you find in these polluted waters," said Bencheghib, co-founder of the Sungai Watch NGO.

- 'A dangerous snack' -

More than half of Indonesia's rivers are heavily polluted, and two of the country's major river systems are among the dirtiest in the world, according to data from the UN Environment Programme.

Nationwide, only about 7.4 percent of municipal wastewater is safely collected and treated.

Greater Jakarta, a water-stressed metropolis of 42 million people, is particularly affected.

But sapu-sapu are able to live in oxygen-poor and polluted waters, digging holes into riverbanks to lay their eggs and weakening walls that have been known to collapse as a result.

In recent weeks, Jakarta has embarked on a killing campaign involving residents, sanitation workers, fisheries ministry workers and even soldiers.

In two weeks, about 5.3 tonnes of the fish have been removed from rivers in South Jakarta alone, mayor Muhammad Anwar told AFP while overseeing an operation at Babakan Lake this week.

The sapu-sapu are caught in nets, separated from indigenous fish that are thrown back, then decapitated to make sure they are dead, and buried in mass graves.

Some activists have criticised the procedure as wasteful, arguing the skin could be used for fish leather products and the rest processed into fertiliser or animal feed.

But others say the fish are too contaminated to be useful, and definitely not fit for human consumption.

"It contains... heavy metals and is dangerous to humans," Anwar said.

Tests conducted for scientific studies have found traces of lead and mercury as well as E.coli bacteria beyond safe levels in sapu-sapu.

"In some places, it is consumed as a dangerous snack called siomay (steamed fish dumpling) and pempek (fish cakes)," the mayor said.

"Please be careful when buying fish cakes. Don't be led by the (cheap) price."

mlr/hol/fox

Fallou softly whispers that since his mother's death he has chosen to remain quiet, while young Sokhna recounts the many nightmares she has had following her father's disappearance: for the children of Senegalese migrants lost at sea, the torment of grief is long-lasting.

Known as "those who remain", the young bereaved are forced to live with the unbearable suspense or impossible pain of knowing a parent has either died or gone missing after their boat disappeared.

The number of such dead, missing and their children is at least in the thousands in Senegal as of recent years, said Saliou Diouf, founder of the Boza Fii association which fights to maintain the migrants' memory.

In Senegal's western port city of Mbour, the shattered lives and heartfelt dramas of such children are often kept in the shadows or swept under the rug due to the taboo nature of their parents' decisions to leave.

Crowded onto colourful wooden boats known as pirogues, which frequently hold more than 100 people, the migrants risk life and limb to make it abroad, generally to Spain's Canary Islands.

Families are also afraid to share the children's stories due to the authorities' often repressive approach, which includes arresting smugglers and "rescuing" boats whether or not they want to come back.

"I cried a lot, and then I told myself it was God's will," Fallou whispered to AFP in halting speech, his figure contorted by spasms as he spoke of his mother's death.

In Tefees, an Mbour fishing district with sandy alleyways and precarious houses, Fallou and his nine-year-old brother are happy to be together, leaning against each other in the small bedroom where their grandmother Ndeye Ndiaye lives.

Their lives changed forever when their mother, Awa, in her 30s, died in Morocco in 2024 after her pirogue capsized.

Since the tragedy, "I've become silent," Fallou said, explaining that he did not talk about it with his grandmother or his friends but only with his father, who has since left but still visits.

"He tells me that my mother was a good person," Fallou explained.

As is often the case when a migrant mother disappears, Fallou's family fell apart: His father returned to live with his family while the children stayed with their maternal grandmother.

Driven into poverty, however, she had to separate the brothers, entrusting the youngest to his godfather.

Awa had not spoken of her plan to migrate to her mother, who had often noticed the young woman "wearing herself out" and wanted to help her more.

- 'Pray for me' -

"She simply told me she had to go to Dakar," Ndiaye recounted. But then one evening Awa called her: "Mum, I took a pirogue to reach Europe and I would like you to pray for me".

Two anguishing weeks later, the family received a call that she had died in a hospital in Morocco.

"They never brought me her body," Ndiaye whispered, unable to hold back tears.

"Seeing children, innocent people like them, having to live without a mother, it affects you to the core," she said.

In 2024, at least 10,457 migrants died or disappeared while trying to reach Spain via the perilous Atlantic route, according to Caminando Fronteras, the highest number recorded since the organisation began counting in 2007.

Those fleeing Senegal are driven by despair and the lack of opportunity, with unemployment, a depleted fishing stock and other factors creating a dire situation.

In addition, Europe's restrictive visa policies and increased border patrols have caused migrants to resort to clandestine and rickety boats.

"Families often don't receive enough information to grieve," said Boza Fii's founder Diouf. "Accepting the loss is extremely difficult."

Children sometimes learn the news abruptly in the street or at a neighbours', subsequently struggling with the unbearable waiting, denial or anger.

Eleven-year-old Sokhna's angelic face is darkened by a pained gaze: Her father, Assane, has been missing since his pirogue caught fire off the coast in 2022.

Her mother Fatou Ngom was only told that he was "among the victims".

Now she and her three children eke by in Mbour living in a single room with a shared courtyard.

- Greater poverty -

Ngom explained that Sokhna is often distant, particularly in class, and has fallen behind in her schooling.

"Sometimes at night she has dreams, she cries 'papa' several times," her mother said.

Sokhna explained frankly that her mother, who is still overwhelmed by grief and finds it very difficult to talk about her husband, does not "understand" her when she wants to bring up her father.

"When I dream about him and I'm scared because I really feel like he's talking to me, the next day I go see my grandmother," Sokhna said. 

"She tells me about when my father courted my mother and stories about him".

"I always think about my father when I see the sea," she whispered. Her grandmother, seeing that grief, told Sokhna to avoid walking along the beach and its pirogues.

Unlike Sokhna, who appears to bury her sorrow, her 14-year-old brother Boubacar struggles to hold back his emotions while recounting the day in 2022 when he found out.

"My family came to find my mother, she was preparing coffee," he said. "They said 'Assane died in the pirogue'. She was in shock, she started crying, and so did we."

"My father wanted to build us a house and before he could, God took his soul," he added.

"I often think about him, especially when my mother doesn't have the money for daily expenses because he was the one who helped us live," he sobbed.

The teenager already works after school in a metalworking shop to help his mother.

Navigating the burden of grief, the children must rebuild their lives in broken families, often with fewer meals, increasing debt and sometimes dropping out of school.

Many of the children grow up too fast, burdened by responsibilities.

Sokhna and Boubacar's five-year-old sister, Coumba, barefoot and wearing threadbare clothes, drew on a chalkboard on the courtyard wall. She has grown up hardly knowing her father.

"She's the one who makes me cry because she's always asking about her father," Ngom said. "I tell her he's on a trip."

"She could go crazy if we explain it to her now," Boubacar whispered.

- Breaking the silence -

Amy Drame also did not tell her children, aged 10, six and three, the truth.

Her husband, who had seen his fellow fishermen friends attempt the crossing out of desperation, called her from a boat in August 2024.

"He asked me for news of the children and to pray for him. That was the last time I heard from him," she said, shaken.

A month later the authorities informed them that the pirogue had run aground in Cape Verde with no survivors.

Drame continues to tell her children that their father is away fishing.

"They're just children," she said. "They're always taking my phone to watch videos of their father. They won't forget him".

Breaking this silence is the goal of a pioneering program in Senegal providing psychosocial support to these children, launched in 2024.

Around 50 orphans are being supported by the Senegalese chapter of the Diocesan Delegation of Migration (DDM), an international NGO which began the project after noticing the suffering of wives of missing persons.

This, it observed, was particularly due to the uncertainty surrounding the type of death.

"We noticed that many of their children were also suffering, in a different way, more silently, with a great deal of anger," said Jordi Balsells, DDM director.

Apart from the work carried out at its Mbour base, the NGO conducts three other tours a year in other regions of Senegal and provides in-home support.

In its light-filled Mbour centre, children whose migrant fathers have disappeared receive therapy while their mothers work in a sewing workshop to supplement their income.

The children's horsing around often masks a fragile state of mind.

Babacar Ndiaye, 12, overwhelmed by emotion, was unable to confide in anyone about the disappearance of his father, a fishmonger, in 2024 when his pirogue capsized.

"Know that if you want to talk, we're here," Tesa Reimat Corbella, a doctor specialised in bereavement, gently told him.

- Stigma -

In contrast, Babacar's nine-year-old brother, Pape Balla, is surprisingly confident. He opened up while clutching two figurines, a crocodile and a llama.

"My father didn't want to leave, but the person who organised the trip forced him!" he exclaimed, his way of coping with an abandonment he cannot understand. "It hurts me that he's gone, I wanted him to stay with us."

He has neighbourhood friends whose parents also died but do not want talk about it, he said, recalling how his father "often bought me balloons, I miss that."

Like Babacar, 10-year-old Bambi Diop could at first only manage to articulate a few words: "I don't want to talk about my father," she said.

Psychotherapist Katy Faye gently placed her hands on Bambi's shoulders and tried to soothe her as the child began weeping.

"When I go to class, I think about him," Bambi finally said, explaining that it was often her father who would drop her off at school.

The young girl remains partly in denial, telling AFP that her father lives in another city in Senegal and is doing "fine". 

These words came as a surprise to her mother, who insists that her daughter knows her father died in a shipwreck in 2024.

For Corbella, the main challenge "is breaking the silence" around the disappearance.

"We need to start putting words to what happened, to be able to talk with the children about the memories of who their father was, and to work with the parent who remains", the doctor said.

She is heartened that the NGO has succeeded in creating a safe space where the children "can share their feelings with other children".

"The fact that they accept what happened and that they can speak about it without fear or shame is what matters most," she said.

However, she acknowledges that there is still a great deal of work to do: "When these children step outside this space, whether at school or in the street, they still face stigmatisation."

Mamadou Diop Thioune, a civil society advocate who has specialised in migration issues for 20 years, said he regrets that economic and psychosocial support for these families is "not taken into account in [our] public policies".

The authorities lack information, resources and trained personnel, he said, pointing out that the "social consequences" for Senegal resulting from the disappearances "are dire".

At the DDM centre, the late afternoon light cast a soothing glow as three children lined up on a mattress on the floor, captivated by an animated film.

Senegalese society must be made more "aware of the plight of the missing and their families", Corbella said, adding that "it is important to restore dignity to the missing -- people who left in search of a better life".

"We must be able to speak about this subject without hiding these children and families."

lp/bfm/sbk

Southeast Asia's AirAsia signed a $19 billion deal to buy 150 Canadian-made Airbus A220-300 jets, the two companies said, with the low-cost carrier adding Thursday that it could double the order to meet future demand.

The deal, announced at the plane-maker's facility in Mirabel, Canada, represents the biggest order in that country's history, with AirAsia co-founder Tony Fernandes calling it in a statement "the perfect tool for our next phase of growth".

"This order reflects our long-term discipline and the scale of our ambitions."

Southeast Asia's largest low-cost carrier said the agreement had "the strategic flexibility to upsize the commitment to 300 of the A220 Aircraft Family to meet future demand".

Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Lars Wagner said the A220 planes will "open up new routes across Asia that were not feasible before".

Once the new fleet is delivered in 2028, it will also free up larger aircraft to focus on long-haul routes to North America, Australia and Europe, he said.

With the order, AirAsia is the "global launch customer" for the A220's new 160-seat configuration, added Wagner.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was also at the ceremony, said "the 150 aircraft will be built by Canadian workers on Canadian factory floors.

"For thousands of engineers, electricians, steel welders, and IT specialists, it will mean high-paying and exciting work to build a remarkable aircraft that connects millions of people around the world," he said.

Canada is the only country outside of Europe to host a major Airbus programme, with the building of the A220 family.

llk/ane/dan

Australia will look to stave off energy shortages by forcing major gas companies to reserve 20 percent of their exports for domestic use, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Thursday. 

The country is one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), a key fuel source in hot demand as war in the Middle East upends global energy markets. 

In a bid to shield the nation from "global price volatility", Australia's largest gas firms will be forced to ring fence fuel for the domestic market -- equivalent to 20 percent of their exports. 

"We've been acting to shield Australians from global energy shocks by investing in reliable, sovereign renewables and keeping more of the gas we need onshore," Bowen told reporters. 

Australia is a major supplier of LNG throughout Asia, where prices have soared since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran at the end of February. 

Around 40 percent of Japan's LNG comes from Australia, according to the Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association.

Australia is Singapore's largest source of LNG, supplying more than 30 percent of its needs, according to government figures. 

Bowen sought to soothe any concerns that the decision could hurt trading partners.

- 'Reliable' partner -

"We will not disturb any existing contracts.

"We have consulted closely with trading partners to ensure that it's well understood around the world that Australia will always be a reliable supplier of energy."

The government would pass laws to have the reservation scheme in place from July 2027, Bowen said. 

Geographically isolated and with only two oil refineries, Australia is heavily exposed to disruptions to global fuel supplies. 

With Iran halting a fifth of world fuel shipments through its effective closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, Australia has moved to shore-up its fuel security. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday that Australia would establish a national fuel stockpile of one billion litres.

Australia's major gas companies -- including Shell, Chevron and Woodside -- reap huge profits selling LNG overseas. 

Critics have been piling pressure on the government to drastically increase taxes on these exports -- an idea that Canberra shot down last week. 

World oil prices dived on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump raised hopes of an end to the Iran war. 

sft/djw/dan/tc

Japan fired surface-to-ship missiles and sank an old warship in waters between the Philippines and Taiwan as part of major military exercices that include US forces, angering China.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has accelerated Japan's shift towards a more muscular defence policy, further shedding with US encouragement Tokyo's pacifist stance in place since World War II.

The firing on Wednesday of two Type-88 missiles formed part exercises in the Philippines between US, Australian, Filipino and Japanese troops as well as contingents from France, New Zealand and Canada.

Japanese and Philippine defence ministers observed the launch in the northern province of Ilocos Norte, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Taiwan, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

The two projectiles fired hit the target, a retired Philippines navy corvette, around 75 kilometres offshore in the South China Sea a few minutes later, causing it to sink, officials said.

The 19-day Balikatan exercices, meaning "shoulder-to-shoulder" and which wrap up Friday, have involved some 17,000 military personnel including Japanese combat troops for the first time.

Japan in recent years has moved obtain "counterstrike" capabilities while hiking military spending and deepening security cooperation with regional allies including the Philippines.

Last month Takaichi's government relaxed the country's self-imposed rules to allow exports of lethal military hardware, seeking to grab a larger slice of the booming global market.

Last year Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won a landmark order from the Australian navy -- Takaichi was in Canberra this week -- to supply 11 warships.

Long-frosty China-Japan ties have worsened after Takaichi, seen as an arch-conservative and security hawk, suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

China, which regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it, was furious over the comments, advising its citizens to avoid Japan and imposing trade restrictions.

On Wednesday Beijing lashed out at the missile test, calling it "another example of the Japanese right-wing forces' push for accelerated remilitarisation of Japan."

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular briefing that "not only has Japan, the aggressor, failed to deeply reflect on its historical crimes, it has even sent military forces overseas and fired offensive missiles under the pretext of security cooperation." 

jsr-bur-stu/jm

Tokyo's Nikkei index soared Thursday to lead another strong rally across Asia stocks, fuelled by growing optimism the Iran war is close to ending and the revival of demand for all things AI.

Oil prices also held the week's steep losses due to hopes Washington and Tehran will conclude the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the start of March, choking off a fifth of the world's crude.

Risk sentiment got a huge boost Wednesday when President Donald Trump said an agreement was near, a day after he paused efforts to help stranded ships through Hormuz, which drew Iranian attacks and threatened their fragile ceasefire.

If "Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to" the war would be over, the US president said. But if not, the bombing would resume "at a much higher level and intensity".

He later told reporters: "We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it's very possible that we'll make a deal."

US news outlet Axios cited two US officials as saying both sides were close to agreement on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war, open the strait and set a framework for more detailed nuclear talks.

Iran has yet to respond to the US offer, with foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei telling local media it was "still under review".

Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has taken the lead in negotiations, warned Washington trying to "force us to surrender".

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key figure in initial talks in Islamabad last month, said he was "very hopeful".

Oil prices were flat Thursday, having fallen around 10 percent over the previous two days.

Investors, who have largely remained optimistic that a deal can be reached, tracked another record day on Wall Street and pushed Asian markets higher.

The gains have also been helped by a fresh wave of cash back into the tech sector as traders snap up all things AI, helped by standout earnings from US giants including Microsoft, Apple and Alphabet.

Tokyo's Nikkei soared more than five percent as investors there returned from a long holiday, with tech investment titan SoftBank rocketing more than 15 percent while chip-linked firms Tokyo Electron and Advantest also ratcheted up big gains.

Seoul extended Wednesday's surge that took it past 7,000 points for the first time, with Samsung also up following its meteoric rise to pass the $1 trillion market capitalisation mark.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei, Wellington, Manila and Jakarta also clocked up big gains.

The prospect of cheaper oil prices tempered worries about inflation, which also helped gold rally more than three percent Wednesday. 

Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management said "traders aggressively embraced the idea that the Iran war may finally be shifting from missile trajectories to negotiation tables, while the AI frenzy simultaneously poured jet fuel onto the risk rally". 

"The result was one of those rare sessions where nearly every macro domino fell in perfect sequence. Oil collapsed, bonds rallied, the dollar sank, gold exploded higher", and stocks surged.

Investors in Tokyo were also closely watching the yen after speculation of intervention by the Japanese government to prop up the beleaguered currency.

The unit, which has been hit by surging oil prices and a rush to the safe-haven dollar, hit a 10-month high against the greenback Wednesday, in the latest of a series of spikes in recent days that have fuelled rumours that officials have provided support.

The government spent $32-$38 billion buying yen in the market last Thursday, local media reported, quoting Bank of Japan data.

Atsushi Mimura, Japan's top currency official, on Thursday declined to comment, local media reported.

- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 5.7 percent at 62,915.87 (break)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.5 percent at 26,598.50 

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 4,167.62

West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $95.08 a barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $101.32 a barrel

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.23 yen from 156.39 yen on Wednesday

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1756 from $1.1752

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3600 from $1.3594

Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.42 pence from 86.45 pence

dan/jm

Australian authorities on Thursday reversed a ban on public watch parties in Melbourne's Federation Square for the 2026 football World Cup after the decision sparked an outcry.

The Melbourne Arts Precinct, which manages the square, had said it would stop hosting the big-screen events because of the risk posed by unruly fans, who have used flares in the past.

Jacinta Allan, premier of the state of Victoria, intervened to reverse the ban, which had been condemned by the country's football chiefs.

"I disagree with the decision -- and I am overturning it," Allan said in a statement.

"There's always a risk of bad behaviour from a few dickheads at every public gathering, but police and security will be on site and there'll be zero tolerance for it," she said.

"The World Cup should bring us together, not keep us apart."

Football Australia had condemned the ban, saying it would rob fans of the chance to follow their team together.

The Socceroos begin their World Cup against Turkey in Vancouver on June 13, followed by games against co-hosts the United States in Seattle six days later and Paraguay in California on June 25.

Melbourne Arts Precinct director Katrina Sedgwick said she "welcomed" the state's decision to help provide a safe site for watching the World Cup in Federation Square.

"We look forward to seeing the Socceroos back on the world stage, and on the Big Screen next month," she said in a statement.

djw/sft/pst

America's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, will visit the first US pope, Leo XIV, on Thursday, seeking to ease tensions between Washington and the Vatican while also promoting President Donald Trump's interests.

The US secretary of state flies in weeks after Trump's extraordinary criticism of Leo, the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, over his anti-war stance.

Rubio, a devout Catholic, sought to play down the rift ahead of the private audience, which will be followed by talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

For the Vatican's part, "we'll listen to him", Parolin told reporters on Wednesday, noting that Washington initiated the meeting.

- A lot to talk about -

The Trump administration had celebrated the election one year ago -- May 8, 2025 -- of Leo, the first US pontiff in history.

But its relations with the Holy See have since sharply deteriorated.

In an unprecedented attack, Trump last month took to social media to call the pope "WEAK on crime, and terrible for foreign policy".

His remarks came after Leo called for peace in the Middle East war launched by Israel and the United States, and condemned a threat by Trump to destroy Iranian civilisation as "truly unacceptable".

Before flying to Rome, Rubio said the trip had been planned before the clash, "and obviously we had some stuff that happened".

"There's a lot to talk about with the Vatican," he told reporters at the White House, noting particularly the issue of religious freedom, on which the Vatican and Washington agree.

At an event at the Vatican on Wednesday, Parolin said: "I imagine we'll talk about everything that's happened in recent days -- we can't avoid touching on these topics."

But he said they would also discuss international issues, including Latin America, Cuba and Lebanon.

The Holy See has long played an active role in Cuban diplomacy, while Rubio -- a Cuban-American -- has led the Trump administration's efforts to pressure the communist government.

Leo also knows Latin America well, having spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, even acquiring Peruvian citizenship.

- Pope being pope -

Despite the peace-making attempt, Trump again criticised the pope in an interview late Monday, alleging that Leo believes it is "OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon".

"I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people," Trump said of the pontiff.

Asked about the latest comments on Tuesday, Leo said that the Catholic Church's mission was to "preach peace" and the Gospel.

"If anyone wishes to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully," he told reporters.

"The Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons for years, so there is no doubt about that, and I simply hope to be heard for the sake of the value of God's word."

Parolin said Wednesday that attacking the pope "seems a little strange to me", adding: "The pope is being the pope."

Leo's nationality means his words carry more weight in Washington than those of his predecessors -- and he has used them, notably criticising the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.

But it was the pontiff's increasing anti-war rhetoric that triggered Trump's ire.

The pope and Rubio met for the first time last year at the Vatican alongside US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, just days after Leo's election.

cmk-lb-ar/rlp/abs

Jalen Brunson spearheaded a late surge as the New York Knicks edged a razor-tight NBA playoff clash against the Philadelphia 76ers 108-102 to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Wednesday.

Having been thrashed in game one, the underdog Sixers were without star man Joel Embiid, who was ruled out with multiple injuries just hours before tip-off.

But they put up a much fiercer fight at Madison Square, in a game featuring 25 lead changes -- the most for a playoff game in 13 years -- before the Knicks pulled decisively clear in the final minutes.

Brunson's clutch play -- including eight fourth-quarter points -- ensured victory, with the Knicks talisman joint top-scoring on 26 points.

"It's a playoff basketball game. You know, the game was ugly offensively," said Knicks coach Mike Brown.

"You give the Sixers a lot of credit. We knew that they were going to come out, they were gonna be physical."

The Sixers started brightly, taking a seven-point lead five minutes into the game that would prove to be the largest of the night.

In Embiid's absence, Tyrese Maxey stepped up with 15 points in the second quarter alone, as Philadelphia eked out a single-point half-time lead. Veteran Paul George was deadly from range, with five three-pointers.

But the Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns came alive after the break, scoring 20 points plus 10 rebounds and seven assists, while OG Anunoby went 9-of-17 from the field for his 24 points.

With the scores level 99-99 and five minutes to go, Brunson applied the pressure just as the Sixers ran out of steam, losing their shooting touch.

Two Brunson field goals gave New York a four-point lead -- their biggest of the night to that point -- before Mikal Bridges' step-back shot made it a 9-0 run and a six-point lead.

Maxey made a late driving layup -- finishing with 26 points -- but it was not enough to close the gap.

"We played good enough defense to win that game, especially in the fourth," said Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse, who bemoaned his team's ability to score late in the game.

"We played great offense. We just didn't shot-make."

The absence of Embiid, the 2023 league Most Valuable Player, ultimately told for the Sixers, who now face a steep uphill battle to reach the next round.

Embiid had been a key figure in the Sixers' upset of second-seeded Boston in the previous round, averaging 28 points in four games as the Sixers recovered from a 3-1 deficit.

But he was ruled unable to play due to right hip soreness and a right ankle sprain, leaving the Sixers sweating on his fitness for Friday, when the series continues in Philadelphia. 

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