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Veterinarians and other staff members examining the condition of a wolf named Neukgu after it was recaptured following its escape from a zoo at O-World Theme…
There’s no getting away from the fact that in many countries around the world, populations are ageing and fertility is declining. The latest State of World Population report…
Nepal's government, elected last month on an anti-corruption platform, has formed a commission to investigate the assets of politicians and officials, an official said Thursday.Prime Minister Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, won a landslide election victory on a platform of youth-driven political change in the first elections since deadly 2025 anti-corruption protests ousted the government.Led by a former Supreme Court judge, the five-member commission will examine assets of top figures who have held public office since 2006.Dipa Dahal, press and investigation adviser to the prime minister, said the commission was ordered by cabinet on Wednesday.’The cabinet meeting made this decision,’ Dahal told AFP. ‘We are following up to confirm its timelines and other details.’Plans to form the commission were listed in the government's 100-point reform agenda issued after Shah took office.Earlier this month Nepal issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife in a money laundering investigation, the latest high-profile figure targeted under the new government.Deuba, who is abroad, has rejected the allegations.Investigations are also ongoing into former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak over their alleged roles in the deadly crackdown on the anti-corruption protests in September 2025.The two men were arrested last month, but they have denied all accusations and were released after a court order.The youth-led uprising began in Kathmandu and was triggered by a brief social media ban.It spread countrywide the following day, fuelled by longstanding frustration over corruption and economic hardship.Nepal currently ranks 109th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Source link
Logo of the Spanish oil company Repsol at a gas station. (Reuters/File Photo) Spanish energy group Repsol said Thursday it has reached an agreement with the Venezuelan government to regain control of its oil business in the country and sharply increase production over the coming years.Repsol’s operations in Venezuela have been sharply limited since 2025 after Washington unilaterally revoked its operating license, a move that also affected other foreign companies in the country.The deal will allow Repsol to resume operational control of its Petroquiriquire joint venture created to develop and operate oil fields in eastern Venezuela, the company said in a statement.Repsol said it is prepared to increase gross oil production in the country — which currently averages some 45,000 barrels daily — by 50 % within 12 months and potentially triple output within three years, provided “necessary conditions” are met.”This agreement underscores Repsol’s commitment to Venezuela, where we have operated continuously since 1993,” the company’s head of exploration and production, Francisco Gea, said in a statement.”We have the assets and the technical, operational, and human capabilities on the ground to increase our production in the country.”The deal was signed between Repsol, Venezuela’s hydrocarbon ministry and Venezuela’s state oil and gas firm PDVSA, which owns 60% of the Petroquiriquire joint venture.A new bonanza from Venezuela’s vast oil reserves has been touted after the US captured its socialist strongman Nicolas Maduro in January in a lightning military operation on Caracas.The new authorities, led by interim president Delcy Rodriguez, have cooperated with US President Donald Trump’s administration and introduced reforms to liberalise the sector.The US has eased a seven-year-old oil embargo on Venezuela and issued licenses allowing a handful of multinationals including Repsol to operate in the country under certain conditions.US oil giant Chevron and the government of Venezuela signed two deals on Monday that will expand oil production in the country.The possibility of increased Venezuelan oil output comes as global markets face disruptions to Middle East oil supplies from the conflict in Iran which have driven up oil prices.Venezuela sits on the world largest proven oil reserves and the once-thriving sector helped make it one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries in the 20th century.But production plummeted during two decades of socialist rule, with observers pointing to underinvestment, mismanagement and corruption, as the country plunged into a protracted political, social and economic crisis.Speaking to AFP in Paris in February, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Venezuelan oil production was “a little bit less than a million barrels a day” in January.But output could grow by 30-40% by the end of 2026 — “that’s a big deal,” he said. Source link
Peru’s presidential candidate for the Juntos por el Peru party, Roberto Sanchez, greets supporters in Lima on Wednesday. (AFP) Leftist congressman Roberto Sanchez and far-right former Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga were neck-to-neck Thursday in the race to face conservative Keiko Fujimori in a June runoff vote for Peru’s presidential election.Sanchez held a less than 10,000-vote lead over Lopez Aliaga with 93% of ballots counted, as results continued to trickle in through Peru’s ONPE electoral office five days after Sunday’s vote, which was extended into Monday to accommodate several thousand people who were unable to vote.Sanchez held 11.98% of votes compared to Lopez Aliaga’s 11.92%, while Fujimori — the daughter of late former president Alberto Fujimori who is on her fourth run for the job — maintained a comfortable lead with 17.07%.A second-round vote has been scheduled for June 7.The extended vote count has triggered allegations of fraud, notably from Lopez Aliaga, who has called for counting to be suspended.Lopez Aliaga’s party has offered 20,000 soles (around $5,830) to electoral workers as a reward for information about “possible irregularities, fraud, or sabotage.”He has not produced evidence to back up his assertions, and European Union observers have said they found no concrete evidence of fraud.Fujimori has called for calm.”I have chosen not to comment until there is significant progress in the count,” Fujimori said at a press conference on Wednesday night. “The result is going to be very close. Every vote will count, and the result is not yet decided.”Pre-election surveys suggested that a large number of voters were undecided or unwilling to vote for any candidate in the race, in which a record 34 candidates competed.Markets have reacted nervously to Sanchez gaining ground.He has pledged a new constitution and more state control over natural resources and is an ally of former President Pedro Castillo, who was ousted and jailed in 2022 after a short-lived presidency.Peru, a major exporter of copper and agricultural goods, has faced years of political upheaval with eight presidents in the last decade. Several of its former leaders are behind bars.Despite this, it has long been one of Latin America’s most stable economies.Alvaro Henzler, who heads Transparencia, an election-monitoring NGO, told local radio RPP that it may take a couple of weeks to get the full results, with most of the uncounted votes coming from broadly left-leaning rural areas and overseas, where emigrants tend to back right-wing parties.”Transparencia is calling for calm and asking people to wait,” he said. Related Story Source link
The US State Department has announced its approval of a potential $11.9 billion sale of military equipment to Germany.In a statement, the Department noted that “this proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by bolstering the security of a NATO ally,” describing Germany as a “force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.”The package includes eight AEGIS-based Integrated combat systems, advanced radar arrays, and guided missile launch systems, among other hardware. According to the statement, this technology will enable German warships to detect and neutralize threats at an earlier stage while maintaining seamless communication with other NATO units.The State Department further explained that the deal will “enhance the German Navy’s capability to meet current and future threats by improving national and regional defense.” It also highlighted the importance of interoperability between German forces, the US military, and other NATO allies. The proposed deal has been formally submitted to Congress for review and final approval. Source link
A man watches television in a restaurant while Chile’s President, Jose Antonio Kast, delivers economic announcements during a national broadcast, in Santiago, Chile,on Wednesday. (Reuters) Chile’s new president, Jose Antonio Kast, unveiled on Wednesday details of a long-awaited reform package that includes cuts to the corporate tax rate, as his government seeks to revive growth and promote job stability.Some 40 measures were outlined in the package, with Kast saying that it had five main aims: to make Chile more tax competitive, strengthen formal employment, streamline regulations, provide more legal and regulatory certainty and exercise restraint in public spending.”This bill is not an ideological agenda. It is a concrete response to … real emergencies,” Kast said in his first address to the nation since taking office last month, urging members of Congress to pass the measures quickly.The right-wing leader has painted Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, as a country riddled with organised crime and weak finances.His government has said it wants to lift Chile’s economic annual growth to around 4% from last year’s 2.5%, though analysts have expressed scepticism about whether the goal is realistic.Kast also lacks a congressional majority, which could hamper his ability to deliver his agenda. Allied right-wing blocs hold just 76 of 155 lower-house seats and 25 of 50 Senate seats.The centrepiece of the bill is proposed gradual cuts in the corporate tax rate to 23% from 27%, which his government has previously said would be over four years. Some opposition members have, however, argued that the real impact of a corporate tax cut remains unclear.Other tax measures include the creation of a tax credit for wage payments, designed to encourage many smaller companies to pay employees on the books instead of under the table.”This injects $1.4bn annually into the productive sector, benefits 235,000 SMEs (representing 86% of the credit’s recipients), and protects more than 4mn workers. Formal employment will no longer be a penalty but an advantage,” he said.Other reforms include steps to speed up the issuing of environmental permits for projects such as mines, a temporary VAT exemption on sales of new homes, 400bn pesos ($450mn) in funds for fire-hit regions and an exemption for homeowners over 65 from property taxes on their primary residence. …
“Chat, who is the best candidate?”: Six months out from Brazil’s presidential election, AI chatbots are still answering such questions in defiance of new electoral rules banning them from giving voting tips.The head of Brazil’s electoral court (TSE), justice Carmen Lucia, warned in January that artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots could lead to the “contamination” of the October vote in Latin America’s biggest nation.In March, the court imposed new regulations which restricted how chatbots are allowed to operate during the 2026 election cycle, as well as increased platform liability for false content.The TSE has taken a leading role in the fight against disinformation, declaring far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to run for office for spreading false information about the Brazilian electoral system during 2022 polls.The 2026 election is the first major vote to be held since chatbots became widely available in the country.The AI tools have been forbidden from providing recommendations, rankings, or opinions regarding candidates and political parties — even when prompted by a user.However, in tests conducted by AFP weeks after the new rules were set, at least three leading AI chatbots continued to rank political candidates.When asked who the “best candidates for the 2026 elections” would be, ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini all weighed in.”Honest conclusion. The ‘technically’ best options today: Tarcisio/Zema,” ChatGPT responded.The bot was referring to Sao Paulo’s powerful governor Tarcisio de Freitas, who has ruled out a presidential bid, and former Minas Gerais state governor Romeu Zema, a possible candidate for the right-wing Novo party.Errors and biasesPresident Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, placed between second and fifth, receiving praise from the chatbots for his “vast experience,” but facing criticism for his “advanced age.”The veteran leftist is seeking a fourth term in office.His main rival in the polls, Flavio Bolsonaro — son of the former president — came last or did not appear on the lists.Such responses have raised concerns that technology could influence voting in the highly-polarised and hyper-connected country, based on incorrect or biased information.This is because chatbot replies are generated by probabilities based on training data, which may contain errors or biases, said Theo Araujo, director of the Amsterdam School of Communication Research.A study he carried out during 2025 elections in the Netherlands showed that one in ten people were likely to use AI chatbots to seek out information about candidates.Voters assume AI neutralityIn March, AFP’s fact-checking team verified as fake an image that allegedly showed Flavio Bolsonaro with Daniel Vorcaro — a businessman under investigation for a major banking fraud scandal that has rattled the country’s elite.However, Grok — X’s AI chatbot — said the picture was real and even provided a date for the alleged meeting.Araujo said that voters were likely to assume that chatbots were “neutral or objective sources, and consequently process their responses less critically.”Some candidates have reinforced this idea.In a post on X earlier this month, Flavio Bolsonaro urged his followers to “ask Chat what the truth is.”Many have done so.A quick search on the social network revealed various users asking Grok for voting recommendations.”Based on the six criteria outlined in my post, which pre-candidate should I vote for?” asked one internet user, while another asked whether they could trust the results of an opinion survey.No clear punishment Despite the concerns, it is unclear how the TSE’s new rule will be enforced, as it does not provide for specific sanctions.The court could order a daily fine, Diogo Rais, a lawyer specialising in electoral law, told AFP.However, the amounts fined are not set in advance and could be challenged in court.When contacted, OpenAI stated that ChatGPT is “trained not to favour candidates” and that it continues to refine its models.Google said that Gemini generates responses based on user prompts, which do not necessarily reflect the company’s views.Attempts to contact X were unsuccessful. Related Story Source link
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) welcomed a resolution adopted by the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) during its 113th session, addressing maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.The resolution condemned Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as attacks and threats against vessels in the region and the territories of GCC states and Jordan.In a statement, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi also welcomed the Committee’s condemnation of threats related to the laying of mines in and around the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the imposition of fees on ships transiting the waterway.He also commended the role of the United Arab Emirates in drafting the resolution, which was subsequently adopted by the Committee. Albudaiwi stressed the importance of implementing the resolution in line with international law and ensuring the uninterrupted passage of vessels through the strait. Source link
Kemi Seba is pictured addressing a press conference in Paris in this picture taken in 2020. – AFP South African police said they have arrested prominent pan-African and pro-Russian activist Kemi Seba who is wanted by authorities in Benin for backing an attempted coup there, and have launched extradition proceedings.Benin issued an arrest warrant for Seba in December last year for “inciting rebellion” after he publicly supported an attempted coup.Seba, who accuses Benin’s President Patrice Talon of being too close to former colonial master France, posted a video declaring it was “the day of liberation” for his country.The deadly coup attempt on December 7 was put down within hours by the military with support from Nigeria and France.The west African country jailed around 30 people after the coup, most of them soldiers, legal sources told AFP, while several mutineers were still on the run.The 45-year-old Beninese citizen was arrested at a shopping centre in Pretoria along with his 18-year-old son and a South African national, South African police said in a statement late on Wednesday.Seba, who has mostly been underground and much less on social media since the failed coup, could not be reached for comment.”Preliminary investigations have revealed that the father is alleged to be a wanted fugitive in France and Benin for criminal activities relating to crimes against the state,” the statement said.Seba, born Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi in France to Beninese parents, is an activist who has had his French nationality revoked.He is a vocal critic of French political, economic and military influence in West Africa and has adopted a strongly pro-Russian stance, portraying Moscow as a counterweight to Western influence in the West African Sahel region.South African police alleged that Seba and his son were being assisted by the South African national who they said had been paid approximately 250,000 rand ($15,300) to help them cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe, with the intention of proceeding to Europe.Police also confiscated cellphones and approximately 318,000 rand.Seba was appointed adviser to Abdourahamane Tchiani, leader of Niger’s military government, after the Sahel state expelled French and other Western forces and deepened security ties with Russia.Seba, his son and the South African citizen were remanded in custody until April 20, the South African police statement said.Talon – who stepped down on Sunday after two five-year terms – has been accused by critics of taking Benin down an authoritarian path.A journalist critical of the government was arrested in 2025 at an event in the Ivory Coast, and returned to Benin.Hugues Comlan Sossoukpe, editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Olofofo, had refugee status in Togo.Several prominent opposition figures have been sentenced to heavy prison terms by the courts while others are in exile.Talon’s finance minister, Romuald Wadagni, was elected president with more than 94% of the vote. Related Story Source link