Somali TikToker deported from US for spy kidnapping may be innocentTue, 09 Dec 2025 02:47:53 GMT
A Somali migrant deported from the United States and labelled an “illegal scumbag” by the White House for aiding the kidnapping of two French spies in Mogadishu may have been wrongly accused.Mahad Maxamud returned to a hero’s welcome in Somalia last month, not least because he is a hugely popular social media star whose online …
Indian pride as Asiatic lions roar back
A powerful roar rocked the forest before the silhouette of a lioness appeared at an Indian reserve, a potent image of how conservation efforts have brought the creatures back from the brink.In Gir National Park, Asiatic lions reign over a 1,900-square-kilometre (735-square-mile) expanse of savannah and acacia and teak forests, their last refuge.For a few minutes, cameras clicked wildly from safari jeeps, but as night falls and visitors leave, the mighty cat has still not moved a paw.Gir’s success stems from more than three decades of rigorous conservation to expand the lions’ range, which now raises questions about the future of coexistence with humans.Park chief Ramratan Nala celebrates the “huge success”: lion numbers have risen by a third in five years, from 627 to 891.”It’s a matter of pride for us,” Nala said, the head of government forests in the sprawling Junagadh district of the western state of Gujarat.The Asiatic lion, slightly smaller than their African cousins, and identified by a fold of skin along its belly, historically roamed from the Middle East to India.By the early 20th century, only about 20 remained, nearly wiped out by hunting and habitat loss.”They’ve been resurrected from the brink of extinction,” said wildlife biologist Meena Venkatraman.- ‘Our lions’ -After India broke free from British rule in 1947, a local prince offered “his” lions sanctuary. In recent decades, the authorities have invested heavily by protecting vegetation, securing wells and roads, and even building a hospital. “The thing about lions is that if you give them space, and you protect them and you give them prey, then they do extremely well,” said Andrew Loveridge, from global wild cat conservation organisation Panthera.In 2008, they were removed from the IUCN Red List of species threatened with extinction, and moved to the category of merely “endangered”.Unlike in Africa, poaching is virtually absent.”The local people support the conservation of Asian lions,” Nala said, reporting zero cases of poaching for more than a decade.”These are our lions,” his deputy Prashant Tomas said. “People are very possessive about them”.- ‘Secret to success’ -Local communities fiercely protect the lions for cultural, religious and economic reasons, because they attract tourists.Loveridge said that people accepted some livestock would be lost.”In general, they’re less likely to kill the lions in retaliation for livestock losses, which is something that is very prevalent in many sites in Africa,” he said.”Indian wildlife managers have managed to contain that conflict, to a large degree — in many ways, that’s their secret to success.”But rising numbers mean lions now roam far beyond the park.About half the lion population ranges across 30,000 km2, and livestock killings have soared, from 2,605 in 2019–20 to 4,385 in 2023–24. There are no official figures on attacks on humans, though experts estimate there are around 25 annually. Occasionally, an attack hits the headlines, such as in August, when a lion killed a five-year-old child. – ‘Spread the risk’ -As lions move into new areas, conflicts grow. “They are interacting with people… who are not traditionally used to a big cat,” said Venkatraman.And, despite their increasing population, the species remains vulnerable due to limited genetic diversity and concentration in one region. “Having all the lions in a single population may not be a good idea in the long term,” she added. Gujarat has resisted relocating some lions to create a new population, even defying a Supreme Court order.Nala pointed out that Gir’s lions are separated into around a dozen satellite populations.”We cannot say that they are all in one basket,” he said.Loveridge accepted that it “is starting to spread the risk a little bit”.But he also warned that “relatively speaking, a population of 900 individuals is not that large”, compared with historic numbers of tens of thousands.Long-term security of the species remains uncertain, but momentum is strong — and protection efforts are having a wider impact on the wildlife across the forests.Venkatraman described the lions as a “flagship of conservation”. “That means because you save them, you also save the biodiversity around.”
Trump hits the road as cost of living hurts Americans
US President Donald Trump heads to Pennsylvania on Tuesday in a bid to quell growing anger among Americans about the cost of living.Trump will return to the campaign-style rallies that brought him a second term in the White House as he pushes his message that he is cutting inflation.The 79-year-old has angrily rejected what he calls the Democrats’ “hoax” on the issue of affordability, but polls show that his approval ratings have slumped on the economy.The Republican billionaire also faces dissent from within his “Make America Great Again” movement, with calls for him to focus on the economy instead of foreign peace deals.Trump will “discuss how he and the administration continue to focus on delivering on his day one priority of ending Joe Biden’s inflation crisis,” a White House official told AFP.He will speak at the Mount Airy Casino resort in Pocono, Pennsylvania, US media said. Before becoming president Trump ran a number of casinos — several of which went bankrupt.The Republican insists prices are falling for key goods like beef, eggs and coffee, and he is fixing what he describes as a mess left by Biden, his Democratic predecessor.But this week he showed signs of softening his message a little on Monday, acknowledging an affordability “problem” after dismissing it as recently as last week as a “con job.””The Democrats caused the affordability problem and we’re fixing it,” he said.Trump’s approval ratings have slumped to their lowest point since his return to office in January, particularly over the cost of living, which Americans have blamed at least partly on his tariffs.US inflation accelerated in September to 2.8 percent on an annual basis.- ‘America First’ -The issue has caused a rift within the MAGA movement. Former close ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, who broke with Trump in November, said Trump had failed to focus on affordability.”For an ‘America First’ president, the number one focus should have been domestic policy, and it wasn’t,” Greene told the CBS News show “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday.Democrats meanwhile campaigned on affordability in elections that they swept last month for New York City mayor, and for the governors of New Jersey and Virginia.Blue-collar Pennsylvania is a key stop on the road to the White House. Trump narrowly won the northeastern state in 2016 and 2024, and lost it by a sliver to Biden in 2020.Trump is ineligible to run again in 2028 despite hints that he might try — but he is deeply focused on the 2026 midterm elections, in which affordability could hit Republicans.Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles told the Daily Caller she would “put him on the campaign trail” next year to get out loyal voters who might otherwise stay away from the polls.That would mark a major break from the past years when when US parties have often tried to keep their distance from often unpopular incumbent presidents in the midterms.Trump has also focused on other groups affected by his economic policies.A day ahead of his speech, Trump announced $12 billion in aid to US farmers who have also been hit by the impacts of his tariff and trade policy.”We love our farmers, and as you know the farmers like me,” Trump said at the White House, describing them as the “backbone” of the country.
Rising living costs dim holiday sparkle for US households
At a Christmas market outside the US capital, festive cheer alone hasn’t been enough to drive affordability worries out of shoppers’ minds — as American households contend with creeping inflation this holiday season.”Prices are terrible. It makes it difficult to shop for a lot of your friends and family,” said James Doffermyre, a high school teacher.The 37-year-old was among visitors at the market in Gaithersburg — a Maryland suburb of Washington — browsing stalls selling everything from greeting cards to decorations.”We always have a big Christmas, and we get one or two gifts for everybody,” he told AFP.But this year, he added, “we said all the adults were okay, (let’s) just buy things for the kids.”His plans underscore the affordability pressures that American households are facing, with dissatisfaction mounting over costs of living.- ‘Problem’ -In particular, Democrats notched victories in off-year elections last month, fueled by voters being disgruntled about rising prices.Republican President Donald Trump too has acknowledged an affordability “problem” recently, after repeatedly dismissing it as a “hoax” and a “con job” by rival Democrats.While Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs this year have not sparked a broad surge in consumer inflation, companies have noted steeper business costs, with some opting to pass them on by raising prices.Inflation has edged higher, with the consumer price index rising 3.0 percent on an annual basis in September, up from 2.9 percent in August.Doffermyre, who has a six-month-old child, said he had been limiting his spending with fewer trips to restaurants.Another shopper, 73-year-old special education teacher Karen Jenkins, called grocery prices “outrageous.””We give food to a lot of students,” she said. “They’re always hungry because they don’t get any food at home.”For her part, she is buying less and cutting down on going out for shows.- ‘Make things work’ -Consumers were also frustrated by high prices in 2022, towards the tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic, economist Joanne Hsu recalled.But back then, “consumers were willing to spend through it because labor markets were very strong and they felt very confident about their income,” said Hsu, the director of a monthly survey of consumers at the University of Michigan.”This time is a very different situation,” she said.Pastry chef Olivia McPherson, 30, noted that prices have been rising during the past three years: “It’s been getting worse and worse.”She said that she rents from a friend because she cannot afford her own apartment, and buys less meat to cut costs.”I’m lucky enough to work at a place where I get meals provided for me,” McPherson added.But this year, she might not be able to buy gifts for all of her friends.”I would never ask them to get me a gift as well, just because I know everybody’s feeling it,” she added.Some, like 23-year-old machine operator Oscar, work two jobs to make ends meet.”If you work hard enough, you can get by,” he said, declining to share his last name.”But I feel like the prices aren’t going down any soon,” he added. “You just gotta make things work.”