China’s top diplomat calls Carney visit ‘turning point’ in ties

China’s top diplomat said Thursday that a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Beijing marked a “turning point” in the two countries’ long acrimonious relationship.The first visit by a Canadian leader to Beijing in eight years was a “turning point and symbol for the relationship between two countries”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement, according to a readout.”The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which I believe will open up new prospects for bilateral relations,” he added.Carney, who has also said ties between the two sides are shifting, is meeting with top Chinese leaders in Beijing on Thursday, as he pulls away from traditional ally the United States.Following President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs on Canadian products, Carney has sought to reduce his country’s economic reliance on its main market, the United States.Video from Chinese state media showed Carney arriving in Beijing for his four-day state visit late Wednesday evening to a red carpet welcome.He is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, among other government and business leaders for trade talks.Ties between the two nations withered in 2018, when Canada arrested the daughter of Huawei’s founder on a US warrant, and China’s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.- ‘Right track’ -The two countries imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on each other’s exports in the years that ensued, with China also being accused of interfering in Canada’s elections.Caught in the tariffs crossfire were Chinese electric vehicles along with Canadian canola oil and other agricultural goods.The last time Chinese and Canadian leaders formally met was when then prime minister Justin Trudeau visited Beijing in 2017.But there have been signs of warming ties under Carney, who met Xi on the sidelines of an APEC summit in October.China has shown a willingness to rekindle the relationship, with Xi telling Carney after their meeting that it has “shown a recovery” towards “the right track”.Officials from the two countries have been in talks to lower tariffs, but an agreement has yet to be reached.Beijing, meanwhile, said this week it “attaches high importance” to Carney’s visit.- Pivot from US -Ottawa has traditionally been hawkish towards Beijing, positioning itself in alliance with the United States.But Canada has been hit especially hard by Trump’s steep tariffs on steel, aluminium, vehicles and lumber, prompting a change of heart.In October, Carney said Canada should double its non-US exports by 2035 to reduce reliance on the United States.But the United States remains far and away its largest market, buying around 75 percent of Canadian exports in 2024, according to Canadian government statistics.While Ottawa has stressed that China is Canada’s second-largest market, it lags far behind, buying less than four percent of Canadian exports in 2024.Carney will be looking to raise that figure, with his office saying the visit aims to “elevate engagement on trade, energy, agriculture, and international security”.

Trump says Iran killings stopped, Tehran says ‘no plan for hanging’

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, but added that he would “watch it and see” about threatened military action.Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests that rights groups say has left at least 3,428 people dead.But in a surprise announcement at the White House, Trump said he had now received assurances from “very important sources on the other side” that Tehran had now stopped, and that executions would not go ahead.”They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place — there were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won’t take place — and we’re going to find out,” Trump said.He offered no details and noted that the United States had yet to verify the claims.Asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office if US military action was now off the table, Trump replied: “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is.”Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said there would be “no hanging today or tomorrow,” in an interview with US network Fox News, while accusing Israel of orchestrating violence, without providing evidence.Araghchi contends the peaceful protests about economic hardship that began December 28 devolved into widespread violence between January 7 and 10 because the protests were infiltrated by external “elements who had a plan to create a big number of killings in order to provoke President Trump to enter into this conflict and start a new war against Iran.”Iran’s Minister of Justice Amin Hossein Rahimi echoed that allegation, telling state news agencies that after January 7, “those weren’t protests any longer” and anyone who was arrested on the streets then “was definitely a criminal.”A rights group said separately that the execution of an Iranian man arrested during the wave of protests, 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, would not take place as scheduled on Wednesday, citing relatives.Late Wednesday, UN leadership announced a meeting of the Security Council Thursday for “a briefing on the situation in Iran,” as requested by the United States.Trump’s comments sent oil prices plunging on Thursday morning, as concerns eased of a looming supply shock in energy markets. Iran makes up around three percent of global oil production. – ‘Full control’ -Araghchi said the Iranian government was “in full control” and reported an atmosphere of “calm” after what he called three days of “terrorist operation.”Iran also struck a defiant tone about responding to any US attack, as Washington appeared to draw down staff at a base in Qatar that Tehran targeted in a strike last year.Iran targeted the Al Udeid base in June in retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities. Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Trump the strike showed “Iran’s will and capability to respond to any attack.”Fears of possible US military action continued to rile the region.The British government said its embassy in Tehran had been “temporarily closed,” while the US embassy in Saudi Arabia urged staff to exercise caution and avoid military installations and India’s government urged its citizens to leave the country.Germany’s Lufthansa on Wednesday said its flights would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace “until further notice” after the US threats against Iran.Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Iran several times since the protest movement that has shaken the country began in late December. The protests are the largest since the Islamic Republic was proclaimed in 1979.Rights monitors say that under cover of a five-day internet blackout, Iranian authorities are carrying out their harshest repression in years against demonstrations openly challenging the theocratic system.Iran’s judiciary chief vowed fast-track trials for those arrested, stoking fears authorities will use capital punishment as a tool of repression.In Tehran, authorities held a funeral for more than 100 security personnel and other “martyrs” killed in the unrest, which officials have branded “acts of terror.”- ‘Unprecedented level of brutality’ -G7 nations said Wednesday they were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” and warned of further sanctions if the crackdown continued.Monitor NetBlocks said Iran’s internet blackout had lasted 144 hours. Despite the shutdown, new videos, with locations verified by AFP, showed bodies lined up in the Kahrizak morgue south of Tehran, wrapped in black bags as distraught relatives searched for loved ones.The US-based Institute for the Study of War said authorities were using “an unprecedented level of brutality to suppress protests,” noting reports of protest activity had sharply declined.A senior Iranian official told journalists there had been no new “riots” since Monday, distinguishing them from earlier cost-of-living protests. “Every society can expect protests, but we will not tolerate violence,” he said.Prosecutors have said some detainees will face capital charges of “waging war against God.” State media reported hundreds of arrests and the detention of a foreign national for espionage, without giving details.Iran Human Rights, based in Norway, said security forces had killed at least 3,428 protesters and arrested more than 10,000.burs-dk/aha/sla/jgc/ceg/hmn

New Zealand warned Pacific neighbour over oil smuggling ‘shadow fleet’

A “shadow fleet” of 19 tankers suspected of smuggling oil for Russia and Iran was flagged by New Zealand with Cook Islands authorities in 2024, according to a confidential list obtained by AFP.The small Pacific island is home to a flourishing international shipping registry, allowing foreign vessels to sail under its flag for a modest fee of a few thousand dollars.There is mounting evidence the archipelago has become a haven for foreign smugglers, who sail under the Cook Islands flag to escape scrutiny as they flout Western sanctions.New Zealand officials in 2024 compiled a list of 19 tankers — or “vessels of concern” — that had been registered to the Cook Islands in recent years.The list included the Arabesca, a crude oil tanker that frequently calls at Russian ports in the Baltic Sea.The Arabesca was in 2025 blacklisted by the UK, Canada, Switzerland and the European Union for smuggling Russian oil.Also named in New Zealand’s list was a ship called the Maruti, a chemical tanker often seen sailing through the Persian Gulf.The Maruti transported “hundreds of thousands of barrels” of Iranian naptha fuel while sailing under the Cook Islands’ flag in 2025, according to a US sanctions notice published in December.Both the Arabesca and the Maruti have since been deleted from the Cook Islands’ shipping registry.The Cook Islands has apparently brushed off New Zealand’s concerns about some other vessels.Of the 19 ships singled out by New Zealand in 2024, seven remained registered to the Cook Islands as of mid-January this year.This included tankers the Bonetta and the Ocean Wave, which are suspected by the United States of hauling crude oil from Iran.AFP could not reach the owners of the Arabesca, Maruti, Bonetta and Ocean Wave for comment.New Zealand’s list, released to AFP under freedom of information laws, was raised with Cook Islands through diplomatic channels in 2024. – Shadow fleet -Western sanctions aim to curb Iran and Russia cashing in on oil sales, limiting funding for Tehran’s nuclear programme or Moscow’s war machine.New Zealand alleges the Cook Islands has been exploited by transnational maritime smuggling networks known as the “shadow fleet”.By registering in places such as the Cook Islands — where they are subject to less stringent checks — shadow fleet ships can disguise themselves as legitimate vessels.Often the shipping registries are unaware of the ship’s true purpose.Cook Islands’ links to sanctions evasion are a source of potential embarrasment to New Zealand, which once governed the Pacific nation of some 15,000 people.New Zealand remains the Cook Islands’ closest diplomatic partner and still has a constitutional responsibility to help with foreign affairs and defence.”New Zealand has raised serious concerns directly with the Cook Islands government about the management of its shipping registry, including the flagging of shadow fleet vessels,” New Zealand’s foreign affairs department said.Former Royal New Zealand Navy officer Mark Douglas said some 150 foreign tankers were registered in the Cook Islands at its busiest point in 2024.”It certainly seemed at its peak that it was ‘pay to play’,” said Douglas, now an analyst for Starboard Maritime Intelligence.”If you turned up with some good paperwork and the cheque cleared, you were able to get the Cook Islands’ flag.”Cook Islands had since de-registered many of the most dubious vessels, Douglas said, but there were “some left that have question marks over them”.The UN-backed International Maritime Organisation currently lists 40 tankers registered to the Cook Islands.The Cook Islands offers what is known as a “flag of convenience”.This means foreign ship owners can pay to sail under the flag without ever setting foot on the archipelago, halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii.”Many shadow fleet vessels use flags of convenience from countries that are either less inclined or unable to enforce Western sanctions,” notes a European Parliament briefing from 2024.The Cook Islands was one of the “top countries whose flags are used by shadow tankers transporting Russian crude oil”, according to the report.- Growing fast -Shipping journal Lloyd’s List in 2024 crowned Maritime Cook Islands the “fastest growing registry” in the world.While Cook Islands’ fees are opaque, the revenue generated by shipping licenses is modest.Cook Islands budget documents estimate shipping registrations will bring in around US$50,000 this year.Maritime Cook Islands did not reply to a request for comment.The shipping registry has previously denied that it failed to conduct appropriate checks.”The Cook Islands register has never harboured sanctioned vessels,” Maritime Cook Islands told AFP in November last year.”Any sanctioned vessels are deleted.”

Les Ougandais votent, entre répression policière et blocage d’internet

Les Ougandais se rendent aux urnes jeudi pour des élections législatives et présidentielle, le président Yoweri Museveni cherchant à prolonger ses 40 années au pouvoir dans un contexte de répression et de blocage d’internet.Dans la capitale Kampala, au moins un bureau de vote était ouvert comme prévu à 07H00 (04H00 GMT) ce matin mais le scrutin n’avait pas encore commencé dans d’autres localités, ont constaté des journalistes de l’AFP présents sur place.Le quotidien ougandais Daily Monitor a publié une pleine page sur la manière de “protéger votre domicile en vue des élections”, conseillant aux citoyens de renforcer leurs portes et fenêtres et de s’aménager une pièce sécurisée. Cette tension est familière dans le pays d’Afrique de l’Est après les quatre décennies de règne et six mandats présidentiels de M. Museveni, 81 ans, ex-guérillero accuséd’abus généralisés des forces de sécurité contre ses opposants.Son principal adversaire est l’ancien chanteur de raggamuffin devenu politicien Bobi Wine, 43 ans, qui se présente comme le “président du ghetto”, en référence à son quartier natal situé dans un des bidonvilles de la capitale, Kampala.Nombre d’observateurs voient dans le scrutin de jeudi une formalité pour le président sortant, qui se déroule dans un climat condamné par l’ONU comme “marqué par une répression et une intimidation généralisées” et de contrôle total de M. Museveni sur l’appareil d’Etat. Des centaines de partisans de Bobi Wine ont été arrêtés durant sa campagne, lors de laquelle il a pris l’habitude de porter un gilet pare-balles, qualifiant la période pré-électorale de “guerre” et le président de “dictateur militaire”.Nombre d’entre eux gardent toutefois espoir: les rassemblements du candidat ont attiré des foules plus nombreuses que prévu.L’autre grand chef de l’opposition, Kizza Besigye, qui s’est présenté à quatre reprises contre M. Museveni, a été enlevé en 2024 au Kenya et est réapparu devant une cour martiale en Ouganda. Il reste détenu pour des accusations de trahison.Une importante présence policière et militaire était observée dans les rues de Kampala à la veille du scrutin. Beaucoup d’habitants étaient nerveux.”Nous ne parlerons pas des élections. Vous pouvez poser n’importe quelle question, mais pas celle-là”, a déclaré un comptable d’une trentaine d’années qui n’a pas voulu donner son nom. “Allez voter”, a déclaré le président dans un discours cette semaine. “Quiconque veut porter atteinte à votre liberté, je l’écraserai,” a-t-il averti.- L’ONU inquiète -Malgré des promesses répétées qu’il ne le ferait pas, le gouvernement a coupé l’accès à internet mardi pour une durée indéterminée, présentant la mesure comme un moyen d’empêcher la propagation de la “désinformation” et de l'”incitation à la violence”.Cette coupure et la suspension récente de 10 ONG dans le pays ont été jugées “profondément inquiétantes” par l’ONU, qui a appelé à des élections “libres et authentiques”.La police a averti que le vote n’était “pas une justification pour des actes criminels” et a déployé des “agents spéciaux auxiliaires” nouvellement recrutés pour maintenir l’ordre. “Nous sommes parfaitement conscients qu’ils prévoient de truquer l’élection, de brutaliser la population, de tuer des gens, et ils ne veulent pas que le reste du monde le voie”, a déclaré Bobi Wine à l’AFP. L’opposant, qui a été arrêté à plusieurs reprises et torturé en détention militaire avant la présidentielle de 2021 – sa première candidature – a promis des manifestations en cas de fraude électorale.En Tanzanie voisine, internet avait été bloqué plusieurs jours à partir du 29 octobre dernier, jour d’élections jugées frauduleuses par des observateurs étrangers. Des manifestations antipouvoir avaient alors été réprimées dans le sang, avec plus de 2.000 personnes tuées selon l’opposition, dans l’opacité la plus totale. En Ouganda, des journalistes ont été harcelés et empêchés d’assister au dernier meeting du président à Kampala. Malgré plusieurs scandales de corruption, Yoweri Museveni reste pour beaucoup le “père de la nation”, qui a tiré le pays du chaos politique et économique à l’issue d’une guerre de brousse contre ses rivaux dans les années 1980.Plus de 70% de la population de l’Ouganda a moins de 30 ans et n’a connu que le “Mzee” – “Le Vieux” en swahili, un surnom teinté de bienveillance.

Uganda votes under internet blackout and police crackdownThu, 15 Jan 2026 04:40:46 GMT

Uganda was on edge as polls opened on Thursday, with President Yoweri Museveni expected to extend his 40-year rule amid an internet shutdown and a police crackdown on the opposition.The local Daily Monitor newspaper ran a full-page spread on how to “election-proof your home”, advising citizens to reinforce doors and windows and designate a safe-room …

Uganda votes under internet blackout and police crackdownThu, 15 Jan 2026 04:40:46 GMT Read More »

AI-created Iran protest videos gain traction

AI-generated videos purportedly depicting protests in Iran have flooded the web, researchers said Wednesday, as social media users push hyper-realistic deepfakes to fill an information void amid the country’s internet restrictions.US disinformation watchdog NewsGuard said it identified seven AI-generated videos depicting the Iranian protests — created by both pro- and anti-government actors — that have collectively amassed some 3.5 million views across online platforms.Among them was a video shared on the Elon Musk-owned platform X showing women protesters smashing a vehicle belonging to the Basij, the Iranian paramilitary force deployed to suppress the protests.One X post featuring the AI clip, shared by what NewsGuard described as anti-regime users, garnered nearly 720,000 views.Anti-regime X and TikTok users in the United States also posted AI videos depicting Iranian protesters symbolically renaming local streets after President Donald Trump.One such clip shows a protester changing a street sign to “Trump St” while other demonstrators cheer, with an overlaid caption reading: “Iranian protestors are renaming the streets after Trump.”Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests that rights groups say has left at least 3,428 people dead.Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, but added that he would “watch it and see” about threatened military action.Pro-regime social media users also shared AI videos purportedly showing large-scale pro-government counterprotests throughout the Islamic republic.The AI creations highlight the growing prevalence of what experts call “hallucinated” visual content on social media during major news events, often overshadowing authentic images and videos.In this case, AI creators were filling an information void caused by the internet blackout imposed by the Iranian regime as it sought to suppress demonstrations, experts said.”There’s a lot of news — but no way to get it because of the internet blackout,” said NewsGuard analyst Ines Chomnalez.”Foreign social media users are turning to AI video generators to advance their own narratives about the unfolding chaos.”The fabricated videos were the latest example of AI tools being deployed to distort fast-developing breaking news.AI fabrications, often amplified by partisan actors, have fueled alternate realities around recent news events, including the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and a deadly shooting by immigration agents in Minneapolis.AFP fact-checkers also uncovered misrepresented images that created misleading narratives about the Iranian protests, the largest since the Islamic Republic was proclaimed in 1979.One months-old video purportedly showing demonstrations in Iran was actually filmed in Greece in November 2025, while another claiming to depict a protester tearing down an Iranian flag was filmed in Nepal during last year’s protests that toppled the Himalayan nation’s government.

Trump assure que les “tueries en Iran ont pris fin” mais laisse planer la menace d’une intervention

Donald Trump a affirmé mercredi que “les tueries” en Iran avaient “pris fin” après la répression de manifestations par les autorités, mais a entretenu le flou sur une éventuelle intervention militaire américaine, indiquant que Washington suivrait de près la situation.”Nous avons été informés par des sources très importantes de l’autre côté, et elles ont dit que les tueries ont pris fin”, a déclaré le président américain lors d’un événement à la Maison Blanche, précisant que ces mêmes sources avaient affirmé que les exécutions prévues de manifestants n’auraient finalement “pas lieu”.Interrogé par un journaliste de l’AFP pour savoir si une intervention militaire américaine était désormais écartée, Donald Trump a répondu: “On observera ça et on verra quelle est la suite.”Le ministre iranien des Affaires étrangères Abbas Araghchi a, lui, affirmé qu’il n’y aurait “pas de pendaison aujourd’hui (mercredi) ou demain (jeudi)” dans une interview accordée à la chaîne américaine Fox News.”Tout individu présent dans les rues depuis le 8 janvier est sans aucun doute considéré comme un criminel”, a pour sa part lancé le ministre de la Justice, Amin Hossein Rahimi, mercredi à des médias.Selon l’ONG Hengaw, basée en Norvège, l’exécution d’un Iranien de 26 ans arrêté au cours des manifestations, Erfan Soltani, prévue mercredi, a été reportée mais sa vie reste en danger.Le président américain a menacé plusieurs fois d’intervenir militairement pour mettre fin à la répression du mouvement de contestation, l’un des plus importants depuis la proclamation de la République islamique en 1979.Les défenseurs des droits humains accusent la théocratie chiite de mener une répression brutale à huis clos, dans un pays de près de 86 millions d’habitants coupé d’internet depuis près d’une semaine sur décision des autorités.Selon le dernier bilan de l’ONG Iran Human Rights (IHR), également basée en Norvège, au moins 3.428 manifestants ont été tués depuis le début du mouvement, le 28 décembre. “Ce chiffre est un minimum absolu”, avertit l’organisation, qui fait aussi état de plus de 10.000 arrestations.Le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies prévoit de se réunir jeudi, à la demande des Etats-Unis, pour “un briefing sur la situation en Iran”, a annoncé un porte-parole de la présidence somalienne.- Procès -Après un pic de manifestations en fin de semaine dernière, les autorités ont tenté de reprendre le contrôle de la rue en organisant une “marche de résistance nationale” et les funérailles de plus de 100 membres des forces de sécurité et autres “martyrs” tués.Des banderoles proclamant “mort à l’Amérique” et des photos du guide suprême, l’ayatollah Ali Khamenei, émergeaient de la foule, selon un journaliste de l’AFP, de même qu’une photo montrant Donald Trump, le visage ensanglanté, lors d’une tentative d’assassinat dont il a été victime en 2024, avec la légende: “Cette fois il ne manquera pas sa cible”.Selon le ministre iranien des Affaires étrangères, Abbas Araghchi, “le calme règne” à présent dans le pays, et les autorités ont le “contrôle total” de la situation.Si le ministre a dit que Téhéran était ouvert à la diplomatie, d’autres responsables ont durci le ton mercredi envers les Etats-Unis et Israël. L’Iran est prêt à riposter “de manière décisive” à toute attaque, a notamment averti le chef des Gardiens de la Révolution, Mohammad Pakpour. Devant ces “tensions régionales”, le Qatar a fait état du départ d’une partie du personnel de la base américaine d’Al-Udeid, la plus importante au Moyen-Orient. En parallèle, le Royaume-Uni a annoncé avoir “fermé temporairement” son ambassade à Téhéran, tandis que l’Espagne et l’Inde ont appelé leurs ressortissants à quitter l’Iran. A Téhéran, le pouvoir judiciaire a promis des procès “rapides” et “publics”.”Toute société peut s’attendre à des manifestations, mais nous ne tolérerons pas la violence”, a insisté mercredi un responsable gouvernemental devant quelques journalistes, affirmant qu’aucune nouvelle “émeute” n’avait eu lieu depuis lundi.- Internet coupé -“L’Iran n’a jamais vu un tel niveau de destruction”, avait déclaré plus tôt le chef d’état-major de l’armée, Abdolrahim Moussavi, en référence aux actes de violence survenus lors des manifestations.Les autorités ne fournissent pas de bilan officiel à ce stade, l’identification des victimes étant toujours en cours, a précisé un autre haut responsable.Avant les propos de Donald Trump, les défenseurs des droits humains avaient exprimé leur inquiétude face à de potentielles exécutions express.Internet était toujours coupé mercredi dans tout le pays, pour le septième jour consécutif, entravant l’accès aux informations. Les communications téléphoniques restaient limitées.La répression pourrait être “la plus violente” de l’histoire contemporaine de ce pays, a déploré mercredi le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Jean-Noël Barrot, exhortant les autorités à y mettre fin “impérativement”.