Rivers of salt: life on Bangladesh’s climate frontline

On Bangladesh’s coast, where mighty Himalayan rivers meet the sea, water defines every rhythm of life, and every struggle.Rising seas driven by climate change are swallowing low-lying areas, while stronger storms push saltwater further inland, turning wells and lakes brackish, according to government scientists.For the millions living in the ecologically sensitive deltas of mudflats and mangrove forests, finding clean drinking water has become an escalating challenge.Cyclone Aila in 2009 was a turning point.Embankments broke and saltwater swept inland, flooding not only homes, but seeping into once-fertile land.The water that once sustained communities became undrinkable, and the land began to crack under layers of salt.The people of Khulna and Satkhira districts today live in a fragile balancing act between land and sea.Many families live in houses built on bamboo stilts to escape tidal floods.Children bathe in yellow, saline water and grow up in a landscape of constant change, where rivers erode their homes and schools, and displacement has become the norm.Men migrate for months seeking work. Women and children walk for hours across parched, cracked soil to fetch water from distant ponds, or harvest rainwater, and store it in tanks supplied by charities. Each household stores a few thousand litres, rationed carefully until the next monsoon arrives.The daily act of collecting and storing water has become a quiet ritual of endurance.This reporting accompanies a photography series carried out by Muhammad Amdad Hossain for AFP’s 2025 Marai Photo Grant, an award open to photographers from South Asia aged 25 or under.The theme for 2025 was “climate change” and its impact on daily life and the community of the photographers who enter.The award is organised by Agence France-Presse in honour of Shah Marai, the former photo chief at AFP’s Kabul bureau.Shah Marai, who was an inspiration for Afghan photographers throughout his career, was killed in the line of duty at the age of 41 in a suicide attack on April 30, 2018 in Kabul.

Washington, Kyiv say a peace deal must ‘fully uphold’ Ukraine sovereignty

Washington and Kyiv said that any eventual deal to halt the war with Russia must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty, after “constructive” talks between US, Ukrainian and European officials in Geneva.After a day of meetings that kicked off based on a US proposal that was criticised as being in Russia’s favour, negotiators have drafted “an updated and refined peace framework”, a US-Ukraine joint statement said on Sunday.US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which began after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.But Kyiv was seeking changes to the draft that accepted a range of Russia’s hardline demands, with the 28-point plan requiring the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.”The talks were constructive, focused, and respectful, underscoring the shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace,” the joint statement said.”They reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace,” it said, noting “meaningful progress”.Both sides pledged to keep working on joint proposals “in the coming days.”But even as the White House said in a separate statement that the talks marked “a “significant step forward”, a Russian drone strike on the major Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed four people, its mayor said.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of “tremendous” progress after a day of meetings, while the head of Ukraine’s delegation Andriy Yermak also told reporters the sides had made “very good progress”.The Ukrainian delegation referred to a new version of the US draft plan, which has yet to be published, saying it “already reflects most of Ukraine’s key priorities”.Rubio, whose delegation included Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff, told reporters that the work to narrow the areas of disagreement had advanced “in a very substantial way”. “I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable,” he said, adding: “I honestly believe we’ll get there.”Rubio stressed that any final agreement would “have to be agreed upon by the presidents, and there are a couple issues that we need to continue to work on” before trying to bring onboard the Kremlin, which welcomed the original proposal.”Obviously, the Russians get a vote.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Monday. Turkey has hosted three rounds of talks on ending the war.- ‘Zero gratitude’ claim -His comments came after Trump earlier lashed out at Ukraine.”UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, also accusing European countries of not doing enough to stop the war, but offering no direct condemnation of Moscow.Not long after, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that his country was “grateful to the United States… and personally to President Trump” for the assistance that has been “saving Ukrainian lives”.Announcing a deadly Russian drone strike, Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram Sunday it was “truly horrible” that despite the negotiations, “Russian troops are attacking civilian objects, civilian infrastructure, residential buildings”.At the end of the day, Rubio said he thought Trump was “quite pleased at the reports we’ve given him about the amount of progress that’s been made”.Asked about whether he believed a deal could be reached by Thursday, he said “the deadline is we want to get this done as soon as possible”.”I think we made a tremendous amount of progress. I feel very optimistic that we’re going to get there in a very reasonable period of time, very soon.”- European ‘centrality’ -The US plan was drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies, who were scrambling Sunday to make their voices heard and boost Kyiv’s position.EU countries plan to discuss the Ukraine situation on the sidelines of a meeting with African leaders in Angola Monday.”Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, stressing that the “centrality” of the European Union’s role must be “fully reflected” in any peace plan.A number of leaders called Trump Sunday, with Downing Street saying UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the US president had agreed “that we all must work together at this critical moment to bring about a just and lasting peace”.

India in trouble at 102-4 after South Africa’s Harmer takes two

Spinner Simon Harmer led an inspired South African attack to leave India in trouble at 102-4 at the first break on day three of the second Test on Monday.India trail by 387 in response to South Africa’s 489 on a batting-friendly pitch in Guwahati.Skipper Rishabh Pant, on six, and Ravindra Jadeja, who was yet to score, were batting at the break.Play starts 30 minutes early in the northeastern city because of sunsets and the order of the breaks is reversed, meaning the shorter tea interval comes before lunch.After winning the first Test in the two-match series, South Africa are chasing a first series win in India since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed in 2000.Yashasvi Jaiswal lost overnight partner KL Rahul in the first hour of play before reaching his 13th Test half-century.Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj dismissed Rahul for 22 on a delivery that turned and jumped off the turf to take the edge, and was caught by Aiden Markram at first slip.Spinners including Maharaj (1-29) and Harmer (2-39) have got turn but opener Jaiswal used the sweep to good effect and took on the bowlers, hitting seven fours and one six until his departure for 58.Harmer forced Jaiswal to mistime a shot to backward point and in his next over the bowler had Sai Sudharsan caught at mid-wicket for 15.Marco Jansen then removed Dhruv Jurel for a duck to further put India on the back foot as they attempt to stay alive.World Test champions South Africa grabbed the early advantage with a big first-innings total after they elected to bat.Senuran Muthusamy top-scored with 109.

Asian stocks rise as US rate hopes soothe nerves after torrid week

Asian markets mostly rose Monday as fresh hopes for a US interest rate cut provided some calm after last week’s rollercoaster ride fuelled by worries of a tech bubble.The scramble to snap up all things AI has helped propel equities skywards this year, pushing several companies to records — with chip titan Nvidia last month becoming the first to top $5 trillion.But investors have grown increasingly fearful that the vast sums pumped into the sector may have been overdone and could take some time to see profits realised, leading to warnings of a possible market correction.That has been compounded in recent weeks by falling expectations the Federal Reserve will cut rates for a third successive time next month as stubbornly high inflation overshadows weakness in the labour market.However, risk appetite was given a much-needed shot in the arm Friday when New York Fed boss John Williams said he still sees “room for a further adjustment” at the bank’s December 9-10 policy meeting.The remarks saw the chances of a cut shoot up to about 70 percent, from 35 percent earlier.Focus is now on the release this week of the producer price index, which will be one of the last major data points before officials gather, with other key reports postponed or missed because of the government shutdown.”The reading carries heightened importance following the postponement of October’s personal consumption expenditures report, originally scheduled for 26 November, which removes a key datapoint from policymakers’ assessment framework,” wrote IG market analyst Fabien Yip. “A substantially stronger-than-expected PPI outcome could reinforce concerns that inflationary pressures remain entrenched, potentially constraining the Fed’s capacity to reduce rates in December despite recent labour market softening.”After Wall Street’s rally Friday capped a torrid week for markets, Asia mostly started on the front foot.Hong Kong and Seoul jumped more than one percent, while Sydney, Singapore, Wellington and Taipei were also well up, though Shanghai and Manila retreated. US futures advanced.Tokyo was closed for a holiday.But while the mood is a little less fractious than last week, uncertainty continues to weigh on riskier assets, with bitcoin hovering around $87,000. While that is up from its seven-month low of $80,553, it is still sharply down from its record $126,200 hit last month.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.4 percent at 25,568.08Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,829.71Tokyo – Nikkei 225: Closed for a holidayDollar/yen: UP at 156.70 yen from 156.39 yen on FridayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1515 from $1.1519Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3096 from $1.3107Euro/pound: UP at 87.92 pence from 87.88 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $57.93 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.2 percent at $62.44 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 1.1 percent at 46,245.41 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,539.71 (close)

Rising from the ashes: Mogadishu’s building boomMon, 24 Nov 2025 02:51:25 GMT

Mogadishu is rising, literally, from the ashes of decades of war. Pavements remain scarred by bullet holes and ruined buildings still line many streets, but the city’s cacophony is now one of construction, not destruction.The east African nation saw civil war in the 1990s mutate in the 2000s into an Islamist insurgency that still threatens …

Rising from the ashes: Mogadishu’s building boomMon, 24 Nov 2025 02:51:25 GMT Read More »

Washington et Kiev affirment qu’un accord de paix maintiendra la “pleine souveraineté” de l’Ukraine

Les Etats-Unis et l’Ukraine ont affirmé dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi qu’un “futur accord” de paix pour mettre fin au conflit avec la Russie “devra pleinement respecter la souveraineté” de Kiev, à l’issue de pourparlers “constructifs” à Genève entre Américains, Ukrainiens et Européens.La Maison Blanche a par ailleurs salué ces discussions en Suisse, en présence du secrétaire d’Etat Marco Rubio, qui ont constitué “un pas en avant significatif” vers un règlement de paix dans ce pays européen en guerre.Le chef de la diplomatie américaine s’était dit auparavant “très optimiste” sur la possibilité de conclure “très vite” un accord, même si de nombreuses inconnues demeurent.Les discussions de Genève, officiellement closes dimanche soir, se sont tenues sur la base du projet de plan en 28 points du président américain Donald Trump visant à mettre fin au conflit provoqué par près de quatre ans d’invasion russe déclenchée le 24 février 2022.”Les pourparlers ont été constructifs, concentrés sur l’objectif et respectueux, insistant sur l’engagement commun de parvenir à une paix juste et durable”, a écrit la Maison Blanche dans un communiqué commun avec la délégation ukrainienne présente à Genève.- “Nouvelle version” -Les deux parties “ont réaffirmé que tout futur accord devra pleinement respecter la souveraineté de l’Ukraine”, selon ce bref texte, qui précise qu’à l’issue de leurs discussions, les Etats-Unis et l’Ukraine avaient “rédigé une nouvelle version, affinée, d’un cadre (pour un accord) de paix”.A Genève, le négociateur ukrainien Andriï Iermak, bras droit de Volodymyr Zelensky, avait également fait état “de très bons progrès” dans les discussions, après que le président ukrainien eut indiqué que la nouvelle version du plan américain reflétait “déjà la plupart des priorités clés” de Kiev.M. Trump avait donné jusqu’au 27 novembre à M. Zelensky pour donner une réponse, en précisant ensuite que son plan ne serait pas sa “dernière offre” définitive.La version initiale du document avait suscité l’opposition de Kiev et de ses alliés européens – Paris, Londres, Berlin et Rome – venus dimanche à Genève pour éviter une paix en forme de capitulation.”Nous avons fait d’énormes progrès”, s’est encore félicité M. Rubio, estimant que “les points qui restent en suspens ne sont pas insurmontables” et laissant la porte ouverte à un délai au-delà de la fête de Thanksgiving jeudi.Le ministre des Affaires étrangères, qui occupe aussi l’influent poste de conseiller à la sécurité nationale de la Maison Blanche, a rappelé que les Russes auront “leur mot à dire”.Plusieurs réunions de coordination ont eu lieu entre Européens, Américains et Ukrainiens, avant une longue réunion bilatérale entre Washington et Kiev, au sein de la représentation diplomatique des Etats-Unis à Genève.Côté américain, étaient notamment présents Jared Kushner, gendre du président, Steve Witkoff, son émissaire spécial sur le Moyen-Orient, sur l’Ukraine et la Russie, et le commandant suprême des forces de l’Otan en Europe, le général Alexus Grynkewich, en tant que haut-gradé américain.- Reconnaissant envers Trump -Salué par le président russe Vladimir Poutine, le texte initial du plan de Trump reprenait plusieurs exigences clés de Moscou: que l’Ukraine lui cède des territoires, accepte de réduire la taille de son armée et renonce à intégrer l’Otan. Tout en offrant des garanties de sécurité occidentales à Kiev pour prévenir toute nouvelle attaque russe.Le texte propose aussi la fin de l’isolement de la Russie à l’égard du monde occidental, avec sa réintégration au G8 et la levée progressive des sanctions.Volodymyr Zelensky a déclaré dimanche qu’il était “personnellement” reconnaissant envers Donald Trump, après que le président américain eut une nouvelle fois accusé Kiev d’ingratitude. “Les responsables ukrainiens n’ont exprimé aucune gratitude pour nos efforts”, a-t-il fustigé sur son réseau Truth Social, affirmant avoir “hérité d’une guerre qui n’aurait jamais dû arriver”.Les Européens cherchent pour leur part à ne pas être tenus à l’écart des tractations.”L’Ukraine doit avoir la liberté et le droit souverain de choisir son propre destin. Elle a choisi un destin européen”, a affirmé dimanche la présidente de la Commission Ursula von der Leyen, soulignant que le rôle “central” de l’Union européenne devait être “pleinement reconnu”.Depuis le sommet du G20 en Afrique du Sud ce week-end, la Première ministre italienne Giorgia Meloni a déclaré qu’il n’était pas nécessaire de présenter une “contre-proposition complète” au plan américain, affirmant que les discussions constituaient un “test de maturité” pour l’Europe.Donald Trump et le Premier ministre britannique Keir Starmer sont, eux, convenus dimanche lors d’un appel téléphonique qu’il était important de “travailler tous ensemble en ce moment critique” pour l’avenir de l’Ukraine, a indiqué Downing Street.Une réunion sur l’Ukraine des dirigeants des pays de l’UE est prévue lundi, en marge d’un sommet avec des dirigeants africains en Angola, et le président français Emmanuel Macron a annoncé une réunion mardi en visioconférence des pays soutenant l’Ukraine.Sur le terrain, une attaque de drones russes a fait au moins quatre morts et 17 blessés à Kharkiv, dans l’est de l’Ukraine, dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, ont annoncé les autorités locales.burs-apo-nr/jnd

Despite doubts over economy, Americans set for record holiday spending

Americans are expected to spend a record amount over the holiday season, despite lingering worries in the world’s biggest economy about stubborn inflation, tariffs and the knock-on effects of the government shutdown.”Consumers remain pretty concerned about inflation and, there’s no doubt, about where prices are going,” Mark Mathews, chief economist at the National Retail Federation (NRF), told reporters.For Mathews, the last time consumer confidence was so low — apart from the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic — dates back to the early 1980s.But, he added, “over the past few years, we’ve seen consumers spend irrespective of how they’re feeling about things.”The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales — from November 1 to December 31 — to top $1 trillion for the first time, with growth of 3.7-4.2 percent as compared with last year.The record-setting 43-day government shutdown, which left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed and without a paycheck, triggered a decline in demand and in revenue for the private sector, but that situation is expected to quickly be reversed.President Donald Trump’s sweeping on-off tariffs however could affect demand for certain products, although experts say competition should temper the effects of tariffs on consumers’ wallets.”We’re seeing a deliberate and aggressive approach to avoid passing price increases onto the consumers,” said NRF president Matt Shay.Competition, especially in online deals, should help avert a massive hike in prices.For buyers, competitive prices and free delivery are two key factors, Vivek Pandya, an analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, told AFP.The share of sales made online should increase this holiday season to $253.4 billion dollars, up 5.3 percent over last year, according to Adobe Analytics.A record $5 billion is expected to be spent per day over the 10 days that begins on “Black Friday” and runs through “Cyber Week.”- ‘Restraint’ -For Pandya, a 5.3 percent increase in online sales is “actually pretty good” given the variables and challenges in the US economy.He highlighted that sales in fact were up from October, when Amazon holds its major Prime Day sales.But the big day will certainly be Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which is the traditional launch of the holiday shopping season — and also when the best deals are to be had.That is followed by Cyber Monday, when online shopping takes center stage, especially on electronics and other tech.For Stephanie Guichard, a senior economist at the Conference Board business research organization, US consumers are remaining “cautious” and may approach gift purchases with some “restraint” after years of inflation-related belt-tightening.The Conference Board’s annual survey revealed that Americans will spend an average of $990 on holiday-related purchases this year, down 6.9 percent from 2024.When adjusted for inflation, the figures are well under pre-pandemic spending.”Consumers also said they are focused on giving their family and friends items they need this year rather than items they want,” Guichard said in a statement.More and more Americans are also turning to “buy now, pay later” options to spread out the spending over several months. – Shopping, AI style -This year, artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini are gaining traction as a tool for consumers looking for the perfect gift or the best deals.In October, traffic to US retail websites from generative-AI sources spiked 1,200 percent year-on-year, and those web users were 16 percent more likely to buy something, according to Adobe Analytics.”This indicates that with AI tools, shoppers are becoming more informed and able to pinpoint the most relevant retailers for their needs,” Adobe said.Another shopping trend is “social commerce,” or selling products directly to consumers on social media platforms, often via posts made by influencers.”Social commerce is incredibly important” this year, Pandya told AFP.”People are spending a lot of time on their mobile devices, a lot of time on social media apps (…) and these influencers have become very effective at providing really strong discount codes and perks for their audiences to spend.”So what are the hot gift items for 2025? Experts say the new Nintendo Switch 2 game console and Apple’s latest iPhone 17s will be popular, along with household appliances and home renovation items, as economic uncertainty means Americans are less likely to move.