North Korea fires missiles as South begins drills with US

North Korea fired “multiple unidentified ballistic missiles” on Monday, South Korea’s military said, the same day Seoul and Washington began a major annual joint military drill known as Freedom Shield.”Our military has detected at around 13:50 (0450 GMT) multiple unidentified ballistic missiles fired from Hwanghae province into the West Sea,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Yellow Sea.”Our military will bolster surveillance and maintain a full readiness posture under close cooperation with the United States,” the JCS added.The United States stations tens of thousands of US soldiers in South Korea, and the allies regularly stage joint drills, which they describe as defensive in nature. But such exercises infurate Pyongyang, which regards them as rehearsals for invasion and routinely responds with weapons tests of its own. Earlier Monday, the nuclear-armed North slammed the drills as a “provocative act”, warning of the danger of sparking war with “an accidental single shot”.”This is a dangerous provocative act of leading the acute situation on the Korean peninsula, which may spark off a physical conflict between the two sides by means of an accidental single shot,” said Pyongyang’s foreign ministry, according to the Korean Central News Agency.The joint US-South Korea “Freedom Shield 2025” exercise kicked off on Monday, and will involve “live, virtual, and field-based training”, according to a US statement.The exercise will run until March 20, the statement said.The latest exercise comes after two South Korean Air Force fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village during a joint training exercise with US forces on March 6. Some 31 people, including civilians and military personnel, were wounded in that incident, South Korea’s military said.Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions.The two Koreas remain technically at war since their 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.The large-scale Freedom Shield exercises are one of the allies’ biggest annual joint exercises.In its statement on Monday, North Korea’s foreign ministry dubbed the exercises “an aggressive and confrontational war rehearsal”.Last week, Pyongyang slammed the United States for “political and military provocations” over the visit of a US Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of Busan.

Indonesians seek escape as anger rises over quality of life

Indonesian private tutor Patricia has been learning German for two years, armed with a dream of leaving for Europe and driven by a lack of opportunities, economic stagnation and little hope at home.She is one of thousands of Indonesians on social media promoting a popular hashtag that translates as “let’s just escape for now”.Anger at the quality of life in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy — a nation of 280 million known for pervasive corruption and nepotism — has stirred student protests and driven young and middle-aged professionals to seek jobs abroad.”After working for so many years, my income remains about the same… meanwhile my needs are increasing,” said the 39-year-old in the capital Jakarta, who declined to give her last name.”I don’t own a house or car… if I keep working like this, it will probably never be enough.”In the last month, the hashtag has picked up steam. It has racked up thousands of mentions and reached more than 65 million accounts on X, formerly Twitter, analytics firm Brand24 said.The outpouring has coincided with student-led protests against wide-ranging government budget cuts by new President Prabowo Subianto.Savings have been channelled into a new multi-billion-dollar sovereign wealth fund — that reports to the ex-general.- ‘Want to fight’ -There were nearly 7.5 million unemployed people in Indonesia, according to the latest figures from the country’s statistics agency, dating to August 2024.That has stoked anger against a perceived poor quality of life, as the divide between the emerging nation’s rich and poor grows wider and the middle class is squeezed.”After many strange policies and the change of president, I have shifted to feeling like I have to move abroad. It has become a primary necessity,” said Chyntia Utami, a 26-year-old tech worker in Jakarta.”I really feel it. I don’t get social assistance, and I have limited money to spend. Working is just about surviving day by day, month by month, not working with passion.”Some Indonesians are taking more physically demanding jobs abroad to escape.Randy Christian Saputra, 25, left an office job at a multinational consulting firm to do manual labour on a tomato farm in Australia.”I’m tired of the system in Indonesia. If we look abroad, they usually have a better system,” he said.Poor living standards in the megacity Jakarta encourage others to leave.”The longer I stay in Jakarta, the harder it is because of pollution or traffic jams. It has more to do with the living standard,” said Favian Amrullah, a 27-year-old software engineer, who is leaving for a tech startup in Amsterdam in April.”I am exhausted, and feeling hopeless.”Some foreign companies are trying to capitalise on the trend, including Japanese recruitment firms posting online seeking to attract the most talented.Experts said social media offers Indonesians an outlet where they feel heard.”This showed the public’s emotion,” said Ika Karlina Idris, associate professor at Monash University Indonesia.She said the hashtag highlighted “the public’s concerns about jobs and nepotism” as well as at “haphazard public policies”.- ‘Don’t come back’ -The uproar sparked criticism from some government ministers. One even told those who wish to leave should not return.”Just run away, if necessary, don’t come back,” Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer told a reporter last month. He did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.Pro-Prabowo influencers have also spread disinformation, aiming to undermine the credibility of protesters.In recent weeks, AFP’s Fact Check team found more than a dozen TikTok videos pushing the baseless claim that student protesters are “paid”, which attracted more than eight million views.Pro-government and pro-Prabowo content creators then posted reaction videos amplifying the misinformation on YouTube and TikTok, garnering more than two million views, AFP Fact Check found.Patricia remains undeterred, applying for a volunteer post in Germany in the hope she can find a paid job once there.”I want to fight there for a better job, life, a better income,” she said. “When I have a place there… no, I won’t be returning to Indonesia.”

Iran says won’t negotiate under ‘intimidation’ as Trump ramps up pressure

Iran said Monday it would not negotiate under “intimidation”, after US President Donald Trump sought to ratchet up pressure on Tehran by ending a sanctions waiver that had allowed Iraq to buy electricity from its Shiite neighbour.Iran’s mission to the United Nations had indicated Sunday that Tehran might be open to talks aimed at addressing US concerns about the potential militarisation of its nuclear programme — though not to ending the program completely.But on Monday, Iran’s top diplomat seemed to slam the door on such discussions, saying Tehran’s nuclear programme was and always will be entirely peaceful and so there was “no such thing as its ‘potential militarization'”.”We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be,” foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media platform X.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has reinstated his policy of exerting “maximum pressure” against Iran, reimposing sweeping sanctions aimed at crushing its oil industry in particular.The US State Department said Sunday the decision not to renew Iraq’s sanctions waiver was made to “ensure we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief.”Iran supplies a third of Iraq’s gas and electricity, providing Tehran with substantial income.- ‘Never take place’ -On Sunday, the Iranian mission to the United Nations had sounded a more conciliatory note, suggested Tehran might be willing to discuss certain issues.”If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-a-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration,” said a statement from the mission.”However, should the aim be the dismantlement of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program to claim that what (President Barack) Obama failed to achieve has now been accomplished, such negotiations will never take place,” it said.The waiver for Iraq was introduced in 2018, when Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran after Trump abandoned a nuclear deal with Iran negotiated under Obama.A spokesman for the US embassy in Baghdad on Sunday urged Baghdad “to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible.””The President’s maximum pressure campaign is designed to end Iran’s nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop it from supporting terrorist groups,” the spokesman said.The landmark 2015 deal that Obama helped negotiate between Tehran and major powers promised sanctions relief in return for Iran curbing its nuclear programme.Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, initially adhered to the nuclear deal after Trump pulled out of it, but then rolled back commitments.US officials estimate Iran would now need mere weeks to build a nuclear bomb if it chose to.- ‘All scenarios’ -Trump pulled out of the agreement over the objections of European allies, instead imposing US sanctions on any other country buying Iran’s oil. The waiver was extended to Iraq as a “key partner” of the United States.Iraq, despite having immense oil and gas reserves, remains dependent on such energy imports. But Baghdad said it had prepared “for all scenarios” regarding the waiver.The ending of the energy waiver is expected to worsen the power shortages that affect the daily lives of 46 million Iraqis.Gulf analyst Yesar Al-Maleki of the Middle East Economic Survey said Iraq will now face challenges in providing electricity, especially during summer.To alleviate the impact, Iraq has several options including increasing imports from Turkey.

Iran says won’t negotiate under ‘intimidation’ as Trump ramps up pressure

Iran said Monday it would not negotiate under “intimidation”, after US President Donald Trump sought to ratchet up pressure on Tehran by ending a sanctions waiver that had allowed Iraq to buy electricity from its Shiite neighbour.Iran’s mission to the United Nations had indicated Sunday that Tehran might be open to talks aimed at addressing US concerns about the potential militarisation of its nuclear programme — though not to ending the program completely.But on Monday, Iran’s top diplomat seemed to slam the door on such discussions, saying Tehran’s nuclear programme was and always will be entirely peaceful and so there was “no such thing as its ‘potential militarization'”.”We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be,” foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media platform X.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has reinstated his policy of exerting “maximum pressure” against Iran, reimposing sweeping sanctions aimed at crushing its oil industry in particular.The US State Department said Sunday the decision not to renew Iraq’s sanctions waiver was made to “ensure we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief.”Iran supplies a third of Iraq’s gas and electricity, providing Tehran with substantial income.- ‘Never take place’ -On Sunday, the Iranian mission to the United Nations had sounded a more conciliatory note, suggested Tehran might be willing to discuss certain issues.”If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-a-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration,” said a statement from the mission.”However, should the aim be the dismantlement of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program to claim that what (President Barack) Obama failed to achieve has now been accomplished, such negotiations will never take place,” it said.The waiver for Iraq was introduced in 2018, when Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran after Trump abandoned a nuclear deal with Iran negotiated under Obama.A spokesman for the US embassy in Baghdad on Sunday urged Baghdad “to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible.””The President’s maximum pressure campaign is designed to end Iran’s nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop it from supporting terrorist groups,” the spokesman said.The landmark 2015 deal that Obama helped negotiate between Tehran and major powers promised sanctions relief in return for Iran curbing its nuclear programme.Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, initially adhered to the nuclear deal after Trump pulled out of it, but then rolled back commitments.US officials estimate Iran would now need mere weeks to build a nuclear bomb if it chose to.- ‘All scenarios’ -Trump pulled out of the agreement over the objections of European allies, instead imposing US sanctions on any other country buying Iran’s oil. The waiver was extended to Iraq as a “key partner” of the United States.Iraq, despite having immense oil and gas reserves, remains dependent on such energy imports. But Baghdad said it had prepared “for all scenarios” regarding the waiver.The ending of the energy waiver is expected to worsen the power shortages that affect the daily lives of 46 million Iraqis.Gulf analyst Yesar Al-Maleki of the Middle East Economic Survey said Iraq will now face challenges in providing electricity, especially during summer.To alleviate the impact, Iraq has several options including increasing imports from Turkey.

Australie: plus de 200.000 foyers toujours privés d’électricité après le passage d’Alfred

Les fournisseurs d’électricité s’efforcent lundi de rétablir le courant dans plus de 200.000 foyers et entreprises dans l’est de l’Australie, après le passage de la tempête Alfred qui a frappé le pays samedi.Environ 194.000 foyers et entreprises étaient toujours plongés dans le noir dans le Queensland, et 10.000 autres en Nouvelle-Galles du Sud.La veille, les chiffres s’élevaient respectivement à 310.000 et 16.000 foyers dans les deux Etats.La tempête Alfred a provoqué de fortes précipitations dans cette région, faisant gonfler les rivières sur les 400 kilomètres de littoral du Queensland et de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud, et déclenchant de nombreuses alertes aux inondations.”Cet événement est loin d’être terminé” et “nous devons continuer à ne pas nous reposer sur nos lauriers”, a déclaré le Premier ministre australien Anthony Albanese, en déplacement à Lismore, une ville de Nouvelle-Galles du Sud touchée par les inondations.Les services d’urgence ont secouru 17 personnes des crues dans le Queensland dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, a déclaré le Premier ministre de l’Etat, David Crisafulli.Il a également recommandé à la population de “rester à l’écoute en raison de la perspective d’inondations plus intenses au cours de la journée”.- Météo “imprévisible” -Essential Energy, qui gère la distribution électrique pour une grande partie de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud et plusieurs localités du Queensland, utilise des hélicoptères “pour inspecter les zones reculées du réseau afin d’aider à identifier les dégâts”, a indiqué un porte-parole.La société avait dit plus tôt que des interventions étaient en cours, avec “d’importants travaux” pour remplacer les lignes emportées par des arbres, poteaux renversés et autres équipements endommagés.”Les conditions météorologiques sont encore assez imprévisibles. Nous nous attendons à une augmentation des précipitations au cours des prochaines 24 heures”, a déclaré Chris Minns, le Premier ministre de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud, lors d’une conférence de presse.Néanmoins, tous les avis d’évacuation de l’Etat, sauf un, ont été levés, a-t-il ajouté.Samedi, le corps d’un homme de 61 ans a été retrouvé après que son 4×4 a été emporté par les flots alors qu’il traversait un pont sur une rivière en crue, dans le nord de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud.Après avoir réussi à sortir de son véhicule, il a tenté en vain de s’accrocher à une branche avant de sombrer dans l’eau, selon la police.Treize soldats australiens ont par ailleurs été blessés samedi dans un accident impliquant deux camions militaires en mission de secours sur la côte est. Tous les militaires, sauf un, avaient quitté l’hôpital lundi, a déclaré le ministre australien de la Défense, Richard Marles.

7-Eleven, Couche-Tard explore sell-offs ahead of potential merger

The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven said Monday it had agreed to jointly explore store sell-offs with a Canadian rival to address antitrust concerns ahead of a potential merger.It comes just days after Seven & i — which for two decades has wholly owned 7-Eleven, the world’s biggest convenience store brand — announced measures including a huge share buyback to fend off a takeover from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT).Seven & i last year rebuffed ACT’s initial buyout offer worth nearly $40 billion, saying it had “grossly” undervalued its business and could face regulatory hurdles.It would be the biggest foreign takeover of a Japanese firm — merging the 7-Eleven, Circle K and other franchises to create a global convenience store behemoth.Japanese media reported last week that a special committee scrutinising a raised offer by ACT of reportedly around $47 billion had decided to reject that too.But Seven & i said merging with ACT was still on the table, and on Monday gave details of how they are working together.The pair will “map out the viability of a divestiture process” by discussing “the group of stores to be sold and identifying potential buyers”, a Seven & i statement said.This would give a sense of how likely US antitrust regulators were to be satisfied, it said, adding that “joint outreach” by financial advisors to potential buyers had begun.”We can now make progress towards determining whether a credible and actionable… divestiture package can be achieved that would allow a realistic assessment of ACT’s proposal,” it said.- ‘Hostile’ bid -Seven & i operates some 85,000 convenience stores worldwide.Around a quarter of 7-Eleven outlets are in Japan where they sell everything from concert tickets to pet food and fresh rice balls, although sales have been flagging.On Thursday, Seven & i had said it planned to buy back two trillion yen ($13.2 billion) of its own shares.It also announced an IPO of its US unit and named Stephen Dacus as its first foreign CEO.ACT, which began with one store in Quebec in 1980, runs nearly 17,000 convenience store outlets worldwide, including Circle K.”We believe there is a clear path to obtaining regulatory approvals,” ACT said Friday, adding that it had “identified a potential divestiture portfolio of US stores”.Roy Larke, co-founder of analysis firm JapanConsuming, told AFP that “I think Seven & i still plans to fight what is in practicality a hostile takeover bid from ACT”.”To avoid this, Seven & i may agree to sell all or part of 7-Eleven in order to be allowed to continue its rebuilding in Japan alone,” he said.”The antitrust issues raised by Seven & i are likely to be genuine problems and prove to be a significant barrier,” Larke said.But “I would not be surprised if a deal was done to merge the US operations (subject to government approval)”.

Trump admin detains pro-Palestinian campus protest leader

Immigration officers have arrested a leader of the protests at Columbia University against Israel’s war in Gaza, authorities said Sunday, after US President Donald Trump vowed to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student demonstrators.Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent faces of the university’s protest movement that erupted in response to Israel’s conduct of the war, was arrested on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X.The agency said the action was taken “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State.”The Student Workers of Columbia Union said in a statement that Khalil had been detained on Saturday, describing him as “a Palestinian recent Columbia graduate and lead negotiator for last spring’s Gaza solidarity encampment.”US campuses including Columbia’s in New York were rocked by student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The demonstrations ignited accusations of anti-Semitism.Protests, some of which turned violent and saw campus buildings occupied and lectures disrupted, pitted students protesting Israel’s conduct against pro-Israel campaigners, many of whom were Jewish. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that “we will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”Khalil, who remains in immigration enforcement detention, held permanent residency at the time of his arrest prompting thousands of people to sign a petition calling for his release, the union statement added.”We are also aware of multiple reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accessing or attempting to access Columbia campus buildings on Friday and Saturday, including undergraduate dorms,” the union said.Columbia did not directly address Khalil’s arrest in response to inquiries, but in a statement said “there have been reports of ICE in the streets around campus.” “Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings,” Columbia said.In its post on X, the DHS said Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” without further details.Trump railed against the student protest movement linked to the conflict in Gaza, and vowed to deport foreign students who had demonstrated.He also threatened to cut off federal funding for institutions that he said were not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism.His administration announced Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.

Trump admin detains pro-Palestinian campus protest leader

Immigration officers have arrested a leader of the protests at Columbia University against Israel’s war in Gaza, authorities said Sunday, after US President Donald Trump vowed to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student demonstrators.Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent faces of the university’s protest movement that erupted in response to Israel’s conduct of the war, was arrested on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X.The agency said the action was taken “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State.”The Student Workers of Columbia Union said in a statement that Khalil had been detained on Saturday, describing him as “a Palestinian recent Columbia graduate and lead negotiator for last spring’s Gaza solidarity encampment.”US campuses including Columbia’s in New York were rocked by student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The demonstrations ignited accusations of anti-Semitism.Protests, some of which turned violent and saw campus buildings occupied and lectures disrupted, pitted students protesting Israel’s conduct against pro-Israel campaigners, many of whom were Jewish. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that “we will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”Khalil, who remains in immigration enforcement detention, held permanent residency at the time of his arrest prompting thousands of people to sign a petition calling for his release, the union statement added.”We are also aware of multiple reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accessing or attempting to access Columbia campus buildings on Friday and Saturday, including undergraduate dorms,” the union said.Columbia did not directly address Khalil’s arrest in response to inquiries, but in a statement said “there have been reports of ICE in the streets around campus.” “Columbia has and will continue to follow the law. Consistent with our longstanding practice and the practice of cities and institutions throughout the country, law enforcement must have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including University buildings,” Columbia said.In its post on X, the DHS said Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” without further details.Trump railed against the student protest movement linked to the conflict in Gaza, and vowed to deport foreign students who had demonstrated.He also threatened to cut off federal funding for institutions that he said were not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism.His administration announced Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment.