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James Watson — the Nobel laureate co-credited with the discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure, but whose reputation was tainted by his repeated racist remarks — has died aged 97.The eminent American biologist died Thursday in hospice care on Long Island in New York, said the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was based for much of his career. Watson went down as among the 20th century’s most storied scientists for his 1953 discovery of the double helix, a breakthrough made with research partner Francis Crick.Along with Crick and Maurice Wilkins, Watson shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for their momentous work that gave rise to modern biology and opened the door to insights including on genetic code and protein synthesis.That ushered in a new era of modern life, allowing for revolutionary technologies in medicine, forensics and genetics, like criminal DNA testing or genetically manipulated plants.Watson was just 25 when he joined in on one of science’s greatest discoveries. He later went on to do groundbreaking work in cancer research and mapping the human genome. His 1968 memoir “The Double Helix” was a best-seller praised for its breezy writing about fierce competition in the name of scientific advancement. But on a personal level Watson was known as at best cantankerous and frank, at worst mean and bigoted.He routinely disparaged female scientists, including Rosalind Franklin, whose work on X-ray diffraction images of DNA offered the clue that made Watson and Crick’s modeling possible.Franklin, who worked with Wilkins, did not receive the Nobel. She died in 1958, and the prestigious prize is neither shared by more than three people nor given posthumously. Watson faced few consequences for his behavior until 2007 when he told a newspaper he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really.”He apologized — but was swiftly removed as his lab’s chancellor and his public image never recovered.- ‘Twisting ladder’ -Born on April 6, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, at the aqe of 15 James Dewey Watson won a scholarship to the University of Chicago.He received a Ph.D. in zoology in 1950 from Indiana University Bloomington, and embarked on an academic path that took him to European universities including Cambridge, where he met Crick and began a historic partnership.Working with X-ray images obtained by Franklin and Wilkins, researchers at King’s College in London, Watson and Crick started parsing out the double helix.Their first serious effort came up short.But their second attempt — an image of Franklin’s proved key, and the duo had it without her knowledge — resulted in Watson and Crick presenting the double-helical configuration.The now iconic depiction resembles a twisting ladder.Their model also showed how the DNA molecule could duplicate itself,  answering a fundamental question in the field of genetics.Watson and Crick published their findings in the British journal “Nature” in 1953 to great acclaim.Watson taught at Harvard for 15 years before becoming director of what today is known as the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which he transformed into a global hub of molecular biology research.From 1988 to 1992, Watson was one of the directors of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health, where he oversaw the mapping of the genes in the human chromosomes.He shared two sons, Rufus and Duncan, with his wife Elizabeth.And he received honorary degrees from dozens of universities, wrote many books and was heavily decorated. Jeff Goldblum played him in a BBC-produced film about the double helix.On Friday his former lab commended his “extraordinary contributions.”But the institution had ultimately severed ties with the scientist, including stripping him of his emeritus status — in a PBS documentary that aired in 2019, Watson once again made “reprehensible” remarks.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Friday that Earth can no longer sustain humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels, and warned the climate fight could be lost without a rapid transition to cleaner energy.The leftist leader spoke at a summit in the Brazilian Amazon where heads of state and government implored nations to start weaning themselves off the coal, oil and gas responsible for most planet-warming emissions.Evidence of dangerous warming has never been clearer: the last decade has been the hottest on record, marked by intensifying hurricanes, heatwaves and wildfires.Lula said tackling the urgent question over the future of energy would determine “success or failure in the battle against climate change.””Earth can no longer sustain the development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels that has prevailed over the past 200 years,” he said in Belem, where an annual UN climate conference dubbed COP 30 kicks off next week.It comes two years after the world’s nations agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels.”Brazil is hoping for a roadmap towards this goal, but has faced resistance.Mexico’s Environment Secretary Alicia Barcena told AFP that “setting a specific date for the elimination of fossil fuels is always problematic because there are still many oil-producing countries.”It is very difficult to get everyone to agree to eliminate them by 2030, for example. But it can be proposed as a long-term goal,” she said.Lula is presiding over the climate negotiations just weeks after his government approved new oil drilling in the Amazon region.Rwanda’s environment minister Bernadette Arakwiye stressed that countries face a stark choice.”We can continue with incremental progress while the planet burns, or we can rise to meet the scale of this crisis,” she said.- Luxury flight tax -A shadow has been cast over the talks by the absence of leaders of the world’s biggest polluters — including the United States, whose President Donald Trump has dismissed climate science as a “con job” — but it has also catalyzed calls for greater mobilization.France, Spain and Kenya are among a group of countries spearheading a drive for a new tax on luxury air travel, rooted in the idea that premium flyers should pay more for their outsized contribution to global warming.”It is only fair that those who have more and pollute more should pay their fair share,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit. The initiative is sure to face headwinds from the aviation sector, responsible for about 2.5 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.- Roadmap support -Climate change has slipped down the agenda as nations grapple with economic pressures, trade disputes, wars, and the Trump administration’s aggressive push for more fossil fuels.Brazil has won support for a new fund to save the world’s forests, quickly raking in over $5 billion in pledges to reward tropical countries for not chopping down carbon-absorbing trees.The world remains off track to keep end-of-century global warming below 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels. It is the primary target of the Paris Agreement struck in 2015, and deemed necessary to avert the worst catastrophes of climate destabilization.A coalition of hundreds of NGOs representing the interests of women, Indigenous peoples, workers, small-scale farmers and other disadvantaged communities was unimpressed by what world leaders brought to the two-day summit.”The national plans of rich countries are not talking at all about a commitment they made two years ago… to move away from this brutal and cannibalistic fossil fuel economy,” said Jacobo Ocharan of Climate Action Network International, an NGO network that is part of an alternative so-called People’s Summit.”Nor have we seen absolutely anything regarding climate financing, financing that reaches the populations suffering from this climate crisis,” he told reporters in Belem.UN climate chief Simon Stiell stressed that, 10 years on from the Paris deal, global cooperation was delivering results.”Without that act of collective courage, we would still be heading for an impossible future of unchecked heating, of up to five degrees,” he said. “Because of it, the curve has bent below 3C — still perilous, but proof that climate cooperation works.”burs-np/ia/des/mlr/des

Stock markets mostly retreated Friday as the prolonged US government shutdown dragged on investor sentiment, along with worries about an AI bubble dismissed by President Donald Trump.Large tech names that have propelled major US equity indices to repeat records throughout 2025 were under pressure most of the day, although some big names inched into positive territory late in the session.US stocks finished Friday’s session mixed, with the Dow and S&P 500 narrowly positive, while the Nasdaq ended lower.But equity markets have hit resistance in recent days amid concerns that stocks are overvalued and doubts over tens of billions of dollars in new AI investments that have been announced.The worries include that “data centers might not be profitable in the near future.” said Tom Cahill of Ventura Wealth Management, who also emphasized the drag from the record-length government shutdown.”There are several data points that suggest that the labor market is really cooling and with all the uncertainty around the government shutdown and tariffs, that’s probably going to continue to weigh on hiring,” Cahill said.But Trump on Friday rejected talk of any AI bubble.”No, I love AI. I think it’s going to be very helpful,” Trump said in response to an AFP reporter about whether there is an AI bubble.”It’s truly going to be the future, and we’re leading the world.”US stocks got a boost late in the session on a revised offer from Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer that could end the shutdown, although leading Republicans quickly rejected the proposal.Investors have pointed to the shutdown as a source of unease because of the lack of government data. But analysts said there is also rising worry about the economic impact as well.”The longer this lasts the more damage it does,” said Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth Management.”We’re at the point where investors are starting to realize it is causing real damage.”The shutdown is denting consumer sentiment, according to a University of Michigan survey that showed a decline in November compared with October.”With the federal government shutdown dragging on for over a month, consumers are now expressing worries about potential negative consequences for the economy,” said surveys director Joanne Hsu.The University of Michigan data came a day after a report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas showed US layoffs hit the highest level in 22 years last month.Investors have been forced to use private data as a guide to the state of the world’s biggest economy because of the lack of official data.The shutdown also forced the cancelation of hundreds of flights on Friday after Trump’s administration ordered reductions to ease the strain on air traffic controllers who are working without paMarkets were also pressured by official data showing China’s exports fell in October for the first time in eight months as trade tensions flared in the weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump reached a detente.London’s top-tier FTSE 100 index was dragged down by double-digit falls in the share prices of online property business Rightmove and British Airways owner IAG following earnings updates that undershot market expectations.- Key figures at around 2115 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 46,987.10 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,728.80 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 23,004.54 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 9,682.57 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,950.18 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.7 percent at 23,569.96 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2 percent at 50,276.37 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 26,241.83 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,997.56 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1563 from $1.1547 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3160 from $1.3137Dollar/yen: UP at 153.46 yen from 153.06 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.86 pence from 87.90 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.4 percent at $63.63 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.5 percent at $59.75 per barrelburs-jmb/des

Seven people briefly felt ill after a suspicious package was opened on Thursday at the military base near the US capital that is home to Air Force One, the presidential jet, a base spokesperson said Friday.The package contained “negative sentiments” towards President Donald Trump but there were “no specific threats towards the president or other government officials,” the spokesperson for Joint Base Andrews said in a statement.”Emergency responders evacuated the building and connecting building and established a cordon around the area,” the statement said. “Seven individuals felt ill and were assessed by the JB Andrews medical team and were released.”The spokesperson said testing was conducted for contaminants but “no powder or hazardous materials were found and there is no active threat.”US media had reported previously that the package contained a white powder.Joint Base Andrews in Maryland is a short drive from Washington and is used by senior US government officials.Trump landed at the facility as recently as Wednesday on an Air Force One flight returning him from a business forum in Florida.According to CNN, the package was opened in a building that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center on the sprawling base.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards with nine, the Recording Academy announced Friday — fresh off winning five golden gramophones at the last gala honoring the best in music.Lady Gaga ranked second among performers with seven nods for her “Mayhem” album, followed by a trio of artists tied at six — Bad Bunny, pop princess Sabrina Carpenter and R&B singer-songwriter Leon Thomas.Lamar will vie for album, record and song of the year honors at the 68th Grammys, which will take place in Los Angeles on February 1.Also competing for the coveted best album award are: Gaga; Bad Bunny; Carpenter; Thomas; Tyler, the Creator; hip-hop duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice); and pop superstar Justin Bieber — with his first studio effort in four years.Lamar, 38, dominated the Grammys in February with five awards for the wildly infectious “Not Like Us,” his viral diss track targeting fellow rapper Drake.A week later, the Pulitzer Prize winner commanded one of the world’s most high-profile stages as the Super Bowl’s halftime show headliner, performing a string of classics — including the knockout blow in his battle with his Canadian rival.But the song did not feature on his most recent album “GNX” — the source of his nominated material this time out.Lady Gaga, 39, made a splashy comeback to touring with “Mayhem,” her collection of full-on pop bangers with a dark edge that embraces her dramatic side.She also will compete for album, record and song of the year, as will Bad Bunny.The 31-year-old superstar, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, also has a pile of nods for next week’s Latin Grammys and will headline the next Super Bowl halftime show in February.He completed a three-month residency in his native Puerto Rico this year and hosted the season opener of “Saturday Night Live.”He is set to open a world tour in support of “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” (I Should Have Taken More Photos) later this month in the Dominican Republic.Other artists in the mix are rapper Doechii and R&B artist SZA, each with five nominations. “Golden,” the massive hit song from Netflix’s animated smash “KPop Demon Hunters,” earned three Grammy nods — including one for song of the year. And up for best new artist are Alex Warren, girl group Katseye, Britain’s Olivia Dean, TikTok dancer-turned-singer Addison Rae, The Marias, sombr, Lola Young and Thomas — who was already a Grammy winner two years ago for producing a song by SZA.Producers Jack Antonoff and Cirkut each earned seven nominations.There will be two new categories at the 2026 gala — best album cover and best traditional country album. The existing best country album category is now called best contemporary country album.- More diverse? -Industry watchers will be dissecting the full list of nominees in all 95 categories to see if changes made by the Recording Academy, which hands out the awards, have addressed concerns about diversity.More than 3,800 new members were admitted to the academy, greatly expanding the number of eligible Grammy voters.Half of those new members are age 39 or younger, and 58 percent of them are people of color, the academy announced earlier this week.  Invitations were also offered to all members of the Latin Recording Academy, which will hand out the Latin Grammys next week in Las Vegas.”This year’s class reflects the vibrancy of today’s diverse music landscape,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr said in a statement.So why is Taylor Swift not in the Grammys mix? After all, Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” has been ubiquitous since its release in October.But it is not eligible for the 2026 Grammys — the window closed on August 30. Look for the pop megastar to be front and center in the 2027 edition.

In a faux castle atop a Los Angeles hill, a small film crew with their cameras flipped sideways squeeze into a bedroom and shoot a raunchy affair scene, under the gaze of their Chinese producer.This is the brave new world of “vertical dramas,” a multi-billion-dollar industry that has taken Hollywood by storm in just two years, churning out algorithm-driven movies that are watched in addictive 60-second installments on smartphones.With kitschy plots about werewolves and billionaires, budgets of just a few hundred thousand dollars, and breakneck filming schedules, this format from China is radically changing — and, some say, saving — a struggling industry.Vertical dramas are like a “soap opera on cocaine,” says producer Vincent Wang.”In 30 days, we can get a show together. Hollywood takes two years. We have already made 500 shows by the time they make their first. Who is the future?”Vertical dramas emerged in China in the 2010s, initially shot by amateurs and shared on TikTok. Big companies swept in, recognizing the potential for rapid financial returns when hastily and cheaply produced micro-dramas go viral.While similar efforts like Quibi flopped in the United States, verticals became an $8 billion industry.Since 2023, Chinese-run platforms — with names like ReelShort, DramaBox and FlareFlow — have set up shop stateside, hiring thousands of talented filmmakers and actors left short of work by Hollywood’s persistent belt-tightening.”I honestly think it’s the future… right here, right now,” says Zachary Shadrin, a TV and film actor, making his vertical drama debut during AFP’s visit to the set of “Love Through All Seasons.””It’s a good time to jump on this train.”- ‘Toxic’ -Like many of his Los Angeles-based contemporaries, Shadrin was initially wary of vertical dramas.Aside from intense filming schedules — vertical films can wrap in as little as five days — the genre is infamous for its fixation with abusive relationships and violent male protagonists.Popular titles include “Dominated by My Dad’s Boss” and “Mated to My Savage Alpha.” “I personally think it’s toxic,” says Shadrin.But he agreed to star in FlareFlow’s “Love Through All Seasons” because of the age-gap rom-com’s “sweet” premise.”It wasn’t something I saw usually in terms of verticals,” he says, expressing hope that the quality of scripts is rising.Indeed, multiple actors who recently moved to vertical films told AFP they have been pleasantly surprised by the professionalism on sets.”We all chuckle at some of the lines that are absolutely ridiculous,” said actor Nicholas McDonald.”But everyone’s a good sport and treats it very professionally. Because there’s money behind it.”- ‘Hooked right away’ -Producers of vertical dramas say they are not competing with HBO or Netflix for eyeballs, but rather with TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.The business model is radical, but simple.Vertical-drama platforms offer the first six to 12 mini-episodes for free, before requiring customers to pay to keep going.So each installment, despite being barely a minute long, has to contain its own emotional twist, to prevent its viewer from doom-scrolling elsewhere. Plots rely heavily on genre tropes, such as vampires and werewolves.”The audience can be hooked right away without using too much of their brain,” says “Love Through All Seasons” director Weiyang Li.”Everyone’s exhausted from their life already.” Companies scrutinize viewing data to see which plot devices have worked best, enabling them to churn out dozens more shows along those lines within months.Production frequently begins before screenplays have been completed. Many scripts are translated from existing Chinese hits. And artificial intelligence is sometimes used to generate ideas, FlareFlow producer and co-screenwriter Zhiyuan Qu told AFP.Another cost advantage? The vertical format suited to smartphone screens means less background is visible on either side of actors — so less expensive set dressing, and fewer crew required.- ‘Shadows’ -While vertical dramas are most popular in Asia, customers in burgeoning US and European markets pay higher prices. This another reason to film in Hollywood.Most verticals are currently non-union — producers say union projects are too expensive and slow. But the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) last month announced a new contract to allow its members to work on the micro-dramas.After years in which Hollywood sets have closed due to pandemic lockdowns, strikes, and tax incentives that lure productions elsewhere, the allure of vertical shorts is too strong.”I can ditch my side gigs, my support job, so that I can go and act… that’s cool,” said McDonald, who estimates 80 percent of his auditions are currently for vertical dramas.Vertical dramas are “creeping out from the shadows,” he said.

Cornell University has agreed to pay $60 million to settle a row with the Trump administration that will see the restoration of $250 million of federal funding to the US Ivy League school, it said Friday.Cornell was one of several elite universities against which President Donald Trump led a charge after returning to the White House, accusing them of being bastions of liberal bias and harboring antisemites.As a result of Trump’s crackdown, Cornell said it was subjected to stop-work orders, grant terminations and funding freezes with the total value of the interruptions put at $250 million.The Trump administration launched civil rights probes against Cornell and dozens of universities alleging they allowed Jewish and Israeli students to face discrimination during campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.Under the deal, Cornell said it would invest $30 million over three years in research to strengthen US agriculture, and pay $30 million directly to the government over three years.The civil rights probe against Cornell was also terminated under the deal.”The resolution is explicit that Cornell’s agreement to these terms is not an admission of wrongdoing,” the university said in a statement.Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff welcomed the announcement and said the agreement “acknowledges the government’s commitment to enforce existing anti-discrimination law, while protecting our academic freedom and institutional independence.” “These discussions have now yielded a result that will enable us to return to our teaching and research in restored partnership with federal agencies.”Trump had initially sought to take control of the admissions and hiring decisions of those universities targeted, but Cornell stressed in its statement Friday that the deal allows it to “make admissions and hiring decisions based on merit.”

More than 1,200 flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid a federal government shutdown.Forty airports were slated for the cuts, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.With Republicans and Democrats in a bitter standoff, particularly over health insurance subsidies, federal agencies have been grinding to halt since funding lapsed on October 1.Many government employees, including vital airport staff, are either working without pay or furloughed at home, waiting for the now nearly six-week crisis to end.The flight reductions are taking effect gradually, starting at four percent and rising to 10 percent next week if Congress still hasn’t reached a funding deal.More than 1,200 flights scheduled for Friday were canceled, according to tracking website FlightAware.Aviation analytics company Cirium said three percent of US flights had been canceled so far, with 94 percent departing on time.The most affected airports were Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Denver and Phoenix, according to data analyzed by AFP.”This is frustrating. We don’t need to be in this position,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC.The upheaval means ordinary Americans are now directly feeling the impacts of the Washington budget fight that has shut down much of the government.The Senate was expected to try for the 15th time Friday to approve a short-term, House-passed funding measure that would reopen the government — but the vote was expected to fail like the previous 14.US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Democrats, saying they should vote to reopen the government.”If Democrats are going to go home this weekend, and they’ve kept the government shut down, that’s shameful,” Duffy told reporters at Reagan National Airport.However, Republicans control Congress, and Democrats have said they will refuse to sign off on the majority party’s budget plans, including severe healthcare cuts.- ‘Hurting people’ -The flight reduction measures come as the country enters its busiest travel time of the year, with the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away.”This will get serious if things drag on to Thanksgiving,” retiree Werner Buchi told AFP at New York’s LaGuardia airport as he waited for his daughter to arrive on a flight from Wilmington, North Carolina.Rhonda, 65 — who arrived at LaGuardia without a hitch from Portland, Maine — worried about holiday plans “that could be ruined because people won’t talk to each other. This is hurting a lot of people,” she said.American Airlines said in a statement that its scheduled reduction amounted to 220 flight cancellations each day.Delta Air Lines said it was cutting about 170 flights scheduled for Friday, while broadcaster CNN reported Southwest Airlines axed around 100 flights set for that day.More than 6,800 US flights were delayed Thursday with some 200 cancellations, FlightAware data showed, with passengers facing long lines at security checkpoints.- ‘Safe to fly’ -Travelers at Boston and Newark airports have faced average delays of more than two hours, and those at Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National more than an hour.President Donald Trump’s administration sought to reassure people that flying remains safe.”It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Duffy said on social media late Thursday.But many in high-stress aviation-related jobs are now calling in sick and potentially working second jobs to pay their bills.

US President Donald Trump said he would consider giving Hungary a carve-out from sanctions on Russian oil, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban sought to cozy up to his right-wing ally at the White House on Friday.Nationalist Orban’s visit was his first since Trump’s return to power, and comes after his country offered to host a Ukraine summit between the US leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has now been called off.”We are looking at it because it is very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas. As you know they don’t have the advantage of having sea,” Trump told reporters.The United States hit Russia’s two biggest oil companies with sanctions last month as Trump’s frustration with Putin’s refusal to end the nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine mounted.Hungary — the closest ally in the European Union of both Trump and the Kremlin — depends heavily on Russian oil and gas despite EU efforts to wean itself off.Orban, who has often bucked the rest of the European Union on pressuring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, said that Russian energy was vital for his country.- ‘Achieve results’ -The Hungarian leader said he would explain to Trump the “consequences” for Hungarian people without Russian oil and gas.”Because we are supplied by pipelines. Pipeline is not an ideological or political issue. It’s a physical reality because we don’t have port(s),” Orban said.Orban — who was accompanied by a large delegation that includes six ministers — said before the meeting that “I have to achieve results” on the oil sanctions.Experts say the meeting with the US president was expected to give at least a “symbolic” win to Orban, who faces an unprecedented challenge to his 15-year rule ahead of elections next spring amid economic stagnation.Trump told European Union leaders to show more respect to Orban, who has thumbed his nose at them over migration.”I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly because he’s been right on immigration,” Trump told reporters.Trump, who has carried out a sweeping crackdown on immigration at home, again alleged a link between migrants and crime, which is not backed up by statistics in the United States.- ‘Dear friend’ -Orban visited his “dear friend” Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida three times last year, but the US president’s return to power has had a mixed effect on Hungary.Washington has withdrawn sanctions against top Orban aide Antal Rogan and restored the country’s status in a visa waiver scheme.But Trump’s tariffs against the European Union have hit Hungary’s export-oriented car industry hard, contributing to an already weak economy.Daniel Hegedus, central Europe director at the German Marshall Fund (GMF), said Trump could eventually show some flexibility on Orban’s request on the oil sanctions.Washington has given firms who work with sanctioned Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil one month to cut ties or face secondary sanctions, which would deny them access to US banks, traders, shippers and insurers.”There surely will be some kind of symbolic result that can be communicated by both parties” after their meeting, Hegedus told AFP, adding that Trump has “already proved he is willing to help out his ideological allies.””I expect Trump will give a victory to Orban that he can sell at home and strengthens his position, as the administration actively supports political forces that divide the EU,” he said.Orban — who has refused to send military aid to Ukraine and opposes Kyiv’s EU bid — has had frequent run-ins with Brussels on rule-of-law and other issues.burs-dk/bgs

The United States on Friday became only the second country to ever boycott a United Nations review of its human rights record, as President Donald Trump’s administration faced criticism over mounting abuses.US seats were left empty at the world body’s European headquarters in Geneva for the so-called Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which all 193 UN member states have to undergo every four to five years.Some countries have requested postponements since the UPR began in 2008 but Israel was the only previous no-show in early 2013, although it eventually underwent a delayed review 10 months later.As the review was set to begin, UN Human Rights Council president Jurg Lauber looked at the empty seats behind the US nameplate and said: “I note that the delegation of the United States is not present in the room.”The US absence was not a surprise after the Trump administration decided early this year to halt Washington’s cooperation with the rights council, and announced in August it would also boycott the UPR process.But it still angered a number of US local officials and rights groups who had come to Geneva to list their growing concerns since Trump returned to power in January.- ‘Shocking’ -“It’s shocking that the US decided not to participate,” Carolyn Nash of Amnesty International told AFP, accusing Washington of “walking away from even the impression of caring about the safety and security of people in the US and around the world”.This is “really an abdication of US multilateral and human rights leadership,” Uzra Zeya, head of Human Rights First, told AFP.Speaking at one of several events at the UN connected with the aborted US review, she warned the government had created an “unprecedented reprisal environment” with infringements on free speech, government “weaponisation of federal funds” and Trump’s “massive deportation operation”. Others listed the crackdowns on universities, the media and art institutions, as well as lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, among alarming developments.Larry Krasner, who was re-elected district attorney of Philadelphia earlier this week, told AFP he was not surprised that “criminal” Trump “wants to escape accountability”.But he voiced hope the “moral authority” of the people would help “rein in a rough president … who wants to be Adolf Hitler”.The side events were taking place in a room of the UN’s European headquarters where former US first lady Eleanor Roosevelt helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights before its adoption in 1948.”It’s tragic and deeply ironic that we helped to create the norms as well as this (UPR) process that we are now backing out of,” a former senior US official told AFP, asking not to be named.- Need for ‘sunlight’ -Many urged the international community to speak out and support their work to hold the US government in check.”It’s the Human Rights Council, the United Nations system and a community of nations committed to human rights and democracy who can bring necessary sunlight to these abuses,” said Chandra Bhatnagar, head of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)’s southern California branch.Holly Mitchell, the elected supervisor of the Second District County of Los Angeles, agreed.”When the president sends tanks into the streets and disappears people, people are taken from home, off the street, from their families, from school, without any rights, being held without access to counsel, I believe we’re in trouble,” she said. “It’s going to take the world’s eye and the world’s voice to hold him accountable.”Observers warned the US absence could serve as a bad example.”We hope this doesn’t risk normalising withdrawal from the council,” Sanjay Sethi, co-head of the Artistic Freedom Initiative, told AFP.