Weeks after the conclusion of Tanzania’s highly contested October presidential election, an official commission of inquiry has for the first time released a public death toll tied to the widespread post-election unrest that rocked the country: 518 people lost their lives to unnatural causes, commission chair Mohamed Chande Othman confirmed in his official presentation of the inquiry’s findings. Of the fatalities recorded, Othman noted, 490 were male, a stark demographic breakdown of the unrest that followed the presidential vote. The commission was launched by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on November 20, with a broad mandate to unpack the root causes of the violence, identify involved parties and their motives, assess the government’s response to the unrest, and outline policy recommendations to prevent similar future conflicts. Over the course of its investigation, the panel collected testimony and evidence from a wide range of stakeholders across Tanzania, including ordinary residents, victims of the violence, opposition political leaders, and national security agencies, holding some of its deliberations in closed, private sessions. In his findings, Othman avoided assigning direct blame for the 518 deaths, stopping short of naming responsible parties and instead calling for additional targeted investigations to clarify who perpetrated the fatal violence. The chair framed the unrest as the outcome of a mix of long-simmering structural issues and immediate post-election triggers. “We are dealing with both long-standing issues that have persisted over time and immediate triggers that ignited tensions on the ground,” Othman stated, adding that the commission attributes the unrest to a combination of economic, political, and social grievances. These included public demands for broader political reform, widespread youth unemployment, and what the report described as “lack of patriotism” among dissident groups. The inquiry concluded that politicians and activist organizers leveraged these existing frustrations to mobilize citizens to join post-election protests, and that the demonstrations themselves were neither peaceful nor legal, meaning they did not qualify for standard legal protections. The election outcome that sparked the unrest remains deeply contested: President Samia was officially declared the winner of the October 29 presidential vote, securing a landslide 98% of the vote, a result the country’s opposition parties immediately dismissed as a “mockery” of democratic process. The president has repeatedly defended the election as free, fair, and fully transparent. In response to the unrest, Samia has blamed foreign actors for instigating the violence, framing it as part of a coordinated plot to overthrow her democratically elected administration. Since the unrest unfolded, opposition parties and independent human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Tanzanian security forces of carrying out a brutal, lethal crackdown on anti-government protesters, a charge that has not been confirmed or refuted by the inquiry’s findings. Opposition leaders have already raised sharp questions about the credibility of the nine-member commission itself, noting that all members were directly appointed by President Samia. The opposition argues that this direct executive appointment strips the panel of the independence and impartiality required to fairly investigate violence tied to the administration, leaving key questions about accountability unresolved more than a year after the election. This death toll marks the first time that Tanzanian authorities have publicly confirmed the scale of fatalities from the post-election unrest, a long-awaited disclosure that comes amid ongoing domestic and international scrutiny of the country’s political climate.
作者： admin
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China makes major strides in fight against desertification, shares lessons with world
Across the sun-baked southeastern fringe of the Tengger Desert in northwest China, land management teams work systematically to press braided straw rope bundles into shifting sand dunes, forming an immense, interconnected grid that anchors the moving terrain and halts its advance. This innovative grass grid barrier technique represents a modern evolution of decades of Chinese sand control expertise, bringing new efficiency to one of the world’s largest ongoing ecosystem restoration campaigns.
Tang Ximing, a veteran forestry engineer based in Zhongwei, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, explained that the upgraded barrier system addresses key shortcomings of traditional sand control methods. “It requires less manual labor than older straw grid variants, can be deployed far more quickly, and boasts an extended service life of five to six years,” Tang said. For Zhongwei, a city long on the front lines of China’s battle against desert expansion, this new technology is the latest step in a generations-long fight to reclaim land from encroaching dunes.
Ningxia’s geographic position has made it a natural front for this struggle: surrounded by deserts on three sides, Zhongwei sits directly in the historic pathway the Tengger Desert used to push southeast toward populated and developed areas. As far back as the 1950s, local researchers and land managers pioneered the iconic straw checkerboard method, a low-cost, high-impact technique designed to protect the newly built Baotou-Lanzhou Railway — China’s first rail corridor carved through a major desert — from being buried by shifting dunes.
After more than 70 years of sustained, incremental effort, that early innovation laid the groundwork for a historic milestone: Ningxia became the first provincial-level administrative region in China to successfully reverse the spread of desertification across its territory. This local victory is mirrored by large-scale progress across the country.
China is among the nations globally most severely impacted by desertification, with its most vulnerable arid and semi-arid lands concentrated in the northwest, north and northeast of the country — a vast swathe collectively referred to as the “Three Norths.” For decades, the Chinese government has prioritized large-scale afforestation, sustainable land management, and technological innovation to combat desert expansion, turning local trials into national policy that has restored millions of hectares of degraded land. Beyond its domestic environmental gains, China now increasingly shares its decades of accumulated sand control experience with other nations facing similar desertification challenges, offering actionable lessons for global ecosystem restoration and climate adaptation.
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Trump not viewing Iran’s ships seizure near Hormuz Strait as breach of ceasefire: White House
On Wednesday, the White House made clear that former U.S. President Donald Trump does not classify Iran’s forced seizure of two commercial vessels near the strategic Strait of Hormuz as a violation of the extended bilateral ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt laid out the administration’s position during an interview on Fox News, emphasizing the targeted ships were neither U.S.-flagged nor Israeli-owned, but rather two commercial vessels operating under international registration.
Leavitt launched sharp criticism of Iran’s actions in the incident, framing the operation as outright maritime piracy. She claimed that Iran’s once-dominant regional naval force has devolved into acting like organized pirate gangs, adding that Iran has no legitimate claim to exclusive control over the busy international waterway that carries nearly a fifth of the world’s annual oil trade.
The confrontation developed after Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced earlier the same day that it had detained the two ships, justifying the action by stating the vessels were operating without valid navigational authorization, had repeatedly violated local maritime regulations, and were tampering with their official positioning systems to avoid detection.
According to Iranian semi-official Fars News Agency, the IRGC conducted a third interdiction operation the same day, targeting a Greek-owned bulk carrier named the Euphoria that the force labeled another rule-breaking vessel transiting the strait. The Euphoria was disabled in the operation and has since run aground along Iran’s coastline, leaving the ship and its crew stranded in Iranian territorial waters.
The Strait of Hormuz has long been one of the world’s most geopolitically tense chokepoints, with repeated encounters between Iranian security forces and commercial shipping dating back to heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and regional rivalries. The incident comes amid a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran that had been extended in recent weeks to de-escalate tensions across the Persian Gulf region.
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Praying to same goddess: Mazu belief tightens cross-Strait bond
Every year, when the third lunar month arrives, tens of thousands of worshippers across Taiwan launch into a centuries-old devotional tradition: a days-long procession to celebrate the birth of Mazu, the revered Chinese sea goddess. The event, affectionately nicknamed “March Madness for Mazu”, draws participants of all ages, bound together by shared faith and cultural heritage that stretches across the Taiwan Strait.
The most iconic of these annual gatherings is the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, centered on a sacred statue of the goddess housed at Dajia Jenn Lann Temple in central Taiwan’s Taichung. For 2026, the pilgrimage kicked off on the evening of April 17, with a nine-day, eight-night journey that will cover more than 300 kilometers. The procession winds through four counties and cities—Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, and Chiayi—paying respects at nearly 100 local temples before returning to its starting point on April 26.
One of the pilgrimage’s most anticipated milestones took place on Tuesday morning, when a grand birthday ritual was held at Hsin Kang Feng Tian Temple in Chiayi. Starting promptly at 8 a.m., the solemn ceremony unfolded at an outdoor altar, drawing tens of thousands of devotees who had traveled from across the island to take part. The formal observance ran for roughly two hours, capping a week of steady travel for the procession.
While the largest celebration unfolds across Taiwan, devotional events are also held simultaneously at Mazu’s ancestral temple on China’s Meizhou Island, Fujian Province—the origin point of Mazu belief. This year, representatives from 77 Taiwanese Mazu temples traveled to Meizhou to join the cross-Strait celebrations, reinforcing the deep shared roots of the faith on both sides of the water.
Scholars and devotees alike emphasize that Mazu worship is far more than a religious tradition: it is a living testament to the centuries-old cultural and historical ties that bind the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The figure of Mazu is rooted in the story of Lin Mo, a 10th-century woman from Meizhou Island who was revered for her work rescuing imperiled seafarers, and eventually deified as a patron of those who travel the seas. A core element of shared Minnan culture, which unites Fujian and Taiwan, the belief was brought to Taiwan by early migrants from the Chinese mainland, and has grown to become one of the most widespread faiths on the island. Today, Taiwan counts more than 10 million Mazu followers and more than 800 temples dedicated to the goddess.
For many participants, the pilgrimage is a demanding but deeply meaningful personal commitment. Many devotees have walked the entire route since the procession launched on April 17, and even unseasonably warm weather did little to dampen turnout or enthusiasm. Pilgrims travel light but prepared, carrying tents, folding stools, and extra clothing, while communities along the route open public facilities—including local schools—to offer free accommodation and rest stops for participants.
Hung Chien-chieh, a 50-something devotee from central Taiwan, has joined the pilgrimage every year for a decade. A foot injury means he alternates between walking and cycling the route, but he has no plans to stop. For Hung, the faith also opens a desire for deeper cross-Strait connection: “I hope to attend Mazu-related events on the mainland and eventually invite a Mazu statue back home for worship,” he explained.
Volunteers are the backbone of the event, with hundreds of community members turning out each year to offer free services to pilgrims. Ms. Gong, a long-time volunteer who has distributed cold watermelons to passing procession participants for years, describes Mazu as a timeless symbol of core values that unite the community. “Mazu represents compassion, kindness, and perseverance—those are values that bind all of us here,” she said. Other volunteers note that the number of people offering free support grows each year, building a powerful sense of shared community along the route.
The tradition is also successfully passing to younger generations, with many young Taiwanese people taking on key roles in the procession. Lin Chin-cheng, a 27-year-old from Taichung, has participated every year since he was 21, and he plans to keep taking part long into the future. His team handles ceremonial items including processional parasols, sacred flags, and ritual gongs, carrying these symbolic objects the full length of the route.
Following Tuesday’s birthday ceremony at Hsin Kang Feng Tian Temple, the procession departed for the final leg of its journey, heading back to Dajia Jenn Lann Temple. In recent years, modern technology has made the beloved tradition more accessible to people who cannot attend in person: dedicated mobile apps offer real-time route tracking, and official and community livestreams bring the procession to followers around the world.
Mazu belief has long served as a powerful bridge for cross-Strait exchange, even during periods of political tension. In 1987, after decades of limited contact across the Strait, a delegation from Dajia Jenn Lann Temple made a landmark journey to Meizhou Island via Japan, becoming one of the first major Taiwanese groups to pay tribute at the ancestral Mazu temple after years of separation. Just a few months before this year’s pilgrimage, in March 2026, a new delegation of Mazu temple representatives from Taichung and Changhua traveled to Meizhou to worship, reaffirming the shared cultural heritage that unites people across the Strait.
In 2009, Mazu belief and customs were officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its global cultural significance. Lee Fong-mao, a retired religious studies professor from Taipei’s Chengchi University and a leading expert on Taiwanese folk belief, notes that traditions like Mazu worship offer a clear reflection of the deep ancestral connections that bind Taiwan to the Chinese mainland. “These folk beliefs are living proof of the shared cultural ties shaped by shared geography and common lineage, connecting people in Taiwan to their ancestral roots on the mainland,” Lee explained.
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Iran defies US blockade to claim tolls from Hormuz shipping
A months-long geopolitical standoff between Iran and the United States reached a new milestone this week, as a senior Iranian official confirmed Thursday that Tehran has collected its first revenue from tolls imposed on commercial shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz – a critical global energy chokepoint that normally carries 20% of the world’s oil and gas trade. The ongoing disruption to global supply chains, sparked by the US-led blockade of Iranian ports and Iran’s reciprocal restriction of Hormuz access, continues to ripple through the global economy, with fuel shortages forcing additional flight cancellations, benchmark oil prices opening higher on international markets, and new data revealing eurozone business activity has contracted for the first time in 16 months.
The confrontation remains at an impasse even as a two-week-old regional truce has largely paused direct military strikes, with Pakistani-mediated peace talks hanging indefinitely in the balance. US President Donald Trump has publicly demanded Iran immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its enriched uranium program, threatening continued economic pressure to force compliance. But Iranian leaders have rejected these demands, arguing that the US naval blockade of Iran’s seaborne trade itself constitutes a violation of the existing ceasefire agreement.
“A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade,” stated Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and head of Tehran’s delegation for the first round of talks, adding that “Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire.” Ghalibaf’s deputy Hamidrez Hajibabei confirmed that Iran has received the first batch of payments from commercial vessels seeking authorization to transit the strategic waterway, a move that marks Tehran’s formalization of its new toll regime amid the standoff.
Regional analysts warn that both sides are doubling down on conflicting economic strategies, with neither willing to make major concessions ahead of a potential resumption of talks. Hardline factions aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) believe that holding Hormuz hostage – and driving sustained increases in global energy prices and widespread commodity shortages – will build enough international pressure on the Trump administration to end its blockade and withdraw US military forces from the region, according to a recent brief from the Soufan Center think tank. Conversely, the Trump administration calculates that its full blockade of Iran’s oil exports, which make up the vast majority of the country’s seaborne trade, will rapidly cripple Iran’s domestic economy and force Tehran to surrender to US demands.
Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies, noted that US and Israeli leaders have consistently misjudged Iranian willingness to absorb economic hardship to defend core national security interests. “Tehran has consistently demonstrated a willingness to absorb economic pain while holding firm on what it views as core national interests. There is little reason to believe this time will be different,” Citrinowicz wrote in a social media post, adding that “Rather than moving toward concession, Iran is positioning itself to escalate.”
Uncertainty around the peace talks has deepened in recent days. Trump told the New York Post Wednesday that talks could resume in Islamabad within two to three days, but Iran has not confirmed its participation, and US Vice President JD Vance has already postponed his planned travel to Pakistan. For four consecutive days, Pakistani authorities have maintained extreme security measures in Islamabad’s government and commercial districts, closing most businesses, shuttering local schools in the secured Red Zone, and shifting universities to remote learning in anticipation of US and Iranian delegations arriving. No new timeline for resuming negotiations has been announced by either side.
In addition to the Hormuz standoff, Iran’s IRGC has announced it intercepted and diverted two commercial vessels to Iranian shores: the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Epaminondas. UK-based maritime security monitors have confirmed three separate recent incidents involving Iranian gunboats approaching commercial vessels in the strait, while US Central Command reports that its forces enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports have already redirected 31 vessels away from Iranian territorial waters during the ceasefire.
The broader regional conflict also remains unresolved along the Israel-Lebanon border, where a US-brokered truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has held uneasily since the broader ceasefire with Iran was agreed. Lebanese media reported Wednesday that an Israeli strike near the border killed two people, including Al-Akhbar journalist Amal Khalil, and wounded another reporter Zeinab Faraj. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun denounced the attack as a deliberate war crime meant to silence coverage of Israeli actions, saying “Israel deliberately targets journalists in order to conceal the truth about its crimes against Lebanon.”
The Israeli Defense Force countered that it struck a vehicle carrying Hezbollah fighters that had crossed its self-declared forward defense line in southern Lebanon and approached Israeli troops. The military denied blocking rescue access to the site and said the incident is under internal investigation. Since the start of the broader conflict, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,450 Lebanese people, according to Lebanese government data. A second round of bilateral talks between Israel and Lebanon is scheduled to open in Washington Thursday, with a senior Lebanese official telling AFP that Beirut will request a one-month extension of the current ceasefire during the negotiations.
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HK financial secretary calls for closer Asia-Oceania market alignment to draw global capital
At the 40th General Assembly of the Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation (AOSEF), hosted this week by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), top financial leaders from Hong Kong have called for deeper cross-market coordination across the Asia-Oceania region to unlock greater access to international capital. The three-day gathering, which concluded this week, brought more than 100 delegates from 18 regional stock exchanges together to address pressing industry priorities: expanding cross-border connectivity, improving market liquidity, and strengthening the resilience of regional capital markets amid shifting global investment flows.
Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, laid out the core case for alignment in his opening keynote address on Wednesday. He noted that AOSEF’s 17 member exchanges collectively account for roughly one-third of total global stock market capitalization and are home to more than half of the world’s publicly listed companies. Despite this massive scale and economic significance, Chan pointed out that global institutional investors still face unnecessary complexity navigating fragmented regional markets when engaging with individual jurisdictions separately. “Our diversity is our strength, but only if we build the bridges that turn complexity into seamless accessibility,” Chan told assembled delegates.
Carlson Tong, Chairman of HKEX, echoed this vision, emphasizing that the ongoing global reallocation of capital toward Asian markets creates a one-of-a-kind window for regional collaboration. “By working together, we can create richer product ecosystems, advance market access and develop efficient infrastructure that helps build liquidity within Asia,” Tong said. Bonnie Y Chan, Chief Executive Officer of HKEX, added that the Hong Kong bourse is prioritizing the development of tailored products, integrated platforms, and strategic cross-border partnerships designed to simplify two-way market access for both investors and issuers across the region. These efforts, she noted, are aligned with the collective goal of advancing the overall development and global standing of Asia’s financial markets.
Founded to facilitate information sharing and collaborative action among member exchanges, AOSEF’s core mission is to drive sustainable growth of regional securities markets. In a closing announcement, delegates confirmed that the federation’s 41st General Assembly will be hosted in Beijing in 2027 by the National Equities Exchange and Quotations, marking another milestone in coordinated regional capital market development.
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Macao to help China-Portugal cooperation reach new level, says Macao SAR chief executive
During an official visit to Portugal in late April 2026, Sam Hou-fai, Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), has announced that both sides have agreed to leverage Macao’s unique positioning as a cross-regional platform to advance bilateral economic cooperation between China and Portugal to new heights. The visit, which launched in Lisbon on April 19, marked a key diplomatic engagement focused on strengthening historical ties and expanding multi-dimensional collaboration.
Over the course of his trip, Sam held one-on-one strategic meetings with top Portuguese leadership, including President Antonio Jose Seguro, Speaker of Parliament Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, and Supreme Court of Justice President Joao Cura Mariano. In these closed-door discussions, Sam delivered a detailed update on the successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” framework in Macao, highlighting how the policy has sustained the region’s social stability and long-term economic vitality over more than two decades since its handover.
In a press briefing concluding the visit, Sam emphasized the productive outcomes of the diplomatic trip, noting that it met core objectives of deepening mutual political understanding, reinforcing centuries-old traditional friendship between the two peoples, and laying the groundwork for expanded all-round cooperation across sectors. He expressed firm confidence that Macao’s distinct advantages as a bridging hub between Chinese-speaking markets and Portuguese-speaking countries will allow the region to make new, greater contributions to the China-Portugal comprehensive strategic partnership.
For his part, President Seguro reaffirmed the solid foundation of bilateral ties between China and Portugal, noting the two nations established formal diplomatic relations in 1979 and upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2005. Over the decades, Seguro noted, the two countries have built consistently close, friendly relations marked by growing political mutual trust, regular high-level exchange, and productive collaboration across a broad spectrum of sectors. He also reaffirmed Portugal’s unwavering commitment to the one-China principle, adding that the country is eager to expand all-round cooperation with China in the coming years.
Beyond meetings with top national leaders, Sam’s schedule also included working discussions with multiple Portuguese cabinet ministers and a public presentation showcasing Macao’s decades of successful development under the “one country, two systems” framework. The engagement comes as Macao continues to expand its role as an official platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, opening new channels for trade, investment, and cultural exchange between the two sides.
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Skyrocketing diesel costs squeezing US truckers
A months-long military conflict in the Middle East, launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February 2026, has sent diesel prices soaring across the United States, creating unprecedented financial strain for an industry that underpins the entire domestic supply chain: trucking. From independent owner-operators to large national fleet operators, businesses across the sector are being forced to rewrite operating plans, rethink pricing structures, and even abandon previously profitable routes entirely. The ripple effects of this crisis are already spreading beyond truck stops and fueling stations, dragging down presidential economic approval ratings and stoking fears of broader economic disruption.
Diesel is the literal lifeblood of American freight transportation. More than 3.5 million truck drivers move more than 70 percent of all goods consumed and distributed across the United States, meaning any shock to fuel prices hits trucking first, and the rest of the national economy feels the impact shortly after. As of April 21, 2026, data from the American Automobile Association puts the national average price of diesel at $5.53 per gallon. That spike is far more acute in California, the nation’s largest state economy, where preexisting strict air quality regulations already kept fuel prices above the national average. On the same date, the average diesel price in California hit $7.53 per gallon, a burden that industry leaders call the most severe they have ever seen.
For drivers on the ground, the price surge has turned once-profitable runs into money-losing propositions. At a Los Angeles-area truck stop, independent operator T. Stromsted summed up the widespread frustration in an interview with Xinhua, noting, “With these diesel prices, we’re all in for a world of hurt.” Another unnamed driver at a fuel station in Monrovia, Los Angeles County, shared that just two and a half months prior, a full tank for his rig cost roughly $700. Today, that same fill-up runs to more than $1,100. Like many drivers, he blames the ongoing military conflict in Iran for the sudden cost shock, saying, “It’s hard to make a run, but there’s no money in it. It’s all because of the war.”
Eric Sauer, chief executive of the California Trucking Association, confirmed that the current crisis is the most widespread and damaging the industry has faced in his decades of work. “This is the worst I’ve seen nationwide since I’ve been here,” Sauer said. “The war in the Middle East is creating real hardship for our members, and that trickles down to everyone.”
Data from industry analysts underscores the severity of the crisis. A March 2026 poll from DAT Freight & Analytics found that 18 percent of all surveyed trucking companies have already paused operations entirely, driven directly by the unanticipated spike in fuel costs. For smaller, independent operators that lack the financial buffer of large national fleets, the choices are increasingly bleak. Sauer explains that many small business owners are forced to turn down higher-weight loads that consume more fuel, cut back on the total number of miles they drive each month, or park their trucks entirely and stop working until prices retreat to sustainable levels.
The crisis is already spilling over into national politics and the broader U.S. economy. A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that President Donald Trump’s economic approval rating has slumped sharply over the past month, dropping from 38 percent in March to 30 percent in April. That drop tracks directly with the volatility caused by the Iran conflict, which has disrupted global energy markets, particularly around the critical Strait of Hormuz. During the April 16-20 polling period, Iran first reopened the key shipping lane, then closed it again, a pattern of whiplash that has become a defining characteristic of the ongoing conflict and amplified uncertainty in global energy markets.
Longer-term metrics already showed weakening U.S. standing even before the conflict began. A January 2026 report from global brand consultancy Brand Finance found that U.S. soft power scores dropped a steep 4.6 points to 74.9 in its annual Global Soft Power Index, one of the sharpest declines recorded in the survey. Many analysts argue the conflict has accelerated that decline. In a New York Times analysis titled “Four Ways Trump’s War is Weakening America”, the outlet noted that one of the most significant losses has been U.S. moral authority on the global stage.
That assessment is shared by Jeffrey Taliaferro, chair of the political science department at Tufts University. In an analysis of how the Iran conflict has eroded U.S. global standing, Taliaferro wrote, “Trump’s willingness to abandon talks to go to war, and the contradictory rhetoric he has employed throughout the Iran conflict, have weakened the perception of the US as an honest broker.”
Industry leaders warn that if elevated diesel prices persist, the economic damage will deepen for all Americans, as higher transportation costs are eventually passed through to consumers in the form of higher prices for food, consumer goods, and nearly every product that travels to market via truck. Reporting for this story was contributed by May Zhou in Houston, Texas.
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Pope wraps up an Africa visit for the history books with a Mass in Equatorial Guinea
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea – Pope Leo XIV closed out a landmark 11-day, four-nation tour of Africa on Thursday, wrapping up one of the most closely watched papal journeys in modern history, overshadowed by a highly public back-and-forth with former U.S. President Donald Trump. The final stop of the trip, a farewell Mass held at Malabo’s main sports stadium, was greeted by an intense early-morning rainstorm that soaked the 30,000 devotees who had gathered before dawn to see the pontiff. The downpour paused just as Pope Leo arrived in his covered popemobile, weaving through a crowd of cheering worshippers greeting him with thunderous applause. This voyage spanned more than 17,700 kilometers (11,000 miles) across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, with 18 separate flights – including three in a single day Wednesday that crisscrossed Equatorial Guinea from its western coast to its eastern border with Gabon and back.
As the first American pope in Church history, Leo drew raucous, enthusiastic welcome nearly everywhere he traveled, particularly in remote regions that had never hosted a papal visit before. Papal foreign travel dates back to 1964, when Pope Paul VI made the first modern international trip to Jordan and Israel. It was St. John Paul II who transformed the role of the globetrotting pontiff, completing 104 foreign trips over 27 years and popularizing multi-nation itineraries like the one Leo followed on this African journey.
Many local worshippers went to extraordinary lengths to attend the final Mass. Michaela Mecha, a nurse who brought her two young daughters and her sister Encarnacion to the stadium, arrived at 4 a.m. in the pouring rain, decked out head-to-toe in pope-themed gear, including yellow umbrellas printed with Leo’s portrait. “We feel very special and blessed that the pope has chosen our country,” Mecha said. “This visit is bringing young people closer to God.” In his homily, Leo honored Fortunato Nsue Esono Ayíambeng, the vicar general of Malabo and a member of the tour’s organizing committee, who died on April 17. “May full light be shed on the circumstances of his death,” the pontiff said, an apparent nod to widespread rumors of foul play surrounding the death.
What was expected to be a focused pastoral trip quickly became entangled in geopolitical tension, when Trump launched a series of unprecedented public attacks against the pope over his stance on the ongoing Iran conflict. On the first day of the tour, Leo pushed back, noting he was simply preaching the Gospel of peace and maintained he had no fear of the Trump administration, after Trump accused the pope of being soft on crime and aligned with left-wing politics. As attacks continued, Vice President JD Vance joined the criticism, warning Leo to “be careful” when discussing theological issues. Leo attempted to de-escalate the conflict, blaming media for taking his words out of context. The effort ultimately succeeded: both sides moved on from the dispute, allowing the pope to refocus on his African agenda, which centered on encouraging local Catholics with a message of hope while calling out what he described as the continued “colonization” of the continent’s natural resources by foreign actors. Later, after headlines misconstrued a criticism of “a handful of tyrants” as an attack on Trump, the pope clarified the remark was not aimed at the U.S. president.
The 11-day trip was filled with emotional and personal moments that highlighted Leo’s pastoral approach. In Sampaka, Equatorial Guinea, he deviated from a planned visit to a psychiatric hospital to greet every patient individually and pose for selfies. In Muxima, Angola – a historic hub of the transatlantic slave trade and now one of the country’s most popular Catholic pilgrimage sites – Leo prayed the rosary, a deeply personal act given that his own ancestry includes both enslaved people and slave owners. In Algeria’s Bab El Oued, he stopped to visit nuns from his own Augustinian religious order, and purchased a tree-of-life necklace from a display of crafts made by local women, noting it was a gift for his niece. In Cameroon’s Bamenda, located at the center of a nearly 10-year separatist conflict, he pleaded for an end to violence and condemned war-mongering leaders.
One of the most striking moments of the entire tour came during a visit to a prison in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. In the lead-up to the pope’s visit, inmates were given new neon orange or beige uniforms and new rubber shoes, the facility was repainted salmon pink, and new saplings were planted along its perimeter. When Leo arrived, inmates stood in pre-arranged positions in the open courtyard and sang a hymn about sin. After the pope spoke to them of God’s love and inherent human dignity, they danced and waved Vatican flags in unison as another rainstorm poured over the complex. Immediately after Leo and Equatorial Guinea’s justice minister exited the courtyard, the inmates broke from their choreographed formation and began chanting “Libertad! Libertad! Libertad!” – Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! – as they danced.
The lengthy tour also brought quiet milestones. On the papal plane, Leo marked the one-year anniversary of Pope Francis’ death with an off-the-cuff tribute that remembered Francis’ commitment to mercy and small, kind gestures. He also celebrated the birthdays of several reporters traveling with the Vatican press pool, with the ITA Airways flight crew passing out birthday cake to mark each occasion. When answering questions from journalists mid-tour, Leo dropped a piece of news that delighted local Catholics: the southern African nation of Angola will likely receive its first cardinal in the coming years, though not in the immediate future.
Associated Press writer Monika Pronczuk contributed to this report. AP religion coverage is supported through a collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP retains sole responsibility for all content.
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Britain and France will sign a 3-year deal to curb small-boat Channel crossings
PARIS — In a landmark step to address the long-standing challenge of irregular migration across the English Channel, the United Kingdom and France are scheduled to formalize a new multi-million pound agreement on Thursday, which ramps up joint enforcement and surveillance measures along France’s northern coastline to cut down on small boat crossings.
The three-year accord will be signed during a joint site visit by UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, marking a deepening of bilateral cooperation on one of the most contentious migration issues in Western Europe. The framework of the deal sets out a clear funding structure and measurable performance benchmarks that tie additional financing to tangible progress in stopping crossing attempts.
Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will commit an initial 500 million pounds (equivalent to $675 million) to bolster counter-migration operations in northern France. A further 160 million pounds ($216 million) in additional funding will be disbursed only if the new tactics deliver successful results, the UK Home Office confirmed. If intervention efforts fail to meet agreed targets, this supplementary funding will be terminated after the first year of implementation.
France’s Interior Ministry outlined sweeping planned increases to on-the-ground enforcement capacity: the total number of deployed security officers will rise from the current 907 to 1,392 by the 2026-2029 period. France will also fund the creation of a dedicated new police unit focused explicitly on dismantling irregular smuggling networks that facilitate Channel crossings.
A core component of the new deal is targeting the increasingly common smuggling practice of so-called “taxi boats” — small, usually inflatable motorized vessels operated by smuggling rings. Unlike craft carried into the water by migrants themselves, these “taxi boats” depart empty from hidden, isolated coastal spots before picking up groups of migrants at pre-arranged beach meeting points along France’s long northern shoreline. New surveillance technology will be deployed specifically to disrupt these coordinated departures.
Surveillance capabilities will be significantly expanded across the region, with the deployment of more drones, helicopter patrols and electronic monitoring systems to detect and intercept crossing attempts before they can depart French territory. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that existing bilateral cooperation has already delivered meaningful results. “Cooperation between our two countries has already stopped tens of thousands of crossings,” Starmer said, adding that “this historic agreement means we can go further — ramping up intelligence, surveillance and boots on the ground to protect Britain’s borders.”
Early data from the French Interior Ministry shows that intervention efforts are already moving in the right direction: total migrant arrivals in the UK so far this year have dropped by more than 50% compared to the same period in 2025. Last year alone, joint police operations led to the arrest of 480 people suspected of involvement in people-smuggling networks.
Most of the new resources allocated under the agreement will be deployed ahead of early summer, the annual peak period for crossing attempts when milder weather makes the dangerous journey more likely to be attempted by smugglers and migrants.
The announcement of the new deal comes in the wake of a recent fatal incident that underscored the deadly risks of irregular Channel crossings. Earlier this month, four migrants — two men and two women — died while attempting to board an inflatable boat off northern France’s coast. British law enforcement arrested a Sudanese national on Friday on suspicion of endangering life in connection with the tragedy.
This new agreement is the latest update to bilateral migration cooperation, building on the 2018 Sandhurst Treaty that was most recently renewed in 2023. Both governments have framed the accord as a pragmatic, results-focused approach to tackling a shared challenge that has strained bilateral relations and posed major humanitarian and security risks for years.