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Tunisian PM Discusses Controversial Social Issues with UGTT

Tunisians demonstrating in support of the protesters of El Kamour oilfield, near the town of Tatouine, clash with riot police officers on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, Tunisia. Reuters file photo
Tunisians demonstrating in support of the protesters of El Kamour oilfield, near the town of Tatouine, clash with riot police officers on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, Tunisia. Reuters file photo
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Tunisian PM Discusses Controversial Social Issues with UGTT

Tunisians demonstrating in support of the protesters of El Kamour oilfield, near the town of Tatouine, clash with riot police officers on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, Tunisia. Reuters file photo
Tunisians demonstrating in support of the protesters of El Kamour oilfield, near the town of Tatouine, clash with riot police officers on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, Tunisia. Reuters file photo

The new Tunisian government is facing a set of controversial issues that previous governments have been unable to solve, including the protests of the mining basin in al-Gafsa, the disruption of phosphate production, and al-Kamour sit-in in the Tataouine region.

The cabinet hopes its current agreement with the leaders of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) will help find solutions to several pending issues.

The UGTT has announced its support for the government of independent experts formed by Hichem Mechichi.

Talks between the two sides have resulted in an agreement on the third installment of the wages of public sector employees. In addition, Mechichi reinstated UGTT’s former leader Mohamed Trabelsi as Minister of Social Affairs.

Trabelsi is the Union’s main negotiator in a number of meetings on social and economic issues.

The Prime Minister launched talks on Saturday on the disruption of phosophate production and transportation in the mining basin, and hydrocarbons in Tataouine region, stressing that the main goal is to find convenient solutions to these social issues.

He stressed that it is no longer acceptable to halt the production of phosphates and oil, noting that these protests damage the state's own resources.

Political analyst Jamal al-Arfaoui believes that the transformation in the relationship between the government and the Union is linked to the drop in state resources and the consequent severe economic and social crises.

He indicated that this led to a “compulsory social truce in order to save the situation in the country that is on the verge of bankruptcy."

In light of the recent situation, both sides realized that it is no longer feasible to rely on confrontation, according to Arfaoui.

The analyst added that the two parties have exchanged messages, and Mechichi asserted that the UGTT is a fundamental partner in overcoming social crises.

The Union responded by saying it was open to help the government overcome the difficult period, which yielded positive outcomes and could result in a real partnership to save the country.

He believed that the Union’s fear of the parliamentary alliance led by Ennahda Movement, Heart of Tunisia, and the Dignity Coalition might be among the reasons that pushed the UGTT “to the government's rescue and to extend a helping hand.”

Meanwhile, al-Kamour sit-in organized a meeting in al-Tataouine region between the government and the Union.

The meeting called upon the government to implement its 2017 pledges.

Tariq Haddad, spokesman for al-Kamour protests, asserted that the first and foremost goal behind these meetings is to defend the right to development, and to ensure job opportunities to the unemployed youth.

The Assistant Secretary-General of the UGTT’s legal affairs, Hafeez Abdul Hafeez, said that lengthy sessions, no later than October 15, will be held with the government to settle the issue of civil society workers after the revolution.

The Union is also expected to announce an increase in the minimum wage of private sector workers as part of efforts to improve the purchasing power of the poor.

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Fashion

Spain's Fashion and Beauty Group Puig Poised for IPO

Puig Group owns the Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Charlotte Tilbury and Carolina Herrera labels and also holds a majority stake in Jean Paul Gaultier. FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP/File
Puig Group owns the Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Charlotte Tilbury and Carolina Herrera labels and also holds a majority stake in Jean Paul Gaultier. FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP/File
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Spain's Fashion and Beauty Group Puig Poised for IPO

Puig Group owns the Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Charlotte Tilbury and Carolina Herrera labels and also holds a majority stake in Jean Paul Gaultier. FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP/File
Puig Group owns the Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Charlotte Tilbury and Carolina Herrera labels and also holds a majority stake in Jean Paul Gaultier. FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP/File

The iconic Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne and Jean-Paul Gaultier labels make their market debut Friday as Spanish fashion and beauty group Puig begins trading on the Madrid stock exchange.
For the family-owned Puig Group, which has expanded rapidly into luxury goods, going public is a big step which will allow it to compete with the giants of the sector such as Estee Lauder, Hermes, Kering and LVMH.
The move "is a decisive step in Puig's 110-year history," chairman and CEO Marc Puig said last month, emphasizing the firm's "long-term approach".
Founded in Barcelona in 1914 by businessman Antonio Puig Castello, the group has grown over the years to become a heavyweight in the cosmetics, fragrance and fashion industries, bolstering its stance in recent years with a string of prestigious acquisitions.
Among its brands are Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Charlotte Tilbury, Carolina Herrera and Dries Van Noten. It also holds a majority stake in the Jean Paul Gaultier label and has licensing agreements with Prada, Christian Louboutin and Comme des Garçons.
A family firm
The Barcelona-based group, which specializes in perfumes and cosmetics, enters the market on Friday with an opening guidance price of 24.50 euros (about $26) per share.
Analysts said it was Spain's biggest IPO this year and one of the largest in Europe.
The price gives the group an estimated market capitalization of nearly 14 billion euros, which will allow it to enter Madrid's Ibex 35 exchange, which groups Spain's 35 largest companies.
The flotation will take place in two stages, the first of which would seek to raise an initial 1.25 billion euros through newly issued shares.
It would then make a "larger secondary offering" of existing shares held by its holding company Exea to raise nearly 1.36 billion euros.
That could then be complemented with the sale of shares reserved for specific investors for another 390 million euros, which would allow the group to raise around 3.0 billion euros.
Despite the move, the Puig family said it would retain a controlling interest in the company with 71.7 percent of the shares, along with "the vast majority of voting rights" -- 92.5 percent -- within the board of directors.
'Greater financial clout'
The idea of an IPO had first been raised by Puig himself in an interview with the Financial Times in October 2023, in which he said being accountable to the market would bring "a discipline" that would head off any issues when passing the baton from one generation to the next.
"Sometimes family businesses can lose their position in the market. They can start to die slowly and nobody inside the company is aware of it," he told the paper. "If you’re accountable (to investors), those things can be noticed."
According to Javier Cabrera, an analyst at XTB, the IPO would allow the group to build "greater financial clout" by taking advantage of "the positive stock market dynamics" in the luxury goods and fashion sector.
Luxury goods are enjoying a buoyant moment with sector heavyweights posting record sales in 2023, despite a slowdown following two years of double-digit growth.
Last year, Puig posted sales of 4.3 billion euros, a 19 percent increase on 2022, logging net profits of 465 million euros, up 16 percent year-on-year.
And that growth could gather pace thanks to Puig's strategy of acquisitions, which in recent years has led to "a high level of growth" and "a good diversification of revenues, both geographically and in terms of business lines", Cabrera said.
He also pointed to the group's strong showing in China, a major consumer of luxury goods.

Technology

Apple Aims to Tell an AI Story Without AI Bills

FILED - 01 May 2023, Hamburg: The logo of the US technology company Apple can be seen at night at the Apple Store Jungfernstieg in the city center. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa
FILED - 01 May 2023, Hamburg: The logo of the US technology company Apple can be seen at night at the Apple Store Jungfernstieg in the city center. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa
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Apple Aims to Tell an AI Story Without AI Bills

FILED - 01 May 2023, Hamburg: The logo of the US technology company Apple can be seen at night at the Apple Store Jungfernstieg in the city center. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa
FILED - 01 May 2023, Hamburg: The logo of the US technology company Apple can be seen at night at the Apple Store Jungfernstieg in the city center. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa

For most of the past year and a half, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has fielded questions from Wall Street analysts about his plans for artificial intelligence amid grumbling that the iPhone maker has no AI story to tell.
After the company reported quarterly earnings on Thursday, Cook insisted that Apple will have concrete details about its plans for AI to talk about very soon.
"We continue to feel very bullish about our opportunity in generative AI and we're making significant investments," Cook told Reuters in an interview, noting the company has spent $100 billion over the past five years on research and development.
Apple's Big Tech rivals have spent comparable or even greater amounts on R&D over the same period, but they have also been spending heavily to build data centers to host AI services.
Microsoft shelled out $14 billion in the most recent quarter on capex, with Alphabet's Google not far behind, at $12 billion. Meta Platforms told investors last week to expect as much as $40 billion in capital expenditures this year.
Apple thinks different. Its capital expenditure for all of 2023 was just over $10 billion.
Apple, which makes most of its money selling consumer devices, has paid a price for that stance most of this year, with its shares falling 10% as investors worried the company was falling behind in the AI race. Shares of Meta, Google and Microsoft -- all of which make money selling software or advertising services -- have all soared to record highs as the companies grapple to dominate the emerging AI landscape, though investors have also flinched at skyrocketing price tags for data centers and specialized processors required to train AI models.
Apple hinted Thursday it won't take the same tack. While Apple is expected to unveil new AI features at its annual software conference next month and overhaul its product lines with AI-ready chips, Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said Apple investors should not expect a huge change in how the company handles capital expenditures.
Responding to an analyst's question, Maestri noted the company's longstanding practice of splitting the cost of manufacturing tools with its suppliers, which has kept Apple's costs down and its cash generation up for more than a decade.
"We do something similar on the data center side," Maestri said. "We have our own data center capacity, and then we use capacity from third parties. It's a model that has worked well for us historically, and we plan to continue along the same lines going forward."
That could be just as well for Apple, because it remains unclear whether AI features such as chatbots that run directly on a device will spur users to buy new phones, tablets or laptops, which remain Apple's biggest source of revenue and profits.
Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies said that while better processors could serve as a "line in the sand" for some users who need AI tools for professional use, those features may not ignite a sales boom.
"It'll be something that helps lift sales, but I don't expect it to be super cycle," Bajarin said. "You have to be careful to temper expectations."

World

Bus Falls into Ravine in Pakistan's Far North, Killing 20

Injured people transferred to an ambulance in Pakistan (AP archive)
Injured people transferred to an ambulance in Pakistan (AP archive)
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Bus Falls into Ravine in Pakistan's Far North, Killing 20

Injured people transferred to an ambulance in Pakistan (AP archive)
Injured people transferred to an ambulance in Pakistan (AP archive)

A bus veered into a ravine in Pakistan's far north early on Friday, a local government spokesman said, killing 20 passengers, while 21 injured were rescued and taken to hospital.
The bus was headed to the mountainous northern area of Gilgit-Baltistan from the garrison city of Rawalpindi in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab, when the accident happened in the early hours.
"The bus was passing through Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan when it fell into a deep ravine," Faizullah Firaq, a spokesman for local government authorities in the area, told Reuters, adding that 21 people were injured.
The government immediately launched a rescue operation to evacuate all the injured, who were taken to hospital, he added.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads in many rural areas are in poor condition.
For decades Pakistan has done extensive work in carving roads through its dramatic rugged northern terrain, home to some of the world's highest mountain ranges, approached by narrow roads perched on sheer cliffs.
Militant attacks, including one in March nearby in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that killed six people, pose another risk to travelers in the area, targeting Chinese-backed dams and hydropower infrastructure projects.

Business

Gold Set for Second Weekly Fall; US Payrolls on Investors' Radar

FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
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Gold Set for Second Weekly Fall; US Payrolls on Investors' Radar

FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa

Gold prices were poised for a second straight weekly decline, although bullion held nearly steady on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of the US non-farm payrolls data that could provide cues on the Federal Reserve's rate cut timeline.
Spot gold held its ground at $2,299.49 per ounce, as of 0702 GMT, but has lost more than 1% this week. Prices have fallen more than $130 after hitting a record high of $2,431.29 in April.
US gold futures were flat at $2,309.20.
"The big decline over the last two weeks was due to fading concerns of geopolitical risks and hawkish repricing" in rates markets, said OCBC FX strategist Christopher Wong.
A renewed push led by Egypt to revive stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas has raised expectations that a ceasefire agreement could be in sight.
The Fed on Wednesday indicated it is still leaning towards eventual reductions in borrowing costs, but put a red flag on recent disappointing inflation readings that could make those rate cuts a while in coming. Markets are pricing in a 73% chance of a rate cut in November, as per CME's FedWatch Tool.
Bullion is considered an inflation hedge, but elevated interest rates reduce the appeal of the non-yielding asset.
A softer payrolls report could provide support for gold, Wong added. The US non-farm payrolls report is due at 1230 GMT.
Spot gold is biased to break resistance at $2,311 and climb to a range of $2,325-$2,351, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
Spot silver fell 0.6% to $26.54, heading for a weekly decline.
As silver dips back towards the $25-$26 breakout area, a bullish reversal sign is likely to follow, Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index, said in a note.
Platinum gained 0.5% to $954.09, rising more than 4% so far in the week. Palladium fell 1% to $925.78.

World

UK's Labor Claim Big Early Win over PM Sunak’s Conservatives

A voter arrives at a polling station located at Saint Savior Church in Chalk Farm, north London, to cast her vote in local elections, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)
A voter arrives at a polling station located at Saint Savior Church in Chalk Farm, north London, to cast her vote in local elections, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)
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UK's Labor Claim Big Early Win over PM Sunak’s Conservatives

A voter arrives at a polling station located at Saint Savior Church in Chalk Farm, north London, to cast her vote in local elections, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)
A voter arrives at a polling station located at Saint Savior Church in Chalk Farm, north London, to cast her vote in local elections, on May 2, 2024. (AFP)

Britain's opposition Labor Party won a parliamentary seat in northern England on Friday and control of several councils, inflicting heavy losses on the governing Conservatives to pile more pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The thumping victory set the tone for what will be a closely watched two days of local results before a national election this year, which polling shows could put Labor leader Keir Starmer in power and end 14 years of Conservative government.

Voters cast their ballots on Thursday for more than 2,000 seats on local authorities across England and a handful of high-profile mayoral elections, including in the capital, London.

Blackpool South was the only parliamentary seat up for grabs after the Conservative lawmaker quit over a lobbying scandal.

Labor candidate Chris Webb won the Blackpool election with 10,825 votes. The Conservative candidate came in second with 3,218. The swing of 26% to Labor from the 2019 result was the third biggest in post-war by-election history, polling expert John Curtice said.

The defeat in Blackpool and early signs of deep losses at the council level will boost Labor’s hopes for a sweeping victory over Sunak's Conservatives in the national election.

"This seismic win in Blackpool South is the most important result today," Starmer said.

"This is the one contest where voters had the chance to send a message to Rishi Sunak's Conservatives directly, and that message is an overwhelming vote for change."

The chairman of the Conservative Party said it had been "a tough night".

"Obviously not a great set of results," Richard Holden told Times Radio.

POOR SHOWING BY CONSERVATIVES

Sunak's Conservatives are about 20 percentage points behind Labor in most opinion polls for the national election, which Sunak has said he intends to call in the second half of the year.

The British leader had hoped his announcement on increased defense spending and the passing of his divisive plan to send illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda might win over voters, but the losses could again fuel calls for him to step down.

Curtice said that, based on results so far, the Conservatives could be looking at their worst local election results for 40 years and were on course for defeat in the national election.

The first 500 of the more than 2,600 local council results showed Labor making gains at the expense of the Conservatives - in line with finance minister Jeremy Hunt's pre-vote prediction of significant losses for the governing party.

The Conservatives seized on Starmer's failure to win control of one southeastern council that it had targeted.

Labor said anger over the party's stance on Gaza, where Palestinian health authorities say more than 34,500 people have been killed in Israel's military offensive, had tempered some council results but the overall message from the polls was that people wanted change.

"This is on the eve of a general election ... The mood is that it's time for a change," said Labor's national campaign coordinator, Pat McFadden.

Although local elections do not always reflect how people will vote in a national contest, a heavy defeat could trigger renewed anger in the Conservative Party over Sunak's leadership.

The extent of that unrest could hinge on the results of two mayoral elections in which the Conservatives hope to show they can still hold ground in central and northeast England.

The Tees Valley mayoral result is due on Friday, while the West Midlands mayor is to be announced on Saturday. The result in London, where current Labor mayor Sadiq Khan is expected to win another term, is also due on Saturday.

Arab World

Hostage Held in Gaza Dies as Israel and Hamas Work on a Ceasefire Deal

People walk near posters calling for the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, May 3, 2024. (Reuters)
People walk near posters calling for the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, May 3, 2024. (Reuters)
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Hostage Held in Gaza Dies as Israel and Hamas Work on a Ceasefire Deal

People walk near posters calling for the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, May 3, 2024. (Reuters)
People walk near posters calling for the release of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, May 3, 2024. (Reuters)

Dror Or, a 49-year-old held captive in Gaza, has died, the Hostages Families Forum said Friday. Or marks the 38th hostage killed, the forum said.

He was one of about 250 people abducted when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel says gunmen still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Or and two of his children were abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7 and his wife, Yonat, was killed. His children, 17-year-old Noam and 13-year-old Alma, were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November.

Israel says Hamas is holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Israel and Hamas appear to be seriously negotiating an end to the war in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages.

A leaked truce proposal hints at compromises by both sides after months of talks languishing in a stalemate. Hamas said Thursday that it was sending a delegation to Egypt for further ceasefire talks, in a new sign of progress.

Some families worry that Israel’s war aims of eliminating Hamas and launching an incursion into Gaza’s southern city of Rafah will derail negotiations.

Dozens of people demonstrated Thursday night outside Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, demanding a deal to release the hostages.

The Israel-Hamas war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.

The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials, and the territory's entire population has been driven into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Business

Türkiye Says Israel Trade Halted until Permanent Gaza Ceasefire

A man enjoys the seaside as a ferry sails through Golden Horn in Istanbul, Türkiye May 1, 2024. (Reuters)
A man enjoys the seaside as a ferry sails through Golden Horn in Istanbul, Türkiye May 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Says Israel Trade Halted until Permanent Gaza Ceasefire

A man enjoys the seaside as a ferry sails through Golden Horn in Istanbul, Türkiye May 1, 2024. (Reuters)
A man enjoys the seaside as a ferry sails through Golden Horn in Istanbul, Türkiye May 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Türkiye will not resume trade with Israel, worth around $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire is secured in Gaza with unhindered humanitarian aid flowing to Palestinians there, its trade minister said on Friday.

Israel's uncompromising attitude and the worsening situation in Gaza prompted Türkiye to halt trade, Omer Bolat said in a speech in Istanbul, while announcing April trade figures.

Türkiye’s decision, announced late on Thursday, made it the first of Israel's key trade partners to halt exports and imports over its military campaign in Gaza.

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's move saying it breaks international trade agreements and was "how a dictator behaves".

Armed group Hamas, which controls Gaza, praised the decision as brave and supportive of Palestinian rights.

Last month, Türkiye curbed exports of steel, fertilizer and jet fuel among 54 product categories over what it said was Israel's refusal to allow Ankara to take part in aid air-drop operations for Gaza.

All remaining trade, which amounted to $5.4 billion in Turkish exports and $1.6 billion in Israeli imports last year, will now be halted.

Top Turkish exports to Israel are steel, vehicles, plastics, electrical devices and machinery, while imports are dominated by fuels at $634 million last year, Turkish trade data show. 

Arab World

Attack on ICRC Convoy in Sudan’s South Darfur Kills Two Drivers, Injures Three

A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. (Reuters)
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Attack on ICRC Convoy in Sudan’s South Darfur Kills Two Drivers, Injures Three

A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of a street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan, April 7, 2024. (Reuters)

An attack by gunmen on a humanitarian convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sudan's South Darfur killed two drivers and injured three other staff on Thursday, the ICRC said in a statement.

The team was on its way back from Layba to assess the humanitarian situation of communities affected by armed violence in the region when the incident occurred, the ICRC said.

More than a year of war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has driven at least 8.5 million people from their homes. Fighting tore through the capital and has unleashed waves of ethnically-driven violence in the western region of Darfur.

The ICRC did not say who was to blame for the deaths and called for the immediate protection of all civilians, including humanitarian workers and medical personnel.

"Reports today of the deaths of two ICRC staff members and the injury of three staff members in South Darfur is further evidence of this war's horrific cost. These dedicated employees became victims of the violence and suffering they were working to mitigate," US Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, said on X on Friday.

Varieties

Heatwave Swells Asia's Appetite for Air-conditioning

A record-breaking heatwave is broiling parts of Asia, helping drive surging demand for cooling options, including air-conditioning. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP
A record-breaking heatwave is broiling parts of Asia, helping drive surging demand for cooling options, including air-conditioning. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP
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Heatwave Swells Asia's Appetite for Air-conditioning

A record-breaking heatwave is broiling parts of Asia, helping drive surging demand for cooling options, including air-conditioning. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP
A record-breaking heatwave is broiling parts of Asia, helping drive surging demand for cooling options, including air-conditioning. Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP

A record-breaking heatwave is broiling parts of Asia, helping drive surging demand for cooling options, including air-conditioning.
AC exhaust units are a common feature of urban landscapes in many parts of Asia, clinging like limpets to towering apartment blocks in Hong Kong or tucked in a cross formation between the windows of a building in Cambodia.
They offer relief from temperatures that have toppled records in recent weeks, with many countries in the region hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) or higher.
Scientists have long warned that human-induced climate change will produce more frequent, longer and more intense heatwaves.
Only 15 percent of homes in Southeast Asia have air-conditioning, according to a 2019 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
But that figure obscures vast variations: ranging from around 80 percent installation in Singapore and Malaysia, to less than 10 percent in Indonesia and Vietnam, the IEA said.
Forecasts suggest that higher temperatures and better wages could see the number of air-conditioning units in Southeast Asia jump from 40 million in 2017 to 300 million by 2040.
That would stretch local electricity capacity, which is already struggling under current conditions.
Myanmar is producing only about half the electricity it needs each day, with the junta blaming weak hydropower because of scant rains, low natural gas yields and attacks by its opponents on infrastructure.
Thailand has seen record power demand in recent weeks, as people retreat indoors to cooled homes or businesses.
Air-conditioning is already responsible for the emission of approximately one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the IEA, out of a total of 37 billion emitted worldwide.
Still, cooling options like air-conditioning are a key way to protect human health, especially for those who are most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat: children, the elderly and those with certain disabilities.
With demand surging, dozens of countries last year signed up to the United Nations' Global Cooling Pledge, a commitment to improve the efficiency of air conditioners and reduce emissions from all forms of cooling.
Some countries have been trying to reduce the impact of cooling for years.
Since 2005, Japan has encouraged office workers to ditch ties and jackets so air conditioners can be kept at 28 degrees Celsius.
The annual "Cool Biz" programme took on new significance during power shortages in 2011 following the shutdown of nuclear plants after the Fukushima disaster.

Sports

Swiatek Returns to Madrid Open Final by Beating Keys, Medvedev Retires with Injury

Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)
Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)
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Swiatek Returns to Madrid Open Final by Beating Keys, Medvedev Retires with Injury

Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)
Iga Swiatek of Poland in action during her semifinal match against Madison Keys of USA at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2024. (EPA)

Iga Swiatek cruised to a straight-sets semifinal win over Madison Keys on Thursday to reach the Madrid Open final and a rematch against No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

Top-ranked Swiatek beat No. 20 Keys 6-1, 6-3 and will next face the defending champion Sabalenka, who rallied to overcome No. 4-ranked Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5).

The Madrid Open is the only high-profile European clay-court title that Swiatek is yet to win.

“It was a pretty clean performance and really solid game from myself,” she said. “I’m happy with everything.”

It will be the third final of the year for Swiatek after titles in Indian Wells and Doha.

“I’m happy that we can play a final against the top players,” Swiatek said. “It shows consistency. For sure it’s going to be a challenge, whoever it’s going to be, and a tough match. I will be ready. I will focus on myself."

Sabalenka, who needed three sets to defeat Swiatek in the Madrid final last year, is into her third Madrid final after ending Rybakina’s 16-match clay-court winning streak.

“I was just trying to fight for every point,” Sabalenka said. “I was hoping that I’ll have opportunity to turn this match around, and yeah, super happy that I was able to do that.”

Keys said she was disappointed but there were “a lot of really great things to take from the tournament” in the Spanish capital.

“It’s been a while since I have won four matches in a row. Lots to build on. It’s obviously great momentum going into Rome next week,” she said.

“It’s obviously only my fourth tournament back after the shoulder injury, so to do so well here and to be able to play some tough matches and have some three-set matches and be physically 100% still and being able to look forward to Rome and hopefully play some good tennis there is a huge positive.”

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev retired from his quarterfinal match after losing the first set 6-4, sending the 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka into a semifinal against 35th-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime.

No. 4-ranked Medvedev needed treatment on his upper right leg while leading 3-2, complaining about having trouble moving to his right. He also needed treatment at 4-3, and after Lehecka broke serve in the ninth game to win the set, Medvedev decided not to continue.

“It’s never easy in a match like this,” Lehecka said of Medvedev’s retirement. “If I were to choose the way how to win this match, it wouldn’t be like that. So of course, it’s never easy to see your opponent struggling, but at that moment, you just need to focus on yourself, trying to get the maximum level out of yourself.”