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Outside a train station near Tokyo, hundreds of people cheer as Sohei Kamiya, head of the surging nationalist party Sanseito, criticizes Japan’s rapidly growing foreign population.

As opponents, separated by uniformed police and bodyguards, accuse him of racism, Kamiya shouts back, saying he is only talking common sense.

Sanseito, while still a minor party, made big gains in July’s parliamentary election, and Kamiya's “Japanese First” platform of anti-globalism, anti-immigration and anti-liberalism is gaining broader traction ahead of a ruling party vote Saturday that will choose the likely next prime minister.

Youth-led demonstrators clashed with police over the weekend in some of Morocco’s largest anti-government protests in years, denouncing what they called the government’s misplaced priorities.

Hundreds of young Moroccans took to the streets of at least 11 cities across the North African nation, denouncing corruption and blasting the government for pouring money into international sporting events while neglecting health and education.

They drew a direct link between the country’s struggling health care system and its investments in the lead-up to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, shouting slogans including, “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?”

Israel is reportedly preparing to take control of ships belonging to the the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) which is expected to reach the coast of Gaza within four days, according to the official Israeli channel Kan.

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250929-israeli-threats-to-seize-gaza-aid-flotilla/

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Washington (AFP) – Video game giant Electronic Arts, known for The Sims and FIFA games, announced Monday it would be acquired for $55 billion by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

The group includes US investment firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, the Miami-based firm founded by Jared Kushner, former White House advisor and son-in-law of President Donald Trump.

"This moment is a powerful recognition of their remarkable work," EA Chairman and CEO Andrew Wilson said of the company's employees in a statement, adding the deal would help "unlock new opportunities on a global stage."

The deal would be the largest all-cash private equity buyout in history, the statement said.

EA, known for popular franchises including FIFA soccer games, Madden NFL, The Sims and Battlefield, reported revenue of $7.5 billion in its most recent fiscal year.

FIFA was updated annually from 1993 to 2023, before Electronic Arts lost the license following a financial disagreement between EA and the FIFA organization.

The game, now called EA Sports FC, has largely retained its player base, becoming the best-selling game in Western Europe in 2023, the year the first renamed edition launched.

The publisher also owns The Sims franchise, which allows players to create an avatar and develop characters and a city in a virtual world.

Twenty-five years after its launch, The Sims continues to attract new fans. In May 2024, EA revealed that 85 million people were playing the latest version, The Sims 4.

The California-based company is also counting on the release of the new version of its first-person shooter game Battlefield, called Battlefield 6, which will be its 13th installment in the series.

After seeing its revenue soar in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic, the company founded by former Apple employee Trip Hawkins in 1982 has experienced a slowdown, in line with the sector as a whole.

This major new deal in the video game world comes two years after Microsoft's $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which also left the stock market.

On Wall Street, the shares of remaining listed gamers were up on Monday. Roblox rose 4.72 percent, while Take-Two Interactive gained 1.53 percent.

The acquisition is expected to close in early fiscal 2027 and requires approval from EA shareholders and regulatory authorities.

Saudi Arabia's PIF, which already holds a 9.9 percent stake in EA, will roll over its existing investment as part of the transaction.

This announcement follows a tour of the Gulf region in May by President Trump, which was marked by promises of huge investments.

Trump signed a "strategic economic partnership" agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, which, according to the White House, will see Riyadh invest $600 billion in the United States.

Video games are at the heart of the crown prince's ambitious "Vision 2030" reform plan.

The oil-rich monarchy is passionate about gaming and eSports: 70 percent of Saudis are under 35, and Mohammed bin Salman, aged 40, is himself known to be a fan of the game Call of Duty.

The deal will be financed through approximately $36 billion in equity from the consortium members and $20 billion in debt committed by JPMorgan Chase. Upon completion, EA will be delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange and remain headquartered in Redwood City, California, under Wilson's continued leadership.

The agreement marks PIF's latest major investment in the gaming sector as Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its economy beyond oil revenues.

Russia is a ‘paper tiger,’ French Foreign Minister Jean-Michel Barrot said on Monday

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.euractiv.com/news/france-to-deploy-anti-drone-teams-to-copenhagen-rafale-jets-on-the-eus-eastern-flank/

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The result of this Israel obsession within Germany is that the space for open discussion and honest debate is getting smaller all the time

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/09/28/germany-israel-latest/

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Federal workers say they have little choice but to depart, with 100,000 leaving under deferred resignation program

Archived version: https://archive.is/20250928120037/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/28/us-mass-resignation-federal-workers

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Jerusalem (AFP) – Facing increasing isolation abroad and mounting pressure at home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will defend his intention to "finish the job" in Gaza when he meets US President Donald Trump on Monday.

The meeting comes days after Trump unveiled a 21-point plan aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory during discussions with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

On Sunday, Trump hinted at "something special" to come in Middle East talks, adding in a post on his Truth Social platform: "WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!"

On Friday, Trump had told reporters in Washington "I think we have a deal" on Gaza, even as Netanyahu, speaking at the UN, vowed to "finish the job" in Israel's war against Hamas.

But experts told AFP that Netanyahu appeared to be cornered, facing growing international and domestic calls to end the war.

"He has no other choice but to accept" Trump's plan for a ceasefire, said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan University.

"Simply because the United States and Trump have remained almost his only ally in the international community."

In Israel, tens of thousands of protesters have pressured Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire, and on Saturday they urged Trump to use his influence.

"The only thing that can stop the slide into the abyss is a full, comprehensive agreement that ends the war and brings all the hostages and the soldiers home," said Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of Omri Miran, who remains captive in Gaza.

Directly addressing Trump, she urged: "Use your influence with Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Israel's international isolation has deepened in recent days, with countries including the UK, France, Canada and Australia officially recognising Palestinian statehood, breaking with longstanding US-led diplomatic protocols.

Trump's 21-point plan, according to a diplomatic source, envisions a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a major influx of humanitarian aid.

Arab and Muslim leaders welcomed the proposal, but have also called for an immediate halt to Israel's military operations and any occupation of Gaza.

Other elements of the plan will prove hard for Netanyahu to swallow, and could even lead to the collapse of his right-wing government coalition.

Among the most controversial is the involvement of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) in the future governance of Gaza.

The PA ruled the territory until Hamas seized control in 2007, and its potential restoration represents a red line for Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners.

While the US proposal conditions the PA's return on implementing reform programmes, these changes "could take years" to materialise, Gilboa warned.

Several far-right ministers in Netanyahu's coalition have threatened to collapse the government if he agrees to the PA's return, or if he ends the war without defeating Hamas.

However, opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered a parliamentary "safety net", promising his centrist Yesh Atid party would support a ceasefire and hostage-release deal -- but it is not clear whether other opposition parties would follow suit.

"This kind of broad plan would need a broad consensus," said Ksenia Svetlova, a former Knesset member who now heads the regional cooperation NGO ROPES.

Svetlova predicted Netanyahu would only accept parts of the deal, while trying to negotiate or postpone decisions on other elements "seem difficult in this moment".

Another contentious point in the US proposal is who would guarantee security in the Gaza Strip once the Israeli army pulls out and Hamas is disarmed.

The proposal envisions an international security force comprising Palestinian personnel alongside troops from Arab and Muslim nations.

However, critical details about command structure and operational control remain unclear.

"This plan is internationalising the Gaza conflict in an unprecedented way," Svetlova said, "but without a clear plan on who will be the guiding star, what the end goals are, who will see it through."

"The unpredictability factor runs wild here, really."

The United States has reversed its visa restrictions on Ghana as the west African nation emerges as a key deportation hub in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. While Accra maintains it has received nothing in return for taking in deportees, one political scientist told RFI an agreement to take in more west African deportees was the "only plausible explanation".

Earlier this month, Ghanaian President John Mahama revealed that the country was accepting west Africans deported by the United States – the fifth African nation to do so.

US President Donald Trump has made so-called "third-country" deportations a hallmark of his anti-immigration crackdown, sending people to countries where they have no ties or family.

Accra has insisted it has received nothing in return for taking in the deportees, though Mahama acknowledged that the deal was struck as relations were "tightening" – with Washington imposing tariffs as well as visa restrictions in recent months.

"The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana" have been "reversed", Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said.

In a post on X, Ablakwa said the "good news" was delivered by US officials on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

In June, the United States announced restrictions on most visas for nationals from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria, restricting them to three months and a single entry.

"Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges," Ablakwa said.

Ablakwa attributed the US turnabout to "months of negotiations" without providing futher details.

At least 14 west Africans have been sent to Ghana since the beginning of September, though neither Accra nor Washington has made details of the arrangement public.

For political analyst Bright Simons, honorary vice-president of the Ghanaian think tank Imani, the Trump administration’s sudden change of course strongly suggests Ghana has agreed to take in further west African deportees.

“This is the only plausible explanation," Simons told RFI. "Ghana has made no announcement suggesting, for instance, a more favourable visa reciprocity policy towards the United States. The question is therefore: what prompted the US government to withdraw its restrictions? The only sensible answer is that Ghana offered something extra – and in this case, it was agreeing to take in deportees from third countries.”

Simons underlines that Cameroon and Nigeria remain under Washington’s sanctions. Both countries were hit by the same visa restrictions in July and have not since concluded migration agreements with the United States.

All of the 14 west Africans Ghana has taken in had won protection from US immigration courts against being deported to their home nations, their lawyers have told RFI. At least four of them have been forwarded on to their country of origin.

After weeks of detention in Ghana, allegedly under military guard and in poor conditions, six of the deportees were abruptly sent to Togo last weekend and left to fend for themselves, Samantha Hamilton, a lawyer for civil rights organisation (AAJC), that has filed a lawsuit in the US on behalf of the migrants, told RFI.

Another plane able to carry 14 people has since arrived in Ghana, though it was unclear how many people were on it.

Ghana has said it is accepting west Africans on humanitarian grounds and that the deal is not an "endorsement" of US immigration policy.

The return to the previous system has come as a relief for many Ghanaians. In 2024, Ghana ranked fifth on the continent for US visa approvals, and second for student visas.

(with AFP)

Tehran (AFP) – Iran on Sunday condemned as "unjustifiable" the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme, after the collapse of talks with Western powers and Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites.

The measures, which bar dealings linked to the Islamic republic's nuclear and ballistic missile activities, took effect overnight after Western powers triggered the so-called "snapback" mechanism under the 2015 nuclear accord.

"The reactivation of annulled resolutions is legally baseless and unjustifiable... all countries must refrain from recognising this illegal situation," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly defend its national rights and interests, and any action aimed at undermining the rights and interests of its people will face a firm and appropriate response," it added.

The return of the sanctions ends months of tense diplomacy aimed at reviving nuclear talks derailed since June, when Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.

Despite the reimposition, Western leaders stressed channels for dialogue remained open.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, on Sunday said the reimposition of sanctions "must not be the end of diplomacy", adding that "a sustainable solution to the Iranian nuclear issue can only be achieved through negotiations".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iran to "accept direct talks, held in good faith".

He also called on UN member states to "immediately" implement sanctions to "pressure Iran's leaders to do what is right for their nation, and best for the safety of the world".

The British, French and German foreign ministers said in a joint statement they would continue to seek "a new diplomatic solution to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon".

They also called on Tehran "to refrain from any escalatory action".

Iran had allowed UN inspectors to return to its nuclear sites, but President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States had offered only a short reprieve in return for handing over its whole stockpile of enriched uranium, a proposal he described as unacceptable.

An 11th-hour effort by Iran allies Russia and China to postpone the sanctions until April failed to win enough votes in the Security Council on Friday, leading to the measures taking effect at 3:30 am in Tehran (0000 GMT) on Sunday.

Germany, which triggered the return of sanctions alongside Britain and France, had "no choice" as Iran was not complying with its obligations, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

"For us, it is imperative: Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon," he told the UN General Assembly.

"But let me emphasise: we remain open to negotiations on a new agreement. Diplomacy can and should continue."

Russia made clear it would not enforce the sanctions, considering them invalid.

The sanctions "finally exposed the West's policy of sabotaging the pursuit of constructive solutions in the UN Security Council, as well as its desire to extract unilateral concessions from Tehran through blackmail and pressure," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Iran has long contended that it is not seeking nuclear weapons.

Newspapers in the Islamic republic gave contrasting reactions to the reimposition of the sanctions.

The ultraconservative newspaper Kayhan, which opposes any dialogue with the United States, suggested the sanctions would likely have been imposed even if Iran had engaged in negotiations.

The reformist daily Ham Mihan wrote: "The big question is whether Russia and China will maintain their position".

The sanctions are a "snapback" of measures frozen in 2015 when Iran agreed to major restrictions on its nuclear programme under a deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama.

The United States already imposed massive sanctions when President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in his first term.

Iran and the United States had held several rounds of Omani-brokered talks earlier this year before they collapsed in June when first Israel and then the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran recalled its envoys from Britain, France and Germany for consultations on Saturday, state television reported.

On the ground, Iranians lamented the likely impact of the new sanctions on an already squeezed economy.

"The current (economic) situation was already very difficult, but it's going to get worse," said an Iranian engineer who asked to be identified only by his first name Dariush.

"The impact of the renewed sanctions is already evident: the exchange rate is increasing, and this is leading to higher prices," the 50-year-old said, complaining that the standard of living is "much lower" than it was two or three years ago.

The economic strain was underscored on Sunday when the Iranian rial plunged to a record low against the US dollar on the black market, trading at around 1.12 million per dollar, according to the currency-tracking websites Bonbast and AlanChand.