It is all straight out of a glossy magazine and yet every carefully crafted item in the room could fit into the palm of one hand.

"I love Victorian (19th century) houses and always wanted to live in one but it never happened," laughed doll's house enthusiast Michele Simmons, admiring the cosy miniature scene by historical specialists Mulvany & Rogers.

The 57-year-old corporate recruiter revived her childhood passion for doll's houses during the pandemic and has since "flipped" about 10, buying them, doing them up and selling them on.

She and her daughter thought nothing of flying all night from Boston in the United States to hunt for tiny curtains and a child's crib at the leading Kensington Dollshouse festival in London.

"I love it! You don't think about anything else when you are doing this," she told AFP, admitting she often had to be dragged out of her work shed to feed her children as she became so absorbed.

- Exquisite miniatures -

The annual festival has been gathering some of the world's finest miniature craftspeople since 1985, celebrating a hobby that has seen rising interest recently and a mushrooming of online activity.

It showcases tiny versions of anything needed to furnish a house, from chandeliers and paintings to mahogany dining tables and kitchen items, all with steep price tags.

Doll's houses may be traditionally associated with children, but this high-end miniature collecting is very much an adult hobby.

"This is craftspeople working on just exquisite things," said self-confessed "tiny-obsessed" Rachel Collings, who bought toys from renowned miniaturists Laurence & Angela St. Leger.

Every single one of her purchases, which cost at least £40 ($53), fits easily into a small plastic container and will be added to her collection of equally small items.

"I've got half a cut lemon. Just imagine the size of that. A lemon squeezer and a pastry brush and a hand whisk that actually works," said the 47-year-old editor.

"It's an inner child thing. These things are just so beautiful."

Doll's houses originated from Europe in the 1500s when they were used to display the miniature possessions of the wealthy.

Just as at the London festival, these so-called "baby houses" were strictly for adults, not children.

Retired midwife Susan Evans, 67, on her annual pilgrimage from Colwyn Bay in north Wales, does not just have one doll's house.

"I have a whole village," she said. "It's got 18 Victorian shops, a school, a manor house, a pub and a now a church," she said, adding that the church had cost over £4,000.

Initially the hobby was just a stress-buster to help her unwind, but she has now raised thousands of pounds hosting groups to visit the display in her home.

"It's my passion. It's escapism and it's about using your imagination, which I think is very good for your mental health," she said.

- 'In control' -

Kensington Dollshouse organiser Charlotte Stokoe said there was currently huge interest in doll's houses and miniatures compared to before the pandemic.

"When the world itself is going a bit crazy with so much stress in everyone's lives, it's quite relaxing. You are in control," she said, adding that many people had delighted in pulling out old doll's houses during the Covid lockdowns.

And at a time of rising costs, she said, people had "discovered they can do interior design that maybe they can't do with their own homes -- in small scale it's so much more doable".

Medical anthropologist Dalia Iskander of University College London (UCL) has spent three years researching the subject for her forthcoming book "Miniature Antidotes".

"For many people it's a way of exploring their own experiences and memories and imagination and incorporating that into these miniature worlds," she said.

A whole range of medical issues such as depression or anxiety could all be explored through miniatures in a "beneficial" way, she added.

Miniatures enthusiast Collings said the hobby had become such a source of happiness that her 12-year-old daughter also got involved. She urged anyone to give it a try.

"When everything is difficult, there are these tiny things," she said.

"Sometimes I just go and sit and look at them and it just makes me happy."

har/jkb/rlp

© Agence France-Presse

After a four-year renovation with a $70 million price tag, the reopening of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing comes amid heated debate over the representation of cultural diversity in Western museums and the return of works to their countries of origin.

The reopening should be "an opportunity to recognize that the achievements of artists in this part of the world (sub-Saharan Africa) are equal to those of other major world traditions," Alisa LaGamma, the Met's curator for African art, told AFP.

In a spacious gallery bathed in light, visitors are greeted by a monumental Dogon sculpture -- "a heroic figure, likely a priest," LaGamma explained.

Next to it sits a clay sculpture of a curled body from the ancient city of Djenne-Djenno, in present-day Mali, which is believed to be one of the oldest pieces in the collection, dating back to the 13th century.

- 'Complex history' -

The exhibit does not present the works of sub-Saharan Africa as a single unit, but in chapters to better distinguish between the various cultures.

"We don't want people to oversimplify their understanding of an incredibly complex history," LaGamma said.

"There are over 170 different cultures represented among the 500 works of African art on display," she pointed out.

"That gives you a sense of how many different stories there are to tell in this presentation."

The museum wing, which also displays arts of Oceania and the "ancient Americas" -- prior to European colonization -- opened in 1982 after former Republican vice president and philanthropist Nelson Rockefeller donated his monumental collection. It is named for his son.

"This is a collection that was formed essentially following independence in a lot of what were new nations across sub-Saharan Africa," LaGamma said.

"It doesn't have necessarily the heavy weight of a collection that was formed under colonialism," she said, hinting at the pressure faced by many museums to respond to questions about the origins of works on display.

- 'African Spirits' -

A third of the works shown here were newly acquired. The museum was thus able to benefit from a donation of thousands of photographs from the renowned Arthur Walther collection.

Among the vast trove of pieces donated is a 2008 series of self-portraits entitled "African Spirits" by Fosso, a Cameroonian-Nigerian photographer.

Among Africa's leading photographers, Fosso poses as major figures in African independence and civil rights struggles, from Congolese independence leader and first prime minister Patrice Lumumba, to Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X.

Through around a dozen films directed by Ethiopian-American artist Sosena Solomon, visitors can also explore iconic cultural sites across the continent, like Tsodilo rock paintings in Botswana, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and Tigray in Ethiopia, and the tombs of Buganda kings at Kasubi in Uganda.

"In an art museum like this, it is important that rock paintings should be reflected," said Phillip Segadika, chief curator for archeology and monuments at Botswana's national museum, in residence at the Met to participate in the project.

"It tells us that what we are seeing today, whether it's in European art, medieval art, whatever -- it has a history, it also has an antiquity."

arb/gl/nl/sla

© Agence France-Presse

This is no underground rave, nor a brunch gone wild. It's a caffeine-powered daytime clubbing sesh —- part of a growing wave of alcohol-free, Gen Z-driven events gaining traction in Singapore and elsewhere in the world.

At a recent event in Singapore's trendy Duxton district, the space was jammed by 4:00 pm, with baristas churning out fancy coffees and DJs spinning back-to-back sets.

The crowd grooved with energy, even without the usual liquid courage.

"A lot of people think alcohol gives you the high, but caffeine sometimes can do that too," said Aden Low, 21, co-founder of Beans and Beats which organises coffee raves at different venues.

"That's why the atmosphere at our events tends to be quite energetic."

The parties blend curated music with specialty coffee served in white paper cups.

The vibe is light, friendly and very Gen Z.

"It's also the idea that this is a safe space," said Esther Low, 31, who was at the event in Duxton.

"When you go to a club setting, there's usually this underlying intention to hook up. So, for me, that's personally why I would prefer this."

Several reports say Gen Z is chugging fewer pints than previous generations, with the sober curious movement gaining popularity on social media.

Sober curious people cut back on drinking or abstain altogether, often citing health reasons and better mental acuity.

"Changes in alcohol use have been observed in population surveys and cohort studies. Generally, alcohol use among young adults has decreased," the World Health Organization said in a 2024 report.

- Club culture update -

From London to Los Angeles and Melbourne, similar coffee raves have swept up the social scene, appealing to young partygoers who also want to avoid hangovers.

Ashley Chean, a Singaporean student who has been alcohol-free for a year, said she appreciates these sober gatherings.

"When I lived in Paris, I realised I had a lot of alcoholic tendencies and I didn't want that to be my lifestyle," the 20-year-old told AFP.

"More and more of my friends are sober or sober curious."

The coffee clubbing events are usually held in cafes and other spaces such as rooftop bars -- as long as there's room for DJs and baristas to do their thing while people dance.

The parties typically end by late afternoon, just in time for golden hour selfies.

Besides the health benefits of avoiding alcohol, the events appeal to cost-conscious youth in Singapore, one of the most expensive cities in the world.

The excess drinking and hard-partying ways of Gen X —- fuelled by anthems like the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right (to Party)" and hip-hop videos glamorising club culture —- are fading for members of Gen Z.

While organisers don't see Singapore's glitzy nightlife and clubbing being replaced, they hope their combination of beats and brews will keep the dance floor buzzing.

"As long as we bring the vibes, we'll be OK," said Ashley.

skc/mba/cms/ecl

© Agence France-Presse

Now London's V&A has launched a revolutionary new exhibition space, where visitors can choose from some 250,000 objects, order something they want to spend time looking at, and have it delivered to a room for a private viewing.

Most museums have thousands of precious and historic items hidden away in their stores, which the public never gets to see or enjoy.

But the V&A Storehouse, which opened on May 31 in a specially converted warehouse, has come up with a radical new concept. And it is totally free.

"Museums should be and are for everybody ... the V&A's collection is for everybody. It belongs to everybody, and everyone should be able to have free, equitable, and meaningful access to it," said senior curator Georgia Haseldine.

"So this is a world first, never has anyone been able to be invited freely, without having to book into the same space as a national collection, on this scale."

One fifth of the museum's total collection is now available to be viewed and enjoyed in the four-storey building on the former site of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

- No protective glass -

"It's fantastic, it's so much better than an ordinary museum," enthused retired physics teacher Jane Bailey as she toured the floors.

"I'm just really, really impressed by it. We've only just heard about it, but it's phenomenal."

She was transfixed by the sight of the black and red drum kit which belonged to Keith Moon, from the band The Who, saying it would be great to be able to resuscitate the legendary drummer who died in 1978, to play a set for them.

Jostling for space, side-by-side on shelves in a massive hanger which resembles a DIY warehouse and stretches for more than 30 basketball courts, are everything from ceramics and tapestries, to paintings and toys from the Tudor period.

There is even a whole 15th-century gilded wooden ceiling from the now-lost Torrijos Palace in Spain, and the Kaufmann Office, a panelled room which is the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the United States.

Also on display is a stunning 12-metre tall (40-foot) stage cloth made for a 1924 Ballets Russes show, "Le Train Bleu". The copy of a Pablo Picasso painting is so huge it has been rarely seen since its stage debut.

There is no protective glass.

One of the first visitors to the Storehouse was Princess Catherine, a patron of the V&A and keen art lover, who took a tour on Tuesday.

She described the collection as "eclectic" as she used the "order an object" system to look at a samples book from renowned 19th century English textiles designer William Morris as well as rolls of ornate textiles and a musical instrument.

All the works are available to the public seven days a week, and can be reserved via an online booking system for a private viewing at a date and time of your choice.

Members of staff are on hand paying close attention as visitors don purple gloves and satisfy their curiosity, spending time with the object of their choice.

- 'Love letter' -

It's a huge departure from the usual admonishment of "Don't touch!" found in most museums seeking to protect their objects from damage.

Curator Haseldine acknowledged "we have certainly met with some levels of scepticism and worry".

But she said once the idea was explained properly, including "how meaningful it is to... start to open up and give collections back to a community... people just start to think creatively about how we can do this."

American Manuel Garza said he thought the V&A Storehouse was "one of the most interesting spaces that just opened up here in London".

Haseldine said "this building is a love letter to objects".

"To be able to see around the back of an object, to be able to look inside a dress, to be able to see the bottom of a pot, all these things are how we really learn about our material culture," she added.

Expert Kate Hill, who teaches cultural history at Lincoln University, said "it's pretty unusual for museums to open up their storehouses".

"Most of the time they offer some 'behind the scene' tours, but their objects are not accessible. It's visible but not accessible."

Visitor Jane Bailey said: "I would hope that this is the museum of the future, because some are very, very stuffy. We went to one recently and it was excruciating."

adm/jkb/yad/fg

© Agence France-Presse

While classified as a "special government employee" and "senior advisor to the president," the South African-born tycoon has left indelible marks on American politics as Trump's most visible backer.

- The 'Nazi' salute -

Being Trump's right-hand man took on a new meaning when the world's richest person made headlines by dramatically throwing out his arm -- twice -- at a rally celebrating Trump's January 20 inauguration.

Standing at a podium bearing the presidential seal, Musk's right arm was straight, his hand open, his palm facing down. Historians agreed with Democratic politicians that the sharp gesture looked exactly like a Nazi salute.

The Tesla boss -- whose electric vehicles were soon dubbed "swasticars" by critics -- dismissed the claims, posting on his X social media platform: "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."

Whatever the display meant, Nazi-related jokes and memes dominated public reactions to the day meant to mark Trump's triumphant return to office.

- Endorsing Germany's extreme-right -

Hot off his salute shock, Musk participated virtually at a January rally for Germany's anti-immigration, ultra-nationalist AfD party.

Musk told the crowd "you really are the best hope" for Germany and urged them to be "proud of German culture and German values."

His endorsement of the AfD shook mainstream German parties, which said they viewed it as foreign interference by Trump's advisor. Vandals burned four Teslas in the streets of Berlin afterward.

Despite record gains at the polls, AfD ultimately took second place in the election behind Germany's conservatives.

- Brings kid to work -

Dressed down in MAGA hats and t-shirts, Musk became a near-constant presence in the White House. For a while, so did his four-year-old son named X.

During Musk's first appearance before reporters since his arrival in Washington to run DOGE, the child was trotted out and Trump said: "This is X and he's a great guy."

The boy was filmed picking his nose while his father boasted about his cost-cutting exploits while standing next to the Oval Office's Resolute Desk.

- Brings chainsaw to budget -

Unelected and unconfirmed by the Senate, Musk has repeatedly bashed the "unelected, fourth unconstitutional branch of government, which is the bureaucracy" and immediately made brutal cuts to the federal workforce and budget.

To illustrate his management style, Musk donned sunglasses and brandished a chainsaw on stage at a conservative get-together in Washington.

It was handed to him -- not turned on -- by right-wing Argentine President Javier Milei, who made the machine a symbol of slashing bureaucracy and state spending in his own country.

- Overshadowing Trump's cabinet -

At Trump's first cabinet meeting on February 26, Musk had a starring role even though he is not part of the cabinet. He stood looming near a doorway, wearing a t-shirt with the words "Tech Support" across the chest as the cabinet met.

Even without a literal seat at the table Musk, who helped bankroll Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, overshadowed the country's most powerful officials.

Trump downplayed this tension shortly before the meeting, posting on his social media platform: "ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON."

- Trump the Tesla salesman -

With Musk's Tesla car company taking a battering on the stock market and sales dropping sharply, and with vandals targeting his brand, the White House hosted a highly publicized test drive to boost Tesla's reputation.

With a Tesla Cybertruck and a Model S parked on the South Portico, Trump and Musk mounted a sales pitch.

Trump even said he had purchased one.

The stunt didn't ultimately turn around Tesla's plummeting sales, with the electric vehicle maker reporting a 71 percent drop in first-quarter profits.

- Fails to sway court election -

Money can't buy you everything, Musk discovered, after pouring $25 million into the most expensive court race in US history to try to get a pro-Trump Republican judge elected to Wisconsin's Supreme Court.

Musk paid voters $100 to sign a petition opposing "activist judges" and even handed out $1 million checks to voters, beseeching the public to select the conservative judge.

The court's docket was packed with precedent-setting cases over abortion and reproductive rights, the strength of public sector unions, voting rules and congressional district boundaries.

The US state instead chose a liberal judge by a wide margin in April, dismaying the billionaire -- who had spent roughly $277 million in 2024 in the national race to help get Trump elected.

- Tariff dissenter -

After Trump announced his sweeping US tariffs, deeply affecting major trading partners China and the European Union, Musk made the case for a free-trade zone between the United States and Europe.

This clashes with Trump's trade policy.

Shortly after, he called Trump's economic advisor Peter Navarro, a longtime advocate for trade barriers, "dumber than a sack of bricks."

Navarro had taken aim at Tesla, saying the carmaker mostly sourced assembled major components from factories in Asia.

Musk retorted with studies he said showed "Tesla has the most American-made cars."

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt tried to play down the public feud, saying that "boys will be boys."

- Big, Beautiful Bill -

Musk said he was "disappointed" by Trump's divisive mega-bill, which offers sprawling tax relief and spending cuts, in a rare split with the Republican president.

The tech tycoon said the "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" -- which passed the US House last week and now moves to the Senate -- would increase the deficit and undermine the work of DOGE, which has fired tens of thousands of people.

Critics warn the legislation will gut health care and balloon the national deficit by as much as $4 trillion over a decade.

"I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," Musk told CBS News.

Musk announced he was quitting his US government role shortly after.

cat/rmb/dw/sla/sms/cms/pbt

© Agence France-Presse

The 24-year-old demolished China's unseeded Lu Guangzu 21-6, 21-10 in just 37 minutes with his range of powerful smashes and deceptive drop shots.

Paris Olympics silver medallist Kunlavut will replace another Chinese player, Shi Yuqi, as world number one in a landmark for Thai badminton.

It was his fourth title this season.

"There will be pressure to be the best player in the world, but it's going to be a good pressure as that will give me the added motivation of doing my best to win all the tournaments I take part in," said Kunlavut, who lost the Paris final to Viktor Axelsen.

Denmark's two-time Olympic champion Axelsen, the former number one, is currently working his way back to fitness following surgery for a back problem.

In an all-Chinese women's final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the fifth seed Chen Yufei outplayed second-seeded Wang Zhiyi 21-11, 21-11.

Chen was runner-up to world number one An Se-young last year.

Chen ended the South Korean's unbeaten run in 2025 by defeating her in the quarter-finals this year.

"I’m really very happy with this win because the draw was not exactly in my favour and every match felt like a battle," said Chen.

"To make it all the way to the final was honestly something unexpected.

"I felt like I was not under too much pressure this time, so I played more freely and showed what I’m capable of."

str/pst

© Agence France-Presse

It meant that Thailand's Sawang was all but certain to win gold in the men's 100-plus discus, javelin, shot put and 100 metres.

All he had to do was finish, and the former school principal reached the 100m line in his solo race in a very respectable 38.55 seconds.

"I'm proud he's brought honour to our family," his 73-year-old daughter Siripan, a fellow evergreen athlete, told AFP.

They are among 25,950 athletes from 107 countries at the two-week World Masters Games in Taipei.

Held every four years, the event brings together competitors aged 30 and over from all walks of life for the sheer joy of taking part.

This year's edition is more than twice as big as the 2024 Paris Olympics in terms of competitor numbers.

Sawang, a father of five, began exercising at the age of 90, inspired by Siripan and a desire to avoid becoming bedridden like his friends.

Three to four times a week, Sawang joins his daughter to trot on a beach near their home in Rayong in eastern Thailand.

"I sometimes like to walk, sometimes run," said Sawang, peering at AFP through aviator sunglasses as he explained his training regimen.

"Sometimes I do javelin throw, depending on what I have to do for competitions."

Other times, Sawang said he just goes to the local market.

It's proved to be a winning strategy, with the wiry centenarian winning more than 60 medals on the masters circuit.

Sawang added four more golds to his collection this week.

- 'Exercise makes life better' -

A smattering of spectators was in the stadium as Sawang competed in the shot put, his last event of the Games.

Before the first throw, Sawang lined up with other sprightly shot putters in the 80+, 85+ and 90+ age groups to be introduced.

Wearing knee braces, Sawang threw more than four metres on each of his five attempts, drawing cheers and claps from the younger athletes.

Siripan, who also won two gold medals and a silver in her throwing events, joined her father on the podium after he received his fourth gold.

"I'm so proud of my father that he can still do this and that he is strong," Siripan said.

"People admire him wherever he goes."

The next World Masters Games will be in Japan in 2027 after it was postponed twice during Covid-19.

Whether he competes there or in another masters event will be "up to my health", Sawang said.

Before athletics, Sawang used to work on his farm, where he grew durian and rubber trees.

Now he just focuses on sport.

"Excercise makes our life better and we get to meet friends who also exercise," Sawang said.

"It's like our lives are livelier and we do not feel lonely at home."

joy-amj/pst/fg

© Agence France-Presse

The French winemaker's daughter has stood in for Scarlett Johansson -- twice -- on "Avengers 2" and "Black Widow" and appeared in a dozen films including "The Batman".

The 32-year-old is one of a very rare breed of motorcycle stuntwomen, with a massive social media following that helped bring her from the vineyards of France's Champagne region to Hollywood.

AFP caught up with her on her own personal training track amid the otherwise tranquil vineyards near Epernay, the Champagne capital in northeast France.

Barely astride her red chrome Kawasaki, she was off down the track performing stunts with disconcerting dexterity, her long brown hair trailing out of her helmet in the wind.

"This is kind of my temple," she said after performing a series of gravity-defying tricks including standing with both feet on top of her 200-kilo (440-pound) machine and then flipping herself onto the handlebars.

"People think I'm working, but it mostly allows me to release all the pressure," said Lezito, whose lucky charm -- a plastic beaded bracelet -- is wrapped around the throttle of her bike.

- 'Doing wheelies in a field' -

The woman now popularly known as the "world stunt champion" (although there is no recognised world championship) began her acrobatics career young on the family holding near Epernay.

"I fell into stunts by watching videos," she told AFP. "No one in my family was in the motor sports world. My father only had an agricultural quad, not at all made for sports, but I started trying to do wheelies with it in a field."

Then she began posting her stunt videos on YouTube.

But she seemed destined to follow her family into wine and viticulture until she posted a video of a medley of tricks one day in March 2013 called "One out of Billion Girls".

"It was thanks to this video that they noticed me," she said.

The "they" being the team from the Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers 2".

A few months later, she abandoned her winemaking studies to fly to South Korea to perform Johansson's stunts in the movie.

Because she "adapted quickly" to stunt work, Lezito decided to go professional, appearing in several major movies, including "Inferno", "Millennium" and "The Batman" with Zoe Kravitz.

"I met all the actresses I've doubled for," she said.

- 30 million followers -

She has had her moments on some of the movies, although she insists she has never felt fear on those she does "at home" for social media.

"I had to ride through flames for 'Bad Girl', a film which was never released. On paper, it was very simple, but I didn't have a helmet," she recalled.

And in the summer of 2023 while filming David Fincher's "The Killer" in Paris, starring Michael Fassbender, Lezito had a severe fall.

"I flew off the motorcycle, I wasn't going very fast but fast enough to land on my head and the helmet cracked."

She ended up in the emergency room with a head injury.

It "made her think", she told AFP, and she "decided to take a break" and put her Hollywood career on hold.

Lezito now devotes herself to her social media channels, posting videos of her stunts to her more than 30 million followers -- including 9.5 million on Instagram, some two million more than MotoGP star Marc Marquez.

Her garage doubles as a studio, with her YouTube trophies and gifts from her fans displayed on the walls.

But it is also where she gets her hands dirty repairing her fleet of roughly 10 motorcycles.

"As long as I enjoy sitting on the motorcycle, I'll keep doing this," she said.

hdy/cyj/fg

© Agence France-Presse

Iran rejected the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the latest move in years-long efforts to restrict its nuclear activities over fears that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

The IAEA report, seen by AFP, said Iran had sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.

Iran rejected the report, which came amid high tensions in the Middle East over Israel's military offensive in Gaza, with Tehran's foreign ministry calling it a "political" manoeuvre.

The ministry accused Israel of providing "unreliable and misleading information" to the IAEA for the report, "contrary to the IAEA's principles of professional verification".

Iran's Foreign Minister said earlier Saturday that he had received "elements" of a US proposal for a potential nuclear deal following five rounds of talks mediated by Oman.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi "paid a short visit to Tehran today to present elements of a US proposal which will be appropriately responded to in line with the principles, national interests and rights of the people of Iran," Araghchi said on X.

The IAEA report said Iran had an estimated 408.6 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent as of May 17, up by 133.8 kilogrammes since the last report in February.

Iran's total amount of enriched uranium now exceeds 45 times the limit authorised by the 2015 agreement with world powers, and is estimated at 9,247.6 kilogrammes.

"The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon State to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern," the IAEA said.

In a separate in-depth report, the IAEA criticised "less than satisfactory" cooperation from Tehran over its scrutiny of its nuclear programme, specifically noting Iran's lack of progress in explaining nuclear material found at undeclared sites.

- Iran says nuclear arms 'unacceptable' -

Western governments have long suspected Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability to counter the widely suspected but undeclared arsenal of its arch-foe Israel.

Iran has denied seeking nuclear arms and says it needs the uranium for civilian power production.

Following the IAEA report, Israel on Saturday accused Iran of being "totally determined" to acquire nuclear weapons.

"Such a level of enrichment exists only in countries actively pursuing nuclear weapons and has no civilian justification whatsoever," a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

In response, Araghchi reaffirmed the country's longstanding position, saying Tehran rejected nuclear weapons.

"If the issue is nuclear weapons, yes, we too consider this type of weapon unacceptable," Araghchi, Iran's lead negotiator in the talks, said in a televised speech. "We agree with them on this issue."

Araghchi's remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump said Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon", while expressing hope of striking a deal soon.

On Thursday, Araghchi hit out at what he called "media speculation" that the two sides were close to an agreement, saying he was "not sure if" a deal was "imminent".

Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States on a new agreement with major powers after Trump abandoned the process during his first term as president in 2018.

No date or venue has yet been announced for the next round but Araghchi said Wednesday that he expected an announcement from mediator Oman in the "next few days".

Washington has said Iran's uranium programme must cease but Tehran insists it has a right to pursue it under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

- 'Very good talks' -

Israel has repeatedly threatened military action, after pummelling Iranian air defences during two exchanges of fire last year.

Trump said Wednesday that the United States was having "very good talks with Iran", adding that he had warned Netanyahu against striking its nuclear facilities as it would not be "appropriate right now".

Trump has not ruled out military action but said he wants space to make a deal first, and has also said that Israel, and not the United States, would take the lead in any such strikes.

Trump adopted a "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran after abandoning the 2015 agreement and reimposed sweeping sanctions which the deal had lifted in return for UN-monitored restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities.

Iran continued to honour the agreement for a year, but then began rolling back its own compliance with its terms.

Uranium enriched to up to 60 percent is far beyond the 3.67-percent limit set by the 2015 agreement.

In recent days, Tehran has said that if a deal is reached, it may consider allowing US inspectors to join the IAEA monitoring teams.

sbr-ap-kym/rlp/js

© Agence France-Presse

About 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Seoul, Tongilchon -- the name translates to "unification village" -- is one of a handful of settlements set up by the South Korean government in the 1970s.

The plan was for the villages to help the border areas recover from the devastation of the 1950-1953 Korean War, with the land allocated to former soldiers and people originally from the area but displaced by fighting.

Most residents are old. They have lived through the war, presidents from the hard-right military rulers of the 1970s-1980s and the dovish left-wing pro-engagement leaders of the 1990s-2000s.

When AFP visited the village of about 450 people days before South Korea was set to vote on June 3 for a new leader to replace disgraced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, the focus was on one thing.

"We live very close to the North, so we just hope relations improve and there's no war," 87-year-old Kwon Yeong-han told AFP.

The election could upend Seoul's policy towards the nuclear-armed North. The frontrunner, the Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung, is likely to take a much more conciliatory tone towards Pyongyang than hardliner Yoon.

- 'Ghost sounds' -

From the square in front of the polling station, a giant North Korean flag atop a 160-metre-high (520-foot) pole on the other side of the border is clearly visible.

When tensions between the two Koreas rise -- as they did under Yoon -- life for Tongilchon residents gets significantly more difficult.

Under Yoon, activists in the South once again started floating balloons carrying propaganda, dollar bills and USB sticks of K-pop and K-drama into the North.

It infuriated Pyongyang and triggered a tit-for-tat exchange, where the North floated balloons carrying trash southwards.

As ties deteriorated, both sides switched on the loudspeakers along the border.

Residents of Tongilchon now have to listen to terrifying sounds worthy of a horror movie soundtrack -- screams and moans, which Pyongyang broadcasts at any time of day or night.

"It's just noise, like ghost sounds," village chief Lee Wan-bae, 73, told AFP.

"It keeps us awake, it makes working in the fields difficult."

South Korea blasts K-pop and news bulletins into the North in response, but the loudspeaker noise from Pyongyang is so disturbing that border residents have pleaded with parliament to make it stop.

Tongilchon is located in the Civilian Control Zone (CCZ), a restricted area next to the more famous Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) which separates the two Koreas.

The countries remain technically at war because the conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.

At the elementary school, which is flanked by air raid sirens, only six of the students live in the CCZ, the rest are bussed in daily.

"We make a lot of efforts to keep the school going, such as offering programmes that others don't have and free extracurricular activities after school and during vacations," said vice-principal Jong Jae-hwa.

When the CCZ is sealed off due to North Korean military activity and the school bus suspended, it falls to the teachers to drive children home.

Rising tensions also hit tourism, which is a key source of revenue for the village. It sells its agricultural products as "DMZ rice" or "DMZ ginseng".

"Life is hard here. No matter who is elected president, what we just want is to live peacefully," said the village chief Lee.

- 'Very suspicious' -

Long-term resident Min Tae-seung, 85, said that life in Tongilchon is already much easier than it used to be.

"In the first few years after we moved here there were military threats and North Korean infiltration," he said.

He's planning to vote for the conservative party's Kim Moon-soo, the candidate of Yoon's ex-party and a hardliner against Pyongyang.

According to Min, South Korea's "progressives are too lenient toward North Korea".

"The conservative camp does not take North Korea lightly -- they remain very suspicious."

But whoever the next president is, he said: "I don't think inter-Korean relations will improve quickly.

"Of course it would be ideal to reconcile and move freely, but that seems a long way off."

His 45-year-old daughter has a different view.

"Living here, the desire for reunification has naturally become a central concern for me," she said.

"Even if reunification is not possible, I really hope we could see travel between the two countries. I would love for my parents to see that day come."

roc/ceb/oho/pst

© Agence France-Presse