Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: &nbsp;Islamabad has sought Singapore&rsquo;s support for repatriation of Pakistani and Iranian seafarers. Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, in a post on X on Friday, stated: &ldquo;Spoke with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and requested Singapore&rsquo;s support in facilitating the welfare and repatriation of 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers, aboard vessels seized by US authorities and currently near Singaporean waters.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2052601926689120675&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=caf7f3235e0d0a87ccc65ae0f38173891d9e2458&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 345px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2052601926689120675"></iframe></div></div>Dar said that he also spoke with &ldquo;Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as we remain in close coordination on the matter.&rdquo; &ldquo;Pakistan also stands ready to facilitate the safe repatriation of Iranian nationals to Iran via Pakistan.&rdquo; Dar said, &ldquo;We appreciate the cooperation and support being extended by Singapore.&rdquo; Pakistani foreign minister said, &ldquo;Pakistan, through its Foreign Office and relevant authorities, is closely coordinating with US authorities and others to ensure the safety, welfare, and earliest possible return of our nationals.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan’s foreign minister states, ‘Pakistan, through its Foreign Office and relevant authorities, is closely coordinating with US authorities and others to ensure the safety, welfare, and earliest possible return of our nationals.’

Islamabad seeks Singapore’s support for repatriation of Pakistani, Iranian seafarers

BEIRUT: More than half of Lebanon&#39;s population depends on humanitarian aid, a European Union official said on Friday, as Israel continues its attacks on the country despite a ceasefire in the two-month-long war with militant group Hezbollah. &quot;At present, more than three million people, meaning more than half of the population here in Lebanon, depend on humanitarian aid to survive,&quot; EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib told reporters after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut. Lahbib said that since the start of the war on March 2 the 27-member bloc has provided 100 million euros in aid and sent six planes carrying humanitarian aid, with a seventh expected on Saturday. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,700 people and displaced over one million since early March, according to authorities. The UN launched an emergency appeal in March for $308 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon, but in two months it has raised just $126 million, according to UN agencies. Lahbib, who said that the ceasefire has opened &quot;a narrow window of hope&quot;, called for Hezbollah &quot;to cease its attacks and be disarmed&quot; and said that &quot;Israel must put an end to its bombardments&quot;. &quot;For a ceasefire to lead to peace, courage is needed -- political courage to address the root causes of this conflict.&quot; Israel and Lebanon are set to hold a third round of talks in Washington next week to end the war, despite Hezbollah&#39;s opposition to direct negotiations.

Middle East

More than half of Lebanon’s population depends on humanitarian aid, the EU said, as Israeli strikes continue despite a ceasefire and Washington talks seek to end the war.

More than half of Lebanon population depends on aid: EU official

GENEVA: The World Health Organization said Friday that the risk to the public of a deadly hantavirus strain in a cruise ship outbreak was minimal, as it spreads only through &quot;very close contact&quot;. &quot;This is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who&#39;s really infected, and the risk to the general population remains absolutely low,&quot; WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a press briefing in Geneva. He pointed out that even people who had stayed in the same cabins on the stricken MV Hondius cruise ship &quot;don&#39;t seem to be both infected in some cases&quot;. The spokesman insisted that the disease was &quot;not spreading anything close to how Covid was spreading&quot;. &quot;The contact tracing is effective because it traces those who have been in close contact,&quot; he said. The ship left Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina on April 1 for a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Verde, stopping at several remote islands along the way.

This handhout photograph taken and released on May 7, 2026 by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows its Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (R) speaking with WHO Health Emergencies Programme executive director Chikwe Ihekweazu prior to a virtu

Europe

Says the public risk from the deadly hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius is very low because the virus spreads only through very close contact.

Hantavirus outbreak risk to public 'absolutely low': WHO

ROME: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, the second day spent calming tensions in Rome following criticism by President Donald Trump. The day after a &quot;friendly and constructive&quot; audience with Pope Leo XIV, whom Trump lambasted for his anti-war rhetoric, Rubio will meet with far-right Meloni at her office in Rome. Meloni is one of the US president&#39;s closest European allies, but he has sharply criticized her for failing to help with the war with Iran. In an interview with an Italian newspaper last month, Trump said he was &quot;shocked&quot;, saying: &quot;I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.&quot; His comments came a day after Meloni said Trump&#39;s criticism of Leo, the first ever US pontiff, was unacceptable. More recently, Trump threatened to pull US troops from Italy, saying Rome &quot;has not been of any help to us&quot; in the Iran war. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who also met Rubio on Friday, stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance. &quot;We are absolutely convinced that Europe needs the United States, and that the United States also needs Europe,&quot; he said on Thursday. &quot;If there are things we disagree with, we say so, we have said so, and we will say so, because this is what being allies is all about: always with our heads held high, convinced of our position, and we intend to play a role.&quot; In a meeting at the Italian foreign ministry on Friday morning, Tajani and other officials presented Rubio with documents tracing the US diplomat&#39;s Italian origins. &quot;It&#39;s a true honor and a very special moment to receive all of this information,&quot; Rubio said, adding that he was going to learn Italian. The Cuban-American, who speaks fluent Spanish, said: &quot;The next time I&#39;m back... I&#39;ll give a speech &#39;in Italiano&#39;.&quot; NATO commitments&nbsp;Tajani said he intended to discuss with Rubio the issue of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively blocked by Iran, as well as the conflict in Lebanon. They would also discuss Venezuela and Cuba and the war in Ukraine, in which Rome has supported Kyiv against Russia, Italian officials said. Earlier this week, Meloni said the idea of pulling US troops out of Italy was &quot;a decision that does not depend on me, and one that I personally do not agree with&quot;. But she added: &quot;Italy has always honored all its commitments, particularly within NATO, even when our direct interests weren&#39;t at stake, in Afghanistan and Iraq.&quot; Trump has also threatened to pull US troops out of Spain, while the Pentagon has announced it will withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany. As of Dec. 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany, there were 36,436.

Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

Top US diplomat met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome to ease tensions sparked by President Donald Trump over the Iran war, NATO commitments, and criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

US Secretary of State Rubio meets Italian PM after Trump criticism

ISLAMABAD: The European Union&rsquo;s climate monitor has said on Friday that ocean temperatures are edging toward record highs as conditions shift toward a potentially powerful El Nino weather pattern.&nbsp; Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) said sea surface temperatures in recent days were just shy of the all-time highs of 2024, and May looked set to break its own record. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a matter of days before we are back in record-breaking ocean SSTs (sea surface temperatures) again,&quot; Burgess, strategic lead for climate at ECMWF, told AFP. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said daily sea surface temperatures in April &ldquo;gradually inched&rdquo; toward near-record highs, reflecting the transition to El Nino expected in the coming months. Copernicus, overseen by the ECMWF, said sea surface temperatures in April were the second-highest of the measured, with marine heatwaves breaking records across the tropical Pacific and the United States. Last month, the World Meteorological Organisation said El Nino conditions could develop as soon as May to July. One phase of a natural climate cycle in Pacific Ocean temperatures and trade winds, El Nino influences global weather and increases the likelihood of drought, heavy rainfall and other climate extremes. It also adds heat to a planet already warmed by burning fossil fuels. The last El Nino helped make 2023 and 2024 the second- and first-hottest years on record, respectively. Some weather agencies forecast the coming event will be even stronger, possibly rivalling a &ldquo;super&rdquo; El Nino three decades ago. Zeke Hausfather, a scientist at Berkeley Earth, an independent climate research organisation, wrote last week that a strong El Nino could significantly raise the chances of 2027 becoming the hottest year ever recorded. Burgess said it was still too early to predict the event&#39;s intensity with confidence, as forecasts made during the Northern Hemisphere spring could be unreliable. But she said, regardless of its strength, this El Nino would not go unnoticed. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re likely to see 2027 exceed 2024 for the warmest year on record,&rdquo; she said. El Nino&rsquo;s impact on global temperatures typically comes the year after its peak, she added. Extreme sea temperaturesCopernicus said the upturn in ocean temperatures over March and April indicated the transition from neutral conditions to El Nino was underway. Scientists stress that El Nino alone is not driving the extraordinary ocean warmth or its knock-on effects, such as coral bleaching and marine heatwaves. The phenomenon is unfolding against a backdrop of long-term global warming, caused primarily by greenhouse gas emissions, with oceans absorbing around 90 percent of the excess heat generated by human activity. In its monthly bulletin, Copernicus said April was the third-hottest globally and 1.43 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial benchmark. Arctic sea ice remained near record lows in April while Europe endured varied conditions that set the stage for a hotter and drier summer at risk of drought or wildfires, it said. &ldquo;We just keep seeing extremes. Every month we have more data that the climate change impact is creating these extreme events,&rdquo; said Burgess.

Climate

Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts said sea surface temperatures in recent days were almost all-time highs of 2024, and May looked set to break its own record.


Sea temperatures near all-time highs as El Nino looms: EU monitor

ISLAMABAD: Labour suffered heavy losses in early UK local election results on Friday, as Nigel Farage&rsquo;s Reform UK made major gains across England and Prime Minister Keir Starmer came under renewed pressure, British media reported. The Independent reported that Labour had lost control of eight councils, including traditional strongholds such as Tameside, Hartlepool and Wigan, as results from Thursday&rsquo;s elections continued to come in.&nbsp; Early tallies showed Reform winning 290 council seats, a gain of 270, while Labour had 229, down 202. The Liberal Democrats had 217 seats, up 29, the Conservatives 159, down 61, and the Greens 47, up 23.&nbsp; PM Starmer acknowledged the scale of Labour&rsquo;s setback, saying the results were &ldquo;very tough&rdquo; and that there was &ldquo;no sugarcoating it.&rdquo; He said Labour had lost dedicated councilors and added that he took responsibility. Reform&rsquo;s strongest early performances came in former Labour areas. In Hartlepool, the party won all 12 contested seats, while Labour lost seven and control of the council. Reform also took Newcastle-under-Lyme from the Conservatives, its first council gain of the 2026 local elections. BBC reported that Reform won 27 seats there, underlining the party&rsquo;s breakthrough in areas where it previously had little local representation.&nbsp; Farage described the results as evidence of &ldquo;historic change in British politics&rdquo; and said Reform was making gains in traditional Labour areas. The party also claimed Labour voters were switching directly to Reform. The results triggered fresh questions about Starmer&rsquo;s leadership. Labour MP Jonathan Brash said the prime minister should step down, while Defence Secretary John Healey rejected that call and said Starmer remained the right person to turn the party&rsquo;s position around. Polling expert Sir John Curtice, who leads the BBC&rsquo;s results analysis, said Reform was winning at least a third of declared seats and performing especially well in areas that backed Brexit. He said Reform appeared to have taken from the Conservatives the coalition that supported Boris Johnson in 2019.&nbsp; The Conservatives also lost ground, although they pointed to some gains as evidence of resilience. The Liberal Democrats and Greens both made gains, adding to signs of a more fragmented electoral landscape. More results are expected throughout Friday from councils in England, along with devolved elections in Scotland and Wales.

United Kingdom

Reform UK made major local election gains as Labour lost key councils, increasing pressure on PM UK Sir Keir Starmer while Conservatives also struggled and smaller parties advanced.

Reform UK surges as Labour suffers heavy local election losses

LONDON: A third British national has been diagnosed with suspected hantavirus linked to a cruise ship outbreak, health officials said Friday. The &quot;additional suspected case of a British national&quot; was on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Two other British nationals remain in hospital in the Netherlands and South Africa following the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. &quot;None of the British citizens onboard are currently reporting symptoms, but they are being closely monitored,&quot; the agency said. The ship is expected to dock in Tenerife on Sunday, and government officials will be on the ground to help British nationals disembarking. The Foreign Office is chartering &quot;a dedicated repatriation flight&quot; for British ship passengers and crew only. &quot;This flight will be free of charge,&quot; the agency added. The British passengers will have to isolate for 45 days once they return to the UK, and will be closely monitored and tested by the agency.

Three British people have been diagnosed with the suspected Hantavirus after the cruise ship outbreak, its health security agency said.

Third Briton has suspected hantavirus after cruise outbreak: health agency

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday praised Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for its role in disaster relief, healthcare services and community outreach efforts across the country. According to a statement released by Prime Minister&#39;s Office on X, Sharif paid tribute to volunteers, staff and partners of PRCS for their humanitarian services across the country. Sharif praised PRCS for its contributions in disaster relief, blood supply services, healthcare and community outreach programs. &ldquo;The government values the organization&rsquo;s services and remains committed to further strengthening cooperation with it in the future,&rdquo; the prime minister said. World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is observed annually on May 8th to recognize the humanitarian work of volunteers and aid workers around the world. <iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2052636281981571418&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F5756%2F&sessionId=7c47ec99914b7d81f1d14d1426187414d73e6dc0&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 668px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe><div class="fr-embed">&nbsp;</div>He wrote, &quot;this year, the day is being observed under the theme United in Humanity. This theme highlights the enduring power of humanity, compassion, and solidarity.&quot; The prime minister said, &quot;The government is taking practical measures to provide more effective responses to disasters and emergencies, easy access to world-class health facilities, and special protection for the vulnerable segments of society.&quot; He said the measures include strengthening early warning systems, investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, promoting health facilities at the community level, and improving coordination between federal and provincial institutions.&nbsp;The prime minister said efforts are also underway to enhance the capacity and readiness of volunteers and first responders for swift and effective responses to emergencies at the public level. Social volunteers prepared for humanitarian service play a pivotal role on the front lines. Marking the occasion, he appealed to all citizens to embrace the values of compassion, volunteer service, and solidarity.&nbsp; &quot;Let us all unite in our resolve to serve humanity and provide every possible assistance to those in need.&quot; Meanwhile, President Zardari said the day highlighted the important role humanitarian workers play in strengthening health systems, responding to emergencies and assisting people in need. &ldquo;The occasion serves as a reminder of the vital role humanitarian workers play in strengthening health systems, responding to emergencies and assisting those most in need,&rdquo; he said. The president urged government institutions, humanitarian organizations and civil society to renew their commitment to &ldquo;humanity, solidarity and public service&rdquo; to help build a safer, healthier and more inclusive Pakistan.

President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shehbaz Sharif- (Photo: Radio Pakistan)

Health

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari praised Pakistan Red Crescent Society for its humanitarian work in disaster relief, healthcare, blood supply and community outreach.

Pakistan PM, president praise Red Crescent Society for its contributions to healthcare 

ISLAMABAD: Japanese auto giant Toyota forecast Friday a 22% fall in net profit in the year to next March, as it battles the effects of US tariffs. The world&#39;s largest automaker by vehicle sales made the announcement as it revealed net profit fell 19.2% to 3.8 trillion yen ($25 billion) in the 2025-26 fiscal year. &quot;Despite the impact of US tariffs we secured profits consistent with our guidance due to increased vehicle sales volumes and the effects of price revisions underpinned by strong product competitiveness, as well as steadily accumulated improvement efforts such as expanded value chain revenues,&quot; Toyota said in a statement. Revenues last fiscal year rose 5.5% to 50.7 trillion yen, and for the current period it projected them to hit 51.0 trillion yen.

Japanese auto giant Toyota forecast Friday a 22-percent fall in net profit in the year to next March.

Business

Toyota forecast a 22% drop in annual net profit due to US tariffs, despite strong vehicle sales and rising revenues.

Toyota sees 22% profit drop this year

JAKARTA: Twenty hikers, nine of them from Singapore, were reported missing Friday after Mount Dukono on Indonesia&#39;s eastern Halmahera island erupted, spewing a smoke cloud some 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into the air, a rescue official told AFP. &quot;Our team is on its way. It is not yet confirmed if there are injured people. Based on reports, there are about 20 people being searched for,&quot; local rescue official Iwan Ramdani said by telephone. He confirmed the 20 were all hikers, even though the area had been closed to visitors since April 17 after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity. Lana Saria, head of the government Geology Agency, said the early-morning eruption was accompanied by a &quot;booming sound&quot; and a thick smoke column rising some 10 km from the summit of Mount Dukono in the North Maluku province. &quot;The direction of the ash distribution leans northward, so residential areas and Tobelo City need to be vigilant for... volcanic ash rain,&quot; she said in a statement. The smoke could be dangerous for public health, Lana added, and risked disrupting transportation services. Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific &quot;Ring of Fire&quot; where tectonic plates collide. Mount Dukono is currently on the third-highest alert level of Indonesia&#39;s four-tiered alert system. Since December, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has recommended that tourists and climbers do not come within four kilometres of the volcano&#39;s Malupang Warirang Crater.

A handout picture taken and released by Indonesia’s Geological Agency on May 8, 2026, shows smoke rising from the eruption of Mount Dukono as seen from Tobelo, North Maluku (AFP).

Asia

Lana Saria, head of the government Geology Agency, said the early-morning eruption was accompanied by a "booming sound" and a thick smoke column rising some 10 km from the summit of Mount Dukono in the North Maluku province.