Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s petroleum minister and Japan&#39;s ambassador pledged deeper collaboration in geoscience research during a meeting on Tuesday in Islamabad. Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik received Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi at the Geoscience Advanced Research Laboratories of the Geological Survey of Pakistan. The two discussed scientific partnerships between their countries in geosciences and mineral research, according to a press release. Malik credited Japan&#39;s government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency for supporting the establishment and development of the research facility, calling it a significant scientific initiative, the press release said. Pakistan is modernizing its mineral sector by adopting advanced technologies for exploration and extraction, Malik said. The upgrades are designed to enhance sustainability, productivity, and value creation in the mining industry, according to the statement. A documentary covering the laboratory&#39;s history and current capabilities was shown during the visit. The ambassador toured various laboratory sections and met with Geological Survey scientists, the press release said. The Japanese ambassador noted Pakistan&#39;s work to develop scientific infrastructure and stated Japan&#39;s commitment to technical cooperation and scientific exchange in geosciences, according to the statement. Both countries expressed satisfaction with ongoing technical engagement between the Geological Survey and JICA, the press release said. Officials committed to future cooperation on advanced analytical sciences, laboratory methods, scientific workflows, and technical training in the petroleum sector and geosciences. Senior officials from Pakistan&#39;s Petroleum Division, the Geological Survey, Japan&#39;s embassy, and JICA attended the meeting.

Economy

Pakistan is adopting advanced technologies to modernize its mineral exploration and extraction with Japan, reaffirming its commitment to technical cooperation and agreeing to collaborate on analytical sciences, laboratory methods, and scientific training.

Japan, Pakistan strengthen ties on mineral sector cooperation

MIAMI: The United States on Wednesday indicted Cuba&#39;s former leader Raul Castro, on murder charges, fueling speculation that President Donald Trump will try to topple the communist state. The charges against the former president -- who at 94 years old remains influential in Cuban politics -- stem from the deadly 1996 downing of two civilian planes manned by anti-Castro pilots. Castro is the younger brother of Fidel Castro, the late iconic US nemesis who led Cuba&#39;s 1959 communist revolution. &quot;We expect that he will show up here by his own will or by another way and go to prison,&quot; acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a news conference in Miami attended by cheering Cuban-Americans. In addition to murder, Castro has been charged with conspiracy to kill Americans and destruction of aircraft. The US government previously seized on a domestic indictment to justify military action in January that toppled and seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a staunch ally of Cuba. Trump hailed the indictment on Wednesday as a &quot;very big moment&quot; but played down prospects of moving on Cuba, whose economy has been in a deepening crisis for months amid a US oil blockade. &quot;There won&#39;t be escalation. I don&#39;t think there needs to be. Look, the place is falling apart. It&#39;s a mess, and they sort of lost control,&quot; he told reporters. The Cuban government, in a statement, said that the 1996 shootdown was &quot;legitimate self-defense&quot; against an airspace violation. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on X that the charges carry no legal basis and &quot;add to the file they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.&quot; Five other Cubans were also charged, including the air force pilots who shot down the planes. Four people died in the 1996 incident, sending relations plummeting. Two decades later, Raul Castro joined US President Barack Obama in an effort to reconcile. Trump reversed Obama&#39;s effort to improve relations and has been steadily tightening sanctions on the island, already under a US embargo almost continuously since the communist revolution. &#39;New path&#39;&nbsp;Trump has repeatedly signaled that the Cuban government could be next after Venezuela to fall to US pressure, and earlier this month even said Washington would be &quot;taking over&quot; the Caribbean island, about 90 miles (145 km) from Florida, &quot;almost immediately.&quot; In a video message to the Cuban people in Spanish, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, himself a Cuban-American, accused the Havana leadership of theft, corruption, and oppression. &quot;President Trump is offering a new path between the US and a new Cuba,&quot; Rubio said in the message on the day Cuban-Americans mark the island&#39;s independence from Spain. &quot;A new Cuba where you have a real opportunity to choose who governs your country and vote to replace them if they are not doing a good job.&quot; The US ousting of Maduro has hit Cuba hard, cutting off a supply of free Venezuelan oil to the island, which has suffered major blackouts. Rubio has dangled an offer of $100 million in aid to Cuba if it takes steps to open up. &quot;Currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country,&quot; Rubio said. &#39;Pretext&#39; for war&nbsp;Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned against war and urged Trump to return to the Obama-era policy. &quot;Raul Castro should be held accountable for the murder of Americans over international waters. But this indictment looks less like a pursuit of justice and more like a pretext for escalation, potentially even an illegal invasion of Cuba,&quot; Meeks said. Trump has described his stance as a reward to Cuban-Americans who helped him win the electorally crucial state of Florida. At the Versailles restaurant, a historic gathering point for Miami&#39;s Cuban diaspora, Francys Fabelo, a 67-year-old writer originally from Cuba, said the community has been waiting for charges against the Castros for decades. &quot;You don&#39;t mess with President Trump. I think this is serious. We hope, the people of Cuba hope, that this is serious,&quot; she said.

People hold signs outside Versailles Restaurant in support of charges announced by US federal prosecutors against the former Cuban president in Miami, Florida, on May 20, 2026 (AFP)

Americas

The charges against the former president stem from the deadly 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft flown by anti-Castro pilots, while Castro is also being charged with conspiracy to kill Americans and destruction of aircraft.

US charges former Cuban president with murder as pressure builds

BRUSSELS: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed making Ukraine an &quot;associate member&quot; of the EU without voting rights, while Kyiv goes through the lengthy process of joining fully, a letter seen by AFP Thursday said. The plan -- first floated by Merz with EU counterparts last month -- would see Ukraine&#39;s leader attend the bloc&#39;s summit but not be able to cast a vote. Kyiv would have a representative at the top table of the EU&#39;s executive, the European Commission, and non-voting members of the European parliament. Under the proposal, outlined by Merz in a letter to <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/eu-imports-of-russian-gas-highest-since-ukraine-invasion-report" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">EU chiefs</a> Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, the bloc&#39;s mutual assistance clause would apply to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/kyiv-says-russia-has-returned-528-bodies-to-ukraine" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine</a>, and it could benefit from parts of the EU&#39;s budget. &quot;It is obvious that we will not be able to complete the accession process shortly, given the countless hurdles as well as the political complexities of ratification processes,&quot; Merz wrote. &quot;What I envisage is a political solution that brings Ukraine substantially closer to the European Union and its core institutions immediately.&quot; Ukraine is pushing to speed up its bid to join the 27-nation European Union as it fights Russia&#39;s invasion on the battlefield. &#39;Full member&#39; Kyiv&#39;s progress was blocked by Hungary&#39;s nationalist former premier Viktor Orban, but his ouster by rival Peter Magyar has raised hopes Kyiv could now move forward. Merz&#39;s plan could face skepticism from both Germany&#39;s EU counterparts and from Ukraine. Kyiv is desperate to keep up momentum towards joining the bloc and fears that any suggested interim solutions will see it stranded in a halfway house. The German leader insisted he still wants Ukraine to eventually become a &quot;full member&quot; and urged launching &quot;all negotiation clusters&quot; immediately. &quot;It would not be a membership light,&quot; he wrote. Ukraine sees membership of the EU as vital to its future recovery and security, as the United States has essentially closed the door on it joining NATO.

Europe

Ukraine sees membership of the EU as vital to its future recovery and security, as the United States has essentially closed the door on it joining NATO.

Germany's Merz pitches making Ukraine EU 'associate member'

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan&#39;s representative to the United Nations (UN), Naseer Ahmad Faiq, has said that the Taliban regime in Kabul cannot claim the country&rsquo;s permanent representation in the world body. In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Faiq said that representation in the world body is the legitimate right of a government, which has attained power and sovereignty through legitimate means and is based on the people&#39;s will. &ldquo;On what basis of positive action and what criterion of legitimacy do the Taliban demand the handing over of Afghanistan&#39;s seat in the United Nations?&rdquo; asked the Afghanistan representative in the UN, while responding to the Taliban Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. Muttaqi had called on the UN to hand over Afghanistan&rsquo;s representation in the UN to the Taliban administration in Kabul.<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-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1044px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" 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=2056940117466448305&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=e25130daab5261921bc286898b8a48ef2acefdba&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Naseer A Faiq, an appointee of the former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani&#39;s government, still serves as the country&rsquo;s legitimate representative in the organization. However, the Taliban regime has its own designated representative who also uses the platform. The United Nations doesn&#39;t recognize the Taliban regime as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan. Thus, the country&rsquo;s seat in the organisation is still occupied by the appointee of the former regime. Faiq said that after five years of the Taliban regime, it has neither responded positively to the legitimate demands of the Afghan people nor to the explicit demands of the international community. He added that the doors of schools and universities remain closed to girls, women are deprived of the right to work and social participation, there is no legitimate and inclusive national system in place, corruption and repression have spread widely, and security in Afghanistan and the region has deteriorated further due to the harboring and support of international terrorist groups. Afghanistan&rsquo;s representative in the UN went on to say that poverty, forced marriages, suicides among youth due to unemployment, targeted killings of former military forces, suppression of freedom of expression, expansion of jihadist madrassas, and the promotion of terrorism and extremism have increased to an unprecedented degree. He said that only a legitimate government, which has guaranteed the rights of all citizens within the framework of the law without discrimination on grounds of gender, ethnicity, or religion, and has remained committed to its national and international obligations, can claim a permanent seat in the UN.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s UN envoy Naseer Ahmad Faiq rejected Taliban demands for Afghanistan’s UN seat, saying legitimacy requires public mandate, inclusive governance, women’s rights, and compliance with international obligations and commitments standards.

Afghan envoy says Taliban regime not eligible to claim UN seat

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s President Asif Ali Zardari met the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community on Wednesday, appreciating Aga Khan Development Network&rsquo;s (AKDN) contribution in healthcare, education, community development, climate resilience, and heritage conservation. Prince Rahim Agha Khan V, who is on his first visit to Pakistan, thanked the president for a warm welcome, reaffirming AKDN&rsquo;s continued commitment to supporting development and humanitarian initiatives in the country. The president, accompanied by First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan People&rsquo;s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to further strengthening cooperation with AKDN for the welfare and development of vulnerable communities. The president also recalled the association of the late Prince Karim Aga Khan IV with Pakistan and appreciated the historic contributions of the family. Upon his arrival at the President&#39;s House, the prince was presented with a tri-services guard of honor, comprising contingents of the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, and Pakistan Air Force. A banquet was hosted in honor of the prince&rsquo;s arrival, which was attended by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and several other dignitaries.

Culture

Prince Rahim Aga Khan V thanks president for a warm welcome, reaffirms continued commitment to supporting development and humanitarian initiatives in the country.

President Zardari appreciates AKDN’s contribution in meet with Aga Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday called for &ldquo;unhindered humanitarian access, accountability, and renewed commitment to international law,&rdquo; particularly in Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). While speaking to the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said that protection of civilians was &ldquo;under severe strain in conflicts and situations of foreign occupation.&rdquo;&nbsp; He said that civilians living under foreign occupation face prolonged &ldquo;denial of rights, dignity and self-determination,&rdquo; adding that occupation heightened obligations of the occupying power under international law. Talking about life under occupation in Indian-held Kashmir, the ambassador said that despite having lived under foreign occupation for more than seven decades, civilians still faced &ldquo;massive militarization, arbitrary detentions, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, demographic engineering, and denial of their internationally recognized right to self-determination.&rdquo; Citing last year&rsquo;s UN Special Procedures Joint Communication, the ambassador said that around 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders, were arrested or detained, around 8000 social media accounts were blocked, and 64 recorded incidents of hate speech, intimidation, and dehumanization targeted Kashmiris and Muslims between April 22 and May 2. For the Palestinian people, the ambassador called for &ldquo;safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access, accountability for violations, and realization of the Palestinian people&#39;s right to self-determination and statehood.&rdquo;&nbsp; He said that Pakistan will continue to support efforts to &ldquo;uphold international law, ensure accountability, advance peaceful settlement of disputes and protect civilians wherever they are threatened,&rdquo; stressing that civilians are the very people the United Nations was created to save.

Foreign Affairs

While speaking to the security council, Ambassador Iftikhar says that protection of civilians was “under severe strain in conflicts and situations of foreign occupation,” adds occupation heightened obligations of the occupying power under international law.

At UN, Pakistan calls for aid, access and accountability in Indian-occupied Kashmir, Palestine 

ASHDOD: Israel&#39;s far-right national security minister posted a video on Wednesday showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground, sparking international condemnation. The video, shared on X by firebrand minister Itamar Ben Gvir, was published after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla&#39;s vessels at sea and began detaining hundreds of foreign activists at the southern port of Ashdod. The video drew swift international uproar and Ben Gvir was criticized by Israel&#39;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Captioned &quot;Welcome to Israel,&quot; the footage shows dozens of activists forced to kneel with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground. At some points, the Israeli national anthem can be heard playing in the background. The footage also shows Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists. Ben Gvir drew the ire of Netanyahu, who said the minister&#39;s conduct with the activists was &quot;not in line with Israel&#39;s values and norms,&quot; adding that authorities would deport the activists &quot;as soon as possible.&quot; US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denounced what he said were the national security minister&#39;s &quot;despicable actions.&quot; &quot;Universal outrage and condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official... for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was stupid stunt,&quot; Huckabee wrote on X. European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib also criticized Ben Gvir, saying on X that &quot;no one should be punished for defending humanity&quot; while Belgium and France summoned the Israeli ambassadors in their capitals over what Paris called his &quot;unacceptable actions.&quot; Around 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkey last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel&#39;s blockade of Gaza, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month. Israeli authorities had said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were en route to Israel, while the Adalah rights group said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there. &#39;Disgraceful display&#39; Israel&#39;s foreign minister Saar said Ben Gvir had &quot;knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display &mdash; and not for the first time.&quot; Ben Gvir hit back, saying, &quot;I am proud to be the minister in charge of the organizations that operated today against those supporters of terror.&quot; &quot;Yes, there will be all sorts of pictures that Gideon Saar does not like, but I think they are a great source of pride,&quot; he added at parliament. Non-profit legal group Adalah also criticized Israeli authorities over the video. &quot;Israel is employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel&#39;s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people,&quot; the group, whose lawyers went to the detention center to meet the detainees, said in a statement. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Poland and Turkey also condemned the incident with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney calling the treatment of civilians onboard the flotilla &quot;abominable&quot; and saying the Israeli ambassador would be summoned. Ireland&#39;s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said she was &quot;appalled and shocked&quot; by the video and demanded the immediate release of the activists, who include the sister of President Catherine Connolly. &#39;Malicious scheme&#39;&nbsp;Netanyahu had earlier denounced the flotilla as &quot;a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.&quot; Hamas said the footage was evidence of Israeli leaders&#39; &quot;moral depravity and sadism.&quot; Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. During the Gaza war, the territory suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely. A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, with most activists expelled to Europe. Two were brought to Israel, detained for several days and then deported.

Middle East

The footage also shows Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists; Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Israeli minister sparks outcry over video of bound flotilla activists

Saqib Tanveer

ISLAMABAD: Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng said her Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended after she publicly questioned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his delegation about press freedom and human rights during Modi&rsquo;s visit to Norway. The controversy began after Lyng asked Modi why he would not take questions from Norwegian journalists following a joint appearance between Indian and Norwegian officials.&nbsp; Video from the event showed Modi continuing toward an elevator without responding to the question. A subsequent press briefing involving Indian officials also drew criticism from Lyng, who said concerns regarding human rights and press freedom were not directly addressed. &ldquo;I tried to ask if we could just do the back-and-forth answer and question so that I could also have follow-ups, but that was not possible,&rdquo; Lyng said in an interview with Pakistan TV Digital on Wednesday. According to Lyng, officials collected multiple questions before responding collectively, limiting opportunities for follow-up questioning.&nbsp; She said she repeatedly raised concerns about &ldquo;human rights and press freedom,&rdquo; but officials instead spoke about &ldquo;COVID,&rdquo; &ldquo;vaccinations,&rdquo; &ldquo;Indian civilization,&rdquo; and &ldquo;yoga.&rdquo; &ldquo;At one point, he was talking about yoga. I love yoga; it&rsquo;s great, but I do that in my spare time,&rdquo; she said. Lyng said the incident triggered an intense wave of online abuse and threatening messages.&nbsp; She also claimed she was repeatedly logged out of her social media accounts before receiving suspension notices from Meta platforms. &ldquo;I know there are a lot of people that will send me now quite mean comments and some a little bit more threatening than others,&rdquo; she said. Describing the scale of the backlash, Lyng added: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know to what extent these are real people or are they bots.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t navigate that landscape right now because there&rsquo;s just too much going on.&rdquo; Lyng said she had appealed the suspensions and planned to seek clarification from Meta regarding the status of her accounts. Pakistan TV Digital has reached out to Meta for clarification on the matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The episode renewed debate around press freedom and political scrutiny in India, particularly as Modi&rsquo;s government continues to face criticism from rights advocates and international observers over media access and dissent. Questioning the restrictions placed on journalists during the visit, Lyng asked: &ldquo;Can they come to Norway without even facing one critical question?&rdquo; Explaining why she chose to raise the issue despite expecting little engagement, she said: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my duty to do it because I can. I have the privilege of living in a very free country, so I wouldn&rsquo;t be doing my job if I didn&rsquo;t try.&rdquo;

India

Helle Lyng says she faced online abuse and suspended Meta accounts after questioning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over press freedom and human rights during his visit to Norway.

Norwegian journalist who challenged Modi says her Facebook, Instagram suspended

Web Desk/AFP

This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.<hr style="line-height: 2;">Catch up: Yesterday&rsquo;s top developments<ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">UK foreign minister &#39;truly appalled&#39; by Israeli video</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">US military says boarded Iranian-flagged oil tanker in Gulf of Oman</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Oil prices plunge 5% on US-Iran deal hopes</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">EU condemns Israel&#39;s detention of Gaza flotilla activists</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Iran national team manager calls on US to facilitate World Cup visas</li></ul><hr style="line-height: 2;"> Israel frees two South Koreans abducted from Gaza aid flotilla&nbsp;Published: May 21, 2026 | 04:53 GMT | by Web Desk South Korea&rsquo;s presidential office stated that two South Korean activists involved in the Gaza aid flotilla, who had been detained by Israeli forces, have now been released, Al Jazeera reported. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said that activists Kim Ah-hyun and Jonathan Victor Lee were freed after being seized by Israeli forces in international waters while attempting to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> &lsquo;Completely unacceptable&rsquo;: EU&rsquo;s Antonio Costa appalled by flotilla detainees&rsquo; treatmentPublished: May 21, 2026 | 22:06 GMT | by Web Desk European Council President Antonio Costa says he is &ldquo;appalled by the treatment of flotilla members by Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir,&rdquo; Al Jazeera reported.&nbsp; In a post on X, Costa wrote: &ldquo;This behavior is completely unacceptable. We call for their immediate release.&rdquo; <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Iran says examining US proposal to end Middle East warPublished: May 21, 2026 | 22:06 GMT | by AFP Iran said it was examining a new US proposal to end the Middle East war, as President Donald Trump described the talks as being on the &quot;borderline&quot; between a deal and renewed strikes. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had &quot;received the points of view of the American side&quot; and was examining them. He repeated Iran&#39;s demands for the release of frozen assets and an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> US lifts sanctions on UN expert on PalestiniansPublished: May 21, 2026 | 22:51 GMT | by AFP The United States removed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories who has harshly criticized Israel, following a court order. A notice on the Treasury Department&#39;s website indicated that it had removed a sanctions designation on Albanese that had blacklisted her globally, making it impossible for her to use major credit cards or conduct bank transactions. Albanese, who is Italian, has been a relentless critic of Israel&#39;s treatment of the Palestinians in her role as the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. US District Judge Richard Leon last week granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions. &quot;Protecting the freedom of speech is &#39;always&#39; in the public interest,&quot; Leon wrote in an opinion accompanying the order. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Australia condemns Israel&#39;s &#39;degrading&#39; treatment of flotilla activistsPublished: May 21, 2026 | 23:05 GMT | by AFP Australia&#39;s foreign minister condemned on Thursday Israel&#39;s &quot;degrading&quot; treatment of detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, after footage showed protesters bound and on their knees. &quot;The images we have seen posted by Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir &mdash; who Australia has sanctioned &mdash; are shocking and unacceptable,&quot; Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement. &quot;We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained.&quot; <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Trump says negotiations with Iran in &#39;final stages&#39;Published: May 21, 2026 | 22:10 GMT | by AFP US President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran were in the final stages of the agreement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s right on the borderline, believe me,&quot; Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, near Washington. &quot;If we don&#39;t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We&#39;re all ready to go.&quot; <hr> US lifts sanctions on UN expert on PalestiniansPublished: May 21, 2026 | 22:51 GMT | by AFP The United States removed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a UN expert on the Palestinian territories who has harshly criticized Israel, following a court order. A notice on the Treasury Department&#39;s website showed that it had removed a sanctions designation on Albanese that had blacklisted her globally, making it impossible for her to use major credit cards or carry out bank transactions. Albanese, who is Italian, has been a relentless critic of Israel&#39;s treatment of the Palestinians in her role as the UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. US District Judge Richard Leon last week granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions. &quot;Protecting the freedom of speech is &#39;always&#39; in the public interest,&quot; Leon wrote in an opinion accompanying the order. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> UK foreign minister &#39;truly appalled&#39; by Israeli videoPublished: May 21, 2026 | 20:51 GMT | by AFP British foreign minister Yvette Cooper on Wednesday said she was &quot;truly appalled&quot; by the video of activists detained by Israel with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground. Cooper said the footage &quot;violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated,&quot; adding that London has &quot;demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities.&quot;

Foreign ministry spokesperson says Tehran 'received the points of view of the American side' and was examining them; repeats Iran's demands for the release of frozen assets, an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports; Trump describes talks as being on 'borderline' between deal, renewed strikes; Pakistan's interior minister meets senior Iranian officials during second visit to Tehran.

Iran says examining fresh US proposal to end Middle East war

NUUK: The US special envoy to Greenland, the Arctic Island coveted by President Donald Trump, told AFP on Wednesday that Washington needs to rebuild its presence in the Danish autonomous territory. At the height of the Cold War, Washington had 17 military facilities in Greenland, but closed them over the years and currently has just one &mdash; the Pituffik base in the north of the island. Trump has repeatedly argued the United States needs to control Greenland because of national security concerns, claiming that if it does not, the island risks falling into the hands of China or Russia. Greenland is on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States. It is also believed to have untapped rare-earth minerals and could be a vital asset as the polar ice melts and new shipping routes emerge. &quot;I think it&#39;s time for the US to put its footprint back on Greenland,&quot; US envoy Jeff Landry told AFP as he wound up his first visit to the island since his appointment in December 2025. &quot;I think that you&#39;re seeing the president talk about increasing national security operations and repopulating certain bases in Greenland,&quot; he said. &quot;Greenland needs the US,&quot; he added. The United States wants to open three new bases in the south of the territory, according to recent media reports. A 1951 defense pact, updated in 2004, already allows Washington to ramp up troop deployments and military installations on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance. Independence?&nbsp;Trump backed down from threats to seize Greenland in January, and a US-Danish-Greenlandic working group was set up to address his concerns. Even if a &quot;master&#39;s&quot; desire to &quot;secure control of Greenland ... is completely disrespectful ... we are obliged to find a solution,&quot; Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told reporters on the sidelines of a Greenland economic forum on Tuesday. US envoy Landry, who is also the Republican governor of Louisiana, arrived in Greenland&#39;s capital Nuuk on Sunday. He was not officially invited and his presence has stirred controversy on the island. Greenlandic and Danish officials have repeatedly said that only Greenland can decide its future. Landry met with Nielsen and Greenland&#39;s Foreign Minister Mute Egede on Monday. Nielsen said the talks were &quot;constructive&quot; but noted there was &quot;no sign ... that anything has changed&quot; in the US position. In an interview published in Greenlandic daily newspaper Sermitsiaq on Wednesday, Landry fanned Greenland&#39;s dreams of independence. While polls show a majority of Greenlanders are in favor of gaining independence from Denmark someday, the government has no such immediate plans, as many issues remain unresolved &mdash; primarily regarding the island&#39;s economy, which is heavily dependent on Denmark. &quot;I think there are some incredible opportunities that can actually lift Greenlanders from dependency to independence,&quot; Landry said in the interview. &quot;I think that the president of the United States would like to see the country become economically independent. And I think it&#39;s possible here,&quot; he said. Adding to the controversy around Landry&#39;s visit was the fact that he was accompanied by a US doctor, who told Danish television TV2 he was there &quot;to assess the medical needs&quot; in Greenland. Denmark and Greenland in February rejected Trump&#39;s offer to send a naval hospital ship &quot;to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there.&quot; Greenland&#39;s health minister Anna Wangenheim criticized the US doctor&#39;s presence. &quot;Greenlanders are not guinea pigs in a geopolitical project,&quot; she said.

Trump has repeatedly argued the United States needs to control Greenland because of national security concerns, claiming that if it does not, the island risks falling into the hands of China or Russia.

US needs to 'put its footprint back on Greenland': Trump envoy

LONDON: Britain on Wednesday struck a long-awaited trade agreement with the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, the first such deal between the bloc and a Group of Seven country.&nbsp;The agreement with the GCC -- which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- is set to deliver relatively modest economic benefits for the UK.&nbsp;However, it comes as Britain seeks to bolster trade ties across the world following its departure from the European Union at the start of the decade, a need that has become more pressing after the United States unveiled sweeping global tariffs.&nbsp;&quot;At a time of increased instability, today&#39;s announcement sends a clear signal of confidence,&quot; said business and trade secretary Peter Kyle.&nbsp;He said the deal reinforces &quot;the strength and stability of the UK&#39;s trading relationship with the Gulf at a critical moment.&quot;&nbsp;The agreement will remove &pound;580 million ($778 million) in tariffs on UK goods imported to the region, covering food, medical equipment and advanced manufacturing.&nbsp;Foods such as cereals, cheddar cheese, chocolate and butter are set to become to tariff-free under the agreement.&nbsp;The UK auto industry and the professional services industry, which accounts for more than half of the country&#39;s exports to the GCC, are also expected to benefit from the deal.&nbsp;Along with eliminating certain custom duties, the deal promises stronger intellectual property protections and a quicker customs process.&nbsp;Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the Gulf states as &quot;valued economic partners.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;This agreement deepens that relationship, building trust and unlocking new possibilities for trade and investment,&quot; he added.&nbsp;The government estimated that the agreement will add &pound;3.7 billion a year to the British economy.&nbsp;Under the Labour government, Britain has secured a number of post-Brexit trade deals.&nbsp;It struck a free trade agreement with India last year, its biggest deal since leaving the EU.&nbsp;It also made a long-sought agreement with the United States to cap tariffs at 10 percent on most UK imports to the country.

Britain signed a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council, the first between the bloc and a G7 nation, removing £580 million in tariffs on UK goods and boosting trade, services, investment, and intellectual property protections after Brexit.