GRANADILLA DE ABONA (SPAIN):&nbsp;An American national and a French woman evacuated from a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak have tested positive, health officials confirmed on Monday, as an international repatriation operation continued across several countries. According to French Health Minister Stephanie Rist, the French passenger began feeling unwell on Sunday night after returning to Paris from the Dutch-flagged cruise vessel MV Hondius. Medical tests later confirmed she had contracted the virus. Meanwhile, US health authorities said one American passenger had developed mild symptoms while another tested positive for the Andes virus, the only known strain of hantavirus capable of spreading between humans. The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has already claimed the lives of three passengers, including a Dutch couple and a German woman. Several other passengers also fell ill during the voyage. Hantavirus is a rare disease usually spread through contact with infected rodents. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment available for the illness, which is considered endemic in parts of Argentina, where the cruise began its journey in April. Despite growing international concern, health authorities stressed that the overall risk to global public health remains low and rejected comparisons with the Covid-19 pandemic. French authorities said 22 additional contact cases involving French nationals were being monitored. These included passengers who travelled on flights between Saint Helena and Johannesburg, and between Johannesburg and Amsterdam. The Dutch woman who later died had reportedly travelled on the Johannesburg flight and briefly boarded a connecting flight to Amsterdam before being removed from the aircraft. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said 94 people from 19 countries were evacuated from the ship on Sunday near Tenerife in Spain&rsquo;s Canary Islands. Most of the ship&rsquo;s nearly 150 passengers and crew members are expected to be repatriated through special flights to countries including Australia and the Netherlands. Passengers wearing blue medical protective suits were seen disembarking the vessel at the industrial port of Granadilla on Tenerife. The World Health Organization has recommended a 42-day quarantine period and active medical monitoring for exposed individuals. Countries have adopted different quarantine measures. Greece said one evacuee would remain in hospital isolation for 45 days, while Australia announced that six passengers would be quarantined at a special facility near Perth for at least three weeks. British authorities said 20 UK nationals from the ship would undergo testing and short-term quarantine near Liverpool. The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia in Argentina on April 1 for a transatlantic cruise toward Cape Verde. The World Health Organization believes the first infection may have occurred before the voyage began, followed by human-to-human transmission aboard the ship. Spain on Monday said it is taking &quot;all measures&quot; to prevent hantavirus spread from those aboard the cruise ship.

Americas

Europe

An American and a French passenger tested positive after evacuation from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, prompting international quarantines and a large-scale repatriation operation across several countries.

US, French nationals from hantavirus ship test positive

WASHINGTON: American passengers evacuated from a cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak will not necessarily be quarantined, a top US health official said Sunday. Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also urged the US public to remain calm about the hantavirus, saying: &quot;This is not Covid.&quot; The United States announced Friday that it would organize a repatriation flight for the 17 Americans aboard the MV Hondius, where three passengers have died and others have fallen sick. The ship has arrived in Spain&#39;s Canary Islands. The US passengers, all of whom are asymptomatic, will be taken to a specialized center in the rural state of Nebraska, but will not necessarily be quarantined there, Bhattacharya told CNN&#39;s &quot;State of the Union&quot; news program on Sunday. &quot;We&#39;re going to interview them and assess them for risk... if they have been in close contact with somebody who was symptomatic,&quot; he said. The biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center was activated ahead of the arrivals, with passengers &quot;expected to land in Omaha early Monday morning,&quot; spokesperson Kayla Thomas said in a statement. &quot;One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival,&quot; Thomas said, because the person &quot;tested positive for the virus but (does) not have symptoms.&quot; The other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring, Thomas added. Following this assessment and depending on the estimated risk, passengers will be allowed &quot;to stay in Nebraska if they&#39;d like, or if they want to go back home, and their home situation allows it, to safely drive them home without exposing other people on the way,&quot; Bhattacharya said. In either case, passengers will remain under observation for several weeks by health authorities to ensure they do not develop symptoms, he said, as happened with seven other Americans who left the ship earlier in the journey. According to the CDC, &quot;people are generally only contagious when they exhibit symptoms.&quot; Bhattacharya said the same protocol was followed during a 2018 outbreak &quot;of this exact strain of the hantavirus,&quot; which was successfully contained. Responding to criticism that there has been limited communication from US health authorities about the hantavirus risk six years after the Covid-19 pandemic he said the situations were not comparable. &quot;If the threat level were higher, then we would have obviously reacted differently,&quot; Bhattacharya said. &quot;This is not Covid,&quot; he said. &quot;We shouldn&#39;t be panicking when the evidence doesn&#39;t warrant it.&quot;

British Nationals, repatriated after a prolonged stay on a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, arrive by coach at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, north west England, on May 10, 2026, where they are expected to stay for up to 72 hours.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief says Americans evacuated from the MV Hondius after a deadly hantavirus outbreak are unlikely to face mandatory quarantine, stressing that the virus poses limited risk and 'is not Covid.'

Americans from virus-hit ship will not necessarily be quarantined: Official 

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

MIAMI: The first direct flight between the United States and Venezuela in seven years took off Thursday, a new sign of a thaw after Washington deposed leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. The American Airlines flight took off at 10:26 am (1426 GMT) from Miami en route to Caracas, where the United States has resumed diplomatic relations after years of tension. The first flight&#39;s manifest was dominated by officials and journalists, with senior officials from Washington set to fly to Caracas to meet the government, a prospect unthinkable just months ago. Representatives of the city of Miami, a hub for Latin Americans that sees itself as a gateway to the region, greeted passengers at the gate, as did the Venezuelan ambassador to Washington, Felix Plasencia. The flight is scheduled to land more than three hours later at Simon Bolivar Airport, better known as Maiquetia. The inaugural flights are featuring a special Venezuelan menu including corn pancakes known as cachapas and a Venezuelan-style chicken salad, according to the airline. Some 1.2 million Venezuelans live in the United States, and the thaw is expected to boost the US business presence in the South American nation, which has the world&#39;s largest proven oil reserves. But President Donald Trump has also been moving aggressively to remove Venezuelans from the United States, terminating a program that shielded migrants from deportation back to the crime-ridden nation. US forces on January 3 carried out a deadly raid in Caracas, snatching longtime US nemesis Maduro and flying him and his wife to New York to face charges of drug trafficking, which they deny. Maduro was replaced by his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, who has largely cooperated with the United States despite her ideological background. Trump has voiced satisfaction with her policies toward US companies and has tried to enforce compliance by threatening violence. Venezuela has moved to open its oil and mining sectors to private investment. Trump in turn has started an easing of sanctions on Venezuela, with measures imposed personally on Rodriguez dropped.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Daily links</h2>American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air will run the daily round-trip flight between Caracas and Miami. The company said it plans to start a second daily round-trip flight starting May 21. American Airlines, which is based in Texas and has a large network in Latin America, started flights to Venezuela in 1987 and carried the&nbsp;highest number of passengers between the two countries. It ended flights in 2019 as relations deteriorated, with the United States and other Western and Latin American nations declaring Maduro to be illegitimate after an election marred by irregularities. The State Department continues to call on Americans to reconsider travel to Venezuela due to widespread crime but in March ended its blanket warning against any travel. The new flight comes despite trouble in the aviation industry, which has been hit hard by a sharp rise in oil prices after the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

The first direct flight from the United States to Venezuela in seven years departed for Caracas on Thursday from Miami, an AFP reporter at the airport said.

First US-Venezuela direct flight in seven years leaves Miami

TEHRAN:&nbsp;Iran&#39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message on Thursday that the United States had been defeated in its war with the Islamic republic, as the Iranian leadership defied President Donald Trump&#39;s warnings of a prolonged blockade. &quot;Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world&#39;s bullies in the region, and the United States&#39; disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,&quot; said Khamenei in the message read on state television. The message by Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public since his appointment on March 9 as Iran&#39;s new supreme leader, came on the annual national celebration of &quot;Persian Gulf&quot; day in Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei became the supreme leader after the US and Israel launched a massive campaign of strikes on Iran on February 28, killing his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei. Last week, the New York Times, citing several unnamed Iranian officials, said the younger Khamenei was &quot;gravely wounded&quot; in the strikes but has remained &quot;mentally sharp.&quot; In his Thursday message, he said US bases in the region &quot;lack even the capacity to ensure their own security, let alone provide any hope of securing their allies.&quot; He hailed what he called Iran&#39;s &quot;new legal framework and management&quot; of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key energy chokepoint, as a means to bring &quot;comfort and progress&quot; for countries in the region. Bright futureThe strait has become a major flashpoint since the outbreak of the Middle East war, with Iran allowing only a trickle of ships to pass through the waterway. Last week, a senior lawmaker said Tehran has received the first revenue from tolls it imposed on the strait. Khamenei predicted a bright future for the Gulf without the United States and condemned what he described as &quot;outsiders&quot;, saying those who interfere from thousands of kilometres away &quot;have no place there except at the bottom of its waters&quot;. He also lauded the people of Iran, who he said &quot;consider all national capacities -- identity, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial, and advanced technologies from nano and bio to nuclear and missile -- as their national capital&quot;. Earlier Thursday, Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian had said a US naval blockade imposed in retaliation against Iran&#39;s action in Hormuz was &quot;doomed to fail&quot;. Pezeshkian added that such measures would &quot;not only fail to enhance regional security, but are in fact a source of tension and a disruption to lasting stability in the Persian Gulf&quot;. Other figures have also struck a tone of defiance, with Navy Commander Shahram Irani signalling that Iran will deploy &quot;in the very near future&quot; naval weaponry which it has recently developed.

Mojtaba Khamenei says the United States has been defeated in its war with Iran, as Tehran maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz and continues to defy US pressure.

Iran's supreme leader says US suffered 'disgraceful defeat'

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: &ldquo;Pakistan has been working as a key intermediary, trying to bridge gaps between Washington and Tehran,&rdquo; says former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, highlighting Islamabad&rsquo;s significant diplomatic role amid tensions between Iran and the United States.&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking exclusively on a Pakistan TV program, Beyond Borders, former US NSA stressed that while Pakistan&rsquo;s efforts are significant, the wide gap between the two sides continues to challenge any breakthrough.&nbsp;Bolton says the core issue remains the deep mistrust and conflicting objectives between Tehran and Washington, making negotiations extremely difficult at this stage. He noted that Iran may be seeking to delay critical discussions, particularly around its nuclear program, while trying to recover from recent economic and military pressure.&nbsp;Bolton pointed to the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the ongoing blockade is severely impacting Iran&rsquo;s economy while also putting global energy markets under strain. He suggested that opening the Strait for Gulf states, while maintaining pressure on Iran, could provide much-needed stability to international oil supplies.&nbsp;He argued that sustained economic pressure could deepen alleged internal divisions within Iran&rsquo;s leadership, potentially leading to significant political shifts. Despite ongoing mediation by Pakistan, Bolton cautioned that the situation remains volatile, with serious implications for regional security and the global economy.

Beyond Borders

John Bolton says Pakistan is acting as a key intermediary between the United States and Iran, but warns deep mistrust and conflicting objectives hinder progress in negotiations.

Ex-US national security advisor says Pakistan key intermediary bridging gaps in US-Iran crisis

ISLAMABAD: A US federal judge on Tuesday criminally sentenced OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid crisis, ahead of upcoming bankruptcy proceedings and its dissolution. Last year, several US states reached a settlement with Purdue and the Sackler family, which had owned the company for decades, with a bankruptcy plan that will see funds routed to affected communities and individuals. The total amount to be paid in fines, forfeitures and penalties surpasses $8 billion. Purdue and other opioid makers and distributors were accused of encouraging free-wheeling prescription of their products through aggressive marketing tactics while hiding how addictive the drugs are. The company is set to be dissolved on May 1, with the remnants becoming Knoa Pharma, a public benefit company that will provide opioid use disorder treatments and overdose reversal medicines. For more than six hours on Tuesday, US Judge Madeline Cox Arleo listened to dozens of victims and their families testify about the impact Purdue Pharma and the opioid epidemic had on them. She then ordered Steve Miller, Purdue Pharma&#39;s board chair, to apologize to them. During the proceedings to resolve a Department of Justice probe and clear the way for bankruptcy, Arleo read the names of more than 200 victims who had submitted written statements before the hearing. &quot;These people are not statistics in an epidemiological study,&quot; she said, adding that the testimonies were &quot;heartbreaking.&quot; The judge also apologized on behalf of the US government, saying it had &quot;failed&quot; to protect the public from Purdue Pharma, whose practices were &quot;driven by greed&quot; and had a &quot;corporate strategy much like a criminal enterprise.&quot; While many testifying on Tuesday urged the settlement agreement to be rejected -- in part because it protects the Sackler family from criminal prosecution -- Arleo called it the &quot;best route I see among the options before me.&quot; She urged the lawyers handling the bankruptcy proceedings to honor their promises of compensation. For many people, opioid addiction begins with prescribed pain pills, such as OxyContin, before they increase their consumption and eventually turn to illicit drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic opioid. From 1999 through 2023, around 806,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Food

Purdue Pharma was criminally sentenced over its opioid crisis role, with penalties exceeding $8 billion, before dissolution into Knoa Pharma, as victims condemned the settlement protecting the Sacklers.

Purdue Pharma sentenced ahead of bankruptcy

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday praised Pakistan, saying the country played an important role in mediating the negotiations between Iran and the United States, as he undertook a flurry of regional diplomacy this week, with visits to Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow. In remarks shared on his Telegram account, &nbsp;Araghchi said Tehran had &quot;good consultations with our friends in Pakistan,&quot; recalling his recent diplomatic engagements over the past few days. Pakistan visit and mediation roleAraghchi arrived in Islamabad on April 24 to &quot;closely coordinate with partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments,&quot; he said in a post on X following the first round of peace talks between the US and Iran hosted in Islamabad on April 11, adding that &quot;our neighbors are our priority.&quot; He was received by Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other senior officials, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. On April 25, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the FM alongside senior civilian and military leadership, with talks focused on the broader regional situation and ongoing efforts to sustain dialogue and stability, according to the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office.<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" 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=2048041937698185577&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=5cf2823afaaf6940e457b0382d37f68c24ad9af4&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Describing the visit as &quot;very fruitful,&quot; Araghchi praised Pakistan&rsquo;s &quot;good offices and brotherly efforts&quot; in facilitating diplomacy in a post on X following his meetings in Islamabad.<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-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2048078742627488207&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ce09bfd944d87a11f1eaff37762ff156e7a63200&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2048078742627488207"></iframe></div></div>He said he had shared Iran&rsquo;s position on what he described as a &quot;workable framework&quot; to permanently end the war, while adding that Tehran was still assessing Washington&rsquo;s commitment to diplomacy. &quot;We had good consultations with our friends in Pakistan, and fortunately, the visit was very successful,&quot; Araghchi added on Telegram, saying discussions focused on &quot;the path and conditions under which negotiations can continue.&quot; On the Islamabad talks, Iran&rsquo;s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam also expressed &quot;sincere and wholehearted gratitude and appreciation&quot; to Pakistan, especially Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, for their &quot;tireless efforts and good office initiative to end the war and bring lasting peace to the region.&quot; In a post on X, the ambassador said the talks were held in &quot;complete security, safety and tranquility for the delegation,&rdquo; praising Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;perfect management, thoughtful planning and successful implementation.&quot; <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" allowtransparency="true" 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=2048471002586460585&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ce09bfd944d87a11f1eaff37762ff156e7a63200&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 345px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2048471002586460585"></iframe></div></div> Oman consultations and Strait of HormuzThe Iranian FM then travelled to Oman, where he held consultations with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on April 26.&nbsp; <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-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2048299283947098493&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=5cf2823afaaf6940e457b0382d37f68c24ad9af4&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 297px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Discussions focused on regional developments, mediation efforts and endeavours aimed at ending conflicts, according to a post shared by Oman&rsquo;s foreign ministry. &quot;Oman is a friendly and close country to us and has taken very positive positions,&quot; Araghchi said on Telegram on April 27, recalling his visit. He added that the two sides also discussed coordination over the Strait of Hormuz, calling safe passage through the strait &quot;an important global issue&quot; requiring close cooperation. Russia talks and strategic coordinationThe same day, Tehran announced Araghchi&rsquo;s departure for Russia to continue consultations on bilateral ties as well as regional and international developments. He arrived in Saint Petersburg on Monday, state media reported. &quot;He arrived early on Monday morning with the aim of meeting and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin,&quot; Iranian state news agency IRNA said, while Russia&rsquo;s TASS news agency confirmed the meeting citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. During talks in Saint Petersburg, Putin said Moscow would do everything it could to help secure peace in the Middle East. &quot;For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests, the interests of all the people of the region, so that peace can be achieved as soon as possible,&quot; Russian state media quoted Putin as telling Araghchi. Putin also hailed &quot;how courageously and heroically the people of Iran are fighting for their independence and sovereignty&quot;, the TASS news agency reported. &quot;Russia, just like Iran, intends to continue our strategic relationship,&quot; the Kremlin chief added. On Telegram, Araghchi said Iran and Russia had &quot;always maintained close consultations&quot; on regional issues and that the visit aimed to coordinate positions on developments related to the war and the current situation after a gap in high-level engagements.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on April 24, 2026. (X/Tahir Andrabi)

Foreign Affairs

Praises Pakistan’s "good offices and brotherly efforts" in facilitating diplomacy in a post on X following his meetings in Islamabad.

Araghchi praises Pakistan’s role in Iran-US talks as he leads regional tour

OAKLAND, US: Elon Musk&#39;s lawsuit accusing high-profile artificial intelligence company OpenAI of betraying its non-profit mission heads for trial on Monday with the selection of jurors. The legal clash in a courtroom across the bay from San Francisco pits the world&#39;s richest person against a startup Musk once backed and now competes with in the booming AI sector. OpenAI&#39;s ChatGPT is a formidable rival to the chatbot Grok, made by Musk&#39;s xAI lab. While Musk&#39;s lawsuit is part of a feud between him and OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman, it spotlights a debate as to whether AI should ultimately serve to benefit a privileged few or society as a whole. Court filings lay out how Altman convinced Musk to back OpenAI in 2015, acting as a co-founder for a non-profit lab whose technology &quot;would belong to the world.&quot; Musk pumped millions of dollars into the lab, which he subsequently left. However, OpenAI established a commercial subsidiary as it needed hundreds of billions of dollars for data centers to power its technology. Microsoft has poured billions of dollars into OpenAI and its CEO Satya Nadella is among those slated to testify at the trial. Musk argues in his lawsuit that he was deceived about OpenAI&#39;s mission being altruistic. San Francisco-based OpenAI has countered in court filings that its break-up with Musk was due to his quest for absolute control rather than its nonprofit status. &quot;This case has always been about Elon generating more power and more money for what he wants,&quot; OpenAI said in a recent X post. &quot;His lawsuit remains nothing more than a harassment campaign that&#39;s driven by ego, jealousy and a desire to slow down a competitor.&quot; The startup noted that days after Musk entered the AI race in 2023 he called for a six-month moratorium on development of advanced AI. The judge presiding over the trial will decide by mid-May -- guided by an advisory jury&#39;s findings -- whether OpenAI broke a promise to Musk in a drive to lead in AI or just smartly rode the technology to glory. Along with calling for OpenAI to be forced to revert to a pure nonprofit, Musk&#39;s suit urges the ouster of Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman, who is startup president. Musk, who had sought as much as $134 billion in damages, has since renounced any personal benefit, pledging to redirect any award to the OpenAI nonprofit. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has reserved the right to determine any remedies herself, without the jury&rsquo;s input. OpenAI now has a hybrid governance structure giving its nonprofit foundation control over a for-profit arm. Musk, who gutted the trust and safety team at Twitter after buying the social media platform that he renamed X, faces the challenge of convincing a jury and a judge that the company behind ChatGPT was built on a lie.

Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI heads to trial, accusing the ChatGPT maker of abandoning its nonprofit mission, while OpenAI says Musk’s case is driven by rivalry, ego and control.

Stage set for Elon Musk's court battle with OpenAI

ISLAMABAD: The ceasefire between the United States and Iran, brokered at the eleventh hour by Pakistan on April 8, expires at midnight Wednesday (GMT), as both sides trade accusations of violations. Iran and the US have accused each other of breaching the two-week truce, as uncertainty grows over a push to stop the war from resuming. Trump has accused Iran of firing on ships in the crucial trade route it has choked, while Tehran says the US blockade and seizure of a ship violated the ceasefire deal. Iranian officials say they feel the Trump administration has not acted in good faith in negotiations and has refused to back down from what it called excessive demands. Iran rejects talks &#39;under threats&#39;Iran&#39;s parliament speaker said the country would not accept talks &quot;under the shadow of threats&quot; from the US leader and would &quot;show new cards on the battlefield&quot; if conflict resumed. Tehran declined to confirm that it would participate and accused the United States of violating the truce through its blockade of Iranian ports and seizure of a ship. &quot;By imposing a blockade and violating the ceasefire, Trump wants to turn this negotiating table into a surrender table or justify renewed hostilities, as he sees fit,&quot; said Iran&#39;s powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who headed the delegations to talks in the Pakistani capital two weeks ago. &quot;We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the last two weeks we have been preparing to show new cards on the battlefield,&quot; he wrote on X. Trump warns of escalationThe truce theoretically ends overnight Tuesday, though in comments to Bloomberg, Trump said the end was a day later, on Wednesday evening Washington time, and it would be &quot;highly unlikely&quot; he would extend the truce. Trump told PBS News that Iran was &quot;supposed to be there&quot; at the talks in Pakistan. &quot;We agreed to be there,&quot; he said, warning that if the ceasefire expired, &quot;then lots of bombs start going off&quot;. He said the US blockade of Iran&#39;s ports would not end until there was a deal, in which Washington is pressing for Iranian concessions on its contested nuclear program. Trump said he was not under any time pressure despite the ceasefire deadline. &quot;I read the Fake News saying that I am under &#39;pressure&#39; to make a Deal. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although it will all happen relatively quickly!&quot; Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Security tightened in IslamabadIslamabad has positioned itself as a neutral broker, leveraging ties with both Washington and Tehran to push for dialogue. US officials have also acknowledged the effort, with President Donald Trump previously praising Pakistan for facilitating backchannel communication and ceasefire arrangements. In Islamabad, heavily armed police and soldiers on Tuesday secured the city&#39;s government quarter, which was virtually shut down.That included the Serena Hotel, which hosted the last round of negotiations and where guests had been asked to vacate the premises in recent days. Some schools and universities had already moved their students to distance learning for the week, and city authorities have banned trucks and other heavy vehicles from entering the city. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday visited the US embassy, where he met <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">US Charg&eacute; d&#39;Affaires&nbsp;Natalie Baker to discuss Pakistan-US ties, regional developments, and security for upcoming talks, with Baker praising Pakistan&rsquo;s role in easing tensions, Radio Pakistan reported.

The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan on April 8, is reaching its expiration at midnight Wednesday (GMT), with both sides trading accusations of violations.

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