LA PAZ: At least 20 people were killed Friday when a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed while landing near the capital La Paz, authorities said, prompting police to repel bystanders grabbing spilled cash. The aircraft, a C-130 Hercules transport plane, veered off the runway at El Alto International Airport and crashed into an avenue, crushing at least one car and damaging several trucks, local media footage showed. &quot;We are recovering the bodies of these people who have sadly suffered in the accident,&quot; Colonel Pavel Tovar of the national fire department told reporters.&nbsp; Colonel Rene Tambo, head of the police homicide division in El Alto, told reporters late Friday that the death toll stood at &ldquo;about 20, maybe a few more,&rdquo; warning that the figure could rise as emergency crews continued to search the wreckage. Firefighters had earlier reported at least 15 fatalities.&nbsp;

Military personnel stand next to pieces of a military plane that crashed in el Alto, near La Paz, on February 27, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Americas

Local media footage shows the aircraft, a C-130 Hercules transport plane, veering off the runway at El Alto International Airport and crashing into an avenue, crushing at least one car and damaging several trucks.


At least 20 dead in Bolivian military plane crash: firefighters

BEIJING: A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners broke the world record at a Beijing half marathon on Sunday, showcasing the rapid technological advancement achieved by Chinese makers. Spectators lined the roads in Yizhuang in the capital&#39;s south to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions. Some of the robots were highly agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic capabilities. The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21-kilometer (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometers per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV. That was far faster than the top human in Sunday&#39;s race, while also surpassing the current men&#39;s world record of 57:20 held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo. The result represented spectacular progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish. The number of humanoid entries jumped from around 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector&#39;s growing popularity.&nbsp;&#39;Pretty cool&#39;&nbsp;Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and snap a picture of the leading robot as it whizzed past. She told AFP she was enthusiastic about such leaps in technology and thought the event was &quot;pretty cool&quot;. But, she added, &quot;as someone who works for a living, I&#39;m a little worried about it sometimes. I feel like technology is advancing so fast that it might start affecting people&#39;s jobs&quot;, particularly with artificial intelligence growing increasingly sophisticated. Humanoid robots have become a common sight in China in recent years, in the media as well as in public spaces. Xie Lei, 41, who watched Sunday&#39;s race with his family, said robots could &quot;become part of our daily lives&quot; within several years, potentially used for &quot;things like housework, elderly companionship or basic caregiving&quot; or &quot;dangerous jobs, even firefighting&quot;. The humanoid half marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularize the technologies used in creating and operating such machines. In a sign of the industry&#39;s strength, investment in robotics and so-called embodied AI amounted to 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency. &quot;For thousands of years, humans have been at the top on planet Earth. But now, look at robots. Just in terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sport event, they&#39;re already starting to surpass us,&quot; Xie said. &quot;On one hand, it does make you feel a little bit sad for humanity. But at the same time, technology, especially in recent years, has given us so much imagination.&quot;

Gadgets

The winning humanoid completed the roughly 21-kilometer (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometers per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Humans far behind as robot breaks record at Beijing half marathon

LONDON: British government ministers on Sunday backed embattled premier Keir Starmer as he struggles to shake off a scandal over long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson. Starmer is due to face lawmakers in parliament on Monday to explain how Mandelson was appointed Britain&#39;s ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing to pass security checks. The prime minister, who has been dogged by the controversy for months, said Friday that he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, calling that &quot;unforgivable&quot;. He has blamed foreign office mandarins for allowing Mandelson&#39;s appointment against the advice of security officials, and sacked the department&#39;s top civil servant Olly Robins on Thursday. But ex-civil servants have accused Dowing Street of scapegoating Robbins while opposition leaders have called for Starmer to quit, with accusations ranging from incompetence to wilful misleading of the public. Technology minister Liz Kendall told the BBC on Sunday that Starmer would not have appointed Mandelson had he known that he had not received the appropriate security clearance. Deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary when Mandelson was appointed to Washington, said the same in an interview with the Guardian published late Saturday.&nbsp;&lsquo;Made the right call&rsquo;Kendall said Starmer should remain in his job because he had &quot;made the right call&quot; on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain&#39;s involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran. &quot;I think he is an honest man and a man of integrity who says it was a mistake to appoint him,&quot; she told Sky News. Lammy said it was &quot;inexplicable&quot; that the foreign office had kept Downing Street in the dark, telling the Guardian he had been &quot;shocked and surprised&quot; when he learnt what happened. Starmer, already widely unpopular with the British public due to several policy mis-steps, has faced repeated questions about his judgement for selecting Mandelson whose friendship with Epstein was well known.&nbsp;Mandelson&rsquo;s sacking&nbsp;He sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after new details emerged about the depth of Mandelson&#39;s ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. UK police are investigating allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson when he was a Labour minister more than 15 years ago. He was arrested and released in February. Mandelson has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing.

United Kingdom

Technology minister Liz Kendall says Starmer shall remain in his job because he has 'made the right call' on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain's involvement in the Iran war.

UK ministers back Starmer amid fresh calls to quit

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The first Hajj flight under Road to Makkah project departed from Islamabad International Airport on Sunday, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. Pilgrims were seen off by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, along with senior officials, at the airport. Addressing the ceremony, Yousuf said Pakistan completed Hajj preparations within stipulated time with the support of the Saudi government, and the country is providing pilgrims with the best possible facilities.&nbsp;Road to Makkah project&nbsp;He highlighted that Road to Makkah project allows pilgrims to complete Saudi immigration and other formalities at their departure airport, making their arrival in Saudi Arabia smoother. This year, the initiative has been expanded to Lahore, in addition to Karachi and Islamabad, and is expected to benefit over 95,000 pilgrims. Pilgrims will also be provided with e-SIM cards, enabling them to remain in contact with their families in Pakistan. Other facilities include modern, comfortable tents and high-speed trains connecting Makkah and Madinah to ease travel. The minister expressed gratitude to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, and Hajj Minister Tawfiq Bin Fawzan al-Rabiah for their support and guidance in facilitating the Hajj preparations.

Culture

Religious Affairs Minister Yousuf says Pakistan completed Hajj preparations within stipulated time with the support of the Saudi government, and the country is providing pilgrims with the best possible facilities.

First Hajj flight under Road to Makkah project departs Pakistan's capital

ISLAMABAD: In a sharp political reaction, Indian Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing an official national address for partisan attacks, calling it &ldquo;a travesty of Democracy and the Constitution of India.&rdquo; In a strongly worded statement shared on X on Saturday, Kharge alleged that the prime minister&rsquo;s speech&nbsp;disproportionately criticized the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/rahul-gandhi-modi-compromised-by-epstein-files-sold-india-out" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Congress</a> while neglecting key issues such as women&rsquo;s representation,&nbsp;and claimed it violated the Model Code of Conduct already in force.<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; line-height: 2;"><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=2045543427056836836&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=322607743007a53857a0c77384a7dda48fb42d1e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 345px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> &ldquo;A desperate and frustrated PM&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bjp-accused-of-reshaping-indias-political-system-to-retain-power" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">@narendramodi</a>&nbsp;with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years, turned an official address to the nation, into a political speech, full of mudslinging, and outright LIES.&rdquo;&nbsp;&lsquo;Travesty of Democracy&rsquo;&nbsp;The Congress president, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, said, &ldquo;The Model Code of Conduct is already in place and it was very clear how PM Modi misused official machinery to attack his opponents. This is a travesty of Democracy and the Constitution of India.&rdquo; Criticizing the Indian prime minister, he said, &ldquo;Modi ji mentioned Congress 59 times and women barely few times. That tells the country everything about his priorities. Women are not the BJP&rsquo;s priority. Congress is, because Congress stands on the right side of history.&rdquo; Taking the prime minister to task for the ruling BJP&rsquo;s poor record on women&#39;s rights, the opposition leader said, &ldquo;Congress has always supported women&rsquo;s reservation. We were the party that passed the Women&rsquo;s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 so that it would not lapse. The BJP could not get that Bill passed in the Lok Sabha. They brought another Bill in 2023 and the Congress Party supported that too. That Bill still exists. In fact, it was notified on 16th April, while the Lok Sabha was discussing these delimitation Constitutional Amendment Bills. This was done by the same Prime Minister. The fact that it took the BJP 3 years to notify their own bill, shows their commitment to India&rsquo;s Naari Shakti!&rdquo;&nbsp;&lsquo;STOP lying to the nation&rsquo;He said, &ldquo;Modi ji should STOP lying to the nation.&rdquo; The opposition leader demanded that Modi &ldquo;implement 33% reservation for women in the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats under the 2023 law.&rdquo; &ldquo;Stop mixing up the delimitation bills, i.e, the 3 Constitution Amendment Bills &nbsp;with the Women&rsquo;s Reservation Bill. Stop lying to the nation that this was an amendment to the Women&rsquo;s Reservation Bill &mdash; the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. It was NOT. This was purely a delimitation Bill, brought in to create further division and redraw the electoral map in a manner that can only benefit the BJP,&rdquo; Kharge demanded.&nbsp;&lsquo;Apologise to 140 Crore Indians&rsquo;&nbsp;Kharge&nbsp;demanded PM Modi to &ldquo;Apologise to 140 Crore Indians.&rdquo; &ldquo;Congress has always been pro-reform. Congress transformed Indian agriculture through the Green Revolution, strengthened dairy development through the White Revolution, created our Space sector, made India a Nuclear power, Liberalised the economy in 1991, 60 Crore ADHAAR cards were distributed before Modi ji took office. Congress passed RTI, RTE, Food Security Act, MGNREGA - which Modi ji repealed,&rdquo; he lamented.&nbsp;Garlanding rapists &nbsp;The Congress president said, &ldquo;The BJP has been anti-women in both action and attitude. They have no answers for Hathras. They have no answers for Unnao. They have no answers for the treatment of Haryana&rsquo;s women wrestlers. They have shielded rapists within their own party. They released the rapists in the Bilkis Bano case.&rdquo; &ldquo;They have garlanded criminals and rapists. The NCRB data itself shows that crimes against women are highest in BJP-ruled states,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;&lsquo;Nothing to offer&rsquo;&nbsp;Kharge said, &ldquo;After 12 and a half years in power, in the middle of an international crisis, high inflation, a deteriorating economy, sliding Rupee, and deep public distress, the Prime Minister had nothing to offer the nation except a political speech.&rdquo; &ldquo;Even with the Model Code of Conduct in place, he chose to blame the Opposition, especially Congress, for his own failures, his own betrayal, and his own apathy.&rdquo; The opposition leader accused the Indian prime minister of dividing the nation. &ldquo;BJP-RSS divides the nation. RSS supported the British against Indians and wrote mercy petitions to them. Every Indian knows that Modi Jis political masters &mdash; RSS are against WOMEN. They believe in Manusmiti, which encourages DIVISION, and NOT the Constitution of India,&rdquo; he said in his social media post.

India

Says, ‘a desperate and frustrated PM @narendramodi with nothing meaningful to show for the last 12 years, turned an official address to the nation, into a political speech, full of mudslinging, and outright LIES.’

Opposition leader terms Modi’s address 'travesty of democracy, Indian Constitution' 

WASHINGTON: Blue Origin, the US space company of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, on Sunday will reuse a booster for the first time to launch its massive New Glenn rocket. The novel approach comes amid fierce competition between Bezos&#39;s firm and fellow tech titan <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/after-artemis-ii-nasa-looks-to-spacex-blue-origin-for-moon-landings" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elon Musk&#39;s SpaceX</a>, and a successful outing Sunday could up the pace and lower the cost of future Blue Origin launches. At nearly 100 meters (about 328 feet) tall, the New Glenn is slated for liftoff from Florida&#39;s Cape Canaveral sometime between 6:45 am (1045 GMT) and 8:45 am. It will carry a communications satellite for the company AST SpaceMobile. The company has launched the New Glenn twice before, but only with new rocket boosters. It has launched its far smaller New Shepard rocket, primarily used for suborbital space tourism, with reused components before in a less technically challenging operation. In November, Blue Origin recovered a New Glenn booster for the first time, succeeding in the complex technical challenge that culminated with a controlled vertical landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. A previous attempt in January 2025 to recover the booster was unsuccessful after its engines failed to reignite during descent. The booster that will be used in Sunday&#39;s launch was refurbished after its previous flight. For this first reuse, the company replaced all of its engines and made a few other modifications. After liftoff, the rocket&#39;s two stages will separate at altitude. The upper stage will continue its journey carrying the satellite into space, while the booster will descend and attempt to land on a barge. The operation&#39;s performance will be closely watched, as the New Glenn is at the heart of Bezos&#39;s space ambitions. He is notably competing with Musk in NASA&#39;s Artemis lunar program, with their respective space companies both developing lunar landers for the US space agency. The United States is doubling down on efforts to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon in 2028, before the end of President Donald Trump&#39;s term and a deadline set by Chinese rivals.

This Blue Origin handout photo, obtained on April 17, 2026, shows Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket at Launch Complex 36 at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 12, 2026. (File photo: AFP)

The novel approach comes amid fierce competition between Bezos's firm and fellow tech titan Elon Musk's SpaceX, and a successful outing Sunday could up the pace and lower the cost of future Blue Origin launches.

Blue Origin set to launch rocket with reusable booster for first time

Web Desk/AFP

<em style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; background-color: oklch(0.985 0.002 247.839);' id="isPasted">This live blog follows updates for Day 50 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 50, go <span style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; background-color: oklch(0.985 0.002 247.839);"><a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/live-usisrael-war-on-iran-day-50" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:#0073e6;"><em style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>here</a><em style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>.<hr><ul id="isPasted" style="list-style-type: circle;"><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Iranian official says US &lsquo;maximalist&rsquo; demands stall face-to-face talks</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Netanyahu is &lsquo;destroying our society from inside&rsquo;</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Top negotiator Ghalibaf touts Iran&rsquo;s military capabilities</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Israeli army says soldier killed in southern Lebanon</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Iran&#39;s speaker says negotiations with US have progressed but far from final agreement</li></ul><hr> We are peace seekers, not warmongers, says Iranian presidentPublished: April 19, 2026 | 08:57 GMT | by Web Desk Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian said, &quot;Iran&rsquo;s enemies say Iranians should not be allowed to exercise their rights. Who are you to decide that?&quot; &quot;No free person would submit to injustice. We are not warmongers; we are peace-seekers and are only defending ourselves,&quot; he said, according to Iranian state-run Press TV.<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=2045782304828563746&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=322607743007a53857a0c77384a7dda48fb42d1e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 700px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Meanwhile, Iran&#39;s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Baghaei strongly condemned the EU for its &quot;hypocritical&quot; use of international law after the bloc&#39;s foreign policy chief called for the free passage of ships to the Strait of Hormuz.<hr> Lebanese army restores road, bridge damaged by Israeli strikesPublished: April 19, 2026 | 07:23 GMT | by AFP Lebanon&#39;s military said Sunday it had reopened a road and bridge damaged by Israeli strikes in the country&#39;s south, as a 10-day truce holds between Hezbollah and Israel. In a statement, the military said it &quot;fully reopened&quot; a road linking the city of Nabatieh with the Khardali area, and had &quot;partially reopened the Burj Rahal-Tyre bridge&quot;. &quot;Work is also underway to rehabilitate the Tayr Falsay-Tyre bridge... following damage caused by the Israeli aggression,&quot; the army added. Israeli strikes on bridges that cross Lebanon&#39;s Litani river, which flows around 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Israel, have largely cut off the area south of the waterway from the rest of Lebanon, according to the army. On Friday a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect after the first direct talks between the two sides in decades, bringing a pause to weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed nearly 2,300 people and displaced more than a million. Since the truce began, Lebanon&#39;s military and local authorities have been working to reopen roads that were blocked due to Israeli strikes.<hr> Iranian official says US &lsquo;maximalist&rsquo; demands stall face-to-face talksPublished: April 19, 2026 | 06:21 GMT | by Web Desk Iran is not yet ready to hold a new round of face-to-face talks with US officials, a senior Iranian official said Saturday, citing Washington&rsquo;s refusal to abandon &ldquo;maximalist&rdquo; demands on key issues. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh also said his country will not hand over its enriched uranium to the United States, rejecting claims made by US President Donald Trump, according to The Associated Press. &ldquo;I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to United States,&rdquo; Khatibzadeh said.&nbsp; &ldquo;This is non-starter and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we&rsquo;re not going to accept things that are nonstarters.&rdquo;<hr> Netanyahu is &lsquo;destroying our society from inside&rsquo;Published: April 19, 2026 | 05:59 GMT | by Web Desk Protests against the Israeli PM and his government took place in central Tel Aviv on Sunday night, Al Jazeera reported. One of those protesters, Raphaelle Pneina, said she had been coming every week as she believed Netanyahu was &ldquo;destroying our society from inside&rdquo; as well as &ldquo;destroying&rdquo; Israel&rsquo;s relations with European nations and the US.<hr> Top negotiator Ghalibaf touts Iran&rsquo;s military capabilitiesPublished: April 19, 2026 | 05:55 GMT | by Web Desk Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iranian forces had struck 180 drones and a F-35 fighter jet, Al Jazeera reported citing Iranian top negotiator&#39;s remarks made to state media. &ldquo;Hitting the F-35 is not a one-off event; it is an operation across various dimensions of technical and design capabilities,&rdquo; Ghalibaf said in remarks carried by the Mizan News Agency, the official news outlet of Iran&rsquo;s judiciary. &ldquo;The missile that exploded near the F-35 made the enemy realize what capabilities we possess and in what direction we are heading.&rdquo; US military officials said last month that a F-35 fighter jet involved in combat operations over Iran made an emergency landing at an airbase in the region.<hr> Israeli army says soldier killed in southern LebanonPublished: April 19, 2026 | 03:35 GMT | by AFP Israel&#39;s military said on Sunday that a soldier died during combat in southern Lebanon, where a temporary ceasefire had come into effect this week. &quot;Lidor Porat, aged 31, from Ashdod, a soldier in the 7106th Battalion, 769th Regional Brigade, fell during combat in southern Lebanon,&quot; the Israeli military said in a statement, without providing further details. The total Israeli army death toll in the six-week war between Israel and Hezbollah was now 15, according to an AFP tally based on military figures. It was the second death announced by Israel of a soldier in southern Lebanon since the start of a 10-day truce announced by the United States began on Friday -- part of wider efforts to bring a permanent end to the Middle East war.<hr> Iran&#39;s speaker says negotiations with US have progressed but far from final agreement<p style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: oklch(0.985 0.002 247.839); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 2;' id="isPasted"><span style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);'><em style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; scroll-behavior: auto !important; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;'>Published: April 19, 2026 | 00:15 GMT | by AFP Progress had been made in negotiations with the United States to end the war, Iran&#39;s parliamentary speaker said on Saturday night, but added the sides were still far from an agreement. &quot;We are still far from the final discussion,&quot; Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also one of Iran&#39;s negotiators, said in a national televised address, adding, &quot;We made progress in the negotiations, but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain.&quot;

Middle East

'No free person would submit to injustice. We are not warmongers; we are peace-seekers and are only defending ourselves,' he said, according to Iranian state-run Press TV.

We are peace seekers, not warmongers, says Iranian president

LAGOS: Nigeria and Turkiye have struck a defense agreement to help Africa&#39;s most populous nation fight its 17-year-long insurgency, the Nigerian defense minister said on Saturday. &quot;We have agreed to move into training, production, and improving on our defense industry cooperation,&quot; Christopher Musa told Turkish media while on a trip to Antalya, according to the Anadolu agency. Musa stated that 200 members of the Nigerian Army&#39;s Special Forces would be sent to Turkiye for training. Nigeria&#39;s longstanding security woes have drawn the ire of the United States in recent months, with President Donald Trump claiming that the country&#39;s Christians face &quot;persecution.&quot; Both the Nigerian government and experts have rejected that argument, pointing out that the multi-religious country&#39;s overlapping conflicts kill Christians and Muslims alike. Yet the West African country has still managed to find common ground with Washington on defense, with the US deploying around 200 soldiers to the country and launching Christmas Day airstrikes on the northern state of Sokoto last year. Besides radical Islamists from Boko Haram and its rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province, Nigeria is also plagued by gangs of armed criminals known as bandits who pillage, kill and kidnap in the northwest. The country also has to contend with the worsening security crisis across the Sahel -- the vast region bordering the southern Sahara desert -- which has allowed militants to expand across West Africa. In an attempt to reduce its reliance on the US, Nigeria has sought to diversify its security partners. Musa&#39;s Turkiye trip comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu&#39;s visit in late January, the first by a Nigerian head of state in nine years. Turkiye is renowned for its inexpensive armed drones, which it exports in large numbers. &quot;Turkiye has improved dramatically regarding production of military hardware, and Nigeria is still developing,&quot; Musa said, adding that the two countries had agreed to produce some items together.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu witness the signing of nine agreements between Turkiye and Nigeria on January 27, 2026. (File photo: Anadolu Agency)

Africa

Nigerian defense minister says the two countries have agreed to work together to produce some defense items.

Nigeria strikes defense deal with Turkiye

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan joined 11 other countries in strongly condemning Israel&rsquo;s decision to appoint a diplomatic representative to Somalia&rsquo;s breakaway region of Somaliland, calling the move a violation of Somalia&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity.&nbsp;According to a joint statement shared by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-condemns-israeli-recognition-of-somaliland-presses-oic-on-kashmir" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Palestine, Turkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan and Kuwait rejected Israel&rsquo;s announcement and termed it a &ldquo;flagrant violation&rdquo; of the unity and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia.<div><div style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 899px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2045568971655811491&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=102cf827e7dfc0f36b6c5c110a72d2bc7c0238e7&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>Israel had announced on Wednesday the appointment of Michael Lotem as its first non-resident ambassador to Somaliland, marking a further step in its engagement with the self-declared republic.&nbsp;The joint statement said the ministers firmly opposed all unilateral measures that undermine the unity of states or infringe upon their sovereignty, while reaffirming their full support for Somalia&rsquo;s unity, territorial integrity and legitimate state institutions as the sole representatives of the Somali people.&nbsp;They warned that such actions violated international law, the United Nations Charter and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and could create a dangerous precedent threatening stability in the Horn of Africa and wider regional peace and security.&nbsp;The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had also condemned Israel&rsquo;s move earlier this week, reiterating support for Somalia&rsquo;s internationally recognised government and its legitimate institutions.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tahir Andrabi, speaking at the weekly briefing on Thursday, January 15, 2026. (File photo: MOFA)

Foreign Affairs

Joint statement says the countries oppose all unilateral measures that undermine the unity of states or infringe upon their sovereignty, while reaffirming their full support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity.

Pakistan among 12 countries condemning Israel’s envoy appointment to Somaliland

BEIRUT: After the ceasefire in Lebanon took hold, Samah Hajoul headed back to her apartment in south Beirut -- but only long enough to grab fresh clothes, feeling safer in her tent as she wonders whether the truce will last.&nbsp;&quot;I am afraid to return to my home because the situation is not stable yet,&quot; the displaced mother of four told AFP from her campsite on the capital&#39;s seafront.&nbsp;The ceasefire, which entered its second day Saturday, has granted many people the chance to check on their homes. Hajoul found her apartment lightly damaged, with broken windows, but was only there to &quot;bathe the children and get summer clothes&quot; as temperatures started to rise.&nbsp;&quot;We do not feel safe to return, for fear that something might happen at night and I would not be able to carry my children and flee with them,&quot; she added.&nbsp;Like many other displaced residents, Hajoul was waiting to &quot;see what happens&quot; at the end of the 10-day truce before deciding whether to go back.&nbsp;&quot;If the ceasefire is consolidated, we will return to our homes,&quot; she said.&nbsp;In the heavily bombed suburbs, neighborhoods were still largely empty on Saturday, aside from those making quick visits to their homes, according to an AFP correspondent.&nbsp;Among them was Hassan, 29, who only picked up a few things before returning to a school turned government shelter.&nbsp;Hassan, who only gave his first name, pointed to &quot;tension&quot; surrounding Israeli strikes in the south and Iran&#39;s announcement it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz, rattling the ongoing ceasefire in the broader war.&nbsp;With both Israel and Hezbollah accusing each other of breaching the truce in Lebanon, Hassan said &quot;there is no indication that there is a solution&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;We are afraid that if we return to the suburbs we will lose our place in the school to which we were displaced.&quot;

After the ceasefire in Lebanon, displaced residents briefly returned to damaged homes for essentials but still feel unsafe. Many are waiting through the 10-day truce, fearing instability and possible renewed conflict before deciding to return permanently.

Displaced Lebanese hesitant to return home as lasting truce uncertain

TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s top national security body said Saturday that the country was reviewing &quot;new proposals&quot; received from the United States.&nbsp;&quot;In recent days, with the presence of the commander of the Pakistani army in Tehran as an intermediary and mediator in the negotiations, new proposals have been put forward by the Americans, which the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently reviewing and has not yet responded to,&quot; the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement carried by state media.&nbsp;It went on to say that Iran&#39;s negotiating delegation &quot;will not make even the slightest compromise, retreat or leniency, and will defend with all its strength the interests of the Iranian nation&quot;.&nbsp;Pakistan has emerged as the main mediator between the two foes, and hosted an initial round of talks last week that ended without an agreement.&nbsp;The disclosure of the new proposals came hours after Iran declared that it was reimposing its closure of the Strait of Hormuz over an ongoing US blockade of its ports, prompting a warning from US President Donald Trump not to try to &quot;blackmail&quot; Washington.&nbsp;The Supreme National Security Council said &quot;Iran is determined to enforce supervision and control over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz until the definitive end of the war&quot;, insisting the US blockade would preclude even a &quot;conditional and limited reopening&quot;.&nbsp;The council said such a reopening would involve Tehran issuing transit certificates to vessels, &quot;as well as requiring payment of fees related to services for security, safety and environmental protection&quot;.

Iran said it is reviewing new US proposals delivered via Pakistan’s army chief as mediator. Tehran insists no compromise in negotiations while also reimposing control over the Strait of Hormuz amid US blockade tensions.