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>Catch up: Yesterday&rsquo;s top developments <ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li>Trump suggests wants Iran&#39;s uranium for optics</li><li>US State Department offers up to $15M for information on IRGC financial networks</li><li>Iran&rsquo;s FM says US sending &lsquo;contradictory messages&rsquo;</li><li>Trump says &lsquo;did not like&rsquo; latest Iran proposal</li><li style="font-size: 14px;"><span style='box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; scroll-behavior: auto !important;'>Child wounded as Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in Silwan</li></ul><hr>&nbsp;Lebanon, Israel ceasefire extended by 45 days: USPublished: May 15, 2026 | 19:44 GMT | by AFP Lebanon and Israel extended a ceasefire for 45 days, despite a new flareup in violence, the US State Department said after mediating talks. &quot;The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,&quot; State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.&nbsp;He said that the State Department would hold negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent political agreement on June 2 and 3, and that the Pentagon would bring together delegations from the countries&#39; militaries on May 29.&nbsp;&quot;We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other&#39;s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,&quot; Pigott said.&nbsp;The ceasefire, already extended, had been due to expire on Sunday.<hr> Read our May 15 live blog for earlier developments&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/usisrael-war-on-iran-day-76" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">here.</a>

Middle East

State Department says negotiations toward a permanent political agreement take place June 2 and 3, while the Pentagon convenes military delegations from both countries on May 29 to coordinate discussions, address concerns and support efforts.


Lebanon, Israel ceasefire extended by 45 days: US

NEW YORK: Aerospace giant Boeing on Friday confirmed that China had committed to purchasing 200 aircraft, as previously announced by US President Donald Trump during his visit to Beijing.&nbsp;&quot;We had a very successful trip to China and accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft,&quot; the company, whose CEO Kelly Ortberg was part of the US delegation to China, said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;This included an initial commitment for 200 aircraft and we expect further commitments will follow after this initial tranche,&quot; Boeing said, thanking the Trump administration &quot;for making this milestone happen.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We now look forward to continually addressing China&#39;s aircraft demand,&quot; it said.&nbsp;China&#39;s last order from Boeing dates back to 2017, when Trump went to Beijing at the start of his first White House term. At that time, it ordered 300 single-aisle and wide-body planes -- a mega-deal valued at $37 billion.&nbsp;On Thursday, Trump had referred to the new Boeing commitment, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview: &quot;I think it was a commitment.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s a lot of jobs,&quot; the president added.&nbsp;Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew home from China, Trump said the deal included &quot;a promise of 750 planes, which will be by far the largest order ever, if they do a good job with the 200.&quot;&nbsp;US media have reported for several months that Beijing was poised to make a major order from Boeing that would include 500 single-aisle 737 MAXs and about 100 larger 787 Dreamliners and 777s.

Asia

Boeing confirmed China committed to purchasing 200 aircraft during US President Donald Trump’s Beijing visit, reopening Boeing’s China market after years without orders, with prospects for additional commitments and a possible larger future deal.

Boeing confirms China commitment to buy 200 aircraft

TEHRAN: The Iran team will head to Turkey for a training camp before taking part in the World Cup in the United States, local media reported Friday.&nbsp;&quot;The next phase of the national team&#39;s preparation is set to be hosted in Antalya, Turkey,&quot; Iranian Football360 website reported, adding that the squad would then travel to their World Cup base in Tucson, Arizona.&nbsp;Antalya also hosted the Iran team for training and matches in March.&nbsp;It was not immediately clear when the squad would leave Tehran for Turkey, where players are also due to undergo visa procedures, although Iranian sports outlet Varzesh3 reported they are expected to depart Saturday.&nbsp;As part of their preparations in Antalya, Iran will play a friendly against Gambia on May 29 and are hoping to play a second warmup match against an opponent that is yet to be decided, the agent arranging the matches said Friday.&nbsp;&quot;It is confirmed for 29 May,&quot; Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian who organises friendlies involving the Iranian national team, said.&nbsp;Iran held a send-off ceremony for the team in Tehran on Wednesday.&nbsp;The players, dressed in red and black tracksuits, were presented on a stage in the Enghelab square in the centre of the Iranian capital, where crowds of people cheered for them, according to videos aired on state TV.&nbsp;Iran football federation chief Mehdi Taj said Thursday no visas had yet been issued for the team to enter the United States, which launched strikes on Iran in late February at the start of a wider Middle East war.&nbsp;&quot;We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet,&quot; Taj said according to IRNA state news agency.&nbsp;Taj is expected to hold talks with FIFA president Gianni Infantino as Tehran seeks assurances for its squad amid tensions following the war.&nbsp;Taj also said players were expected to undergo fingerprinting as part of the visa process but wished to avoid a trip of more than 450 kilometres (280 miles) from Antalya to Ankara.&nbsp;&quot;The players must travel to Ankara for fingerprinting, but we are trying to arrange for this to be done in Antalya so there will be no need to travel to Ankara,&quot; Taj said.&nbsp;Iran opens its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 before facing Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

Football

Iran will hold a pre-World Cup training camp in Antalya before traveling to Arizona for the tournament, while awaiting US visas amid ongoing tensions. Tehran will open its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

Iran to hold pre-World Cup training camp in Turkey: media

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday repatriated 11 of its nationals along with 20 Iranian citizens from vessels seized by the United States on the high seas, in a coordinated operation involving Singapore, Thailand and Iran amid continued regional diplomatic engagement.&nbsp;Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced the repatriation in a statement posted on X, saying all individuals were safe and in good condition.&nbsp;&ldquo;All individuals are in good health and high spirits,&rdquo; Dar said.&nbsp;According to the statement, the group traveled from Singapore to Bangkok before boarding a flight to Islamabad late Friday.&nbsp;Pakistani authorities were then expected to facilitate the onward return of the Iranian nationals to Iran.&nbsp;The development comes amid heightened diplomatic coordination across the region following months of tensions linked to the Iran-US conflict, maritime security concerns and disruptions in international shipping routes.&nbsp;Dar said the welfare of Pakistanis abroad, particularly those facing distress situations, remained the government&rsquo;s &ldquo;highest priority.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Our Iranian brothers will then be facilitated to return to their homeland,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;The foreign minister thanked the governments of Singapore and Thailand for supporting the repatriation process and acknowledged the role of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for &ldquo;reposing trust in Pakistan&rdquo; regarding the return of the Iranian nationals.&nbsp;Dar also expressed appreciation to the United States for &ldquo;close coordination&rdquo; in facilitating the return of the 31 Pakistani and Iranian nationals.&nbsp;&ldquo;My heartfelt thanks to my colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, and Pakistan&rsquo;s missions in Singapore and Thailand for their timely coordination and dedicated efforts in ensuring the smooth, safe, and successful completion of the repatriation process,&rdquo;&nbsp;

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan repatriated 11 of its nationals along with 20 Iranian citizens from vessels seized by the United States on the high seas, in a coordinated operation involving Singapore, Thailand and Iran amid continued regional diplomatic engagement.

Pakistan repatriates nationals from US-seized vessels: Foreign minister

DUBAI: The Middle East&#39;s largest annual contemporary art fair opened in Dubai on Friday, drawing fewer galleries and a more local crowd than usual.&nbsp;This year, in its 20th edition, Art Dubai opened a month late and in a scaled-down format after the regional conflict forced the organizers to revise their plans.&nbsp;&quot;When the conflict broke out, we were only a few weeks out from the fair, and so we had to make a decision as to whether to go ahead&quot; with the three-day event, its executive director Benedetta Ghione, told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;For us, the message is about resilience,&quot; she added.&nbsp;The organizers, who normally sell around 10,000 tickets, made admission free to attract visitors, and have so far received 16,000 registration requests on their website.&nbsp;The United Arab Emirates was the main target of Iranian missile and drone attacks during the regional war sparked by US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic in late February.&nbsp;The conflict has rocked the wealthy UAE, cutting off most oil exports and undercutting the safe-haven image that helped it become the region&#39;s financial hub.&nbsp;A ceasefire was agreed last month, but regional tensions remain high, disrupting air and sea transport, and tourists are still few and far between.&nbsp;Despite the climate of uncertainty, some international gallery owners made the trip to Dubai, including France&#39;s Frank Elbaz.&nbsp;&quot;Despite the situation, you can feel that things are bubbling here and that it&#39;s a place with a future,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Based in Lebanon, which has also been dragged into war, gallerist Saleh Barakat also felt it was important to attend the fair out of solidarity.&nbsp;&quot;We are all here this year in order to be present and to say life goes on,&quot; he said.

Dubai’s annual Art Dubai fair opened in a smaller format amid ongoing regional tensions, attracting fewer international galleries but strong local interest, as organizers and artists emphasized resilience and solidarity despite uncertainty and disrupted tourism.

Dubai's annual art fair opens despite regional war

ISLAMABAD: Last week, a state government in southern India quietly lifted a ban that had spent four years doing what its architects intended: keeping Muslim girls out of school. The ban was on the hijab. It was imposed in 2022 in Karnataka, a state of 67 million people, by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP is India&#39;s governing Hindu nationalist party, in power nationally since 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It lost Karnataka in 2023 state elections. The party that replaced it, the Indian National Congress, revoked the ban on May 13. Schools may now permit headscarves, Sikh turbans, and Hindu sacred threads alongside uniforms, as reported by The Hindu. The mechanics of the original ban reveal how deliberately it was constructed. In late 2021, Muslim women students at a government college were suddenly barred from classrooms for wearing headscarves. The practice had been accepted for years without incident, per the IIUM Law Journal. Groups of Hindu nationalist students then showed up in saffron-colored scarves. Saffron is the symbolic color of BJP-aligned nationalism in India. The government did not act against those students, it acted against the Muslim girls. The order it issued described the headscarf as a threat to &quot;equality and public order,&quot; as reported by Muslim News UK. Legal scholars writing in the International Journal of Law in Context called it what it was: indirect discrimination, dressed in the language of neutral policy. The girls paid the price. Many were turned away from national board examinations. Many lost full academic years. The People&#39;s Union for Civil Liberties, an Indian civil rights organization, documented the damage in detail. Then came February 10, 2022, and a moment that traveled around the world. A 19-year-old student named Muskan Khan arrived at her college to submit an assignment. A crowd of men in saffron scarves surrounded her. They followed her across campus, chanting political slogans. She did not run. She turned and chanted back, alone, until staff pulled her to safety, per the Times of India. CNN called her &quot;a symbol of resistance.&quot; Within days, fabricated social media posts were circulating that falsely linked her to the Taliban, according to fact-checkers at The Quint. The message to Muslim women was clear: visibility itself is a provocation. That message has been delivered consistently. Amnesty International documented the headscarf ban as one piece of a larger campaign against India&#39;s roughly 200 million Muslims under BJP governance, alongside the demolition of Muslim-owned homes, laws criminalizing marriages between Muslims and Hindus, and organized boycotts of Muslim market traders, per Amnesty&#39;s Human Rights Charter for India. United Nations human rights experts formally warned India in June 2022 that the ban violated its obligations under international law, per an OHCHR communication. India&#39;s Supreme Court took up the case and split without a resolution in October 2022, per MUNA Bulletin. The constitutional question remains open. The Congress party reversed the ban. It also banned saffron scarves from classrooms, calling them tools of intimidation rather than religious expression, per the Times of India. The BJP called this &ldquo;Muslim appeasement&rdquo;. A federal minister claimed, without evidence, that the decision would lead to &lsquo;Islamic law&rsquo; in Karnataka, as reported by Hindustan Times. Human Rights Watch had already described BJP policies of this kind as systematic discrimination against religious minorities, in a formal submission to the United Nations. The headscarf ban is over in Karnataka. The political infrastructure that built it remains intact nationally. For Muslim women in India, the battleground may have shifted, but it certainly has not disappeared.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and religious activists protest near the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh office in Kolkata on December 22, 2025  (AFP)

India

India's Hindu nationalist government has spent years using Muslim women's clothing, marriages, and livelihoods as instruments of political exclusion, drawing repeated condemnation from the United Nations and global rights organizations.

Indian Congress overturns discriminatory hijab ban imposed by Modi-led BJP previously

ISLAMABAD: Russia&#39;s top security official told regional leaders that between 18,000 and 23,000 armed terrorists from more than 20 separate groups are currently active inside Afghanistan, warning that the country remains a direct security threat to the broader region. According to Russia&#39;s state news agency TASS, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu delivered the assessment at the 21st meeting of security council secretaries of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, held May 14 in Bishkek under Kyrgyz chairmanship. &quot;The situation in Afghanistan is of particular importance for ensuring security in the SCO space,&quot; Shoigu said, as quoted by TASS. &quot;This primarily concerns the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking emanating from its territory.&quot; ISIS presence put at 3,000 fighters Shoigu said ISIS affiliate operating in Afghanistan numbers around 3,000 members, according to Russian data. In 2025 alone, ISIS carried out 12 major terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, killing 40 military personnel and 25 civilians and wounding more than 50 others, as reported by TASS. Foreign fighters flowing in from Syria The Russian official Shoigu said there has been a notable increase in terrorists of Tajik and Uzbek origin entering Afghanistan from Syria. They were drawn from factions of the former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is designated a terrorist organization in Russia. He noted that some of these fighters remain outside the control of the interim Afghan government. Taliban enabling cross-border terrorism While the Afghan Taliban publicly denies hosting terrorist groups, international organizations have documented a starkly different picture on the ground. According to UN Security Council monitoring reports, the Taliban operates what assessors describe as a &quot;permissive environment,&quot; one in which multiple armed groups plan and launch attacks against neighboring states from Afghan soil. The UN has reported that the Afghan Taliban provides approximately $43,000 per month to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the largest foreign terrorist &nbsp;group operating in Afghanistan with over 6,000 fighters. According to UN findings, the Taliban&#39;s General Directorate of Intelligence has established guest houses in Kabul for senior TTP leadership. They were also granted movement passes and weapons permits that effectively shield them from arrest. Cross-border attacks attributed to TTP operating from Afghan bases rose from 573 in 2021 to over 1,200 in 2024, according to UN assessments. Pakistan has issued repeated high-level diplomatic protests condemning the Taliban for providing sanctuary and arms used in those attacks. UN Secretary-General Ant&oacute;nio Guterres and multiple UN experts have stated that the Taliban must honor its international obligation to prevent Afghan territory from being used to threaten the security of other states. SCO meeting addresses wider threat landscape As per the SCO&#39;s official readout of the Bishkek meeting, participants also discussed pressing issues in the current international security environment, with specific attention to new risks in cybersecurity and information security. The gathering was attended by heads and senior officials from security council secretariats of member states, along with SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev and the director of the SCO&#39;s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure. Yermekbayev said the organization is modernizing its security cooperation mechanisms. This includes establishing new specialized bodies to coordinate responses to terrorism, transnational organized crime, and cyber threats, according to the SCO&#39;s statement. UN assessments align with Russian figures International estimates reported by the UN Security Council Monitoring Team as of May 2026 similarly place the number of foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan at between 13,000 and 23,000. The UN&#39;s 37th monitoring report, issued in February 2026, found that some fighters have been integrated directly into Taliban-led security structures, a finding at odds with the Taliban&#39;s public position. The SCO&#39;s member states include Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, and four Central Asian republics; countries that collectively share borders with Afghanistan or face direct spillover from terrorist activity operating on its soil.

Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu leaves after his bilateral meeting with Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Defence Ministry in Jakarta on February 25, 2025. (AFP)

Afghanistan

Moscow says militants arriving from Syria, rising ISIS attacks and Taliban facilitation of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have intensified fears that Afghan territory is increasingly being used to coordinate violence, destabilize neighboring countries, and expand extremist networks across Central and South Asia.

Over 20 terrorist groups active in Afghanistan, Russia warns SCO leaders

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is seeking to establish a sustained presence in China&rsquo;s domestic capital markets after successfully completing its inaugural Panda Bond issuance, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb said Friday in Beijing. Addressing the inaugural Panda Bond Issuance Ceremony at the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing, Aurangzeb described the transaction as &quot;far more than the completion of a financial transaction,&quot; saying it marked &quot;the beginning of a new chapter in Pakistan&rsquo;s economic and financial engagement with China in the context of international capital markets.&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-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" 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=2055235741668852144&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=9a4935cb81f782164d64a139f9a69f4d32c243db&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px"></iframe></div></div> Pakistan raised 1.75 billion yuan ($250 million) through the three-year fixed-rate bond, its first sovereign yuan-denominated issuance in China&rsquo;s onshore market, which officials said attracted subscriptions exceeding five times the amount offered. &quot;The debut issuance of CNY 1.75 billion experienced an overwhelmingly positive response, was over-subscribed by five times, and closed at a coupon rate of 2.5%,&quot; Aurangzeb said. The finance minister said Pakistan had established a 7.2 billion yuan Panda Bond program following two years of engagement with Chinese regulators, financial institutions, development partners and market participants. &quot;Our goal was clear: to establish Pakistan&rsquo;s long-term presence in the Chinese capital markets and to create a sustainable platform for future sovereign issues,&quot; Aurangzeb said. The issuance marks Pakistan&rsquo;s first entry into China&rsquo;s domestic bond market and forms part of Islamabad&rsquo;s broader strategy to diversify external financing sources beyond conventional dollar-denominated borrowing. &quot;We have previously accessed the Eurobond market, US markets, and Islamic Sukuk markets, but accessing the Chinese capital market, the second largest and second deepest capital market in the world, was long overdue,&quot; the minister said. Aurangzeb said the transaction reflected growing confidence among Chinese institutions and investors in Pakistan&rsquo;s economic reforms and macroeconomic trajectory. &quot;This achievement is far more than the completion of a financial transaction; it reflects trust, partnership, innovation, financial collaboration, and our shared commitment to sustainable development and regional connectivity,&quot; he said. Pakistan became the first South Asian country to issue a Panda Bond, a milestone Aurangzeb linked to the growing maturity of economic cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing as the two countries mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. The minister said proceeds from the issuance would support sustainable development initiatives, including projects in water, social infrastructure and education, describing the transaction as Pakistan&rsquo;s first sustainable green Panda Bond. Speaking on the economy, Aurangzeb said Pakistan was witnessing &ldquo;renewed stability, disciplined reforms, and forward-looking transformation,&rdquo; citing improvements in inflation, foreign exchange reserves, fiscal consolidation and external-sector stability. He also reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to the International Monetary Fund reform programme, saying adherence to fiscal and structural reforms had strengthened market confidence and macroeconomic foundations. Aurangzeb said the government intended to expand its engagement with Chinese capital markets following the strong response to the debut issuance. &quot;This achievement is only the beginning,&quot; he said. &ldquo;We were always clear that we were not here for just one single trade.&quot; &quot;The overwhelming response, being five times oversubscribed, has guided us to issue the RFP for the next tranches right away,&quot; the minister added.&nbsp; &quot;We want to be regular issuers in the Chinese capital markets.&quot;

Economy

Finance minister says the oversubscribed issuance reflects investor confidence in Pakistan’s economic reforms, with authorities planning future yuan-denominated bond sales to expand financing sources and strengthen long-term access to Asian capital markets.

In Beijing, Pakistan declares Panda Bond ‘beginning of new chapter’

LONDON: UK utility company British Gas will pay millions to settle an investigation into forced installation of prepaid electricity meters, the country&rsquo;s energy regulator Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) said Friday. The company has agreed to pay &pound;20 million into Ofgem&rsquo;s voluntary compensation fund and write off up to &pound;70 million in debt owed by vulnerable customers, including low-income households, disabled people, elderly people, and those in rural areas. Ofgem tightened rules on the controversial practice after reports in 2023 that British Gas contractors sent debt collectors to enter homes and forcibly install prepaid electricity meters. These meters require customers to pay for electricity in advance and can allow power disconnection when bills are not paid, raising concerns that vulnerable households were being targeted. &ldquo;British Gas fell short in its treatment of an unacceptable number of vulnerable customers who had a PPM installed without consent,&rdquo; Ofgem chief executive Tim Jarvis said in a statement. The regulator said British Gas has not carried out any forced meter installations since February 2023. &ldquo;What happened should never have happened, and I am sorry to the prepayment customers who were affected,&rdquo; said Chris O&rsquo;Shea, chief executive of Centrica, which owns British Gas.

UK utility company British Gas is required to pay millions after regulators found customers were forced onto prepaid electricity meters. (Image courtesy: British Gas)

Europe

UK government regulator says British Gas switched vulnerable customers, including low-income and elderly households, onto prepaid electricity meters without consent and sent debt collectors to recover 'unpaid' bills.

UK utility company British Gas to pay millions over forced meter scandal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Minister for Climate Change, Dr Musadik Malik, held a meeting with Tajikistan&rsquo;s Ambassador Yusuf Sharifzoda in Islamabad to strengthen regional cooperation on climate and environmental challenges, the minister&rsquo;s office said in a post on X on Friday. The discussions focused on formalizing joint climate and conservation protocols between the two countries, which share significant ecological similarities. Both Pakistan and Tajikistan are home to around 13,000 glaciers each, making them among the most glacier-rich regions in the world. Officials noted that both countries have lost nearly 1,000 glaciers due to rising global temperatures, highlighting the urgency of coordinated climate action. Talks also explored the idea of a regional climate and trade corridor aimed at improving environmental cooperation while boosting sustainable economic links.<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-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2055180002506027367&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=45e0dc866212ecc67dc924808ba0686663c25a73&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Another key area of discussion was cross-border wildlife conservation, particularly efforts to protect the endangered snow leopard, which inhabits mountainous regions across both countries. The two sides also emphasized the importance of coordinated water management strategies, given their shared reliance on glacier-fed water systems. The meeting reflects growing recognition of the need for regional diplomacy to address climate change and biodiversity loss. Dr Malik is set to further advance this agenda at the 4th High-Level Conference on Water for Sustainable Development in Dushanbe. The conference will be held from May 25 to 28 and is expected to bring together global leaders and policymakers to discuss sustainable water management and climate resilience.

Climate & Environment

Pakistan and Tajikistan discussed joint climate action, glacier loss, water management and wildlife conservation, with plans to advance regional cooperation at an upcoming global conference in Dushanbe.

Lebanon, Israel ceasefire extended by 45 days: US

Latest News

Lebanon, Israel ceasefire extended by 45 days: US

Boeing confirms China commitment to buy 200 aircraft

Iran to hold pre-World Cup training camp in Turkey: media

Pakistan repatriates nationals from US-seized vessels: Foreign minister

Dubai's annual art fair opens despite regional war