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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday urged Iran and the US to consider extending the ceasefire and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance.&nbsp;This was discussed during a meeting on Tuesday when US Charg&eacute; d&rsquo;Affaires Natalie A. Baker called on Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. In the meeting, FM Dar underscored Islamabad&rsquo;s consistent emphasis on &ldquo;dialogue and diplomacy&rdquo; as the only viable means to address challenges and achieve lasting regional peace and stability, while stressing the need for engagement between the United States and Iran.&nbsp;He urged both sides to consider extending the ceasefire and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance. Cd&rsquo;A Baker conveyed US appreciation for Pakistan&rsquo;s constructive and positive role in promoting regional peace and facilitating dialogue.&nbsp;Dialogue and engagement for peaceEarlier, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar kicked off a busy day of diplomacy on Tuesday with a phone call to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, followed by a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, as discussions centered on escalating regional tensions.&nbsp;Dar spoke with Abdelatty about the latest developments, with both emphasizing dialogue and engagement for peace and stability and agreeing to remain in close contact. Later in the day, the Chinese ambassador called on Dar, conveying Beijing&#39;s full support and appreciation for Pakistan&#39;s ongoing efforts to facilitate US-Iran engagement for broader regional calm.&nbsp;Dar reaffirmed the robust Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, underscoring strong bilateral ties and the need for continued high-level exchanges.&nbsp;These back-to-back engagements signal Pakistan&#39;s pivotal role in mediation amid Middle East uncertainties.

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, in meetings with US, Egyptian, and Chinese officials, highlights the importance of diplomacy, regional stability, and Pakistan’s active mediating role in easing tensions.

Pakistan urges Iran-US to consider extending ceasefire

ISLAMABAD: China on Tuesday rejected &ldquo;false association&rdquo; and &ldquo;speculation&rdquo; regarding a vessel seized by the US in the Gulf of Oman on April 19, saying it was a foreign container ship, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Office.&nbsp;At a regular press conference, China&#39;s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded to a question about a post on X by the former US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, who wrote that the &ldquo;Iranian-flagged ship&rdquo; intercepted by the US over the weekend had been traveling &ldquo;from China&rdquo; and had been used to &ldquo;carry chemicals for missiles.&rdquo; The Chinese foreign office spokesperson said that the vessel seized by the US is a foreign container ship.&nbsp; &nbsp;&ldquo;China rejects any false association and speculation&rdquo; regarding the ship, the statement said. CENTCOM confirmed on Sunday that the US Navy fired at the Iranian-flagged vessel after it allegedly violated a US maritime blockade.&nbsp; &ldquo;US forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, April 19,&rdquo; CENTCOM said in a post on X.&nbsp;&ldquo;American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade,&rdquo; CENTCOM said. Iran&rsquo;s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the confiscation of the Iranian cargo ship Touska by the United States, and called for the &ldquo;immediate release of the vessel, its sailors, crew and their families&rdquo;. &ldquo;The act, which involved the intimidation of the ship&rsquo;s sailors, crew, and their families, constitutes maritime banditry and a terrorist act,&rdquo; the Iranian foreign ministry said.

China

Chinese foreign office spokesperson says vessel seized by US is a foreign container ship. 

China rejects ‘false association’ over US seizure of vessel linked to Iran

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.

Middle East

Americas

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

US, Iran tensions rise ahead of ceasefire deadline

GENEVA: Around 7,900 people died or disappeared on migration routes in 2025, taking the total dead and missing since 2014 beyond 80,000, the United Nations&#39; migration agency said Tuesday. The UN&#39;s <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/taliban-restrictions-cripple-humanitarian-aid-as-27-million-afghans-return-to-winter-crisis" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Organization for Migration</a> said people were being forced into dangerous, irregular journeys when safe pathways were out of reach, and urged countries to find the political will to save more lives on migration routes. &quot;The deaths or disappearance of nearly 7,900 people were documented on global migration routes worldwide in 2025,&quot; the IOM said. The IOM&#39;s Missing Migrants Project &quot;has documented more than 80,000 deaths and disappearances during migration since 2014,&quot; the agency said. &quot;While these figures represent only the lowest boundary of the true number of affected people, they nonetheless underscore the need for urgent action to end migrant deaths and address the complex needs of families left behind,&quot; said the IOM. The IOM said the 7,904 deaths and disappearances documented in 2025 &quot;mark a continuation and escalation of a global failure to end these preventable deaths&quot;. &quot;2025 was marked by an unprecedented level of aid cuts and restriction of information on dangerous irregular routes, rendering more and more missing migrants invisible,&quot; it said. Meanwhile, &quot;an even more hidden population&quot; of at least around 340,000 family members were estimated to be directly affected by the &quot;ongoing crisis of missing migrants&quot;. They are having to deal with the psychological, social, legal and economic impacts of having a relative whose disappearance remains unresolved, the agency said. The IOM said the May 2026 International Migration Review Forum was a chance to change the dynamics. &quot;Sustained political will is needed to save lives on migration routes worldwide and make visible the families most impacted by these preventable losses,&quot; the agency.

Migrants head to a beach to be smuggled to Britain through the English Channel, in Grande-Synthe, near Dunkirk, northern France on April, 13, 2026. (AFP)

Europe

Migration deaths and disappearances are continuing on global routes, with the UN migration agency warning that unsafe journeys are increasing as safe pathways remain limited and aid and information are being reduced.

7,900 people died, disappeared on migration routes in 2025: UN

KHAN YUNIS: As springtime temperatures rise in Gaza, a surge in rats, fleas and other pests has compounded the misery of hundreds of thousands of displaced people still living in tents after more than two years of war. With meager shelter and almost no sanitation, Palestinians told AFP the vermin are invading their makeshift homes, biting children and contaminating food, in what aid agencies warned was a growing public health threat. &quot;My children have been bitten. One of my sons was even bitten on the nose,&quot; said Muhammad al-Raqab, a displaced Palestinian man living in a tent near the southern city of Khan Yunis. &quot;I am unable to sleep through the night because I must constantly watch over the children,&quot; the 32-year-old construction worker, originally from Bani Shueila, told AFP. With shelters erected directly on soft sand by the Mediterranean Sea, rodents can easily burrow under tent walls and wreck havoc inside, where people have established makeshift pantries and kitchens. &quot;The rodents have eaten through my tent,&quot; Raqab said. Nearly all of Gaza&#39;s population was displaced by Israeli evacuation orders and airstrikes during the war on Gaza. According to the UN, 1.7 million of Gaza&#39;s 2.2 million inhabitants still live in displacement camps, unable to return home or to areas that remain under Israeli military control despite a ceasefire that began in October 2025. In these camps, &quot;living conditions are characterized by vermin and parasite infestations&quot;, the UN&#39;s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Action (OCHA) said after field visits in March. Hani al-Flait, head of pediatrics at Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, told AFP his team encounters skin infections such as scabies daily. &#39;Flooded with sewage&#39;&nbsp; &quot;The severity of these skin infections has been exacerbated by the fact that these children and their families are living in harsh conditions that lack basic public sanitation, as well as a complete absence of safe water,&quot; he told AFP. Sabreen Abu Taybeh, whose son has been suffering from a rash, blamed the conditions in the camp. &quot;We are living in tents and schools flooded with sewage,&quot; she told AFP, showing the rash covering her son&#39;s upper body. &quot;I have taken him to doctors and hospitals, but they are not helping with anything. As you see, the rash remains.&quot; &quot;The summer season has brought us rodents and fleas,&quot; Ghalia Abu Selmi told AFP after discovering mice had gnawed through clothes she had prepared for her daughter&#39;s upcoming wedding. &quot;Fleas have caused skin allergies not only for children but for adults as well,&quot; she said, sorting through garments riddled with holes inside the tent she now calls home in Khan Yunis. The 53-year-old said her family has been displaced 20 times since October 2023 and has yet to return to their home in the town of Abasan al-Kabira near the Israeli border. Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to control all access points into Gaza, with tight inspections and frequent rejections of aid deliveries, according to NGOs and the UN.&nbsp;This has caused shortages in everything from medicine and fuel, to clothing and food. Airstrikes and firefights between Israel&#39;s military and what it claims&nbsp;are Hamas fighters still occur near-daily. According to the territory&#39;s health ministry, at&nbsp;least 777 people have been killed by Israel&#39;s military since the start of the ceasefire.

Garbage litters the ground next to makeshift shelters housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City on April 20, 2026. (AFP)

Rats and fleas are spreading across Gaza’s displacement camps as temperatures are rising, with displaced families reporting bites and infections amid continuing aid shortages and sanitation breakdowns.

Rats, fleas plague Gaza's displaced as temperatures rise

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy has conducted a successful live weapon firing of the Taimoor Air-Launched Cruise Missile, an indigenously developed anti-ship weapon system, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday. In an official statement, the military&rsquo;s media wing stated that the successful test was a &quot;demonstration of precision strike capability&quot; and &quot;operational readiness.&quot; According to the statement, the air-launched cruise missile executed its mission &ldquo;with exceptional precision,&rdquo; validating the navy&rsquo;s &ldquo;combat capability to detect,&nbsp;target and decisively neutralize enemy sea-based threats at extended ranges.&rdquo; The demonstration marks a pivotal elevation of national defense capability, further strengthening the Pakistan Armed Forces&rsquo; &ldquo;multi-dimensional coordinated strike posture&rdquo; and &ldquo;capabilities in the conventional domain.&rdquo; Pakistan Navy remained committed to safeguarding the nation&rsquo;s maritime interests and sovereign waters, as per the statement. Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, among others, congratulated the scientists and engineers on achieving the milestone.

Pakistan Navy conducted a successful live weapon firing of the Taimoor Air-Launched Cruise Missile, an indigenously developed anti-ship weapon system on April 21, 2026. (ISPR)

Security

Pakistan Navy conducts a successful live firing of the indigenous Taimoor air-launched cruise missile, demonstrating precision strike capability, operational readiness, and enhanced maritime defense reach.

Pakistan Navy tests indigenous missile, signals enhanced maritime strike reach

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar kicked off a busy day of diplomacy Tuesday with a phone call to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, followed by a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, as discussions centered on escalating regional tensions.&nbsp;Dar first spoke with Abdelatty about the latest developments, with both emphasising dialogue and engagement for peace and stability and agreeing to remain in close contact. <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-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" 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=2046501154121527747&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=b909f9899687ff4a9f9bd982c027710a9f4a2b49&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div> Later in the day, the Chinese ambassador called on Dar, conveying Beijing&#39;s full support and appreciation for Pakistan&#39;s ongoing efforts to facilitate US-Iran engagement for broader regional calm.&nbsp;Dar reaffirmed the robust Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, underscoring strong bilateral ties and the need for continued high-level exchanges.&nbsp;These back-to-back engagements signal Pakistan&#39;s pivotal role in mediation amid Middle East uncertainties.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong calls on Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on April 21, 2026. (Photo: X/ @ForeignOfficePk)

Pakistan engages with China, Egypt on regional stability amid US-Iran tensions

LUANDA: Pope Leo XIV begins the final leg of his African tour on Tuesday with a visit to Equatorial Guinea, where his increasingly vocal defences of human rights will be closely watched in one of the most closed-off states on the continent. After three days in Angola, the US-born pontiff is due around noon (1100 GMT) in the Central African country, ruled since 1979 by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 83, the world&#39;s longest-serving head of state who is not a monarch. Leo follows in the footsteps of John Paul II, who 40 years ago became the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich country of two million people, 80% of whom are Catholic, a legacy of Spanish colonization. Throughout his African tour, the pope has criticized tyranny and exploitation while promoting peace and social, swapping his previously reserved style for a tougher tone. All eyes are whether that trend will continue in Equatorial Guinea, where he will be hosted by a government regularly accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses. Most of the country&#39;s opposition figures and independent media, hounded by the authorities, are in exile in Spain. The Equatorial Guinean authorities are regularly singled out by international NGOs for endemic corruption and repression of the opposition, marked by arbitrary detentions and curbs on public freedoms. &#39;Spiritual change&#39;&nbsp; In the former capital Malabo, located on the island of Bioko in the Gulf of Guinea, giant portraits of the pope and welcome banners line the streets, alongside flags of the Vatican and Equatorial Guinea. A hymn composed in his honor will be sung by church choirs across the country throughout his visit. Malabo resident Juan Raul told AFP he sees the visit as an opportunity to bring the nation together.&nbsp;&quot;This will bring spiritual change and motivate many people to go to mass,&quot; he said. Leo will speak on Tuesday before the president, members of the government, the diplomatic corps and civil society, as well as representatives of the cultural sector. On Wednesday, he will travel to Obiang&#39;s Mongomo stronghold to hold a mass and greet students and teachers at a technology school named after Pope Francis. He will then continue to the economic capital Bata to pay tribute to the victims of a 2021 explosion that killed more than 108 people in a military camp and also visit inmates at Bata prison. On Thursday, the pontiff will hold a large mass at Malabo stadium before wrapping up his whirlwind 11-day 18,000-kilometre journey across Africa.

Pope Leo XIV (C) waves as he boards the plane to depart from the "4 de Fevereiro" Luanda International Airport in Luanda on the ninth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, on April 21, 2026. (AFP)

Africa

Human rights concerns and limited freedoms will frame Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Equatorial Guinea, where he is set to meet government officials, clergy, and citizens.

Pope visits Equatorial Guinea on last stop of Africa tour

LONDON: Britain&#39;s unemployment rate fell unexpectedly, official data showed Tuesday, ahead of a likely hit to the job market from the Middle East war&#39;s economic fall-out. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.9% in the three months to February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement. Economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged at a five-year high of 5.2%. The ONS attributed the fall largely to a rise in job inactivity, or people not looking for work. &quot;Alongside falling unemployment, the number of people not actively seeking work increased, with data suggesting fewer students seeking work alongside their studies,&quot; said Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics. &quot;Regular wage growth has slowed further with growth at its lowest rate in over five years,&quot; she added. Official data last week showed that Britain&#39;s economy grew much stronger than expected in February. However, the war in the Middle East, with its effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has sent energy prices soaring, threatening to weigh on economic growth. &quot;The fall in the unemployment rate suggests that the labor market was starting to stabilize before the Iran war, but the more timely figures imply that won&rsquo;t last,&quot; said Ashley Webb, senior UK economist at Capital Economics. James Smith, developed markets economist at ING bank, said UK unemployment &quot;is likely to rise again as the energy crisis takes its toll on Britain&#39;s jobs market&quot;. British businesses also cautioned that the unemployment rate could rise back up again. &quot;With the cost of employment also high... our latest forecast expects unemployment to hit 5.5% this year,&quot; said Patrick Milnes, head of people and work at the British Chambers of Commerce. &quot;The slow-down in wage growth indicates businesses are taking their foot off the gas and the labor market will continue to loosen,&quot; he added.

A view of a signboard of 'job center plus' in London, UK. (AFP)

UK unemployment falls to 4.9% in February, below expectations, but officials and economists warn Middle East conflict and rising energy costs may soon reverse labour market stability and push joblessness higher.

UK unemployment unexpectedly fell ahead of Mideast war

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has re-entered international capital markets for the first time in four years, completing a privately placed Eurobond transaction that drew strong investor interest and was subsequently upsized, according to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. In a post on X (Twitter), the Finance Ministry reported that the minister shared those details during a meeting with the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Raimundas Karoblis, who called on Aurangzeb at the Finance Division in Islamabad. Aurangzeb described the Eurobond transaction as a reflection of improving economic fundamentals and a signal of Pakistan&#39;s broader reintegration into global financial markets. The minister stated the government is pursuing a diversified capital markets strategy, including future international issuances and innovative financing instruments designed to strengthen external buffers and ensure sustainable financing. During the meeting, the EU ambassador invited Aurangzeb to the High-Level EU&ndash;Pakistan Business Forum, scheduled for April 28, 2026, in Islamabad. The minister accepted, and is expected to deliver the keynote address at the opening plenary session. The session&#39;s theme is &quot;Pakistan Rising: Incentives, Reforms, and the Next Investment Frontier.&quot; Aurangzeb praised the European Union&#39;s role in convening international and domestic business representatives, describing such forums as a platform to present Pakistan&#39;s improving business climate and investment potential, and to foster business-to-business engagement. The minister also addressed broader economic priorities, including maintaining macroeconomic stability, strengthening foreign exchange reserves, and advancing structural reforms for sustainable and inclusive growth. He acknowledged the continued support of bilateral partners in reinforcing Pakistan&#39;s economic resilience. On trade, Aurangzeb expressed hope for continued progress under the GSP+ framework, calling it a central pillar of Pakistan&ndash;European Union economic relations. The meeting concluded with both sides committing to further strengthen Pakistan&ndash;EU economic ties and expand trade, investment, and business collaboration.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb (right) meets Raimundas Karoblis, ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, during a meeting at the Finance Division on April 21, 2026. (Ministry of Finance/X)

Economy

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb meets with the EU ambassador ahead of a high-level business forum as Islamabad courts fresh international investment.

Pakistan urges Iran-US to consider extending ceasefire

Latest News

Pakistan urges Iran-US to consider extending ceasefire

China rejects ‘false association’ over US seizure of vessel linked to Iran

US, Iran tensions rise ahead of ceasefire deadline

7,900 people died, disappeared on migration routes in 2025: UN

Rats, fleas plague Gaza's displaced as temperatures rise