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ISLAMABAD: The Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) on Wednesday condemned new restrictions imposed by Taliban authorities on domestic media, saying the measures threaten press freedom and limit access to diverse viewpoints.&nbsp; According to the Hasht-e-Subh daily, AMSO said in a statement on Wednesday that the Taliban&rsquo;s Ministry of Information and Culture Publications Department ordered media outlets to invite only preapproved guests to political programs. Under the directive, individuals must be vetted by the ministry and issued identification cards before they are allowed to appear on such broadcasts, the organization said.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2049490119065735622&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=b36ac2289dde9be70899f6ac4f1d65dcd479ff5e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2049490119065735622"></iframe></div></div>AMSO warned that the move undermines the independence of media organizations and restricts freedom of expression. It said broadcasters should be able to choose their topics and guests based on professional standards without outside interference. &ldquo;Any external pressure weakens the professional functioning of the media,&rdquo; the statement said. The group added that limiting the range of voices in political discussions appears aimed at shaping public opinion and silencing dissent. AMSO called on Taliban officials to refrain from interfering in media operations and to uphold the safety and rights of journalists in line with international standards. Taliban authorities have not publicly commented on the directive.

Afghan men inspect the damaged rooftop of the Faculty of Education building at the Sayed Jamaluddin University in Asadabad, Kunar province. (AFP)

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Media Support Organization condemns Taliban rules requiring preapproved guests on political programs; warns they restrict press freedom and silence diverse viewpoints.

Taliban restrictions on media guests draw criticism

ISLAMABAD: Under heavy allegations of poll rigging by the Bharatiya Janata Party, voting for Phase 2 of the West Bengal Assembly elections took place on April 29 across 142 constituencies, marking a decisive stage in the high-stakes contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP. More than 32 million voters were eligible to cast ballots across key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas, according to ABP Live, as polling covered the politically crucial southern belt of the state.&nbsp; Even as voting progressed, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of attempting to &ldquo;forcefully rig&rdquo; the elections, alleging that central forces deployed in the state were acting under political influence and intimidating voters, according to The Times of India.&nbsp; Banerjee also alleged that the Central Reserve Police Force was behaving in a partisan manner, claiming that voters and party workers were being harassed and threatened, according to The Economic Times.&nbsp; Reports from the ground pointed to tensions and sporadic incidents of violence. Police confirmed that cases of vandalism and unrest were reported in several areas during the early hours of polling, according to The Wire.&nbsp; NDTV also reported incidents of violence and malfunctioning electronic voting machines in parts of the state.&nbsp; The Election Commission significantly increased security deployment, with central forces stationed across sensitive constituencies and more than 2,400 people detained in a pre-poll crackdown, according to official updates reported by The Times of India.&nbsp; Despite the allegations and tensions, voter participation remained exceptionally high. Phase 2 recorded turnout levels exceeding 90%, contributing to a record overall turnout of more than 92%, according to The Economic Times.&nbsp; The BJP rejected the allegations, with its leaders accusing Banerjee of attempting to create fear among voters and undermining the credibility of the election process, according to The Times of India.&nbsp; With both sides trading accusations of intimidation and electoral malpractice, the West Bengal elections unfolded under intense political confrontation, raising fresh concerns over the fairness and conduct of the polling process in one of India&rsquo;s most closely watched electoral battles.

India

Phase 2 polls see high turnout amid Mamata Banerjee’s allegations of BJP-backed rigging, central force intimidation, violence and electronic voting machine issues.

West Bengal votes under the shadow of rigging claims in India

ISLAMABAD: Chinese fighter jet manufacturers have reported a sharp rise in sales and global interest following last year&#39;s India-Pakistan military confrontation, with analysts linking the surge to the performance of Chinese-made aircraft in the conflict, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday. China&rsquo;s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which produces the J-10C fighter jet used by Pakistan, recorded revenue of 75.4 billion yuan ($11 billion) in 2025, up 15.8%, while profit rose 6.5% to 3.4 billion yuan, according to a company statement cited by Bloomberg.&nbsp; The figures mark the highest in the company&rsquo;s history, reflecting growing demand for Chinese military hardware. The momentum has carried into 2026, with first-quarter sales surging nearly 80% year-on-year, according to the same data.&nbsp; Analysts say this spike is closely tied to heightened international attention on Chinese fighter jets after their deployment in the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict. During the brief but intense confrontation, Pakistan used Chinese-built systems, including the J-10C fighter jet and the jointly produced JF-17 aircraft. These platforms were credited by Pakistan with playing a decisive role in aerial&nbsp;engagements against Indian forces, boosting their profile in the global arms market, TRT World reported. The J-10C, inducted into the Pakistan Air Force in 2022, was highlighted for its advanced missile capabilities and combat performance.&nbsp; The visibility gained during the conflict has translated into increased international interest. Pakistan has reported receiving inquiries from multiple countries about its jointly developed JF-17 fighter jet, with demand rising sharply in recent months, according to Bloomberg.&nbsp; Analysts say the &ldquo;combat-tested&rdquo; status of these aircraft has become a key selling point, particularly for countries seeking lower-cost alternatives to Western systems. The India-Pakistan confrontation effectively served as a live demonstration of Chinese aviation technology, strengthening Beijing&rsquo;s position in the global defense export market. The surge in sales also reflects broader geopolitical shifts, as countries look to diversify arms suppliers amid ongoing conflicts and supply chain disruptions worldwide.&nbsp; While Western manufacturers have traditionally dominated the high-end fighter jet market, Chinese firms are increasingly positioning themselves as competitive players, leveraging both cost advantages and recent battlefield exposure. With demand continuing to rise and production scaling up, Chinese fighter jet makers are expected to play a more prominent role in global defense markets, particularly across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where interest in cost-effective, combat-proven systems is growing.

Business

AVIC Chengdu posts record revenue and rising global demand for combat-tested J-10C and JF-17 aircraft.

Chinese fighter jet sales surge after success in India-Pakistan clash

WELLINGTON: White supremacist killer Brenton Tarrant lost on Thursday an appeal seeking to overturn his conviction and sentence for shooting dead 51 people at two New Zealand mosques in 2019, court documents showed. The 35-year-old admitted to carrying out New Zealand&#39;s deadliest modern day mass shooting before being sentenced to life in prison in August 2020. He appealed to the Court of Appeal in February, saying &quot;torturous and inhumane&quot; detention conditions during his trial made him incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty. &quot;I did not have the mind frame or mental health required to be making informed decisions at that time,&quot; Tarrant said at the time. The panel of three judges said the court &quot;does not accept Mr Tarrant&#39;s evidence about his mental state.&quot; &quot;There were inconsistencies in Mr Tarrant&#39;s own evidence, and his evidence is at odds with the detailed observations of prison authorities and the assessments of mental health professionals at the time of him entering his pleas.&quot; The judges found Tarrant&#39;s guilty pleas were voluntary and &quot;he was not coerced or pressured in any way to plead guilty&quot;. &quot;The evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that he was not suffering any significant psychological impacts as a result of his prison conditions at the time he pleaded guilty,&quot; the court said. The court said Tarrant&#39;s &quot;proposed conviction appeal is utterly devoid of merit&quot;. &quot;The facts concerning Mr Tarrant&#39;s offending are beyond dispute. He has not identified any arguable defense, or indeed any defense known to the law.&quot; &#39;Huge relief&#39;&nbsp; Tarrant&#39;s penalty of life imprisonment without parole was the stiffest in New Zealand history. Armed with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, Tarrant attacked worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. He published an online manifesto before the attacks and then livestreamed the killings for 17 minutes. His victims were all Muslim and included children, women and the elderly. The court&#39;s decision was complicated one week after Tarrant&#39;s February hearing when he sought to abandon his appeal entirely. The judges said the court received a notice of abandonment of appeal signed by Tarrant using a &quot;self-styled moniker&quot; but the document was thrown out because it was not dated or witnessed. Tarrant filed a second notice later that week, again using a pseudonym, which was dated and witnessed. He said he &quot;no longer wishes to have a lawyer&quot; and the appeal should not continue as &quot;it would likely lead to a miscarriage of justice&quot;. Lawyers acting for the survivors and families of victims told national broadcaster RNZ the decision had been a &quot;huge relief&quot;. &quot;The law has now done its job,&quot; they said. &quot;The families, and frankly all of us, will be spared the trauma of reliving the 15th of March all over again in a trial. &quot;It is a huge relief that the difficult and often unsupported journey families are on will not now be added to by the great burden of a new trial. It would have been unimaginably traumatic.&quot;

Brenton Tarrant (C), the man charged in relation to the Christchurch massacre, stands in the dock during his appearance at the Christchurch District Court.

Australasia

The court rejected Brenton Tarrant’s appeal, upholding his life sentence without parole for the 2019 New Zealand mosque attacks.

New Zealand mosque killer loses bid to overturn convictions 

ISLAMABAD: The European Investment Bank&rsquo;s international development arm, EIB Global, on Wednesday committed &euro;160 million to help Pakistan rebuild homes in Sindh and to improve water quality in Karachi. The pledge, which marks a return of the bank&rsquo;s financing to the country after a decade, was announced at the conclusion of the two-day European Union&ndash;Pakistan business forum in Islamabad. During a European Union&ndash;Pakistan business forum in Islamabad, EIB committed that it would provide a &euro;100 million loan to the government for the housing initiative in Sindh, where the world&rsquo;s largest ongoing reconstruction program aims to rebuild around 2.1 million rural homes damaged by devastating floods in 2022, a press release issued by the bank said. The bank would also lend &euro;60 million to the government for the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation to build &ldquo;two energy-efficient filtration plants in the towns of Gharo and Pipri&rdquo; to the east of the city.&nbsp; As a result, Karachi, the provincial capital, would be supplied with about &ldquo;300 million liters of clean drinking water per day, enough to meet the needs of 2.2 million residents.&rdquo; According to the EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer, the loan would help strengthen climate resilience, improve access to safe drinking water, and support inclusive, sustainable development, particularly for the most vulnerable people. &ldquo;This also marks an important step as the EIB resumes financing in Pakistan after a decade, reaffirming our commitment to support climate resilience and inclusive recovery,&rdquo; Beer said, according to the press release.&nbsp; EU Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis said that the re-engagement of EIB in Pakistan is critical for the country to &ldquo;benefit fully from the opportunities deriving from the EU&rsquo;s Global Gateway strategy.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are confident that, in the course of the next few years, much more de-risked investments will be agreed between the EIB and Pakistan,&rdquo; Karoblis said. &nbsp;&nbsp; According to the press release, the housing reconstruction program in Sindh is also supported by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the provincial government.&nbsp;

Economy

The pledge, which marks a return of the bank’s financing in the country after a decade, was announced at the conclusion of the two-day European Union–Pakistan business forum in Islamabad.

EIB commits €160M for housing, water improvements in Pakistan 

ATHENS: The organizers of a flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists aiming to break through an Israeli blockade in Gaza said Thursday their boats were surrounded by Israeli &quot;military boats.&quot; The flotilla, made up of more than 50 boats, set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain, and Syracuse in Italy. In a post to X overnight, the Global Sumud Flotilla said that Israeli military boats had &quot;illegally surrounded the flotilla in international waters and threatened kidnapping and violence&quot;. &quot;Communications with 11 vessels have been lost,&quot; the organization added. The flotilla is currently off the coast of Greece, near Crete, according to the organisation&#39;s live tracking on its website. &quot;Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as &#39;Israel&#39;, pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons, ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees,&quot; the organisation added. &quot;Boat communications are being jammed, and a SOS was issued.&quot; In late 2025, an initial flotilla of about 50 boats, composed of political figures and activists such as Sweden&#39;s Greta Thunberg, was boarded by the Israeli navy &mdash; illegally, according to the organisers and Amnesty International. The crew members were arrested and expelled by Israel. The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement accuse each other of violating a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, after two years of war.

Middle East

The organizers of a flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists aiming to break through an Israeli blockade in Gaza said Thursday their boats were surrounded by Israeli "military boats".

Gaza flotilla organizers say surrounded by Israeli 'military boats'

SAN FRANCISCO: Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday defended massive spending on artificial intelligence that dragged down shares despite strong earnings boosted by the technology. The social networking colossus raised its capital expenditures for this year to a range of $125 billion to $145 billion without laying out exactly how that investment would translate into profit. &quot;The way to think about the investment is that we&#39;re making a bet (on) the individual things that people care about, and that people are going to be more important in the future,&quot; Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings call, as analysts pressed him about the company&#39;s heavy spending on AI. He gave the example of a hot trend in &quot;agentic&quot; AI in which digital assistants handle computer tasks independently at the behest of people. &quot;There are a lot of agents out there that people are building for different things, and there aren&#39;t that many that I would want to give to my mother,&quot; Zuckerberg said. &quot;I think getting to that quality bar is something that I care about more than hitting a specific week for launching (a new product) or something like that.&quot; Zuckerberg spotlighted a new Muse Spark AI model built by Meta&#39;s nascent &quot;Superintelligence Lab,&quot; saying its technology will be put to work in Meta&#39;s offerings such as smartglasses and its advertising system. &quot;We are trying novel things,&quot; Zuckerberg said. The AI investment from the company that owns Instagram and Facebook is not directly tied to a revenue stream as with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, which sell their AI-powered cloud services to clients worldwide. Meta sent tremors on Wall Street by announcing in its earnings release that expenses at the tech giant notched up to $33.4 billion as it chases &quot;superintelligence&quot; through major infrastructure buys, and went on a hiring spree for top AI talent. Shares dropped more than 6 percent even though the company topped forecasts with a profit of $26.8 billion on revenue of $56.3 billion in the quarter. Headwinds and scrutinyAdding to investor unease about Meta, chief financial officer Susan Li told analysts Meta continues to monitor legal and regulatory &quot;headwinds&quot; in the US and Europe, including social media addiction lawsuits. &quot;We continue to see scrutiny on youth-related issues and have additional trials scheduled for this year in the US, which may ultimately result in a material loss,&quot; Li warned. A Los Angeles jury in March found Meta and YouTube liable for harming a young woman because of an addictive design of their social media platforms, ordering the companies to pay millions of dollars in damages. The verdict hands plaintiffs in more than a thousand similar pending cases significant leverage &mdash; and signals to the tech industry that juries are prepared to hold social media companies accountable for the mental health toll of their design choices.

Americas

The social networking colossus raised its capital expenditures for this year to a range of $125 billion to $145 billion without laying out exactly how that investment would translate into profit.

Meta chief Zuckerberg doubles down on AI spending 

Web Desk/AFP

Iran’s Araghchi discusses views on the latest regional developments in call with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry; Ghalibaf says no oil wells "exploded" under US blockade; Putin warns Trump against "damaging consequences" of a new military action in Iran.








Oil prices surge as Trump warns Iran blockade could last 'months if needed'

WASHINGTON: A US federal jury convicted on Wednesday an Afghan man &mdash; arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2025 &mdash; for his role in the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 American troops. Mohammad Sharifullah, an operative of the Islamic State Khorasan (ISK) branch in Afghanistan, was convicted in Virginia of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization. According to prosecutors, Sharifullah scouted out the route to the airport where the suicide bomber later detonated his device among packed crowds trying to flee days after the Taliban seized control of Kabul. The United States withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, ending a chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans who had rushed to Kabul&#39;s airport in the hopes of boarding a flight out of the country. Sharifullah was extradited to the United States from Pakistan in March 2025 and put on trial in a federal court in Alexandria on the outskirts of the US capital. Sharifullah, who is also known as Jafar, faces up to 20 years in prison. According to US authorities, Sharifullah was involved in a number of ISK attacks between 2016 and his arrest by Pakistani authorities in 2025. They included a June 2016 suicide bombing that targeted Nepali security guards protecting the Canadian embassy in Kabul. Sharifullah was accused of conducting surveillance and transporting the suicide bomber to the attack site. He was also accused of giving weapons instructions to ISK gunmen who attacked the Crocus City Hall near Moscow in March 2024.

A US federal jury convicts a man for the suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 American troops; Sharifullah, a member of the ISK branch in Afghanistan, convicted in Virginia of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization.



Afghan terrorist arrested by Pakistani authorities convicted in US court 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is accelerating maritime reforms to strengthen its ports as regional trans-shipment hubs and boost trade resilience, as the government seeks to position the country as a key economic gateway amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the Indian Ocean.&nbsp;Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said Pakistan&rsquo;s ports, Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Gwadar Port, are being repositioned under a government-led strategy to enhance regional connectivity and ensure uninterrupted trade flows.&nbsp;Speaking at a seminar on maritime trade in the Indian Ocean region, Chaudhry said the reforms are aimed at reducing logistical bottlenecks and improving efficiency.&nbsp;&ldquo;Swift and coordinated decisions in the national interest have reduced risks to trade, energy and logistics,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;He said a high-level committee formed under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in March has already delivered operational gains, including record trans-shipment volumes at Karachi Port, zero backlog at Port Qasim and expanded activity at Gwadar Port.&nbsp;Chaudhry said customs reforms, introduced in coordination with the Federal Board of Revenue, replaced full cargo scanning with risk-based management, cutting clearance times and lowering export costs. Charges for exporters at Karachi Port were reduced by 60%, while perishable goods now face minimal inspection delays.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan has turned challenges into opportunities, maintaining trade continuity and building shipping resilience,&rdquo; the minister said, adding that the country could emerge as &ldquo;a rising regional economic power&rdquo; through sustained maritime modernization.&nbsp;Karachi Port Trust Chairman Shahid Ahmed said additional freight rail links and upgraded port infrastructure would further strengthen logistics capacity, as Pakistan advances its broader strategy to become a regional maritime and trade hub.

Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry says Pakistan is accelerating maritime reforms to upgrade Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Gwadar Port, aiming to boost trade efficiency and position itself as a regional trans-shipment hub.

Taliban restrictions on media guests draw criticism

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Latest News

West Bengal votes under the shadow of rigging claims in India

Chinese fighter jet sales surge after success in India-Pakistan clash

New Zealand mosque killer loses bid to overturn convictions

Taliban restrictions on media guests draw criticism

EIB commits €160M for housing, water improvements in Pakistan