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World this Morning with Eesha Rehan and Shahzad Khan

World This Morning

BEIJING: China&#39;s foreign minister told his French and German counterparts that Beijing was not to blame for Europe&#39;s economic and security problems as he pushed for more cooperation at a summit in Munich, a foreign ministry statement said Saturday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-hails-coming-of-multipolar-world-ahead-of-trumpxi-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wang Yi</a> made the comments at a meeting with France&#39;s Jean-Noel Barrot and Germany&#39;s Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday.&nbsp;He sought to promote China as a reliable partner of the European Union at a time when the bloc is trying to reduce its dependence on both Beijing and an increasingly unpredictable Washington.&nbsp;&quot;China&#39;s development is an opportunity for Europe, and Europe&#39;s challenges do not come from China,&quot; Wang said, according to the statement.&nbsp;Warning that &quot;unilateralism, protectionism, and power politics&quot; were on the rise globally, he said he hoped Europe would &quot;pursue a rational and pragmatic policy towards China&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;The two sides are partners, not adversaries; interdependence is not a risk; intertwined interests are not a threat; and open cooperation will not harm security.&quot;&nbsp;The meeting came against the backdrop of trade tensions between the two giant economies and disputes over what the EU sees as China&#39;s support for Russia&#39;s war in Ukraine.&nbsp;The EU is seeking to cut its reliance on China for strategic goods like rare earths while also rebalancing a trade relationship that sees it run a large deficit with the world&#39;s second-largest economy.&nbsp;In recent years, the two sides have clashed over Chinese electric-vehicle exports, which Brussels argues are based on unfair subsidies and threaten Europe&#39;s car industry, and Chinese tariffs on EU goods ranging from cheese to cognac.&nbsp;Wang urged&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/germany-blames-russia-for-cyberattack-on-air-safety-election-interference" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Germany</a>&nbsp;and France to help &quot;give a clear direction for the development of China-Europe relations&quot;.&nbsp;In a separate meeting with Wadephul, also on Friday, Wang touted economic and trade cooperation as &quot;the cornerstone of China-Germany ties&quot;, according to a foreign ministry readout.&nbsp;Wang also met Britain&#39;s foreign minister, Yvette Cooper, telling her that Beijing and London should &quot;explore more potential for cooperation&quot;, while the two sides also discussed Ukraine and Iran.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) attends a bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of State (not in picture) in Munich, on February 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). (Photo: AFP)China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) at

Asia

Wang Yi makes the comments at a meeting with France's Jean-Noel Barrot and Germany's Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday.


China FM tells EU diplomats not to blame Beijing for bloc's problems

NEW YORK: A man allegedly recruited by Indian intelligence pleaded guilty on Friday to plotting to hire a hitman to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist who holds dual US and Canadian citizenship, federal prosecutors said. Pannun is affiliated with a New York-based group called Sikhs for Justice that advocates for the secession of Punjab, a northern Indian state with a large Sikh population. Nikhil Gupta, who entered his plea in a Manhattan court, was alleged to have contacted an individual he believed to be a criminal associate to hire a hitman. The individual was, in fact, a confidential source working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Gupta pleaded guilty to all three counts he faced, including &quot;murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder a US citizen in New York City,&quot; the office of the US attorney for the southern district of New York said in a statement. Gupta will be sentenced on May 29. Prosecutors allege that Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav, who remains at large, directed the plot and recruited Gupta in May 2023 to hire a hitman to carry out the murder. According to the Justice Department, Yadav was employed by the Indian government&#39;s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses the country&#39;s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Canada separately alleged that India arranged a plot on its soil that ended in the 2023 killing of another Sikh separatist, who was a naturalized Canadian citizen, outside a Vancouver temple. Unlike the United States, Canada publicly highlighted its concerns at the highest level, with the then-prime minister criticizing India&#39;s actions. Pannun &quot;became a target of transnational repression solely for exercising their freedom of speech,&quot; said FBI assistant director Roman Rozhavsky. Gupta was detained at Prague airport in June 2023 on a US warrant and extradited to the United States. US intelligence agencies assessed that the plot on American soil was approved by India&#39;s top spy official at the time, Samant Goel, The Washington Post has reported. India has denied involvement in the murder plots and previously pledged to carry out an investigation into the allegations.

Americas

Gupta pleads guilty to all three counts he faces, including "murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering"; prosecutors allege that Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav directed the plot and recruited Gupta in May 2023 to hire a hitman to carry out the murder.


Man ‘recruited’ by Indian intelligence pleads guilty in plot to kill Sikh separatist in US

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned in the &ldquo;strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing terrorist attack&quot; at a mosque in Pakistan&rsquo;s capital last week.&nbsp; A suicide bombing outside a mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan&rsquo;s capital martyred numerous people and injured more than 100 during Friday prayers, the Islamabad city administration said, in the deadliest attack in the capital in more than a decade.<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" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 767px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" 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=2022348854230725102&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=c0c361a4d520cc4c142b728ec6d5437ab625901d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2022348854230725102"></iframe></div></div>While condemning the reprehensible act, the Security Council said that the terrorism resulted in the &ldquo;grievous loss of at least 32 Pakistani nationals and 92 injured.&rdquo; The council expressed their &ldquo;deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to Pakistani society, wishing a &ldquo;speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.&rdquo; The council members also reaffirmed &ldquo;that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.&rdquo; They called for holding the &ldquo;perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice,&rdquo; urging all states to cooperate actively with the Pakistan government. The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever, and by whomsoever committed,&rdquo; the statement issued on Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad&rsquo;s X account said. The members &ldquo;reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.&rdquo;

Security

While condemning the reprehensible act, UNSC says terrorism resulted in the “grievous loss of at least 32 Pakistani nationals and 92 injured”; council members also reaffirm “that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.”

UN condemns ‘heinous, cowardly’ Islamabad mosque suicide bombing in ‘strongest terms’ 

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to try to bypass Congress and force new voting laws ahead of the November midterm elections, where his Republican Party fears losing control of the legislature. Trump said he would soon issue an executive order attempting to impose the rules if Congress does not pass a law requiring photo identification to vote and other nationwide reforms. Any attempt would likely be met by a legal challenge that could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. &quot;There will be voter I.D. for the midterm elections, whether approved by Congress or not!&quot; Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. &quot;If we can&#39;t get it through Congress, there are legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted. I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order,&quot; he wrote. While many jurisdictions across the United States require photo ID to cast ballots, not all do, with Trump and many Republicans arguing without evidence that those areas have permitted significant voter fraud. The Trump-backed &quot;SAVE America&quot; election reform act was passed in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week. However, it is expected to fail in the Senate, where the Republican majority is too slim to pass the law without Democratic support. In addition to requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot, the bill would also require proof of citizenship to register to vote. There is no evidence of meaningful fraud in US elections, and critics say that the bill&#39;s measures would instead push millions of people away from casting ballots, because they don&#39;t have a passport or a paper copy of their birth certificate. An analysis by the Brennan Center found more than 21 million Americans lack easy access to such documents. This would &quot;disenfranchise Americans of all ages,&quot; the center found &mdash; especially young people and ethnic minorities. Trump&#39;s push for federal election reforms has also run up against constitutional concerns. Under the US Constitution, states retain broad control over the administration of elections. It was unclear how Trump could legally force a national mandate on voter ID. However, the 79-year-old Republican has repeatedly overturned norms in the White House. In his post on Friday, he repeated his widely debunked claim that more election security is needed because of mass fraud. For years, Trump has propagated the falsehood to justify his unprecedented &mdash; and ultimately unsuccessful &mdash; attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Polls show that Trump&#39;s Republican Party faces a serious threat of losing its narrow control of Congress in the Midterms, particularly the lower chamber. If Democrats win, they have signaled they will block Trump&#39;s agenda and could move to impeach him.

US president says he will soon issue an executive order attempting to impose the rules if Congress does not pass a law requiring photo identification to vote and other nationwide reforms.



Trump threatens to order election reforms, bypassing Congress

Faraz Saeed

LAHORE: Foreign investors are returning to Pakistan in a big way as January saw the country record its largest net foreign inflows into sovereign bonds since June 2024, according to Bloomberg. Figures from the State Bank of Pakistan show that net foreign inflows reached $176 million in January, marking a dramatic turnaround from withdrawals of $50 million during the same month in 2025.&nbsp; Analysts say this is a clear indicator of renewed investor trust in Pakistan&rsquo;s debt markets. The bulk of investment has gone into bonds with maturities of one year or less, which made up about 85% of total inflows, highlighting foreign investors&rsquo; preference for lower-risk exposure as they gradually increase their positions in the local market. The inflows coincide with a sustained recovery in the Pakistani rupee, which has rebounded from its July lows and is on track to strengthen for the eighth consecutive month against the US dollar.&nbsp; Mohammed Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities Ltd., told Bloomberg that a stable rupee has been pivotal in attracting foreign investors back to local debt markets.&nbsp; Khurram Schehzad, adviser to Pakistan&rsquo;s finance minister, also highlighted currency stability, improving external accounts, and policy continuity as key drivers behind the inflows. Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign exchange reserves now cover more than three months of imports, supported in part by a $7 billion IMF program secured in September 2024, further reassuring international investors, contributing to the inflow surge. Research unit BMI, part of Fitch Solutions, expects policymakers to maintain the rupee near 280 per dollar this year, reflecting a policy framework supportive of sustained foreign investment.&nbsp; The renewed interest in sovereign bonds suggests growing confidence in Pakistan&rsquo;s economic trajectory, especially for investors seeking short-term, lower-risk opportunities. Economist Dr. Ikram ul Haq, while speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, said Pakistan&rsquo;s recording of the largest monthly net foreign inflows into sovereign bonds in 19 months is not merely a capital market headline; it is a political-economy signal.&nbsp; In isolation, it suggests renewed investor appetite. In context, it raises deeper questions about the nature, durability, and consequences of this confidence. From a narrow macro-financial perspective, foreign portfolio inflows into sovereign bonds mean that non-resident investors are purchasing government debt instruments.&nbsp; This generates immediate foreign exchange inflow, supports the rupee, strengthens SBP&rsquo;s reserves position, and reduces short-term financing stress.&nbsp; In a country chronically grappling with current account fragility and rollover risks, such inflows temporarily ease external pressure. Dr. Ikram ul Haq, however, said the issue is not whether money has come; the question is why it has come, at what cost, and with what structural consequence. First, this development is a vote of conditional confidence, likely driven by the IMF program&rsquo;s continuity, fiscal tightening measures, elevated real interest rates, and relative currency stability.&nbsp; Foreign investors are yield-seeking&nbsp;Pakistan presently offers some of the highest real interest rates in emerging markets.&nbsp; In an environment where advanced economies are gradually easing monetary policy, high-yield frontier markets become attractive carry trade destinations.&nbsp; But this is confidence in returns, not necessarily confidence in structural reform. He added that portfolio inflows into sovereign bonds are fundamentally different from foreign direct investment (FDI).&nbsp; FDI builds factories, transfers technology, and generates employment.&nbsp;Portfolio inflows chase interest rate differentials.&nbsp;They are reversible at short notice.&nbsp; Pakistan&rsquo;s historical vulnerability lies precisely in this composition problem: hot money instead of productive capital.&nbsp; If macro conditions shift &mdash; political instability, exchange rate volatility, or IMF slippage &mdash; these flows can reverse with equal speed, exerting pressure on the exchange rate and reserves.Moreover, the inflows highlight the layered fiscal implications.&nbsp; The government finances its deficit through domestic borrowing at high interest rates.&nbsp; When foreigners buy these bonds, the government gains financing flexibility.&nbsp; Yet the interest burden remains elevated.&nbsp; Pakistan already spends an overwhelming portion of federal revenue on debt servicing.&nbsp; If sovereign bond inflows are primarily attracted by high yields, then the state is effectively locking itself into expensive debt.&nbsp; Short-term inflows can therefore exacerbate long-term fiscal rigidity. The broader economic landscape must also be examined.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s economy has been stabilized &mdash; but not yet transformed.&nbsp; Inflation has moderated from peaks, the current account deficit has narrowed, and reserves have improved modestly.&nbsp; Yet growth remains subdued, industrial activity is fragile, and the cost of doing business, particularly energy and taxation, remains structurally high.&nbsp; In such a setting, bond inflows reflect macro stabilization success, not economic revival. He noted that the signal to global markets is nevertheless important.&nbsp; It indicates that Pakistan is regaining access, albeit cautiously, to international risk capital.&nbsp; This reduces default perception and sovereign risk premium.&nbsp; If sustained, it may gradually compress yields and lower borrowing costs.&nbsp; But sustainability depends on structural reform credibility, not merely short-term macro numbers. As Bloomberg&rsquo;s reporting underscores, January&rsquo;s inflows mark not only a rebound in financial markets but also a potential turning point in Pakistan&rsquo;s broader economic recovery story.

Economy

Figures from the SBP show net foreign inflows reached $176 million in January, marking a dramatic turnaround from withdrawals of $50 million during the same month in 2025. 

Foreign investors return to Pakistan as sovereign bond inflows surge

LAHORE: In the cultural heart of Lahore, where poetry still echoes in tea houses and public squares, the 10th edition of the Faiz Festival opens this weekend at Alhamra Arts Council.&nbsp; Over three days, more than 40 sessions will transform the historic venue into a space of dialogue, dissent, music and memory all in tribute to one of South Asia&rsquo;s most influential poets, Faiz Ahmad Faiz. For international observers, the festival is more than a literary gathering. It is a barometer of Pakistan&rsquo;s evolving cultural landscape where poetry, politics and public debate continue to intersect. Born on February 13, 1911, in Kala Qader in Punjab&rsquo;s Narowal district, Faiz emerged in the 20th century as a voice of lyrical resistance. A central figure in the Progressive Writers&rsquo; Movement under the leadership of Sajjad Zaheer, Faiz fused classical Urdu aesthetics with revolutionary humanism. Unlike ideologues who romanticized rebellion, Faiz wrote with a clear-eyed understanding of structural injustice. In his poetry, deprivation is not destiny, it is design. That insight gives his work an enduring resonance in a world still grappling with inequality, authoritarianism and fractured democracies. His literary contributions including Naqsh-e-Faryadi, Dast-e-Saba, Zindan-Nama, Dast-e-Tah-e-Sung, Mere Dil Mere Musafir and Sar-e-Wadi-e-Sina were later compiled into the comprehensive volume Nuskha Haa-e-Wafa. Faiz&rsquo;s international stature placed him alongside poets such as Pablo Neruda, Nazim Hikmet and Mahmoud Darwish, writers who, under the banner of the Afro-Asian Writers&rsquo; Association, articulated a post-colonial vision of dignity and justice.&nbsp; He served as editor of its influential journal Lotus, helping shape a transnational literary conversation across Asia, Africa and Latin America. This year&rsquo;s festival reflects that same breadth of engagement.&nbsp; The opening ceremony features remarks by Salima Hashmi, educationist and daughter of Faiz along with prominent legal and cultural voices.&nbsp; A solo exhibition by artist Naveen Hyder, titled Thread by Thread, She Gathers Herself, sets a contemplative tone, while the evening concludes with musical performances bringing Faiz&rsquo;s verses to life. The program for the first day also included four book launches, a workshop on digital journalism and a theatre performance of the play Dara a dramatized account of the power struggle between Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh and his brother, the future Emperor Aurangzeb. Faiz&rsquo;s biography reads like a chronicle of South Asia&rsquo;s upheavals. During World War II, he served in the British Indian Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1944.&nbsp; After the 1947 Partition, he resigned and moved to the newly formed Pakistan, becoming editor of The Pakistan Times and later managing editor of the Urdu daily Imroz.&nbsp; He was deeply involved in trade union organizing and intellectual life. In 1951, Faiz was arrested in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case and accused of plotting a coup. Sentenced to death and imprisoned for four years before his release in 1955, he transformed incarceration into creative ferment; much of Zindan-Nama emerged from those years behind bars. International recognition followed. In 1962, he received the Lenin Peace Prize, cementing his global reputation. Yet political turbulence persisted.&nbsp; After General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq seized power in 1977, Faiz went into exile, spending time in Beirut before returning to Lahore shortly before his death on November 20, 1984.&nbsp; In 1990, Pakistan posthumously awarded him the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the nation&rsquo;s highest civilian honor. For visitors arriving in Lahore this weekend, the festival is also a journey into a city long considered Pakistan&rsquo;s cultural capital a place where literary festivals fill auditoriums and poetry recitals draw intergenerational crowds. As the 10th Faiz Festival unfolds at Alhamra Hall, it does more than commemorate a poet. &nbsp;It reactivates a tradition of critical humanism in a region still negotiating the promises and fractures of post-colonial modernity. Nearly four decades after his passing, Faiz&rsquo;s words continue to gather people thread by thread into a collective act of remembrance and resolve.

Culture

Over three days, more than 40 sessions will transform the historic venue into a space of dialogue, dissent, music and memory all in tribute to one of South Asia’s most influential poets, Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

Faiz Festival opens in Pakistan's Lahore celebrating influential poet

FORT BRAGG:&nbsp;US President Donald Trump said Friday that a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-warns-iran-of-very-traumatic-outcome-if-no-nuclear-deal" style="color:#0073e6;">change</a> of government in Iran would be the &quot;best thing that could happen,&quot; as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to ratchet up military pressure on the Islamic Republic. Trump&#39;s comments were his most overt call yet for the toppling of Iran&#39;s clerical establishment, and came as he pushes on Washington&#39;s arch-foe Tehran to make a deal to limit its nuclear program. At the same time, the exiled son of the Iranian shah, toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution, renewed his calls for international intervention following a bloody crackdown on protests by Tehran. &quot;Seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,&quot; Trump told reporters at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina when a journalist asked if he wanted &quot;regime change&quot; in Iran. Trump declined to say who he would want to take over in Iran from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but he added that &quot;there are people.&quot; He has previously backed off full-throated calls for a change of government in Iran, warning that it could cause chaos, although he has made threats towards Khamenei in the past. Speaking earlier at the White House, Trump said that the USS Gerald R. Ford &mdash; the world&#39;s largest warship &mdash; would be &quot;leaving very soon&quot; for the Middle East to up the pressure on Iran. &quot;In case we don&#39;t make a deal, we&#39;ll need it,&quot; Trump said. The giant vessel is currently in the Caribbean following the US overthrow of Venezuela&#39;s Nicolas Maduro. Another carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, is one of 12 US ships already in the Middle East. &#39;Terribly difficult&#39;&nbsp;When Iran began its crackdown on protests last month &mdash; which rights groups say killed thousands &mdash; Trump initially said that the United States was &quot;locked and loaded&quot; to help demonstrators. But he has recently focused his military threats on Tehran&#39;s nuclear program, which US forces struck last July during Israel&#39;s unprecedented 12-day war with Iran. The protests have subsided for now, but US-based Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran&#39;s last shah, urged international intervention to support the Iranian people. &quot;We are asking for a humanitarian intervention to prevent more innocent lives being killed in the process,&quot; he told the Munich Security Conference. It followed a call by the opposition leader, who has not returned to his country since before the revolution, for Iranians at home and abroad to continue demonstrations this weekend. Videos verified by AFP showed people in Iran this week chanting anti-government slogans as the clerical leadership celebrated the anniversary of the Islamic revolution. Iran and the United States, who have had no diplomatic relations since shortly after the revolution, held talks on the nuclear issue last week in Oman. No dates have been set for new talks yet. The West fears the program is aimed at making a bomb, which Tehran denies. The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said Friday that reaching an accord with Iran on inspections of its processing facilities was possible but &quot;terribly difficult.&quot; Reformists released&nbsp;Trump said after <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-tells-netanyahu-iran-talks-must-continue" style="color:#0073e6;">talks</a> with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week that he wanted to continue talks with Iran, defying pressure from his key ally for a tougher stance. The Israeli prime minister himself <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/netanyahu-to-push-trump-on-iran-missiles-in-white-house-talks" style="color:#0073e6;">expressed</a> skepticism at the quality of any agreement if it didn&#39;t also cover Iran&#39;s ballistic missiles and support for regional proxies. Figures working within the Iranian system have also been arrested, with three politicians detained this week from the so-called reformist wing of Iranian politics supportive of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The three &mdash; Azar Mansouri, Javad Emam and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh &mdash; were released on bail Thursday and Friday, their lawyer Hojjat Kermani told the ISNA news agency.


In a question from the US president about the "regime change" in Iran, the US president says, "For 47 years, they've been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we've lost a lot of lives while they talk."

Trump says change of power in Iran would be 'best thing'

BERLIN: Award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy said Friday she was withdrawing from the Berlin Film Festival over jury president Wim Wenders&#39;s comments that he wanted to &quot;stay out of politics&quot; after being asked about Gaza. Roy said in a statement sent to AFP that she was &quot;shocked and disgusted&quot; by Wenders&#39; response to a question on Gaza at a press conference on Thursday. &quot;With deep regret, I must say that I will not be attending the Berlinale,&quot; she said. Roy, whose novel &quot;Children of a Lesser God&quot; won the 1997 Booker Prize, had been announced as a festival guest to present a restored version of the 1989 film &quot;In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones&quot;, in which she starred and wrote the screenplay. However, she said that the &quot;unconscionable&quot; statements by Wenders and other jury members had led her to reconsider.&quot;To hear them say that art should not be political is jaw-dropping,&quot; she said. When asked about Germany&#39;s support for Israel at the press conference on Thursday, Wenders said: &quot;We cannot really enter the field of politics&quot;, describing filmmakers as &quot;the counterweight to politics&quot;. In her statement Roy, described Israel&#39;s actions in Gaza as &quot;a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel&quot;. &quot;If the greatest film makers and artists of our time cannot stand up and say so, they should know that history will judge them,&quot; she said.

Film & TV

Entertainment

Award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy withdrew from the Berlin Film Festival, condemning jury president Wim Wenders’s apolitical stance and calling Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.

Indian writer Roy pulls out of Berlin Film Festival amid Gaza row

RAMALLAH: Writings and correspondence from jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti will be collected in a new book due out later this year, with his family expressing hope on Friday that it would give a new audience insight into his mindset.&nbsp;&quot;Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine&quot; will be published in November and feature &quot;private letters to his family, letters to public figures, press interviews, public statements, important historical documents&quot; and personal photos, according to publisher Penguin Random House&#39;s Vintage division.&nbsp;It will also include excerpts from his previous book, 2011&#39;s &quot;1000 Days in Solitary Confinement&quot;, which was previously only available in Arabic, Vintage said.&nbsp;Sometimes called the &quot;Mandela of Palestine&quot; by his supporters, Marwan Barghouti, 66, was one of the leaders of the second intifada, the Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, and is often cited as a possible successor to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.&nbsp;In June 2004, an Israeli court sentenced him to five life sentences after finding him guilty of involvement in four anti-Israeli attacks that killed five people.&nbsp;&quot;We just want to raise the awareness about who he is, why is he important for the Palestinian cause,&quot; Arab Barghouti, who lives in the occupied West Bank, told AFP. &quot;These are his writings so everyone can have access to them.&quot;&nbsp;He added that his mother Fadwa, who has campaigned for her husband&#39;s release over the years and wrote the book&#39;s introduction, also hoped the publication would broaden the reach of Marwan Barghouti&#39;s thoughts.&nbsp;&quot;She really wishes that people can hear from him and see what he thinks and see his writings, especially his grandchildren,&quot; Arab said.&nbsp;The book&#39;s publication will come roughly a year after his family and supporters launched a new campaign to secure Barghouti&#39;s release, after his imprisonment caught US President Donald Trump&#39;s attention.&nbsp;In an interview with Time magazine in October 2025 -- shortly after a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect in Gaza -- Trump was asked if he thought Barghouti, as a potentially unifying Palestinian leader, should be released from prison.&nbsp;Trump responded that he had previously been approached with that question and would be &quot;making a decision&quot; on the matter, but did not elaborate.&nbsp;Though Arab Barghouti has not been allowed to speak to his father in three years, he said the elder Barghouti represents Palestinian unity and the best chance for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Middle East

In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine, will collect jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti’s writings, letters, and photos, offering insight into his mindset, activism, and role in Palestinian unity and the two-state solution.

Jailed Palestinian leader Barghouti's writings to be collected in new book

CAPE CANAVERAL: Four astronauts were on their way to the International Space Station Friday after they successfully embarked on their research mission to the orbiting laboratory.&nbsp;The US space agency&#39;s international Crew-12 blasted off at approximately 5:15 am local time (1015 GMT) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral launch site in Florida, according to a NASA video feed.&nbsp;The journey takes approximately 34 hours the astronauts are expected to arrive at the ISS and dock by about 3:15 pm eastern time on Saturday.&nbsp;They will replace a crew that returned from the station early due to a medical issue with one of its members.&nbsp;The pre-dawn launch was delayed by two days over adverse weather forecasts across the US East Coast, including high winds that could have complicated any potential emergency maneuvers.&nbsp;But superstitions aside, Friday the 13th proved to be their lucky day.&nbsp;&quot;I understand it&#39;s the first time NASA has ever launched on Friday the 13th,&quot; said Steve Stich, a NASA official who coordinates ISS launches, with a laugh.&nbsp;&quot;Pretty amazing times.&quot;&nbsp;Crew-12 is composed of Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, along with French astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.&nbsp;&quot;We have left the Earth, but the Earth has not left us,&quot; Meir said as the astronauts ventured into space. &quot;When we gaze on our planet from above, it is immediately clear that everything is interconnected.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We are one humankind.&quot;&nbsp;The travelers are replacing Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January a month earlier than planned in the first medical evacuation in the space station&#39;s history.&nbsp;The ISS, a scientific laboratory orbiting 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, has since been staffed by a skeleton crew of three.&nbsp;NASA declined to disclose any details about the health issue that cut the previous mission short.&nbsp;Once the astronauts arrive, they will be one of the last crews to live aboard the football field-sized space station.&nbsp;Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth&#39;s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.&nbsp;Microgravity and the human bodyThe ISS, once a symbol of warming post-Cold War relations, has been a rare area of continued cooperation between the West and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.&nbsp;However, the space station has not entirely avoided the tensions back on Earth.&nbsp;In November, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, who had long been planned to be a member of Crew-1,2 was suddenly taken off the mission.&nbsp;Reports from independent media in Russia suggested he had been photographing and sending classified information with his phone while training at a SpaceX facility. Russian space agency Roscosmos merely said he had been transferred to a different job.&nbsp;His replacement, Fedyaev, has already spent some time on the ISS as part of Crew-6 in 2023.&nbsp;During a post-launch briefing, Daniel Neuenschwander, an official at the European Space Agency, emphasized the collaborative commitment to &quot;the peaceful exploration of space.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We are here this morning after the launch of two Americans, a Russian, and a European as one crew. This is again a testimony of what we can achieve together. The ISS stands as a powerful symbol of humanity,&quot; he said.&nbsp;During their eight months on the outpost, the four astronauts will conduct many experiments, including research into the effects of microgravity on their bodies.&nbsp;Meir, who previously worked as a marine biologist studying animals in extreme environments, will serve as the crew&#39;s commander.&nbsp;Adenot has become the second French woman to fly to space, following in the footsteps of Claudie Haignere, who spent time on the Mir space station.&nbsp;When Adenot saw Haignere&#39;s mission blast off, she was 14 years old a moment she has called &quot;a revelation.&quot;&nbsp;Among other research, the ESA astronaut will test a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to allow astronauts to carry out their own medical ultrasounds.

Artificial Intelligence

Four astronauts from NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos launched aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 to the ISS, replacing Crew-11, conducting microgravity research, AI-assisted medical tests, and experiments during their eight-month mission, highlighting international cooperation in space.