Aleena Zara Malik

<p style='margin: 0.75rem 0px 0px; font-family: "Atlassian Sans", ui-sans-serif, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 2; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.005em; color: rgb(41, 42, 46); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;' id="isPasted">That pink salt in your kitchen has a story, and most people get the geography wrong.<p style='margin: 0.75rem 0px 0px; font-family: "Atlassian Sans", ui-sans-serif, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 2; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.005em; color: rgb(41, 42, 46); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'> This episode of Debunkistan traces the real origin of the world&rsquo;s most famous pink salt, why it&rsquo;s often mislabeled, and how history shaped the confusion.<p style='margin: 0.75rem 0px 0px; font-family: "Atlassian Sans", ui-sans-serif, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 2; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.005em; color: rgb(41, 42, 46); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>

Debunkistan

The Pink Salt Myth | Debunkistan

Luxury and fast fashion brands regularly borrow from South Asian dress, silhouettes, textiles, and accessories that carry centuries of cultural history. Yet these designs are often presented as new, European, or trend-driven, with little acknowledgement of the cultures that created them. This episode of Debunkistan examines how cultural appropriation operates in the global fashion industry, why South Asian heritage is frequently rebranded rather than recognized, and how profit is prioritized over context. At a time when fashion claims to be global, the question remains: who gets credit, and who gets forgotten?

Runway theft | Debunkistan

Global media often frames conspiracy theories in Pakistan as cultural or even biological, while treating the same beliefs in Western societies as political or social phenomena. In this episode of Debunkistan, we challenge that double standard. Using data from the US, UK, and Europe, this episode breaks down why conspiracy thinking is a human response to uncertainty, mistrust, and broken information systems, not a national DNA marker.

Conspiracy Is Not a National Trait | Debunkistan

In this episode of Debunkistan, we unpack the tired global narrative that paints Pakistan (and South Asia, for that matter) as one big, homogenous blur. From Karachi&#39;s vibrant truck art to Wakhi poetry in Gilgit, and from Pashto rap to couture fashion weeks, Pakistan&#39;s diversity is evident in its over 70 distinct cultures, languages, and lifestyles.

Unpacking the tired global narrative that paints Pakistan (and South Asia, for that matter) as one big, homogenous blur.

The Monolith Myth

Culture

Pakistan’s music scene has gone global, from Arooj Aftab’s Grammy wins to Taurees Habib’s historic achievement. Artists like Meesha Shafi, Ali Sethi, and Xulfi continue pushing boundaries, solidifying Pakistan’s influence in global music culture

Grammy beyond borders: Pakistani artists redefine global music

ISLAMABAD: &ldquo;This is the ultimate dishonour to the women of India,&rdquo; Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra lashed out against the government in her post on X after media reports stated that women journalists were excluded from the Taliban minister&rsquo;s Delhi press conference on his request.&nbsp;Moitra&rsquo;s remarks that the government enabled gender discrimination on Indian soil coincided with a wave of anger on the internet against keeping women journalists away from the press conference. On Friday, October 10, 2025, a press interaction was held in New Delhi, reportedly at the Afghan Embassy, following bilateral talks between visiting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi and External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S. Jaishankar.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In her video posted on the social media platform X, Mahua Moitra termed the government officials as &ldquo;a shameful bunch of spineless hypocrites.&rdquo; &nbsp; &nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 560px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 560px; height: 560px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1976727137265803594&lang=en&maxWidth=560px&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=abdb2d0a42b5d866a3e7af687aa8489d87491526&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Expressing disdain, another X user, Nayanima Basu, said: &ldquo;Right under the Indian government&#39;s nose, in the heart of the capital city, the Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaqi holds a press conference, intentionally excluding any female journalists. How can this be allowed? Who approved such an outrageous disregard for representation?&rdquo; &nbsp; <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: 735px; 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=1976609063732437424&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=abdb2d0a42b5d866a3e7af687aa8489d87491526&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Despite the Ministry of External Affairs&#39; clarification that the press interaction was managed by the Afghan side, MP Moitra blamed the Indian government. Moitra said the government not only yielded to the Taliban&rsquo;s discriminatory policy against women but also &ldquo;dishonoured every single Indian woman by allowing a Taliban minister to exclude women journalists.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp;Agreeing with another user on X, a prominent Indian journalist, Suhasini Haider, said: &ldquo;Quite right, Uma, our expectations are not from the Taliban [government], which has enacted laws to erase women from public life, but from our own government in particular that they would protest such discrimination even if they felt powerless to stop it.&rdquo;&nbsp; &nbsp; <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: 530px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1976715779295920619&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=abdb2d0a42b5d866a3e7af687aa8489d87491526&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> &nbsp;Expressing disappointment on another post on X, Anjali Modi stated: &ldquo;Our expectations are also from our male colleagues to stand up for what is right, rather than endorsing the Taliban&#39;s ideological sexism by attending a male-only press conference!&rdquo; &nbsp; <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-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 656px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1976720991276695710&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=abdb2d0a42b5d866a3e7af687aa8489d87491526&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Mahua Moitra said on the one hand, the government ran campaigns like &#39;Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao&#39; (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter), and on the other hosts an official who would not sit with women. She also criticized male journalists, who attended the press conference, for their &quot;silence,&quot; noting they failed to protest or walk out in solidarity with their female colleagues.&quot;&nbsp;

India

Outrage erupted after women journalists were banned from a Taliban minister’s Delhi press conference. Critics, including MP Mahua Moitra, accused the Indian government of enabling gender discrimination and failing to protest the exclusion.

Taliban minister’s Delhi presser sparks outrage as women journalists barred

ISLAMABAD: The Spring/Summer 2026 season wasn&#39;t just another fashion month; it was an industry-wide power shuffle. Economic slowdown, corporate ambition, and the hunger for reinvention collided, forcing a creative reset across Paris, Milan, and beyond.&nbsp;Nearly a dozen major houses unveiled new creative directors, each tasked with the impossible: not merely designing clothes, but re-engineering what luxury means and how it sells.&nbsp;The Big Three: Where Luxury&rsquo;s Future Took Shape<h4 style="margin: 12pt 0in 2pt; line-height: 2; font-size: 16px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">Chanel: Matthieu Blazy&rsquo;s Ethereal Reinvention</h4>Matthieu Blazy&rsquo;s move from Bottega Veneta to Chanel was the most-watched debut of SS26, and he delivered.&nbsp;His collection drifted between earth and air: lighter tweeds, feathered appliqu&eacute;s, and sheers that made the grand feel human again.&nbsp;Blazy didn&rsquo;t mimic Lagerfeld; he modernized his storytelling. The result was a Chanel reimagined: classic yet fluid, archival yet utterly alive.<h4 style="margin: 12pt 0in 2pt; line-height: 2; font-size: 16px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">Dior: Jonathan Anderson&rsquo;s Intellectual Reclamation</h4>At Dior, Jonathan Anderson became the first since Christian Dior himself to lead both men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s lines and it showed.&nbsp;His debut was less about shock, more about sharpness: cropped Bar jackets, modernized New Look silhouettes, and a rigorous dialogue between eras.&nbsp;It was a collection that asked not &ldquo;What would Dior do?&rdquo; but &ldquo;What would Dior mean now?&rdquo;; a precise fusion of intellect and instinct.<h4 style="margin: 12pt 0in 2pt; line-height: 2; font-size: 16px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">Balenciaga, Gucci &amp; Valentino: The Great Creative Exchange</h4>The season&rsquo;s true drama was the designer swap heard across continents, instantly rebalancing fashion&#39;s equation.&nbsp;Alessandro Michele brought a controlled excess to Valentino; lush embroidery and maximalist color clashes, yet rendered with surprising restraint. Pierpaolo Piccioli traded his Valentino romanticism fo<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; 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">r&nbsp;Balenciaga&rsquo;s&nbsp;emotional rebirth, replacing dystopia with pure volume.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Demna, the former provocateur, arrived at Gucci to re-ignite its cultural pulse with irony and intensity. Their moves signaled a clear shift: emotion over gimmick, story over shock.<h3 style="margin: 14pt 0in 4pt; line-height: 2; font-size: 19px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(67, 67, 67); font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">New Codes, Sharpened Voices</h3><h3 style="margin: 14pt 0in 4pt; line-height: 2; font-size: 19px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(67, 67, 67); font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;">Beyond the marquee houses, others reshaped quiet luxury and modern sensuality through subtle reinvention:</h3><ul style="list-style-type: circle;"><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify; line-height: 2;">Jil Sander (Simone Bellotti): Minimalism with a bite; architectural tailoring, clean yet intellectual.</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify; line-height: 2;">Maison Margiela&nbsp;(Glenn Martens): Deconstruction meets decadence; a collision of lace, metal, and Flemish surrealism.</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify; line-height: 2;">Versace&nbsp;(Dario Vitale): A glorious rejection of restraint; &rsquo;80s glamour meets Miami heat reborn.</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify; line-height: 2;">Celine&nbsp;(Michael Rider): Bridging Philo&rsquo;s calm and Slimane&rsquo;s chaos; preppy tailoring and statement shine.</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify; line-height: 2;">Bottega Veneta (Louise Trotter): Quiet luxury rendered tactile; craft turned into movement.</li></ul>Each collection whispered a version of modern luxury that was less about excess and more about essence.The Bottom Line: Reinvention, RewiredThis season wasn&rsquo;t about shock or nostalgia; it was about recalibration. Designers wrestled with the question haunting every house: What does relevance look like when everything&rsquo;s already been done?The answer, it seems, is craftsmanship: elevated, edited, and above all, emotional. It&#39;s luxury that feels like&nbsp;skin, not status.In the end, SS26 wasn&rsquo;t defined by who screamed the loudest; it was defined by who listened.

Entertainment

The Spring/Summer 2026 season saw major designer changes at top fashion houses like Chanel, Dior, and Gucci. It marked a shift toward emotional storytelling, refined craftsmanship, and redefining luxury with meaning rather than excess.

The Great SS26 Reshuffle: Luxury's Creative Reset

Every morning, 240 million Pakistanis allegedly wake up plotting global mayhem, at least, that&rsquo;s the story international headlines and Hollywood love to tell.&nbsp;But the truth is far different. Over 200,000 Pakistanis have been victims of terrorism, according to global monitors, not &ldquo;exporters&rdquo; of it.&nbsp;Meanwhile, FBI data reveals that 80% of US terrorist attacks since the 1970s have been carried out by non-Muslims. Yet, somehow, Pakistan still gets cast as the villain.&nbsp;In this episode of Debunkistan, Aleena Zara Malik of Pakistan TV Digital takes aim at the &ldquo;terrorist nation&rdquo; stereotype with a sharp mix of sarcasm, stats, and some well-placed truth bombs. Because the only thing Pakistan is really exporting here&hellip; is facts.

Aleena Zara Malik debunks Pakistan's "terrorist nation" stereotype with sarcasm, stats, and truth bombs.

The only bombs we’re dropping are truth bombs

MOSCOW: Moscow is in no hurry to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested in comments to state media on Thursday.&nbsp;Negotiators from both countries were in Geneva on Thursday for separate talks with US officials, part of a fraught negotiation process being pushed by President Donald Trump in a bid to end the fighting.&nbsp;Several rounds of discussions have failed to clinch a deal, with Moscow insisting on hardline territorial and political demands that Kyiv has ruled out as tantamount to capitulation.&nbsp;Top officials in Russia on Thursday again <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ukraine-marks-four-years-since-russian-invasion" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">pushed back</a> on the idea a deal was close.&nbsp;&quot;Have you heard anything from us about deadlines? We have no deadlines, we have tasks. We are getting them done,&quot; state news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying.&nbsp;Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said it was too early to make &quot;forecasts&quot; or say at what stage the peace process was at.&nbsp;&quot;It would be a big mistake to try right now to define some kind of stage or make some kind of forecasts. I don&#39;t want to make those mistakes,&quot; he told state media.&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said a meeting with Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin is needed to agree on the key sticking points, like the fate of territory in eastern Ukraine that Russia is fighting to seize control of.&nbsp;Peskov repeated on Thursday that Russia will not agree to a summit until the very end of talks, and only to sign off on a deal thrashed out between the negotiating teams.

Europe

Moscow signaled it is not rushing Ukraine deal, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, while talks in Geneva with United States officials continue under Donald Trump’s push to end fighting.

Russian says 'no deadlines' to end Ukraine war

HANGZHOU: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ended his two-day visit to China on Thursday in the tech hub of Hangzhou, identifying &quot;challenges that we must overcome together&quot; after meeting President Xi Jinping and announcing an Airbus deal. Merz&#39;s first official visit to China came as Berlin and Beijing seek to build on decades-old economic ties to weather global uncertainty sparked by US President Donald Trump&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-announces-hike-in-us-global-tariff-rate-from-10-to-15" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">tariff blitz</a>&nbsp;and erratic foreign policies. China, the world&#39;s number two economy, overtook the United States last year to become Germany&#39;s biggest trade partner. At the same time, Berlin regards the Asian country as a systemic rival to the West. The German leader was accompanied in China by a large delegation of business leaders, including executives of auto giants Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes. Merz visited a Mercedes plant in Beijing on Thursday morning, where he was shown a demonstration of self-driving vehicles. He then travelled to Hangzhou, where he visited the sites of Germany&#39;s Siemens Energy and Chinese&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/japan-introduces-ai-robot-monk-to-the-public" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">humanoid robot</a>-maker Unitree. The eastern city is home to several other major Chinese tech companies like AI unicorn&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/inside-chinas-buzzing-ai-scene-year-after-deepseek-shock" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">DeepSeek</a>&nbsp;and e-commerce giant Alibaba. European business leaders, who broadly complain China is flooding the EU market with cheap goods, have urged Merz to keep a cavernous trade imbalance at the top of his agenda. Germany&#39;s trade deficit with China hit a record $105 billion last year. &quot;We have good cooperation in China. However, there are also some challenges that we must overcome together,&quot; Merz said Thursday, singling out &quot;issues relating to competition&quot; and &quot;high capacity in China&quot;. Merz said consultations between his government and Beijing &ndash; interrupted by political developments in Berlin and the pandemic &ndash; would take place &quot;at the beginning of next year at the latest, possibly even this year&quot;, with China as host. &#39;New levels&#39; Following talks with Xi and top Chinese leaders in the capital on Wednesday, Merz said that China had agreed to purchase up to 120 Airbus aircraft, adding that it &quot;demonstrates how worthwhile such trips can be&quot;. Other contracts were in the pipeline, Merz added. The two leaders stressed their commitment to developing closer strategic relations, with Xi telling Merz he was willing to take relations to &quot;new levels&quot;. Merz said he had also touched on the sensitive topic of Taiwan, the self-ruled island China claims as its territory and which it has not ruled out the use of force to annex. Any &quot;reunification&quot; must be done peacefully, Merz said. He also discussed the Ukraine war with Xi, who, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, said diplomacy was &quot;key to the issue&quot;. Merz said he urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow, such as choking off the supply of items with potential military uses. &quot;I hope that in my talks I was able to foster a little understanding for the fact that the leadership of this country should also contribute to ending the war in Ukraine,&quot; Merz told reporters on Thursday before departing for Berlin. Merz was the latest in a string of Western leaders to court Beijing recently. He follows Britain&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/britains-starmer-hails-good-progress-after-meeting-chinas-xi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Keir Starmer</a>, France&#39;s Emmanuel Macron and Canada&#39;s Mark Carney, as they recoil from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-announces-hike-in-us-global-tariff-rate-from-10-to-15" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">mercurial policies</a>&nbsp;of Trump, who is also expected to visit from March 31.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a statement at Siemens Energy plant in Hangzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province on February 26, 2026. (AFP)

Asia

Merz's first official visit to China comes as Berlin and Beijing seek to build on decades-old economic ties to weather global uncertainty sparked by US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz and erratic foreign policies.

Merz says Germany, China must overcome trade gaps 'together'

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, Mohsin Naqvi, announced that Pakistan, Italy, Spain, and Greece have agreed on a coordinated strategy to fight illegal migration, human smuggling, and drug trafficking, including a joint policy framework and a rapid-response mechanism. Naqvi, in a post on X on Thursday, wrote that he had a productive meeting in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-security-agencies-seize-over-135-million-in-nationwide-antismuggling-operations" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rome</a>&nbsp;with his counterparts from Italy, Spain, and Greece at the 4-nation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-navy-ship-seizes-drugs-worth-nearly-1-bn-in-arabian-sea" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">conference</a>&nbsp;on curbing illegal migration. <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" 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=2026935215914975708&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=359767f66ae58c6eb6812d51c17a3cb8284785ef&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 652px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Pakistan, Italy, Spain &amp; Greece agreed on a coordinated strategy against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-customs-seizes-266000-worth-of-smuggled-goods-near-afghan-border" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">illegal migration</a>, human smuggling and narcotics, including a joint policy framework and rapid-response mechanism.&rdquo; &ldquo;European partners appreciated Pakistan&rsquo;s strong actions, noting a 47% reduction in illegal migration, and agreed on enhanced EU-supported capacity building,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Consensus also reached on promoting legal pathways to effectively counter illegal migration, repatriation of criminals to face the law, and holding the next meeting in Pakistan later this year,&rdquo; he said.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistani interior minister says ‘European partners appreciated Pakistan’s strong actions, noting a 47% reduction in illegal migration, and agreed on enhanced EU-supported capacity building.’

Pakistani, European ministers agree on coordinated strategy to combat illegal migration

PARIS: The United Nations announced Thursday the approval of the first carbon credits under a global market aimed at reducing emissions, a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns. The UN-run market, established under the Paris climate accord, allows companies and countries to offset their excess emissions by financing projects that cut greenhouse gases in other nations. Critics fear that if set up poorly, such schemes can undermine the world&#39;s efforts to curb global warming by allowing countries or companies to greenwash &mdash; or overstate &mdash; their emissions reductions. The first credits issued under the new carbon market involve a project in Myanmar that distributes efficient wood-burning cook stoves that reduce harmful household air pollution and ease pressure on local forests, the UN&#39;s climate agency said. Implemented in partnership with a South Korean company, the project will generate credits that will count towards the climate targets of South Korea and Myanmar. The UN climate agency said the credited emissions reductions are 40%&nbsp;lower than under a previous scheme as more conservative calculations are applied under the new Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM). &quot;Our focus is on building confidence in this market from the outset, and this first issuance shows that the system is working as intended,&quot; Jacqui Ruesga, vice chair of the UN body supervising the PACM, said in a statement. More than two billion people around the world cook using open fires or inefficient stoves fueled by kerosene, coal or biomass such as wood, crop waste or dung, according to the World Health Organization. The resulting air pollution kills millions of people each year. The stoves in the Myanmar project burn woody biomass more efficiently, meaning it needs less fuel and spews far less smoke inside the home. But at current rates, only 78% of the population is expected to have access to clean cooking by 2030, the WHO said. &quot;Clean cooking protects health, saves forests, cuts emissions and helps empower women and girls, who are typically hardest hit by household air pollution,&quot; UN climate chief Simon Stiell said. &quot;The opportunities presented by this UN carbon market across all regions are vast, particularly now that strong environmental safeguards, robust standards, and a clear system for redress are in place to ensure integrity, inclusiveness and efficiency,&quot; he said. The 2015 Paris Agreement, which commits the world to limiting warming to well below 2C and ideally at 1.5C, also envisaged that countries could take part in cross-border trade of carbon reductions. New rules were agreed at the UN&#39;s COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in 2024 for the carbon market mechanism. At the time, Greenpeace said the agreement left loopholes that would allow fossil fuel companies to continue polluting. But other environmentalists said that, while not perfect, it provided some clarity that was absent from global efforts to regulate carbon credits.

Smoke Stacks. (Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Color Photographs.)

Climate

The UN-run market, established under the Paris climate accord, allows companies and countries to offset their excess emissions by financing projects that cut greenhouse gases in other nations.

UN approves first carbon credits under Paris Agreement

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will outline its stance on Israel&rsquo;s recent move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank at an upcoming ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), according to Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Thursday. Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Andrabi said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the OIC&#39;s Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 26-28. The meeting &ldquo;has been convened to consider the illegal decision by the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at expanding settlements, pursuing annexation, and attempting to impose Israel&#39;s sovereignty over the occupied West Bank,&rdquo; the spokesperson said. Dar will present Pakistan&rsquo;s case during the session. <div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D1374272581405477%26set%3Da.251429287023151%26type%3D3&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="748" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> In a Facebook post, the Foreign Office said Dar will &ldquo;hold sideline meetings with counterparts from OIC&rdquo; member states. Andrabi said Israel&rsquo;s measures in the occupied West Bank have drawn condemnation from the OIC and other Muslim states, as well as &ldquo;European and other world countries,&rdquo; including Brazil, France, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. &ldquo;In this statement, we described these changes as wide-ranging and amounting to reclassifying Palestinian land as so-called Israel state land, accelerating illegal settlement activity, and further entrenching Israeli administration,&rdquo; he said. Restating Pakistan&rsquo;s long-standing position on Israel&rsquo;s occupation of Palestinian lands, Andrabi said the country issued &ldquo;a joint statement&rdquo; with &ldquo;eight other countries&rdquo; condemning a statement by the US ambassador to Israel suggesting it would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states. He said Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, along with the OIC Secretariat and the League of Arab States, &ldquo;strongly condemned&rdquo; the remarks. The US envoy&rsquo;s comment was &ldquo;dangerous, inflammatory, and clear violation of international law and the UN Charter,&rdquo; Andrabi said. He added that it threatened regional security and stability. Separately, Andrabi addressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&rsquo;s recent state visit to Qatar at the invitation of the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. PM Sharif met the Qatari emir and discussed enhancing cooperation in several areas, including economic ties. Both sides agreed on resolving international disputes peacefully through &ldquo;dialogue&rdquo; and &ldquo;diplomacy.&rdquo; Sheikh Tamim will &ldquo;visit Pakistan later this year,&rdquo; he added. During the visit, PM Sharif also met Qatar&rsquo;s defense minister, Sheikh Saud Al Thani, who expressed interest in expanding defense cooperation between the two countries and &ldquo;appreciated the professionalism and expertise of Pakistan&#39;s armed forces.&rdquo;

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi speaking at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, on February 26, 2026. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs/X)

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session of the OIC.

Pakistan to raise concerns over Israel actions in West Bank at OIC Ministerial: Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: The Bangladesh government will pilot the distribution of 500,000 Krishak Smart Cards to farmers in 15 upazilas (sub-districts) within 180 days as part of a 2023-28 development program.&nbsp; If successful, the initiative will expand nationwide,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-signals-push-to-revitalize-saarc" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bangladeshi</a> media reported on Thursday. The program aims to register 22.7 million&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/govt-aims-to-launch-family-card-scheme-before-eid-bangladeshi-relief-minister" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">farmers</a> nationwide by 2028.&nbsp;Digital card system&nbsp;A meeting chaired by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-vows-to-reform-policies-attract-foreign-investment-in-jute-sector" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prime Minister Tarique Rahman</a> in Dhaka on Monday directed authorities to roll out the digital card system as part of a technology-driven support framework for farmers. Abul Kalam Azad, coordinator of the PARTNER programme, said the Food and Agriculture Organization is collecting data to prepare the beneficiary list.&nbsp; Once the FAO submits the data and the feasibility study is complete, the Department of Agricultural Extension will finalize the beneficiary list and select the upazilas.&nbsp;Financial, logistical incentives&nbsp;The card will initially register 500,000 farmers, including landless peasants, small and medium farmers, lessees, and landowners.&nbsp; Cardholders will be able to access financial and logistical incentives, agricultural advisories, weather information and other services. If the pilot proves successful, nationwide registration will follow.&nbsp; The PARTNER project, launched in 2023, has a total budget of $1.343 billion, funded by the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Bangladesh government.

Bangladesh

The program aims to register 22.7 million farmers across the country by 2028; a meeting chaired by PM Rahman in Dhaka directed authorities to roll out the digital card system for farmers. Cardholders will be able to access financial and logistical incentives, agricultural advisories, weather information and other services.

Bangladesh to distribute 500,000 farmer cards in 180 days

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">GENEVA: Iran and the United States began indirect talks in Switzerland on Thursday, a last-ditch bid to avert war following the biggest American military build-up in the Middle East in decades. The Oman-mediated discussions follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-presses-missile-issue-as-new-iran-talks-to-open-in-geneva" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">US president</a>&nbsp;last Thursday giving Tehran 15 days to reach a deal. The US and Iranian delegations arrived at the venue at the Omani ambassador&#39;s residence amid tight security, following a protest by Iranian exiles at their talks last week who threw objects at the Iranian motorcade. Oman&#39;s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi later confirmed that discussions had begun, saying the two sides had expressed &quot;unprecedented openness to new and creative ideas and solutions&quot;. Iran&#39;s president insisted ahead of the talks that the Islamic republic was not &quot;at all&quot; seeking a nuclear weapon. &quot;Our Supreme Leader has already stated that we will not have nuclear weapons at all,&quot; President Masoud Pezeshkian said, in a reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. United Nations nuclear chief Rafael Grossi would likely also attend the discussions in Geneva, Iran&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman said. While Iran has insisted the talks focus solely on its nuclear program, the US wants Tehran&#39;s missile program and its &#39;support&#39; for groups in the region curtailed. As part of the dramatic US build-up, the USS Gerald R Ford, the world&#39;s largest aircraft carrier, sent to the Mediterranean this week, left a naval base in Crete on Thursday, an AFP photographer said. The developments follow massive protests in Iran. &#39;Sinister nuclear ambitions&#39;&nbsp;In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump accused Iran of &quot;pursuing sinister nuclear ambitions&quot;, though Tehran has always insisted its program is for civilian purposes. Trump also claimed Tehran had &quot;already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they&#39;re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America&quot;. The Iranian foreign ministry called these claims &quot;big lies&quot;. The maximum range of Iran&#39;s missiles is 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) according to what Tehran has publicly disclosed. However, the US Congressional Research Service estimates they top out at about 3,000 kilometers -- less than a third of the distance to the continental United States. Trump&#39;s State of the Union accusations in Congress were delivered in the same forum in which then-president George W Bush laid out the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Ahead of Thursday&#39;s talks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iran must also negotiate on its missile program, calling Tehran&#39;s refusal to discuss ballistic weapons &quot;a big, big problem.&quot; He followed up by saying, &quot;The president wants diplomatic solutions&quot;. But US Vice President JD Vance told Iran to take Trump&#39;s threats &quot;seriously,&quot; saying the US president had a &quot;right&quot; to use military action. &quot;You can&#39;t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,&quot; Vance told &quot;America&#39;s Newsroom&quot; on Fox News. &#39;A historic opportunity&#39;&nbsp;Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation at the talks, had called them &quot;a historic opportunity,&quot; adding that a deal was &quot;within reach.&quot; The US will be represented by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka. The two countries held talks earlier this month in Oman, then gathered for a second round in Geneva last week. A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran last June, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. In Jan., Tehran launched a mass crackdown on nationwide protests. Protests have since resumed around Iranian universities.

Middle East

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterates that Tehran is not seeking nuclear weapons in line with the policy set by the country’s Supreme Leader; on Feb. 19, Trump said Iran had 15 days to make a deal.

Iran-US talks begin in push to avert war

ISLAMABAD: The US has levied a preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) of 126% on specific Indian solar products, citing unfair subsidies, according to an Indian media report.&nbsp;This move is expected to disrupt the growing momentum of solar exports from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/global-ai-summit-in-india-still-without-final-statement" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">India&nbsp;</a>to the US and raise concerns about increasing domestic competition and regulatory uncertainty. On Feb. 24, the US Department of Commerce announced its preliminary affirmative determination in investigations into imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/potholes-killed-over-9400-from-2020-to-2024-in-india" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">India</a>.&nbsp; The investigation also includes parallel anti-dumping probes into solar cells from these countries.&nbsp;&nbsp;Final determination&nbsp;A final determination in the countervailing duty investigations is scheduled for July 6. The new duties come at a time when the US already imposed a 10% across-the-board tariff under the Trump administration, further complicating trade relations. Despite the steep tariff, many leading Indian solar manufacturers have downplayed the immediate impact.&nbsp;&nbsp;Impact on market dynamics&nbsp;However, analysts warn that the duties could disrupt trade flows, put downward pressure on domestic prices, and affect overall profitability.&nbsp; Rating agency Icra highlighted that increased regulatory uncertainty could dampen export volumes, which stood at 3 GW in 2025.&nbsp;&nbsp;Solar stocks&nbsp;Crisil Intelligence added that Indian modules could become at least 30% more expensive than US-made ones, potentially impacting market dynamics. Following the announcement, solar stocks in India dropped sharply, with Waaree Energies falling 10.47%, Premier Energies 6.27%, and Vikram Solar 5.45%, the Indian media report said.

On Feb. 24, the US Department of Commerce announced its preliminary affirmative determination in investigations into imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from India; final determination in countervailing duty investigations is scheduled for July 6.

US imposes 126% duty on Indian solar exports, raising trade concerns

HAVANA: Cuba said Wednesday it thwarted an attempted armed infiltration from the United States, after its coast guard opened fire on a Florida-registered speedboat near the island&rsquo;s northern coast, killing four people and wounding six. In a statement, Cuba&rsquo;s Interior Ministry said the vessel was intercepted about one nautical mile from Cayo Falcones island. As Cuban authorities approached, &ldquo;shots were fired from the illegal speedboat,&rdquo; injuring the commander of the Cuban patrol craft. &ldquo;As a result of the clash, at the time of this report, on the foreign side, four aggressors were killed and six others were wounded,&rdquo; the ministry said, adding that the injured were evacuated and provided medical assistance. The ministry said assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails and other military-style equipment were recovered from the vessel, registered in Florida under the number FL7726SH. The 10 occupants were identified as Cubans living in the United States. Those arrested after the exchange of gunfire claimed they &ldquo;intended to carry out an infiltration for the purposes of terrorism,&rdquo; according to Cuban authorities. In a subsequent statement, the ministry released the names of seven of the individuals and said most had prior records in Cuba for &ldquo;criminal and violent activity.&rdquo; &nbsp;A man allegedly sent from the United States to participate in the operation was arrested on Cuban soil and confessed, it added. The incident marks a fresh source of tension between Havana and Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was seeking its own account of events and would &ldquo;respond accordingly.&rdquo; &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to base our conclusions on what they&rsquo;ve (Cuba) told us, and I&rsquo;m very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here,&rdquo; Rubio told reporters during a visit to St. Kitts and Nevis. &ldquo;As we gather more information, then we&rsquo;ll be prepared to respond accordingly.&rdquo; Florida&rsquo;s attorney general ordered an investigation into the killings. The state lies just 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Cuba across the Florida Straits and has long been a focal point for Cuban migration. Cuban authorities frequently report incursions by speedboats from the United States into their territorial waters. Such incidents are often linked to people-smuggling or drug trafficking and have at times involved chases and armed confrontations with border guards. The shootings come amid broader strains between the two countries. President Donald Trump in January imposed a sweeping oil blockade on Cuba following the US ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, a key ally of Havana. Before Maduro&rsquo;s removal on Jan. 3, Cuba relied on Venezuela for roughly half of its fuel needs. Facing pressure from Caribbean leaders concerned that severe fuel shortages could destabilize the island&rsquo;s economy, Washington later said it would allow limited shipments of Venezuelan oil for &ldquo;commercial and humanitarian use,&rdquo; provided they went through private entities rather than the Cuban government or military-controlled businesses. Cuba&rsquo;s economy, already weakened by decades of US trade restrictions dating back to the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro, has been pushed to the brink in recent months. Chronic shortages of food and medicine and daily blackouts have fueled an exodus of Cubans, many heading to southern Florida. Mexico this week dispatched two military vessels carrying nearly 2,200 tons of aid to the island, its second shipment in under a month, while Canada announced Can$8 million ($5.8 million) in additional assistance on Wednesday.

Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana on February 25, 2026.(AFP)

Americas

Cuba says it killed four and wounded six people aboard a Florida-registered speedboat, describing it as armed and planning a terrorist infiltration after an exchange of gunfire near its northern coast, escalating tensions with the United States.

Cuba kills four on US-registered speedboat trying to 'infiltrate'

KYIV: US President Donald Trump spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of a fresh round of talks Thursday aimed at ending Russia&#39;s invasion, both sides said on Wednesday. A White House official gave AFP no further details about the call, which came a day before Ukrainian and US envoys were to meet, and ahead of new trilateral talks with Russia expected in early March. But Zelensky wrote on social media that he had spoken with Trump, and that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on the call. &quot;Our teams work intensively and I thanked them for all their work and for their active involvement in the negotiations and the efforts to end the war,&quot; he added. According to Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, the conversation &quot;lasted about 30 minutes.&quot; Ukraine&#39;s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov will meet Witkoff and Kushner in Geneva on Thursday, Kyiv announced. Russian state news agency Tass later said that the Kremlin&#39;s economic affairs envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, also plans to be in the city. &quot;Dmitriev plans to arrive in Geneva on Thursday to pursue negotiations with the Americans on economic issues,&quot; it cited an unnamed source as saying. The meetings are the latest round of negotiations spearheaded by Trump that so far have failed to make meaningful progress on ending Europe&#39;s deadliest conflict since World War II. Washington is pushing to bring an end to the war triggered by Russia&#39;s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, which has left hundreds of thousands of dead and destroyed swathes of territory, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine. Preparatory talks&nbsp;Zelensky said his call with Trump &quot;discussed the issues that our representatives will address tomorrow in Geneva during the bilateral meeting, as well as preparations for the next meeting of the full negotiating teams in a trilateral format at the very beginning of March.&quot; &quot;We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders&#39; level. President Trump supports this sequence of steps. This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war,&quot; he added. The Ukrainian leader has already said that a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, should take place to resolve the most difficult issues in the talks. The talks, based on an American plan unveiled at the end of last year, are deadlocked primarily on the fate of the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has been the epicenter of the fighting. Russia is pushing for full control of Ukraine&#39;s eastern Donetsk region, and has threatened to take it by force if Kyiv does not cave at the negotiating table. But Ukraine has rejected the demand and signaled it would not sign a deal without security guarantees that deter Russia from invading again.

Ukraine's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov will meet Witkoff and Kushner in Geneva on Thursday; Russian state news agency says Kremlin's economic affairs envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, also plans to be in the city.

Articles by Aleena Zara Malik