Global Pulse

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  • Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces shot down Shahed drones in Middle Eastern countries during Iran war

    Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces shot down Shahed drones in Middle Eastern countries during Iran war

    In a groundbreaking public disclosure that illuminates Ukraine’s expanding global defense partnerships, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Ukrainian military forces have shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones during active operations across multiple unspecified Middle Eastern countries. The mission, Zelenskyy explained, is rooted in shared experience: Kyiv is helping regional partners counter the exact same unmanned weapons that Russia has relentlessly deployed against Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure since the start of its full-scale invasion.

    Zelenskyy first shared details of the operations with reporters on Wednesday, with a media embargo holding the announcement until Friday. He emphasized that these were not routine training exercises or simulated drills, but live defensive action. Ukrainian personnel used domestically produced interceptor drones, a system that has already been battle-tested in defending Ukrainian airspace against the Shahed drones Russia launches on a near-daily basis.

    “This was not about a training mission or exercises, but about support in building a modern air defense system that can actually work,” Zelenskyy stated. The operations took place ahead of the tentative ceasefire reached this week between Iran, the United States and Israel, the Ukrainian leader confirmed. While he declined to name the specific host countries involved, Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian personnel operated across several nations to reinforce local air defense capabilities. He had previously revealed that 228 Ukrainian defense experts were already deployed to the Middle East region.

    In exchange for this defensive support, Zelenskyy said Ukraine receives tangible benefits that strengthen its own war effort: weapons systems designed to protect critical energy infrastructure, supplies of crude oil and diesel fuel, and in some arrangements, direct financial support. The agreements, he argued, do more than just fill immediate gaps: they shore up Ukraine’s long-term energy stability and lay the groundwork for Kyiv to expand its role as a formal exporter of defense technology and expertise to global partners.

    “We are helping strengthen their security in exchange for contributions to our country’s resilience,” Zelenskyy said. “This is far more than simply receiving money.”

    The public confirmation of Ukraine’s Middle East operations comes at a delicate moment, as widespread concerns have grown that escalating conflict in the region will draw international focus and divert critical Western military aid away from Ukraine, particularly the air defense interceptors Kyiv relies on to fend off Russian drone and missile strikes. But Zelenskyy sought to ease these worries, noting that international support for Ukraine’s air defense remains steady. He confirmed that a new shipment of missiles for U.S.-provided Patriot air defense systems arrived in Ukraine in recent days, and that Kyiv continues to work closely with all allies to maintain robust air defense coverage across the country.

    In additional remarks, Zelenskyy revealed that he has extended an open invitation to U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv, an offer extended before the recent Middle East ceasefire took hold. “I told them: ‘Come to us, and then go to Moscow. Let’s hold a trilateral meeting in this format,’” Zelenskyy recounted. He said the pair were receptive to the idea, but ultimately chose not to travel far from U.S. President Donald Trump at this time. It remains unclear whether the visit will still take place, or if any potential talks would be moved to a neutral third country, he added.

    On the diplomatic front, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is actively finalizing security guarantee proposals to present to the United States, and holds out hope that diplomatic progress can be made. To date, U.S.-led talks have failed to advance on core issues, with Washington’s policy focus having shifted to the Middle East even as Russian and Ukrainian forces remain locked in intense positional combat along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line stretching across eastern and southern Ukraine.

    In a separate policy note, Zelenskyy called on Western allies to fully reimpose all sanctions on Russian crude oil, warning that any loosening of restrictions would allow Moscow to continue funding its war machine and offload critical energy assets. He pointed out that Russia has already seen a major boost in energy revenue, driven by spiking global oil prices triggered by recent damage to Gulf energy infrastructure and Iran’s temporary blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical chokepoint for global oil shipments.

  • Judge dismisses claim Adelaide woman tried to mow down boyfriend in alleged row over hot chip

    Judge dismisses claim Adelaide woman tried to mow down boyfriend in alleged row over hot chip

    A highly unusual criminal case out of South Australia, which gained viral attention for its alleged connection to a fight over a single hot chip, has concluded with the accused woman walking free from court after the most serious charge against her was dismissed.

    Charlotte Harrison, 36, faced one count of dangerous driving endangering life, a felony charge that carried significant potential prison time, connected to a February 2023 incident on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide. The case had been winding through the South Australian legal system for more than three years before reaching its conclusion at Adelaide’s District Court on Friday.

    According to Harrison’s former partner Matthew Finn, the confrontation began when he asked to eat Harrison’s last hot chip from a takeaway chicken order, triggering a heated argument that escalated into dangerous driving. That widely shared narrative never made it into the official court proceedings, however, with no mention of the salty snack during Harrison’s trial.

    After reviewing CCTV footage of the crash, Judge Paul Muscat rejected the claim that Harrison’s driving rose to the level of endangering life, openly scoffing at the prosecution’s framing of the incident. “I do not believe that is driving in a manner that is so dangerous it could cause fear or intimidation to others,” the judge told the court. “It is more typical of driving without due care and attention.”

    Harrison entered guilty pleas to two lesser misdemeanor charges: reckless and dangerous driving. The more serious charge of driving endangering life was formally dismissed by the court.

    In his sentencing ruling, Judge Muscat found that Harrison had already served more than enough time in punishment for her offenses. The court confirmed Harrison had already spent nine days in custody on remand and 23 days on home detention following her arrest, a period the judge said exceeded any appropriate sentence for the two minor convictions. As a result, Judge Muscat convicted Harrison on the two counts but imposed no additional fines, prison time, or other penalties.

    Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom after the ruling, Harrison pushed back hard on the viral narrative about the hot chip dispute. “There was never any chips and I never intended to harm or hurt anybody,” she said. Harrison confirmed she had driven recklessly, reversing her vehicle into another car before colliding with a power box, and accepted responsibility for that driving offense. “I drove in a manner that was reckless, reversed into a Yaris,” she told reporters.

    Harrison added that the three-year legal process had been a major burden, and she was relieved to have the case resolved to move forward with her life. “I feel really relieved to have all that behind me, it has been quite a journey,” she said. “I understand the elements of the charge, it was a driving offence, but the narrative that Mr Finn played up did not really play to it. I wanted to resolve this so I could move on with my life.”

    She also offered an apology to bystanders who witnessed the 2023 incident. “I am sorry to anyone that witnessed the event that day,” she said. In a lighthearted comment to reporters, she added, “Thank you for the soap that I got when I was on remand.”

    The case laid bare how sensational salacious details can overshadow the actual facts of a criminal incident, with the hot chip claim turning a routine reckless driving case into a viral news story. Harrison’s acquittal on the serious charge confirms that the court found no evidence to support the claim that she intended to harm her former partner by attempting to run him over.

  • Man attacks ‘close friend’ with samurai sword

    Man attacks ‘close friend’ with samurai sword

    A brutal, drug-fueled attack in suburban South Australia has left a close-knit friendship destroyed and a victim facing lifelong disability, culminating in a nearly eight-year prison sentence for the perpetrator. Phonexaysack Rawatxay, a 49-year-old father of three from Blakeview, was handed down the sentence this week in Adelaide District Court for the sustained samurai sword attack on his long-time close friend, identified only as DB, in April 2023.

    The court heard that DB had been staying overnight at Rawatxay’s home when he suffered a sudden hypoglycaemic attack on the living room sofa around midday. After moving into Rawatxay’s bedroom to rest, Rawatxay returned from a 10 to 15 minute drive out with his wife, two of his children and an additional friend. In the small enclosed space of the bedroom, Rawatxay drew his personal samurai sword and swung it multiple times at the unsuspecting DB. The blade struck DB repeatedly before a final blow slammed into the wooden bedhead, leaving significant damage to the furniture.

    While the exact trigger for the unprovoked attack remains unconfirmed, court documents outline the devastating extent of DB’s injuries. The victim suffered deep lacerations across his scalp, collarbone, neck, forearm and hand, with the sword actually striking his skull bone. DB’s left forearm bore a gaping 20cm by 10cm gash, while his neck was cut by a 15cm laceration. The damage to his hand was so severe that surgeons required eight hours of reconstructive surgery to repair the tissue at Royal Adelaide Hospital. Judge Michael Durrant noted in his sentencing remarks that DB was “extremely fortunate” to have survived the attack with his life.

    During court proceedings, Rawatxay pleaded not guilty to the charge of aggravated recklessly causing serious harm, arguing he had acted in self-defense. However, Judge Durrant rejected this claim and found Rawatxay guilty beyond reasonable doubt after a short trial, noting that the acts of swinging the sword were voluntary, deliberate, and clearly carried out with reckless disregard for DB’s safety.

    In pre-sentencing interviews, Rawatxay admitted that he was under the heavy influence of methylamphetamine at the time of the attack, stating he was unable to think clearly and could not recall any clear motive for the violence beyond the drug-induced impairment. Court records also revealed that Rawataxay was a chronic meth user, reporting that he injected the drug three to five times daily by November 2023, which Judge Durrant classified as “significant abuse.” The judge also acknowledged that Rawatxay expressed genuine remorse for the attack and regretted the end of his longstanding friendship with DB.

    Victim impact statements submitted to the court painted a picture of permanent, life-altering harm for DB. The attack left him with lasting physical scars, chronic emotional distress and ongoing psychological trauma that has upended every area of his life. He can no longer work to provide for his family, participate in recreational sports he once enjoyed, or even complete basic daily tasks independently. Most devastatingly, the hand injury has left DB unable to hold his own newborn son.

    “You have significantly altered his life. He will carry the scars and permanent impact from this offending for the rest of his life,” Judge Durrant wrote in his sentencing remarks.

    In the end, Rawatxay was sentenced to seven years, 11 months and 19 days in state prison. A separate court order also required the offending samurai sword to be forfeited and destroyed by authorities.

  • Taiwan’s opposition leader meets China’s Xi Jinping as both sides call for peace

    Taiwan’s opposition leader meets China’s Xi Jinping as both sides call for peace

    In a landmark event that marks the first high-level encounter between China’s ruling Communist Party and Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) in more than a decade, Kuomintang chairperson Cheng Li-wun held a formal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Friday. Both leaders used the historic gathering to issue joint commitments to upholding cross-strait peace across the Taiwan Strait and advancing the goal of eventual unification between mainland China and the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its sovereign territory.

    The meeting comes amid escalating cross-strait tensions in recent years. Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, conducting regular large-scale military exercises that send warships and fighter jets into areas adjacent to the island, while steadily poaching the small number of diplomatic allies that still recognize Taipei’s sovereignty. Beijing has never renounced the option of using military force to bring Taiwan under its control, a stance that has fueled widespread international concern over potential conflict in the strategically vital region.

    Opening the meeting to a round of applause from delegates from both sides, President Xi welcomed Cheng and her KMT delegation, emphasizing the unshakable trajectory of closer ties between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. “The larger trend of compatriots on both sides of the strait walking nearer and nearer together will not change. This is a historical necessity. We have full confidence in this,” Xi stated.

    Cheng, who framed her five-day trip to mainland China as a “journey for peace” long before her arrival, struck a conciliatory tone in her remarks. “Although people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait live under different systems, we will respect each other and move towards each other,” she said, adding that the KMT’s core goal is to “seek systemic solutions to prevent and avoid war” across the Taiwan Strait.

    Cheng began her mainland visit on Tuesday, stopping first in Shanghai and Nanjing before traveling to the Chinese capital for Friday’s meeting. A longstanding advocate for peaceful cross-strait engagement, she has openly opposed large increases to Taiwan’s defense budget, and her KMT party currently holds enough legislative sway to block incumbent Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s proposed special defense allocation. The budget would fund major arms purchases, including the development of the “Taiwan Dome,” a domestically built air defense interception system.

    The historical context of cross-strait relations stretches back to the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. When Mao Zedong’s Communist Party seized control of mainland China, defeated KMT forces retreated across the Taiwan Strait to the island, where they established a separate governing administration that has remained in place ever since.

    A core point of agreement reaffirmed by both leaders at Friday’s meeting was commitment to the 1992 Consensus, the informal tacit agreement that underpinned decades of cross-strait engagement. While the agreement has never been formalized in a signed official document, both sides agree that it upholds the core principle that Taiwan and mainland China are part of a single “one China.” The two sides have long differed on interpretation, however: the KMT has long held that each side is free to interpret what “one China” means individually, a position Beijing has never formally recognized.

    In closing her remarks, Cheng emphasized that both parties would work together to ensure the Taiwan Strait is transformed from a potential conflict flashpoint into a region of lasting peace, and would prevent the island from becoming a geopolitical pawn manipulated by outside powers.

    This report was compiled with contributions from correspondent Wu reporting from Bangkok, Thailand.

  • Australian shares secure biggest weekly gain since 2022 despite market dip

    Australian shares secure biggest weekly gain since 2022 despite market dip

    Australia’s benchmark stock index has pulled off a remarkable milestone this week, logging its strongest weekly performance in more than two years even as lingering geopolitical instability kept market sentiment cautious through Friday’s trading session. The S&P/ASX 200 edged down 12.60 points, or 0.14%, to close at 8,960.60 on Friday, while the broader All Ordinaries index also slipped by a matching 0.14% to settle at 9,155.80. Despite the single-day pullback, the benchmark ASX 200 notched a 4.2% weekly gain that leaves it just 250 points shy of its all-time record high of 9,202.

    Market analyst Tony Sycamore notes that the monthly gain for April currently sits at 5.55%, which has erased 70% of the steep losses the index suffered during the market downturn in March. That recovery marks a notable turnaround following the sharp contraction Australian equities saw just one month prior.

    On Friday, only three out of the Australian exchange’s 11 major sectors finished the trading day in positive territory. The real estate sector led the gains, climbing 0.88% overall, with Vicinity Centres posting a 3.2% rise to close at $2.56. Utilities and financials followed the real estate sector in positive performance. Among Australia’s big four retail banks, results were mixed: National Australia Bank (NAB) added 0.31% after announcing its second fixed-rate mortgage hike in two weeks, Commonwealth Bank of Australia rose 0.47%, Westpac Banking Corporation gained 0.28% after positioning itself as the country’s lowest-cost fixed-rate lender, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group edged up 0.23%.

    The information technology sector was the day’s poorest performer, with multiple major stocks posting notable declines. Logistics software firm WiseTech Global fell 2.6% to $37.61, cloud accounting platform Xero dropped 2.7% to $71.46, and Life360 slipped 3.3% to $19.48 shortly after unveiling workforce cuts as part of a restructuring to align its operations with artificial intelligence integration.

    Geopolitical uncertainty tied to Middle East tensions remains the primary driver of market volatility, analysts confirm. While a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced on April 8, ongoing reports of military strikes in Lebanon and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil chokepoint, have kept traders on edge.

    The uncertain outlook has hit energy sector stocks, with Whitehaven Coal falling 3.2% to $8.12 and Woodside Energy dipping 0.2% to $33.29. Despite weak energy equities, concerns over the durability of the ceasefire have pushed crude oil prices higher: Brent Crude edged up 0.8% to trade at US$96.72 per barrel.

    “Oil initially fell sharply when the ceasefire was announced, as traders ruled out the most severe supply disruption scenarios,” explained market analyst Daniela Hathorn. “But prices have since rebounded as doubts about how long the agreement will hold have grown.”

    Amid the broader market volatility, safe-haven assets continued to see steady gains, with gold climbing 0.06% to hit US$4,766.17 per ounce. The Australian dollar was last trading at 70.86 U.S. cents.

  • Croatian fishermen feel the strain after Iran war ramps up fuel prices

    Croatian fishermen feel the strain after Iran war ramps up fuel prices

    Along the sun-drenched Adriatic coast of Croatia, where turquoise waters meet rolling Istrian peninsulas, 55-year-old fisherman Marijan Jakopovic continues the daily routine he has kept for three decades: readying his vessel and casting nets as dusk falls. But this year, the generational trade he inherited has grown more punishing than ever, as cascading crises driven by geopolitical conflict push Croatia’s small-scale commercial fishing sector toward collapse.

    The root of the latest crisis traces back to the ongoing war in Iran, which has sent global energy prices soaring. For Croatia’s fishermen, who rely on discounted “blue diesel” reserved exclusively for agricultural and maritime fishing work, the spike has been staggering: official data shows the price of this specialized fuel jumped 70% in just one month, climbing from €0.80 ($0.94) per liter on March 8 to €1.36 ($1.59) per liter by April 7. While the Croatian government imposed an emergency temporary price cap to stem the surge, senior Ministry of Economy official Vedran Spehar confirmed that even with intervention, prices have risen dramatically; without government action, Spehar noted, blue diesel would have hit at least €2 ($2.34) per liter, though state intervention did prevent widespread supply shortages.

    Croatia, which joined the European Union in 2013 and adopted the euro as its currency in 2023, was already grappling with steep economic pressure long before the latest Iran-driven fuel spike. The economic fallout from the war in Ukraine pushed energy and food costs upward across the bloc, and Croatia currently holds the unenviable title of having the EU’s highest annual inflation rate at 4.8%. The euro adoption transition itself also coincided with broad-based price increases across nearly every domestic sector, squeezing household and business budgets alike.

    For fishermen like Jakopovic, the fuel price surge is the final straw added to a web of long-standing challenges that have eroded profit margins for years. As an EU member, Croatia adheres to the bloc’s strict sustainable fishing regulations, which include seasonal catch bans, species-specific limits, and large protected marine zones designed to reverse declining fish populations and preserve endangered species. While these rules are critical for long-term ecological health, they have forced commercial fishermen to travel much farther from shore to reach legal fishing grounds, increasing their time at sea and overall fuel consumption—creating a vicious cycle of rising costs that many can no longer outrun.

    Compounding these structural pressures is the influx of cheap frozen seafood imports that have undercut domestic fishermen’s pricing, all while Croatia’s booming coastal tourism industry, which drew more than 20 million visitors in 2023, has failed to translate to higher earnings for local fishing crews. Even though local fishermen are the primary suppliers of fresh fish to the restaurants and markets that cater to summer tourists, their operating costs now far outpace the revenue they earn from their catch. Jakopovic explains that depending on vessel size, some fishermen now spend up to 70% of their total gross income on fuel alone, before covering expenses for crew wages, boat maintenance, and fishing equipment.

    With costs spiraling, fishermen are warning that a further escalation of the Iran conflict, which could lead to another round of fuel price surges if planned ceasefire talks fail, would push many operations into insolvency. “This is turning into an almost hopeless situation,” Jakopovic says of his small Lanisce village fishing community on the Istrian Peninsula. “We don’t know how much longer we will be able to keep working.”

    The ripple effects of the crisis are already set to impact consumers across Croatia, with higher fresh fish prices likely to hit markets and restaurants in 2024. Almira Raimovic, a former fisherman turned vendor at Pula’s central market, who now repurposed her old fishing boat for more profitable tourist excursions, says higher fuel costs will force fishermen to pass price increases up the supply chain. She predicts that Mediterranean consumers, who have long centered fresh seafood in their diets, will shift their purchasing habits toward cheaper small species like sardines and anchovies as premium fresh catches become unaffordable.

    Raimovic emphasizes that the impact will extend far beyond the fishing sector, adding to already high living costs across the country: “Rising fuel prices will affect everyone, inflating the cost of living and of food across all sectors, not just fishing.”

    The crisis is not unique to Croatia: neighboring countries in the Adriatic region have also faced similar pressure on their fishing industries, even with state subsidies and price caps in place to offset fuel costs. For thousands of Croatian fishermen whose families have worked the Adriatic for generations, the coming months will determine whether the centuries-old trade can survive the dual pressures of geopolitical volatility and the long-term structural challenges of EU-regulated fishing.

  • In Pakistan’s mediation to end Mideast war, China may hold the key

    In Pakistan’s mediation to end Mideast war, China may hold the key

    As diplomatic envoys from the United States and Iran prepare to convene in Islamabad for high-stakes negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing Middle East conflict, official insiders and regional analysts agree: China’s behind-the-scenes influence cleared the path for the talks, and it will remain indispensable to securing a durable, long-term truce.

    Pakistan has earned international acclaim – and no small amount of surprise – for pulling off a last-minute temporary ceasefire between the warring parties, an achievement that looked all but impossible as late as Tuesday night. But senior Pakistani officials emphasize that China’s quieter, less publicized contribution was just as critical to securing the preliminary deal as Islamabad’s own frontline efforts.

    “By ceasefire night, hope was all but gone,” a senior anonymous Pakistani official with direct knowledge of the closed-door negotiations told Agence France-Presse. “It was China that stepped in and convinced Iran to sign on to the preliminary truce. Our work was central, but we were stuck without a breakthrough – that only came after Beijing’s intervention with Tehran.”

    This account echoes comments made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who shortly after announcing the two-week ceasefire on social media confirmed to AFP that China had been the key factor in persuading Iran to join the negotiating table.

    The planned Islamabad talks have sparked fragile new optimism for ending a conflict that broke out in late February, when Israel and the U.S. launched strikes against Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks from Iran across the Persian Gulf and targeting Israeli cities. The war has already killed thousands of people and sent shockwaves through the global economy.

    Pakistan, which shares deep cultural and religious ties with Iran and has long-standing close personal relations between its leadership and former U.S. President Trump, was tapped to serve as the neutral facilitator for the talks. To reach a lasting peace deal, Islamabad will have to guide the two rival sides through a minefield of intractable issues, including the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and the future status of Iran’s nuclear program.

    According to a second anonymous diplomatic source, Pakistan has assembled a specialized team of technical experts to support negotiations on navigation, nuclear affairs, and other core contentious topics. As Islamabad lays the groundwork for the talks, the source and a cohort of regional experts and former officials agree that all attention remains focused on China’s upcoming role.

    “Iran has specifically requested that China act as a guarantor for any final deal – Iran needs a trusted third party to hold up its end of the agreement,” the source explained. The main alternative, Russia, remains bogged down in its ongoing war in Ukraine and was unacceptable to Western powers, particularly the European Union, leaving China as the only viable option.

    Beijing already maintains exceptionally close ties to both Islamabad and Tehran. For years amid crippling U.S.-led sanctions on Iran, China has been Tehran’s largest trading partner. In Pakistan, China has poured tens of billions of dollars into large-scale infrastructure projects under President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, a partnership so close the two countries refer to each other as “ironclad brothers.”

    Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a former Pakistani senator who previously chaired the upper house’s defence and foreign affairs committee, noted that Pakistan and China have coordinated closely on ceasefire efforts from the very start of the hostilities. “Given that Iran does not trust the Trump-Netanyahu duo,” Sayed said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “China’s role as the ultimate guarantor will remain irreplaceable for reaching any final peace agreement.”

    Weeks ago, after Pakistan’s foreign minister held de-escalation talks with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, he traveled directly to Beijing to coordinate strategy, after which China publicly expressed its full backing for Islamabad’s mediation efforts. More recently, Beijing has also stepped in to help ease Pakistan’s own escalating border conflict with Afghanistan, hosting peace talks between Afghan government delegates and Pakistani officials in Urumqi following weeks of cross-border fighting.

    Hours before the preliminary ceasefire was announced, China also joined Russia in vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – a move widely viewed as a significant gesture of goodwill to Tehran, which had imposed an effective blockade on the strategic waterway since the war began.

    Unlike Pakistan’s high-profile mediation, China has intentionally avoided the public spotlight, only reiterating that it has worked behind the scenes to encourage an end to hostilities. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson noted that Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held 26 phone calls with counterparts from regional and world powers, while Beijing’s special Middle East envoy has shuttled repeatedly across the conflict zone to facilitate talks.

    Even so, analysts and officials remain uncertain whether China will agree to take on a formal, public guarantor role in the final peace deal. “China has its own strategic considerations,” the second diplomatic source said. “It does not want to be publicly dragged into this conflict,” even as it continues to play an outsized behind-the-scenes role.

    The negotiations themselves face steep odds to resolve the massive gaps between the two sides’ positions. One major unresolved sticking point is the inclusion of Lebanon in any permanent ceasefire: Pakistan’s prime minister and Iran have both insisted Lebanon must be covered by the truce, a demand Israel has rejected. Israel, which Pakistan does not formally recognize, has continued to carry out deadly airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, while the U.S. has announced it will host separate bilateral talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington next week.

    “These negotiations are incredibly complex and sensitive,” the second source added. “For all sides to reach a consensus, everyone will have to make painful compromises and difficult concessions.”

  • A country-by-country glance at Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Africa

    A country-by-country glance at Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Africa

    Pope Leo XIV has launched an ambitious, 11-day pastoral tour across four African nations, a demanding itinerary whose scope and complexity echoes the iconic globe-spanning journeys Pope St. John Paul II undertook during his early papacy. Across each stop, the pontiff will center his messages on four core themes: peaceful coexistence between Christian and Muslim communities, the urgent harms of overexploiting Africa’s natural and human resources, systemic corruption, and the global crisis of migration.

    The tour kicks off in Algeria, running from April 13 to 15, a stop that carries deeply personal meaning for Pope Leo. The pontiff’s own religious order draws its foundational inspiration from St. Augustine, the 5th-century theological giant who lived, served as bishop, and died in what is today the coastal Algerian city of Annaba, then known as Hippo. Leo will visit the ancient site to pay homage to the saint.

    Beyond faith, Algeria’s legacies and modern realities will frame the Pope’s other priorities: a majority Sunni Muslim nation on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast and a former French colony, the country sits at the intersection of interfaith dialogue and migration challenges. Last year, Algeria’s parliament passed a historic law formally branding 132 years of French colonial rule a crime against humanity, calling for restitution of property seized during the occupation to redress centuries of historical harm. During his visit, Pope Leo will honor the memory of migrants who died in shipwrecks while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, and will make a historic stop at Algiers’ Great Mosque to underscore his call for Christian-Muslim harmony.

    From Algeria, the Pope will travel to Cameroon for a three-day visit from April 15 to 18, where peacebuilding will take center stage. On April 16, he will lead a high-profile peace gathering in the northwestern city of Bamenda, featuring firsthand testimony from a Mankon traditional ruler, a Presbyterian moderator, a local imam, and a Catholic nun.

    Cameroon’s western regions have been locked in devastating conflict since 2017, when English-speaking separatists launched an insurgency aimed at creating an independent English-speaking state separated from the country’s French-speaking majority. Research from the International Crisis Group estimates the conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and forced over 600,000 residents from their homes. In the country’s north, separate violence linked to Boko Haram militants continues to plague communities, as the extremist insurgency based in neighboring Nigeria has spilled across the border.

    Blessed with rich reserves of oil, natural gas, cobalt, bauxite, iron ore, gold, and diamonds, Cameroon’s extractive sector makes up nearly a third of the nation’s total exports, per data from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. But human rights organizations and the Catholic Church have repeatedly warned that almost all revenue from resource extraction flows to foreign corporations and a small domestic elite, with almost no benefit reaching the rural and Indigenous communities that live in immediate proximity to mining and drilling sites. While French and British firms have long controlled the sector, Chinese companies have rapidly expanded their footprint in Cameroon in recent years, particularly in the gold-mining regions of the country’s east.

    A 2023 United Nations expert report documented severe human rights abuses and environmental damage from unregulated gold mining in eastern Cameroon, where widespread mercury use poisons waterways and local communities. UNICEF has also found that the gold rush has driven hundreds of children to drop out of school to work in informal, makeshift mines, where they risk their lives for less than a dollar’s worth of ore sold on local black markets.

    The third stop on the tour is Angola, where the Pope will stay from April 18 to 21. Roughly 58% of Angola’s 38 million residents identify as Catholic, and Leo will open his visit with prayers at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a revered Marian shrine that ranks among the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in the country. The original chapel at the site was constructed at the end of the 16th century by Portuguese colonists after they built a fortress at Muxima, which went on to become a key processing point in the transatlantic slave trade: enslaved African people were baptized at the shrine before being forced onto ships bound for the Americas.

    Today, Angola ranks as the fourth-largest oil producer on the African continent and among the top 20 global oil producers, according to the International Energy Agency. It is also the world’s third-largest diamond exporter, and holds substantial reserves of gold and critical minerals required for global clean energy technologies. Yet despite its vast natural wealth, 2023 World Bank data shows that more than 30% of Angolans survive on less than $2.15 per day. The country won independence from Portugal in 1975, but immediately descended into a 27-year civil war that only ended in 2002, leaving more than half a million people dead and deep, lasting socioeconomic scars across the nation. Vatican officials confirmed that in Angola, Pope Leo will deliver a message of hope and healing focused specifically on the country’s young people.

    The tour will conclude in Equatorial Guinea from April 21 to 23, a small former Spanish colony that was transformed overnight when large offshore oil reserves were discovered in the mid-1990s. Today, oil makes up nearly half of the country’s GDP and more than 90% of its total exports, according to the African Development Bank. But despite this resource windfall, the World Bank’s 2023 report confirms that more than half of the population lives in poverty, with 70% of the nation’s 2 million residents surviving on low incomes.

    Equatorial Guinea is an authoritarian petrostate ruled by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has held power since 1979, making him the longest-serving sitting head of state in Africa. Obiang and his ruling family face widespread accusations of systemic corruption, human rights abuses, and authoritarian crackdowns: Human Rights Watch and other global rights groups have documented that almost all oil revenue has been siphoned to enrich the Obiang family and close allies, rather than lifting the general population out of poverty. The government also faces repeated accusations of arbitrary harassment, arrest, and intimidation of political opponents, independent journalists, and civilian critics.

    Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni confirmed that beyond addressing the harms of unregulated resource extraction across the continent, Pope Leo will directly raise issues of systemic corruption and the responsibilities of democratic governance during his tour. This coverage of the papal visit is produced by the Associated Press, which receives funding support for its religion coverage through a collaboration with The Conversation US, via funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP retains full editorial responsibility for all content.

  • Citizen ‘Frog Patrol’ helps amphibians survive a dangerous road journey in Poland

    Citizen ‘Frog Patrol’ helps amphibians survive a dangerous road journey in Poland

    Each wet, rainy spring night in a quiet forest 30 kilometers west of Warsaw, Poland, an extraordinary grassroots volunteer initiative swings into action: the citizen “Frog Patrol,” a group of local nature lovers dedicated to guiding thousands of migrating amphibians safely across a deadly highway that cuts through their ancient mating route.

    When rising spring temperatures thaw Mlochowski Forest, thousands of toads and frogs emerge from months of winter hibernation to begin their arduous annual journey to the shallow marshes where they have reproduced for millennia. The trek is an unequal one: far smaller male toads cling tightly to the backs of their larger female partners, clinging on to avoid being displaced by rival males once the group reaches the spawning waters. For generations, this migration proceeded uninterrupted — but a new highway carved across the path just over a decade ago turned the seasonal journey into a massacre. At the start of each mating season, thousands of migrating amphibians were crushed under vehicle tires, leaving roadsides lined with decomposing bodies that shocked local nature enthusiasts.

    Four years ago, those shocking scenes pushed local resident Łukasz Franczuk and a group of friends to action. Three years ago, they formally organized the Frog Patrol, mobilizing hundreds of local volunteers to intervene during migration season. Because amphibians breathe through their skin, which requires constant moisture, they only migrate during rainy nights — which is when patrol members spring into action. Wearing reflective yellow vests marked with the group’s name, equipped with headlamps and buckets, volunteers fan out along the narrow forest road each rainy evening, collecting amphibians from the roadside and carrying them safely to the marshside on the other side of the highway. Even local residents out during the day, including children, now carry gloves to rescue any migrating frogs they find in harm’s way.

    For participants, the work is as much about connection as it is about conservation. “It’s really impressive to see whole families with kids walking in the rain, with buckets, in these lovely jackets to make them visible because it’s pretty unsafe, this road is narrow, and they carry the frogs from one side of the road to the other,” said Katarzyna Jacniacka, a long-time patrol participant. “When the frogs are migrating, there are a lot of people here.” Fellow volunteer Aleksandra Tkaczyk added that the patrol offers “the kind of connection with nature about which some of us care deeply.” Since the initiative launched three years ago, local volunteers estimate they have saved more than 18,000 amphibians from being killed on the road.

    Biologists confirm the volunteer effort is critical to protecting this local amphibian population. Krzysztof Klimaszewski, a biologist at Warsaw University of Life Sciences who has joined multiple patrols, noted that the work “actually allows this local population of amphibians to survive” in an ecosystem increasingly fragmented by human infrastructure.

    Poland’s Frog Patrol is far from unique: similar citizen-led conservation efforts to protect migrating amphibians have popped up across the globe. In the U.S. state of New Hampshire, volunteers with the Harris Center for Conservation Education rescue a wide range of amphibian species, including salamanders, from busy roads. In Bavaria, Germany, conservation group BUND Naturschutz reports rescuing up to 700,000 frogs, toads, newts and salamanders from traffic every year. Even in France, where frog legs are a traditional culinary delicacy, local volunteer groups protect wild migrating populations; in the southern Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, volunteers have installed roadside nets to collect amphibians before they reach busy roadways. In Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, city authorities recently broke ground on new amphibian fencing along a busy migration route, designed to guide frogs and other wildlife to safe underground crossing tunnels and cut down on traffic-related deaths.

  • Attack on Saudi Arabian pipeline wiped out 10 percent of kingdom’s oil export capacity

    Attack on Saudi Arabian pipeline wiped out 10 percent of kingdom’s oil export capacity

    In a landmark official statement released Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry confirmed that coordinated attacks on its critical East-West oil pipeline have eliminated 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) of production capacity — equal to roughly 10 percent of the kingdom’s current total oil exports.

    The ministry’s announcement marked the first time Riyadh has publicly acknowledged that Iranian strikes have caused meaningful damage to its national energy infrastructure, a revelation that lands just 48 hours before high-stakes US-Iran peace negotiations are set to kick off in Islamabad, Pakistan. Among the targets hit was a key pumping station along the East-West pipeline, the kingdom’s primary alternative route for getting Gulf crude to global markets after Iran blocked commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest chokepoint for oil trade. Connecting Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Gulf coast to the Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu, the pipeline had previously been operating at full 7 million bpd capacity, per earlier reporting from Bloomberg. The attack cut that pumped volume by 10 percent overnight.

    Beyond the pipeline strike, Riyadh also confirmed that two major oil processing facilities, Manifa and Khurais, were targeted in earlier Iranian attacks. Those strikes reduced combined production capacity at the two sites by an additional 600,000 bpd. Iranian forces also struck major refining complexes in four key Saudi locations: Jubail, Ras Tanura, Yanbu and the capital Riyadh. Those hits have directly cut into the kingdom’s ability to ship refined petroleum products to global buyers.

    In its official statement, the energy ministry warned that the ongoing wave of attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure carries severe consequences for global energy security. “The continuation of these attacks leads to supply shortages and slows the pace of recovery, impacting the security of supplies for beneficiary countries and contributing to increased volatility in oil markets,” the statement read.

    The public confirmation marks a sharp shift from Riyadh’s previous approach, which saw the kingdom stay largely silent on damage from repeated attacks on its energy assets. The announcement comes amid a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran, announced earlier this week, that Saudi Arabia has publicly welcomed. Multiple international outlets including the Financial Times have reported that other Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait have also faced continued Iranian strikes in recent days, though violence had tapered off by Thursday.

    Diplomatic preparations for the Saturday talks in Pakistan have accelerated in recent days. On Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate calls with his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. As a close strategic partner of both Islamabad and Riyadh, Pakistan’s role as mediator for the talks was only possible with explicit approval from the Saudi government, unnamed diplomats told Middle East Eye. The talks come amid shifting geopolitical alignments in the region: earlier reporting from MEE confirmed that Saudi Arabia recently granted the US military access to King Fahd Air Base in western Saudi Arabia, after Washington pressured Riyadh to back the US-Israeli campaign against Iran.