Global Pulse

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  • Gambia appoints British barrister to prosecute gruesome Jammeh-era crimes

    Gambia appoints British barrister to prosecute gruesome Jammeh-era crimes

    Almost a decade after former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh suffered an unexpected electoral defeat that forced him from power after 22 years of authoritarian rule, survivors of his regime’s systematic human rights violations have finally secured a landmark step in their long fight for accountability.

    British barrister Martin Hackett, a seasoned international war crimes prosecutor with decades of experience investigating grave atrocities, has been named The Gambia’s inaugural special prosecutor to pursue individuals implicated in the widespread repression, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings that marked Jammeh’s time in office. Jammeh fled to exile in Equatorial Guinea in early 2017, after regional military intervention compelled him to step down following his rejection of the 2016 election results.

    Hackett will lead a purpose-built new office tasked with adjudicating cases from the Jammeh era, a period that documentation has confirmed was rife with systematic human rights abuses. His appointment comes years after the West African nation established the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), a transitional justice body created to map the full scale of alleged violations committed under Jammeh’s rule. The TRRC collected harrowing firsthand testimony from hundreds of victims, former state security agents, and other witnesses before delivering its final report to current President Adama Barrow in 2021. In that report, the commission explicitly named the individuals most responsible for abuses and formally recommended criminal prosecution, while also stressing the urgent need for reparations for survivors—warning that inaction would cement a culture of impunity in The Gambia.

    To date, the TRRC has begun rolling out phased compensation disbursements, starting with victims of abuses that took place in the immediate aftermath of the 1994 coup that brought Jammeh to power. Yet for the vast majority of survivors, financial reparations remain a secondary priority to holding perpetrators legally accountable for their crimes.

    The TRRC’s investigation highlighted dozens of high-profile atrocities, among them the 2004 assassination of independent journalist Deyda Hydara, a killing that drew international condemnation of press freedom violations in The Gambia. Another of the most shocking cases uncovered was the execution of more than 50 mostly West African migrants, who were killed by state security forces on false charges of plotting a coup against Jammeh.

    Before Hackett’s appointment, a small number of lower-level perpetrators had already faced conviction outside The Gambia under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Multiple former members of the Junglers—Jammeh’s notorious paramilitary death squad—have been sentenced to prison in Germany and the United States for their roles in atrocities.

    Hackett brings extensive international credibility to the new role, having previously served with the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and led investigations into war crimes committed by senior military commanders during the Kosovo conflict. Legal and transitional justice observers widely view his appointment as a definitive turning point toward establishing full domestic accountability for decades of abuse.

    Gambian Attorney General Dawda Jallow confirmed that Hackett was selected from a large pool of qualified applicants and will serve a four-year mandate in the role. Jammeh, now 60 years old, has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing during his rule. He refused to cooperate with the TRRC’s investigation and remains in exile in Equatorial Guinea, beyond the reach of Gambian judicial authorities for the time being.

  • Shanghai Disney Resort is a top cultural tourism destination, report says

    Shanghai Disney Resort is a top cultural tourism destination, report says

    A new study published Wednesday by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges has formally recognized Shanghai Disney Resort as one of China’s premier cultural tourism destinations, highlighting its decade-long success in weaving global Disney intellectual property with deeply rooted Chinese cultural traditions to attract millions of domestic and international travelers.

    Since welcoming its first guests more than a decade ago, the resort has broken visitor milestones by leaning into its unique positioning slogan: “Authentically Disney, Distinctly Chinese.” This innovative, cross-cultural approach has not only driven consistent growth in tourist footfall but also yielded a string of globally celebrated original attractions and concepts that set it apart from Disney parks across the world.

    Per the report’s official data, the Shanghai resort has welcomed more than 100 million cumulative guests since its opening, a landmark figure that underscores its widespread popularity and commercial and cultural success. Standout creations born from this localized strategy include LinaBell, the pink fox Disney character that sparked a global fan frenzy following her debut at the Shanghai resort, as well as the world’s first ever Zootopia-themed land, a cutting-edge attraction that draws fans of the franchise from every corner of the globe.

    Unlike traditional international theme park entries that rely on importing pre-existing, unaltered content to Chinese markets, Shanghai Disney Resort has prioritized cultural integration. Examples of this approach stretch beyond new attractions: the resort regularly hosts seasonal events that celebrate traditional Chinese festivals such as Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Dragon Boat Festival, and has even collaborated with local performing arts groups to create cross-cultural experiences, such as the popular photo opportunity showing Disney character LinaBell performing alongside a young Shanghai opera actress. This blend of global entertainment and local cultural resonance has turned the resort into more than a tourist attraction — it has become a model for how international cultural brands can adapt and thrive in China’s dynamic consumer market.

  • World welcomes US-Iran ceasefire

    World welcomes US-Iran ceasefire

    A dramatic last-minute diplomatic breakthrough averted an all-out escalation of conflict between the United States and Iran on Wednesday, just one hour before a sweeping US deadline for military action was set to expire. Global leaders and markets reacted swiftly with relief to the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, which also includes Iran’s commitment to temporarily reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global oil supplies.

    The ceasefire brings an end to more than five weeks of intense cross-border attacks launched by the US and Israel that began on February 28. Under the terms of the deal, Iran has agreed to enter into formal peace negotiations with Washington starting this Friday, with Islamabad set to host the talks aimed at reaching a permanent end to hostilities.

    The agreement was brokered by Pakistan, which maintains longstanding diplomatic ties with both sides. US President Donald Trump confirmed the deal in a post to his Truth Social platform, released shortly after his call with Pakistani leadership. “Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the complete, immediate, and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump wrote.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi followed up with an official statement on behalf of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, confirming that the Strait would remain open to all commercial shipping for the full 14-day period. The waterway, which carries roughly 20 percent of the world’s daily oil supply, was closed by Iran in late February as retaliation for the opening of hostilities. “If attacks against Iran are halted, our powerful armed forces will cease their defensive operations,” Araghchi said. The statement accompanied a 10-point negotiation framework from Tehran that lays out core demands, including continued Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, international recognition of its civilian nuclear enrichment program, full lifting of all US primary and secondary sanctions, the full withdrawal of US military forces from the Middle East region, and a $2 million transit fee for all commercial vessels passing through the waterway, with a share of revenue allocated to Oman.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed Wednesday that the ceasefire applies to all active fronts, including ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and that all major parties had agreed to the terms. A White House official also confirmed that Israel has accepted the ceasefire agreement. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contradicted that claim hours later, stating that his country’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon would continue uninterrupted, a direct mismatch with the mediator’s official account of the deal.

    Trump added that negotiators are already making solid progress toward a permanent long-term agreement, noting that Iran’s 10-point framework “is a workable basis for negotiation.”

    Global financial markets surged on the news of the ceasefire, as investors priced in an end to the month-long disruption of global energy supplies. Crude oil prices plummeted in early trading, with West Texas Intermediate crude falling nearly 20 percent and Brent crude dropping as much as 16 percent. Global equity markets also posted sharp gains: major Asian indexes rose between 2 and 3 percent, while Dubai’s benchmark stock index jumped 8.5 percent, its largest single-day intraday gain since December 2014, per Bloomberg data.

    International leaders broadly welcomed the breakthrough as a critical step away from catastrophic regional war. European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas described the ceasefire as a “step back from the brink” that creates a “much-needed” window for diplomatic progress. United Nations Secretary-General also issued a statement hailing the two-week truce as an opportunity to build a lasting peace.

    Despite the widespread relief, lingering tensions underscore just how fragile the current diplomatic breakthrough remains. Early Wednesday, even as the ceasefire was being formally announced, active missile alerts remained in place across the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. Officials in Abu Dhabi confirmed that a gas processing facility caught fire following an incoming Iranian missile strike, launched before the truce took full effect. Fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon also continued through Wednesday morning.

    Most critically, core disagreements that sparked the conflict in the first place remain unresolved. The US and Israel launched the campaign to address what they call unacceptable risks from Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile development, and its support for regional armed proxies. There has been no public indication that the two sides have bridged these gaps ahead of Friday’s talks, and the future remains unclear once the 14-day ceasefire period expires.

    The crisis began when Trump set a hard deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening the total destruction of all Iranian power plants and critical infrastructure if the deadline was not met. The deadline passed at 8 pm Washington time on Tuesday, with the ceasefire agreed just one hour before it expired. In the lead-up to the deadline, Iranian authorities reported that 14 million Iranians, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, had volunteered to defend the country, with civilians forming human chains around key national infrastructure including bridges and power plants.

  • JD Vance to lead US team in talks with Iran in Pakistan

    JD Vance to lead US team in talks with Iran in Pakistan

    The White House has officially announced that U.S. Vice President JD Vance will lead a high-profile American delegation to face-to-face negotiations with Iranian representatives in Pakistan, with talks set to kick off on April 11. The announcement comes in the wake of a newly implemented ceasefire between the two nations, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says has created a rare diplomatic opening that could pave the way for long-term stability across the Middle East.

    Despite this optimistic framing, key details surrounding the negotiation agenda, specific peace proposals, and the current status of maritime traffic through the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz remain shrouded in uncertainty. Just days before the ceasefire, Iranian military officials issued stark public warnings that any vessel attempting to traverse the strait without explicit Tehran authorization would be targeted and destroyed. Leavitt pushed back on this public posture, however, noting that Iran’s private diplomatic messaging differs significantly from its public rhetoric.

    During Wednesday’s White House press briefing, Leavitt declared that the U.S. had secured its core military objectives in what Washington has dubbed Operation Epic Fury. She confirmed that the operation, which preceded the ceasefire, successfully dismantled Iran’s naval forces, unmanned aerial vehicle program, and ballistic missile infrastructure, meeting the campaign’s primary goals. Joining Vance on the U.S. negotiating team will be special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who will meet their Iranian counterparts in Islamabad on Saturday.

    Leavitt dismissed widespread media reports of a 10-point peace proposal put forward by Iran as inaccurate, revealing that an initial Iranian proposal was rejected out of hand for being “fundamentally unserious.” According to Leavitt, Tehran submitted a revised offer only after President Donald Trump issued an extraordinary threat that “a whole civilization will die” if no acceptable deal was reached. She emphasized that the Trump administration would never accept a deal that simply codified Iran’s existing policy demands, calling that outcome unthinkable.

    Contrary to Iran’s public warnings to shipping, Leavitt confirmed that Tehran has privately agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil supplies pass. When pressed on the clear disconnect between the White House’s positive framing and Iran’s public threats to shipping, Leavitt said Trump remains committed to holding Iran accountable for its commitments and expects the strait to be opened “quickly and safely.”

    Trump’s pre-ceasefire threat, posted on his social platform Truth Social, drew widespread backlash from across the U.S. political spectrum, with critics raising urgent concerns about the humanitarian fallout of expanded U.S. strikes on Iranian civilian and military infrastructure. Leavitt defended the president’s blunt language, arguing that his uncompromising negotiating style and tough rhetoric are directly responsible for bringing Iran to the negotiating table. She added that Trump retains the moral high ground in the standoff against what the White House calls Iran’s “rogue regime.”

    Later Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to hold a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that Leavitt described as “very frank and candid.” The meeting comes amid escalating friction between the alliance and the U.S., its largest military and political contributor. Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO for failing to support the U.S. during the Iran conflict and for not assisting in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Leavitt directly quoted a letter from Trump in which the president stated, “NATO was tested and they failed.”

    She also confirmed that Trump has discussed the possibility of the U.S. withdrawing from the 75-year-old security alliance, though she offered no additional details on the scope or timeline of any potential exit. Tensions between Trump and NATO predate the Iran conflict, rooted in long-running disagreements over defense spending and, more recently, Trump’s public interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. European NATO allies have repeatedly rejected any possibility of a transfer of sovereignty over the island, deepening the rift between Washington and the alliance.

  • UK ban on Ye sparks criticism as Starmer stays silent over US threats to destroy Iran

    UK ban on Ye sparks criticism as Starmer stays silent over US threats to destroy Iran

    The United Kingdom Home Office’s Tuesday rejection of a visa application from American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, over his history of antisemitic comments has ignited fierce public and political debate across Britain, with critics accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government of prioritizing a high-profile cultural ban over addressing alarming threats of mass violence tied to the Middle East.

    Ye had originally been booked as a headline act for London’s summer 2026 Wireless Festival, a booking that already faced widespread condemnation from British politicians and Jewish community groups who pushed organizers to drop the rapper over his long record of antisemitic rhetoric. The festival’s director initially defended the invitation against this pressure, but the Home Office’s visa ruling has now scrapped Ye’s planned appearance entirely, with Festival Republic, the event’s parent organizer, confirming the July performance slot would not be filled following the entry ban.

    In its official announcement of the visa refusal, the Home Office stated that Ye’s presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public good. Starmer backed the ban in a post on X, writing, “Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless. This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism.”

    However, the prime minister’s quick, public embrace of the ban has drawn sharp pushback from across the UK political and media landscape, with critics pointing to Starmer’s complete public silence on a recent threat from U.S. President Donald Trump that warned “a whole civilization will die” unless Iran allows unimpeded shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, amid escalating U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran. Critics argue the stark contrast between the government’s immediate action on Ye’s visa and its failure to address what many are calling a genocidal nuclear threat exposes a damaging double standard in British foreign policy.

    “On the verge of a genocidal, nuclear war that our supposed ‘ally’ has said he’s ready to unleash. Would it be too much to ask for the Prime Minister to have something to say about it? Or do? Suspend US bases now,” Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski wrote on X on April 7, the day after Trump’s comment.

    Prominent British historian William Dalrymple amplified that criticism on April 8, writing, “The total silence from Keir Starmer and his cabinet in the face of Trump’s genocidal threat to Iran, even as they took immediate concrete action to ban Ye, reveals deep and profoundly troubling double standards. As we saw repeatedly with Gaza, the mass slaughter of Muslims really doesn’t bother our government; now even the threat of complete civilisational erasure is not worth a passing comment.”

    Journalist Barry Malone echoed that take, noting “He’s tweeting about Kanye West” but has “nothing to say about Trump threatening to commit a genocide.” Left-wing Labour MP Zarah Sultana put the criticism even more sharply, writing, “Glad Keir Starmer’s Labour government is prioritising stopping musicians from performing. Wouldn’t want them distracted from their complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people and an illegal war on Iran.”

    Some social media users have also raised concerns beyond the double standard accusation, arguing that while most reject Ye’s antisemitic comments, the government’s decision to block entry over controversial speech sets a dangerous precedent for overstepping into cultural event planning. Others, however, have supported the ban as a necessary stand against hate speech.

    Ye, who has long said his public erratic behavior is tied to his bipolar disorder, has a well-documented history of inflammatory antisemitic statements. In 2022, he posted on X that he would go “death con 3 On Jewish people,” and in 2025, he was barred from entering Australia after releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler” and selling swastika-branded merchandise through his personal website.

    Earlier this year, Ye issued a public apology for his past actions in a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, writing, “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment and meaningful change.” Following the UK’s visa ban, Ye released another statement Tuesday saying he would “be grateful for the opportunity to meet with” Britain’s Jewish community, adding, “I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”

    Middle East Eye has reached out to 10 Downing Street for additional comment on the criticism of Starmer’s silence on Trump’s threat, and as of publication, no further statement has been released.

  • Key moments in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case

    Key moments in the Gilgo Beach serial killings case

    One of the most haunting cold case serial killing investigations in modern U.S. history has reached a pivotal turning point, as architect Rex Heuermann has formally entered guilty pleas for the deaths of eight women whose bodies were discovered scattered along Gilgo Beach on New York’s Long Island between the late 1990s and early 2010s.

    The case first captured national attention more than a decade ago, when investigators began unearthing a series of shallow graves along the remote Ocean Parkway between 2010 and 2011, revealing a pattern of violence that targeted primarily sex workers working along the South Shore of Long Island. For years, the identity of the killer remained a mystery, leaving communities terrified and families of the victims without answers, as law enforcement pursued thousands of leads and employed evolving forensic techniques to crack the case.

    The breakthrough came in 2023, when Heuermann, a Long Island-based architect with a decades-long career and a seemingly ordinary suburban life, was taken into custody and charged with multiple counts of murder. In the weeks leading up to his guilty plea, court documents and investigative reporting had laid out a growing body of evidence linking Heuermann to the crimes, including DNA evidence, cellphone records, and physical evidence recovered from the burial sites.

    By pleading guilty to all eight counts of murder, Heuermann brings a long-awaited measure of closure to the families of the victims, who waited nearly 30 years for justice after their loved ones disappeared. The plea also avoids a lengthy, high-profile public trial that would have retraced the details of the brutal crimes for a national audience. The case stands as a testament to the persistence of law enforcement in cold case investigations, and the impact of decades-long violence on tight-knit coastal communities.

  • ‘Total victory’ or TACO? Trump faces questions on Iran deal

    ‘Total victory’ or TACO? Trump faces questions on Iran deal

    Just 12 hours after issuing an apocalyptic warning that an entire civilization could be wiped out by conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump stood before the public to hail a new ceasefire agreement with Iran as a landmark win for global security. But the triumphant tone has quickly given way to fierce debate, with detractors arguing the shaky two-week truce is just the latest example of a well-documented pattern they have labeled with the viral trader-coined acronym: TACO, short for “Trump Always Chickens Out.”

    Trump, a former real estate developer who built his public brand on the negotiating playbook outlined in *The Art of the Deal*, has built a reputation for leaning into maximalist opening positions to gain maximum leverage over counterparties. In the lead-up to the ceasefire, that style included dire threats to bomb Iranian infrastructure back to the Stone Age, targeting civilian energy facilities and key bridge networks. For the president, that hardline pressure worked exactly as planned.

    In a brief post-announcement phone interview with Agence France-Presse, Trump insisted he had secured “Total and complete victory, 100 percent. No question about it.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed that narrative, telling reporters that the entire timeline was intentional from the start. The administration’s military campaign, codenamed Operation Epic Fury, was always planned to run four to six weeks, she said, and the success of U.S. military operations created the leverage necessary to open productive negotiations.

    But critics across the political spectrum say the pattern that played out with Iran matches a consistent trend they have observed across Trump’s handling of everything from trade tariffs to territorial disputes to international conflicts: ramp up threats to the brink of major conflict, then back down when market and political pressure builds, all while declaring a premature victory. That pattern has become so predictable that political analysts and even former allies have joined in the criticism.

    “President Trump is proving to be an increasingly unpredictable force and unreliable ally,” said Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, in an interview with AFP. Loge, who accurately predicted Tuesday morning that Trump would declare a self-proclaimed win and agree to a two-week ceasefire, added: “The only consistent thing President Trump does is declare victory.” For long-time Trump observers, the two-week timeline of the truce is also a familiar marker, one the president has relied on in multiple past crises to pause conflict while claiming success.

    Leading Democratic critics have launched especially sharp attacks, arguing the president stretched executive power far beyond its limits while a largely compliant Congress is out of session. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has labeled Trump a “military moron” and announced the Senate will hold a vote next week on a new war powers resolution to rein in the administration’s authority. Schumer argued that the ceasefire leaves Iran still firmly in control of the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, giving the country outsized influence over global energy prices, and has done nothing to roll back Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium or block its path to a nuclear weapon.

    Republican lawmakers are also growing nervous about the political fallout of the conflict, as American households already struggle with rising cost of living ahead of November’s midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress. “All of this happens when one man…has unchecked power to wage war,” Schumer added.

    Even a former Trump ally in Congress has broken with the president over the deal. Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said Thursday that “Trump, ‘the peace President’, should have never started this war alongside Israel, who clearly doesn’t want peace.” Fears over the truce’s longevity have also grown, as Iran has already threatened to walk away from the agreement if Israel does not halt its military operations in Lebanon.

    Still, Trump’s loyal supporters have defended the deal and his negotiating approach. Fox News host and long-time Trump ally Laura Ingraham argued shortly after the ceasefire announcement that the president’s strategy worked as intended. “It looks like Trump ultimately hits the home run here, takes it to the brink. Iran blinks,” Ingraham said on her show. For now, the truce remains on shaky ground, and the debate over whether Trump secured a historic foreign policy win or caved at the last minute looks set to drag on through the upcoming midterm campaign.

  • Pony.ai launches robotaxi service in Singapore

    Pony.ai launches robotaxi service in Singapore

    Chinese autonomous driving technology firm Pony.ai has entered a new phase of its global growth strategy, launching its first commercial robotaxi passenger service in Singapore in partnership with local transportation giant ComfortDelGro. The service officially went live on Tuesday, April 8 2026, bringing autonomous mobility options to residents and visitors in the Punggol district of northern Singapore.

    According to Pony.ai, the launch represents a major milestone in the company’s ongoing push to expand its footprint in international autonomous mobility markets. The current service covers a 12-kilometer route that connects two major residential communities in Punggol: Punggol Northshore and Waterway Sunrise, providing convenient last-mile and inter-neighborhood travel options for local users.

    This collaboration is the fruit of a strategic partnership signed between the two companies back in September 2025. ComfortDelGro, Singapore’s largest land transport operator, brings deep local market knowledge, regulatory connections and operational experience to the joint project, while Pony.ai contributes its industry-leading autonomous driving algorithm technology and fleet management capabilities.

    “Partnering with ComfortDelGro to launch passenger services marks a solid step forward for our Robotaxi fleet in Singapore,” stated James Peng, founder and chief executive officer of Pony.ai, in a statement following the launch.

    The Singapore launch aligns with Pony.ai’s aggressive 2026 global deployment plan, which the company outlined during its 2025 full-year financial performance review. The Guangzhou-headquartered firm announced it aims to roll out a fleet of more than 3,000 robotaxis across over 20 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, with nearly half of those cities located outside of China. Currently, the company is working closely with local industry partners and government regulatory agencies across its target international markets to facilitate a smooth transition from small-scale pilot testing to full commercial public operation.

    Industry observers note that the successful commercial launch in Singapore positions Pony.ai as one of the first Chinese autonomous driving firms to gain a foothold in the Southeast Asian mobility market, setting a benchmark for future cross-market expansion of Chinese smart mobility technology.

  • What is in the 10-point plan to end US-Israeli war on Iran?

    What is in the 10-point plan to end US-Israeli war on Iran?

    Just hours after US President Donald Trump issued a stark threat to erase Iranian civilization, a startling diplomatic reversal has upended tensions in the Middle East: Trump has announced his acceptance of a two-week ceasefire with Iran, built on the framework of a 10-point peace proposal put forward by the Islamic Republic. The US leader has characterized the Iranian plan as a “workable basis” for future negotiations, with key terms including a proposed fee for commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the full lifting of all international and US sanctions imposed on Iran.

    Notably, discrepancies have emerged between the Persian-language version of the plan released for Iranian audiences and the English-language version distributed to global media, with several high-demand provisions absent from the international iteration. Even as the final outcome of upcoming weeks of negotiations remains deeply uncertain, the tentative agreement already marks a dramatic turnaround for the United States, which joined Israel in a large-scale military offensive against Iran in late February, framed at the time by official rhetoric focused on overthrowing the existing Islamic Republic government.

    The proposal has already sparked furious backlash in Israel, where political leaders have decried the terms as an unprecedented national failure. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has labeled the deal the worst “political disaster in all of [Israel’s] history”, with particular outrage directed at the clause calling for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and an end to all Israeli military strikes on the country.

    Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, an Iran historian and lecturer at the University of St Andrews, told Middle East Eye that an initial review of the 10-point framework places it far beyond the scope of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the nuclear deal that Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018 — “in almost every dimension”. Unlike the JCPOA, which was strictly limited to nuclear restrictions in exchange for partial, reversible sanctions relief, Sadeghi-Boroujerdi argues this new proposal is far more ambitious: “It is not a nuclear deal. It is a comprehensive restructuring of the regional order in Iran’s favour.”

    As global powers react to the news with a mix of cautious relief and deep skepticism, a breakdown of the plan’s core provisions reveals just how far-reaching its implications would be if fully implemented.

    For the Trump administration and the global economy, the most urgent priority has been reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s global oil supplies pass. The waterway was effectively closed shortly after the US-Israel military campaign began, triggering massive disruption to energy markets and inflicting widespread damage on the global economy. The de facto closure spurred intense diplomatic pressure on all sides and even preliminary military planning to force the strait open, making its reopening a non-negotiable starting point for any talks.

    Trump’s conditional ceasefire agreement calls for the strait to be reopened immediately, but the full 10-point plan goes a step further. Under the proposal, Iran would charge a $2 million transit fee for every vessel passing through the waterway, with proceeds split between Iran and neighboring Oman. All funds collected would be allocated to the reconstruction of Iranian infrastructure, much of which has been destroyed by US and Israeli strikes since the offensive began in February. Iran would also take full responsibility for establishing and enforcing rules for safe passage through the strait. If approved, this arrangement would cement the strait as a critical strategic lever for Iran, dramatically strengthening its regional influence over global energy supplies.

    A core demand at the heart of Iran’s proposal is the full lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions imposed on the country. This marks a stark reversal of the policy Trump implemented after his 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA: at the time, Trump scrapped the nuclear accord, calling it a bad deal, and implemented a harsh “maximum pressure” campaign of sweeping sanctions that crippled Iran’s economy, pushed millions of Iranian citizens into poverty, and inadvertently empowered hardline factions through a booming black market for restricted goods.

    US sanctions have been in place in one form or another since 1987, ahead of the end of the Iran-Iraq War. A full removal would therefore represent the most significant shift in US-Iran relations in nearly four decades.

    Another non-negotiable pillar for Iran is a binding international guarantee that neither the country nor its regional allied groups will face future military attacks. Iranian leaders have long cited Trump’s well-documented unpredictability as a reason to distrust his public commitments, so a permanent security guarantee is central to any long-term peace deal. While the plan does not explicitly name Israel in the text, analysts widely agree the guarantee is intended to cover Israeli strikes as well — a provision that is almost certain to continue fueling Israeli opposition to the plan.

    The proposal also calls for the full withdrawal of all US military forces from “the region” — a vague wording that has sparked debate over its actual scope. The US has maintained a widespread military presence across the Middle East for decades, with many regional allied governments relying on US forces as a core guarantee of their own national security. The version of the plan released to Iranian media references forces deployed specifically to the region near Iran since February’s offensive, but a full withdrawal of all US forces from the entire Middle East would represent an unprecedented change to the regional order that many allied states would oppose heavily. Even after recent Iranian strikes on US assets in the Persian Gulf that have sparked renewed debate over the wisdom of maintaining a forward US presence, a full exit remains a highly contentious outcome.

    A further provision calling for an end to all military attacks on Iran’s regional allied groups, broadly referred to as the Axis of Resistance, has added to Israeli anger. The grouping includes Hamas, the Gaza-based political and armed movement, and Hezbollah, the Lebanese political and military organization. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already publicly rejected the ceasefire call, confirming he has no intention of halting Israel’s ongoing offensive in Lebanon, and Israeli leaders have repeatedly ruled out ending targeted strikes on Hamas.

    Two key provisions included in the Persian-language version of the plan are noticeably absent from the English-language version released to international media: the right of Iran to continue domestic nuclear enrichment, and a demand for war reparations from the United States. According to US-based Iranian human rights group HRANA, the US-Israel offensive has killed more than 3,500 Iranians to date, 1,616 of whom are civilians including at least 244 children. Reparations for the widespread destruction and loss of life would be an extremely popular demand among the Iranian public, but the omission from the English text leaves the status of both provisions unclear ahead of negotiations.

    Sadeghi-Boroujerdi argues that the gaps between the two versions are not accidental, but a calculated strategic move by both sides to appeal to their domestic audiences while opening space for compromise in upcoming talks scheduled to be held in Islamabad. “The Persian version is considerably more ambitious and detailed. This likely reflects both sides signalling to their respective domestic audiences and staking out maximalist opening positions,” he explained. “The gap between the two versions is itself an indication of how much remains to be bridged in [negotiations] in Islamabad.”

  • Beijing targets 4.5-5 percent annual GDP growth through 2030

    Beijing targets 4.5-5 percent annual GDP growth through 2030

    Beijing has laid out an ambitious yet pragmatic economic roadmap for the second half of the 2020s, announcing an average annual GDP growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent for the 2026 to 2030 period as part of its newly released 15th Five-Year Plan. Unveiled to the public on Wednesday, the blueprint projects that this growth trajectory will expand the Chinese capital’s overall economic output by more than 1 trillion yuan, equivalent to approximately $147 billion, over the five-year window.

    The target builds on a strong track record of steady expansion from the previous planning cycle. Over the past five years, Beijing recorded an average annual GDP growth rate of 5.2 percent, pushing the city’s total annual GDP to 5.2 trillion yuan by the end of 2025.

    Officials from the Beijing Commission of Development and Reform noted that the new growth range was formulated after a careful balancing of long-term development needs and practical economic feasibility. The target is aligned with Beijing’s overarching 2035 vision to roughly double the city’s 2020 economic output, while intentionally building flexibility into growth projections to accommodate ongoing structural economic adjustment, deepening reform efforts, and a continued shift toward higher-quality, sustainable growth rather than sheer expansion.

    Of the 13 sector-focused chapters in the plan, the first five are dedicated to reinforcing Beijing’s core role as China’s national capital, with particular focus placed on strengthening its standing as a leading international exchange hub and a national center for scientific and technological innovation.

    On the front of international openness, the plan sets a clear target to raise Beijing’s share of the country’s total cross-border passenger flows from 3.08 percent in 2025 to roughly 3.8 percent by 2030. City planners aim to achieve this by upgrading targeted service improvements designed to position Beijing as the preferred entry point for international travelers visiting China.

    For scientific and technological advancement, Beijing plans to ramp up research and development investment to more than 6 percent of its total annual GDP. Leveraging its existing innovation ecosystem— which currently hosts 145 national key laboratories, accounting for 28 percent of all such facilities across China, alongside a dense network of top-tier research institutions and industry-leading technology companies— the city is positioned to generate a wave of new original scientific and technological breakthroughs in the coming years.

    Beyond economic and innovation goals, the plan identifies expanded social support for elderly and child care as a top policy priority for the 2026-2030 period. As of 2024, Beijing was home to more than 687,000 residents aged 80 or older. To meet growing demand for elder care services, the city aims to build a fully accessible, inclusive care network that will see regional elderly care service centers cover 80 percent of all urban subdistricts and rural townships by the end of the planning period.

    The comprehensive five-year blueprint also includes detailed targets and policy roadmaps for childcare provision, K-12 and higher education, public healthcare improvements, coordinated regional development across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei corridor, urban renewal projects, and public safety infrastructure upgrades.