Pakistan’s army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war. The White House said any further talks would likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continued as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions...
Pakistan Navy Test-Fires Anti-Ship Missile, Says It Hit Target At Extended Range
Pakistan’s military said Thursday the navy successfully test-fired a new locally developed ship-launched anti-ship missile. In a statement, the military said the missile “accurately engaged its target with high speed at extended range” during a live firing exercise witnessed by Chief of the Naval Staff Adm. Naveed Ashraf, along with scientists and engineers involved in the program. It improves on earlier systems with an advanced guidance package and enhanced maneuverability designed to “evade threats, adapt to dynamic conditions and deliver with precision and lethality,” the statement said, calling the launch a demonstration of the country’s precision-strike capability. The statement said...
Nigerian Security Forces On High Alert For Large-Scale Attack On Airport And Prison, Memo Says
Nigeria’s security forces are on high alert over a planned attack by Islamist militants on public infrastructure in Abuja and Niger states, an internal memo dated April 13 obtained from the Nigeria Customs Service by The Associated Press on Wednesday showed. The planned targets include the international airport and a prison facility in the capital city of Abuja, as well as a military detention center in neighboring Niger state. “Their intention is to release detained terrorists and inflict significant damage on critical aviation infrastructure,” the memo reads. The plan mirrors a similar attack in Niger Republic in January, in which...
Homeland Security Worker And Another Woman Are Killed In A Series Of Atlanta-Area Attacks
A man has been charged in a string of attacks near Atlanta that left two women dead and a man in critical condition, drawing the Trump administration’s attention after one victim was identified as a Department of Homeland Security employee who was walking her dog. The killing of the DHS worker, Lauren Bullis, and shootings of the two other victims on Monday led Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin to issue a statement raising concerns that the 26-year-old defendant, U.K.-native Olaolukitan Adon Abel, was granted U.S. citizenship in 2022, when Democrat Joe Biden was president. “These acts of pure evil have devastated...
French Government Seeking Release Of 86-Year-Old French Widow Detained By ICE
The French government is pressing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release the 86-year-old French widow of a military veteran from immigration custody after she was detained earlier this month. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Marie-Therese Ross in Alabama on April 1 after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to DHS. Ross is now being held at a federal immigration detention facility in Louisiana. Ross is among the thousands of people targeted by the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda that has detained the spouses of U.S. soldiers and military veterans who previously received greater leniency under scrapped...
FIFA President Infantino Says Iran Will Participate In World Cup ‘For Sure’ Despite War
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will participate in the World Cup “for sure” despite its war with the United States. Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum, Infantino said it is important that Iran participates in the World Cup even though its participation has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on the country. “The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino said. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent...
El Salvador’s Bukele Signs Reforms Allowing Life Prison Sentences For People As Young As 12
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Wednesday signed into law constitutional reforms to permit life prison sentences for people as young as 12, a contentious reform that follows other heavy-handed measures pushed through by the populist leader. The change was passed last month by the Legislative Assembly, which is controlled by Bukele’s party, and would apply to people convicted of committing or acting as an accomplice to crimes including homicide, femicide, rape and gang membership. The measure was pushed forward by Bukele’s cabinet. Previously, the maximum sentence in El Salvador was 60 years for adults and less for youths. The reforms...
Brazil’s Lula Defends Pope Leo In Message To Catholics After Trump’s Criticism
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that Pope Leo XIV should be defended from “powerful people” who have recently criticized him. The leftist leader’s comments come amid a tense exchange of attacks between the pontiff and U.S. President Donald Trump. Earlier Wednesday, during his trip to Cameroon, the first U.S.-born pope insisted that “the message the world needs to hear today” is one of peace and dialogue. In recent days, Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Leo’s comments against the war in Iran. The 80-year-old Lula, who is running for reelection in October, spoke...
Australian Judge Rejects US Marine Pilot’s Appeal Against Extradition To US
An Australian judge on Thursday rejected an appeal by former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan to avoid extradition to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese military aviators more than a decade ago. Duggan is accused of training Chinese military pilots while working as an instructor for the Test Flying Academy of South Africa. Duggan has denied the allegations, contending they were political posturing and that the U.S. was unfairly singling him out. Federal Court Justice James Stellios ruled in dismissing the appeal that no jurisdiction error was made in 2024 by the then Attorney-General Mark...
Australia Boosts Military Spending As Iran War Makes Global Impact
The Iran war had greatly complicated the global strategic landscape, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday as he announced a major increase in Australian military spending. Marles released the latest two-year update of Australia’s defense strategy and said an additional 53 billion Australian dollars ($38 billion) in spending on defense was planned over the next decade. Australia’s defense budget would grow from 2.8% of GDP this year to 3% by 2033 as “Australia faces its most complex and threatening strategic circumstances since the end of World War II,” Marles said. Asked how much more complex and threatening Australia’s circumstances were...