Kyiv books tentative diplomatic coup with Iran war forays

As the clock ticked down to US President Donald Trump's deadline to destroy Iran's civilisation last week, hope emerged from an unlikely corner, with Pakistan's prime minister first seeking -- and within hours securing -- a two-week ceasefire between the warring sides.

Now, with a round of talks concluded in Islamabad and frantic negotiations underway to secure a second go, Pakistan is basking in its new role as a regional peacemaker, analysts say.

"Pakistan very much wants to ride the momentum that it has been enjoying over the last few weeks as a critical mediator," Michael Kugelman, senior South Asia fellow at the Atlantic Council, told AFP.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a South Asian country long seen internationally through a security lens, as it battled armed extremists and separatists at home while being accused of supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The mediator of peace talks had itself just fought battles with its neighbours last year -- Pakistan fought a brief but intense war with India in May, and two rounds of conflict with neighbouring Afghanistan, where Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities of harbouring armed groups.

Raja Qaiser Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Islamabad's Quaid-i-Azam University, said Pakistan's robust military responses in both conflicts helped burnish its regional credentials.

"In international politics, the currency is power," he said. "When you have demonstrated it operationally, and now you are just building it up diplomatically."

Kugelman hailed Pakistan as "an unsung success story when it comes to strategic autonomy."

"Pakistan is looking to change global perceptions about its capacities as a global player," he said. 

"It does not like the fact that it has a poor global image and wants to essentially push back against its critics and show that it has the capacity to affect change and be influential on the global stage."

- Unique geography -

When the US-Israel war on Iran broke out, quickly engulfing the Middle East, Islamabad was careful not to take sides between Washington and Tehran.

Since US President Donald Trump took office, Pakistan has seen ties warm significantly, after Islamabad lauded him for having helped mediate the end of the conflict with India. Delhi denies Washington played a significant role.

A visit to Washington by Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and powerful army chief Asim Munir followed, with Trump now often referring to the latter as his "favourite field marshal".

Pakistan shares a 900-km border with Iran, with whom it has maintained warm -- if sometimes testy -- relations, with the countries sharing significant cultural and trade ties.

Early on Sunday, when US Vice President JD Vance took the podium in Islamabad to declare that no agreement had been reached after marathon 21-hour talks, he was also quick to praise Pakistan.

He thanked Sharif and Munir by name, saying they "did an amazing job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal."

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had similar words of thanks.

Asif Durrani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Tehran, said Pakistan had proven its importance with the talks, even if the first round did not lead to a deal.

"I think Pakistan is a power to be reckoned, and very much Pakistan is a player. Its geography is so unique that it cannot be ignored," he said.

As a neighbour of China as well, Pakistan has cultivated good relations with Beijing, which diplomats and Trump himself have said was key in getting Iran to the negotiating table.

Pakistan also has close ties with the Gulf nations that have been pulled into the conflict by Iranian retaliatory action. That includes Saudi Arabia, with whom it has a mutual defence pact.

On Monday, Pakistani PM Sharif said efforts remained underway to continue negotiations, and a second round of talks remained a possibility.

Vance, however, has taken a harder line, suggesting in an interview on Fox News that while further talks were possible, there was "no flexibility" on Iran's nuclear programme.

For Kugelman, even if there is a return to fighting, Pakistan would still emerge with its international image enhanced.

"I think that even if the war resumes, it will not suffer reputational cost. I would argue that if anything, it's enjoyed reputational boost because it's been able to push back against criticism that it doesn't have the capacity to pull off this type of diplomacy," he said.

"It's also strengthened its image. It's been able to project itself as a peacemaker."

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Three men went on trial Tuesday over the theft of a priceless gold Romanian helmet from a Dutch museum, a brazen heist that sparked shockwaves in Romania and the art world.

In January 2025, thieves used explosives and sledgehammers to break into the Drents Museum in the north of the Netherlands, making off with the 2,500-year-old Helmet of Cotofenesti and three gold bracelets.

The robbery sparked a massive manhunt and police arrested the trio just days afterwards.

But the whereabouts of the haul remained a mystery until earlier this month, when authorities made a dramatic reveal of the helmet and two of the bracelets at a news conference at the museum.

The treasures were recovered after authorities cut a deal with two of the suspects -- the third denies all involvement in the heist.

The suspects, identified as Jan B. (21), Douglas Chesley W. (37) and Bernhard Z. (35), face charges of theft and the destruction of the museum.

Questions remain over the whereabouts of the third bracelet.

Aside from a minor dent in the helmet, the haul was in excellent condition and is expected to be returned to Romania soon.

The Dutch government had set aside 5.7 million euros ($6.5 million) for a likely payout following the robbery.

The pieces were on loan from a Bucharest museum, whose head was promptly sacked for lending the works out in the first place.

Dutch museums and galleries have been targeted by thieves in the past -- including in November, when works by artist Andy Warhol were taken, and in 2020, when a Van Gogh was stolen from a museum.

The heists have prompted calls for better security to protect valuable artworks.

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Botswana has signed energy and mining exploration agreements with Oman as it seeks to deepen economic ties with the sultanate, the presidency said.

The Southern Africa nation has been courting Gulf states as it seeks to diversify an economy heavily reliant on diamonds, of which it is the world's leading producer by value.

President Duma Boko and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq agreed to develop a 500-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant with battery storage, the presidency said on Monday.

The two sides also signed a joint exploration agreement covering copper, gold, graphite and iron ore.

A separate infrastructure deal includes storage at Namibia's port town of Walvis Bay and the Tshele Hills Strategic Petroleum Depot to bolster supply security. 

The presidency did not disclose the value of the deals. 

Botswana relies on diamonds for about a third of its gross domestic product, but revenues have fallen sharply due to weak prices and rising competition from lab-grown stones, which has curbed demand.

In March, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the country's long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings, citing "structural weakness in global diamond demand."

"The downgrade reflects our view that global diamond demand will likely remain weak for longer, weighing on Botswana's already-strained economy and public finances," the New York-based agency said. 

Boko used his visit to France last week to meet employers federation MEDEF and publish an article in business daily La Tribune touting Botswana's appeal to investors.

The country is among several African governments and firms seeking a stake in De Beers, the world's leading diamond company, as the industry grapples with a prolonged downturn.

De Beers is majority-owned by British mining giant Anglo American, with a 15 percent stake held by Botswana. 

In February, Anglo American cut the value of De Beers by $2.3 billion after reporting similar impairment charges in 2025 and 2024, leaving the unit with a value of $2.3 billion.

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The founder of Chinese property giant Evergrande has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and bribery, a court said on Tuesday, the latest blow for what was once the country's leading developer.

Evergrande's rise was propelled by decades of rapid urbanisation and rising living standards, but in 2020, its access to credit dramatically narrowed when the government introduced curbs on excessive borrowing and speculation.  

The company defaulted in 2021 after struggling to repay creditors.

Founder Xu Jiayin, known as Hui Ka Yan in Cantonese, was reportedly held by police in 2023, with Evergrande saying he had been subjected to measures "due to suspicion of illegal crimes".

A public hearing was held Monday and Tuesday on a case against Xu for "illegally absorbing public deposits, fundraising fraud, illegally issuing loans, illegally using funds, fraudulently issuing securities, disclosing important information in violation of regulations, embezzlement and (corporate) bribery", a court statement said.

"Xu Jiayin pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in court," the statement from the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in southern Guangdong province said, without elaborating further.

Evergrande Group and its real estate arm also stood trial this week.

Evergrande is accused of a list of crimes including fraud, bribery and illegally issuing loans. Its real estate arm faces a charge of fraudulently issuing securities.

The court said it would announce a verdict at a later date.

- Giant's fall -

Listed in Hong Kong in 2009, Evergrande surged to a peak market value of more than $50 billion under the stewardship of founder Xu.

But fortunes reversed in 2020 under the new borrowing regulations from Beijing.

Subsequent years saw a drawn-out struggle across the industry to complete construction projects as shares plunged and cash flows choked.

A Hong Kong court issued a winding-up order in January 2024, ruling that the company had failed to come up with a suitable debt repayment plan.

Last August, it delisted from the Hong Kong stock exchange. 

Xu, 67, was once one of China's richest billionaires and a member of China's top political advisory body.

His wealth and status have since plummeted, as Beijing has moved to crack down on corruption in the financial sector.

Evergrande's saga -- and similar issues faced by other property giants including Country Garden and Vanke -- have been closely followed by observers assessing the health of the world's second-largest economy.

The crisis has also dampened consumer sentiment at a time when Chinese officials are pushing for a new growth model driven more by domestic spending rather than investment.

New home prices in China have been contracting for nearly three years.

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Pope Leo XIV is expected in the Algerian city of Annaba on Tuesday, where he will walk in the footsteps of influential Christian theologian Saint Augustine on day two of a historic trip to the north African country.

The American pontiff on Monday became the first pope ever to visit Algeria, the first stop on a tour of four African nations, although the opening day of his trip was almost overshadowed by harsh criticism from US President Donald Trump.

In northeastern Annaba -- formerly the ancient Roman city of Hippo -- Leo will visit vestiges of the city's historical past, as well as a reception centre run by Catholic nuns for impoverished elderly people. 

The city was the one-time home of Augustine, whose autobiographical "Confessions" is a seminal work within the Christian tradition.

In the afternoon, Leo will celebrate Mass at the hilltop Basilica of Saint Augustine in the presence of clergy from across Africa.

The pontiff has previously referred to himself as a "son" of the saint, and belongs to the Augustinian order.

- Forgiveness -

In his first speech in Algiers, Leo paid tribute to victims of the country's 1954-1962 war of independence from France and called for "forgiveness".

His remarks came amid heightened tensions between Algeria and France, and followed a meeting days ago with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Vatican.

The pope also called on Algeria's leaders "not to fear" greater public participation in political life, calling for a "vibrant, dynamic and free civil society".

Since the pro-democracy Hirak protests in 2019, which called for sweeping reforms and greater transparency, human rights groups have reported shrinking freedoms and greater controls over public space.

"Authorities are called not to dominate, but to serve the people and foster their development," Leo said.

- 'No fear' of Trump -

His recent exhortations for peace in the Middle East, where the US-Israeli war on Iran has embroiled much of the region, have drawn the ire of Trump.

Prior to the pope's trip, the US president accused Leo of "toying with a country (Iran) that wants a nuclear weapon", adding that he was "not a big fan" of the pontiff.

He doubled down on the criticism Monday following an outcry, saying he had "nothing to apologise for", and that the pope was "wrong".

Aboard the papal plane on Monday, Leo told reporters: "The Gospel says... blessed are the peacemakers."

"I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel," he added.

The pope is slated to leave Algeria on Wednesday for Cameroon, before travelling on to Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday a "major" defense partnership with Indonesia following a meeting with the Southeast Asian nation's defense minister at the Pentagon. 

"We are elevating our relationship to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, in recognition of the strength and potential of our bilateral defense ties," Hegseth said in a statement on X. 

The partnership covers "military modernization and capacity building," "training and professional military education" and "exercises and operational cooperation," according to a joint statement. 

"Both nations reaffirm their shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," the statement said.

Jakarta said the partnership was an "opportunity to reinforce national defense capacity," but insisted that "free and active foreign policy, national interests, and full respect for state sovereignty" would be maintained.

It said that a US proposal to grant American military aircraft access over Indonesian airspace was being "carefully reviewed".

"It still requires further discussion through technical mechanisms and applicable national procedures," the Indonesian Ministry of Defense statement added.

Indonesia has the strongest military in Southeast Asia, according to the Global Firepower defense analysis site.

While Jakarta says it maintains a non-aligned diplomatic posture, last year it joined the BRICS bloc of emerging economies that includes Russia and China.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday for oil talks.

But Prabowo has also signed a trade deal with US President Donald Trump and joined his so-called "Board of Peace".

The country is strategically located on the Malacca Strait –- the world's busiest chokepoint for oil and petroleum liquids, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

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© Agence France-Presse

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are scheduled to meet in Washington Tuesday for US-mediated talks on ending the war in Lebanon, but the prospects of an agreement appear slim.

Naim Qassem -- the leader of pro-Iran Hezbollah, which is battling Israel -- called for the talks to be scrapped before they even began, describing them as "futile."

Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on March 2 after Hezbollah attacked Israel. 

Since then Israeli strikes -- including an extremely heavy attack on Beirut on April 8 -- have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million, despite international calls for a ceasefire. And Israeli ground forces have invaded south Lebanon.

The meeting mediated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio will include the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington and the US ambassador to Beirut.

"The Israeli and Lebanese governments are engaging in open, direct, high-level diplomatic talks -- the first such talks since 1993 -- brokered by the United States," a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

"This conversation will scope the ongoing dialogue about how to ensure the long-term security of Israel's northern border and to support the government of Lebanon's determination to reclaim full sovereignty over its territory," the official added.

But the two sides remain diametrically opposed.

"This dialogue between Israel and Lebanon... is aimed at disarming the Hezbollah terrorist organization, removing them from Lebanon, and establishing peaceful relations between our two countries," Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told journalists on Monday.

"We will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which continues to carry out indiscriminate attacks against Israel and our civilians," Bedrosian said.

- 'Expectations are low' -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that "we want the dismantling of Hezbollah's weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations."

On the Lebanese side, President Joseph Aoun said Monday he hoped the Washington talks will yield "an agreement... on a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the aim of starting direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel."

US diplomats have meanwhile found themselves in a difficult position in recent days regarding the Lebanon conflict, fearing that it might hinder talks with Iran, which failed to achieve a breakthrough on Sunday in Pakistan.

President Donald Trump's administration insists on the disarmament of Hezbollah, but also respect for Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty, while simultaneously upholding Israel's rights -- positions that appear difficult to reconcile.

It would take "a lot of imagination and optimism to think" that the issues between Israel and Lebanon can be solved in Washington Tuesday, a former Israeli defense official told journalists on condition of anonymity, adding that "expectations are low."

"It will be very difficult to reach any agreement, and Israel will create a buffer zone in the north very similar to what we have in Gaza," the former official added.

According to a poll by the Israel Democracy Institute, the results of which were published on Monday, 80 percent of Jewish Israelis "think that Israel should continue the fighting in Lebanon against Hezbollah, regardless of developments vis-a-vis Iran, even if this results in friction with the US administration."

Hezbollah entered the Middle East war on March 2 to avenge the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the Israeli-American offensive on February 28.

Israel hit back with large-scale, deadly air strikes across Lebanon, and a ground offensive in the country's south.

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A man who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's luxury California home was trying to kill the boss of artificial intelligence giant OpenAI and in possession of an anti-AI document, US officials said Monday.

The claims came as prosecutors levied federal charges against Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, over the attack on Friday in San Francisco.

The Department of Justice said Moreno-Gama had travelled from his home in Texas to carry out the attack on Altman, whose company is behind the popular ChatGPT chatbot.

"Violence cannot be the norm for expressing disagreement, be it with politics or a technology or any other matter," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. 

"These alleged actions -– which damaged property and could well have taken lives -– will be aggressively prosecuted."

Prosecutors say that after lobbing a firebomb at the gates of Altman's home, Moreno-Gama fled on foot to the San Francisco headquarters of OpenAI, where he tried to smash the glass doors of the building with a chair.

He "stated that he had come to burn down the location and kill anyone inside," prosecutors said in the federal criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, when police arrived, they found Moreno-Gama with a jug of kerosene, a lighter and a document entitled "Your Last Warning" which "advocated against AI and for the killing and commission of other crimes against CEOs of AI companies and their investors."

The three-part document was allegedly authored by Moreno-Gama, and listed "names and addresses that purported to belong to multiple CEOs and investors."

Another part of the publication dealt with the "purported risk AI poses to humanity," according to the compaint.

Prosecutors say he ended the document, which included an admission he was trying to kill Altman, with the phrase: "If by some miracle you live, then I would take this as a sign from the divine to redeem yourself." 

Moreno-Gama faces one charge of damage and destruction of property by means of explosives, and one of possession of an unregistered firearm.

It is the latest high-profile attack in the US allegedly involving a call to arms against executives or influential figures.

- Anti-AI protests -

No one was injured in the home and office attacks, which came as Altman's profile has risen with the increasing use of AI and ethical concerns surrounding its use. 

The CEO and his firm have become targets for people protesting the technology as a threat to society.

Detractors have been particularly troubled by OpenAI's decision to provide its know-how to the US Department of Defense.

In a rare post on his personal blog in the aftermath of the attack, Altman shared a photo of his husband and their baby "in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house."

The OpenAI chief defended his convictions and called for a de-escalation of rhetoric on the topic.

"I empathize with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn't always good for everyone," Altman wrote.

"But overall, I believe technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine."

OpenAI last month said it was valued at $852 billion after a funding round that raised $122 billion.

The figure reflects the surging costs of computing power and came amid lingering questions about whether OpenAI and rival companies can generate sufficient revenue to cover expenses.

ChatGPT claims the top position in consumer AI, with more than 900 million weekly active users and some 50 million subscribers.

Use of ChatGPT's online search engine has tripled over the course of a year, according to OpenAI.

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Prince Harry and wife Meghan arrived in Australia on Tuesday for their first visit down under since their headline-dominating rift with Britain's royal family.

The couple touched down in the southern city of Melbourne, kicking off four days of business and charity events with a visit to a children's hospital.

The son of King Charles III -- Australia's head of state -- is due to speak at a summit focusing on mental health, with tickets for in-person attendance on sale at an eye-watering Aus$997 ($706).

Meghan, meanwhile, will take part in a "girls' weekend like no other" at Sydney's InterContinental Coogee Beach hotel, according to organisers.

The event features yoga, sound healing and dinners as well as disco dancing at a ticket price of Aus$2,699 per person.

Those willing to pay even more get access to the "VIP experience" -- which includes a group table photo with Meghan and a goodie bag.

The pair will also visit the capital Canberra, national broadcaster ABC said.

Their visit has already drawn criticism, with Victoria state opposition leader Jess Wilson condemning the use of taxpayers' money to provide protection for the pair.

It is their first trip to Australia since 2018, when they spent two weeks touring the country as well as New Zealand and Pacific islands in a visit that drew adoring throngs of crowds.

Harry stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and later relocated to California with Meghan amid a bitter royal family rift.

The couple, who have two children, have long complained about media intrusion and Meghan's treatment by Britain's newspapers after years of negative stories.

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Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem urged Lebanon to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington on Tuesday, reiterating his group's rejection of direct negotiations with its foe.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million since the Iran-backed group Hezbollah drew the country into the Middle East war.

The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States are scheduled to meet in Washington on Tuesday to discuss holding direct negotiations between the two countries.

Lebanese authorities have stressed that Beirut first wants to secure a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, but Israel has dismissed that prospect, saying it prefers instead to focus on formal peace talks with Lebanon itself, with which it has technically been at war for decades.

"We reject negotiations with the usurping Israeli entity," Hezbollah's Qassem, whose group has been at war with Israel since March 2, said in a televised address on Monday.

"We call for a historic and heroic stance by cancelling this negotiating meeting."

- 'Dismantle Hezbollah' -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that "we want the dismantling of Hezbollah's weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations".

Qassem, however, said "these negotiations are futile and require a Lebanese agreement and consensus".

Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters protested on Friday and Saturday against the planned talks, accusing Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam of being a "Zionist".

"We will not surrender, we will remain in the field until our last breath," Qassem said as his fighters faced off with advancing Israeli troops seeking to create a "security zone" in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army said on Monday that its troops had completely surrounded the key southern town of Bint Jbeil, while Hezbollah continued to claim attacks against Israeli forces there.

The Israeli military said Tuesday a soldier had been killed in southern Lebanon -- the first since a US-Iran temporary truce came into force that Israel insisted does not include the country.

Qassem said northern Israeli localities "will not be safe, even if the Israelis were to enter any area of Lebanon".

He also accused Beirut of "backstabbing" his group by declaring its military activities illegal at the start of the war.

"Israel and the US clearly said they want to strengthen the Lebanese army to disarm and fight Hezbollah... but the army cannot do that," Qassem added.

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