Reporters Without Borders and Truth Hounds found that Russia’s attacks on hotels intended to ‘discourage’ war coverage.
Russian attacks have increasingly hit hotels hosting journalists in Ukraine, in what could constitute “war crimes”, according to a new report.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Truth Hounds – a Ukrainian organisation founded to document war crimes – released the report on Friday. It found that Russian attacks on hotels housing journalists moved from being “isolated events” early in the conflict in 2022 to a “sustained threat” by 2025.
At least 31 strikes on 25 hotels being used by journalists have been recorded since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022, the report states.
“These attacks appear to be part of a broader Russian strategy aimed at intimidating journalists and suppressing independent media coverage of Russia’s actions in Ukraine,” the report said.
The hotels hit are mainly close to the front line. Only one was being used for military purposes at the time of the attack, the NGOs said.
“In total, 25 journalists and media professionals have found themselves under these hotel bombings, and at least seven have been injured,” it stated.
According to the RSF, at least 13 journalists have been killed while covering Russia’s war on Ukraine, with 12 of the deaths on Ukrainian territory.
Types of attacks
The report highlighted that the attacks followed a clear pattern, occurring at night, using ballistic missiles launched at civilian hotels that were not “legitimate military targets”.
“Our analysis therefore suggests that these attacks are neither random nor incidental but are instead part of a broader strategy aimed at discouraging independent reporting from the front line,” the authors concluded.
Due to the safety obstacles to reporting from a war zone, 13 percent of respondents to a survey said there had been a “reduction” in assignments to high-risk areas, affecting how the war is covered.
The report called for legal measures to prosecute crimes against journalists at “national and international jurisdictions”, specifically the International Criminal Court.
AN EARTHQUAKE of magnitude 6.3 has hit the holiday hotspot island of Crete, Greece.
The quake was at a depth of 83km, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said.
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The quake was at a depth of 83kmCredit: Getty
Citizens in Israel have reported feeling shockwaves from the earthquake, especially in the centre of the country including Tel Aviv, The Jerusalem Post reports.
It comes after the idyllic Greek island of Santorini was plunged into a state of emergencyin February as a total of 7,700 tremors shook the isle in two weeks.
Around 7,700 earthquakes have shaken the Santorini-Amorgos seismic zone since January 26.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
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India and Pakistan have been trading drone and artillery attacks in some of the most intense fighting in nearly 30 years. India claims it brought down some of the more than 300 drones launched by Pakistan. Pakistan denies sending the drones but said it shot down 77 Indian drones.
On the night of May 6, India went to bed. In the morning, we were at war.
When I woke up on Wednesday at about 4:30am to use the bathroom, the glow of my phone screen caught my bleary eye. Still half asleep, I picked it up – only to be jolted awake by headline after headline screaming the same unthinkable message: India had launched a series of strikes into Pakistan, targeting “terrorist strongholds“.
My husband was getting ready to catch a 7am flight from New Delhi to Jaipur. My phone beeped again. Some flight routes were being cancelled, and a few airports in northern India might be shut down. It was unclear whether this was a precautionary measure or in anticipation of possible Pakistani retaliation by air. We decided it was too risky. He would drive instead.
In the hour and a half before the world woke up to the news that had already upended my night, I was caught in a pendulum of emotions – waves of fear, anxiety, a deep sense of unease, and, most of all, helplessness. I kept refreshing the news, hoping for more clarity, – anything that might make things feel less surreal.
Of course, like every other Indian, I knew the catalyst for the offensive: the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam – a truly horrific act in which 26 unarmed Indian tourists were killed. India had blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants, a charge that Pakistan denied. In the days that followed, India responded with a series of strong measures: suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, expelling Pakistani nationals and cutting trade ties. Pakistan too expelled Indians, closed their airspace and suspended the Simla agreement.
At home, too, there were ramifications. As is often the case when tensions flare between India and Pakistan, Indian Muslims and Kashmiris bore the brunt. Some were relieved of their jobs, others of their accommodation. Some were assaulted, others branded “terrorists”. Amid the noise and fury, Himanshi Narwal – the widow of one of those killed in Pahalgam – made an admirable appeal for peace over hatred, urging people not to target Muslims or Kashmiris. Ironically, she was met with a flood of abuse and trolling.
In the days and weeks that followed, the Indian government continued to promise military retaliation. Still, many of us didn’t quite believe it. Both nations are nuclear armed, and India is hemmed in between Pakistan and its ally, China. Political posturing was to be expected, but surely, when it came down to it, de-escalation would be the preferred choice.
As the sun began to rise, the WhatsApp groups buzzed alive. It was a day of triumph, chest thumping, meme churning, and flag waving. One group hopefully debated the astrological likelihood of a full-fledged war while another quickly filled with gleeful Islamophobic rhetoric, comparing the air strikes to Diwali. Neither debated the human cost of war – or the terrifying possibility of a nuclear conflict.
The ongoing euphoria is disorienting. On our side, at least 15 civilians have lost their lives in cross-border artillery shelling that followed the air strikes. Countless others spent the night in terror, praying that they might live to see the sunrise. Yet, amid all the violence, the local populations of Kashmir remain invisible, once again trapped in the crossfire.
As the world around me appears to revel in this moment, I feel a quiet, persistent ache. Pain for the lives lost, pain for the division that’s growing wider, and pain for the values I grew up with, which now seem to be slipping further from our grasp. How shall I speak of peace when the very foundation of empathy feels threatened? How can the values of freedom, democracy and pluralism be protected when they are twisted into tools of division? And most of all, how can we hold on to our humanity in these troubled times?
How do we balance our love for our country with compassion for the innocents caught in the middle of this conflict?
At what point do we, as a society, allow humanity to transcend the politics of war and choose a different path?
While others celebrate, I can’t help but feel a profound disconnect. Almost like the emperor’s new clothes, the human tragedy remains invisible. Calls for peace and diplomacy have fallen silent, replaced by blistering war cries – leaving no room for ordinary citizens to express their sadness, anxiety, and uncertainty.
And if, amid all this cacophony, I feel so overwhelmed and isolated in my heartbreak, I wonder: surely, I can’t be the only one?
In the end, I can only mourn what is lost – both in lives and values.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
The United States has announced a ‘breakthrough deal’ with the United Kingdom that would create an aluminium and steel trading zone and secure the pharmaceutical supply chain.
The deal affirms that “reciprocity and fairness is a vital principle of international trade” and increases access for US agricultural products, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, though he added that the final details were still being written up.
“The final details are being written up,” Trump told reporters. “In the coming weeks, we’ll have it all very conclusive.”
The deal, the first one struck by the US since Trump imposed his far-reaching tariffs, is also said to strip back paperwork for British companies looking to export to the US.
The president said that the agreement would lead to more beef and ethanol exports to the UK, which would also streamline the processing of US goods through customs.
The White House said that the deal will bring in $6bn in external revenue from its 10-percent tariffs, which will stay in place, but that it would also bring in $5bn in new export opportunities. The UK agreed to lower its tariffs to 1.8 percent from 5.1 percent and provide greater access to US goods.
The US already runs a trade surplus with the UK, making it a bit easier to find common ground, as Trump has staked his tariffs on specifically eliminating the annual trade deficits with multiple nations that he says have taken advantage of the US.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined the president in the announcement over the phone. Starmer said the deal would boost trade and create jobs.
Thursday’s announced agreement is the first agreement since the Trump administration started a global trade war with universal levies of 10 percent. The US has also imposed 25-percent tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium, 25-percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 145-percent tariffs on China. US and Chinese officials are due to hold talks in Switzerland on Saturday.
British implications
Starmer has struck up a warm relationship with Trump since his centre-left Labour Party was elected in July.
Starmer’s government has been seeking to build new trading relationships post-Brexit with the US, China and the EU without moving so far towards one bloc that it angers the others.
Economists and one chief executive of an FTSE 100 company — the highest capitalised blue chip companies on the London stock exchange—said the immediate economic impact of a tariff deal was likely to be limited but that trade agreements in general would help long-term growth. The UK struck a free trade agreement with India this week.
The US and the UK have been aiming to strike a bilateral trade agreement since the British people voted in 2016 to leave the EU, allowing the country to negotiate independently of the rest of the continent. Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson touted a future deal with the US as an incentive for Brexit.
The US ran a $11.9bn trade surplus in goods with the UK last year, according to the Census Bureau. The $68bn in goods that the US imported from the UK accounted for just 2 percent of all goods imported into the country.
Markets respond
The US has been under pressure from investors to strike deals to de-escalate its tariff war after Trump’s often chaotic policymaking upended global trade with friends and foes alike, threatening to stoke inflation and start a recession.
Top US officials have engaged in a flurry of meetings with trading partners since the president on April 2 imposed a 10-percent tariff on most countries, along with higher rates for many trading partners that were then suspended for 90 days.
On Wall Street, US markets were responding to the news amid hopes that this could be enough to ward off a recession.
As of 11:30am ET in the US (15:30 GMT), the S&P 500 was up 0.97 percent and on track for an 11th gain in the last 13 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 1.02 percent higher and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite was 1.17 percent higher than market open.
Stocks have been swinging for weeks with hopes that Trump could reach deals with other countries that would lower his tariffs, which many investors believe would cause a recession if left unchecked.
Pakistan’s military said on Thursday morning that the country’s air defence system had brought down 25 Indian drones overnight over some of the country’s chief cities, including Lahore and Karachi. At least one civilian has died, and five people were wounded, it said.
India’s Defence Ministry confirmed hours later that it had targeted Pakistan’s air defence radars and claimed that it was able to “neutralize” one defence system in Lahore. It said Pakistan had attempted to attack India and Indian-administered Kashmir with drones and missiles overnight, but that these had been shot down.
The drone attacks represent the latest escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours, a day after India launched deadly missile strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing at least 31 people, according to Islamabad. Those were the most extensive Indian strikes ever on Pakistan outside the four wars that they have fought. Heavy artillery shelling from both sides overnight caused border communities in the disputed Kashmir region to flee.
Simmering tensions erupted on April 22 after gunmen killed 25 tourists and a local pony rider in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for backing fighters who claimed the attack. Islamabad has denied any involvement.
Here’s what we know about the latest escalation of drone attacks:
What happened?
In a briefing on Thursday, Pakistani army spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said the country came under attack from a wave of drones overnight, targeting many of the most populated cities, including Karachi and Lahore.
Pakistan’s air defence system intercepted and brought down these drones, he said. Pakistan’s military said 25 such drones were jammed and shot out of the sky.
The falling debris killed one civilian and injured another person in the southern Sindh province, while an additional drone targeted and wounded four soldiers in a military installation in Lahore, Chaudhry said in the news briefing. Partial damage to “military equipment” was recorded in that latter incident.
Chaudhry described the drone attacks as an act of “naked aggression” and a “serious provocation”, and pledged that Pakistan was ready to retaliate.
“It appears that India has apparently lost the plot and, rather than going on a path of rationality, is further escalating in a highly charged environment. Pakistan Armed Forces remain fully vigilant to any type of threat,” he said.
People gather outside a street near the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after an alleged drone was shot down in Rawalpindi on May 8, 2025. Pakistan’s military said it shot down 25 Indian drones across the country on May 8, including some that fell near sensitive military installations [Aamir Qureshi/AFP]
What has India said?
Hours after the drone attacks, India accepted responsibility – but insisted it had been provoked.
On the night of May 7-8, India’s Ministry of Defence said, Pakistani forces attempted to “engage a number of military targets” in multiple areas in northern and western India and Indian-administered Kashmir using “drones and missiles”. These were shot down by India’s air defence systems, the ministry said.
“Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan,” the ministry’s statement said. “It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised.”
Pakistan has not commented on Indian claims that it attempted to strike India with drones and missiles.
A picture taken on June 21, 2011, at the Bourget airport on the second day of the International Paris Air Show, shows an Israeli UCAV IAI Harop drone [Pierre Verdy/AFP]
Where were the drones in Pakistan brought down?
In his briefing, Pakistan army spokesperson Chaudhry said drones either attacked or were shot down in the following locations:
Lahore: The capital of the eastern Punjab region, and Pakistan’s second-largest city of 14 million people. Local police official Mohammad Rizwan told reporters a drone was downed near Walton Airport, an airfield that the Pakistani military manages and uses for radars. The airport also has training schools.
Gujranwala: The fourth-largest city in Punjab, with a population of 2.5 million people.
Chakwal: Also in the Punjab region, with a population of about 1.5 million.
Rawalpindi: The city in Punjab is home to the headquarters of Pakistan’s powerful military. The city has a population of close to 6 million people.
Attock: Close to the capital, Islamabad, Attock is a cantonment city with a population of 2.1 million.
Nankana Sahib: The Punjab city has a population of just more than 100,000 but enjoys far greater significance than that number suggests: It was the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and is one of the holiest sites of the faith.
Bahawalpur: Also in Punjab, it has a population of nearly one million.
Miano: A town in Sindh province, housing a major oil field.
Chor: A small town in the Umerkot district of the southeastern province of Sindh.
Ghotki: A city in northern Sindh known for its date palms, with a population of about 120,000.
Karachi: Pakistan’s most populous city of 20 million people is based in Sindh.
Which cities did India claim Pakistan was targeting?
India said Pakistani missiles and drones attempted to strike 15 cities and towns but that all were brought down.
Awantipora: A town of 12,000 people, on the Jhelum River in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Srinagar: The biggest city in the Kashmir valley, Srinagar has a population of 1.2 million people.
Jammu: The winter capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, it has a population of 500,000 people.
Pathankot: Also in Indian-administered Kashmir, Pathankot is a major nerve centre of the Indian army’s operations. It is home to the largest military base in Asia.
Amritsar: The city in India’s Punjab state has a population of 1.1 million and is home to the Golden Temple, one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines.
Kapurthala: A smaller town of 100,000 people in Indian Punjab.
Jalandhar: Right next to Kapurthala, Jalandhar has a population of nearly 900,000.
Ludhiana: The most populous city in Indian Punjab is home to 1.6 million people.
Adampur: The Punjab town is tiny, with just 20,000 people. But it is home to India’s second-largest air force base.
Bhatinda: The city in Indian Punjab has a population of nearly 300,000.
Chandigarh: The capital of both Indian Punjab and the neighbouring state of Haryana, Chandigarh has a population of just more than one million.
Nal: A tiny town near the India-Pakistan border in the desert state of Rajasthan, it is home to a civilian airport and an air force base.
Phalodi: A city of 66,000 people in Rajasthan, Phalodi is famous for its salt industry.
Uttarlai: A small village in Rajasthan that is home to an air force station.
Bhuj: A city of 190,000 people, Bhuj is in Gujarat, the western state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(Al Jazeera)
What drones were used in the attack on Pakistan?
Chaudhry, the Pakistani military spokesperson, identified the Indian projectiles as Harop drones.
Harop drones are a form of what are known as loitering munitions, and are developed by the Israeli government’s primary aviation manufacturer and supplier, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Loitering munitions are usually remotely controlled unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) designed to hover in the air after being deployed, waiting for a precise target to be exposed before they crash into it and self-detonate.
They are not meant to survive a confrontation, and so are also known as suicide drones or kamikaze drones.
The IAI Harop is reputed to be one of the deadliest drones because it combines ordinary UAV and missile capabilities. Spanning two metres (6.6ft) in length, the vehicle is small enough to bypass most aircraft detection systems. It can fly over a range of 200km (120 miles) and is programmed for about six hours of flight. The drone can return and land at its launch base if it fails to engage a target.
The Indian Armed Force (IAF) is one of Israel’s biggest clients for drones. Between 2009 and 2019, India bought at least 25 Harop drones, with a single sale of 10 units costing $100m, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post.
India’s fleet also includes Searcher and Heron drones, similarly manufactured by the IAI. Searchers are typically used for reconnaissance missions, while the Heron has similar missile capabilities to the Harop.
Why are the drone attacks on Pakistan significant?
Multiple drones breaching Pakistan’s airspace, hovering in the country’s most populous regions, and managing to attack a military location imply that India has the capabilities to breach Pakistan’s air defence and strike its most crucial nerve centres.
The attacks, according to the Pakistani army, were an “extreme act of provocation” that could lead to a major escalation of violence between the two nuclear powers.
Additionally, the drone breach poses a potential threat to civil aviation safety in Pakistan.
The country’s civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended operations in four airports on Thursday, before lifting the restrictions: Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Islamabad International Airport, and Sialkot International Airport.
What’s the wider context?
Kashmir, famed for its picturesque lakes, meadows and snow-capped mountains, is at the heart of tensions between the two countries.
India and Pakistan both administer parts of it, as does China. But India claims all of it, and Pakistan claims Indian-administered Kashmir, too. Three of the four previous India-Pakistan wars have been over Kashmir, which spans 22,200 sq km (8,570 square miles).
India has for years blamed Pakistan for supporting, arming, and training armed groups seeking secession from India. Pakistan has insisted it provides only moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir’s separatist movement.
New Delhi blamed April’s attack on an obscure group, The Resistance Front (TRF), and claimed it was Pakistan-backed. Islamabad, however, has denounced the attacks and denied involvement, calling for a “transparent, credible, impartial” investigation into the incident.
Both countries, with a combined population of 1.6 billion, are nuclear powers, raising fears among security experts that further escalation could be disastrous.
Pakistan has promised to retaliate after India launched military strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, fuelling fears of a broader confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan’s government on Wednesday pledged to respond “at a time, place and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty”.
Pakistan’s military said at least 31 civilians were killed and 46 others injured in the Indian attacks and ensuing cross-border shelling, describing the strikes as having “ignited an inferno in the region”.
In New Delhi, Indian officials briefed more than a dozen foreign envoys, telling them: “If Pakistan responds, India will respond”.
It comes amid spiralling tensions following a deadly attack last month on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan-based fighters. Islamabad has denied any involvement.
Cross-border shelling
India’s government said its forces targeted nine sites it described as “terrorist infrastructure”, including facilities allegedly linked to the fighters who killed 25 tourists and one local in last month’s Kashmir attack.
However, in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, residents said Indian missiles struck a mosque-seminary in the city centre.
Indian security force personnel stand guard near the site of a fighter jet crash in Wuyan in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pulwama district, May 7, 2025 [Sharafat Ali/Reuters]
The building, which included residential quarters, was left in ruins, with five missiles reportedly killing three people inside the two-storey structure.
Meanwhile, heavy cross-border shelling and gunfire continued along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing Kashmir. Officials said 13 civilians were killed and 43 wounded on the Indian side, while at least six civilians were killed on the Pakistani side.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office claimed that five Indian fighter jets and drones were shot down during the escalation. The Indian embassy in Beijing dismissed reports of downed aircraft as “disinformation”.
Sharif promises response
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar told TRT World that there had been communication between the national security advisers of the two countries, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged that Pakistan would respond decisively.
“For the blatant mistake that India made last night, it will now have to pay the price,” Sharif said on state broadcaster PTV. “Perhaps they thought that we would retreat, but they forgot that … this is a nation of brave people.”
Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Islamabad, said that retaliation from Pakistan was widely anticipated.
“Pakistan is expected to retaliate within the next 24 to 48 hours, and that’s something we’ve been hearing from politicians across the board,” he said.
“They’re citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which says that a country has the right to respond to an unprovoked act of aggression.”
India defended its actions, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claiming its “targets we had set were destroyed with exactness according to a well-planned strategy”.
“We have shown sensitivity by ensuring that no civilian population was affected in the slightest,” he added.
Islamabad claims six sites targeted by India were not linked to armed groups.
A paramilitary soldier stands guard outside the Government Health and Educational complex after Indian strikes in Muridke, about 30 kilometres, or 20 miles, from Lahore, on May 7, 2025 [Arif Ali/AFP]
‘I want to see it stop’
The Pakistani military said 57 commercial aircraft from multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Thailand, South Korea and China, were in Pakistan’s airspace at the time of India’s attack, putting thousands of passengers at risk.
India has since ordered the closure of at least 21 civilian airports in the northern and western parts of the country for passenger flights until May 10, The Hindu reported.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Prime Minister Sharif and expressed Ankara’s support. According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan praised Pakistan’s “calm and restrained policies” during the crisis.
In Washington, United States President Donald Trump said he hoped to help de-escalate the situation. “I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help, I will be there,” he told reporters at the White House. “We want to see them work it out.”
Uday Chandra, assistant professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said while retaliation from Pakistan was expected, it appeared that neither country was seeking “an all-out war”.
Nations call for restraint as India launches ‘Operation Sindoor’, attacking several sites in Pakistan, which in response claims to down Indian jets.
India has launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, a military operation targeting multiple locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir that New Delhi alleges are “terrorist” training sites.
In response, Islamabad claimed it struck Indian army positions and shot down several warplanes, calling India’s strikes “an act of war”.
At least 26 people have been killed overnight in Pakistan and 10 in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said.
This is what global leaders are saying about the escalation in hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours:
US President Donald Trump
“It’s a shame. Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. I hope it ends very quickly,” Trump said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
The US administration said it was closely following the military escalation in South Asia.
“I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution,” Rubio posted on X.
I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo @POTUS‘s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.
Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
“The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries,” a spokesperson for Guterres said in a statement.
“The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” it added.
French Foreign Minister
France has called on India and Pakistan to show restraint as the worst violence in two decades flared between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“We understand India’s desire to protect itself against the scourge of terrorism, but we obviously call on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and, of course, to protect civilians,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in an interview on TF1 television.
Japan Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi
“In regard to the terrorist act that occurred in Kashmir on April 22, our country firmly condemns such acts of terrorism. Furthermore, we express strong concern that this situation may lead to further retaliatory exchanges and escalate into a full-scale military conflict.
“For the peace and stability of South Asia, we strongly urge both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stabilize the situation through dialogue,” Hayashi stated.
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister
UAE Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan called on India and Pakistan to show restraint, reduce tensions and prevent further escalation, according to a government statement.
“His Highness reaffirmed that diplomacy and dialogue remain the most effective means of peacefully resolving crises, and achieving the shared aspirations of nations for peace, stability, and prosperity,” the statement said.
Israel’s ambassador to India
Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, said in a statement that Israel supports India’s right to self-defence. Posting on X, Azar said, “Israel supports India’s right for self defense. Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent. #OperationSindoor.”
Israel supports India’s right for self defense. Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent. #OperationSindoor
Video captured the moment of an Indian military strike in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The Indian Ministry of Defence says it struck multiple sites in what it calls “Operation Sindoor.” Pakistan’s military says at least 2 people were killed in the strikes. India has blamed Pakistan for an attack that killed 26 people last month in Pahalgam.
Israel’s military unleashed a second wave of attacks on Yemen, claiming to have “fully disabled” Sanaa’s airport in response to a Houthi missile that targeted Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport on Sunday.
Prime minister of Yemen’s internationally recognised government has resigned amid political turmoil.
Israel has intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, the third such attack by Houthi forces in a 24-hour span, as the United States continues daily attacks on the country.
The Israeli army confirmed on Saturday it had activated air raid sirens across parts of the country following the missile launch.
No injuries or major damage were reported. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a response to Israeli operations in Gaza.
The Houthis have increasingly targeted Israel and shipping routes in the Red Sea, stating that their actions are acts of solidarity with Palestinians as Israel continues its assault on Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The Houthis did not carry out attacks during the Gaza ceasefire earlier this year until Israel blocked all aid into the besieged enclave in early March and followed that with a full resumption of the war.
In the meantime, Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported on Saturday that the US launched two air raids on Yemen’s Kamaran Island and as-Salif district in the port city of Hodeidah.
The new attacks come a day after the same news outlet reported seven US attacks on the Ras Isa oil port in as-Salif district in Hodeidah. Last month, a US strike on the same port killed at least 80 people and wounded 150 in one of the deadliest attacks on the country by US forces.
The US has also ramped up its air campaign in Yemen, launching its most extensive military operations in the Middle East since President Donald Trump assumed office in January.
US forces claim to have struck Houthi positions, however, there have been numerous civilian casualties.
The high civilian toll from US strikes is drawing increasing alarm. The UK-based monitor Airwars reported that between 27 and 55 civilians were killed in March alone. April’s deaths are expected to be higher.
Houthi sources say at least 68 African migrants died in a single overnight strike on Monday, with additional casualties reported around the capital.
Yemen’s prime minister resigns
As the conflict intensifies, political instability is growing within Yemen.
Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, the prime minister of the internationally recognised government, announced his resignation on Saturday, citing persistent challenges, including his inability to reshuffle the cabinet.
Government insiders said a power struggle with Presidential Council leader Rashad al-Alimi triggered Mubarak’s departure.
Within hours of the announcement, the presidential council named Finance Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik as prime minister, according to the state-run SABA news agency. The council also named bin Mubarak as an adviser to the ruling body, without addressing his claims.
Mubarak’s political career has been closely linked to the long-running war in Yemen. He rose to prominence after being abducted by Houthi fighters in 2015 while serving as chief of staff to then-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Much of the international community does not recognise the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God), even though the armed Iran-aligned group controls most parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and some of the western and northern areas close to Saudi Arabia.
A United States district judge has struck down an executive order from President Donald Trump that targeted the law firm Perkins Coie over its representation of his Democratic election rival Hillary Clinton.
On Friday in Washington, DC, Judge Beryl A Howell issued a five-page order declaring the executive order unconstitutional.
“Executive Order 14230 is unlawful, null and void in its entirety and therefore should be disregarded,” Howell wrote in the order.
The ruling is the first to permanently nullify one of the executive orders Trump has issued against a law firm. His administration is expected to appeal.
As part of Judge Howell’s order, the Trump administration must cease any investigations of Perkins Coie, restore any rescinded services and allow the law firm to resume its “ordinary course of business” with the government.
In her full 102-page ruling, Judge Howell spelled out her rationale, declaring Trump’s executive order represented “an unprecedented attack” on the country’s “foundational principles”.
“No American President has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue in this lawsuit,” she said in her opening lines. “In purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.’”
Trump’s executive order, she added, offers a new twist on that Shakespearean phrase: “Let’s kill the lawyers I don’t like.”
The case began on March 6, when Trump published Executive Order 14230 under the title, “Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP”.
Citing the law firm’s work with Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, the executive order suspended the law firm’s security clearances, limited its access to government buildings and ordered agencies to terminate contracts with Perkins Coie when possible.
A handful of other law firms were also targeted with executive orders, including WilmerHale, Paul Weiss and Jenner & Block. Many had either represented causes unfavourable to Trump or had employed individuals with whom the president had expressed open displeasure.
But the idea that the president could withdraw services, security clearances, and even building access — simply because he disagreed with a law firm — raised questions about the constitutionality of those orders.
Critics pointed out that the First Amendment of the US Constitution protects individuals and companies from facing government retaliation for their free speech. The Fifth and Sixth Amendments, meanwhile, protect the right to due process and the right to seek legal counsel from law firms like Perkins Coie.
Many of the law firm’s clients had cases intimately involved with the inner workings of the government. Perkins Coie even said in its filings that its lawyers had to “necessarily interact with the federal government on behalf of their clients”.
It also added that some of its clients had started to reconsider working with Perkins Coie, in light of the executive order’s restrictions.
In April, more than 500 law firms signed an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie, arguing that Trump’s actions “would threaten the survival of any law firm” — and scare away clients.
Judge Howell validated those concerns in her ruling, saying that the law firm had “shown monetary harm sufficient to establish irreparable harm”. She also called the executive order an “overt attempt to suppress and punish certain viewpoints”.
But rather than face such punitive action, several high-profile law firms decided to cut a deal with the White House.
Paul Weiss was believed to be the first to strike a bargain, offering the administration $40m in pro bono legal services. Others followed suit: The firms Skadden, Milbank and Willkie Farr & Gallagher each agreed to perform $100m in free legal services.
In her ruling, Judge Howell warned that Trump’s executive orders against law firms could have a chilling effect on the entire profession and were tantamount to a power grab.
“Eliminating lawyers as the guardians of the rule of law removes a major impediment to the path to more power,” she wrote.
The Constitution, she added, “requires that the government respond to dissenting or unpopular speech or ideas with ‘tolerance, not coercion’”.
