live Trump says Iran wants to ‘settle’ as U.S. pauses talks for Khamenei funeral
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies...
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry says the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged continued cooperation after talks in Kabul on aid coordination, bilateral ties and job creation.
During the meeting, Dr Mohammad Naeem, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Deputy Minister for Finance and Administration, held discussions with Fujimoto Lok, the newly appointed President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), on expanding cooperation between the two sides.
Naeem thanked the bank for its assistance and cooperation, the ministry said. It added that he stressed Afghanistan’s commitment to working with aid organisations for the benefit of its people, with a strong focus on job creation.
The ministry said the Afghan side underlined that it “is committed to supporting and cooperating with aid organisations for the benefit of its people”, and “fundamentally emphasizes the creation of job opportunities”.
Fujimoto Lok, meanwhile, briefed Afghan officials on the bank’s activities and offered assurances on future support, according to the ministry. It said he “shared information about his activities” and “expressed assurance of continued cooperation”.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan remains heavily dependent on external support. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), around 21.9 million people in Afghanistan - about 45% of the population - are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026.
ADB’s engagement with Afghanistan has also shifted sharply since August 2021. On its Afghanistan overview page, the bank says its “regular assistance to Afghanistan has been on hold since 15 August 2021”.
At the same time, it says that since 2022 it has “supported the basic needs of the Afghan people” through “a special arrangement with the United Nations”, including food assistance and health and education services.
That makes the latest meeting notable. It suggests that while ADB’s regular assistance remains suspended, contacts with Afghan officials are continuing, and both sides are seeking to maintain cooperation in areas linked to aid, basic services and employment.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
Iran and the U.S. have concluded indirect talks in Doha without a major breakthrough, with discussions focused on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and frozen Iranian funds. Both sides are expected to meet again after the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
Uzbekistan will open an embassy in Georgia, the Central Asian country’s presidency has said. The announcement follows talks between Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in Tbilisi.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) opened its annual party conference, where delegates voted to keep Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as the party's co-leaders.
Armenia's parliament has passed a new law raising the requirements for citizens living abroad to vote in national elections, following concerns over alleged efforts to influence last month's parliamentary vote through Armenian citizens residing in Russia.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
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