Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the WHO said Sunday, one a confirmed case of hantavirus – an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cabo Verde, formerly known as Cape Verde. “To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases,” the WHO told Agence France-Presse. “Of the six affected individuals, three have died...

Jean-Luc ⁠Melenchon, the leading figure in ⁠the hard-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) political party, will stand in next year’s presidential election, he said on Sunday. “Yes, I am a candidate,” Melenchon told TF1 ‌TV. Melenchon, 74, has been a fixture of the French left for decades, holding ministerial posts in past governments when he was a Socialist Party member. He ran for president in 2012, 2017 and 2022, coming third that year behind ⁠far-right leader Marine Le Pen and President...

The final match of the 11th HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) edition was preceded by a star-studded closing ceremony, featuring fireworks and performances by popular singers, including Aima Baig, Arif Lohar and Atif Aslam.

Scores of spectators arrived at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on a hot Sunday to witness the gala event that was followed by the final clash between Peshawar Zalmi and debutants Hyderabad Kingsmen.

Here are some glimpses of the closing ceremony.

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Header image: Spectators witness fireworks at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium ahead of the HBL PSL 11 final match on May 3, 2026. — White Star

KARACHI: Aurat March organisers in Karachi said on Sunday that they had not been issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) yet for holding the annual march in the city, scheduled for May 10.

The organisers said they had sent a letter to PPP’s Aseefa Bhutto Zardari “after receiving no positive response from the authorities” on the matter.

“Seven days to the march, and we still have no NOC! We really hope that Aseefa Bhutt-Zardari will stand with Aurat March in the spirit of Sindh’s history of women in political life, and ensure that an NOC is promptly issued!” they said in a post on X.

The march is planned to be held at Sea View on Mother’s Day, which is observed on the second Sunday of every May.

Dawn reached out to the relevant authorities regarding the matter, among whom South Deputy Inspector General Asad Raza said police would provide “maximum security to the organisers of the Aurat March” like they did every year.

But as far as the issuance of an NOC is concerned, that was to be “dealt with by the district administration or South deputy commissioner”, he added.

However, sources in the district administration told Dawn that the South senior superintendent of police had been asked to submit a report, including recommendations, to further process the Aurat March’s request for an NOC. The report was yet to be submitted, they added.

Meanwhile, Aurat March organisers shared the letter they said they had sent to Aseefa on X.

It stated: “We are approaching you with the confidence that, as the First Lady of the province’s ruling party, who has a deep interest in women’s issues, you will help us.”

The organisers further noted that Sindh had history of women in politics. “This is also the history that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto represented: a woman who claimed political space in the face of forces that tried to deny it.”

The letter said, “Aurat March Karachi comes from the same history. Every year, we march to raise our voices and demands. This year, too, our demands are rooted in dignity, safety, livelihood, bodily autonomy, freedom from violence, and the right of women to exist fully in public and political life.”

It added that the organisers had applied to the relevant offices for an NOC for the march at Sea View on May 10.

“However, with only 7 days left and no response, we are anxious.

“For a province that has long taken pride in its democratic, progressive, and anti-authoritarian traditions, this delay is painful. Sindh’s political legacy is built on women who have spoken, organised, led, and refused to disappear from public life. At a time when women are preparing to gather PEACEFULLY and CONSTITUTIONALLY, that legacy should be carried forward with care and urgency,” it read.

The organisers further expressed hope that Aseefa would “stand with Aurat March Karachi and support our right to march safely and peacefully”.

“We request your urgent help and support in ensuring that the NOC is issued without further delay,” they appealed.

The first Aurat March in Pakistan was held on March 8, 2018, in Karachi. The next year, it was extended to more cities, including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Larkana, and Hyderabad.

It has been traditionally held on International Women’s Day, but this is the second year the Aurat March Karachi is being held on Mother’s Day instead. In March, the organiser announced that they would not be marching on March 8, International Women’s Day, due to Ramazan.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo on a trip to Rome this week, in the wake of the pontiff’s clash with US President Donald Trump, a Vatican source said on Sunday. The source confirmed Italian media reports about the meeting, which newspapers said would take place on Thursday in an attempt to “thaw” relations. It comes just weeks after Trump’s extraordinary criticism of Pope Leo XIV over the Catholic leader’s anti-war rhetoric. An Italian government source earlier told Agence...

A cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz has reported being attacked by multiple small craft, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said on Sunday, marking at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since the Iran war began. All crew on the unidentified northbound carrier were safe after the attack off Sirik, Iran, east of the strait, the monitor said. Iranian officials have asserted that they control the strait and that ships not affiliated with the...

An Israeli court on Sunday extended for two days the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, who were brought to Israel for questioning, a rights group representing them said.

The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and bring supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.

They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday, with Israel saying it had removed some 175 activists — two of whom were taken to Israel for questioning.

Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the southern city of Ashkelon on Sunday.

AFP footage showed the pair being escorted into the courtroom, with Avila walking with his hands behind his back and Abu Keshek’s feet in shackles.

“The court extended their detention by two days,” Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the rights group Adalah, told AFP.

Adalah said the state attorney had presented a list of suspected offences authorities said the pair was accused of committing, including “assisting the enemy during wartime” and “membership in and providing services to a terrorist organisation”.

But Adalah’s lawyers challenged the state’s jurisdiction, arguing against the “unlawful abduction” of the two activists in international waters.

Its lawyers told the court Avila and Abu Keshek had testified to “severe physical abuse amounting to torture, including being beaten and held in isolation and blindfolded for days at sea”.

Call for swift release

Israel’s foreign ministry rejected accusations that the men were subjected to physical violence.

“Contrary to the false and baseless claims prepared in advance, at no point were Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago vila subjected to torture,” ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told AFP.

“Following violent physical obstruction by Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago vila against Israeli staff members, staff were compelled to act in order to stop these actions. All measures taken were in accordance with the law,” he insisted.

No formal charges were filed against the two, Adalah said.

“We argued that … they were part of a humanitarian mission that aimed to provide humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza, and not to any other organisation, whether terrorist or not,” lawyer Hadeel Abu Salih told journalists after the court hearing.

“We deny all the accusations that were presented … and demand these two men be released immediately,” she said.

Spain’s government has called for Abu Keshek’s “immediate release”, the foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP, indicating the Spanish consul had accompanied Abu Keshek to the hearing.

Adalah’s lawyers had met the activists at Ashkelon’s Shikma Prison on Saturday.

They said Avila recounted being “subjected to extreme brutality” by Israeli forces when the vessels were seized, saying he was “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice”.

Abu Keshek was also “hand-tied and blindfolded … and forced to lie face-down on the floor from the moment of his seizure” until reaching Israel, it said.

Accused of Hamas ties

Israel’s foreign ministry said the pair were affiliated with the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) — a group accused by Washington of “clandestinely acting on behalf of” Hamas.

It said Abu Keshek was a leading PCPA member, and that Avila was also linked to the group and “suspected of illegal activity”.

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza last year drew worldwide attention, before being intercepted by Israeli forces off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza.

Avila was one of the organisers of that flotilla, which was also intercepted by Israeli forces, with crew members — including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg – arrested and expelled.

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid entirely.

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on Sunday a $70 billion initiative on Sunday to expand energy and digital infrastructure across the ​Asia-Pacific region by 2035, aiming to strengthen power grid ‌links, boost cross-border electricity trade and increase broadband access.

The plan includes $50bn for a new Pan‑Asia Power Grid Initiative and $20bn for the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway project.

At the inaugural session of its May 3-6 annual meeting in Samarkand, the Manila-based lending agency said it “will back $70bn in new energy and digital infrastructure initiatives by 2035, aiming to connect power grids, expand cross-border electricity trade, and improve broadband access across Asia and the Pacific”.

“Energy and digital access will define the region’s future,” said ADB President Masato Kanda. “These two initiatives build the systems Asia and the Pacific need to grow, compete, and connect. By linking power grids and digital networks across borders, we can lower costs, expand opportunity, and bring reliable power and digital access to hundreds of millions of people”, he said, according to the ADB announcement.

Pan‑Asia Power Grid Initiative

Pakistan, that continues to face the complex challenge of electricity shortages despite surplus generation capacity, could benefit from the initiative. But an official told Dawn that it was too early to reach a conclusion.

Pakistan sits at the crossroads of surplus generation capacity, demand curve and supply shortage, said a government official, adding that with regional cooperation facilitated by an international multilateral and digitally synchronised by AI-driven smart infrastructure could be win-win solution for all. He declined to officially comment on record, saying the initiative had just been announced and would have to be examined in detail on technical, financial and diplomatic grounds once it passed through the official channels and forums.

Pakistan’s daytime demand drops to an average of 9,000-10,000 megawatts (MW), owing to large penetration of solar systems, and peak demand surges beyond 29,000MW while grid-connected generation capacity exceeds 36,000MW. Off-grid, hybrid and net-metered solar capacity takes the country’s total installed capacity beyond 58,000MW. Yet, consumers at times suffer long hours of electricity loadshedding due to fuel shortages.

“The Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative will connect national and subregional power systems so renewable energy can flow across borders, while the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway will help close the digital infrastructure gap and enable the region to benefit from AI-driven growth,” the ADB said. Under the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative, ADB will work with governments, utilities, the private sector, and development partners to mobilise $50bn by 2035 for cross-border power infrastructure that can unlock renewable energy at scale, it added.

The initiative will focus on transmission and grid integration, including cross-border lines, substations, storage, and grid digitalisation. It will also support power generation linked to electricity trade, including renewable energy export projects, regional renewable hubs, and hybrid generation-storage facilities.

By 2035, ADB aims to integrate about 20 gigawatts of renewable energy across borders, connect 22,000 circuit-kilometres of transmission lines, improve energy access for 200 million people, create 840,000 jobs, and cut regional power sector emissions by 15 per cent.

ADB expects to finance about half of the $50bn initiative from its own resources and raise the rest through cofinancing, including from the private sector. Up to $10m in technical assistance will support efforts to align regulations, adopt common technical standards, prepare feasibility studies and advance other work needed for major projects.

The Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative marks a shift from country-to-country energy links to a regional approach to power trade. It builds on existing subregional cooperation initiatives, including the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation programme, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation grid interconnection planning, the Asean Power Grid, and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Energy Strategy 2030.

Asia-Pacific Digital Highway

The Asia-Pacific Digital Highway will mobilise $20bn by 2035 to finance digital corridors, data infrastructure, and AI-ready economies. Investments will focus on connected infrastructure, including terrestrial and subsea fiber networks, satellite links and regional data centres. ADB will also provide policy and regulatory support, including on cybersecurity risk management, and invest in skill programmes to strengthen digital and AI readiness, ADB said.

By 2035, the initiative aims to provide first-time broadband access to 200 million people and faster, more reliable digital connectivity for another 450m people across the region. It is expected to cut connectivity costs in remote and landlocked areas by about 40pc and help create 4m jobs. “ADB expects to finance $15bn of the $20bn initiative from its own resources and raise $5bn through cofinancing, including from the private sector”, it said, adding the Centre for AI Innovation and Development will be established in Seoul to support the initiative.

Backed by a $20m contribution from the Korean government, the centre will promote responsible and inclusive AI adoption and help train about 3m people in digital and AI-related skills by 2035.

Tehran said on Sunday that the United States had responded to its 14-point proposal via Pakistan and that it was reviewing the response, according to Iranian state media.

“At this stage, we do not have nuclear negotiations,” an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said, according to state media.

Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Washington faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” with Tehran, after US President Donald Trump disparaged Iran’s latest peace proposal.

Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held in Islamabad so far.

Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan, but Trump was quick to cast doubt on it.

“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

US news website Axios reported, citing two sources briefed on the proposal, that it set “a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the US naval blockade and permanently end the war in Iran and in Lebanon”.

Separately, Al Jazeera reported, citing sources, that the proposal envisaged three main stages, aiming to “transform the ceasefire into an end to the war within 30 days”.

According to the report, the proposal “envisions a pledge of nonaggression, including from Israel, to ensure there’s no return to war and an end to fighting throughout the Middle East”.

It said the proposal suggested the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in the first phase, as well as lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports.

Under the proposed plan, Tehran would take charge of dealing with sea mines, the report said.

It added that the second phase was proposed to include “Iran’s return to uranium enrichment after the time limit at 3.6 per cent in accordance with the ‘zero-storage principle’“.

Moreover, the plan includes the US and Israel refraining from attacking Iran and its allies in exchange for Iran refraining from launching strikes, the report said, adding that Iran had also rejected “dismantling nuclear infrastructure or destroying Iran’s facilities”.

“Lifting sanctions includes the gradual release of frozen funds,” it said.

In the third phase, Tehran proposed to enter “into a strategic dialogue with Arab neighbours and building a security system that includes the entire Middle East”, the report stated.

‘Impossible operation’

In a statement on Sunday, the Revolutionary Guards sought to put the onus back on Trump, saying he must choose between “an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

“The room for US decision-making has narrowed,” they said.

The day before, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told diplomats in Tehran that “the ball is in the United States’ court to choose the path of diplomacy or the continuation of a confrontational approach”.

Iran, he said, was “prepared for both paths”.

‘If they misbehave’

In a brief interview with reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, the US president declined to specify what could trigger new American military action.

“If they misbehave, if they do something bad, but right now, we’ll see,” he said. “But it’s a possibility that could happen, certainly.”

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iranian forces would sink US ships.

“The US is the only pirate in the world that possesses aircraft carriers. Our ability to confront pirates is no less than our ability to sink warships. Prepare to face a graveyard of your carriers and forces,” he posted on X.

His remarks came after Trump, while addressing a rally in Florida, compared the US action in the sea to that of pirates. “We’re like pirates” as he described an earlier helicopter raid on an oil tanker under the US blockade of Iranian ports.

“We … landed on top of it, and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” he remarked.

Axios reported earlier in the week that Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff had asked for Tehran’s nuclear programme to be put back on the negotiating table.

But Iran’s mission to the UN pointed to the massive US nuclear arsenal, accusing Washington on Saturday of “hypocritical behaviour” towards Iran’s own atomic ambitions.

On Sunday, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam also said that the continuation of talks between Tehran and Washington depended on the latter’s behaviour.

He expressed these views while speaking to Iranian official news agency IRNA.

The envoy said Iran had shared a comprehensive plan with the US, but “progress hinges on the US’s sincerity and willingness to resolve issues through genuine diplomatic efforts”.

He reiterated Iran’s commitment to safeguarding its national interests and defending its rights.

Moghadam also appreciated Pakistan for its efforts in facilitating dialogue between the US and Iran, and criticised US behavior, describing it as “unpredictable and aggressive”.

The final of 11th HBL Pakistan Super League edition turned out to be a one-man show as Aaron Hardie’s spectacular all-round performance led Peshawar Zalmi to their second title win on Sunday in Lahore.

They defeated Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets after opting to bowl first against the debutants at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Peshawar Zalmi achieved the 130-run target in the 16th over of the second innings, becoming the HBL PSL champions for a second time.

The first claimed the trophy with a win against the Quetta Gladiators in 2017.

They have now joined Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars as the winners who have lifted the PSL trophy more than once.

Zalmi’s second win was led by a stunning performance by Hardie, who took four wickets before scoring an unbeaten 56 runs off 39 deliveries. He smashed a total of nine boundaries and was named the player of the match.

They initially quickly lost four wickets after scoring just 40 runs by the end of five overs.

In a disappointing start, opener Muhammad Haris and Kusal Mendis, who batted at number three, lost their wickets on just six and nine runs, respectively. Captain Babar Azam, who opened alongside Haris and has been the season’s highest run-getter, also went back to the pavilion on a duck.

However, batsman Abdul Samad and Hardie shared a 85-run stand to change the course of the game.

Samad added 48 runs to the scoreboard before he was caught out at the boundary line.

For Hyderabad Kingsmen, medium-fast bowler Mohammad Ali clutched three wickets, playing a key role in splintering Zalmi’s top order. Meanwhile, Akif Javed and Hunain Shah took a single wicket each.

In the first innings, Saim Ayub scored 54 runs for the Kingsmen as the rest of the batting order struggled to survive the pace-buttressed attack of Peshawar Zalmi.

Hardie grabbed four crucial wickets for Zalmis, including batting prowess Glenn Maxwell, sending him back to the pavilion on a duck. He also took Saim’s wicket.

He has now become the first player to take a four-fer and hit a 50 in a PSL final.

Bangladesh’s Nahid Rana, who was called in the Zalmi squad in place of Khurram Shehzad, grabbed a couple of wickets as well, including Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne.

Sufiyaan Muqeem and Muhammad Basit also clasped a wicket each for Peshawar Zalmi.

Labuschagne and Hassan Khan added 20 and 12 runs, respectively, to the scoreboard, and seven out of 11 Kingsmen batters were not able to score runs in double figures.

Peshawar Zalmi had reached the final with eight victories and after losing just one match, sealing the top spot in the points table.

Meanwhile, Kingsmen — one of the two new franchises added to the PSL circuit in this edition — secured a stunning 2-run victory over Islamabad United in the make-or-break eliminator on Friday to book a place in the final.

Kingsmen had a rough start to the campaign, losing five games in a row before getting back on track to win the next five fixtures and qualify for the playoffs.

Sri Lankan police have arrested 37 Chinese nationals suspected of running a cyberscam centre in the capital Colombo, a spokesman said on Sunday, in the latest crackdown on foreign-run online fraud.

The suspects, aged between 23 and 44 and including one woman, were arrested after a tip-off, the police spokesman said.

“They had entered the country on tourist visas and were illegally employed, while two of them had overstayed their visas,” he added.

A local police source said 35 tablet computers, 147 mobile phones and 100 SIM cards were seized at the suspected scam centre in the Colombo suburb of Talangama.

The arrests came a month after 152 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, were detained for allegedly running a cyberscam operation out of a hotel in the island’s northwest.

Immigration authorities arrested 135 Chinese men and women in March for allegedly running a similar scam operation. They have since been deported.

Beijing’s embassy in Colombo said at the time it was working closely with local authorities to prevent Chinese nationals from carrying out scam operations in Sri Lanka.

The embassy said Sri Lanka’s developed telecommunications infrastructure, favourable geographical location and relatively lenient visa policies encouraged fraud gangs to move to the South Asian nation.

In 2024, Sri Lankan authorities detained 230 Chinese nationals and 200 Indian nationals accused of operating cybercrime centres in various parts of the island.

BAJAUR: Two people, including a social activist, were killed in separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Sunday, police and rescue officials told Dawn.

The first incident took place in the Kohi area of Salarzai tehsil, where unidentified armed assailants attacked social activist Malik Ziaur Rehman near his residence, Salarzai Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jamal Shah said.

“Unidentified assailants opened fire on him near his house, leaving him critically injured,” he said.

According to Rescue 1122 Khar station spokesperson Riaz Ahmad Khan, the 37-year-old succumbed to his injuries at the district headquarters hospital Khar, where he was taken in a critical condition after the attack.

An official at the Salarzai police station told Dawn that a team of law enforcers was immediately sent to the site of the incident, and a search had been launched to locate the attackers, who had fled after firing at Rehman.

Police are also further investigating the incident.

Area residents told Dawn that Rehman’s father, Malik Fatchi Khan, was also killed by unidentified attackers a few years ago.

Separately, a man identified as Sayed Door Khan was killed in a blast caused by an improvised explosive device in Bajaur’s Asil Targaoo area, Khar DSP Saidur Rehman said.

He said Sayed was critically injured in the blast and succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The DSP said an investigation of the incident was under way to trace those responsible for the blast and ascertain the motive of the attack.