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The New Sports Policy Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in multilateral events hosted by India, but bilateral events remain off the table, India's sport ministry said on Wednesday. Simplified Visa Process India also said the visa process for sportspersons and officials will be simplified while office bearers of international sport governing bodies will be granted multi-entry visas. The Impact on Bilateral Sports “In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India,” the ministry added. There has been a long freeze in bilateral cricket between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have not played a full series since 2012-13 and now meet largely at neutral venues. India's Sports Hosting Ambitions India is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030, and they have also bid for the 2036 Olympics and the 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad. The Future of Sports Diplomacy “With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons,” the ministry said in a memorandum. “It is also relevant to take into account India’s emergence as a credible venue to host international sports events.”

Abandoned Hijack: Pirates Leave UAE Dhow in Arabian SeaSecurity officials in Somalia’s Puntland region reported that the Fahad‑4, an Emirati dhow seized in late April, was abandoned on May 4 after the pirate crew ran out of provisions and could not mount further attacks.Hijacking Timeline and Operational FailuresLate April: An 11‑member pirate group captured the dhow about 10 nautical miles (19 km) off Dhinowda, northeastern Somalia.Following the seizure, the vessel was used as a “mothership” to patrol Somali waters and seek additional targets.May 4: Pirates abandoned the boat, citing dwindling supplies and intensified vigilance by commercial ships.There is no confirmed information on the fate of the crew or the vessel’s current condition.Economic Stakes: Piracy’s $18 bn Global Cost and Rising Vessel ValueThe World Bank estimates piracy off Somalia once cost the global economy up to $18 billion annually.Recent attacks have focused on fuel‑rich tankers such as the Honour 25 and the Eureka, whose cargoes are more valuable amid soaring petrol prices linked to the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict.The Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) has upgraded the threat level to “severe,” reflecting heightened risk for commercial shipping routes.Security Gaps: How Patrol Shifts Revived Somali PiracyAnalysts point to two key factors:Naval assets previously dedicated to anti‑piracy missions were redeployed in 2023 to counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, leaving a vacuum in the Gulf of Aden.Current distractions—such as naval focus on the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran‑U.S. tensions—further reduce patrol coverage, emboldening pirate groups.Outlook: Anticipated Naval Responses and Market ImplicationsExperts expect a multi‑pronged response:Re‑allocation of international warships to the Indian Ocean corridor to restore a “deterrence‑by‑presence” posture.Increased insurance premiums for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden, potentially raising freight costs.Continued monitoring by JMIC and regional authorities, with a focus on disrupting pirate “mothership” operations.Should patrols intensify, the resurgence of piracy could be curtailed, stabilizing shipping rates and protecting the $18 bn economic impact at stake.

The Economic Fallout of the Iran War Southeast Asian leaders have agreed on measures aimed at reducing the impact of the Iran war on their economies, but conceded that the initiatives will take considerable time to come into effect. ASEAN Summit Agreements On Friday, leaders gathered in the Philippines for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz dominating the agenda. Members agreed to a regional fuel-sharing framework in a bid to ease the economic strain caused by the more than two-month closure of the strategic waterway. Leaders also agreed to develop a regional power grid and fuel stockpile, while reducing their dependence on energy imports from the Middle East. Economic Impact and Future Outlook ASEAN currently imports more than half of its crude oil and 17 percent of its natural gas from the Middle East, according to the bloc’s Centre for Energy. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr welcomed the outcome, but conceded that the practical arrangements still needed to be clarified. “How is the sharing? Who gets what? How do you pay for it? Do you pay for it? Is it an exchange? … We haven’t done it before,” he said. Marcos warned that the economic consequences of the war in Iran would persist for the foreseeable future. “A few weeks worth of disruptions will take years to be corrected,” he said. Regional Response and Future Challenges The initiative was one of a handful of measures adopted at the summit. Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan reported that the overarching theme was one of unity, with ASEAN countries pledging to continue coordinating their response while safeguarding their national interests. Alindogan added that the bloc was still recovering from tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump last year and was considering how to hedge its relationships with other countries to shield itself from future crises.

The Evacuation of Spanish Passengers The first plane carrying passengers evacuated from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship has departed from Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands for Madrid, where they will go to a military hospital. Spanish nationals on Sunday were the first to leave the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, which remained anchored off Tenerife after arriving hours earlier, and they will be under quarantine after they reach Madrid, Spanish health authorities said. Only Spanish nationals will quarantine in the country. Details of the Hantavirus Outbreak The cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions listed 13 Spanish passengers and one Spanish crew member on board. No one else among the more than 140 people left on the Hondius is showing symptoms of the virus, Spain’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Oceanwide Expeditions said. 8 people on the ship had fallen ill, including 3 who died – a Dutch couple and a German national. 6 of these people are confirmed to have contracted the virus with another 2 suspected cases. The Impact on Public Health All passengers on the luxury cruise ship are being considered high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure, Europe’s public health agency said late on Saturday as part of its rapid scientific advice. The WHO estimated there are 10,000 to 100,000 hantavirus infections each year. Argentina remains the country with the highest number of cases in the Americas, the WHO indicated in December, with a case fatality rate of 32 percent, higher than the average observed for other strains of the virus. The Future Outlook WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on Saturday evening in Tenerife with Spain’s interior and health ministers and its minister for territorial policy to coordinate the arrival of the ship. Thanking Tenerife residents for their solidarity, Tedros assured them the risk from the ship was low. “I need you to hear me clearly,” he wrote in an open letter to the people of Tenerife. “This is not another COVID.”

The Humanitarian Crisis in the Strait of HormuzStranded at an Iranian port for nearly 10 weeks, Indian seafarer Anish has unintentionally become a firsthand witness to the Iran war. Anish arrived in the Shatt al-Arab waterway on a cargo ship days before United States President Donald Trump launched "Operation Epic Fury" on February 28. He has been stuck on the vessel ever since, facing dangerous conditions and uncertainty about when he can return home.Civilian Crews Caught in Military Crossfire"We've faced the whole situation here, the war, the missiles," Anish, who was granted a pseudonym after agreeing to speak on condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera. "Our minds are terribly distracted." Some of his fellow Indian seafarers have been able to return home by crossing Iran's 44km land border with Armenia, but many others have remained because they are still waiting to get paid. "Some are stuck because of their Indian agents; they are not getting their salaries," Anish said, referring to the middlemen who recruit seafarers, manage payrolls and take care of other employee matters on behalf of shipping firms.The Scale of the Maritime StandstillAnish's predicament is one faced by an estimated 20,000 seafarers stranded since Iran in effect shut the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the United States and Israel's attacks on the country. Before the war, the strait functioned as one of the world's most critical shipping routes, carrying about one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies, and one-third of the seaborne fertiliser trade. Despite the announcement of a tenuous ceasefire between Washington and Tehran on April 7, maritime traffic has remained at a standstill amid recurrent attacks in and around the waterway.Economic and Human Toll of the ConflictThe United Nations International Maritime Organization estimates that at least 10 seafarers have been killed since the start of the war. Iran's merchant marine union reported that at least 44 Iranian seafarers, including dockworkers and fishermen, had been killed as of April 1. While seafarers on board vessels operated by major international shipping lines have been receiving hazard pay and other assistance, some seafarers working with smaller operations are struggling to get paid or have their basic needs met, according to labor groups.Global Supply Chain DisruptionThe strait's closure has created significant disruptions to global supply chains. Lloyd's List reported that at least four commercial ships were fired upon in recent days, while a container ship operated by French company CMA CGM reported coming under attack while crossing the waterway. The longer the war drags on, the higher the risk that ship operators will abandon their vessels without settling all outstanding pay, according to seafarers' advocates.Psychological Impact on SeafarersSteven Jones, the founder of the "Seafarer Happiness Index," said seafarers' self-reported wellbeing score has fallen about 5 percent during the war. Seafarers have described seeing Iranian drones and missiles flying at low altitude. "One told us: 'What scares me the most is the thought of an intercepted drone or missile falling on us,'" Jones said. Other seafarers have reported dwindling food supplies and preparing escape plans.The Legal and Logistical ChallengesCrew rotation has become a major pressure point for ships. Under the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention – an international treaty ratified by 111 countries, including China, India, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom – the maximum time a seafarer can be required to serve on board is 12 months. While seafarers have a legal right to leave their vessel beyond this period, unstable conditions have made repatriation a complicated and expensive prospect.Mine Warfare in Critical WaterwaysFor the stranded seafarers, there is also the question of finding a safe route out of the strait, where Iran has reportedly laid sea mines. US officials told The New York Times last month that Tehran had laid the mines haphazardly and was unable to locate all of them. "There has been a lot of speculation about more precise numbers, but the fact is that we don't know; uncertainty is central to mine warfare, and creating uncertainty about risk is part of the point of conducting it," Scott Savitz, a senior engineer at the US-based Rand Corporation who has studied naval mine warfare, told Al Jazeera.Uncertain Path Forward for SeafarersEven if the strait were to reopen tomorrow, trade flows would take some time to return to normal due to damaged regional infrastructure, maxed-out storage facilities across the Gulf and a backlog of exports, according to shipping and logistics experts. The IMO announced in late April that it was working on an evacuation plan that prioritizes ships based on humanitarian need, but that "all parties" involved in the conflict would need to refrain from attacks for such an operation to proceed.Personal Stories of Stranded WorkersAnish, the Indian seafarer, said he has not been paid by his Dubai-based agent for nine months. He is supposed to receive a payment in US dollars later this month, but he is worried that his company may withhold the sum. "My contract finish date is the 20th of May," Anish said. "Maybe the company will provide my salary after that," he said. "I don't know."Future Outlook for Global Maritime Trade"It's a very dangerous moment," the ITF's Cotton said. "We're all saying the same – don't transit unless you know it's safe – but I don't think anyone really knows what's safe any more." Savitz said that it would be possible to establish an exit corridor in a few days, but clearing the strait of mines could take weeks or even months. "Iran has stated that it has laid mines in and around the Strait of Hormuz, but it's possible that they have laid them in other areas," Savitz said.

The Stunning Upswing Daniel Dubois stunned Fabio Wardley with a brutal and bloody performance, coming back from two knockdowns to secure a victory in the 11th round and claim the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) World Heavyweight title. The Fight Details The intense all-British clash took place at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom, on Saturday. Referee Howard Foster stepped in at the start of the 11th round to signal the end of the fight, with Wardley bleeding heavily from the bridge of his nose and his right eye almost closed. The Knockdowns and Comeback Dubois was dropped by a right hook in the first 10 seconds of the fight. He rose again in the third round but continued to pulverize Wardley. Dubois's relentless pressure forced Wardley's corner to inspect his facial wounds after the eighth round, with doctors and the referee taking a look in rounds nine and 10. The Aftermath Dubois's win marked his 23rd professional victory in 26 fights, while Wardley now has a 20-1-1 record. Veteran promoter Frank Warren, who manages both men, hailed the fight as the best heavyweight bout he had ever put on and confirmed there was a rematch clause in the contract. The Future Outlook With this victory, Dubois becomes a two-time World Heavyweight champion, having previously held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title. The win sets the stage for potential future matchups in the heavyweight division, with Dubois looking to solidify his position as a top contender.

The Lead: Macron's Diplomatic Efforts French President Emmanuel Macron has started a tour of East Africa as Paris seeks to rebuild its influence on the continent after a series of setbacks, especially in its former West African colonies. Macron's Tour and Its Objectives Macron began the three-country tour in Egypt on Saturday, which will also take him to Kenya and Ethiopia. He will cohost a summit in English-speaking Kenya on Monday and Tuesday as France seeks to redefine its role in Africa, moving away from its postcolonial role towards closer cooperation. Economic Cooperation and Summit The summit will bring together African leaders and business executives, with several agreements between French and Kenyan companies set to be signed during the visit to boost economic and commercial cooperation. The “Africa Forward” summit will be the first in an Anglophone country attended by Macron since he took office in 2017. Africa's Changing Balance of Power Africa’s changing balance of power is a significant factor in Macron's tour. France colonised large parts of West and Central Africa, and maintained excessive political and economic influence long after independence. However, there is a growing push for more equal, win-win partnerships, tighter control over natural resources and broader alliances beyond traditional Western partners. The Sahel Region: A Turning Point Anti-French sentiment has generally grown alongside political instability, military coups and rising competition from other international powers. The sharpest rupture has come in the Sahel region, where Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have seen coups followed by rapidly deteriorating relations with France. Can Macron Succeed in Reshaping France's Africa Policy? Macron is seeking to reshape France’s Africa policy, replacing traditional influence with what he calls partnerships. He is also pushing for deeper cultural and educational cooperation focused on entrepreneurship, climate and youth engagement. Such efforts are seen as France’s attempt to reinvent its postcolonial relationship with African states and compete with powers like China and Russia.

The Abduction and Deportation Israel has deported two foreign activists who had been abducted from a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says. Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national of Palestinian origin, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were among dozens of activists sailing with the flotilla when it was intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of the Greek island of Crete on April 30. The Investigation and Allegations The pair were seized by Israeli forces and taken to Israel for questioning while others were taken to Crete and released. Israel's foreign ministry said Abu Keshek was suspected of affiliation with a 'terrorist' organisation and Avila was suspected of illegal activity. Both denied the allegations, saying they were on a humanitarian mission for Gaza's civilian population and their arrest in international waters was unlawful. The International Response Spain, Brazil and the United Nations all called for the men's swift release. On Wednesday, an Israeli court rejected an appeal contesting the pair's detention, and the rights group representing them called the ruling 'unlawful'. The Flotilla's Mission The Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking Israel's blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Throughout Israel's genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, which started in October 2023, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the territory.

The LeadLibya's largest functioning oil refinery has resumed full operations after fighting over the past two days forced a complete shutdown of the facility. The Zawiya refinery, located about 40km west of Tripoli, was forced to halt operations and evacuate all tankers from the port when heavy shelling struck multiple locations inside the facility.The Event DetailsThe emergency shutdown occurred after fighting erupted near the facility in Zawiya on Friday. According to the operator Azzawiya Oil Refining Company, the plant was forced to shut completely, and all tankers were evacuated from the port. Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) reported that several high-calibre projectiles landed in various parts of the oil complex but noted there had been no significant damage at that time.The Data AnalysisThe Zawiya refinery has a significant capacity of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd), making it Libya's largest functioning oil facility. It is strategically connected to the 300,000-bpd Sharara oilfield, which enhances its importance in the country's oil infrastructure. Despite the shutdown, NOC confirmed that fuel supplies to Tripoli and surrounding areas had not been affected by the disruption.The Impact AnalysisThe incident highlights the persistent security challenges facing Libya's oil industry, which has been plagued by unrest since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Zawiya has seen repeated fighting that has at times forced the closure of the coastal road to the Tunisian border, disrupting both commercial and military logistics. The security directorate of Zawiya described the recent incident as a 'security operation against outlaws,' indicating ongoing tensions in the region.The PredictionWhile the refinery has resumed operations, the incident underscores the vulnerability of Libya's oil infrastructure to localized conflicts. Given the country's history of instability, similar disruptions may continue to affect production capabilities. However, NOC's ability to quickly restore operations and maintain fuel supplies demonstrates the resilience of Libya's oil management systems, suggesting that while short-term disruptions are likely, long-term production capacity remains intact despite the security challenges.