By Fatma Zehra Solmaz
ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including reported Pakistani airstrikes in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan; Iran designating the naval and air forces of EU member states “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move; US President Donald Trump pledging to raise a previously announced 10% global import tariff to 15% despite a Supreme Court ruling against earlier hikes; and Arab countries strongly condemning US Ambassador to Tel Aviv Mike Huckabee’s remarks supporting Israel’s control over the region from the Nile to the Euphrates.
TOP STORIES
- Pakistani airstrikes reported in eastern, southeastern Afghanistan
Pakistani forces reportedly carried out airstrikes in several areas of eastern and southeastern Afghanistan, according to Afghan media and the Pakistani Ministry of Information.
“Sources told TOLOnews that following the airstrikes in Khogyani district, Nangarhar province, Pakistani forces also carried out strikes in the province’s Ghani Khel district, Nangarhar province and Behsud district, Nangarhar province,” the Afghan news channel wrote on US social media platform X.
“Sources add that in Behsud district, the home of a civilian identified as Shahabuddin was targeted. Pakistani forces also conducted airstrikes tonight in Barmal district, Paktika province and Urgun district, Paktika province,” it added.
- Iran designates naval, air forces of EU states ‘terrorist entities’ in tit for tat move
Iran has designated the armed forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a tit-for-tat move.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the country took reciprocal measures in response to the “illegal and unjustified” decision by EU member states to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a “terrorist organization.”
It noted that Iran decided to designate all naval and air forces of EU member states “terrorist organizations.”
- Trump to raise global import tariff from 10% to 15%
US President Donald Trump escalated his renewed tariff campaign by pledging to raise a previously announced 10% global tariff to 15%, even after the Supreme Court ruled against his previous tariff hikes.
"Based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs issued yesterday ... by the United States Supreme Court," the global tariff will be raised to 15% "effective immediately," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
- Arab countries condemn US ambassador’s remarks supporting Israel’s control over Middle East
Arab countries strongly condemned as “absurd and provocative,” unacceptable, and contrary to international law, the remarks by US Ambassador to Tel Aviv Mike Huckabee, in which he openly accepted Israel’s control over the entire Middle East, including the occupied West Bank.
Huckabee argued on a podcast that Israel has a biblical right to the land stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers, saying, “It would be fine if they (Israel) took it all.”
He made the remarks in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, during which he defended Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and voiced support for the idea of “divine providence” giving control of the region to Israel.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- The bishop of Lincoln, the Right Reverend Stephen Conway, has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault following a complaint to the Church of England's national safeguarding team.
- The bodies of nine backcountry skiers killed earlier this week were recovered after an avalanche struck the California side of Lake Tahoe, according to officials.
- Kuwait summoned Iraq’s chargé d’affaires to protest Baghdad’s filing of maritime coordinates and a map with the UN, saying the submission “infringes on Kuwaiti sovereignty” over established maritime areas.
- The Sudanese army and allied joint forces repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the border town of El Tina in North Darfur state.
- The Syrian presidency appointed a presidential envoy to oversee the implementation of the Jan. 29 agreement with the YPG/SDF terror organization, according to state media.
- US President Donald Trump has pledged to instruct relevant agencies to remove Vietnam from the "strategic export control list" during a meeting with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Washington, according to a statement from Hanoi.
- Jordan ruled out allowing its territory to be used as a launch point for military action against Iran, officials told The New York Times, as regional tensions mount alongside negotiations about Tehran’s nuclear program.
- Three Palestinians, including a child, were wounded by illegal Israeli settlers in two attacks in the occupied West Bank, officials and medics said.
- French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the US Supreme Court ruling that struck down tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, saying it highlights the importance of counterbalances to power in democracies.
- Eleven Palestinian families began dismantling their homes in a Bedouin community east of the city of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank due to continued attacks by illegal Israeli settlers and the Israeli army.
- Philippa Sigl-Glockner, who once served as private secretary to former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has been mentioned in documents linked to the late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- More than 1,000 councilors across Britain have pledged support for Palestinian rights ahead of crucial local elections in May, as campaigners aim to make Palestine a central electoral issue.
- The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority said it has taken control of the management of the Qamishli International Airport in northeastern Syria, under an agreement between the government and the YPG/SDF terror organization.
- UK police have launched a murder investigation after a young man was stabbed to death outside a mosque in England's West Midlands during celebrations of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
- Hundreds of people protested in Stockholm, condemning Israel's latest administrative measures aimed at annexing the occupied West Bank.
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has tested the Sayyad-3G air defense missile for the first time during the “Smart Control” drills in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions on Russian firms and individuals linked to Moscow.
- At least 50 people were killed and several women and children abducted in an attack on a village in Nigeria's northwestern Zamfara State.
- A key US prosecutor has been removed from his post, a senior Justice Department official announced hours after his appointment by a panel of judges.
- The death toll from an Israeli airstrike that hit a building in the town of Riyaq in the Baalbek district, eastern Lebanon, rose to 10, with more than 30 injured, in a preliminary count, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
- The CIA said director John Ratcliffe has ordered the retraction or “substantive revision” of 19 intelligence assessments issued in the last decade after they were found to be politically biased.
- A helicopter crash in Russia’s Far East Amur region resulted in three deaths, according to the authorities.
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have arrested several migrants with prior convictions for violent and sexual crimes, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- 5-day India AI Impact Summit 2026 ends with call to use AI for human benefit
A global call was issued at the conclusion of a five-day India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi to foster shared understanding, while respecting national sovereignty, on how AI can be used to benefit humanity.
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Impact Summit Declaration emphasized international cooperation across seven pillars: development of human capital; expanding access for social empowerment; trustworthiness of AI systems; energy efficiency of AI systems; use of AI in science; democratizing AI resources; and use of AI for economic growth and social good.
"In complementarity with existing international and other initiatives, we will work to foster shared understanding, while respecting national sovereignty, on how AI could be made to serve humanity," it added.
- Google's AI boss calls for more research on threats posed by AI
The CEO of Google DeepMind has called for more research into the threats posed by artificial intelligence (AI) "to be done urgently."
Demis Hassabis said the sector desired "smart regulation" for "the real risks" caused by the technology, the BBC reported.
His remarks came during an interview at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi.
Demis said it was crucial to put strong safeguards in place to protect against the gravest dangers posed by increasingly autonomous systems.
- Jordan, Venezuela agree on roadmap for economic cooperation
Jordan and Venezuela have agreed to develop a roadmap identifying available and promising areas of economic cooperation, while reviewing regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The agreement came during separate meetings between Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, during an undeclared visit by Safadi to Caracas.
According to a statement by Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, Rodríguez received Safadi, during which he conveyed King Abdullah II’s keenness to further develop relations between the two countries.
- China announces tax incentives for next 5 years to promote science, technology
China has announced tax incentives for the next five years to promote science and technology, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
The Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs and the State Taxation Administration issued a statement announcing the incentives.
China launched its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) this year.
The policy, effective from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2030, exempts science and technology popularization institutions from import tariffs and import-linked value-added taxes on eligible goods.
- Indian, Brazilian leaders vow to boost bilateral trade to $20B over next 5 years
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to boost trade to $20 billion over the next five years.
Modi held “extensive engagements” with Lula, who is visiting New Delhi, and attended an AI summit organized by India this week, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on US social media company X.
Modi said the talks focused “on ways to deepen” the India-Brazil trade partnership.