G7 Abandons Joint Ukraine Statement as Zelenskiy Says Diplomacy in Crisis 

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
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G7 Abandons Joint Ukraine Statement as Zelenskiy Says Diplomacy in Crisis 

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney poses for a family photo with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Council President Antonio Costa, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, World Bank President Ajay Banga, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy leaves the Group of Seven summit on Tuesday with new aid from host Canada for its war against Russia but without a joint statement of support from members or a chance to meet with US President Donald Trump.

The G7 wealthy nations struggled to find unity over the conflict in Ukraine after Trump expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and left a day early to address the Israel-Iran conflict from Washington.

Canada dropped plans for the G7 to issue a strong statement on the war in Ukraine after resistance from the United States, a Canadian official told reporters.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa would provide C$2 billion ($1.47 billion) in new military assistance for Kyiv as well as impose new financial sanctions.

Zelenskiy said he had told the G7 leaders that "diplomacy is now in a state of crisis" and said they need to continue calling on Trump "to use his real influence" to force an end to the war, in a post on his Telegram account.

Although Canada is one of Ukraine's most vocal defenders, its ability to help it is far outweighed by the United States, the largest arms supplier to Kyiv. Zelenskiy had said he hoped to talk to Trump about acquiring more weapons.

After the summit in the Rocky Mountain resort area of Kananaskis concluded, Carney issued a chair statement summarizing deliberations.

"G7 leaders expressed support for President Trump’s efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," the statement said.

"They recognized that Ukraine has committed to an unconditional ceasefire, and they agreed that Russia must do the same. G7 Leaders are resolute in exploring all options to maximize pressure on Russia, including financial sanctions."

Canada holds the rotating G7 presidency this year. Other leaders do not need to sign off on G7 chair statements. "There would be things that some of us, Canada, included, would say above and beyond what was said in the chair summary," Carney said at a closing news conference.

Trump did agree to a group statement published on Monday calling for a resolution of the Israel-Iran conflict.

"We had a declaration given the exceptional, fast moving situation in Iran," Carney said. "We concentrated on that as a specific one. I held this (Ukraine)for my chair summary."

A European official said leaders had stressed to Trump their plans to be hard on Russia and Trump seemed impressed, though he does not like sanctions in principle.

Three European diplomats said they had heard signals from Trump that he wanted to raise pressure on Putin and consider a US Senate bill drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham, but that he had not committed to anything.

"I am returning to Germany with cautious optimism that decisions will also be made in America in the coming days to impose further sanctions against Russia," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

G7 leaders agreed on six other statements, about migrant smuggling, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, wildfires, transnational repression and quantum computing.

KREMLIN SAYS G7 LOOKS 'RATHER USELESS'

Trump said on Monday he needed to be back in Washington as soon as possible due to the situation in the Middle East, where escalating attacks between Iran and Israel have raised risks of a broader regional conflict.

A White House official on Tuesday said Trump explained that he returned to the US because it is better to hold high-level National Security Council meetings in person, rather than over the phone.

Upon arriving at the summit, Trump said that the then-Group of Eight had been wrong to expel Russia after Putin ordered the occupation of Crimea in 2014.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Trump was right and said the G7 was no longer significant for Russia and looked "rather useless."

Many leaders had hoped to negotiate trade deals with Trump, but the only deal signed was the finalization of the US-UK deal announced last month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained at the summit after Trump left.

Carney also invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as he tries to shore up alliances elsewhere and diversify Canada's exports away from the United States.

Carney warmly welcomed Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday, after two years of tense relations between Canada and India.



Extreme Weather in Afghanistan Leaves 17 People Dead, Authorities Say

Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)
Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)
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Extreme Weather in Afghanistan Leaves 17 People Dead, Authorities Say

Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)
Locals inspect a damaged house following floods, landslides and thunderstorms in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP)

Severe flooding, a landslide and thunderstorms in parts of Afghanistan left 17 people dead and 26 injured over the last 24 hours, with more heavy rainfall predicted, authorities said Sunday, the latest casualties from extreme weather in the country this season.

The number of casualties could increase as crews from the country’s National Disaster Management Authority survey the affected areas, the authority’s spokesman, Yousuf Hammad, said in a statement. Thirteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, mostly in the western, central and northwestern parts of the country, were affected.

The severe weather also left 147 homes either completely or partially destroyed, wiped out 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) of roads and destroyed agricultural land and irrigation canals and businesses, Hammad said. In all, he said, 530 families were affected.

Heavy rainfall was also forecast to affect eastern and central parts of the country Monday, and Hammad warned flooding was also possible in those areas. The disaster management authority warned residents to avoid river banks and areas at risk of flooding in those regions, and ordered local officials to be on standby to provide assistance.

Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, with snow and heavy rain that trigger flash floods, often killing dozens, or even hundreds, of people at a time. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.

Decades of conflict, coupled with poor infrastructure, a struggling economy, deforestation and the intensifying effects of climate change have amplified the impact of such disasters, particularly in remote areas where many homes are built of mud and offer limited protection against sudden deluges or heavy snowfall.


Iran Accuses US of Ground Assault Plans as Pakistan Hosts Regional Talks

Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)
Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)
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Iran Accuses US of Ground Assault Plans as Pakistan Hosts Regional Talks

Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)
Members of the media work amid wreckage of vehicles at an auto service center in Tehran, Iran, 28 March 2026. (EPA)

Iran said it was ready to respond to a US ground attack, accusing Washington on Sunday of preparing a land assault even as the Trump administration sought talks and as regional powers met in Pakistan to try to end the conflict.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt met in Islamabad to discuss ways to halt the Iran war, which has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies.

The ministers exchanged views on the severe economic repercussions of the military escalation in the region, its impact on international navigation, supply chains and food security, as well as its implications for energy security in light of rising oil prices, Egypt's foreign ministry said.

As the conflict entered its second month, Israel's military said it carried overnight strikes on Tehran, targeting what it described as a facility producing critical components for ballistic missiles and a weapons production and storage site.

Iran launched multiple missile salvos at Israel on Sunday, sending millions of people across the country into shelters. Israel's fire and rescue service said a blaze had broken out in an industrial area in the country's south after an "impact".

Chemical manufacturing and industrial plants, as well as a hazardous waste treatment facility, are located in the industrial area. It was not immediately clear ‌if a missile had hit ‌the area, or if the fire was caused by debris from an interception.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused the US ‌of sending ⁠messages about possible ⁠negotiations while at the same time secretly planning to send in troops, adding that Tehran was ready to respond if US soldiers were deployed.

"As long as the Americans seek Iran's surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation," he said in a message to the nation.

The war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the Middle East, with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launching on Saturday their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict.

The assault points to a potential new threat to global shipping, already hit by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, previously a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

US MARINES START ARRIVING IN MIDDLE EAST

Washington has dispatched thousands of Marines to the Middle East, with the first of two contingents arriving on Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship, the US military has said.

The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying the Pentagon was ⁠preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, adding that it was not yet clear if President Donald Trump would approve ‌such plans.

Reuters has reported that the Pentagon has considered military options that could include ground forces.

Trump faces a stark choice ‌between seeking a negotiated exit or escalating militarily that risks a protracted crisis, and would likely weigh further on his already low approval ratings.

"President Trump has poor options all around to end ‌the war," said Jonathan Panikoff, former US deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East.

"Part of the challenge is the lack of clarity related to what a satisfactory outcome would ‌be," Panikoff added.

Pakistan, which along with Türkiye and Egypt has been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, was hosting four-nation talks and looking for proposals that could bring the two sides together, a Pakistani foreign ministry official said.

The countries meeting in Pakistan have floated proposals to Washington tied to maritime traffic and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as part of wider efforts to stabilize shipping flows.

Washington said last week it had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan, with a proposal to reopen the waterway and restrict Iran's nuclear program, but Tehran has rejected the list and put ‌forward proposals of its own.

ISRAEL HITS DOZENS OF TARGETS ACROSS IRAN

An Israeli official said Israel would continue carrying out strikes against Iran on what were described as military targets, adding there was no intention to scale back the campaign ahead of ⁠any possible talks between Washington and Tehran.

Israel said ⁠on Sunday it had targeted Tehran's weapons manufacturing infrastructure, including dozens of storage and production sites the day before.

A building housing Qatar's Al-Araby TV in Tehran was hit on Sunday, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, with video showing walls and windows blown out of the multi-storey block.

"The missile hit. The ceiling and everything fell on our heads. Unfortunately, we couldn't continue to work. It was a real miracle we survived," said Al Araby camera operator Mohammadreza Shademan. "There was no military target here."

Iran continued attacks on several Gulf states, and air defenses shot down a drone near the residence of the leader of the Iraqi Kurdish ruling party in Erbil early on Sunday, security sources said.

Another drone strike targeted the home of the president of Iraq's Kurdistan region a day earlier, the sources added.

Meanwhile, there is concern over shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea after Yemen's Houthis entered the fray by targeting Israel.

During the Gaza war the Houthis also hit ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime choke point leading to the Suez Canal. Analysts say renewed attacks there would pile further pressure on the world economy.

With US midterm elections due in November, the increasingly unpopular war has weighed on Trump's Republican Party. Demonstrators took to city streets across the US on Saturday in protests against the conflict.

Trump has threatened to hit power stations and other energy infrastructure if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, though he has extended a deadline by 10 days.

A European diplomat warned that any further military escalation could make it harder to bring the two sides together, potentially delaying the possibility by weeks, if not longer.

Iranian threats against ships have kept most oil tankers from attempting the waterway. Iran has agreed to let an additional 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels pass through the strait, with two ships permitted to transit daily, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said.


Pakistan Hosts Saudi, Türkiye, Egypt FMs for Talks on Middle East War

Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)
Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)
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Pakistan Hosts Saudi, Türkiye, Egypt FMs for Talks on Middle East War

Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)
Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Türkiye meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 29, 2026. (Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters)

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye on Sunday held talks about trying to end the war in the Middle East, as Islamabad acts as a go-between between the United States and Iran.

The four-way meeting between the top diplomats of the Muslim nations lasted several hours in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, relaying messages between the two sides.

It is seeking to capitalize on its longstanding links with Tehran and close contacts in the Gulf, and the personal rapport that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir have struck up with US President Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the talks, held under tight security at his ministry but without any US, Israeli or Iranian representation, came a "critical moment".

"Our candid and constructive discussions focus on the evolving regional situation and advancing peace and stability, while strengthening our partnership and deepening cooperation," he wrote on X.

Dar, who is also Pakistan's deputy prime minister, held separate bilateral talks with his counterparts -- Badr Abdelatty from Egypt, Hakan Fidan from Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.

All three visitors also met Munir.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a mutual defense pact and in another meeting, Sharif told Prince Faisal that Riyadh had shown "remarkable restraint" in the crisis.

"While emphasizing the Kingdom's leadership role in the Muslim Ummah (worldwide community), the Prime Minister stressed upon the need to forge unity within the Islamic countries at this critical time," a statement read.

- 'Event planner' -

Tehran has refused to admit to holding official talks with Washington but has passed a response to Trump's 15-point plan to end the war via Islamabad, according to an anonymous source cited by the Iranian Tasnim news agency.

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Friday he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan "very soon", without revealing his source.

Shuja Nawaz, founder director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council, said Pakistan had taken on a "challenging task" in trying to get Washington and Tehran to agree to talks.

"It could only do this with Saudi blessing," Nawaz, author of "The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighborhood", told AFP.

"The real challenge for Pakistan is to bring together a single person in the White House who changes his mind frequently and an Iranian government that is debating whether to fight a long war or find an end to its economy being further devastated.

"Israeli autonomous decision-making will further complicate any Trump decision to claim victory and end a conflict that is hurting his popularity at home. Pakistan has limited leverage over both the US and Iran; none with Israel.

"Will it remain an event planner only?"

Sharif on Saturday said he had a detailed telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian lasting over one hour, detailing Pakistan's "ongoing diplomatic outreach".

Dar also said late Saturday that Iran had allowed 20 more Pakistani-flagged vessels -- or two ships daily -- to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, easing fears of an imminent fuel crisis.

"Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward," he wrote on X, tagging US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.