Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
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Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)

Pakistan's military shot down an Indian drone along the de facto Kashmir border, state radio in Islamabad reported on Tuesday, a week after the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested region in years.

The Indian army also said that both sides exchanged fire for a fifth straight night along the Line of Control (LoC), a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts, AFP said.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan on the exchange of fire but state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported that the military had shot down an Indian "quadcopter", calling it a violation of its airspace.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 in which 26 men were killed.

Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, diplomatic barbs, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.

The unmanned Indian aircraft had attempted to conduct surveillance along the LoC in the Manawar Sector of the Bhimber area, the Radio Pakistan report said.

It did not say when the incident happened. There was no comment from New Delhi.

India said the "Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control" overnight Monday to Tuesday. The gunfire took place in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as in the Akhnoor sector, it said.

The Indian army said its troops had "responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation". There were no reports of casualties.

India has said Tuesday is the deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave.

'Exercise restraint'

Analysts say they fear bellicose statements will escalate into possible military action.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men -- two Pakistanis and an Indian -- who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organization.

They have announced a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest and carried out sweeping detentions seeking anyone suspected of links to the killers.

The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show "maximum restraint", while China, which shares a border with both India and Pakistan, on Tuesday repeated its call on both sides to "exercise restraint".

"Both India and Pakistan are important countries in South Asia. Their harmonious coexistence is crucial to the peace, stability and development of the region," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

US President Donald Trump downplayed tensions, saying on Friday the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".



Trump Issues Ultimatum for Iran to Accept Deal or Face More Bombing

US President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation inside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 05 May 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation inside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 05 May 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Issues Ultimatum for Iran to Accept Deal or Face More Bombing

US President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation inside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 05 May 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation inside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 05 May 2026. (EPA)

President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum Wednesday for Iran to accept a deal to end the war or face intense renewed US bombing, the latest in a series of abrupt policy shifts.

"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is perhaps a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform," using the US name for its military campaign against Iran.

"If they don't agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before."

He later said in an interview with PBS he was optimistic about reaching an agreement with Iran before his scheduled trip to China next week.

"I think it's got a very good chance of ending, and if it doesn't end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them," Trump told the broadcaster.

He was also asked about reports that under a proposed deal, Tehran would "export" its highly enriched uranium, possibly to the United States.

"No, not perhaps. It goes to the United States," Trump said without explaining how this key point of contention would be resolved.

Iran has steadfastly refused to give up its enriched uranium, which it insists is not for making a nuclear bomb.

Trump's social media post came after US news outlet Axios reported that Washington and Tehran were close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.

A short time later, however, the president told the New York Post it was "too far" and "too much" to think about face-to-face talks with Iran in Pakistan, which has been mediating a peace deal between the two sides.

It remained difficult to discern Trump's stance on how to end the war.

The 79-year-old Republican has repeatedly asserted he has "all the time in the world" for the high-stakes conflict, but also recently signaled to Congress that the war, launched on February 28, was already over.

Trump and his administration are seeking an exit from the conflict, which is deeply unpopular with the American public and has driven up the price of gasoline, among other costs.

Trump late Tuesday announced a pause in a US military operation to guide stranded commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz -- after only a day -- citing a chance to seal a deal to end the war.

The US leader said Washington's blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place as Tehran kept up its own closure of the vital trade route, which has rocked markets and spiked fuel prices.

Trump wrote on social media that the surprise decision to halt his so-called "Project Freedom" came after requests from "mediator Pakistan and other countries", saying "Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement" with Tehran.

"We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom... will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump wrote late Tuesday.


French Aircraft Carrier Pre-Positions for Possible Hormuz Mission

This photograph taken on April 27, 2026, shows an aerial view of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the end of the NATO military exercise Neptune Strike 26-2, off the coast of the Greek island of Crete. (AFP)
This photograph taken on April 27, 2026, shows an aerial view of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the end of the NATO military exercise Neptune Strike 26-2, off the coast of the Greek island of Crete. (AFP)
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French Aircraft Carrier Pre-Positions for Possible Hormuz Mission

This photograph taken on April 27, 2026, shows an aerial view of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the end of the NATO military exercise Neptune Strike 26-2, off the coast of the Greek island of Crete. (AFP)
This photograph taken on April 27, 2026, shows an aerial view of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the end of the NATO military exercise Neptune Strike 26-2, off the coast of the Greek island of Crete. (AFP)

France's aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle was on Wednesday heading towards the southern Red Sea to pre-position for a possible mission to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the presidency and defense ministry said.

President Emmanuel Macron's office said the move was intended to send "a signal that not only are we ready to secure the Strait of Hormuz but that we are also capable of doing so".

The flagship of the French Navy and its escorts was transiting the Suez Canal en route to the southern Red Sea, the defense ministry said.

The decision was intended "to reduce the time needed to implement this initiative as soon as circumstances allow," the ministry said.

Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasizing the force would be entirely defensive and only deployed once lasting peace in the region was agreed.

More than 40 countries have begun military planning in London.

"The movement of the carrier strike group is separate from the military operations initiated in the region and complements the security posture," the defense ministry said.

Its presence near the Gulf will allow "an early assessment of the regional operational environment ahead of the possible launch of the initiative" and "offer additional crisis-exit options to strengthen the security of the region," the ministry added.

The aircraft carrier around twenty Rafale fighter jets and is escorted by several frigates.

It set sail from the southeastern French port city of Toulon in January for a deployment to the North Atlantic.

But in early March, it was redirected to the eastern Mediterranean to defend French interests and allied countries struck by Iran's retaliation for Israeli-American attacks.


Family Fears for Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate’s Life if She’s Not Moved to a Tehran Hospital

A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)
A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)
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Family Fears for Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate’s Life if She’s Not Moved to a Tehran Hospital

A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)
A handout photo provided by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation on October 2, 2023 shows an undated, unlocated photo of Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. (Narges Mohammadi Foundation/AFP)

Imprisoned Nobel Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was being examined by Iranian government-appointed medical experts Wednesday for the second time since she was hospitalized last week, a move her brother said he hopes would lead to her transfer to a hospital in Tehran.

Mohammadi was rushed on Friday from prison to a local hospital in the northwest Iranian town of Zanjan after she fell unconscious. She remains in critical condition, and her family says security officials have so far prevented her transfer to the capital where she could get better treatment.

Her brother Hamidreza Mohammadi, who is based in Oslo, said the medical examiners had previously recommended her transfer, but the decision was blocked.

“The problem is that somewhere in the system, the intelligence agency has the upper hand and they are the ones who are controlling everything,” he told The Associated Press. He said he hopes the second examination will prompt her transfer, “but if it doesn’t happen, it means they are really intent on killing Narges.”

The 53-year-old rights activist and champion of women’s rights was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her current imprisonment began in December, when she was arrested in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Mohammadi's family says her health has been deteriorating in prison, in part because she was heavily beaten during her arrest. She suffered a heart attack in March, and has a blood clot in her lung since before her imprisonment that needs blood thinners and monitoring to manage it. The family and her lawyers say security authorities have been denying her proper care.

Since being taken to the Zanjan hospital’s cardiac care unit, Mohammadi's blood pressure has been swinging between extremely low and extremely high, and she is receiving oxygen to breathe and can't talk, according to her brother.

Because of communication and internet restrictions imposed in Iran since the war began, he said he can’t talk with his family there and has to wait for them to get a connection to send text messages.

Doctors fear the clot could move into Mohammadi's veins. A brain surgeon in the hospital said the fluctuating pressure could affect not only her heart but also her brain, her brother said.

“It is a really bad condition for Narges now,” he said. He said the Zanjan hospital can’t treat her underlying conditions.

Mohammadi's children in Paris wait for news

While the world is consumed with the US-Israel war with the Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian authorities “focus on eliminating the opposition,” Hamidreza Mohammadi said.

Chirinne Ardakani, Mohammadi’s France-based lawyer, warned on Tuesday that Iranian authorities were aiming to “slowly kill her.” The regime’s “relentless pursuit against Narges” is meant as “a signal of terror to the entire civilian population,” Ardakani said.

The Nobel committee on Saturday called on Iranian authorities to “immediately transfer (Mohammadi) to her dedicated medical team in Tehran. Without such treatment, her life remains at risk.”

Mohammadi was taken by ambulance from the Zanjan hospital on Wednesday to the judiciary’s medical examiners, accompanied by family members.

He said trying to follow news of her condition has been nerve-wracking for him, his sister’s husband and their children, who live in Paris.

Mohammadi’s 19-year-old twins, Kiana and Ali, have not seen their mother for over 10 years.

“They are devastated. They have experienced a lot of hard times. This time they are just afraid they would not hear their mother’s voice again,” Hamidreza Mohammadi said.

Meanwhile, he waits for any news from Iran.

“My body and brain say no, but I know it might be the last chance I have.”