What happens to those who say no to fighting wars?
NewsFeed On International Conscientious Objectors’ Day, Al Jazeera’s @avawarrinerr explains what it means for people who object to fighting in wars today and what happens when they do. Published On 15 May 202615 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Israel-Lebanon talks held in Washington as expiration of ceasefire nears
NewsFeed Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo reports from Washington, where the first of two days of US-mediated ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon concluded on Thursday. A ceasefire between them expires on Sunday, though Israel has killed 512 Lebanese since its implementation on April 17. Published On 15 May 202615 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
After Trump’s pledge to ‘open up’ China, low expectations for summit deal
Before arriving for his high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, United States President Donald Trump aimed to set expectations high. He said he would urge Xi to “open up” China’s economy and announced a delegation of top business executives, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, to accompany him. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list As Trump and Xi prepare to wrap up two days of meetings on Friday, the expectations for their summit’s outcome among observers generally are modest at best. While Trump and Xi are anticipated to extend the one-year pause in their trade war agreed to in South Korea in October, the expectations are for a stabilisation – not revitalisation – in ties between the world’s two largest economies, which are locked in a rivalry that spans everything from trade and artificial intelligence to the status of Taiwan. “It is important to be clear-eyed about the state of relations here,” Claire E Reade, a senior counsel at Arnold & Porter who previously worked on China at the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), told Al Jazeera. “China does not trust the US, and China wants to beat the US in what it sees as long-term global competition,” Reade said. “This limits what can be agreed.” While Trump and Xi have yet to announce the final contours of any trade agreement, the US side has flagged various business deals in the pipeline. In a pre-recorded interview with Fox News that aired on Thursday, Trump said that China would invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” in companies run by the CEOs in his delegation, without providing further details. Advertisement Trump also said that Beijing had agreed to purchase US oil and 200 Boeing aircraft. Trump administration officials have said that the sides are also discussing the establishment of a “Board of Investment” to manage investments between the countries. “A realistic ‘opening up’ of the Chinese market would likely focus first on sectors where the economic complementarity is most obvious,” Taiyi Sun, an associate professor of political science at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, told Al Jazeera. “Agricultural goods such as soybeans and beef, as well as high-value-added manufacturing products like Boeing aircraft, are natural areas for expansion because they match existing Chinese demand with American export strengths.” Sun said a “gradual” opening for US firms in sectors such as financial services could also be possible. “But those areas are politically and institutionally more sensitive inside China, so progress would likely be incremental rather than immediate,” he said. Gabriel Wildau, a senior vice president at global business advisory firm Teneo, said both sides will be seeking to address supply-chain vulnerabilities exposed by their trade war. “The Iran war has likely increased the US’s vulnerability to export controls on rare earths, given the need to rebuild the munition stocks depleted in that war,” Wildau told Al Jazeera. “Washington will therefore be willing to offer tariff relief – or at least assurances not to impose new tariffs – in exchange for Beijing’s commitment to keep rare earth exports flowing.” While Trump and Xi agreed to roll back some trade barriers at their summit in South Korea, US-Chinese business and trade remain severely constrained after a decade of tit-for-tat economic salvoes between the sides. The average US tariff on Chinese goods stood at 47.5 percent after the South Korea summit, up from 3.1 percent before Trump’s first term, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. China’s average tariff on US goods stood at 31.9 percent, up from 8.4 percent in 2018, according to the think tank. Two-way goods trade amounted to about $415bn in 2025, down sharply from its 2022 peak of $690bn. Carsten Holz, an expert on the Chinese economy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said China has less incentive to make concessions to the US than before, amid the rise of its domestic industries. “Across many industrial sectors, PRC [People’s Republic of China] firms hold leading or controlling positions,” Holz told Al Jazeera. Advertisement “As a result, the PRC economy has little to gain from opening further to the US and is likely to only offer largely symbolic gestures.” Deborah Elms, head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore, voiced similar sentiments about the limits of US leverage. “Basically, Trump expects China to buy more stuff from America and let US companies operate more freely in China,” Elms told Al Jazeera. “What is he offering?” Elms said. “Very little, largely because Trump sees the bilateral relationship as one where the US has been fair and China has not.” Reade, the former USTR official, said Xi would not agree to any measures that “harm Chinese interests in any way.” “Instead, China will potentially give the US no-cost ‘gifts,’” Reade said, suggesting such measures could include the removal of trade barriers it placed on US beef. “It may buy US goods it needs,” Reade said. “If it allows purchases of US tech products, it will only be because it needs them right now,” she added, “But this does not interfere with China’s strategic plans to eliminate dependence on US technology over the longer term.” Adblock test (Why?)
Iran war: Why the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in India matters
India is hosting a meeting of foreign ministers from BRICS nations on May 14-15 in a precursor to the 18th BRICS summit, which New Delhi will host in September. The meeting, which starts on Thursday morning, coincides with United States President Donald Trump’s three-day visit to Beijing for a state visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Here is more about the foreign ministers’ meeting, who is attending and why it matters. What is BRICS? BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies seeking to coordinate security and economic policy in order to amplify the demands of the Global South at international organisations and on issues where the West has traditionally dominated economically and politically. The acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The organisation was called BRIC in its initial form – Brazil, Russia, India and China – when its foreign ministers began meeting in 2006, and when it held its first summit in 2009. It became BRICS when South Africa joined in 2010. In 2023, BRICS extended invitations to Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after these countries applied for membership. Saudi Arabia has yet to formally join, but the others have. An invitation was also extended to Argentina, but was turned down as President Javier Milei, elected in December 2023, had campaigned on the promise of bolstering ties with the West. Indonesia joined the group in January 2025, after its membership was approved during the summit in 2023 in Johannesburg. Advertisement The group sets priorities and holds discussions at an annual summit, which members take turns hosting. Last year, Brazil hosted the BRICS meeting and, in 2024, Russia hosted the annual meeting. This year, it is India’s turn to host. This week’s meeting in New Delhi will bring together the foreign ministers of BRICS countries, who are expected to discuss economic cooperation and coordinate their positions on key global issues. When and where is the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting? The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, held to prepare for the 18th BRICS summit in September, will take place on Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15, in New Delhi, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. On Thursday, foreign ministers are expected to arrive at 10:00am (04:30 GMT), and sessions are expected to take place throughout the day, concluding with a dinner at 7pm (01:30 GMT). On Friday, one session is expected to take place, starting at 10:00am (04:30 GMT). All of the meetings except one will take place in Bharat Mandapam, an exhibition hall and convention centre located close to the Supreme Court of India. On Thursday at 1pm (07:30 GMT), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join a joint conference call with the visiting leaders from Seva Teerth, a new administrative complex that serves as the official headquarters of the prime minister’s office. Who is attending the meeting? Foreign ministers from within and outside the BRICS group are expected to attend the meeting. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the meeting. South Africa’s Ronald Lamola and Brazil’s Mauro Vieira are also both attending. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will not attend due to Trump’s visit to Beijing. Instead, China will be represented by China’s Ambassador to India Xu Feihong, Indian media has reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has landed in New Delhi to participate. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono also arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday. It is not clear who will be representing the UAE at the BRICS meeting, even as the US-Israel war on Iran exacerbates tensions between the UAE and Iran. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends an online meeting with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and other leaders of BRICS nations, in Sochi, Russia, on September 8, 2025 [File: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters] What’s on the agenda? The theme of this meeting is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, according to India’s Foreign Ministry. This will focus on “people-centric and holistic healthcare, with an emphasis on collaboration on pressing health challenges, including communicable and non-communicable diseases”, it added. Advertisement However, the ongoing war on Iran is likely to dominate, and discussions will set the agenda for the annual BRICS summit in September, observers say. “The Iran war is likely to cast a shadow over both the BRICS summit and the Trump-Xi meeting,” Rafael Loss, a policy fellow for defence, security and technology at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told Al Jazeera. The war on Iran entered its 76th day on Thursday, with diplomatic efforts to end the conflict hanging in the balance. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that, as well as taking part in the main BRICS sessions, Araghchi will hold separate meetings with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials attending the meeting. In April this year, India hosted a BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys for the Middle East and North Africa meeting in New Delhi. That gathering ended without a joint statement after Iran and the UAE clashed over how to address the US-Israeli war on Iran, with the UAE also seeing itself as a victim of Iranian aggression. Since then, tensions between Iran and the UAE have only risen, with Tehran’s war messaging increasingly targeting the UAE. Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza is also another point of stress within the bloc. At the April meeting, India – recently an Israeli ally – attempted to soften criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, leading to a failure within the bloc to arrive at a consensus on the subject. “The meeting in India occurs at a difficult time in which the cohesion of the BRICS confronts challenges due to the closer relations of India with the US and Israel, and the conflict in West Asia between Iran and the UAE,” Michael Dunford, emeritus professor at the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex, UK, told Al Jazeera. What about Trump’s meeting with Xi at the same time? Trump landed in China on Wednesday evening
Xi Jinping welcomes Donald Trump with ceremony ahead of high-stakes meeting
NewsFeed Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcoming US President Donald Trump to Beijing for high-level talks. Tariffs, competition over tech, the US-Israeli war on Iran, and Taiwan are all on the agenda for the two-day visit. Published On 14 May 202614 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Students in Caracas to demand release of political prisoners
NewsFeed Students from Venezuela’s leading universities blocked the main highway in Caracas to demand the immediate release of political prisoners. Demonstrators said more than 450 people remain imprisoned despite government promises of amnesty and reconciliation. Published On 14 May 202614 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
LIVE: Manchester City vs Crystal Palace – Premier League
blinking-dotLive MatchLive Match, Follow our live build-up with full team news coverage ahead of our text commentary stream. Published On 13 May 202613 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
France confines over 1,700 passengers on cruise ship over gastroenteritis
The British ship docked in the southwestern French city of Bordeaux reports 49 suspected cases. Published On 13 May 202613 May 2026 French authorities have temporarily prevented 1,233 passengers and 514 crew from leaving a British cruise ship docked in the southwestern city of Bordeaux after nearly 50 suspected gastroenteritis cases were reported on board. The vessel, the Ambition, was carrying mostly British or Irish nationals and one French person and had travelled from Belfast and Liverpool before arriving in southwestern France on Tuesday evening. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list In a statement on Wednesday, the regional health authority said there was no indication the apparent stomach flu outbreak was linked to a hantavirus cluster reported on the luxury ship MV Hondius, which had travelled between Argentina and the Canary Islands. Officials said the restriction on disembarkation was a precautionary measure while medical tests were carried out. Cruise operator Ambassador Cruise Line said enhanced sanitation and prevention measures had been introduced immediately on the vessel. The company said 48 passengers and one crew member were displaying gastrointestinal symptoms as of Wednesday morning. Ambassador said its data showed cases had risen after passengers boarded in Liverpool on Saturday. All shore excursions at Bordeaux were cancelled and affected passengers offered full refunds, the company said. “Once clearance is granted, guests will be permitted to disembark,” the company said in a Facebook post. Ambassador Cruise Line, a no-fly British operator targeting passengers above the age of 50, was founded in 2021 by Christian Verhounig, the former chief executive of Cruise & Maritime Voyages, which went into administration in 2020. Advertisement One 92-year-old British passenger had died on board of cardiac arrest on Monday during a stop in Brest, Brittany, in northwestern France. That death did not appear to be associated with the gastrointestinal outbreak at this stage, the Gironde prefecture said. Gastrointestinal illnesses are relatively common on cruise ships because viruses can spread quickly in enclosed spaces. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported four outbreaks on cruise ships so far this year, including cases linked to E coli and the norovirus. Gastroenteritis, often referred to as stomach flu, commonly causes vomiting and diarrhoea. While highly contagious, it is usually not serious although it can sometimes lead to complications such as dehydration. Health officials stressed that the illness differs significantly from the hantavirus, which has a much higher fatality rate but rarely spreads between people and generally requires close contact for transmission. Adblock test (Why?)
Reform UK leader Farage faces parliamentary probe over nearly $7m gift
If found guilty, the right-wing populist could be suspended from the House of Commons for a period of time. Published On 13 May 202613 May 2026 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is facing an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over a $6.7m (5 million pound) gift from a party donor, days after the anti-immigrant party emerged as the biggest winner in local and regional elections. A spokesperson for Reform UK denied any wrongdoing on Wednesday, telling the Reuters news agency that “[Farage] has always been clear that this was a personal, unconditional gift and no rules were broken.” Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “We look forward to this being put to bed once and for all,” the spokesperson added. Farage said he accepted the donation from Thailand-based billionaire and crypto investor Christopher Harborne to pay for his personal security before he announced his candidacy in the 2024 national election that brought him into Parliament. He said it was not a political donation, but rival political parties in April accused him of breaking rules, which require members of parliament to declare donations received in the year preceding an election within one month of taking office. The party has topped every national opinion poll since early last year, prompting increased scrutiny of the party’s sources of funding. Last week, elections for about 5,000 seats on 136 local councils in England, as well as in the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, marked significant progress for Reform UK, including in areas considered Labour heartlands. If the investigation finds Farage committed a serious breach of parliamentary declaration rules, he could be suspended from the House of Commons for a period of time. A suspension of 10 days or more could trigger a recall petition, potentially forcing him to stand in a special election for his seat. Advertisement About two-thirds of Reform’s funding last year came from Harborne, according to Electoral Commission data. Opponents say the funding from an overseas billionaire demonstrates a gulf between the image Farage cultivates as a man of the people willing to take on the establishment and his dependence on wealthy donors. Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, said at the weekend that voters already knew about the gift and had still chosen to vote in large numbers for the party in last week’s elections. Earlier this year, Farage apologised after he was found by the parliamentary authorities to have inadvertently committed 17 breaches of rules on declaring financial interests, including payments from Google and Elon Musk’s X Corp. Parliament’s Standards Commissioner concluded the failures were unintentional and caused by staffing and other administrative issues. Adblock test (Why?)
FBI Director Kash Patel fires back at drinking allegations
NewsFeed FBI Director Kash Patel and Senator Chris Van Hollen had a heated exchange during a Senate budget hearing after Van Hollen questioned Patel about drinking allegations first reported by The Atlantic magazine. Patel called the claims “unequivocally, categorically false.” Published On 13 May 202613 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)