Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday, including US President Donald Trump indefinitely extending the two-week Iran ceasefire, a deadly attack by Israeli occupiers targeting a Palestinian school in the occupied West Bank, and the US boarding a sanctioned crude tanker in the Indian Ocean.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington would extend its ceasefire with Iran to allow time for Tehran to prepare a "unified proposal," following a request by Pakistani officials.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the US was asked by Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to delay renewed military action against Iran until their leaders could "come up with a unified proposal."
"I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," he said. Trump also said that Iran's leadership had been "seriously fractured."
The announcement came as a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance was expected to travel to Islamabad Tuesday for a second round of face-to-face talks with Iran, though the trip was delayed due to additional policy meetings at the White House, according to US officials.
Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed and several others wounded Tuesday after Israeli occupiers, backed by Israeli army forces, opened fire near a school in the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of the West Bank city of Ramallah, residents and Palestinian officials said.
The shooting erupted shortly after classes began, sparking panic as parents rushed to evacuate children. Witnesses said settlers and soldiers approached from different directions before gunfire broke out, with some of the wounded reported among students and parents.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a “massacre” that had been coordinated and warning that lack of international accountability fuels further violence. Israeli authorities issued no comment. Residents say the village has faced repeated attacks and has been under siege since Sunday.
US Marines boarded the sanctioned large crude oil carrier Tifani in the Indian Ocean, according to shipping tracking platform MarineTraffic.
MarineTraffic said on US social media company X that the 330-meter (1,082-foot) tanker, built in 2003, was carrying around 2 million barrels of crude loaded at Iran’s Kharg Island earlier this month.
It said the tanker crossed Dondra Head on April 19 and entered Southeast Asia on April 20 before being boarded by US Marines. MarineTraffic data showed the Tifani was still underway in Southeast Asia at around 6 knots with a reported draft of 20 meters (66 feet), indicating that it remained laden.
The vessel has also received at least 24 million barrels via ship-to-ship transfers in Southeast Asia for delivery to China. It was placed under US sanctions last summer, TankerTrackers added.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a deal allowing Anthropic’s artificial intelligence models to be used by the Pentagon is possible, signaling a potential thaw in the administration’s dispute with the AI startup.
Trump told CNBC that Anthropic officials recently visited the White House and held “very good talks” with his administration.
“They’re shaping up,” said Trump, adding that the company could be “of great use” to the Pentagon.
The remarks mark a softer tone after the Pentagon labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk in March following a breakdown in negotiations, prompting defense contractors to certify they were not using the company’s Claude AI models in military-related work.
German flag carrier Lufthansa Group said Tuesday that it is cutting around 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule through October as it seeks to curb fuel costs that have surged since the outbreak of the Iran conflict.
The airline group said the reductions would lower overall capacity by less than 1% in available seat kilometers while saving more than 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel.
The cuts mainly affect unprofitable short-haul routes from Frankfurt and Munich, while the group plans to expand selected existing services in Zurich, Vienna, and Brussels as part of a broader optimization across its six European hubs.
Lufthansa said the first round of short-term adjustments, covering operations through May 31, has already been implemented, with 120 daily flight cancellations introduced from Tuesday and affected passengers notified.
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