The IMF has imposed 11 new conditions on Pakistan for the next tranche of its bailout, taking the total to 50, according to The Express Tribune. Key demands include parliamentary approval of a Rs 17.6 trillion budget, energy tariff hikes, new taxes on agriculture, and lifting car import restrictions. The IMF also warned that post-Operation Sindoor tensions with India pose risks to the programme's fiscal and reform goals. The IMF emphasized cost recovery in the energy sector and better governance. Pakistan’s defence budget is also set to increase significantly amid recent cross-border hostilities with India. (PC: India Today)

Two people died and at least 19 were injured after the Mexican Navy’s training ship Cuauhtémoc crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The vessel, carrying 277 crew, lost power and struck the bridge’s abutment, causing its 158ft-tall masts to snap. Some sailors were standing on the masts as they fell, officials said. Emergency responders rushed to the scene amid chaotic conditions. The ship lost all three masts, but no one went overboard. The bridge sustained no major damage and has since reopened. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed condolences. The Cuauhtémoc was en route to Iceland from Acapulco. 

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit China on Monday for bilateral talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, marking his first foreign trip since India's Operation Sindoor. The visit includes a trilateral meeting with Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Discussions will focus on regional trade, security cooperation, and the evolving situation following the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, resulting in over a hundred terrorist casualties. Subsequent Pakistani attempts to retaliate were repelled by India's indigenous air defense systems. The choice of China as the destination underscores Beijing's role in regional diplomacy. (PC: Hindustan Times)

On May 18, 2025, Russia carried out its largest drone assault on Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, deploying 273 drones and decoys across multiple regions, including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk. A 28-year-old woman was killed near Kyiv, and at least three others, including a child, were injured. Ukrainian forces intercepted 88 drones and jammed 128 decoys. The attack followed failed peace talks in Istanbul, which only resulted in a mutual prisoner exchange agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump plans to speak with both Putin and Zelenskyy, as hopes for a ceasefire remain elusive amid escalating drone warfare. (PC: Reuters)

Bangladeshi actor Nusraat Faria was arrested at Dhaka airport on Sunday. She was caught while heading to Thailand. Police say she is linked to an attempted murder case from the July 2024 protests against then-PM Sheikh Hasina. Faria had played Hasina in the 2023 film Mujib: The Making of a Nation. She was taken to Vatara police station and later moved to the Detective Branch office in Dhaka. Faria, 31, began her career as a radio jockey. She acted in several Bangladeshi and Indian films. Her arrest follows protests that led to Hasina stepping down and fleeing to India. (PC: India Today)

On May 17, 2025, Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed over 100 Palestinians, including women, children, and journalists, according to Gaza health authorities. The Israeli military is intensifying its campaign in Rafah, signaling a potential ground invasion. These developments coincide with renewed ceasefire negotiations in Doha, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and supported by the U.S. Hamas has offered a two-month truce in exchange for releasing hostages and Palestinian prisoners, but Israel insists on the release of all hostages without agreeing to end the war, prolonging the humanitarian crisis. (PC: Reuters)

On May 17, 2025, the Mexican Navy’s tall training ship Cuauhtémoc crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York while leaving Manhattan. The ship’s 147-foot masts struck the underside of the bridge, snapping all three. The accident killed two people and injured 19 others, including two critically, among the 277 on board. Emergency responders rescued crew members who were left dangling from the rigging. Thankfully, no major structural damage was reported to the bridge. Preliminary investigations suggest possible mechanical failure. The incident is under official review by both U.S. and Mexican authorities. (PC: AFP)  

Two former jihadists, Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, have been appointed to the White House Advisory Board of Lay Leaders under former President Donald Trump's administration. Royer, a convicted terrorist with documented ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood, served 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to aiding terrorism. He reportedly attended a Lashkar-e-Taiba training camp in Pakistan in 2000 and participated in terrorist activities in Kashmir, including firing at Indian positions. Yusuf, co-founder of Zaytuna College, is accused of promoting jihadi ideology and has alleged links to Hamas; he was questioned by the FBI post-9/11. Their appointments have raised concerns about the vetting process for such sensitive advisory roles. (PC: India Today & Blog do PCO)

On May 17, 2025, during the first direct peace talks in over three years held in Istanbul, Russian negotiators demanded that Ukraine withdraw troops from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as a condition for a ceasefire. Russia also sought international recognition of its control over these regions and Crimea, Ukrainian neutrality, and a mutual renunciation of war compensation claims. These terms, delivered verbally, were rejected by Ukraine as unrealistic. While a prisoner exchange was agreed upon, the talks ended without a ceasefire. U.S. President Trump plans follow-up calls with both leaders. (PC: Reuters)  

On May 18, 2025, the Trump administration appointed two former jihadist operatives, Ismail Royer and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, to the White House Advisory Board of Lay Leaders, sparking major controversy. Royer was convicted in 2004 for aiding individuals to join a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) training camp in Pakistan and engaging in terrorist activities in Kashmir; he served 13 years of a 20-year sentence. The move drew backlash from Trump ally Lara Loomer, who called it “insane.” The appointments raise serious concerns about vetting, national security, and implications for U.S.-India relations. (PC: Britannica)