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Authorities deploy boats, helicopter and surveillance aircraft to search for missing migrants off Pangkor Island.
Published On 12 May 202612 May 2026
Authorities in Malaysia have launched a search and rescue mission for missing people after a boat carrying 37 undocumented migrants sank off its western coast.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in the state of Perak said local fishermen have rescued 23 people so far, while 14 others are believed to be missing.
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Two MMEA vessels, assisted by the marine police, the navy and members of the local fishing community, are involved in the search operation, according to the Bernama news agency.
The MMEA said it was alerted to the incident early on Monday by a local fisherman who found the survivors floating at sea in the waters off the Pangkor coast.
“A local fishing vessel successfully rescued 23 victims, comprising 16 men and seven women, all of whom have been handed over to authorities for further investigations,” said Mohamad Shukri Khotob, the director of Perak MMEA.
“Initial investigations found that they departed from Kisaran, Indonesia, on May 9 and … headed for several destinations in Malaysia, including Penang, Terengganu, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur,” Khotob said of the migrants in a statement.
He said the agency has deployed boats, a helicopter and surveillance aircraft to search for the missing.
“As of now … the remaining victims have yet to be identified, and search operations are continuing,” Mohamad Shukri added.
Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, working in industries including construction and agriculture.
But the crossings, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates, are often hazardous, leading to boats capsizing.
In one of the deadliest recent incidents, 36 migrants died in November 2025 after their boat capsized near the Thai-Malaysian coast.
An estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Indonesians make the perilous journey each year, activists have said.
US-Iran tensions remain high as Tehran warns it will respond to ‘any aggression’, while Trump says the ceasefire is on ‘life support’.
Published On 12 May 202612 May 2026
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high as Tehran warned it was prepared to respond to “any aggression” after US President Donald Trump said the fragile ceasefire was on “massive life support”.
Trump on Monday rejected Iran’s latest response to his peace proposal, calling it “stupid”.
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Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Iranian forces are ready to retaliate if attacked, warning the US would be “surprised” by its response.
The sharp exchange has deepened uncertainty around efforts to secure a diplomatic breakthrough to end the war that has triggered a global energy crisis. Despite the impasse, Trump has continued to insist that a negotiated solution remains possible.
Here is what to know:
In Iran
Iranian authorities announced the seizure of six properties allegedly linked to former national football captain Ali Karimi, who lives in exile and has been a vocal critic of Iran.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Iran called for an end to the conflict and the release of its frozen assets in response to the latest US peace proposal, insisting it was only seeking its “legitimate rights”.
War diplomacy
Stalled negotiations: Trump rejected Iran’s latest response to the US peace proposal, while Tehran accused Washington of making “unreasonable” demands. He is set to embark on a trip to China on Tuesday to meet President Xi Jinping amid the war.
Core demands remain unresolved: Trump said his main objective is preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, claiming Tehran had previously agreed to remove all enriched uranium before reversing its position. Iran has sought “sufficient guarantees” that war will not erupt again, with officials pointing to deep mistrust.
‘High likelihood of escalation’: Analyst Dania Thafer said stalled US-Iran talks show both sides are “speaking past each other”, warning pressure tactics such as Strait of Hormuz disruptions could deepen the conflict, damage the regional economy and harden tensions into a prolonged “frozen conflict”.
Hormuz security meeting: The United Kingdom and France will host defence ministers from 40 countries on Tuesday to discuss plans to restore trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
New US, UK sanctions: The US sanctioned 12 people and entities over Iranian oil sales to China, hours after similar UK measures.
In the US
Trump dismissed Tehran’s response to the latest US peace proposal as “stupid” and “garbage”, amid fears the conflict could further disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said rising diesel costs linked to the war and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are pushing up transport and supermarket prices across the US, despite Trump insisting the economic impact will eventually ease.
Trump said he wants to suspend the federal gas tax to ease pressure from rising fuel prices.
In Israel
Israel’s civil aviation chief, Shmuel Zakay, warned that heavy US military activity at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport is disrupting civilian flights, delaying the return of foreign airlines and driving up ticket prices before the busy summer travel season.
In Lebanon
Lebanese officials urged the US ambassador in Beirut to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on the country, as Israeli strikes continued despite the ceasefire.
Reporting from Tyre, Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto said many residents who recently returned after weeks of displacement are refusing to leave again despite intensifying Israeli attacks, with frustration mounting over repeated displacement, family separation and prolonged disruptions to children’s education.
Eurovision, the annual international music pageant watched and adored by millions of viewers around the world, begins this week despite boycotts over Israel’s participation.
The televised final round of the music contest is scheduled to take place on May 16 in Austria’s capital, Vienna, this year and will mark Eurovision’s 70th anniversary.
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Israeli singer Noam Bettan will be representing the country in Vienna this year. He will perform a pop song called Michelle.
But five countries – the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Iceland – are boycotting this year’s contest due to Israel’s participation. They have cited Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza – which has so far killed at least 72,740 people – as the main reason.
Besides these countries, more than 1,000 musicians and cultural workers have signed an open letter calling for others to boycott the contest. They have also criticised the contest’s organisers of hypocrisy, as Russia has been banned from participating due to its war in Ukraine.
So, why is Israel allowed to participate in Eurovision?
Here’s what we know:
What is Eurovision?
The Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, is an annual event organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). According to the Eurovision website, the contest is co-produced by EBU and its member broadcasters, “most notably the public broadcaster of the preceding winning country, the Host Broadcaster”. Austria won last year’s contest with the song Wasted Love, which was performed by artist JJ in Basel, Switzerland.
Despite its name, the contest is not restricted to European nations. All countries with broadcast operations located in Europe are eligible to take part. The contest organisations can also make special invitations. In 2015, for example, EBU invited the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) of Australia to participate in the 60th edition of the contest.
Israel was the first non-European country to participate in Eurovision in 1973 and also hosted the event in Tel Aviv in 2019.
While the rules have been altered from time to time, each participating country generally submits one original song, which should be around three minutes long and can be performed by up to six musical artists on stage for the semifinals as well as the final event.
This year, artists from 35 countries, including Israel, are heading to Austria to compete in the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Noam Bettan, representing Israel, attends the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest’s ‘Turquoise Carpet’ event in Vienna, Austria, on May 10, 2026 [Lisa Leutner/Reuters]
Who is boycotting Eurovision this year?
Immediately after Israel’s participation was confirmed by EBU in December last year, some countries, politicians and musical artists began calling for a boycott of the contest.
On December 4, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Iceland and Ireland said they would boycott the contest if Israel took part.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, representing the Netherlands, accused Israel of “proven interference” in last year’s contest while also noting its “serious violation of press freedom” during the Gaza war. It said that “under the current circumstances, participation cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation”.
Ireland said it would not take part either, with its broadcaster RTE also citing “the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and humanitarian crisis” as the reason for its boycott.
Slovenia’s national broadcaster said it would boycott participation “on behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza”, while Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE also announced that it would not participate. “The situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, make it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event,” its secretary-general, Alfonso Morales, said in a statement.
On December 10, Iceland’s broadcaster RUV said that the Nordic nation would also not participate in the 2026 competition. “It is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU’s decision last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RUV’s participation,” the broadcaster’s director-general Stefan Eiriksson said in a statement.
Who else objects to Israel’s participation?
Ahead of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest semifinals, in which Israel will participate, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said: “The failure of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia, is an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards when it comes to Israel.”
“Instead of sending a clear message that there is a cost for Israel’s atrocity crimes against the Palestinian people, the EBU has given Israel this international stage even as it continues to commit genocide in Gaza, unlawful occupation and apartheid,” she said.
“Israeli participation in the Eurovision Song Contest offers the country a platform to try to deflect attention from and normalise its ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip, and its moves towards further annexation of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, as well as its system of apartheid against Palestinians.”
Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, former European Union representative to the occupied West Bank and Gaza, said the actions of both Russia and Israel against Ukraine and the Palestinian people, respectively, have been found to be in violation of international law and human rights.
“It would be only consequential to also suspend Israel’s participation in the Eurovision song contest as long as the country maintains its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, thereby not only suppressing Palestinian rights but also entrenching a regime with characteristics of segregation or apartheid, as ruled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” he told Al Jazeera.
In April, more than 1,000 musicians and people working in the cultural sector signed a letter calling on nations to boycott the contest and accused EBU of hypocrisy over its refusal to allow Russia to take part because of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“The EBU’s hypocritical responses to Russia’s and Israel’s crimes have removed any illusion of Eurovision’s claimed ‘neutrality.’ In 2022, the EBU said that Russia’s presence would ‘bring the competition into disrepute’,” the letter stated.
“Yet more than 30 months of genocide in Gaza – alongside ethnic cleansing and land theft in the besieged West Bank – aren’t considered sufficient to apply the same policy to Israel,” it added.
The letter was organised by the campaign group No Music for Genocide and was signed by famous bands like Kneecap and musicians including Roger Waters, Paul Weller, Paloma Faith, Macklemore and former Eurovision winners such as Emmelie de Forest and Charlie McGettigan.
In 2024, some European Parliament members and politicians from Spain’s left-wing Podemos party had also signed a letter seen by Al Jazeera that noted that in 2022, the Eurovision Song Contest suspended Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, but fined Iceland because the Icelandic contestant displayed a Palestinian flag at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in 2019.
“Israel’s participation is in clear conflict with what the EBU claims to stand for, as it misinforms about Israel and conceals its genocidal behaviour,” the letter said.
The winner of 2024’s contest, Switzerland’s Nemo, pledged to return the trophy in protest over Israel’s continued participation in the event.
“I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf,” Nemo said on Instagram last December.
In solidarity, Irish artist Charlie McGettigan, who won the 1994 Eurovision contest, said he also plans to return his winning trophy.
“Following on from 2024 winner Nemo doing the same yesterday, this is great solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign wrote on December 12 on social media in response to McGettigan’s announcement.
During the past two editions of the contest, pro-Palestinian activists have protested over Israel’s participation in the host cities Malmo, Sweden, in 2024 and in Basel, Switzerland in May 2025.
Does anyone support Israel’s inclusion in the contest?
Yes, last December, Germany, a major Eurovision backer, said it would not take part if Israel was barred. “Israel belongs in the Eurovision Song Contest,” said German Commissioner for Culture and the Media Wolfram Weimer.
Then, on April 15 this year, a pro-Israel, non-profit initiative called “Creative Community for Peace” published an open letter supporting Israel’s participation. The letter was signed by more than 1,000 members of the global entertainment industry, including actors Amy Schumer, Mila Kunis and Jerry O’Connell.
“We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” the letter read.
“We believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music,” it added.
“Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics.”
However, former EU representative von Burgsdorff said calling for Israel to be banned from the competition “is not at all about sanctioning Israeli artists, but about ensuring that a government cannot instrumentalise the Eurovision song contest platform for its own propaganda and reputational benefit while it continues to commit egregious violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Gaza and the West Bank”.
Sanjeev Kumar, a pro-Palestinian activist based in Belgium, said Israel has been allowed to participate in the contest because European governments, in collaboration with their national broadcasting associations and the EBU, support Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its ongoing attacks in the occupied West Bank and now Lebanon.
“The evidence for this can be seen in the position of Germany, which threatened to pull out of the contest altogether if Israel were banned. Moreover, the EBU is morally bankrupt and institutionally incompetent. Russia was outlawed because governments and broadcasters threatened to boycott the EBU, effectively making a decision for them,” he said.
“The response to Ukraine and Palestine highlights the bitter and twisted hollowness of European values that have plagued humanity for the last 400 years,” Kumar added.
How has EBU handled the pressure to bar Israel from the contest?
The European Broadcasting Union, the organiser of the Eurovision Song Contest, has come under increasing pressure to exclude Israel from the competition since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began.
The contest’s voting system also came under scrutiny when Yuval Raphael, who represented Israel at the competition last year, jumped to second place in the contest’s public vote despite lower jury scores.
Last November, EBU sent a letter to its members indicating that an extra vote would take place at an extraordinary general meeting held online in early November to decide on Israel’s participation.
The vote would be on whether KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster and member of the EBU, should take part, a spokesperson told the media. An “absolute majority” would be required for an exclusion to pass, he added.
The director of the contest, Martin Green, also said in a statement in November 2025 that “the neutrality and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest is of paramount importance to the EBU, its Members, and all our audiences” and highlighted that “the fairness of the Contest is always protected”.
“We are taking clear and decisive steps to ensure the contest remains a celebration of music and unity. The Contest should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalised,” he added.
Then on December 4, after its annual meeting, EBU gave Israel the green light to participate and said: “A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the news in a post on X on December 4 and said: “Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed.”
Chris West, the author of Eurovision: A History of Modern Europe Through the World’s Greatest Song Contest, told Al Jazeera that EBU may be keen to protect KAN because “ultimately the EBU is about supporting public service broadcasters”.
“The EBU is also keen to protect itself from being cast as a judge of geopolitical rights and wrongs. If more broadcasters had threatened a boycott, then they might have had to change their view, but the contest can easily go ahead missing five participants,” he said.
He also noted that there has long been a debate about whether the contest should be political.
In September, EBU members held a discussion on “the increasingly complex global context” in which Eurovision takes place and said in a statement that “the Eurovision Song Contest, like many other events, is not immune to the pressures of global politics”.
“In reality, it always has had a political aspect. It was founded in 1956 as a part of the movement to bring European countries together to avoid a repeat of the two wars that had devastated the continent,” West said.
Al Jazeera reached out to EBU for comment, but did not receive a response.
What happens next?
Brian Donnelly, a human rights activist in Ireland and former Eurovision fan, welcomed countries boycotting the contest this year and told Al Jazeera that while it is too late, it is a move in the right direction.
He noted that many European countries have adopted what he called “Israeli exceptionalism” and seem “very comfortable” turning a blind eye to the genocide being carried out in Palestine. “I think the Eurovision is just another extension of that,” he said.
“I’m excited to go to a United for Palestine event, an alternative to Eurovision, in Brussels next week. This will feature many former Eurovision participants and feels much more aligned with my values,” he added.
Ciara Greene, who also calls herself a former Eurovision fan, said she has been boycotting Eurovision since 2024.
“Instead, I’m looking forward to alternative Eurovision celebrations,” Greene said. “Here in Belgium, while Eurovision will still be broadcast, there is an alternative song contest in solidarity with the people of Palestine featuring Gustaph and Geike Arnaert, who represented Belgium in the past. This is much more aligned with my personal beliefs.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has found himself as the meme-worthy face of the second Trump administration.(Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images)
But here’s the difference: Rubio is in on the joke.
In fact, he’s done everything he can to fan the flames of his cyberfame.
The secretary of state holds many jobs, including national security adviser, and, for a time, acting national archivist, acting head of the USAID program and de facto ruler of Venezuela.
Football coach, sailor, Viking, Eskimo, Canadian mountie, armed bandit, astronaut, medieval disciple, grime-covered plumber – all posted by users with funny captions.
And all this comes as President Trump has been asking his advisers: JD or Marco?
Not that anyone’s been thinking about 2028, right?
Vice President JD Vance appears to be Rubio’s only serious competition for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Peak Marco came when he briefed the press while filling in for Karoline Leavitt, who just had a baby.
Rubio played dumb for some of it. He said he had a chart and some had red X’s next to their names, quickly admitting he made that up.
He called on one reporter in black, then said, “you don’t have black, and you have blue on,” even though he’s “color blind… This is chaos, guys… There’s no way I can figure out who to call on… Do they get two questions?… I’m wingin’ it, guys… Let’s go to the front, these guys are gonna get mad.”
The wittier moments have been strung together by online geeks to the point where it feels like a Netflix comedy special.
He answered one question in Spanish. Perhaps I should mention that Rubio would be the first Latino president.
“Rubio memes are the most delightful thing to hit modern politics in decades,” says Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle. “The entire family can enjoy them, from your MAGA uncle to your #NeverTrump niece, from your ‘resistance lib’ cousin to your ‘abundance bro’ brother. For one shining moment, we can all glance at our phones and crack a whimsical smile together.”
“Rubio Memes Conquer the Internet,” says Newsweek.
“Marco Rubio’s Meme-Worthy Rise to the Center of Trump’s Second Term,” says Miami New Times.
But the secretary is also very disciplined, as when he was talking tough about Iran. He finessed a question on whether the U.S. firing on Iranian ships should be deemed an act of war by reframing the situation.
“These guys shut down the Strait of Hormuz… The only people who are allowed to go through there without paying 100% are the Iranians. If you do that, they’ll keep the Strait closed forever. It’s not an act of war, it’s a defensive measure. You know what is an act of war? Putting mines in the water… This is crazy stuff, but this is what they’ve done.”
But many analysts, not just in Tehran, do consider the American attacks an act of war.
President Trump, backed by Rubio, was more negative, saying yesterday the Iranian ceasefire “is on life support… If you can believe it, how stupid. Are they stupid people? They didn’t want to believe it. They think that, well, I’ll get tired of this or I’ll get bored, or I’ll have some pressure. But there’s no pressure. There’s no pressure at all.”
Now it’s possible that Vance may not run – he and his wife are expecting another baby – but whether it’s Rubio or Vance, they’d both be saddled with defending the Trump record.
There’s a Marco surge going on – and Rubio himself appears happy to ride the wave.(Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It’s not that the former Florida senator is incapable of acting like a typical politician. I remember grabbing him in the hallway in the run-up to the 2016 campaign and asking if he planned to run. He said he wasn’t thinking about it, which we both knew was BS.
During the campaign, I watched him work an audience and thought this guy knows what to do behind the mic. When a woman fainted, he stopped and made sure she got help before continuing.
I do know one thing: once you run for president, you’ve been bitten by the bug.
Vance, as vice president, is the obvious front-runner. Rubio has said he won’t run if Vance does, and they have a friendly relationship. Trump wants Rubio to be second on the ticket.
“You’re not ready for my DJ name,” he said with a big grin.
Now that’s a rock ’n’ roll Republican.
Howard Kurtz is a media and political analyst and the former host of FOX News Channel’s MediaBuzz. Based in Washington, D.C., he joined the network in 2013 and regularly appears on Special Report with Bret Baier and The Story with Martha MacCallum among other programs.
Pakistan’s role during the recent tension in West Asia between America and Iran now seems to be a major diplomatic problem for itself. Pakistan has officially accepted that Iranian aircraft are present on its soil. Although Islamabad described it as normal administrative and logistics cooperation during the ceasefire, the same statement has further strengthened the allegations that Pakistan had allowed Iranian military aircraft to use its airbase.
What did the Pakistani Foreign Ministry say?
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the Iranian aircraft present in Pakistan are not connected to the war or any military action. The ministry claimed that these aircraft had arrived during the ceasefire and were being used to transport officials, security teams and administrative staff associated with the negotiation process.
Many questions arose from the statement
But this statement has also raised many questions. According to American media reports, Iranian military aircraft are present at Pakistan’s Noor Khan airbase. These include RC-130 aircraft of the Iranian Air Force, which is used for intelligence gathering and surveillance. It is considered to be a special military version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft.
What did US officials claim?
American media network CBS News, quoting two American officials, claimed that Pakistan silently allowed Iranian aircraft to use its airfields during the US-Iran conflict. The report said that on one hand Pakistan wanted to maintain good relations with America, while on the other hand it also supported Iran.
What allegations did the critics make?
According to the report, a few days after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent several aircraft to Pakistan’s Noor Khan Airbase. Pakistan talked about keeping them temporarily, but critics say that long parking of military reconnaissance aircraft cannot be a part of the normal diplomatic process.
Experts believe that if Pakistan is indeed providing a safe haven to Iranian military assets, then it has weakened its image as a neutral mediator. This also indicates that Islamabad may indirectly be seen standing in favor of Tehran in the conflict in West Asia.
Questions raised on Pakistan’s role?
After this whole matter, questions are being raised on the role of Pakistan in America also. US senator lindsey grahamconsidered a close ally of Trump, has sought a “complete review” of Pakistan’s mediator role. He said on social media platform
Concern over Pakistan’s credibility increased
According to CNN report, there is increasing concern about the credibility of Pakistan even within the American administration. The report said that some Trump administration officials suspected that Pakistan was conveying Iran’s position to America in a more positive manner than it actually was. Some officials also believe that Pakistan did not properly present American displeasure in talks with Tehran.
It is being told that the reply sent by Iran to America was also sent to Washington through Pakistan. For this reason, distrust regarding Pakistan’s dual strategy has increased within the American administration.
Pakistan has long been trying to maintain balanced relations with both America and Iran. But now the information regarding the presence of Iranian military aircraft has put its diplomatic balancing policy in the dock. Analysts say that if this dispute escalates further, Pakistan may have to face pressure from America and Western countries.
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A ceasefire meant to facilitate peace talks between Washington and Tehran came into effect in April. It has been largely observed, despite exchanges of fire and reports of strikes in the strategic strait of Hormuz, now under a double blockade by the US and Iran. It means only a minuscule number of vessels are passing through the waterway.
The US had presented a peace proposal a week ago, which, as my colleague Julian Borger notes here, was reported to consist of a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding that would reopen the strait while setting a framework for further talks on Iran’s much contested nuclear programme.
Iran presented a counter-offer sent to the US on Sunday which Donald Trump emphatically rejected, describing it as “totally unacceptable”. Tehran’s proposal reportedly included demands that the US lift its sanctions, end its naval blockade and called for an immediate end to the war with guarantees against any renewed attack on the country. It also called on Israel to end its war on Lebanon.
A tanker sits anchored in the strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, on 18 April 2026. Photograph: Asghar Besharati/AP
Trump says Iran ceasefire is on ‘massive life support’
We are restarting our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran after Donald Trump said the ceasefire was “on life support” after rejecting Tehran’s peace proposal, calling it “totally unacceptable”.
Referring to the ceasefire in force since 7 April, Trump said: “I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us – I didn’t even finish reading it.
“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says: ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living.’”
Shortly after Trump’s comments, Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, who has been chief negotiator in talks, wrote on X that his country’s armed forces were “ready to deliver a well-deserved response to any aggression”.
A man walks past a large banner depicting Iran’s current supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and his predecessor and late father Ali Khamenei along a street in Tehran. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Trump is reportedly considering a resumption in major military attacks as he is frustrated with the stalled negotiations and the continued closure of the strait of Hormuz (to countries “hostile” to Iran), which has caused global energy prices to surge, including in the US where gas and fertiliser costs have soared.
Sources have told CNN that the US president is growing increasingly impatient with the division within the Iranian leadership making it hard for Washington to force Tehran into concessions on nuclear talks. Trump is unlikely to make the decision before he leaves to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for his diplomatic visit to China later this week, the sources said.
The Green party leader, Zack Polanski, has admitted he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a London houseboat.
Polanski had faced mounting questions over whether the houseboat, moored in east London, was his primary residence.
A Green party spokesperson described the situation as an “unintentional mistake” and said Polanski had “immediately taken steps” to pay any tax owed.
The spokesperson said: “Until relatively recently, Zack was living on a houseboat, which came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations. He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe. Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake.”
The Green party previously told the Times newspaper that Polanski rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent and stayed on the boat only “occasionally”. Government guidance states that a person may be liable for council tax on a boat if it is their “sole or main” residence.
A Green party spokesperson said: “For security reasons, we do not comment publicly on Zack’s address. There have recently been two serious incidents which have been reported to the police and are under investigation.”
The Times last week reported seeing an advertisement for the sale of the boat in which Polanski’s partner wrote: “We are moving to a house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind.”
The Daily Mail separately reported that Polanski was registered to vote at a building near the marina, which he is also said to have used as a mailing address.
Dan Neidle, a tax lawyer and founder of Tax Policy Associates, analysed Polanski’s situation this week and wrote: “If the boat was in fact Mr Polanski’s ‘sole or main residence’ then he and/or his partner should have registered for, and paid, council tax for those three years.”
Democrats in the Michigan House have proposed a package of bills that aim to legalize medically assisted suicide for certain terminally ill adults.
The package, which would create a Death with Dignity Act, would allow certain terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to request and receive medication to end their own life.
As part of the package, patients would need to make multiple requests, both in written and oral form, and must wait at least 15 days between requests. They must also receive an evaluation from two doctors, potentially receive a mental health evaluation, be informed of alternatives such as hospice and pain care and be told they may change their minds at any time.
“A person who without authorization of the patient willfully alters or forges a request for medication under this act or conceals or destroys a rescission of that request with the intent or effect of causing the patient’s death is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years or a fine of not more than $375,000.00, or both,” the legislation reads.
Democrats in the Michigan House have proposed a package of bills that aim to legalize medically assisted suicide for certain terminally ill adults.(Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)
The proposal also does not allow a doctor or anyone else to directly cause death through lethal injection, mercy killing or active euthanasia.
The package would protect doctors and others from criminal or civil liability if they follow the law, allow providers to opt out and protect patients from insurance discrimination.
Doctors, pharmacists and other licensed professionals cannot be investigated or disciplined simply for assisting in so-called death with dignity, as long as they follow the law, according to the measure.
Protesters gather during a demonstration organised by Dignity in Dying Scotland, as Scottish Parliament holds the final vote on the Assisted Dying Bill on March 17, 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland.(Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
The state health department would review cases and publish annual reports. The department would have access to prescription records related to life-ending medication to monitor compliance.
Additionally, health insurers would not be allowed to deny or limit coverage because a person plans to end their lives under the Death with Dignity Act.
Existing insurance rules would be amended so that a patient choosing medical aid when dying would not be treated as having died by suicide for insurance purposes. Life insurance rules about suicide would not apply if a person dies under the Death with Dignity Act.
Michigan would join about a dozen other states and Washington, D.C., in adopting laws allowing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, including Delaware, New York and Illinois, which each approved legislation in 2025 that will take effect this year.
Michigan would join about a dozen other states and Washington, D.C., in adopting laws allowing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults.(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Several other countries, including Canada, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia and Colombia, have also legalized so-called death with dignity.
Supporters of the legislation, including medical-aid-in-dying advocacy groups, argue that it would give mentally capable, terminally ill adults an additional end-of-life option, while preserving safeguards such as multiple requests, physician review, waiting periods and the ability to rescind a request at any time.
Republicans and faith leaders, particularly within Catholic and Evangelical communities, have long raised concerns about assisted suicide, citing the sanctity of life, as well as moral and ethical concerns.
“So-called assisted death endangers the weak and marginalized in a society, and it corrupts medicine and erodes our obligations to family,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., previously said. “And we will promote and respect every life, no matter how old or sick or weak those persons may be.”
