• Foreign Minister Fidan says platform may include Pakistan, Turkiye, S. Arabia, Egypt, Gulf states and potentially Iran
• Gaza death toll nears 73,000 with seven more killings in a day

TURKIYE’S Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, has said that Israel can join a cooperative “regional platform” if it recognises a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, according to an Al Jazeera report.

“If that problem is solved, I think the security of Israel will be very much assisted by the regional countries, too,” he told Nikkei Asia.

Fidan said this framework could include Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, other Gulf countries, and “when things come [back to] normal, maybe Iran should also be part of it”.

“All the countries in the region should be committing to each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and security,” Fidan told Nikkei.

These comments come as Turkiye is expected to host a pivotal Nato summit in July in Ankara.

On Monday, Trump laid out his vision for expanding the Abraham Accords, a series of normalisation deals between Israel and nearby Arab states.

“It should be mandatory that all of these countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,” he wrote on Truth Social, listing six countries, including Turkiye and Egypt, which already have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israel’s genocidal war

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says the death toll from Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave has risen to 72,938, with 172,919 people wounded since October 7, 2023.

In its latest update, the ministry said hospitals across Gaza received seven bodies over the past 24 hours, including six people killed in recent Israeli attacks and one person who later died from wounds sustained earlier.

Another 25 wounded people were brought to medical facilities during the same period.

The ministry added that since the “ceasefire” took effect on October 11, Israeli attacks have killed 929 Palestinians and wounded 2,811 others.

It also said that 781 bodies have been recovered during that period as rescue teams continue searching areas previously inaccessible due to ongoing military operations and destruction.

At least 260 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers.

Over 1.9 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been internally displaced within the territory, many of them multiple times. More than 1.2 million people — almost 60 per cent of Gaza’s population—have lost their homes.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2026

• Targets entire family of viruses, animal-borne strains; aims to thwart future pandemics; initial-phase trials of 39 participants succeeded; larger efficacy studies loom
• Experts hail move as ‘pivotal leap’ for humanity
• Approach could end need for regular flu vaccine updates

A “FUNDAMENTALLY new” vaccine designed entirely by artificial intelligence has been tested in people for the first time, in what researchers at the University of Cambridge describe as a potential breakthrough in the effort to prevent future pandemics, BBC reported.

This experimental approach seeks to establish immunity against a broad range of viruses, including all known coronaviruses, rather than targeting a single circulating strain.

Traditional vaccine development typically relies on a currently circulating viral strain. However, certain viruses are adept at mutating, causing conventional vaccines to lose efficacy quickly. This is why seasonal flu and Covid shots require regular updates.

“We’re always behind,” Professor Jonathan Heeney of Cambridge told the BBC, noting his team’s goal is to reverse this dynamic. “What we’re trying to do is get ahead of the curve.”

The researchers claim it is the first time a vaccine’s key component has been designed entirely by AI and then trialled in people.

To achieve this, researchers compiled genetic codes — the biological instruction manuals — from coronaviruses documented by global surveillance programs. An AI system analysed these sequences to design a “super-antigen.” Antigens are essential components of vaccines that train the immune system to attack foreign invaders.

This super-antigen trains the immune system to defend against the entire family of viruses, providing immunity even if viruses mutate or a new infection jumps from animals to humans.

The technology is “surprising all of us”, Heeney said, adding it is “amazing what we can do with it for the good of humanity”.

“This is about making vaccines that protect us, not just from today’s viruses, but protect us from what can cause the next outbreak or disease,” Heeney said. “This is a fundamental shift in how we prepare for pandemics.”

Initial trials involving 39 participants assessed safety. A subsequent study of approximately 200 individuals will test how effectively the vaccine stimulates the immune system.

Findings published in the Journal of Infection indicated that the impact on the immune system was “modest,” yet the results continue to generate excitement.

Prof Saul Faust of the University of Southampton, who led some of the trial work, said the AI-driven approach “definitely has potential” and described it as “really exciting”.

“What’s really interesting is the technology is an awful lot better at designing vaccines for potential pandemics when viruses are changing,” he said.

While coronavirus research remains in early stages, the team is leveraging the technology to develop vaccines for other ailments. According to the report, they are conducting animal research into a universal seasonal flu vaccine to eliminate the need for annual updates. They are also developing a vaccine for the H5N1 bird flu.

Researchers are also exploring inoculations for viral hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola species. The BBC highlighted that the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is caused by an Ebola species currently lacking a targeted vaccine.

Professor Andy Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, who was not involved in the Cambridge study, told the outlet that the methodology is producing compelling evidence. “It’s fascinating data, and people wouldn’t have predicted they’d be able to generate these immune responses,” Pollard said.

Pollard cautioned that human trials will determine success, as human immune systems differ from those of laboratory mice. Broadly, Pollard characterised AI as a “game changer” for vaccine research, predicting it will accelerate development and “save lives”.

Professor Marian Knight, scientific director for the National Institute for Health and Care Research, described the trial as a “pivotal leap forward in our ability to deliver broad, lasting viral protection”.

“Another British science success story, this is a great example of how we can bring our research expertise together with AI to deliver new treatments,” UK’s Science Minister Lord Vallance said. “With the first human trials showing positive results, this work could help speed up the rollout of vaccines to benefit people all over the world for the long term.”

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2026

A PAKISTANI couple living in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia have been sentenced to two years in prison for forcing their 22-year-old daughter to abort and coercing her into marrying her cousin in Pakistan, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The case echoes the tragic tale of Saman Abbas, a young woman murdered by her family for refusing an arranged marriage in Pakistan.

The young woman, who was not identified, reportedly rebelled and reported her parents to the Carabinieri (Italian police) after years of abuse.

The victim was said to have been locked in the basement at night, deprived of her cell phone, slapped, forced to kneel, and beaten with her face smashed against the floor. She was subsequently forced to go to Pakistan and threatened if she didn’t agree to an engagement and marriage to a cousin.

Finally, when it was discovered that she had become pregnant by a young boyfriend whom her family deemed unsuitable, she was punched in the abdomen and back and forced to have an abortion. Her parents, aged 54 and 51, were sentenced to two years and 15 days for mistreatment and attempted forced marriage.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2026

DUTCH police have found themselves in the middle of an online furore after footage of personnel assaulting a pregnant woman went viral on social media.

The incident, which took place on May 19 in the town of Zeist, came to light over the weekend after videos circulated online of an officer violently pulling a heavily pregnant woman by the arm, causing her to fall to the ground, according to Dutch outlet RTV Utrecht.

The video was filmed inside an asylum seekers’ centre. After she is dragged to the ground, the officer is seen being attacked by a man, who is said to be the woman’s husband.

Media reports indicated that the couple was speaking to police after they were called in over a disturbance complaint.

According to Al Jazeera, the woman’s husband was detained for smashing a television after learning of the death of his relative in Gaza. The woman said her husband was very respectful to the officers, adding that she was grabbed and forced to the ground after simply asking to accompany her husband to detention.

The Al Jazeera report said that the woman went into early labour as a result of her trauma, and gave birth to a premature baby girl.

Although both the baby and the woman are said to have escaped serious injury, questions are being raised over the conduct of the police.

According to the Dutch press, the man was arrested following the incident, but has since been released.

A statement by a spokesperson for Dutch police said the department “will carefully examine all the facts and circumstances,” which also includes assessing the force used by officers.

However, it is not clear whether any disciplinary action has been taken against the officers involved.

“We need to look at what happened there and in what order,” the police statement said.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2026

AN artificial intelligence age estimation tool that aims to detect adult migrants posing as children will be deployed at the UK’s borders from next year, BBC News reported.

A software company has been awarded a contract to develop and test the technology, which would estimate a person’s age by analysing photographs of them taken at the border.

The report cited the UK Home Office as saying the technology would make it easier to identify adult migrants “attempting to game the system”, after initial testing indicated “promising performance and accuracy”.

However, the Human Rights Watch urged the government to scrap the scheme, describing it as “unproven technology” that would undermine the protections vulnerable children were entitled to.

New technology to be deployed from next year for strengthening asylum checks

Unaccompanied child migrants receive support from local councils and are housed in the care system rather than more traditional asylum accommodation such as hotels.

They are entitled to legal protections which can simplify the asylum application system and make it easier to stay in the country for longer.

According to the BBC, the decision to use the software comes after years of heightened levels of people crossing the English Channel in small boats and claiming asylum at the border.

Rising numbers

A total of 111,084 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending June 2025, 14 per cent more than in the previous year.

In the year ending March 2026, more than 6,400 migrants claiming to be children were age-assessed at the border, with 43pc found to be adults, according to Home Office data.

A report carried out by the UK government’s independent immigration inspector last year found cases where adult migrants had been classified as children — and cases where child migrants had been wrongly classified as adults.

The report said in the absence of a “foolproof” test, it was “inevitable that some age assessments will be wrong, which is clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled”.

According to BBC, the government announced plans to use AI facial estimation technology to combat this problem last year.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2026