ISLAMABAD, May 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. has evacuated 22 crew members held aboard an Iranian container vessel to Pakistan and will hand them over to Iranian authorities on Monday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said, calling the move a "confidence-building measure".

Here are some details.

• Iranian-flagged Touska, part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) that has been hit with sanctions by Washington, was boarded and seized by the U.S. off the coast of Iran's Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman last month.

By Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS, May 4 (Reuters) - European nations have "gotten the message" from U.S. President Donald Trump and are now ensuring that agreements on the use of military bases are being implemented, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday.

Trump has accused some NATO nations of not doing enough to support the United States in the Iran war. In a further sign of his discontent with European allies, the U.S. announced on Friday plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.

Oil prices jumped on Monday after a drone strike sparked a fire at an Emirati energy installation, threatening a fragile US-Iran ceasefire, while US warships entered the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Seoul and Taipei hit record highs as Asian traders joined the rally in tech shares, but US equity indices retreated from record finishes last week.

Oil prices climbed, with the benchmark international contract Brent crude for July delivery jumping more than five percent, after the drone strike in the emirate of Fujairah.

By Christine Chen

SYDNEY, May 4 (Reuters) - Australia began public hearings on Monday into the Bondi Beach mass shooting in December, part of a wide-ranging national inquiry with witnesses set to give evidence on their experience of escalating antisemitism in the country.

The attack, which left 15 dead at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, fuelled calls for tougher gun controls and more action to tackle hatred towards Jews, and followed a spate of antisemitic incidents in Australia.

European leaders talked up independence on defence and closer ties with Canada Monday, as they gathered in Armenia for a summit clouded by US threats to cut military support.

US President Donald Trump loomed large over the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Yerevan, which was for the first time attended by a non-European leader: Canada's Mark Carney.

"We don't think that we're destined to submit to a more transactional insular and brutal world and gatherings such as these point to a better way forward," the Canadian prime minister told fellow leaders.

In Iraq's holy city of Najaf, the majestic shrine of Imam Ali stands quiet, its vast courtyards no longer echoing with the multilingual whispers of pilgrims from before the Middle East war.

The absence of tourists leaves nearby shopkeepers and hotel owners with little to do, their days dragging on as they hope for the crowds to return and revive their businesses.

"Iranians used to keep us busy, whether the jeweller, the fabric merchant or the taxi driver. Now there are none," said jewellery shop owner Abdel Rahim Harmoush.

By Parisa Hafezi and Jacob Bogage

DUBAI/DORAL, Florida, May 4 (Reuters) - A tanker reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime security organisation said on Monday, shortly after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would start helping free ships stranded in the Gulf by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Trump provided few details about the plan, which he said would start on Monday to aid ships and their crews that have been "locked up" in the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies.

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States would begin an effort to free up ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson)

BERLIN, May 3 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he must accept that President Donald Trump does not share his opinions in order to work with the United States within NATO, but stressed there was no link between their rift and a planned troop drawdown.

Merz dismissed suggestions that his criticism of U.S. war planning in Iran had sparked Washington's Friday announcement that the U.S. would reduce its military presence in Germany, its largest European base, by 5,000 soldiers, and repeated his commitment to the transatlantic alliance.

On a sunny afternoon, Shina Shabso was busy making traditional cheese pastries for a wedding on Israel's border with Lebanon, the celebration in the Circassian village of Rehaniya a much-needed break from weeks of war.

Known as "halyuj", the fried semi-circular pastries are a staple of life in this tiny community of Circassians spread across two villages in northern Israel and are served up to honour guests at a celebration or to comfort those who mourn.