LONDON: British police said on Sunday seven people suffered &quot;serious but not life-threatening injuries&quot; and a man had been arrested for attempted murder after a car drove into people on a street in an English city. Officers arrested a man in his 30s shortly after the incident in Derby, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) north of Birmingham, Derbyshire Police said. &quot;He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, causing serious injury through dangerous driving, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and dangerous driving,&quot; the force added. &quot;The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing and we are keeping an open mind as to the motives.&quot; The statement said the suspect was &quot;originally from India&quot;. UK police have started to release such details in some high-profile cases, after a 2024 Southport mass stabbing targeting children was initially falsely blamed on a purported immigrant. Misinformation online was viewed as helping to fuel anti-immigration riots that subsequently swept the country. The black Suzuki Swift car struck the pedestrians at about 9:30 pm (2130 GMT), according to police. The seven injured were treated at the scene and then taken to Royal Derby Hospital and Queen&#39;s Medical Centre in the nearby city of Nottingham. &quot;The seven suffered a range of serious but not life-threatening injuries and we can confirm that, contrary to online speculation, no-one died in the incident,&quot; police noted. Interior minister Shabana Mahmood was being kept updated on the incident, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC. &quot;The police are actively investigating. We don&#39;t believe there is wider cause for the public to be alarmed,&quot; she added. Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson said she was &quot;deeply shocked&quot; by the incident. &quot;My thoughts are with those injured and I&#39;m grateful to our emergency services,&quot; she said on social media.

Police forensic officers work amongst a variety of personal items seen covering the road, inside a cordon set up on Friar Gate in central Derby, central England, on March 29, 2026, following an incident the night before where a vehicle was driven into ped

United Kingdom

The seven injured were treated at the scene and then taken to Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre in the nearby city of Nottingham.

Indian-origin man arrested for attempted murder as car hits pedestrians in UK

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Chairman Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed&nbsp;(retd)&nbsp;visited key port facilities&nbsp;on Sunday&nbsp;to review cargo operations and security arrangements amid increased shipping activity, the authority said. The visit comes as port authorities seek to capitalize on increased cargo movement and optimize available infrastructure. The chairman, along with the KPT team, reviewed facilities at oil piers and the East Wharf to identify areas that could be adjusted to accommodate additional cargo, containers, and vehicles, with a focus on boosting transshipment, especially vehicle handling. Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed&nbsp;inspected multiple port areas and was briefed on ongoing operations. He was told that 18 ships were currently berthed, with seven more expected to arrive within the next 24 hours. He also visited the Port Operations Centre, described as &quot;the nerve center of all safety and security operations,&quot; where officials briefed him on monitoring systems and readiness. The commandant of the Port Security Force gave an overview of security arrangements during the visit. According to the statement, the chairman appreciated the role of female Port Security Force personnel, noting their &ldquo;valuable contribution in critical security operations.&rdquo; Separately, the chairman visited the KPT Sports Complex at West Wharf and directed officials to maximize the use of existing facilities, to enhance benefits for both the organization and the wider community, the statement added.

Senior officials visited various port areas to oversee ongoing cargo operations on 29 March 2026 in Karachi, Pakistan. (Photo credits: Karachi Port Trust)

Economy

Karachi Port Trust Chairman Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed (retd) visits port to review activities, focusing on cargo flow, safety arrangements, and infrastructure use, as growing traffic prompts efforts to streamline operations and maximize efficiency.

Karachi Port eyes transshipment boost as activity surges

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government allocated Rs125 billion through budget cuts and savings to absorb rising petroleum prices and shield the public from global economic pressures. An online review meeting was held on Sunday under the prime minister&#39;s chairmanship to discuss the implementation of ongoing measures for fuel conservation and austerity in view of the regional situation, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office Media Wing. Prime Minister Sharif, while declaring public relief the top priority, said that over the past three weeks, the government has absorbed as much of the increase in petroleum product prices as possible to provide relief to the public. Sufficient quantity of petroleum products availableThe prime minister said that due to government decisions, sufficient quantities of petroleum products are available to meet domestic needs.&nbsp;Participants were informed that arrangements for petrol imports for April have been completed. The PM emphasized that, in the current situation, public relief has been the top priority and that, over the past three weeks, the government has provided the maximum possible relief. Unlike in other countries, Pakistan has neither long queues nor fuel supply mismanagement, reflecting the government&rsquo;s effective management. The PM urged the public to support the government&rsquo;s conservation campaign, avoid unnecessary travel, and prioritize teleconferencing at offices and workplaces. Austerity and conservation measuresThe meeting was briefed on the progress of implementing austerity and conservation measures. It was informed that the demand and supply of petroleum products, along with the entire supply chain, are being regularly monitored, and a digital dashboard has been developed for this purpose. He directed provincial governments to provide all necessary facilities for motorcycle and rickshaw owners to register their vehicles in their names to digitalize vehicle data, and&nbsp;enable owners to benefit from future government relief measures. The meeting was briefed on a prepared app for the proposed fuel support program for motorcycle riders and rickshaw drivers. The prime minister instructed the relevant authorities to expedite coordination with the chief secretaries of all four provinces, as well as Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, on this matter. The meeting, held via video link, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Attaullah Tarar, Dr Musadik Malik, Ahsan Iqbal, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Owais Khan Leghari, Special Assistant Tariq Bajwa, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, and other senior officials.

Prime Minister Sharif says public relief top priority; review meeting informed arrangements for petrol imports for April have been completed. 

 Pakistan government allocates Rs125B to curb fuel price hike

SUZUKA:&nbsp;Mercedes&#39; Kimi Antonelli vowed to &quot;keep raising the bar&quot; after winning Sunday&#39;s Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. Antonelli took advantage of a mid-race safety car to leapfrog into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position and led home McLaren&#39;s Oscar Piastri by 13.722sec with <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ferrari-unveil-2026-car-with-hamilton-ready-for-massive-challenge" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ferrari&#39;s</a> Charles Leclerc a further 1.548sec back in third. Antonelli&#39;s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes is struggling to contain the excitement building around their young driver, even if Antonelli said he was &quot;not thinking too much about the championship&quot;. &quot;Of course it&#39;s great but it&#39;s still a long way to go, and I need to keep raising the bar, because George is very quick,&quot; he said. &quot;For sure he&#39;s going to be back at his usual level, and also competitors will eventually get closer.&quot; Russell finished fourth to drop to second in the championship standings on 63 points. Leclerc is third on 49. Russell battled Piastri for the lead over the first half of the race but pitted just before the safety car which dropped him out of contention for the win. Piastri secured second in his first grand prix start of the season, after crashing on his way to the grid in the opener in Australia and missing the race in China because of a technical problem. Piastri led for the first half of the race before the safety car gave Antonelli his chance. &quot;It would have been really interesting to see what would have happened without that,&quot; said Piastri. &quot;A shame that we never got to see what would have happened, but I think for us to be disappointed at this point about finishing second is a pretty good place to be.&quot; Poor starts &#39;making life harder&#39;&nbsp; McLaren&#39;s world champion Lando Norris was fifth ahead of Ferrari&#39;s Lewis Hamilton and Alpine&#39;s Pierre Gasly. Red Bull&#39;s four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the winner in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/verstappens-japan-gp-win-streak-under-threat-as-mercedes-dominate" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Japan</a> for the past four years, was eighth after starting from 11th on the grid. Antonelli had become the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history in China and again was at the head of the grid. But he suffered a shocking start and was down in sixth by the first corner. Piastri took the early lead ahead of Leclerc, with Norris, Russell and Hamilton all sweeping past Antonelli. &quot;It&#39;s an area where I need to work a lot because it&#39;s definitely not good enough,&quot; said Antonelli. &quot;I&#39;m just making my life a lot harder.&quot; The young Italian had made up some of the lost ground when a crash by Haas driver Ollie Bearman brought out the safety car during the pit stop window. Piastri had already pitted but Antonelli was able to dive in for fresh tyres moments after the safety car was deployed and emerged in front of the Australian, a stroke of luck that effectively won him the race. &quot;I was very lucky with the timing of the safety car,&quot; said Antonelli. Bearman got out of his car unaided but was limping badly as race marshals helped him off the track. Haas later said he had &quot;a right knee contusion&quot; and initial X-rays showed no fractures after hitting the barrier at high speed. Formula One now takes an extended break until the Miami Grand Prix on May 3. The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races scheduled for April have been cancelled because of the war in the Middle East.

Winner Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli celebrates on the podium after the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit in Suzuka, Mie prefecture on March 29, 2026. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Racing

Driver secures back-to-back victory after safety car advantage, overtaking rivals at Suzuka, while competitors trail in standings and disrupted calendar sees upcoming races cancelled amid regional conflict, with next event scheduled in Miami.

Youngest F1 title leader Antonelli to keep 'raising bar' after Japan win

Foreign Affairs

Faisal bin Farhan al Saud, Hakan Fidan, and Dr Badr Abdelatty arrive in Islamabad ahead of a quadrilateral meeting on the Iran war.

Saudi, Turkiye, Egypt FMs in Islamabad ahead of quad meeting on Iran 

ATHENS: At least 21 Bangladeshi migrants were rescued off the coast of Greece after a deadly six-day journey across the Mediterranean, during which 22 people died, survivors told Greek authorities. The Greek coast guard said a total of 26 people&mdash;including a woman and a minor&mdash;were picked up late Friday by a European border agency vessel south of the island of Crete. Among the survivors were 21 Bangladeshis, four South Sudanese nationals and one Chadian citizen. Thrown into the sea&nbsp;Survivors said those who died during the voyage were thrown into the sea on the orders of a smuggler onboard. Two of the rescued migrants were taken to hospital in Heraklion, Crete, the coast guard said. Based on survivor accounts, the boat had departed from Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21, heading for Greece&mdash;a key entry point for migrants seeking asylum in the European Union. &ldquo;During the journey, the passengers lost their bearings and remained at sea for six days without food or water,&rdquo; the coast guard said. Deaths from exhaustion&nbsp;Authorities added that the combination of harsh weather and lack of supplies led to deaths from exhaustion. Greek officials have arrested two South Sudanese men, aged 19 and 22, suspected of being involved in smuggling.&nbsp; They are under investigation for illegal entry and negligent homicide. The vessel was located about 53 nautical miles south of Ierapetra, on southern Crete. The incident comes amid a sharp rise in migrant deaths in the Mediterranean.&nbsp; According to the International Organization for Migration, 559 people died on the route in January and February this year, compared to 287 during the same period last year. The European Union has called for intensified cooperation with countries along migration routes and stronger action against human smugglers, while recently approving stricter migration measures that have drawn criticism from rights groups.

Bangladesh

Survivors said those who died during the voyage were thrown into the sea on the orders of a smuggler onboard.

21 Bangladeshis rescued after deadly Mediterranean migrant ordeal

LONDON: Iranian forces&#39; threat to ships in the crucial Strait of Hormuz has driven up payments for the insurance that underpins the world freight industry. Here are facts and figures about how maritime insurance works -- and the impact from the war sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which has virtually cut off shipping in the strait.&nbsp;Insurance available&nbsp;After the fighting broke out on Feb. 28, some insurers served so-called cancellation notices for war risk policies to &quot;reassess... and then reinstate that cover at adjusted terms&quot;, the International Union of Marine Insurance said in a statement. Despite the name, &quot;a &#39;Notice of Cancellation&#39; does not, necessarily, end the cover. War cover remains available for owners and operators wishing to take it.&quot; Executives in London -- the world&#39;s top shipping insurance market -- insisted captains were avoiding the route to protect their crews, not because they could not get insured. &quot;Safety concerns, not insurance availability, (are) driving reduced vessel traffic,&quot; headlined the Lloyd&#39;s Market Association (LMA), a trade body for the London ship insurance industry, in a report.The price of such policies to cross the strait has shot up, however, according to industry players.&nbsp;Surging premiums&nbsp;Before the current Middle East conflict, a war risk premium would typically have cost less than one percent of the vessel&#39;s so-called hull value. Now, war risk insurance could run into tens of millions of dollars for a single trip through the Hormuz Strait. Premiums have surged for ships seeking special cover to cross the strait, according to Robert Peters of UK maritime consultancy Ambrey, which has an insurance arm. &quot;I&#39;m not sure the market has settled on an agreed range,&quot; he added, noting figures typically range &quot;from five percent down to one percent&quot;. David Smith, head of the marine arm at specialist insurance broker McGill, meanwhile estimated it at &quot;anywhere between three and-a-half and 10%&quot;. &quot;It is going up and down almost on an hourly basis,&quot; he told AFP. Cargo insurance rates have followed the same trajectory. &quot;A brand new LNG (liquefied natural gas) ship could be worth $200 million to $250 million alone, and then a cargo could be worth the same again,&quot; Smith noted.&nbsp;Five-fold cover&nbsp;Commercial ships typically need several separate insurance policies. Hull cover insures against loss or damage to the vessel, while protection and indemnity (P&amp;I) acts like third-party liability coverage. The cargo on board -- from petrochemicals to containers -- also requires insurance. In addition, ships need war risk insurance -- typically an annual premium -- but that does not cover ships entering the most active conflict zones, known as &quot;listed&quot; areas. To do that, they must renegotiate another war risk premium. &quot;The annual (war risk) premium is not designed for a crisis,&quot; said Neil Roberts, head of marine and aviation at the LMA.&nbsp;Danger zones listIn early March, London&#39;s marine insurance market widened the &quot;listed&quot; areas in the Gulf region. The system &quot;enables underwriters to respond quickly and proportionately to areas of increased risk&quot;, said Roberts, who sits on the committee that updates the list. To price war risk premiums, underwriters are considering numerous factors such as the type, flag and owner of the vessel, as well as its size, speed and cargo. &quot;We have seen some quotes where the underwriter has actually warranted that the vessel goes through at... full throttle,&quot; said Smith. &quot;That is deemed to be an improvement in the risk factor.&quot;&nbsp;No buyersShips normally have 24 hours to buy insurers&#39; quotes for listed area entry, but that has narrowed to 12 hours for Hormuz, Smith said. &quot;You line your ship up, you turn the engine on, you get ready to make a charge, then you&#39;ll get your quote,&quot; he said. But currently &quot;no one is buying&quot;, he added, saying one underwriter reported to him less than one-percent uptake for Hormuz-related policies.&nbsp;US insurance scheme&nbsp;A US shipping insurance initiative to boost Hormuz crossings will begin operating soon, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday. US President Donald Trump previously announced the scheme would involve naval escorts and urged Western and other powers to step up. But they have proved unwilling while the conflict rages. If a crossings framework with military protection could be agreed and proven effective, insurance &quot;rates would tumble very, very quickly&quot; Smith predicted.

Business

Before US-Israel war on Iran, a war risk premium would typically have cost less than 1% of the vessel's so-called hull value; now, it could run into tens of millions of dollars for a single trip.

Ship insurers juggle war risks for perilous Gulf route

MORBI, India: Blazing-hot kilns in India&#39;s $6.5 billion ceramics manufacturing hub employing hundreds of thousands of people have gone cold, shut down in an energy crunch caused by the US-Israel war on Iran. At a cavernous facility in Morbi, in India&#39;s western Gujarat state, a 200-meter-long propane-powered kiln that normally fires clay nonstop is silent. It is one of hundreds of plants supplying homeware tiles across the world that have been forced to suspend operations.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/5d904ce8-a54e-43b7-9a43-1c4eb79346d5-AFP__20260329__A4TV6EZ__v1__MidRes__IndiaWarIranUsIsraelEnergy.jpg" alt="AFP__20260329__A4TV6EZ__v1__MidRes__IndiaWarIranUsIsraelEnergy.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 1000px;"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Morbi, India: A man walks out the Eden Ceramic City mall housing outlets of ceramic tile manufacturers and distributors, as it remains deserted amid propane gas supply constraints and global energy crisis, on March 26, 2026. (Photo: AFP)</figcaption></figure> Thick layers of dust smother giant grinding and pressing machines, while only a tiny crew of workers transfer the last batch made three weeks ago off snaking assembly lines and into trucks. &quot;We are suffering a lot,&quot; said Kishor Dulera, a tile unit proprietor who closed this factory and two others in early March, sending hundreds of workers home. India depends on imports for 60% of its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/fuel-panic-deepens-indias-economic-strain" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">liquefied petroleum gas</a>&nbsp;(LPG) demand. The overwhelming majority comes through the Strait of Hormuz waterway, which has been effectively blocked by Iran after US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic late last month sparked a broader regional conflict, disrupting global energy supplies. New Delhi has prioritized supply for households, shielding Indians who use it to cook food. That has squeezed the amount available for industrial use. Factories in sectors including stainless steel and plastic have cut back on production as a result. &#39;Disaster&#39;&nbsp;&quot;If the main raw material is disturbed, the whole industry is disturbed,&quot; Dulera told AFP. The ceramics hub at Morbi makes up 90% of India&#39;s total production and is one of the world&#39;s largest ceramic manufacturing centers, exporting tiles to countries such as the United States and Thailand. The industry at Morbi provides direct and indirect employment to nearly a million people, according to government statistics. More than 400 plants have closed after the gas supply chain was &quot;broken&quot;, said Manoj Arvadiya, head of the local manufacturing industry association. Keeping the kilns hot means plants operate around-the-clock -- and emergency shutdowns can damage machinery. &quot;It is a continuous process,&quot; said Arvadiya. &quot;You can&#39;t run it for two days and then switch it off for one day. It doesn&#39;t work like that.&quot; Hitesh Detroja said his now-shut Lexus Granito plant had produced 30,000 tiles per day, calling the closure a &quot;disaster&quot;. He said he has no income to pay his fixed costs and interest on loans of $74,000 each month. &quot;This crisis is horrible,&quot; Detroja said.&nbsp;&#39;Worried&#39;&nbsp;The ripple effects of the energy crisis have been felt throughout the Morbi ecosystem. &quot;Everyone is worried,&quot; said 29-year-old labourer Bunty Goswami, a migrant worker at a shut plant. &quot;We are confused about what to do -- whether we should go home, or not.&quot; India&#39;s government has boosted domestic LPG production, negotiated the passage of a handful of tankers and purchased new cargoes from Australia and Russia. That should, in time, ease supply constraints. Jitendra Aghara of Simpolo Tiles, one of Morbi&#39;s biggest manufacturers, has kept operating by buying propane at more than double the price it was before the war to ensure he fulfills customer orders. &quot;If now we suffer a loss for two to three months, in the future we will get it back,&quot; he said. The tile industry developed in Gujarat due to the availability of clay and good transport connections, but it relies on overseas energy to fire. Aghara said the previous abundance of LPG and natural gas meant that there had been few moves to fully develop and adopt electric or hydrogen-powered kilns. Indian corporate giants like Reliance Industries have big green hydrogen production plans, which could remove Morbi&#39;s import dependencies. But first, development is needed to ensure hybrid kilns can produce tiles of the quality that Morbi is known for. Aghara noted alternative fuels can&#39;t replace gas &quot;100% just yet&quot;.

India

India depends on imports for 60% of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) demand; the overwhelming majority comes through the Strait of Hormuz waterway, which has been effectively blocked.

Indian tile makers hit by energy crunch from US-Israel war on Iran

TEHRAN: Yemen&#39;s Houthi rebels joined the month-old Middle East war, claiming two missile attacks on Israel that raised concern on Sunday about the war spreading to the Red Sea. Fears of a widening conflict came as the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was preparing plans for weeks of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pentagon-preparing-for-ground-operations-in-iran-report" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">US ground operations</a>&nbsp;in Iran -- though it said President Donald Trump has yet to approve any deployment. The involvement of Houthi rebels has added a new complexity to a conflict that has already impacted a wide swathe of the Middle East. During Israel&#39;s recent war on Gaza, the Houthis, claiming solidarity with Palestinians, attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, forcing companies to take costly detours. Until Saturday, they had sat out the latest conflict, even as the Red Sea grew more vital. A Houthi spokesman on Saturday said the group fired &quot;a barrage of cruise missiles and drones targeting several vital and military sites&quot; in Israel. Since the launch of hostilities, Saudi Arabia has rerouted much of its oil exports via the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says it has closed to shipping from hostile powers. Iran threatens retaliationThe attacks on Iran continued Saturday as Israel&#39;s military said it struck the headquarters of Iran&#39;s Marine Industries Organisation in Tehran, saying the facility developed &quot;a wide range of naval weaponry.&quot; On Saturday evening, a wave of blasts rang out in the capital for several minutes, with no immediate word on what was targeted. An Israeli military spokesman said attacks on Iranian military industry had intensified and &quot;within a few days, we will complete attacks on all critical components.&quot; &quot;I miss a peaceful night&#39;s sleep,&quot; an artist in Tehran told AFP, saying the previous night&#39;s strikes were &quot;so intense it felt like all of Tehran was shaking.&quot; Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guard meanwhile threatened Sunday to strike US university campuses in the Middle East unless Washington officially condemned US-Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-israel-war-on-iran-day-29" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">attacks on two Iranian universities</a>. Several American institutions operate campuses across the Gulf region, including Texas A&amp;M in Qatar and New York University in the UAE. Pakistan mediationThe conflict began when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes across Iran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, engulfing the region in conflict, sending energy prices soaring and prompting diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting. Pakistan, acting as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-iran-leaders-discuss-regional-tensions-peace-efforts" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">go-between for Washington and Tehran,</a>&nbsp;will host foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Monday for talks on the crisis. Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Islamabad &quot;for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression,&quot; while Germany&#39;s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Friday he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan &quot;very soon.&quot; Trump&#39;s special envoy Steve Witkoff said such a meeting could take place this week, and promoted a 15-point plan that Washington says &quot;could solve it all.&quot; Still, the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship carrying around 3,500 Marines and sailors, arrived in the Middle East on Friday amid speculation over a possible US ground deployment in Iran. The Washington Post reported late Saturday that the Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran -- potentially including raids on Kharg Island and sites near the Strait of Hormuz -- though President Trump has yet to approve any deployment. Red Sea shipping&nbsp;The economic fallout of the war remained critical with Hormuz still all but impassable and attacks on infrastructure still frequent in the region. Many Gulf shipments have been rerouted through Oman&#39;s Salalah port on the Arabian Sea, but Danish shipping giant Maersk said operations there were temporarily suspended after a drone attack. Fire broke out after Iranian missiles and drones struck the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi, injuring six people. Emirates Global Aluminium reported significant damage. Air travel has also been disrupted, with authorities in Kuwait and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan reporting airport facilities hit in strikes by Iran. The United States condemned a drone attack on the residence of Kurdish regional leader Nechirvan Barzani, blaming Iranian militia proxies in Iraq and calling it &quot;a direct assault on Iraq&#39;s sovereignty.&quot; Elsewhere in Iraq, a former paramilitary coalition, integrated into the armed forces but containing pro-Iran factions, said three fighters were killed in a strike near Kirkuk, while the interior ministry said two police officers died in another in Mosul. Both were blamed on the United States and Israel. Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his military&#39;s expertise to help defend against Iranian strikes as left his war-torn country for the region to sign anti-drone cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. Three journalists killed<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/lebanon-says-46-rescuers-5-medical-staff-killed-in-israelhezbollah-war" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Attacks continued in Lebanon</a>, which was drawn into the conflict when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2. On Saturday, the Israeli military killed three journalists in the south, including Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, one of the network&#39;s most prominent war correspondents, who had covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades. The Israeli military accused him of operating within Hezbollah &quot;under the guise of a journalist.&quot; Lebanese authorities, including President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, condemned the killings as war crimes. Israel also carried out raids in southern Lebanon that killed nine paramedics, according to the health ministry.

A security personnel stands guard as Houthi supporters gather during a rally in solidarity with Iran and Lebanon, amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on March 27, 2026. (File photo: AFP)

Middle East

The involvement of Houthi rebels adds a new complexity to a conflict that has already impacted a wide swathe of the Middle East.

Houthis missile attacks on Israel widen Middle East war

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran, potentially including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz, though President Donald Trump has not yet approved any deployment, the Washington Post reported Saturday. Any ground operation would stop short of a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-could-take-out-irans-kharg-island-any-time-white-house" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">full-scale invasion</a>, instead involving raids by special operations forces and conventional infantry troops, the Post said, citing unnamed officials. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on Friday the United States &quot;can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops,&quot; but the Post said planning is advanced, with one official saying: &quot;This is not last-minute planning.&quot;

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)

Any ground operation would stop short of a full-scale invasion, instead involving raids by special operations forces and conventional infantry troops, the Post said, citing unnamed officials.

Indian-origin man arrested for attempted murder as car hits pedestrians in UK

Latest News

Karachi Port eyes transshipment boost as activity surges

Indian-origin man arrested for attempted murder as car hits pedestrians in UK

Pakistan government allocates Rs125B to curb fuel price hike

Youngest F1 title leader Antonelli to keep 'raising bar' after Japan win

Saudi, Turkiye, Egypt FMs in Islamabad ahead of quad meeting on Iran