Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed deep concern over an incident at Khorfakkan Port in the United Arab Emirates, where an intercepted projectile reportedly caused injuries to several civilians, including Pakistani nationals.&nbsp;In a statement shared on X, the prime minister conveyed his sympathies and offered prayers for the swift recovery of those injured. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2041008107439181887&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=9d9f075befa75ccd8791bdfb6e4fa79e521c0bb3&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> He said Pakistani authorities are coordinating closely with UAE officials to ensure all necessary assistance and support are extended to affected Pakistani citizens.&nbsp;The premier emphasized Pakistan&rsquo;s strong solidarity with the brotherly people of the UAE during this difficult time, underscoring the longstanding ties between the two countries.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan stands in solidarity with the UAE and reiterates the urgent need for restraint and de-escalation,&rdquo; the prime minister said, urging all parties to avoid actions that could further escalate tensions in the region.

Khorfakkan Port, UAE. (File photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif voices deep concern over an incident at Khorfakkan Port in the United Arab Emirates, where an intercepted projectile reportedly caused injuries to several civilians, including Pakistani nationals

Pakistan PM voices concern over UAE port incident

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret to Pyongyang on Monday over drones sent into North Korea earlier this year, actions he called &quot;irresponsible.&quot; Seoul initially denied any official role in the January drone incursion &mdash; with authorities suggesting it was the work of civilians &mdash; but Lee said a probe had revealed government officials had been involved. The North warned in February of a &quot;terrible response&quot; if it detects more drones crossing the border from the South, prompting Seoul to investigate the claims. Pyongyang said it downed a drone carrying &quot;surveillance equipment&quot; in early January. Photos released by state media showed the wreckage of a winged craft scattered across the ground alongside grey and blue components that allegedly included cameras. &quot;It has been confirmed that a National Intelligence Service official and an active-duty soldier were involved,&quot; Lee told a cabinet meeting. &quot;We express regret to the North over the unnecessary military tensions caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of some individuals.&quot; He added that South Korea&#39;s constitution bans private individuals from conducting acts that could &quot;provoke the North.&quot; &quot;Such actions, even when deemed necessary for national strategy, must be approached with extreme caution,&quot; he said. Lee has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, criticizing his predecessor for allegedly sending drones to scatter propaganda over Pyongyang. His repeated overtures, however, have gone unanswered by the North. Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol is standing trial over charges that his administration sent drones into the North to provoke a backlash and create a pretext for declaring military rule. Yoon was impeached and ousted from office in April last year and has been sentenced to life in prison over his declaration of martial law. &#39;Most hostile state&#39; Lee&#39;s expression of regret follows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un&#39;s labelling of Seoul as the &quot;most hostile state&quot; in a policy address in March, in which he vowed to &quot;thoroughly reject and disregard it.&quot; Kim also reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining the country&#39;s nuclear arsenal, describing it as an &quot;irreversible course.&quot; During Yoon&#39;s presidency, relations between Seoul and Pyongyang hit rock bottom, with the North sending balloons filled with garbage, including animal manure, in response to propaganda leaflets send northward by South Korea-based activists, many of them North Korean defectors. The two Koreas technically remain at war, as the 1950&ndash;53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and both enforce mandatory military service for men.

Asia

Seoul initially denied any official role in the January drone incursion — with authorities suggesting it was the work of civilians — but Lee says a probe had revealed government officials had been involved.



South Korea president says regrets 'reckless' drones sent to North

HOUSTON:&nbsp;The Artemis astronauts entered the final phase of their run-up to a lunar loop on Monday, a tipping point of sorts that means the Moon&#39;s gravity is now having a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth&#39;s. The Orion capsule will now whip around the Moon, setting the crew up to travel farther from our home planet than any human before. The astronauts entered what NASA calls the lunar sphere of influence about 0442 GMT Monday and will soon record the first lunar flyby since 1972. As they entered the Moon&#39;s gravitational influence, the crew was about 39,000 miles (63,000 kilometers) from the Moon and about 232,000 miles from Earth, a NASA official said on the agency&#39;s livestream of the event. The historic occasion comes alongside a constellation of firsts for the crew of three Americans and one Canadian. Victor Glover will go down in the books as the first person of color to ever fly around the Moon, and Christina Koch will be the first woman. Canadian Jeremy Hansen, meanwhile, will become the first non-American to accomplish the feat. Those three, along with mission commander Reid Wiseman, will spend much of their lunar flyby documenting the Moon. &#39;Far side of the Moon&#39;&nbsp;The astronauts have already started seeing features of the celestial body never before viewed with a naked human eye. In the wee hours of Sunday, NASA published an image taken by the Artemis crew that showed a distant Moon with the Orientale basin visible. &quot;This mission marks the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes,&quot; the US space agency said. The massive crater, which resembles a bullseye, had been photographed before by orbiting cameras. Koch, speaking to Canadian children live from space, said the crew was most excited to see the basin -- sometimes known as the Moon&#39;s &quot;Grand Canyon.&quot; &quot;It&#39;s very distinctive and no human eyes previously had seen this crater until today, really, when we were privileged enough to see it,&quot; Koch said during the question-and-answer session hosted by the Canadian Space Agency. Near the end of their flyby, the astronauts will witness a solar eclipse, when the Sun will be behind the Moon and hidden from view aside from its outermost atmosphere, the solar corona. The four astronauts will also spend some time testing their &quot;Orion crew survival system&quot; spacesuits. The orange suits protect the crewmembers during launch and reentry, but are also available for emergency use -- they can provide up to six days of breathable air. The astronauts are the first to ever wear the OCSS suits in space, and will test their functions, including how quickly they can put them on and pressurize them. While the four astronauts will not touch down on the lunar surface, they are expected to break the record for the farthest distance from Earth during their pass around the Moon. Over the next day, &quot;they will be on the far side of the Moon, they will eclipse that record, and we&#39;re going to learn an awful lot about the spacecraft,&quot; NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said Sunday during a televised interview with CNN. The information will be &quot;pretty paramount to set up for subsequent missions like Artemis 3 in 2027 and, of course, the lunar landing itself on Artemis 4 in 2028,&quot; he added. NASA said the Artemis crew has completed a manual piloting demonstration and reviewed their lunar flyby plan, including reviewing the surface features they must analyze and photograph during their time circling the Moon. &quot;We&#39;re focusing very much on the ecosystem, the life support system of the spacecraft,&quot; Isaacman told CNN. &quot;This is the first time astronauts have ever flown on this spacecraft before,&quot; he said. &quot;That&#39;s what we&#39;re most interested in getting data from.&quot;

In this handout image provided by NASA, NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon on April 4, 2026. (IN SPACE/

Americas

Former astronaut Charlie Duke, who walked on the Moon in 1972 as part of the Apollo 16 mission, gives ceremonial wakeup call to the crew; the astronauts have entered the final phase of their run-up to a lunar loop called the "lunar sphere of influence," and will soon record the first lunar flyby since 1972.

Artemis mission approaches lunar loop for first flyby since 1972

Web Desk/AFP

Middle East

Iran launches fresh attacks across the Middle East on Monday and threaten 'devastating' retaliation, after US President Donald Trump's expletive-laced warning that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Defiant Iran ramps up attacks after Trump warning

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected statements by Afghan Taliban authorities regarding civilian casualties from its cross-border military campaign, reiterating that its operations are directed against terrorist infrastructure. In a statement, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting&rsquo;s fact-checking unit said Pakistan&rsquo;s actions have been &ldquo;precise&rdquo; and focused on security objectives. &ldquo;It is well established that Pakistan has only undertaken precise targeting of Fitna al Khawarij and Afghan Taliban terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan,&rdquo; the ministry said. Islamabad uses the term &ldquo;Fitna al Khawarij&rdquo; to refer to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, drawing on a historical reference to an early extremist faction in Islamic history that rejected legitimate authority and declared other Muslims as unbelievers. The clarification comes as Operation Ghazab lil Haq continues following weeks of cross-border tensions, with Islamabad stating that the campaign targets infrastructure used to support attacks inside Pakistan. The ministry said operational updates, including details of strikes and outcomes, have been shared regularly. &ldquo;Air strikes, destruction and capture of posts&hellip; are updated regularly with even clips of the strikes for all to see,&rdquo; the statement said. It added that Pakistan&rsquo;s approach remains focused on countering terrorism while avoiding civilian harm. The ministry also referred to recent security incidents inside Pakistan. &ldquo;The whole world is witness to the terrorist attacks&hellip; including the recent attack in Domail, Bannu where civilians, including women and children, were martyred,&rdquo; the statement said. It further stated that Afghan nationals had been involved in terrorist activities inside Pakistan, adding that related evidence had been presented at official forums, including the Balochistan home minister&rsquo;s conference. The ministry said statements and content circulated by Afghan Taliban-linked sources should be viewed with caution. It noted that certain spokespersons and affiliated outlets were &ldquo;well known to regularly post fake, old&hellip; propaganda videos and assertions,&rdquo; highlighting what it described as a pattern of contested narratives during the conflict. The development comes as Pakistan continues diplomatic engagement alongside its security operations. Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said Islamabad remains committed to dialogue but expects tangible steps on the ground. &ldquo;The burden of real process&hellip; lies with Afghanistan, which must demonstrate visible and verifiable actions against terrorist groups using its soil against Pakistan,&rdquo; Andrabi said. Pakistan maintains that its operations are based on verified intelligence and are aimed at addressing threats posed by terrorist groups, while supporting efforts toward dialogue and regional stability.

 Pakistan’s information ministry says it is “well established that Pakistan has only undertaken precise targeting of Fitna al Khwarij and Afghan Taliban terrorist infrastructure”; Islamabad is participating in the dialogue process but expects concrete action from Afghan authorities.


Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban civilian casualty claims amid tensions

LAGOS: The Nigerian military said on Sunday it had rescued 31 worshippers seized from Easter celebrations in northwestern Kaduna state, though at least five others were killed, as the country&#39;s security is increasingly under international scrutiny. The kidnapping at a village located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital, Abuja, occurred despite the police chief ordering a &quot;massive security deployment&quot; including at places of worship during the Easter festival. &quot;Through a swift response, (troops) have successfully foiled a terrorist attack leading to the rescue of 31 civilians abducted during an Easter church service&quot; in the village of Ariko, the military said in a statement. The troops engaged the attackers in a &quot;firefight,&quot; forcing the &quot;terrorists to abandon 31 hostages,&quot; the military said in a statement. It said five victims had been killed by the attackers. The military listed one church, but local media reported that gunmen raided a Catholic and an evangelical church, killing at least eight people and abducting several others. Kaduna is one of several states in northwest and central Nigeria that have for years been terrorised by criminal gangs called bandits that carry out deadly raids on communities and kidnap for ransom. Despite the bandits being motivated by financial gains, they are increasingly collaborating with jihadists from the northeast. It was unclear if the military&#39;s use of &quot;terrorists&quot; was referring to bandits. While the army has been beefing up its deployment to the region to combat the groups, Nigeria has continued to see a rise in violence. That has drawn the attention of US President Donald Trump, who has alleged there is a &quot;genocide&quot; of Christians in Nigeria. In January, bandits rounded up more than 170 worshippers from three churches during mass in Kaduna. Authorities said 80 escaped, and the rest were released following negotiations after three weeks in custody.

Africa

The kidnapping at a village located around 100 kilometers north of the capital, Abuja, occurred despite the police chief ordering a "massive security deployment" including at places of worship during the Easter festival.



Nigerian military rescues 31 kidnapped Easter worshippers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has completed arrangements for this year&rsquo;s Hajj efficiently and without imposing any additional financial burden on pilgrims, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said on Sunday, even as global oil prices surge due to ongoing regional tensions. The assurance comes amid a sharp rise in global energy prices linked to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted oil supplies and pushed crude prices significantly higher worldwide. Speaking to state broadcaster PTV News in Riyadh, Yousuf said Pakistan would send around 180,000 pilgrims this year, including 120,000 under the government scheme and 60,000 through private arrangements. Despite rising fuel and transport costs globally, the minister said the government had ensured that Hajj expenses remained stable. &ldquo;All operations, including flights, accommodation and transport, are being organized in a smooth and exemplary manner to ensure the comfort and safety of all pilgrims,&rdquo; Radio Pakistan quoted the minister as saying. The Hajj flight operation is scheduled to run from May 24 to May 29, with authorities finalizing arrangements in line with Saudi requirements. Yousuf said the government had focused on maintaining cost efficiency while improving service standards, aiming to deliver a seamless pilgrimage experience. &ldquo;We are making every effort to provide the best possible arrangements and aim to make this year&rsquo;s Hajj exemplary in terms of management and facilities,&rdquo; he added. He also reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s close ties with Saudi Arabia, appreciating the Kingdom&rsquo;s continued support for pilgrims. &ldquo;The Saudi authorities have extended full cooperation and facilities, and we value their commitment to serving pilgrims as honored guests,&rdquo; he said.

Culture

Economy

Pakistan religion minister says Hajj operations are fully prepared with improved services, streamlined logistics and strong coordination with Saudi authorities, as Islamabad aims to ensure a safe, comfortable and well-managed pilgrimage experience for thousands of travelers

Pakistan ensures no extra Hajj cost despite oil price surge

Asfandyar Yahya

Okay, let&rsquo;s be honest. Why does a rabbit&mdash;a mammal&mdash;deliver eggs? Biologically, it&rsquo;s a disaster. But historically? It&rsquo;s a fascinating 400-year-old mystery that connects German courtrooms, French emperors, and the streets of Karachi. This is How Easter is celebrated across the globe and let me surprise you with how its celebrated in Pakistan. It all began in 17th-century Germany with something called the &ldquo;Osterhase,&rdquo; or Easter Hare. But this bunny wasn&rsquo;t just cute &mdash; it was actually believed to judge children, deciding who had been good or bad before giving out colorful eggs, kind of like a springtime Santa. And why eggs? During the 40 days of Lent, people weren&rsquo;t allowed to eat eggs. So they boiled them to keep them from spoiling, then decorated them to celebrate when the fasting period finally ended. France: In the town of Bessi&egrave;res, they cook a giant omelet with 15,000 eggs&mdash;legend says Napoleon started it. Norway: They celebrate by... reading murder mysteries? It&rsquo;s called P&aring;skekrimmen. Bermuda: They fly colorful kites to symbolize the Ascension. Australia: They actually swapped the bunny for the Easter Bilby because wild rabbits were hurting their environment. But here in Pakistan, its celebrated a little differently. Head to Saddar in Karachi. Historic spots like Misquita, United, and Crispo Bakery have been doing this since 1948. People queue up at 2 AM for Hot Cross Buns&mdash;spiced with cinnamon and topped with a biscuit cross. And What&rsquo;s truly beautiful is the overlap. In years like this, where Lent meets Ramadan, we saw &quot;Interfaith Iftars&quot;. Christians and Muslims breaking fast together with pakoras, dates, and Rooh Afza. It&rsquo;s a uniquely Pakistani synthesis of faith and community. So, whether it&rsquo;s a jeweled Faberg&eacute; egg in Russia or a simple marzipan egg in Lahore, the message is the same. Behind the chocolate and the folklore, Easter is about one thing: Hope. The triumph of life over death.

Tell Me Why

Tell me why - Easter Eggs

ISLAMABAD: Bhutan exports more oxygen than it consumes, legally mandates forest cover and calls its citizens trustees of the earth. It is also watching 13.5% of its land degrade. Officials from the country&rsquo;s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock confirmed the figure at the country&#39;s first national workshop on land degradation earlier this month in Phuentshogling. Agencies gathered in the country&rsquo;s second-largest city to confront what they described as a crisis cutting across food security, climate resilience and biodiversity. Soil erosion, unsustainable land use and climate change are the primary drivers, as reported by the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS). In Wangdue Gatshel, Phuentshogling, a landslide active for several years has left communities stranded on unstable ground. This is a sign, officials said, of how the problem is no longer abstract. &quot;We need support and data from different agencies, so we met to discuss and work on it,&quot; said Tashi Wangdi, Program Director at the National Soil Services Centre. He said national reporting tracks restoration progress, shapes evidence-based policy and attracts financial support for sustainable land management. The three-day workshop, which drew participants from multiple government agencies, focused on reviewing and revising Bhutan&#39;s voluntary land degradation neutrality targets, which are country-level commitments to keep land in productive condition, according to BBS. Tashi Phuntsho, Agriculture Officer of Zhemgang, said groups worked to set new targets and address existing gaps.&nbsp; Meanwhile, the Water and Wetland Specialist at the Department of Water, said participants came away with clearer understanding of inter-agency data standards and mandates. The crisis is unfolding inside one of the most legally fortified conservation systems in the world. Article 5 of Bhutan&#39;s Constitution requires that no less than 60% of national territory remain permanently forested. Research from the World Bank and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization documents how the Constitution designates every Bhutanese citizen a legal trustee of the kingdom&#39;s natural resources. The National Environment Protection Act of 2007, as documented by the World Bank, requires Environmental Impact Assessments for all major development projects. Bhutan pledged permanent carbon neutrality at COP15 in 2009. Its Third Nationally Determined Contribution shows forests sequestering approximately 9.4 million tons of CO2 annually against national emissions of around 3.8 million tons. The World Bank places 51% of Bhutan&#39;s territory within protected areas or biological corridors. Reports from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification confirm that Sustainable Land Management is embedded in Bhutan&#39;s five-year national development plans. The laws have not come without cost. A computable general equilibrium model study, cited by the UN FAO, found that full conversion to organic agriculture could cut crop yields by 24% compared to conventional methods, a gap that has historically contracted GDP and deepened food import dependency. The World Bank has flagged that conservation restrictions on timber and biomass have narrowed economic diversification. The same institution notes that reliance on hydropower revenues, which fluctuate with climate-driven changes in water flow, is widening the fiscal deficit. Nowhere is the strain more visible than in Bhutan&#39;s organic farming ambitions. The goal of becoming the world&#39;s first entirely organic nation, set for 2020, has been pushed to 2035, as reported by BBS. As of 2021, just 1.09% of farmland carried organic certification, per institutional research, despite nearly two decades of government commitment. Chemical fertilizer imports reached over 4,300 tons in recent periods and the country continues to rely on imported rice for basic food security, as documented by the World Bank. Labor shortages from rural-to-urban migration, an aging farmer population and the high cost of foreign certification laboratories are stalling progress, per the UN FAO. The government approved the National Agroforestry Strategy for 2026 to 2035 to integrate trees and livestock into farming, reduce external inputs and rebuild soil fertility from within.

Despite legal mandates for forest cover and its status as a carbon-negative nation, approximately 13.5% of Bhutan’s land is currently experiencing degradation. (bhutan.travel)

Bhutan

Bhutan, known for strict environmental protections and carbon negativity, faces growing land degradation. Officials warn erosion, climate change and unsustainable use threaten food security, biodiversity and long-term economic stability.

Bhutan: How the world's greenest country is losing its land

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said its cross-border military campaign had killed 796 Afghan Taliban fighters and affiliated terrorists as Operation Ghazab lil Haq entered its sixth week, targeting infrastructure used to support attacks inside Pakistan. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said more than 855 individuals had been injured during the campaign, launched in late February following what Islamabad describes as sustained cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghan territory. &ldquo;The ongoing operation is targeting terrorist hideouts and military infrastructure used to support attacks against Pakistan,&rdquo; Tarar said in a statement posted on X. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2040779967466971391&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=2c868d632965e5febce371e6f7901346dd93b77b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 496px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div> According to the minister, Pakistani forces had destroyed 286 check posts and 249 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery systems, while 44 additional posts were captured. He added that 81 locations across Afghanistan, including terrorist hideouts and support infrastructure, had been effectively targeted. Attack on border post repelled Tarar said the latest engagement took place on the night of April 2-3, when an attempt to attack a Pakistani border post in the Ghulam Khan sector was repelled. &ldquo;An attempt to physically attack a border post&hellip; was comprehensively foiled,&rdquo; he said. According to the statement, the attackers suffered heavy casualties. &ldquo;Up to 37 were killed and more than 80 others were injured,&rdquo; Tarar added. In a separate development, security sources said Pakistani forces had eliminated eight terrorists during an infiltration attempt in North Waziristan&rsquo;s Datta Khel area, including two Afghan nationals, underscoring continued cross-border infiltration attempts. Pakistan launched the operation after a series of attacks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and says the campaign aims to dismantle terrorist camps, logistics hubs and command networks used to plan attacks. The operation was briefly paused during Eid-ul-Fitr before resuming, with officials maintaining that it will continue until security objectives are achieved. Authorities say the campaign is based on verified intelligence and is focused on terrorist infrastructure, as Pakistan seeks to reduce the capacity of groups operating from Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside the country.

Security

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says the latest engagement along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border was foiled, with heavy casualties among attackers, as security forces also thwart infiltration attempts and maintain pressure on terrorist networks

Pakistan PM voices concern over UAE port incident

Latest News

Pakistan PM voices concern over UAE port incident

South Korea president says regrets 'reckless' drones sent to North

Artemis mission approaches lunar loop for first flyby since 1972

Defiant Iran ramps up attacks after Trump warning

Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban civilian casualty claims amid tensions