Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has triggered a severe disruption to global energy supplies, with Asia expected to suffer &ldquo;the most,&rdquo; global maritime analytics firm Kpler told AFP. The strait, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which nearly a fifth of the world&rsquo;s crude oil and significant volumes of gas flow, has been effectively shut to commercial shipping since US-Israeli strikes on Iran escalated into a broader regional conflict. The crisis has rapidly evolved into a global energy shock, with International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol describing it as &ldquo;the greatest global energy security threat in history.&rdquo; At the same time, the standoff between Tehran and Washington continues to deepen. US President Donald Trump has warned that reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains a key condition for any ceasefire, while Iran has signaled it will maintain pressure over the strategic route. Asia takes the brunt&ldquo;We think Asia will, for now, be the ones suffering the most,&rdquo; said Kpler president Jean Maynier. &ldquo;There is almost no crude oil arriving&hellip; and inventories are being depleted,&rdquo; he added. Around 84% of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz is destined for Asia, leaving major economies such as China, India, Japan and South Korea particularly exposed. China alone imported 5.4 million barrels per day through the strait in the first quarter, while India relied on roughly 2.1 million barrels per day, underscoring the scale of dependence on Gulf energy flows. Experts say that while short-term buffers exist, including elevated global inventories, spare OPEC capacity and US shale output, a prolonged closure would still significantly disrupt supply access. &ldquo;A full closure&hellip; would still impact the accessibility of a major part of this spare production capacity,&rdquo; analysts noted. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have limited infrastructure to bypass the strait, but their combined capacity, around 2.6 million barrels per day, falls far short of offsetting the disruption. Europe, US less exposedWhile global prices have surged, Europe and the United States are comparatively less vulnerable. However, secondary effects are emerging. LNG shipments are being redirected toward Asia, raising concerns over shortages in Europe, while energy prices are expected to remain elevated. Even so, analysts warn that no region is fully insulated from the shock. Leaders under pressureThe crisis is placing growing pressure on global leaders as markets react to prolonged uncertainty. President Trump has alternated between threats and diplomacy, warning of potential strikes on Iran&rsquo;s energy infrastructure while also signaling openness to negotiations. Iran, meanwhile, has denied direct talks while continuing to assert control over Hormuz. G7 ministers have pledged to take &ldquo;any necessary measures&rdquo; to stabilize markets, while emergency oil stock releases are being considered to ease supply constraints. Analysts say the duration of the disruption has caught markets off guard. &ldquo;What is surprising is the length of this event&hellip; especially in Asia, the crisis that we have now with energy,&rdquo; Maynier said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really bad for Asia and we are not optimistic if the event continues.&rdquo; The closure of Hormuz highlights how the conflict has moved beyond military confrontation, turning critical trade routes into strategic pressure points &mdash; with Asia now at the center of the global economic fallout.

Asia

Hormuz closure disrupts global energy flows, with Asia hardest hit as supplies drop sharply, while Trump and Tehran harden positions, deepening uncertainty and driving price volatility across markets already strained by prolonged regional conflict.

Hormuz closure hits Asia hardest as Iran war disrupts energy

RIYADH: Islamic nations, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Indonesia, lambasted on Thursday the approval of a death penalty bill for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying the move threatens &quot;regional stability&quot;. Foreign ministers released the statement from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. &quot;This legislation constitutes a dangerous escalation, particularly given its discriminatory application against Palestinian prisoners, and stressed that such measures risk further exacerbating tensions and undermining regional stability,&quot; the joint statement read. Under the law passed by Israel&#39;s parliament late on Monday, Palestinians convicted by military courts of carrying out deadly attacks classified as &quot;acts of terrorism&quot; will face the death penalty&nbsp;as a default sentence. The United Nations and European Union have criticized the law, while the United States came out in support of &quot;Israel&#39;s sovereign right to determine its own laws&quot;. Because Palestinians in the territory are automatically tried in Israeli military courts, the measure effectively creates a separate and harsher legal track. In Israeli civilian courts, the law allows for either death or life imprisonment for those convicted of killing with the intent to harm the state.

FILE: From left to right: Syria's President Bashar Assad, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, as they follow Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Front R) and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi (Back R)

"This legislation constitutes a dangerous escalation, particularly given its discriminatory application against Palestinian prisoners, and such measures risk further exacerbating tensions and undermining regional stability," the joint statement released by Islamic nations read.

Islamic states condemn Israel over death penalty law

NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar lawmakers will elect a new president on Friday, the parliamentary speaker said, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing one of three candidates for the post. The former commander-in-chief has led Myanmar since 2021, when he ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered a civil war. He was one of three vice presidents elected by lawmakers on Tuesday, receiving 247 of 260 votes in the lower house. &quot;...the three vice presidents (members of parliament) have to vote to ... elect the one vice president they prefer as the President,&quot; parliamentary speaker Aung Lin Dwe said Thursday, adding the vote will be held at 10:00 a.m on Friday. The other two vice presidents are Nan Ni Ni Aye, a regional MP from Karen state with the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and current Prime Minister Nyo Saw. Democracy watchdogs have long warned that the new government will be a proxy of the military, which has ruled Myanmar for the vast majority of its post-independence history. The generals loosened their grip for a decade-long democratic experiment beginning in 2011, allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to ascend as civilian leader and steer a period of reform as the nation opened up. But after Aung San Suu Kyi trounced the USDP in a landslide in the 2020 elections, Min Aung Hlaing seized power back. After five years of hardline rule, the top general oversaw heavily restricted elections that returned a walkover win for pro-military parties in January. Now the USDP, led and staffed by many retired officers, is entrenched in parliament after winning 80% of the elected seats, and the new government is expected to march in lockstep with the top brass. Min Aung Hlaing is expected to manage a carefully orchestrated transition to the presidency after handing over the reins of the military to loyalist Ye Win Oo on Monday.

Min Aung Hlaing - (Photo: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

Min Aung Hlaing is set to become Myanmar’s president through a military-backed parliamentary vote following contested elections and years of junta rule after the ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar parliament to elect new president Friday: Speaker

MANADO: A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Thursday, killing at least one person, causing waves of up to 75 centimetres (2.5 feet) and triggering a tsunami warning that was subsequently lifted. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor hit at a shallow depth of 35 kilometres in the Molucca Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups in the early morning. One person was killed when a building collapsed in the city of Manado in North Sulawesi province, a local search and rescue official told AFP. &quot;The quake was felt strongly around Manado, one person died and one person had a leg injury,&quot; George Leo Mercy Randang told AFP by telephone. The victim was &quot;buried under the rubble&quot; of a collapsed building, he said. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Within half an hour of the quake, waves up to 75 centimetres were recorded in North Minahasa and 20 centimetres in Bitung, both in the north of Sulawesi island, according to Indonesia&#39;s BMKG geological agency. Thirty-centimetre waves were also logged in North Maluku province. The PTWC lifted its warning just over two hours after the tremor, saying the tsunami threat &quot;has now passed.&quot; Ternate resident Budi Nurgianto, 42, said he was inside his house when the tremor struck, sending people panicking outside. &quot;The quake was felt strongly. I heard it first from the walls of the house that shook,&quot; he said. &quot;When I went outside, there were many people outside. They were panicked. The quake was felt (for) quite long, more than a minute. &quot;I even saw some people leaving their house without having finished their shower.&quot; Aftershocks&nbsp; BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani told journalists in the capital Jakarta there were 11 aftershocks, the biggest with a magnitude of 5.5. An AFP journalist in Manado on Sulawesi, about 300 kilometres west of Ternate by sea, said the shaking woke him and others in the city of around 450,000 people. &quot;I immediately woke up and left my house. People (were) immediately scrambling outside. There is a school and the pupils rushed outside,&quot; he said. The shaking persisted for &quot;quite long&quot; but he did not witness &quot;significant damage&quot;, he added. The PTWC had initially warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre were possible for parts of Indonesia, with smaller waves possible for the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Guam and Palau. &quot;Government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk,&quot; the agency said. The Japan Meteorological Agency said it expected &quot;slight changes&quot; in the sea level along the Pacific coast from northern Hokkaido to southern Okinawa, but has not issued any warnings. The earthquake centres of the Philippines and Malaysia have also not issued tsunami alerts. Indonesia and neighbouring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific &quot;Ring of Fire&quot; -- an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. In 2004, a magnitude-9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.&nbsp;

Police officers look at a building of the North Sumatra's National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) damaged following a severe 7.4-magnitude offshore quake in Manado, North Sulawesi on April 2, 2026. (Photo by Tonny Rarung / AFP

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake off eastern Indonesia killed one person, triggered small tsunami waves and a brief warning that was later lifted. 

7.4-magnitude quake off Indonesia kills one, tsunami warning lifted

Web Desk/AFP

Middle East

The IRGC claimed on Friday that the "second F-35 fighter jet was destroyed" in the skies of central Iran by the new advanced defense system of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported. 

IRGC claims downing 'another F-35 fighter jet'

PARIS:&nbsp;Iran should make a deal with the United States to end the war by offering to curb its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief, a former Iranian foreign minister said. Mohammad Javad Zarif, who served as foreign minister from 2013-2021, claimed in an op-ed for American journal Foreign Affairs that Tehran had the &quot;upper hand&quot; in the conflict against the US and Israel, but argued Iran needed to stop the war to prevent the loss of more civilian lives and damage to infrastructure. &quot;Iran should use its upper hand not to keep fighting but to declare victory and make a deal that both ends this conflict and prevents the next one,&quot; Zarif said in the piece published late Thursday. &quot;It should offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions a deal Washington wouldn&#39;t take before but might accept now,&quot; he added. &#39;Nonaggression pact&#39;&nbsp; Iran should also be prepared to accept a mutual &quot;nonaggression pact&quot; with the United States, as well as economic relations, he said. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic ties since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Zarif, one of the architects of the now moribund 2015 deal over the Iranian nuclear program, is seen as a relative moderate within the Islamic republic elite, but has no official post in the current government. However this is one of the first times during this conflict that a high profile figure in Iran has called for a deal and an end to the war, with top military and political officials urging daily for fighting to continue until the US is defeated. &#39;Back to the stone ages&#39;US President Donald Trump has evoked ongoing talks with Tehran without giving details but also threatened to send the country &quot;back to the stone ages&quot; if it fails to agree terms. &quot;As an Iranian, outraged by Donald Trump&#39;s reckless aggression and crude insults, yet proud of our armed forces and resilient people, I am torn about publishing this peace-plan in Foreign Affairs,&quot; Zarif wrote in English on X Friday. &quot;Yet I&#39;m convinced that war must end on terms consistent with Iran&#39;s national interests,&quot; he added. Zarif in the Foreign Affairs piece warned that &quot;although continuing to fight the United States and Israel might be psychologically satisfying, it will lead only to the further destruction of civilian lives and infrastructure&quot;.

Mohammad Javad Zarif (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Mohammad Javad Zarif urges Iran to end the conflict with the US by negotiating a deal to limit its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iran's former top diplomat urges deal with US to end war

Drone strike hits US site in Baghdad, missiles launched from Yemen and Iran, while European and UK-led talks urge de-escalation and reopening of Hormuz, as conflict spreads across multiple fronts and threatens global stability.

Day 34: All you need to know about the US-Israel war on Iran 

UNITED NATIONS: The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called Thursday for the UN Security Council to authorize the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks. Iran has placed a stranglehold on the key shipping lane -- threatening fuel supplies and buckling the global economy -- in retaliation to US-Israeli strikes that triggered the month-old Middle East war. &quot;Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, prevented commercial vessels and oil tankers from transiting, and imposed conditions on some to pass through the Strait,&quot; said Jassem al-Budaiwi, head of the GCC. He spoke in New York at the first Security Council meeting on cooperation with the GCC, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. &quot;We call upon the Security Council to assume its full responsibility and take all necessary measures to protect maritime routes and ensure the safe continuation of international navigation,&quot; al-Budaiwi said. Bahrain has proposed a draft resolution that would greenlight states to use &quot;all necessary measures&quot; to assure free transit through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the measure has divided the 15-member Security Council. According to diplomatic sources, Russia, China and France -- who each hold veto privileges -- have voiced strong objections despite several modifications to the text. &quot;We want a Security Council decision that addresses the situation comprehensively with the root causes, and not one-sided and unbalanced,&quot; Anna Evstigneeva, deputy representative of Iran-allied Russia, said Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that a military operation to free the Strait is &quot;unrealistic.&quot; A fifth version of the draft text was distributed to member states on Thursday. Around a fifth of the world&#39;s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz in peacetime. Its near-total closure is impacting global supplies of important commodities, including oil, liquid natural gas, and fertilizer. That has led to a sharp rise in energy prices.

The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called for the UN Security Council to authorize the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks

Gulf states seek UN mandate for force to protect Hormuz

JINJA: Giggles and songs ripple across a field in rural eastern Uganda where elderly women swing cricket bats as a way to reshape what ageing, health and sports can look like in later life. The so-called &quot;cricket grannies&quot; are bound together by a growing love of a game they initially knew nothing about but is now helping them manage age-related health conditions, stress and loneliness. Clad in floor-length dresses and mostly barefoot, the women, aged 50 to 90, gather weekly at a playground in Jinja district, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital, Kampala. Each swing draws cheers from teammates as the women turn Saturday morning practice into a lively spectacle. &quot;With the exercises I&#39;ve been doing, my legs used to hurt, but they no longer do,&quot; Jennifer Waibi Nanyonga, 72, told AFP. &quot;I spent the whole of last year without seeing a doctor for my back, yet it had previously been paining me,&quot; added the grandmother of 29. The initiative began in 2025 with just 10 grandmothers in the remote village of Kivubuka and has since grown more than tenfold. The programme was initially aimed at children, but when cricket coach Aaron Kusasira realised their caregivers had little knowledge of the game and often kept them from joining, he decided to involve the elderly women, too. &quot;We come here, we jog, we move around, we do some stretches,&quot; Kusasira, 26, said. They &quot;unknowingly have to run because they have to compete,&quot; he added. Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for deaths from noncommunicable diseases and, according to the World Health Organization, it is more common among women globally. International health data estimates that sedentary lifestyles are costing public health systems roughly US$27 billion per year and will continue to rise if activity levels are not improved. Fresh start&nbsp; Beyond physical activity, cricket has also fostered a sense of community among the Ugandan grannies. &quot;When at home, you have no company and spend your time buried in your thoughts,&quot; said an elderly woman who only gave her first name, Patriciah. For others, the weekly meetings have proved cathartic. &quot;When I arrive here and see my friends, we get together and talk about our problems, we counsel each other,&quot; said Jennifer Waibi Nanyonga. &quot;By the time we return home, everyone is lighter and with a fresh start,&quot; she added. For coach Kusasira, training the women has been a win-win, giving him the opportunity to coach children in the area without opposition. &quot;From the kids to the elders, provided I see the smiles it&#39;s enough. I know that is a day well spent,&quot; he said.

In eastern Uganda’s Jinja district, groups of older women have embraced cricket as a way to stay physically active and socially connected later in life. Often referred to locally as “cricket grannies”, they take part in informal games and training that co

Africa

The so-called "cricket grannies" are bound together by a growing love of a game they initially knew nothing about but is now helping them manage age-related health conditions, stress and loneliness.

From bats to bonds: Uganda's 'cricket grannies'

YAOUNDE: The global trading system is experiencing the &quot;worst disruptions in the past 80 years&quot;, World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned as the WTO ministerial conference opened Thursday. &quot;The world order and the multilateral system we use to know has irrevocably changed,&quot; she said, adding: &quot;We cannot deny the scale of the problems confronting the world today.&quot; The World Trade Organization&#39;s 166 members appear deeply divided as trade ministers gather in the Cameroonian capital for the WTO&#39;s top conference, amid global economic turmoil linked to the Middle East war. Over four days in Yaounde, WTO members will try to revitalize an institution weakened by geopolitical tensions, stalled negotiations and rising protectionism against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, which poses a serious threat to international trade. &quot;The scale of the problems confronting the world today, even before the conflict in the Gulf, destabilized trade in energy, fertiliser and food,&quot; Okonjo-Iweala said. &quot;National governments and international institutions alike have been struggling to navigate rising geopolitical tensions, intensifying climate pressures and rapid technological change. &quot;Accompanying these shifts has been an increasingly loud questioning of multilateralism.&quot; Okonjo-Iweala said these disruptions were just one symptom of broader upheavals shaking the international order created after World War II to prevent a repeat of the disasters of the first half of the 20th century. &quot;It feels appropriate that at the moment when the world is in turmoil with conflict in the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, and elsewhere, at this time of great disruption and uncertainty, we have gathered in Africa to discuss the road ahead for the global trading system,&quot; she said. &quot;Africa is the continent of the future.&quot; she said. WTO ministerial conferences are typically held every two years. This is the second to be held in Africa, after Nairobi in 2015.

Container ships at the Port of Oakland on 8 March 2023 in Oakland, California. (AFP/FILE)

World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned global trade faces its worst disruptions in 80 years as ministers meet amid deep divisions and geopolitical turmoil.

Global trading system hit by 'worst disruptions in the past 80 years': WTO chief

GENEVA: The death toll from a strike on a hospital in East Darfur has risen from 64 to 70, the WHO said Tuesday, calling the hit an attack on survival in Sudan&#39;s devastating war.&nbsp;The World Health Organization said the number of people injured in Friday&#39;s strike on the El-Daein Teaching Hospital in the state capital of East Darfur had also increased from 89 to 146, with the facility now out of action.&nbsp;Hala Khudari, the deputy WHO representative in Sudan and the UN agency&#39;s health emergency lead in the country, called it an &quot;atrocious attack&quot;.&nbsp;She said the death toll included seven women and 13 children, one doctor and two nurses, while those injured included patients, their family members and eight health workers.&nbsp;&quot;The hospital sustained severe damage, particularly to the outpatient and emergency departments,&quot; she told a press briefing in Geneva, speaking from Port Sudan.&nbsp;&quot;This hospital had already been damaged in a previous attack in August 2024. Since this latest attack, the hospital is no longer functional.&quot;&nbsp;The facility served as a referral hospital for more than two million people across El-Daein city and nine localities in East Darfur state. Patients may now need to travel 160 kilometers (around 100 miles) to reach the next referral hospital, said Khudari.&nbsp;&quot;An attack on a hospital is not only an attack on a building. It is an attack on people seeking care, on health workers risking their lives to save others, and on the very possibility of survival in times of crisis,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;Access to care is shrinking. And efforts to repair or restore damaged facilities and equipment are being undermined.&quot;&nbsp;Khudari said the WHO&#39;s Sudan health response for 2026 was currently only 5.7 percent funded.&nbsp;Since erupting in April 2023, the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands and forced 11 million people to flee their homes.&nbsp;Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers reported that the hospital was hit by an army drone strike.&nbsp;The RSF dominates the vast Darfur region in western Sudan, while Sudan&#39;s army is in control of the east, center and north.&nbsp;RSF-controlled El-Daein has been regularly attacked by the Sudanese army, which is trying to push the paramilitaries back towards its Darfur strongholds and away from Sudan&#39;s central corridor.

A strike on El-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur killed 70 and injured 146, the WHO said, calling it an atrocious attack that shut a key hospital serving over two million people amid Sudan’s war.

Sudan hospital attack toll rises to 70: WHO

GENEVA: A strike on a hospital in Sudan killed 64 people and wounded 89 others, the World Health Organization said Saturday, with 13 children counted among the dead. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the attack on Friday hit El-Daein Teaching Hospital in the state capital of East Darfur, adding that &quot;enough blood has been spilled&quot; and it was time to stop the nearly three-year conflict ravaging Sudan. The hospital &quot;was struck, killing at least 64 people, including 13 children, two female nurses, one male doctor, and multiple patients,&quot; he announced on X. Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers reported that the hospital was hit by an army drone strike. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces dominate the vast Darfur region in western Sudan, while Sudan&#39;s army is in control of the east, center and north. Tedros said eight health staff were among the wounded in Friday&#39;s attack, which damaged the hospital&#39;s paediatric, maternity, and emergency departments. The hospital is now non-functional &quot;due to the extensive damage,&quot; he said, which resulted in a &quot;critical interruption of essential medical services.&quot; Tedros said the WHO was supporting local health partners to help fill urgent gaps by scaling up capacity at other health facilities, including by increasing capacity to treat the injured, and deploying trauma care supplies and essential medicines. &#39;Devastating human toll&#39;&nbsp;RSF-controlled El-Daein has been regularly attacked by the Sudanese army, which is trying to push the paramilitaries back towards its Darfur strongholds and away from Sudan&#39;s central corridor. Its most recent strike on the city&#39;s market earlier this month set fire to oil barrels that burned for hours. The WHO&#39;s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) counts and verifies such attacks, but it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigative agency. The United Nations&#39; humanitarian office in Sudan said it was &quot;appalled by the attack.&quot; To the repeated condemnation of the UN, hospitals have been a regular target throughout the war, which erupted in April 2023. As a result of Friday&#39;s tragedy, the total number of people killed in attacks on health care in the conflict has now passed 2,000. The WHO&#39;s SSA site showed 2,036 people have now been killed in 213 such attacks. &quot;Beyond the devastating human toll, attacks on health care have immediate and long-term consequences for communities already in desperate need of both emergency and routine medical services,&quot; said Tedros. &quot;Health care should never be a target. Peace is the best medicine,&quot; he said. The SSA figures show attacks on health care in Sudan are growing deadlier by the year. In 2023, 64 attacks caused 38 deaths, and the following year, 72 attacks led to 200 deaths. In 2025, 65 attacks caused 1,620 deaths, 82% of reported deaths from attacks on health care worldwide. &#39;Enough suffering&#39;The WHO&#39;s SSA said Friday&#39;s strike involved &quot;violence with heavy weapons&quot; and affected not just the hospital, staff and patients but also supplies and storage. Near-daily drone strikes are now a hallmark of Sudan&#39;s brutal war, killing dozens at a time, mostly in the southern Kordofan region. UN rights chief Volker Turk this month said he was &quot;appalled&quot; after more than 200 civilians were reported killed by drone attacks within an eight-day period. &quot;Parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to use increasingly powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons with wide-area impacts in populated areas,&quot; he said. Across the country, the war has killed tens of thousands and driven more than 11 million people from their homes. It has fuelled what the UN describes as the world&#39;s largest displacement and hunger crises, with more than 33 million people in need of humanitarian aid. &quot;Enough blood has been spilled. Enough suffering has been inflicted,&quot; said Tedros. &quot;The time has come to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan and ensure the protection of civilians, health workers, and humanitarians.&quot;

WHO chief says the attack hit El-Daein Teaching Hospital in the state capital of East Darfur, adds that "enough blood has been spilled" and it was time to stop the nearly three-year conflict ravaging Sudan.



64 killed in attack on Sudan hospital: WHO

Europe

ISLAMABAD: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that his country will not become involved in the ongoing Middle East conflict, emphasizing that it is not in the nation&#39;s best interest. Addressing a press conference at Downing Street on Wednesday, Starmer made it clear that while the UK is actively pursuing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate, it will avoid direct involvement in the war. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war, and we&rsquo;re not going to get dragged into it,&rdquo; he said, while addressing a press conference in Downing Street on Wednesday. Responding to a question on remarks by Donald Trump about potentially&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-us-may-end-iran-operations-within-two-to-three-weeks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">pulling out of NATO</a>, Starmer reaffirmed Britain&rsquo;s strong commitment to the alliance, calling it &ldquo;the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen&rdquo; that has ensured security for decades. He warned that the conflict is already impacting global stability and could affect Britain&rsquo;s future, particularly through rising energy prices linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer announced that the UK will host a meeting with international partners to push for reopening the vital shipping route, which has been disrupted amid escalating tensions. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to lead talks with multiple countries to ensure maritime security in the Gulf. &ldquo;And today I can announce that later this week, the foreign secretary will host a meeting that brings those nations together for the first time, where we will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers, and resume the movement of vital commodities.&rdquo;&nbsp; The UK PM added that easing tensions in the Middle East is key to controlling the cost of living, as energy supplies remain under pressure. Separately, Starmer signaled a shift in foreign policy, saying it is &ldquo;increasingly clear&rdquo; that the UK&rsquo;s long-term interests require closer ties with European allies and the European Union. He announced plans for a new summit with EU partners in the coming weeks, aimed at strengthening economic and security cooperation in what he described as a &ldquo;dangerous world.&rdquo; Acknowledging economic challenges ahead, Starmer said the path forward would not be easy but reaffirmed that the government has measures in place to support households, including energy bill caps and fuel duty relief. He reiterated that Britain remains focused on diplomacy, stability, and long-term economic resilience.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivering his first address as prime minister of the United Kingdom, 10 Downing Street, London, July 5, 2024. (Photo: AFP/File)

Starmer says that while the UK is actively pursuing diplomatic efforts for de-escalation, it will avoid direct involvement in the war.

‘Not our war’: British PM says will not be drawn into Mideast conflict

ISLAMABAD: Tensions have emerged between India and France after Paris reportedly refused to give New Delhi access to key source codes for the Dassault Rafale fighter jet. The move is seen as a major setback to India&rsquo;s goals for greater airpower independence. According to Defence Security Asia, the restriction applies to key systems, including the Thales RBE2 AESA radar that spots enemies, the Modular Data Processing Unit, which processes all the information and helps make decisions, and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite components that form the technological backbone of the Rafale&rsquo;s combat capabilities.&nbsp; French authorities have classified these software systems as highly sensitive intellectual property, developed over decades and central to national defense interests. The move limits India&rsquo;s ability to independently upgrade or customize the aircraft, particularly when integrating indigenous weapons such as the Astra beyond-visual-range missile or other domestically developed systems.&nbsp; Without access to the underlying source codes, any modifications would require ongoing coordination and approval from French manufacturers, including Dassault Aviation and associated defense firms. The issue comes at a critical time, as India evaluates a potential acquisition of up to 114 additional Rafale jets under its Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft program.&nbsp; Valued at approximately $36 billion, the deal would rank among the largest fighter jet procurements globally. However, the lack of full technological transfer could complicate negotiations and influence India&rsquo;s final decision. Strategically, the development highlights India&rsquo;s ongoing challenge in balancing foreign procurement with its long-term goal of defense self-reliance. The Indian Air Force currently operates well below its sanctioned strength, intensifying the urgency to modernize its fleet while maintaining operational independence. The situation also revives memories of the earlier Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal, which collapsed due to disagreements over cost, liability, and technology transfer. Now, alternative offers, such as Russia&rsquo;s proposal for its fifth-generation fighter jet, the Sukhoi Su-57, with broader access to source code, may gain renewed attention in New Delhi&rsquo;s strategic calculations. As India weighs its options, the Rafale source code dispute underscores a broader reality in global defense partnerships: while hardware may be shared, control over software remains a decisive and often contested domain.

Dafault Rafale - (File Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The refusal limits India’s ability to independently upgrade and control its airpower systems.

France denies Rafale source code access to India

MOSCOW:&nbsp;A Russian Antonov-26 military plane crashed while flying over the Crimean peninsula, killing 29 people, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday, quoting Russia&#39;s defence ministry.&nbsp;&quot;On 31 March at around 18:00 Moscow time, contact was lost with the An-26 military transport aircraft whilst it was on a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula,&quot; the defence ministry said.&nbsp;&quot;The search and rescue team has located the crash site of the An-26 aircraft. According to reports from the scene, the six crew members and 23 passengers on board were killed,&quot; the ministry said.&nbsp;No signs of external impact were found on the aircraft&rsquo;s wreckage, according to the same source, which indicated at this stage that technical failure likely caused the crash.

A Russian An-26 military plane crashed over Crimea, killing all 29 people onboard, including six crew and 23 passengers, after losing contact during a scheduled flight, authorities reported.

Russian military plane crashes in Crimea, 29 dead: TASS

PARIS: Sarvanaz remembers celebrating Iranian new year as a girl under the bombs of the Iran-Iraq war. As Tehran is again shaken by explosions, she said marking the Nowruz festival has again taken on new meaning. &quot;For me, it&#39;s an obligation of being Iranian, it&#39;s our root, it&#39;s not just celebrating springtime and rebirth of the earth,&quot; the 45-year-old told AFP from Paris, where she lives now. &quot;For me it&#39;s resistance.&quot; The ancient holiday is celebrated in Iran and neighbouring countries on the equinox in March, typically marked by weeks of anticipation as families prepare Haft-Seen tables -- a symbolic arrangement of foods and objects, including apples, sprouted greens, painted eggs and poetry. This year Sarvanaz, who asked to only use her first name for security, decorated her egg with a blue sky and a sun. &quot;For me it&#39;s peace, it&#39;s a sky with no bombs and always shining.&quot; Iranians inside the country and around the world are marking the Nowruz holiday on Friday under the shadow of the US-Israeli war with Iran that has sent shockwaves around the world. But while the conflict has made marking the normally joyful festival of spring and the new year painful for some, many told AFP it felt even more important to celebrate under the circumstances. Sarvanaz&#39;s parents in Iran will also celebrate, she said, though she may not be able to be in touch with them as usual due to the near-total communications blackout since the war started. In Tehran in the days before the holiday, there was a sense of normalcy with shops open and streets again full of traffic, but there was little of the usual celebratory atmosphere, AFP reporters there said. While many may forgo the usual travel or gatherings this year, others in Iran said they would still celebrate. Hoda, who lives in Saveh, south of Tehran, said she would &quot;definitely gather with family&quot; and even travel to the capital, which has seen some of the worst of the war&#39;s strikes. &quot;We assume and hope that there will be no attacks on the first day of the new year,&quot; she told an AFP reporter based outside Iran. But others left the country seeking reprieve. A Kurdish resident of Mahabad in Iran&#39;s West Azerbaijan province, said her family travelled to Iraqi Kurdistan to celebrate, making part of the roughly 170-kilometre (100-mile) journey to Erbil on foot through the mountains because the borders have been closed. &quot;We were determined to come here because, in Iran, I felt that the Nowruz atmosphere just wasn&#39;t what it should be,&quot; she said. &quot;The Kurds of Iraq are much more accustomed than we, the Kurds of Iran, to war and to the idea of celebrating even during times of conflict.&quot;&nbsp;&#39;Hard to be far away&#39;&nbsp;For Kiarash in Germany, the holiday has been darkened by the war and the death of thousands in anti-government protests in Iran during which he saw people killed. &quot;Last year was with hope, this year is with hope and fear,&quot; he said. &quot;I invited many friends of mine to come here, because during these traumas, we have to sit together and talk, and prepare ourselves for something better.&quot; In a corner of north London known as &quot;Little Tehran&quot;, Shahabi, a baker, said the war shouldn&#39;t steal the Nowruz spirit. &quot;We&#39;ve got to celebrate. I mean, this is the culture. We&#39;ve been doing it for thousands of years. So we have to look for a brighter future,&quot; Shahabi told AFP. Butch Ali Nasiri, 48, said most Iranians around the world &quot;don&#39;t feel like celebrating&quot;. &quot;But just to keep this tradition alive, we&#39;re celebrating. We&#39;re all celebrating, but we&#39;re all thinking of the people lost,&quot; he said. Sasha Khoshabeh, a 44-year-old physical therapist living in Los Angeles where there is a large Iranian community, said he would usually call his friends and family in Iran on Nowruz to wish them good health. But this year, &quot;we don&#39;t even know if they&#39;re safe... what I wish for them is just to stay alive, to stay away from crowded places and to watch out for each other. And hopefully we can all celebrate a free Iran soon,&quot; he said. Like Khoshabeh, Mahnaz Panjehpour in Paris, is feeling the distance from Iran starkly this year. She said at home people say that what you&#39;re doing at the exact moment the calendar turns -- a time that shifts each year -- sets the tone for the year. &quot;That&#39;s why we try to celebrate with family, with dignity, to be calm, with Hafez&quot; the renowned 14th-century poet, she said. &quot;This year, everything is messed up.&quot; Ahead of Nowruz, she returned to a line of poetry for hope for the year to come: &quot;These bitter days will pass -- more bitter than poison; Once again a day will come when life is sweet as sugar.&quot;

Central Asia

Iranians mark Nowruz at home and abroad under the shadow of war, with celebrations muted by fear and displacement but still seen as an act of cultural resilience and hope for peace.

'Hope and fear': Iranians celebrate new year under shadow of war

ISLAMABAD: Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi on Tuesday rejected reports of contacting senior US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Iran&rsquo;s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.&nbsp;The denial follows reports by Axios and other outlets reporting that Aragchi had attempted to directly communicate with Steve Witkoff, with messages reportedly focused on ending the ongoing conflict.&nbsp;&ldquo;My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer&rsquo;s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran,&rdquo; the minister said in a post on X.&nbsp;&ldquo;Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;The reports suggested a possible backchannel between Washington and Tehran, since US, &nbsp;Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran almost 3 weeks ago.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump, on multiple occasions, suggested that Iran wanted a deal for a ceasefire.&nbsp;&ldquo;They want to make a deal. They are talking to our people&hellip; we have people wanting to negotiate, [but] we have no idea who they are,&rdquo; Trump told reporters earlier.&nbsp;Iranian officials have maintained publicly that no ceasefire negotiations are underway

Iran denies reports of renewed contact with a US envoy, rejecting claims of backchannel talks with Donald Trump’s administration and insisting no ceasefire negotiations are underway amid escalating conflict.

Iran denies contact with US envoy

WASHINGTON: The US defense secretary on Monday declined to rule out putting troops on the ground in Iran and indicated the war launched over the weekend could go on for as long as six weeks.&nbsp;US forces began carrying out sweeping strikes on Iran Saturday in concert with military action by Israel, and have struck hundreds of targets across the country since then, including the Islamic republic&#39;s missiles, navy and command-and-control sites.&nbsp;When asked if the United States already had boots on the ground, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told a news conference: &quot;No, but we&#39;re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll go as far as we need to go,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I think it&#39;s one of those fallacies for a long time that this department or presidents or others should tell the American people and our enemies by the way, &#39;Here&#39;s exactly what we&#39;ll do, here&#39;s exactly how long we&#39;ll go,&#39;&quot; he said.&nbsp;As for how long the war will last, Hegseth said: &quot;Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks, it could move up. It could move back.&quot;&nbsp;He sought to differentiate the Iran operation from past long-running US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the war is not an effort to build democracy in Iran.&nbsp;&quot;No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise. No politically correct wars. We fight to win and we don&#39;t waste time or lives,&quot; the Pentagon chief said.&nbsp;&quot;This is not Iraq. This is not endless,&quot; Hegseth said. &quot;Our generation knows better and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation building wars &#39;dumb&#39; and he&#39;s right.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;With every passing day, our capabilities get stronger and Iran&#39;s get weaker. We set the terms of this war from start to finish. Our ambitions are not utopian, they are realistic scoped to our interests and the defense of our people and our allies,&quot; he added.&nbsp;General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, spoke alongside Hegseth, saying that air superiority had been achieved over Iran.&nbsp;Strikes by American forces &quot;resulted in the establishment of local air superiority. This air superiority will not only enhance the protection of our forces, but also allow them to continue the work over Iran,&quot; Caine said.&nbsp;

The US defense secretary declined to rule out putting troops on the ground in Iran and indicated the war launched over the weekend could go on for as long as six weeks.

Pentagon chief refuses to rule out 'boots on ground' in Iran

PARIS: Iran said Monday that a US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic republic to respond &quot;ferociously&quot;, after President Donald Trump said he was considering&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-considering-limited-military-strike-on-iran" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">limited strikes against</a>&nbsp;the country.&nbsp;The United States has built up forces in the Middle East to pile pressure on Iran to make a deal at negotiations due to restart on Thursday, with Trump weighing a limited strike if no agreement is reached.&nbsp;On Monday Iran&#39;s foreign ministry reiterated that any strike, even limited, would be &quot;would be regarded as an act of aggression. Period&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defence ferociously so that&#39;s what we would do,&quot; ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran attended by an AFP journalist.&nbsp;The two countries concluded a second round of indirect talks in Switzerland on Tuesday under Omani mediation.&nbsp;Further talks, confirmed by Iran and Oman but not by the United States, are scheduled for Thursday.&nbsp;The European Union, which has been sidelined in mediation on Iran, called for a diplomatic solution ahead of the talks.&nbsp;&quot;We don&#39;t need another war in this region. We already have a lot,&quot; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.&nbsp;&quot;It is true that Iran is at its weakest point that they have been. We should be really using this time to find a diplomatic solution.&quot;&nbsp;Iran&#39;s clerical authorities have faced recent steep challenges, including a wave of mass protests that peaked in January, last year&#39;s 12-day war with Israel, and the weakening of Iran&#39;s regional proxies.&nbsp;Fears of conflictIran has, however, insisted only discussions on the country&#39;s nuclear programme are on the table at mediated talks. The West believes the programme is aimed at making a bomb, which Tehran denies.&nbsp;Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading the negotiations for Iran, while the United States is represented by envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner.&nbsp;Trump is wondering why Iran has not &quot;capitulated&quot; in the face of Washington&#39;s military deployment, Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News broadcast over the weekend.&nbsp;Baqaei responded Monday by saying that Iranians had never capitulated at any point in their history.&nbsp;Trump had initially threatened military action over the violent crackdown on the protests that rights groups say saw thousands of people killed by security forces, but his attention soon shifted to Iran&#39;s nuclear programme.&nbsp;Scattered anti-government protests have continued in the country, despite the threat of suppression and arrests.&nbsp;Students rallied to commemorate those killed in competing pro- and anti-government demonstrations as the university semester restarted over the weekend.&nbsp;Iranians&#39; fears of a new conflict have grown and the concerns have also prompted several foreign countries to urge their citizens to leave Iran.&nbsp;India on Monday joined Sweden, Serbia, Poland and Australia in calling for its citizens -- estimated at 10,000 in the country by the foreign ministry -- to leave Iran.

Iran says that US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic republic to respond "ferociously", after President Donald Trump said he was considering limited strikes against the country

Iran says would respond 'ferociously' to any US attack, even limited strikes

LONDON: A 36-year-old man accused of driving a car into several people on a street in a central English city was due to appear in court on Wednesday. Sandhu Ponnachan was charged with six counts over the incident in Derby on Saturday night, police announced late Tuesday. Seven people were injured when a car struck pedestrians around 9:30 p.m. in the city&#39;s Friar Gate area, a popular nightlife spot. India-origin Ponnachan has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, dangerous driving and possession of &quot;a bladed article,&quot; Derbyshire Constabulary said in a statement. Police have not suggested a possible motive. The injured were taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Four have since been discharged, according to police. Ponnachan was due to appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court later on Wednesday. When the suspect was arrested, police said he was originally from India, but is a Derby resident who has lived in the UK &quot;for a number of years.&quot; UK police forces 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 supposed immigrant.

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 pede

United Kingdom

India-origin Sandhu Ponnachan was charged with six counts over the incident in Derby, police announced.

Suspect charged after car hit pedestrians in English city

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

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

LONDON: A team has started searching through records related to the former Prince Andrew&#39;s previous role as a trade envoy ahead of publication, amid fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, a UK minister said on Tuesday. Britain&#39;s government committed late last month to releasing the documents following a deepening scandal sparked by the US authorities&#39; publication of millions of files related to the late Epstein. The Department of Business and Trade was leading work to identify and prepare the material for release, Minister Chris Bryant said in a written statement. &quot;We have begun searching historic departmental records and have commissioned parallel searches in other departments, in particular the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Cabinet Office,&quot; the trade minister said. The scandal has reverberated around the British monarchy and political circles. The former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and former minister and ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, are both now the subject of high-profile police investigations. Both were arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office over their connections to Epstein Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last year, has been released by police under investigation. He is being probed by police over allegations that he shared sensitive documents with Epstein during his time as envoy. Vetting documents on Mountbatten-Windsor&#39;s appointment as trade envoy, a post he held from 2001 to 2011, are among the documents the government has pledged to release. The former duke, long embroiled in scandals over his friendship with Epstein, has denied any wrongdoing. Mountbatten-Windsor settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre while not admitting liability.

A protester holds a sign related to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, November 12, 2025 (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

UK team preparing ex-Prince Andrew documents for publication: minister

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;On the International Day to Combat Islamophobia &mdash; observed annually on March 15 to raise awareness about prejudice, exclusion, and attacks against Muslims worldwide &mdash; new data from India and other countries indicates a growing trend of anti-Muslim hostility, discrimination, and hatred.&nbsp;India stands out for the scale of documented hate speech incidents in the past year alone, with fresh data pointing to a widening pattern of anti-Muslim hostility, discrimination, and hate.&nbsp;&nbsp;A 2025 report by India Hate Lab documented 1,318 hate speech events targeting religious minorities -- a majority of them Muslims -- across 21 states, one union territory, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, averaging roughly four incidents a day.&nbsp; The report said this marked a 13% increase from 1,165 incidents in 2024 and a 97% increase from 668 incidents in 2023. The UN High Commisioner Human Rights, Volker T&uuml;rk, released a video statement, saying &ldquo;We need to call out Muslim hatred wherever we find it.&rdquo;<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; 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=2033084198085435435&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=2ccfa1571c6c120c81b9b8d41e10598d3b8c2617&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>In the European Union, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights found in 2024 that 47% of Muslims in 13 member states had experienced racial discrimination in the previous five years, up from 39% in 2016.&nbsp; It also found that 35% reported discrimination in the previous 12 months, compared with 25% in 2016. The highest five-year rates were recorded in Austria, Germany, and Finland.&nbsp; According to the Agency, in Germany, a 2025 summary based on official police data said 1,848 Islamophobic offenses were recorded in 2024, along with 79 attacks on mosques.&nbsp; In 2024, Statistics Canada reported a 94% increase in police-reported hate crimes against Muslims in the previous year, a number which experts agree does not capture the full extent of hate due to underreporting. In England and Wales, official Home Office figures recorded 4,478 anti-Muslim religious hate crimes in the year ending March 2025, accounting for 45% of all religious hate crimes where the targeted religion was known.&nbsp; Taken together, the figures suggest that Islamophobia is not confined to one country or one region, and sustained efforts are needed to promote mutual respect among communities for peaceful coexistence. The United Nations General Assembly officially designated March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15, 2022, after Pakistan introduced a resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to raise awareness and fight anti-Muslim hatred worldwide.

Data from across the world, including from India, shows rising anti-Muslim hate, underscoring growing global concern.

International Day to Combat Islamophobia: Data shows anti-Muslim hate rising in India, other countries

TAIPEI: The leader of Taiwan&#39;s main opposition party accepted an invitation from Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit in April, her party and Chinese state media reported Monday. Kuomintang (KMT) chairperson Cheng Li-wun &quot;gladly accepted&quot; the invitation to lead a delegation to China, her party said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua report. The KMT advocates closer relations and more exchanges with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it. Cheng &quot;looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,&quot; the statement said. Xinhua said the delegation would visit &quot;the Chinese mainland&quot; from April 7-12, but did not specify where in China or if Cheng would meet with Xi, which she has been publicly pushing for. The KMT statement also offered few details.

China

The KMT advocates closer relations and more exchanges with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

Taiwan opposition leader accepts Xi's invitation to visit China

BEIJING: China announced two separate investigations on Friday into US trade practices in response to Washington&#39;s probes this month of Beijing, including over alleged forced labour. The probes into alleged disruptions to the global supply chain and trade of &quot;green products&quot; were &quot;in response to the two US Section 301 investigations against China&quot;, a commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement. The United States launched trade investigations this month into dozens of countries, including China, centred on overproduction and importing goods made with forced labour. The efforts came weeks after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump&#39;s global tariffs, saying he had exceeded his authority in tapping emergency economic powers to impose them on virtually all countries. China had called those &quot;Section 301&quot; investigations which target foreign trade &quot;political manipulation&quot;. Beijing&#39;s commerce ministry said on Friday it would &quot;take corresponding measures in accordance with the investigation situation (and) firmly safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests&quot;. Both investigations would &quot;conclude within six months&quot; but may be extended up to three months, it added. The White House has said Trump will visit Beijing from May 14-15, with the timing postponed by several weeks as a result of the war in the Middle East.

China launched two trade investigations against the U.S. in retaliation for Washington’s probes into Chinese goods and practices.

China announces two reciprocal trade investigations against US

PARIS: China and the US held what both sides described Monday as constructive talks aimed at addressing volatile trade ties that have been upended by President Donald Trump&#39;s tariffs and the Middle East war. The talks in the French capital &quot;were constructive and they show the stability of the relationship&quot;, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told journalists. Chinese state media described the Sunday talks between Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng as &quot;candid, in-depth and constructive&quot;. He said the exchange would inject &quot;greater certainty and stability&quot; into bilateral trade ties and the global economy, according to Xinhua. The Paris meeting was widely seen as setting the stage for Trump to visit China for a summit with its President Xi Jinping. The trip was initially planned from March 31 to April 2, but US officials confirmed Monday that it was likely to be delayed due to Washington&#39;s war on Iran. Beijing said Monday it was in talks with Washington over the visit by Trump, who has pressured NATO allies including China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, Trump had suggested he could delay a meeting with Xi if Beijing does not assist in reopening the strait. The waterway, critical to oil transportation, has been effectively closed by Iran in retaliation over the US and Israeli war against Tehran. Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry said on Monday that Beijing and Washington &quot;are maintaining communication regarding President Trump&#39;s visit to China&quot;. &quot;Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations,&quot; spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference. Lin did not address Trump&#39;s recent pressure on NATO allies and China to assist in Hormuz. The &quot;tense situation&quot; in the strait has &quot;disrupted international trade routes for goods and energy&quot;, Lin said when asked about Trump&#39;s comments. Probes and tariffsThe Paris talks follow a turbulent year in US-China economic ties since Trump returned to the presidency. The United States announced new trade investigations last week into excess industrial capacity, targeting 60 economies including China and other key partners. The prospect has fuelled the possibility of further tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down Trump&#39;s global duties. The probes will look into &quot;failures to take action on forced labour&quot; and whether these burden or restrict US commerce, according to US officials. Greer said his team gave the Chinese &quot;a preview of what we&#39;re doing on US trade policy as we adjust to the Supreme Court&quot;. &quot;The president&#39;s trade policy hasn&#39;t changed, our tools may change, and we&#39;re conducting these investigations,&quot; he added. &quot;We don&#39;t want to prejudge them, and we had a good conversation with our counterparts about that process.&quot; Beijing said on Monday that it &quot;lodged representations&quot; and urged Washington to &quot;correct its erroneous&quot; trade practices. &quot;We urge the US side to immediately correct its erroneous ways, meet China halfway... and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations,&quot; Beijing&#39;s commerce ministry said in a statement. The latest round of investigations &quot;is extremely unilateral, arbitrary and discriminatory&quot;, it said, accusing Washington of &quot;attempting to construct trade barriers&quot;. Li also reiterated on Monday that China firmly opposed such &quot;unilateral&quot; probes, Xinhua reported. Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50 percent since the war began, with Hormuz choked off and Iran&#39;s attacks on energy and shipping industry targets in its Gulf neighbours. Experts say that China, which maintains large oil reserves, is better equipped than many other nations to deal with the impact of the war. But it has reason to be concerned about the consequences of the situation in the Middle East on trade. China&#39;s official trade data for January and February, before the war in Iran began, showed that the country&#39;s economy is largely buoyed by exports and international trade.

 US President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with the Trump Kennedy Center Board Members in the East Room of the White House on March 16, 2026, in Washington, DC (AFP)

Washington and Beijing say dialogue remains ongoing after high-level discussions in Paris, as tensions persist over tariffs and trade probes. Meanwhile, uncertainty grows over a potential Trump-Xi summit amid the Middle East conflict and Hormuz disruption.

US, China hold 'constructive' talks on trade, but Trump visit in doubt 

TEHRAN:&nbsp;President Donald Trump urged NATO partners and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical conduit for crude that Iran has effectively closed, as major economic players began releasing oil reserves on Monday to ward off supply disruptions. Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50 percent after Iran choked off the waterway and attacked energy and shipping industry targets in the Gulf in retaliation for the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic. Crude prices were hovering around $100 on Monday as the Middle East war entered its third week, with Israel saying it still has &quot;thousands of targets in Iran&quot;, where it was also &quot;identifying new targets every day&quot;. Trump said the United States was in discussions with Iran but that Tehran was not ready for a deal to end the war, although the Islamic republic&#39;s foreign minister had earlier denied any talks with Washington. &quot;I don&#39;t think they&#39;re ready. But they are getting pretty close,&quot; Trump said. The US president had called on countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain at the weekend to send ships to escort tankers through the strait. &quot;It&#39;s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,&quot; Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday.&nbsp;Unlike the United States, Europe and China are heavily dependent on the Gulf for oil imports. Trump threatened to delay a planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this month if Beijing does not assist with reopening the strait. He also warned that no response or a negative reply to his request would be &quot;very bad for the future of NATO&quot;. But Tokyo and Canberra both said they were not planning deployments.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Iran warning</h2>Trump&#39;s comments came after Iran warned other countries against getting involved in the war, which has spread across the Middle East. In a phone conversation with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, Tehran&#39;s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi called on other countries to &quot;refrain from any action that could lead to escalation and expansion of the conflict&quot;. Arguing that the US security umbrella in the region was &quot;inviting rather than deterring trouble&quot;, Araghchi on X urged neighbouring countries &quot;to expel foreign aggressors&quot;. Iran has launched waves of attacks on countries in the Middle East that host US forces, and Italy&#39;s military said a drone attack at Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait -- which hosts both US and Italian forces -- destroyed an unmanned aircraft belonging to Italy but caused no casualties. Italy&#39;s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, sought to play down the attack -- the second on an Italian base in the Middle East this week -- insisting: &quot;We are not at war with anyone.&quot; Iraqi authorities meanwhile said rockets wounded five people at Baghdad&#39;s airport, which houses a US diplomatic facility, while Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards said about 700 missiles and 3,600 drones had been fired at US and Israeli targets so far. Saudi Arabia intercepted more than 60 drones since midnight, according to a tally of defence ministry figures released on Monday, while Dubai airport suspended flights briefly after a &quot;drone-related incident&quot; sparked a fire nearby. And French President Emmanuel Macron told Iran&#39;s President Masoud Pezeshkian it was &quot;unacceptable&quot; to target French interests after an Iranian-designed drone killed a French soldier in Iraq&#39;s Kurdistan region. The war has also spread to Lebanon, where Israel launched a new strike on Beirut&#39;s southern suburbs late on Sunday.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Energy markets</h2>On the economic front, the International Energy Agency said members will begin releasing 400 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves, with Asia Oceania nations to make stocks available immediately, and Europe and the Americas follow in the weeks to come. Japan, which depends on the Middle East for 95 percent of its oil imports, said Monday in a notice in its official government gazette that the level of oil reserves in the country &quot;is being lowered&quot;. The issuance of the notice compels managers of oil reserves to release part of their stockpile to meet the new standard. The blockade of Hormuz has been felt across the globe, with Australia officials urging the public against price-gouging and panic buying as prices soar, while India restaurants were forced to adapt their menus to save cooking gas. On the outskirts of Sydney, landscaper Emma Futterleib, who drives up to 500 km a week, told AFP &quot;there&#39;s definitely some penny pinching going on&quot;.&quot;It hurts the budget, that&#39;s for sure,&quot; she said, adding she was &quot;trying to be a bit careful on how much we are spending on groceries.&quot; In Tehran, some residents sought to restore some normalcy at the weekend compared to the start of the war on February 28. Traffic was busier than last week and some cafes and restaurants had reopened, as had more than a third of stalls in the Tajrish bazaar, a popular shopping hub, with Nowruz, the Persian New Year, just days away. Some shoppers queued at ATMs to withdraw cash. Online operations at Bank Melli, one of the country&#39;s largest, had been paralysed in recent days. It was a similar story outside the capital. In an interview from Tonekabon, a city in Mazandaran province on the Caspian Sea, 49-year-old Ali told AFP that shops were open and crowded despite steep price rises. &quot;Only the main square is closed every night, and government demonstrations take place,&quot; he said, adding that only Iran&#39;s domestic intranet was working, without outside connections. More than 1,200 people have been killed by US and Israeli strikes, according to Iranian health ministry figures that could not be independently verified. The UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced in Iran.

Donald Trump urges allies and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iran blocks the key oil route, sending global crude prices soaring and prompting major economies to release emergency reserves.

Trump pressures NATO, China over Iran's closure of key waterway

SYDNEY: Australia will halve a fuel tax to help motorists experiencing soaring petrol prices due to war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday. Albanese announced the step after meeting with the leaders of Australia&#39;s states and territories on Monday, agreeing a plan to tackle fuel shortages as the war in the Middle East continues. Australia charges a sales tax of 52 cents on each litre of petrol sold at the pump, which will be halved for three months. The measure will cost the government $1.75 billion (Aus$2.55 billion), officials said. &quot;We are making fuel cheaper today because we understand that Australians are under serious pressure,&quot; Albanese said. Albanese&#39;s government has sought to reassure motorists that shipments of fuel continue to arrive in Australia, and petrol shortages in rural towns stem from panic buying and distribution bottlenecks. Victoria and Tasmania states have made travel on public transport free, and Albanese urged motorists nationally to do what they can to conserve petrol by driving less. &quot;The less fuel we use in the cities obviously the more we can redirect to regionals areas that are under pressure,&quot; he told reporters in Canberra. In New South Wales, state Premier Chris Minns said there were scores of petrol stations without any fuel, and the focus was on helping rural towns. &quot;If the situation gets worse, we will take extra measures,&quot; he said. Australia&#39;s national parliament on Monday introduced a bill to give powers to the government to underwrite the purchase of shiploads of fuel that will add to supply in Australia. Weekly data released by the government showed Australia has 39 days of petrol, a small increase on the previous week, and 30 days of diesel supply. The government will also reduce costs for trucks by cutting a heavy vehicle road user charge. The Fuel Check monitor showed average petrol prices had leapt from Aus$1.82 in February to Aus$2.48 on Monday in New South Wales, with diesel reaching Aus$3.&nbsp;

A car passes a sign displaying petrol prices at a petrol station in Sydney on March 30, 2026.

Australasia

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces a temporary halving of Australia’s fuel tax to ease soaring petrol prices and shortages caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.

Australia to halve fuel tax in response to US-Israel war on Iran

GOLD COAST: Five players from Iran&rsquo;s visiting women&rsquo;s football team have claimed asylum in Australia, saying they feared punishment at home after refusing to sing the national anthem during a tournament match. Among those seeking protection is the team&rsquo;s captain, Zahra Ghanbari. The players reportedly slipped away from their hotel on Australia&rsquo;s Gold Coast late at night before approaching authorities for help. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the development on Tuesday, saying the athletes had been moved to a safe location and granted special visas on humanitarian grounds. &ldquo;Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women. They&rsquo;re safe here, and they should feel at home here,&rdquo; Albanese said, adding that the media had shown restraint by delaying reports of the asylum request until the players were secure. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government held several days of confidential discussions with the players before arranging their transfer to a safe house. He said the footballers were granted special visas after leaving the team hotel, and described an emotional moment when they celebrated after receiving confirmation of their protection status. The controversy began last week when members of Iran&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s team stood silent during the national anthem before a match against South Korea, a gesture widely interpreted as a sign of protest against the authorities in Iran. Pictures showed the players huddled around a table as Burke signed paperwork granting them special visas to stay in Australia on humanitarian grounds. The players broke out into chants of &quot;Aussie, Aussie, Aussie&quot;, Burke said, adding that the rest of the team would also be welcome to stay in the country if they wished. It was unclear whether the remaining players in the Iranian squad would fly home or when they might leave Australia. US President Trump was among the first to confirm five players were safely in the care of Australian officials, following a late-night call with Prime Minister Albanese. He had hours earlier urged Australia to do the right thing, saying it would be a &quot;terrible humanitarian mistake&quot; if the players were forced back to Iran. &#39;Wartime traitors&#39; A presenter on Iranian state TV branded the players &quot;wartime traitors&quot; after they stood motionless during the anthem before a match against South Korea last week. Although they sang the anthem, an ode to the glory of the Islamic Republic in later matches, human rights activists warned the damage was done. Politicians, human rights activists and even &quot;Harry Potter&quot; author J.K. Rowling had called for Australia to offer the side protection. Supporters gathered outside the stadium on the Gold Coast during the team&rsquo;s matches over the weekend, beating drums and chanting slogans in support of the players. It remains unclear whether the rest of the Iranian squad will return home or seek to remain in Australia. Authorities said other team members would also be welcome to stay if they wished.

This photo taken on March 8, 2026 shows Iranian players running towards their positions at the start of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between Iran and the Philippines on the Gold Coast. (AFP)

Five members of Iran’s women’s football team sought asylum in Australia after refusing to sing the national anthem and facing backlash at home.

Five Iran women footballers take asylum in Australia 

SYDNEY: Accused <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bondi-beach-shooters-arrived-as-indian-nationals-philippine-immigration" style="color:#0073e6;">Bondi Beach</a> killer Naveed Akram appeared in a Sydney court via video link on Monday, in his first public hearing. Akram and his father, Sajid, allegedly attacked a Jewish <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/police-say-bondi-beach-mass-shooting-suspects-acted-alone" style="color:#0073e6;">Hanukkah</a> celebration in December in the nation&#39;s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades. Akram has been charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder. Sajid was shot and killed by police during the attack. He appeared for about five minutes via video link from prison, according to a statement from the court and local media. Akram wore a green jumper during the hearing, which dealt mostly with technical matters such as suppressing the identification of some victims, local media said. He reportedly spoke only one word &mdash; &quot;yeah&quot; &mdash; when asked by the judge whether he had heard a discussion about the extension of suppression orders. Speaking outside the court, Akram&#39;s lawyer Ben Archbold said his client was being held in &quot;very onerous conditions,&quot; ABC said. He also said it was too early to say whether Akram would plead guilty. Among the victims of December&#39;s attack were an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who confronted one of the gunmen, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda, who was described at her funeral as a &quot;ray of sunshine.&quot; According to the <a href="http://Akram%20travelled%20to%20the%20Philippines%20using%20an%20Australian%20passport,%20while%20his%20father%20Sajid%20used%20an%20Indian%20passport" style="color:#0073e6;">BBC</a>, border authorities in Manila said that Akram travelled to the Philippines using an Australian passport, while his father, Sajid, used an Indian passport

Akram has been charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder. Sajid was shot and killed by police during the attack; Akram's lawyer Ben Archbold says his client being held in "very onerous conditions."


Accused Bondi killer Naveed Akram appears in court by video link

WELLINGTON: A white supremacist who shot and killed 51 people at two New Zealand mosques in 2019 launched an appeal Monday seeking to overturn his conviction. Brenton Tarrant, an Australian former gym instructor, admitted carrying out New Zealand&#39;s deadliest modern-day mass shooting before being sentenced to life in jail in August 2020. Now, the convicted killer argues that his &quot;torturous and inhumane&quot; detention conditions during his trial made him incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty, according to a court synopsis of the case. If the Court of Appeal in Wellington upholds his conviction, it would hold a separate hearing later in the year to consider an appeal against his sentence. His life imprisonment without parole was the stiffest penalty in New Zealand history. Tarrant filed his appeal out of time, so he would need the court&#39;s leave for it to proceed. Armed with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, Tarrant attacked worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. He published an online manifesto before the attacks and then livestreamed the killings for 17 minutes. His victims were all Muslim and included children, women, and the elderly. After Tarrant&#39;s livestream, Facebook said it removed 1.5 million videos that proliferated within the first 24 hours, showing the harrowing viral footage. Then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern quickly moved to tighten gun laws in the aftermath and put pressure on social media giants to curb online extremism. In 2021, Tarrant&#39;s former lawyer, Tony Ellis, said his client had believed &quot;the simplest way out was to plead guilty,&quot; arguing the plea was made under duress. The names of Tarrant&#39;s current lawyers have been suppressed by the court.

Convicted killer argues his 'torturous and inhumane' detention conditions during his trial made him incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty.

New Zealand's Christchurch mosque killer appeals conviction

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has asked General Randy George to step down as chief of staff of the US Army, a US official said on Thursday.&nbsp;The official confirmed a report from US broadcaster CBS that said George had been asked to take immediate retirement.&nbsp;The reason for the request was not immediately known, but CBS quoted a source as saying Hegseth wanted someone who would implement his and Trump&#39;s vision for the Army. The Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs, Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell shared a statement on X on Friday which was also re-posted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. &nbsp; Official statement&nbsp;The statement read: &quot;General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.&quot; &quot;The Department of War is grateful for General George&rsquo;s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement,&quot; the statement added.<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" 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=2039812664902271107&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=8eaea74e018113b61684a8eb986d138a2c2047a7&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>George is the latest senior officer to be ousted during Donald Trump&#39;s second term, and his removal as the top Army officer comes with the United States engaged in a major war with Iran that the president has indicated could last for several more weeks.&nbsp;During a nearly four-decade military career, George deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times and also served in positions including vice chief of staff of the Army and senior military assistant to Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin during Joe Biden&#39;s term as president.&nbsp;Trump has overseen a purge of top military officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Charles &quot;CQ&quot; Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025.&nbsp;Other senior officers dismissed include the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers.&nbsp;The chief of staff of the Air Force also announced his retirement without explanation just two years into a four-year term, while the head of US Southern Command retired a year into his tenure.&nbsp;Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the traditionally neutral US military.

Americas

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asks General Randy George to step down as US Army chief of staff; George’s removal follows Trump’s second-term military shake-up amid the war with Iran, with reasons for retirement unclear.

Hegseth ousts US army chief amid Iran conflict

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;US President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday and named his former personal lawyer to serve as the acting chief of the Justice Department. The US president announced the move in a social media post. &quot;Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year,&quot; Trump said on Truth Social. &quot;Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country.&quot; Bondi &quot;will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,&quot; the president said, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who Trump described as &quot;a very talented and respected Legal Mind.&quot; According to The New York Times, Trump may name former Republican congressman Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, to be the next attorney general.In the meantime, the post will be filled by Blanche. &#39;Honor of a lifetime&#39;Bondi, in a post on X, said serving as attorney general had been &quot;the honor of a lifetime&quot; and said she will &quot;continue fighting for President Trump&quot; in her unspecified new private sector job. &quot;Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche,&quot; she said. &quot;I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.&quot; Bondi&#39;s ouster comes nearly a month after Trump fired Kristi Noem as the head of the Department of Homeland Security.&nbsp;Democratic lawmakers welcomed Bondi&#39;s firing. Bondi served as a prosecutor for 18 years before being elected Florida&#39;s attorney general in 2010, the first woman to hold the post.&nbsp;She was reelected to a second term in 2014.

Bondi 'will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,' the president said, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who Trump described as 'a very talented and respected Legal Mind.'

Trump sacks attorney general Pam Bondi, replaces with lawyer Todd Blanche

PUEBLA: Four people died on Thursday when a small plane crashed in the central Mexican state of Puebla, security officials said.&nbsp;The single-engine plane crashed around 12:00 pm (1800 GMT) shortly after takeoff, coming down in an industrial park in Santa Ana Xalmimilulco, according to the state security office.&nbsp;Local resident Vicente Hernandez told AFP that the plane attempted to recover, but it was &quot;already (flying) very low,&quot; and in the end plunged nose-first into the ground.&nbsp;The plane was destined for the city of Poza Rica, in the eastern state of Veracruz, authorities said.&nbsp;Puebla&#39;s Interior Ministry said three people were pronounced dead at the scene and a fourth died after being taken away for medical care.

Four people were killed after a single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Puebla, Mexico. The aircraft went down in an industrial park, reportedly flying low, and was en route to Poza Rica.

Four dead in central Mexico plane crash

WASHINGTON: The USS Gerald R. Ford has departed Croatia after a five-day port visit, the US Navy said Thursday without specifying where the world&#39;s largest aircraft carrier is headed next.&nbsp;The carrier &quot;remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,&quot; according to the Navy, which said the ship &quot;completed scheduled repairs and received supplies to sustain operations.&quot;&nbsp;The carrier played a major role in the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran but sailed to Crete and then Croatia after a laundry fire broke out on March 12.&nbsp;The blaze injured two sailors and caused major damage to some 100 beds, according to the US military. The Navy said Thursday that the &quot;routine investigation into the ship&#39;s laundry and berthing fire is ongoing.&quot;&nbsp;The Ford&#39;s exit from Iran operations left a gap in US forces in the region, taking the number of carriers deployed there from two to one.&nbsp;But the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships left port for what the military described as a &quot;regularly scheduled deployment&quot; on Tuesday, and it is reportedly bound for the Middle East.&nbsp;The Ford has been at sea for more than nine months -- a deployment that has already seen it take part in US operations in the Caribbean, where Washington&#39;s forces have carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, interdicted sanctioned tankers and seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The USS Gerald R. Ford left Croatia after repairs following a fire, remains mission-ready, and its destination is undisclosed. It supported operations against Iran, while another US carrier deploys to maintain regional military presence.

World

Asia

Hormuz closure hits Asia hardest as Iran war disrupts energy

Islamic states condemn Israel over death penalty law

Myanmar parliament to elect new president Friday: Speaker

7.4-magnitude quake off Indonesia kills one, tsunami warning lifted

Middle East

IRGC claims downing 'another F-35 fighter jet'

Iran's former top diplomat urges deal with US to end war

Day 34: All you need to know about the US-Israel war on Iran

Gulf states seek UN mandate for force to protect Hormuz

Africa

From bats to bonds: Uganda's 'cricket grannies'

Global trading system hit by 'worst disruptions in the past 80 years': WTO chief

Sudan hospital attack toll rises to 70: WHO

64 killed in attack on Sudan hospital: WHO

Europe

Islamic states condemn Israel over death penalty law

‘Not our war’: British PM says will not be drawn into Mideast conflict

France denies Rafale source code access to India

Russian military plane crashes in Crimea, 29 dead: TASS

Central Asia

'Hope and fear': Iranians celebrate new year under shadow of war

Iran denies contact with US envoy

Pentagon chief refuses to rule out 'boots on ground' in Iran

Iran says would respond 'ferociously' to any US attack, even limited strikes

United Kingdom

Suspect charged after car hit pedestrians in English city

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

UK team preparing ex-Prince Andrew documents for publication: minister

International Day to Combat Islamophobia: Data shows anti-Muslim hate rising in India, other countries

China

Taiwan opposition leader accepts Xi's invitation to visit China

China announces two reciprocal trade investigations against US

US, China hold 'constructive' talks on trade, but Trump visit in doubt

Trump pressures NATO, China over Iran's closure of key waterway

Australasia

Australia to halve fuel tax in response to US-Israel war on Iran

Five Iran women footballers take asylum in Australia

Accused Bondi killer Naveed Akram appears in court by video link

New Zealand's Christchurch mosque killer appeals conviction

Americas

Hegseth ousts US army chief amid Iran conflict

Trump sacks attorney general Pam Bondi, replaces with lawyer Todd Blanche

Four dead in central Mexico plane crash

USS Gerald R. Ford carrier departs Croatia