TEHRAN: Israeli strikes hit Iran&#39;s largest petrochemical complex Monday, as the Islamic Republic defied threats from US President Donald Trump to devastate civilian infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A separate Israeli strike also killed a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, while Iran launched drone and missile attacks against Israel, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Iran said &quot;much more devastating&quot; attacks would come if Trump followed through on his threat to hit civilian targets. The US leader had on Sunday threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants if Tehran does not bow to his demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping by Tuesday 8:00 pm (0000 GMT Wednesday). Iran has all but blocked Hormuz, a vital energy chokepoint, sending oil and gas prices soaring and pushing countries around the world to enact measures to contain the fallout. In a stark, expletive-laden social media post on Sunday, Trump demanded: &quot;Open the Fuckin&#39; Strait, you crazy bastards, or you&#39;ll be living in Hell.&quot; On Monday, Israel said it had struck Iran&#39;s largest petrochemical facility in Assaluyeh on Iran&#39;s Gulf coast, where local media reported multiple explosions. The site accounted for about 50 percent of the country&#39;s petrochemical production worth &quot;tens of billions of dollars&quot;, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Ahead of the latest strikes, Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards said Hormuz &quot;will never return to its former status, especially for the US and Israel&quot;. The Guards posted on Telegram Monday that their intelligence chief Majid Khademi had been killed at dawn in US-Israeli strikes. &quot;We will reach anyone who seeks to harm us,&quot; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, after Katz confirmed the country&#39;s military was behind the strike. Israel&#39;s defence ministry also said it would ramp up production of Arrow missile interceptors, part of the country&#39;s multi-layered air defences.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">A deal?</h2>While the violence continued to spiral, reports surfaced of a potential push to halt the fighting. Citing US, Israeli and regional sources, US news website Axios said a deal mediated by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey for a 45-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations on a more permanent peace was under discussion. Pakistan confirmed peace talks were underway but did not comment on the 45-day ceasefire report. Egypt&#39;s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had on Sunday confirmed he was engaging in talks with governments across the region, as well as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. &quot;Views and proposals were exchanged on ways to deescalate the military situation in the region given the delicate juncture it is currently facing,&quot; a statement from his ministry said. Trump told Fox News that Iran was &quot;close&quot; to making a deal, but Tehran has repeatedly denied it is engaged in any negotiations with the US or Israel. European Council chief Antonio Costa, one of the EU&#39;s top officials, called in an X post for a &quot;diplomatic solution&quot;. &quot;Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable,&quot; Costa said.&nbsp;

Middle East

Asia

Israel strikes Iran’s largest petrochemical complex as tensions with Iran escalate over the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides trading attacks and threats amid tentative ceasefire talks.

Israel hits Iran gas complex after Trump threat

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Indian business tycoon Anil Ambani sought guidance on navigating relations with the White House and advancing India-US defense cooperation in messages to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the early months of the first term of Donald Trump&#39;s administration, according to a report by The New York Times. &ldquo;Will need ur guidance on dealing wth white house for india relationship ad defense cooperation,&rdquo; Ambani wrote soon after being introduced to Epstein online. &lsquo;Inside baseball&rsquo;The NYT report states that Epstein responded by offering what he described as &ldquo;inside baseball,&rdquo; presenting himself as someone with insight into the administration&rsquo;s thinking. The exchanges, riddled with typos and shorthand, show the global reach of Epstein and the reputation he had built among the world&rsquo;s wealthiest people as a power broker able to operate in the shadowy world of back-channel diplomacy. While the line between braggadocio and influence was blurred, Epstein shared with Ambani nuggets of information on foreign policy and Trump appointments before they became widely known. Whether he just got lucky or not, his messages indicated he sought and received accurate information from unnamed people about the White House&rsquo;s thinking in response to Ambani&rsquo;s questions, according to the NYT report.

India

The report states, ‘The exchanges, riddled with typos and shorthand, show the global reach of Epstein and the reputation he had built among the world’s wealthiest people as a power broker.’

Anil Ambani sought Jeffrey Epstein's help on US-India defense ties: NYT

Web Desk/AFP

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 

Americas

Tehran submits its response to a US proposal through intermediaries, with Pakistan relaying messages between both sides as indirect talks continue and regional partners support efforts to reach a possible end to the conflict.

All you need to know about Day 27 of US-Israeli war on Iran

KYIV:&nbsp;Russia fired scores of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine on Sunday, crashing into energy and rail infrastructure and residential buildings, just two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia&#39;s invasion. AFP journalists in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/kremlin-confirms-ukraine-war-talks-this-week-in-abu-dhabi" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kyiv</a> heard a series of blasts starting at around 4:00 am (0200 GMT), shortly after an air raid alert was issued, with the air force later widening the alert nationwide citing the threat of missiles. Energy sector&nbsp;&quot;Moscow continues to invest in strikes more than in diplomacy,&quot; <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-envoy-witkoff-says-meaningful-progress-made-in-ukraine-war-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukrainian</a>&nbsp;President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the attack on social media, saying that <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ukraine-war-talks-to-resume-in-geneva-with-no-sign-of-progress" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russia </a>launched about 50 missiles and 300 drones overnight.<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" allowtransparency="true" 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=2025485107826483440&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=5b164ab87910bb4f5fc8d41b93805f9ff7d5a429&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 873px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2025485107826483440"></iframe></div></div>&quot;The main target of the attack was the energy sector. Ordinary residential buildings were also damaged, and there is damage to the railway.&quot; One killed, dozens wounded&nbsp;One man was killed and a dozen more people were wounded, among them four children, in and around Kyiv, Ukraine&#39;s national police said. AFP saw rescuers sifting through debris of a largely destroyed two-storey house in Sofiivska Borshchagivka in the Kyiv region. Temperatures had plunged to nearly -10C when the capital was struck, with emergency services deployed across the city. The Ukrainian capital, regularly targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, has faced waves of overnight strikes in recent weeks as Moscow has intensified its winter assaults. The Russian army said it had carried out a mass strike targeting facilities used by Ukraine&#39;s military, saying all targets were hit, in a standard comment for such attacks. Authorities in Russia&#39;s western Belgorod region said one man died after a Ukrainian drone strike. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Act of terrorism&#39;&nbsp;</h2>The bombardment, which included ballistic and cruise missiles, prompted heightened vigilance across Ukraine, all the way to the western border. Ukraine&#39;s energy ministry said consumers in six eastern and southeastern regions were without power after the strikes. Poland&#39;s Operational Command said early Sunday it was scrambling jets after detecting &quot;long‑range aviation of the Russian Federation conducting strikes on the territory of Ukraine&quot;. In a separate attack, an explosion rocked a store in central Lviv, a western city near the Polish border far from the front line that is largely spared the worst of the conflict. Explosions ripped through a central shopping street at around midnight, killing a policewoman and wounding 25 people after officers responded to a reported break‑in. Hours later, law enforcement said it had detained a Ukrainian woman suspected in carrying out the bomb attack, without providing any further details and saying that an investigation was ongoing. &quot;This is clearly an act of terrorism,&quot; mayor Andriy Sadovyi said of the night-time assault. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;Definitely not losing&rsquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Ukraine will mark four years since Russia&#39;s assault on Feb. 24, 2022, a war that has shattered towns, uprooted millions and killed large numbers on both sides. Moscow occupies close to a fifth of Ukrainian territory and continues to grind forward, especially in the eastern Donbas region, despite heavy losses and repeated Ukrainian strikes on logistics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday that Ukraine was &quot;definitely not losing&quot; the war and that victory remained the goal. US push to end the warHe said Ukrainian forces had clawed back about 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) of territory in recent counter‑attacks, gains AFP could not immediately verify. If confirmed, they would be Kyiv&#39;s most significant advances since 2023. The United States is pushing both sides to end the war, brokering several rounds of talks in recent weeks without a clear breakthrough.

Europe

One man killed and a dozen more people wounded, among them four children, in and around Kyiv, Ukraine's national police say.

Russian missile barrage hits energy, railways across Ukraine

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: Deep concern and visible unease have gripped government, diplomatic and policy circles in New Delhi amid reports that US President Donald Trump may raise the long-standing dispute of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir at an upcoming meeting of the US-backed Peace Board in Washington. President Trump has invited India to join the newly formed Gaza Board of Peace.<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-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2024319015250747495&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=c084efd8f4348f649f0e3a17f370cfd09a458fee&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 720px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2024319015250747495"></iframe></div></div>Pakistan, along with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, has accepted membership of the board, which was formally signed into existence by President Trump on January 22. Indian media flags &ldquo;red alert&rdquo;Leading Indian daily The Hindu publicly flagged concerns over India&rsquo;s potential association with President Trump&rsquo;s Board of Peace. In a strongly worded editorial, the newspaper warned that the body&rsquo;s peace mandate could extend beyond Gaza and potentially include Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Kashmir. &ldquo;For India, Pakistan&rsquo;s decision to join the board is a red-flag, particularly if Mr Trump decides to include the Kashmir dispute in peace plans the BoP will seek to resolve,&rdquo; the editorial cautioned. The remarks underscore mounting anxiety within India&rsquo;s strategic community over the scope and long-term intent of the US-backed initiative, particularly as Pakistan has formally joined the platform. Former diplomats voice alarmThe apprehensions have been echoed by former Indian ambassador to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin, who recently wrote in The Times of India that the UN Security Council resolution governing the arrangement sets its term until December 31, 2027, with mandatory reporting to the Security Council every six months. He stressed that such oversight ensures the mechanism remains temporary and does not evolve into a permanent global model. In contrast, he warned that President Trump&rsquo;s peace plan appears open-ended and &ldquo;could be used outside Gaza as well,&rdquo; raising concerns that it may be extended to other conflict regions including the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Akbaruddin further noted indications from some UN officials that the framework could potentially be applied to other disputes &mdash; a possibility that has intensified fears in New Delhi. Similarly, former Indian diplomat Jayant Prasad cautioned that India should be wary of the board&rsquo;s evolving role and its possible implications for South Asia. Writing in The Times of India, Prasad observed that the Board of Peace is expected to comprise 60 nations in a tiered structure, overseen by an executive body. He warned that while Gaza may be the initial focus, the mandate may not remain confined there. Referring directly to India-Pakistan relations and the Kashmir dispute, Prasad expressed concern that the board could expand its scope to address other conflicts, &ldquo;perhaps not excluding the one between India and Pakistan, one that Trump seems so fixated on.&rdquo; Prasad further remarked that India &ldquo;cannot expect fair treatment&rdquo; regarding Jammu and Kashmir under the chairmanship of President Trump, particularly in light of what he termed a re-hyphenation of US relations in the subcontinent. Growing unease in New DelhiAnalysts observe that India&rsquo;s unease reflects its deep-seated apprehension about the potential internationalisation of the Kashmir dispute.&nbsp; The prospect of the issue being raised at a high-level international peace platform chaired by the US president has triggered visible concern across Indian political and diplomatic circles.

Deep concern and visible unease have gripped government, diplomatic and policy circles in New Delhi amid reports that US President Donald Trump may raise the long-standing dispute of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir at an upcoming meeting of the US-backed Peace Board in Washington.

Panic in New Delhi over fears Trump may raise IIOJK issue at Board of Peace meeting

WASHINGTON: The United States announced Tuesday a first tranche of investments by Japan out of a colossal $550 billion promised by Tokyo in its trade deal with President Donald Trump. The commitments of $36 billion for three infrastructure projects came as Japan comes under pressure to deliver on its pledges made in 2025 in return for lower US trade tariffs. &quot;Japan is now officially, and financially, moving forward with the FIRST set of Investments under its $550 BILLION Dollar Commitment to invest in the United States of America,&quot; Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.<div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116087827602935657/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div>&quot;The scale of these projects are so large, and could not be done without one very special word, TARIFFS,&quot; he wrote. The announcement came ahead of a scheduled trip by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to the White House next month following Trump&#39;s visit to Japan in October. Japan-US alliance&nbsp;Takaichi said Wednesday the projects would &quot;strengthen the Japan&ndash;US alliance by enabling Japan and the United States to jointly build resilient supply chains in strategically important areas for economic security -- such as critical minerals, energy, and AI/data centers&quot;. &quot;We believe these initiatives truly embody the purpose of this Strategic Investment Initiative, namely the promotion of mutual benefit between Japan and the United States, the enhancement of economic security, and the promotion of economic growth,&quot; Takaichi said on X.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><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=2023919723277414438&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=2f160a6af769a79deccd60df3035ac59ff0301d9&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 393px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&quot;Going forward, we will continue to work closely together between Japan and the United States to further refine the details of each project and ensure that they can be implemented promptly and smoothly,&quot; she added. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Massive trade win&#39;&nbsp;</h2>The projects are a natural gas facility in Ohio, a deep-water oil export facility in the Gulf of Mexico, and a synthetic diamond manufacturing facility. US Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick called the announcements the &quot;MASSIVE AMERICA FIRST TRADE WIN&quot;. The natural gas generation facility will be the &quot;largest in history&quot;, generating 9.2 gigawatts of power, Lutnick said on X.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2023858503803122129&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=2f160a6af769a79deccd60df3035ac59ff0301d9&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 393px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Takaichi said that it would supply electricity to AI data centers and similar facilities. At full capacity it would be the equivalent of nine nuclear reactors or the power consumed by about 7.4 million homes, Bloomberg News reported. &lsquo;Leading energy supplier&rsquo;&nbsp;The oil project will generate $20&ndash;30 billion annually in US crude exports and &quot;reinforce America&#39;s position as the world&#39;s leading energy supplier,&quot; Lutnick said. The facility making synthetic diamond grit -- where China dominates supplies -- will ensure that the United States is no longer reliant on foreign imports, Lutnick said. &quot;Japan is providing the capital (for all three projects). The infrastructure is being built in the United States,&quot; the US commerce secretary added. &quot;The proceeds are structured so Japan earns its return, and America gains strategic assets, expanded industrial capacity, and strengthened energy dominance,&quot; he said. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Rebuild and expand&#39;&nbsp;</h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">In July, Tokyo had agreed to invest $550 billion through 2029 &quot;to rebuild and expand core American industries,&quot; according to the White House.</h2> The pledge was made in exchange for reducing threatened US tariffs of 25% to 15% on Japanese imports. Japanese trade minister Ryosei Akazawa has said that only one to two percent of the $550 billion would be actual capital. The rest will be made up of bonds and loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and credits with public guarantees. The clock has been ticking ahead of Takaichi&#39;s planned White House visit on March 19, and according to media reports, tempers were starting to fray. In January, Trump told South Korea -- meant to invest $350 billion -- that he would raise tariffs because it was &quot;not living up to its Deal&quot;. Analysts say that Japanese companies may be wary because of lack of clarity on the administrative and financial procedures and concerns about US labor shortages.

In July 2025, Tokyo had agreed to invest $550 billion through 2029 ‘to rebuild and expand core American industries’; the pledge was made in exchange for reducing threatened US tariffs of 25% to 15% on Japanese imports.

US, Japan announce first tranche of $550B investments

MUNICH:&nbsp;US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to address European leaders on Saturday as they try to step up their autonomy in defense while salvaging transatlantic ties badly strained under President Donald Trump. Bruised by Trump&#39;s designs on Greenland and his often hostile comments about America&#39;s traditional bedrock allies, European leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference have pledged to shoulder more of the burden of shared <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/in-show-of-support-canada-france-open-consulates-in-greenland" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">NATO defenses</a>. &lsquo;Right time&rsquo;&nbsp;Key leaders have pushed the message that this is essential for Europe to counter a hostile Russia, with NATO chief Mark Rutte saying that &quot;a strong Europe in a strong NATO means that the transatlantic bond will be stronger than ever&quot;. &quot;This is the right time for a strong Europe,&quot; said French President Emmanuel Macron, who stressed on Friday that the continent was &quot;clear in the support of Ukraine&quot; and &quot;building its own architecture of security&quot;. &quot;This Europe will be a good ally and partner for the United States of America.&quot; &lsquo;A sleeping giant&rsquo;British leader Keir Starmer was expected to tell the conference that Europe is &quot;a sleeping giant&quot; and must rely less on the United States for its defense. &quot;I&#39;m talking about a vision of European security and greater European autonomy that does not herald US withdrawal but answers the call for more burden sharing in full and remakes the ties that have served us so well,&quot; he will say, according to his office. Conciliatory choice&nbsp;Rubio is seen as a more conciliatory choice of US envoy, a year after Vice President JD Vance used the same stage to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking European allies. The Trump administration&#39;s new National Security Strategy similarly launched an unprecedented attack against Europeans, charging that the continent is threatened with &quot;civilizational decline&quot;. Ties plunged further last month when Trump stepped up threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, forcing European nations to stand firm in protest. Ukraine war in focus&nbsp;German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged a &quot;rift&quot; had opened up between Europe and the United States, fueled by culture wars, but issued an appeal to Washington: &quot;Let&#39;s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.&quot; &quot;In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone,&quot; said the conservative leader, who has ramped up defense spending in the top EU economy. The high-powered Munich meeting of government leaders, diplomats, defense and intelligence chiefs comes shortly before Russia&#39;s full-scale war on Ukraine is set to enter its fifth grueling year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been in Munich since Friday and meeting multiple allies, was expected to address the meeting on Saturday.&nbsp; No Russian officials have been invited. &lsquo;Get moving&rsquo;&nbsp;At the White House on Friday, Trump urged him to &quot;get moving&quot; to end the war.&nbsp; &quot;Russia wants to make a deal... He has to move,&quot; the US leader said. A German government source said Merz and Rubio met at the conference Friday and discussed &quot;Ukraine, the status of negotiations with Russia and further support for the country, particularly in terms of military aid&quot;. They also discussed Europe&#39;s role in NATO, and &ldquo;Rubio praised Germany&#39;s steps to strengthen the alliance&rdquo;, the source added. &lsquo;An aggressive Russia&rsquo;Macron said a new framework was needed to deal with &quot;an aggressive Russia&quot; once the fighting in Ukraine ends. Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky said he feared &quot;a new cold war&quot; between Europe and Russia in the coming decade, making reopening dialogue with Moscow essential. &quot;If it makes sense to talk, we are willing to talk,&quot; said Merz, but he also charged that &quot;Russia is not yet willing to talk seriously&quot;.

British leader Keir Starmer is expected to tell the conference that Europe is ‘a sleeping giant’ and must rely less on the United States for its defense.

Rubio at Munich security meet to address Europeans rattled by Trump

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;The US government entered a partial shutdown Saturday as a midnight funding deadline passed without Congress approving a 2026 budget, though disruption was expected to be limited with the House set to move early next week to ratify a Senate-backed deal. The funding lapse followed a breakdown in negotiations driven by Democratic anger over the killing of two protesters in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents, which derailed talks over new money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). &quot;Instead of going after drug smugglers, child predators, and human traffickers, the Trump Administration is wasting valuable resources targeting peaceful protestors in Chicago and <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/thousands-rally-in-minneapolis-as-immigration-anger-boils" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Minneapolis</a>,&quot; Senate Democratic Minority Whip Dick Durbin posted on social media. &quot;This Administration continues to make Americans less safe.&quot; Federal operations affectedRoughly three-quarters of federal operations are affected, potentially triggering shutdown procedures across a wide range of agencies and operations, from education and health to housing and defense. Federal departments were expected to begin implementing shutdown plans overnight, but congressional leaders in both parties said the Senate&#39;s action made a short disruption far more likely than a prolonged impasse. If the House approves the package as expected early next week, funding would be restored within days, limiting the practical impact of the shutdown on government services, contractors, and federal workers. If the shutdown extended more than a few days, however, tens of thousands of federal workers would risk being put on unpaid leave or working without their money until funding is restored. Funding bills&nbsp;Late Friday, the Senate passed a package clearing five outstanding funding bills to cover most federal agencies through September, along with a two-week stopgap measure to keep DHS operating while lawmakers continue negotiations over <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-battles-minneapolis-shooting-fallout-as-agents-put-on-leave" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">immigration enforcement policy</a>. The House of Representatives was out of session as the deadline expired and is not scheduled to return until Monday. President Donald Trump backed the Senate deal and urged swift House action, signaling he wanted to avoid a prolonged shutdown -- the second of his second term -- after a record-length stoppage last fall disrupted federal services for more than a month. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Political backlash&nbsp;</h2>The Senate breakthrough came only after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina lifted a procedural block that had stalled the package late Thursday. Graham had objected to provisions in the DHS stopgap and to House-passed language repealing an earlier measure that allowed senators to sue the Justice Department if their phone records were seized during past investigations. Graham agreed to release his hold after Senate leaders committed to holding future votes on legislation he is sponsoring to crack down on so-called &quot;sanctuary cities&quot; that refuse to cooperate with federal deportation operations. Democrats, meanwhile, have remained united in opposing new DHS funding without changes to immigration enforcement following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. Money for immigration agenciesTheir deaths intensified scrutiny of federal agents&#39; conduct and hardened opposition to approving money for immigration agencies without new guardrails. Party leaders have accused immigration authorities of operating with insufficient oversight and have demanded reforms, including tighter warrant requirements, limits on certain enforcement tactics, and greater accountability for agents in the field. Much of the US media interpreted the White House&#39;s willingness to split DHS funding from the broader budget package as a recognition that the administration needed to recalibrate its deportation strategy after the political backlash over the Minneapolis deaths. Republicans are divided over that approach. While some lawmakers have acknowledged the need for changes following the shootings, conservatives have warned against concessions they say could weaken immigration enforcement. Several have signaled they will push their own priorities during the upcoming DHS negotiations, including measures targeting states and cities that limit cooperation with federal authorities. &lsquo;Orderly shutdown&rsquo;Although Congress has already approved six of the 12 annual funding bills, those measures account for only a minority of discretionary spending. The remaining bills fund large swaths of the federal government, making the lapse significant if it ends up being prolonged. The Office of Management and Budget on Friday night issued a memo ordering agencies to prepare for an &ldquo;orderly shutdown,&rdquo; saying:&nbsp;&ldquo;It is our hope that this lapse will be short.&rdquo;

Roughly three-quarters of federal operations are affected, potentially triggering shutdown procedures across a wide range of agencies and operations, from education and health to housing and defense.

US government shuts down, but quick resolution expected

ISLAMABAD: A recently published editorial in The Hindu notes that Pakistan&rsquo;s participation in the Board of Peace (BoP) is a potential concern for India, particularly if the BoP were to expand its mandate to include other disputes, such as Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp;The editorial states: &ldquo;For India, Pakistan&rsquo;s decision to join the board is a red-flag, particularly if Mr. Trump decides to include the Kashmir dispute to peace plans the BoP will seek to resolve.&rdquo;&nbsp;India skipped the announcement of the US President Donald Trump-led BoP charter at Davos, although the government is reported to still be deliberating over an invitation extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;While around 20 countries have joined the BoP, India is continuing to deliberate over its participation.&nbsp;&nbsp;The editorial highlights concerns over the board&rsquo;s structure and functioning, which suggest a wider mandate for future conflict-resolution efforts, the editorial said.&nbsp; &#39;In conjunction&#39; with UN Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/board-of-peace-to-work-with-un-for-global-peace-efforts-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">signed the charter</a>&nbsp;for the BoP at the ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, establishing an international body to resolve conflicts that he pledged would work &quot;in conjunction&quot; with the United Nations.&nbsp;The signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum formalized the organization, with roughly 35 countries committing to join.&nbsp;&nbsp;During his speech, Trump characterized the day as &quot;very exciting&quot; and &quot;long in the making.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;He stated that the world is &quot;richer, safer, and much more peaceful&quot; than a year ago, claiming credit for &quot;settling eight wars.&quot;

An editorial by The Hindu states: ‘For India, Pakistan’s decision to join the board is a red-flag, particularly if Mr. Trump decides to include the Kashmir dispute to peace plans the BoP will seek to resolve.’

Articles tagged with "President Trump"