Pakistan

• Health dept confirms four of seven children who died last month in Khairpur hospitals had mpox • Claims deaths not directly linked to zoonotic viral infection • Sukkur commissioner asks DHO to initiate ‘comprehensive contact tracing’ • Babies seemed to have infected from unsterilized hospital equipment: sources • Many ‘chickenpox-like’ cases reported from other districts KARACHI / SUKKUR: An outbreak of mpox, the first local outbreak of the zoonotic viral infection in the country, has claimed the lives of at least four newborns in Khairpur, it emerged on Saturday. The worrisome child health situation involving death of seven newborns in two Khairpur hospitals took an alarming turn when the provincial health department confirmed that “initial findings showed that four of the seven children [who died] were affected by mpox”. Sources said the seven babies affected by mpox were under treatment in intensive care units at public and private hospitals in Khairpur and seemed to have acquired the infection from unst...

KARACHI: The Gulf War has begun to affect the Pakistani economy as hopes for an early recovery diminish with the conflict’s increasing intensity each day. The latest data from the State Bank showed that 90 per cent of foreign investment in domestic bonds had been withdrawn. Local investments in treasury bills are increasing as returns have risen to 11.5 per cent compared to the SBP’s policy rate of 10.5pc. This makes them very attractive to foreign investors, but a war ongoing for more than 35 days has undermined their confidence. The data showed total inflows in the first nine months of FY26 were Rs886.7 million, while the outflows were $794m (almost 90pc), leaving a meagre $93m invested. Analysts said that outflows from domestic bonds would have limited impact, but the withdrawal of deposits from the State Bank account by friendly countries could pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves. Reports indicate that the UAE government is hesitant to rollover $2 billion maturing this month. Chi...

• UN official says Israeli forces destroy 17 surveillance cameras linked agency’s office in Naqura • Indonesia receives bodies of three peacekeepers slain by Israel BEIRUT: Israel’s military renewed its strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Saturday, severely damaging buildings and a major hospital, as international tensions escalated over the safety of United Nations peacekeepers caught in the crossfire. As Indonesia received the bodies of three of its UN peacekeepers killed while deployed in Lebanon, a UN security official told AFP that Israeli forces destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to the UNIFIL main headquarters in Naqura. The bodies of the three Indonesian men arrived in Jakarta on Saturday. Their flag-draped coffins were carried into an airport hall on the shoulders of uniformed comrades for a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto. Family members wept over the coffins, each fronted by a photograph of the dead soldier in a gold frame. The fatalities occurred in two separate ...

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is considering a bro­ader cabinet shake-up in the wake of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s removal this week, as he grows increasingly frustrated with the political fallout from the war with Iran, five people familiar with internal White House discussions said. Any potential reshuffling could serve as a reset for the White House as it confronts a politically challenging stretch: The five-week-old war has driven up gas prices, dragged down Trump’s approval ratings and intensified anxiety about the consequences for Republicans heading into November’s midterm elections. Some allies said his televised speech, which one senior White House official described as an attempt to project a sense of control and confidence about the direction of the war, fell flat, adding to the sense that changes in messaging or personnel were needed. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick among those potentially on ‘the chopping block’ “A shake-up to show action ...

• Araghchi denies rejecting Pakistan as venue for talks • Dar discusses UN resolution with Bahrain FM, calls Egyptian counterpart • Ghalibaf says sustainable security in region Iran’s priority, offers bilateral arrangements ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday pushed back at reports that Iran was unwilling to travel to Islamabad for future talks with the US, underscoring that Tehran’s position hinged on the terms and conditions of any negotiations. “Iran’s position is being misrepresented by the US media. We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad,” Mr Araghchi said in a post on X. “What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us,” he further said. His remarks came a day after a report by The Wall Street Journal said Iran had declined to participate in talks in Islamabad, citing objections to US demands and suggesting Pakistan’s efforts had stalled. Responding to Mr Araghchi, P...

Iran’s top security official and Supreme National Security Council secretary, Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike on March 17, 2026: the latest round of US-Israel military strikes against Iran began when Tehran was engaged in negotiations with the Washington on its nuclear programme | AFP Operation Epic Fury — the latest round of military strikes against Iran — began when Iran was engaged in negotiations with the United States to renew restrictions on its nuclear programme. This is not the first time the United States has bombed Iran during nuclear negotiations. In June 2025, while its representatives were in talks with Iran over that country’s ability to produce nuclear weapons, Washington launched Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Washington has been broader in its selection of targets in Iran this time around, even though one stated US goal has been to ensure that Iran does not gain nuclear weapons capability. By launching strik...

QUETTA: The Balochistan government on Saturday fixed the price of Iranian smuggled petrol at Rs280 per litre and announced that strict action would be taken against those charging more than this rate. Officials said that a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti decided that Iranian petrol would be sold in Balochistan at a fixed price announced by the provincial government. “The Iranian petrol will be sold only in Balochistan, and it will not be allowed to be sent out of the province,” said Kalat Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Durrani, adding that nobody would be allowed to charge more than the fixed rate. He said there was no justification for selling Iranian petrol at the rate announced by the federal government for imported petroleum products. “The authorities will start strict checks and will take legal action against those found selling Iranian petrol at higher prices.” People involved in the Iranian petrol business had increased prices soon after the federal government announced highe...

ISLAMABAD: While rain and windstorms kill­ed at least six people across Punjab and Khyber Pakht­unkhwa, authorities have war­ned that the impact may worsen, with a fresh spell of rains forecast in the coming days across the country. The Met office forecast further rain, windstorms and thunderstorms across much of the country over the coming week due to a new western disturbance entering Balochistan and KP on Sunday evening and persisting until April 9. There are concerns about urban flooding, infrastructure damage and crop losses as well. In KP, four people died in Khyber district, while 12 others were injured in rain-related incidents, including six in Mohmand and three members of a family in Bannu after a roof collapse. Additional injuries were reported in Karak and Bajaur. Authorities issued a flood advisory for low-lying areas along the Kabul and Budhni rivers, where water levels reached a mid-level flood stage with a discharge of 12,729 cusecs. Rescue 1122 urged residents near streams and canals in areas...

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said shipping agents had assured that no war-related surcharges were being imposed on in-transit shipments or shipments on other routes.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan held a constructive meeting with Romina Khurshid Alam, who recently assumed charge as Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, along with a delegation representing Pakistan’s food chain sector.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Saturday announced a major relief package for motorbike owners aimed at reducing the financial burden on the public, under which motorbike registration fees has been abolished and transfer fees waived, along with the introduction of a monthly subsidy of Rs2,000 for registered.

Faisalabad - In a press conference at his Samanabad office, Senator, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Inter Provincial Coordination and Public Affairs, Rana Sanauallah Khan stated that the world is currently facing a severe energy crisis, with global petrol and gas prices reaching record highs.

GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH/LARKANA - Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid glowing tribute to the country’s first elected Prime Minister, Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, on his 47th martyrdom anniversary on Saturday.

LAHORE - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that providing relief to common man in difficult times is foremost priority of the government.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Saturday categorically rejected the recent misleading and unfounded commentary regarding financial deposits from the United Arab Emirates held with the State Bank of Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation on Saturday with Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Dr.

ISLAMABAD - Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Naveed Ashraf, NI, NI (M), said Saturday that Pakistan Navy (PN) is being equipped with state of the art platforms and niche technologies enabling it to target critical infrastructure/ vulnerabilities and naval assets of adversary.

LAHORE - Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik said on Saturday that the government successfully shielded the public from fuel shortages and mitigated the impact of the global oil crisis through timely and proactive measures.

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday condemned what it described as “riots, acts of vandalism, and assaults” outside its embassy and the residence of its head of mission in Damascus. In a statement, the UAE’s foreign ministry called on Syria to uphold its obligations to secure the embassy and its staff, investigate the incident and hold the perpetrators to account. A Reuters reporter saw dozens of protesters gathering outside the UAE’s embassy in Damascus at midday on Friday, including some chanting “the Zionist embassy”. A Syrian security official told Reuters that the incident occurred after some participants split off from a larger pro-Palestinian demonstration being held at the nearby Umayyad Square and tried to storm the embassy. “Internal security forces prevented them from doing so and dealt with the situation,” the official said, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to speak to the media. Syria’s foreign ministry did not directly refer to the incident but said in a statement on Friday ev...

Al-Nassr thrash Al-Najma 5-2