Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Iranian foreign minister, on Monday, thanked Pakistan for &lsquo;strong solidarity in the face of US, Israeli aggression&rsquo;.&nbsp; Iranian Foreign Minister <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pezeshkian-says-iran-committed-to-peace-in-region" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seyed Abbas Araghch</a>i, in a statement shared on X, expressed gratitude to the government and the people of Pakistan for their strong demonstration of solidarity and support for the people and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime. He stated that during these &ldquo;blessed, divine, and spiritual days and moments,&rdquo; he wholeheartedly conveyed his appreciation for Pakistan&rsquo;s support.<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" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 321px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" 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=2033458471153119378&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=23e1275d1ced839228f31af2ab66ade88b4f3bca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2033458471153119378"></iframe></div></div>The minister further said that, with complete reliance on Almighty God, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands firm and resolute in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity with steadfastness and perseverance.

Middle East

Iranian FM says ‘I sincerely thank the government and the people of Pakistan for their strong expression of solidarity and support for the people and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.’

Iran thanks Pakistan for ‘strong solidarity in face of US, Israeli aggression’

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan faces a nationwide learning crisis as the professional teaching workforce declines and millions of children stay out of school, according to reports from UNICEF and UNESCO. Data from late 2025 shows that over 90% of 10-year-olds in the country cannot read or understand a simple text. The figure was reported in the Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025 published by UNESCO and UNICEF. More than 2.13 million primary school-aged children are currently out of school, according to UNICEF Afghanistan&#39;s late-2025 situational updates. When including secondary-aged youth, the total number of children out of the classroom reaches approximately 9 million. Workforce de-professionalization and staffing shifts The teaching workforce has undergone a significant shift since 2021. According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and Human Rights Watch, the system previously employed 220,000 teachers, including 80,500 women. But the ban on women teaching boys created a critical shortage. Human Rights Watch reported in December 2023 that women previously made up 90% of some school staff in urban centers like Kabul. In addition, specialized women educators, who often held degrees in physics, chemistry, and biology, have been frequently replaced. According to the Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025, these roles are now often filled by male teachers in lower primary grades or by community members with only a high school diploma. New recruitment mandates now require applicants to pass tests on &quot;Emirate Studies.&quot; According to administrative records and a January 2025 report from a local Afghan news outlet, this booklet was written by Qari Abdul Sattar Said and Syed Noor Mohammad Mohib Korabi to promote the interim government&#39;s narrative. Economic instability for educators Public school teachers earn an average monthly salary of approximately 8,000 AFN ($127), according to Amu TV on March 23, 2025. Educators informed the news outlet that these wages are frequently delayed by two months or more. This leaves many unable to afford basic needs like rent or food. However, some relief has come through international projects. The World Bank&rsquo;s Education Emergency Response in Afghanistan (EERA) supported the recruitment of 5,050 teachers for community-based education. The group includes 1,868 women, as per project data. In a report released on March 15, UNICEF said that it invested in training 54,000 teachers in 2025. The program used multiple phases and structured follow-up to help teachers apply new methods. Crumbling infrastructure and curriculum changes School facilities remain in poor condition across the country. According to the Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025, nearly 50% of schools lack safe buildings or sanitation facilities. Approximately 79% operate without electricity. Natural disasters and conflict have forced over 1,000 schools to remain closed, according to UNESCO in 2025. In Kunar province, roughly 25,000 children were still learning in tents six months after a major earthquake on August 31, 2025, according to a report from Save the Children. In a move that raised eyebrows, the Ministry of Higher Education overhauled the academic curriculum in late August 2025, removing a number of subjects. A directive issued by the deputy minister for academic affairs eliminated 18 subjects, including human rights, gender equality, and political science, according to local news outlets. Meanwhile, the BBC reported in September 2025 that 679 academic books were banned from universities for being &quot;inconsistent&quot; with &quot;local values.&quot; Systematic exclusion and economic impact Afghanistan remains the only country in the world to forbid girls and women from attending secondary and higher education. This ban is projected to cost the Afghan economy $9.6 billion by 2066, according to the Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025. The restriction has also fueled a sharp rise in &quot;NEET&quot; rates (young women not in education, employment, or training). By 2024 alone, this rate reached 78%, nearly four times that of men, as reported in the 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index published by UN Women. This growing divide places a heavy burden on the nation&#39;s future economic stability and is seen by analysts as one that must be addressed immediately.

A situation report by UN in 2025 stated that the number of female university faculty members has plummeted by 70% since 2021. (UNICEF)

Afghanistan

Millions of children remain out of school as professional educators are removed and university faculty numbers plummet across Afghanistan, according to reports from UNICEF and UNESCO.

Afghanistan’s education system faces collapse as professional teachers vanish

<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted">ISLAMABAD: Maharashtra&rsquo;s proposed Freedom of Religion Bill has drawn criticism from civil society groups, minority organizations, and church bodies, which say the measure could deepen pressure on Muslims and other minorities by expanding state and police scrutiny over religious conversion and interfaith relationships. According to The Times of India, the bill proposes prison terms of up to seven years and fines for what the state describes as &ldquo;unlawful religious conversions&rdquo;, including those linked to coercion, fraud or marriage.&nbsp; The report said offences under the proposed law would be cognizable and non-bailable. The Economic Times reported that the bill defines unlawful conversion broadly, including conversion through allurement, deceit, force, misrepresentation, threat, undue influence or fraud, and said such conversions would be treated as null and void. &#39;Anti-love jihad&#39; lawA separate report by The Times of India said the bill requires prior notice before conversion, allows objections to be raised, and places the burden of proof on the accused to show that a conversion was voluntary.&nbsp; The report added that relatives and other persons could lodge complaints, triggering police action. The political language surrounding the bill has added to the concern.&nbsp; The New Indian Express reported that the measure explicitly covers conversions through marriage and provides for tougher penalties in certain cases.&nbsp; Further causing alarm, Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane described it publicly as an &ldquo;anti-love jihad&rdquo; law.<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=2033063620129730987&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=c464e5de9888d09f58d326e7e3d235c5a3269724&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 780px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>That claim itself has been disputed at the national level.&nbsp; In a written reply to the Parliament in 2020, India&rsquo;s home ministry said the term &ldquo;love jihad&rdquo; is not defined under existing laws and that no such case had been reported by central agencies. Opposition has also come from outside party politics.&nbsp; A joint press note carried by Indian Currents said civil society groups had called for wider consultation and warned that such legislation could criminalize personal choice and weaken constitutional freedoms. Critics quoted by various Indian media outlets say the concern is that the bill may be used less to prevent coercion and more to reinforce a wider Hindutva-driven climate in which interfaith relationships involving Muslims are increasingly treated with suspicion, complaint, and legal risk.

India

Maharashtra’s proposed Freedom of Religion Bill has triggered concern among minority and civil society groups, who say it could widen scrutiny of conversions and interfaith ties, especially involving Muslims.

Maharashtra ‘religion’ bill draws concern over minority rights in India

BEIJING: Beijing said on Monday it is in talks with Washington over a visit by US President Donald Trump expected this month. Trump has suggested Washington may delay the planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the waterway, critical to oil transportation, in retaliation for the US and Israeli war against Tehran. &#39;Maintaining communication&#39; 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. He did not address Trump&#39;s recent pressure on NATO allies and China to help reopen the Strait of 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. Global oil prices&nbsp; Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50% since the war began, with the waterway choked off and Iran&#39;s attacks on energy and shipping industry targets in its Gulf neighbors. China is a net importer of oil and one of several major Asian economies that depend on the strait for energy. The Middle East was the source of 57% of China&#39;s direct seaborne crude imports in 2025, according to analytics firm Kpler. Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates in line with its usual practice.

Asia

Trump has suggested Washington may delay the planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

China says 'maintaining communication' with US over Trump visit

HONG KONG: Oil prices jumped further above $100 Monday, and Asian stocks mostly fell as the US-Israeli war on Iran moved into a third week with both sides showing no sign of backing down and diplomats trying to ensure safe passage for tankers through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Crude shot up in the opening minutes after the US president said at the weekend that forces struck military targets on Kharg Island, a scrubby stretch of land in the Gulf that handles almost all of Iran&#39;s oil exports. He also warned attacks could expand to energy infrastructure if the Islamic Republic interferes with transit through Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the US-Israel war began on Feb. 28. Iran&#39;s Fars news agency reported soon after that no oil infrastructure was damaged in strikes. Trump urged other countries to send warships to keep the waterway open but offered no specifics or commitments from the US side, saying he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK would take part. He later wrote Saturday in a Truth Social post: &quot;The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help -- A LOT!&quot;This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be.&quot; However, Japan said Monday it was &quot;not at the moment considering issuing a maritime security operation&quot;, while Australia announced it would not send any navy ships to the region. Trump said Tehran wanted a deal to end the fighting, but that he was not prepared to make one on current terms, without giving further details. &#39;Don&#39;t see any reason&#39;Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was not interested in talks with Washington. &quot;We don&#39;t see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us,&quot; he told CBS&#39;s &quot;Face The Nation&quot; in an interview aired Sunday. &quot;We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,&quot; he added. However, he did say he was ready to speak to countries &quot;who want to talk to us about the safe passage of their vessels&quot;. &quot;I cannot mention any country in particular, but we have been approached by a number of countries&quot; seeking such safe passage, Araghchi said. The two sides continued to exchange fire Monday, with Saudi Arabia saying it had intercepted more than 60 drones since midnight, while flights were temporarily suspended at Dubai&#39;s airport after a &quot;drone-related incident&quot; sparked a fire nearby. Araghchi described Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots as &quot;ecocide&quot; owing to the long-term risks to residents&#39; health. Traders hoping for an early end to the conflict were left disappointed after Trump&#39;s top economics adviser, Kevin Hassett, said the Pentagon estimates it could take up to six weeks, though the operation was ahead of schedule. Both main crude contracts advanced, with Brent up around three percent to as high as $106.50 before paring the gains to about $104, while West Texas Intermediate climbed more than two percent to top $100. The rise came as Japan said it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions. IEA members agreed last week to release a record 400 million barrels from stockpiles to cushion the surge in prices caused by the war. With worries growing about a possible energy crisis that could hammer the global economy, equity markets remained under pressure. Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta were all down, though Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore rose. London, Frankfurt and Paris rose at the open. &quot;The impact of geopolitical events on markets, and the macro outlook, hinges more on when transits through the Strait of Hormuz begin to normalise, than it does on when hostilities come to an end,&quot; wrote Michael Brown at Pepperstone. &quot;The longer the Strait is impassable, the tighter commodity supply will become, thus the higher prices will likely go, and the greater the inflationary impulse that will follow.&quot; Adding to economic concerns was data showing Friday that fourth-quarter US gross domestic product expanded 0.7%, much slower than the initial reading of 1.4%. And delayed figures showed the Federal Reserve&#39;s preferred inflation gauge dipped to 2.8% in Jan. before energy prices shot higher. &quot;Developments over the weekend, while no more disconcerting than at the end of last week, don&#39;t offer any obvious pretext for a less pessimistic start to the new trading week,&quot; warned National Australia Bank&#39;s Ray Attrill. Also in view this week are policy meetings at seven major central banks including the Fed, Bank of England and the European Central Bank. While they are expected to stand pat on interest rates, any remarks on the impact of the war on their respective economies will be closely followed. Key figures at around 0815 GMTWest Texas Intermediate: UP 2,1% at $100.81 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 3.0%&nbsp;at $106.20 per barrel Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1% at 53,751.15 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.5% at 25,834.02 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.3% at 4,084.79 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4% at 10,303.69 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1424 from $1.1416 on Friday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3240 from $1.3223 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 159.30 yen from 159.74 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.29 pence from 86.33 pence New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3% at 46,558.47 points (close)

Business

Oil prices jumped further, and Asian stocks mostly fell as the US-Israeli war on Iran moved into a third week with both sides showing no sign of backing down and diplomats trying to ensure safe passage for tankers through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Oil rises further above $100, most Asian stocks fall as Iran war rages

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.

China

Americas

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

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected the Afghan Taliban regime&rsquo;s claim of civilian targeting and called it a &ldquo;poor attempt to cover up their own heinous targeting of civilian population along Pak-Afghan Border.&rdquo; The official X account of Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting&rsquo;s fact-checking service posted a statement on Sunday rejecting claims attributed to a Taliban official and accusing the Afghan Taliban regime of attacking civilians along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 901px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2033254608441844146&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=23e1275d1ced839228f31af2ab66ade88b4f3bca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>In the post published on X (formerly Twitter), the fact-checking account said: &ldquo;The claim by so called Deputy Spokesperson of Afghan Taliban regime is yet again a poor attempt to cover up their own heinous targeting of civilian population along Pak-Afghan Border and to befool its own citizens reeling under a terror sponsoring regime.&rdquo; Deliberate targeting of civilians&nbsp;The statement said that an attack occurred earlier on March 15 in Pakistan&rsquo;s northwestern region. The post said, &ldquo;Today on 15th of March 2026 around 1530 hours, Afghan Taliban regime deliberately targeted civilian population in Tabesta Letai, Salarzai area of Bajaur District, in KPK province.&rdquo; &ldquo;Four innocent civilians have embraced shahadat while one five year old child is seriously injured in the attack.&rdquo; The post also addressed accusations about Pakistani military operations, stating that only terrorist targets had been struck. It said, &ldquo;Targeting by Pakistan Armed Forces has been consistently and transparently communicated to public, as was also done with respect to this false allegation.&rdquo; &lsquo;Repeated lies and fake communications&rsquo;&ldquo;On night 14/15 March, only terrorist hideouts, infrastructure and technical equipment of Master Terror Proxy Afghan Taliban regime was hit in Kandhar and visuals/clips of the said precision targeting have already been shared.&rdquo; The post further underlined the issue of the Afghan Taliban spreading false information. It said, &ldquo;Pakistan unlike Afghan Taliban regime doesn&rsquo;t rely on old/fake/AI generated images and visuals.&rdquo; &ldquo;Repeated lies and fake communications by official Afghan Taliban regime channels are only discrediting them domestically and internationally.&rdquo; &ldquo;Truth Always prevails over falsehood,&rdquo; the post concluded.&nbsp;

Security

Says, ‘The claim by so called Deputy Spokesperson of Afghan Taliban regime is yet again a poor attempt to cover up their own heinous targeting of civilian population along Pak-Afghan Border.’ 

Fact Check: Pakistan rejects Afghan Taliban regime’s claim of civilian targeting

NEW DELHI: A fire at a government-run hospital in eastern India killed at least 10 critically ill patients who were admitted in the trauma care unit, officials said on Monday. Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and a routine disregard for safety regulations. The fire broke out early Monday on the first floor of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Odisha state&#39;s Cuttack city, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told reporters. Ten people dead &quot;A short circuit caused the fire in the trauma ICU ward where patients were being treated,&quot; he said, adding that 23 patients were present on the floor at the time of the incident. Ten people died following the blaze, while the remaining patients were moved to other wards, he added. At least 11 staff members suffered burn injuries as they tried to rescue the patients. Hospital fires in IndiaElectrical short circuits, often caused by poorly maintained wiring, remain the leading cause of fire incidents in India. In 2024, a fire at a private hospital in the southern state of Tamil Nadu killed at least six people and injured more than two dozen. The same year, 10 newborns were killed when a fire engulfed a hospital in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and a routine disregard for safety regulations; electrical short circuits, often caused by poorly maintained wiring, remain the leading cause of fire incidents in India.

Ten people dead in India hospital fire

BEIJING:&nbsp;Beijing said on Monday it has &quot;lodged representations&quot; and urged Washington to &quot;correct its erroneous ways&quot; after the US launched new trade probes last week, with negotiators from both countries meeting in Paris. Washington&#39;s trade investigations target 60 economies, including <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/chinese-us-delegations-meet-for-trade-talks-in-paris-state-media" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">China</a> and will look into &quot;failures to take action on forced labor&quot; and whether these burden or restrict US commerce. Those investigations came a day after a separate set of US probes centered on excess industrial capacity that target 16 trading partners, including China, which Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry criticized as &quot;political manipulation&quot;. &lsquo;Erroneous ways&rsquo;&nbsp;&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;. Trade officials from both countries met in Paris on Sunday for talks that Washington has said would last for two days. &lsquo;Lodged representations&rsquo;China has &quot;lodged representations&quot; with the US over the newest forced labor trade probes, the Chinese commerce ministry said. Human rights groups and United Nations experts have voiced alarm over allegations of forced labor affecting minority groups in China&#39;s western Xinjiang region, which Beijing has dismissed as &quot;fabricated&quot;. The two sets of trade probes will likely take months, but could justify new tariffs after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump&#39;s sweeping tariffs in February. Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates. Trump told the Financial Times in an interview that the summit could be postponed because of the Middle East war.

Trade officials from both countries met in Paris on Sunday for talks that Washington has said would last for two days.

China urges US to 'immediately correct erroneous' trade practices

LOS ANGELES: One Battle After Another dominated the Oscars on Sunday, winning six awards including best picture and capping one of the most competitive awards seasons in recent years. Director Paul Thomas Anderson won three Oscars &mdash; the first of his career &mdash; for the political thriller, which tackles issues including immigration raids and white supremacy. The film also won best editing and the inaugural award for casting. &ldquo;You make a guy work really hard for one of these,&rdquo; Anderson said to laughter as he accepted the award for best director. Accepting best adapted screenplay, he added: &ldquo;I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we&#39;re handing off to them. But also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.&rdquo; The film follows a pot-addled ex-revolutionary played by Leonardo DiCaprio who struggles to remember passphrases in a battle of wits against the terrifying Colonel Lockjaw, portrayed by best supporting actor winner Sean Penn. Anderson, long considered one of contemporary American cinema&rsquo;s leading auteurs, had previously received 11 nominations for acclaimed films including There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights without winning an Oscar. &lsquo;Sinners&rsquo; wins four Ryan Coogler&rsquo;s Sinners, a bluesy vampire fable exploring America&rsquo;s racial history, entered the night with a record-tying 16 nominations and won four awards. They included best original screenplay for Coogler and best actor for Michael B. Jordan, who plays gangster twin brothers Smoke and Stack seeking their fortune in the segregated South. Jordan said he created detailed journals to flesh out the backstories of both roles in order to clearly express &ldquo;those nuances between the two.&rdquo; The film also won best score for Ludwig G&ouml;ransson and best cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, marking the first time a woman has won in that category. Both One Battle After Another and Sinners were produced by Warner Bros., which claimed 12 of the 24 awards presented Sunday. Buckley&rsquo;s expected win Jessie Buckley won best actress for her portrayal of William Shakespeare&rsquo;s grieving wife Agnes in Hamnet, a result widely expected ahead of the ceremony. Backstage, Buckley said it felt &ldquo;crazy&rdquo; to win on Mother&rsquo;s Day in her native Ireland. &ldquo;I feel like what a gift to get to explore motherhood through this incredible mother that Agnes is,&rdquo; she said. Her rivals appeared relaxed throughout the night. Emma Stone, nominated for Bugonia, spent much of the ceremony chatting backstage near the bar at the Dolby Theatre. Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve, nominated for Sentimental Value, said her second trip to the Oscars felt easier than the first. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s so much more chill this time &mdash; this time I actually know people!&rdquo; she said. Although Reinsve lost best actress, her film won best international feature, bringing its team onstage. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about a very dysfunctional family, and it&rsquo;s the opposite of what I felt of this beautiful group behind me,&rdquo; director Joachim Trier said. Amy Madigan won best supporting actress for playing a demented witch in the horror film Weapons. &ldquo;I was in the shower last night, and I thought, &lsquo;Well, this must be a special day, because I&rsquo;m shaving my legs,&rsquo;&rdquo; she said. &lsquo;KPop Demon Hunters&rsquo; takes two awards KPop Demon Hunters won best animated feature and best original song for &ldquo;Golden,&rdquo; the first K-pop song to win the category. The animated film, co-produced with Sony Pictures Animation and released by Netflix, follows a K-pop girl group whose members secretly battle demons while their music maintains a magical barrier protecting humanity. &ldquo;This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere,&rdquo; co-director Maggie Kang told the audience. The film premiered on Netflix in June 2025 and quickly built a global following, becoming the platform&rsquo;s most-watched original film. Comedy and tributes Host Conan O&#39;Brien kept the ceremony light with his trademark satire, joking about allies of Donald Trump who objected to Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl halftime show. &ldquo;I should warn you tonight could get political,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Brien told the audience. &ldquo;And if that makes you uncomfortable, there&rsquo;s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock.&rdquo; The ceremony also featured emotional tributes to film figures who died this year. A lengthy &ldquo;In Memoriam&rdquo; segment honored director Rob Reiner and actor Robert Redford, including a rare stage performance from Barbra Streisand. Billy Crystal, whom Reiner cast opposite Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, said the director&rsquo;s impact on Hollywood was immeasurable. &ldquo;Rob&rsquo;s movies will last for lifetimes because they were about what makes us laugh and cry and what we aspire to be: far better in his eyes, far kinder, far funnier and far more human,&rdquo; Crystal said. Streisand, who starred with Redford in the 1973 film The Way We Were, said she had loved a man who affectionately called her &ldquo;Babs.&rdquo; &ldquo;He was a brilliant, subtle actor,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Bob had real backbone, on and off the screen.&rdquo;

US producer Sara Murphy holds her Oscar for Best Picture for "One Battle After Another" as she attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026. (AFP)

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One Battle After Another led the Oscars with six awards including best picture, while Sinners won four. KPop Demon Hunters took animated feature and original song, and Norway’s Sentimental Value claimed best international feature.

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