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US President Donald Trump accused some Western allies of ingratitude after several countries rebuffed his demand to send warships to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran continued to target oil facilities in the Gulf. The US-Israeli war on Iran is in its third week with no end in sight. The critical Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flow, remains largely closed off, raising energy prices and fears of inflation. A number of US partners, including Germany, Spain and Italy, said they had no immediate plans to send ships to help reopen the…

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan’s Foreign Office reaffirmed that Pakistan and China share a strong, trusted partnership, rejecting speculation about recent diplomatic contacts. Officials said both sides remain in regular communication on strategic and regional issues, including Afghanistan, following discussions between Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as well as visits by China’s special envoy. They stressed that these engagements are routine and focused on cooperation, regional stability, and Afghanistan’s evolving situation, while dismissing claims that China is mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Overall, the statement underscored the depth of Pakistan-China ties and their ongoing coordination on…

CAIRO: Operations at the United Arab Emirates’ Shah gas field remained suspended on Tuesday following a drone attack, while a fresh attack caused a fire in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone. No injuries were reported in either incident, the local media offices said. Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday that an unknown projectile struck a tanker 23 nautical miles east of Fujairah, causing minor structural damage. Monday’s attack on the Shah field – located about 180 km (111.85 miles) southwest of Abu Dhabi and one of the world’s largest sour gas fields – adds to disruptions to the UAE’s energy…

The Dasu Hydropower Project (DHPP) has launched a campaign to distribute health and hygiene kits among students in schools located within the project area to promote personal hygiene and healthier daily practices among children. The initiative began with an inaugural ceremony held on March 12 at Government Centennial Model High School for Boys in Dasu, where hygiene kits were distributed to students, according to a Gwadar Pro’s report on Monday. Under the program, kits containing essential hygiene items will be provided to boys and girls studying in selected schools across the DHPP area. The campaign aims to encourage students to…

Apple on Monday unveiled the second generation of its premium AirPods Max over-ear headphones ​at $549, more than five years after the ‌first version’s launch. The update marks Apple’s first major refresh of the over-ear headphones since their 2020 debut, as the company adds new features and improved noise cancellation to compete more aggressively in ⁠the premium headphones market. Powered by Apple’s in-house H2 chip, which runs the latest range of AirPods devices, the new headphones will be available to order from March 25 in more than 30 countries, with retail availability beginning early next month, the ⁠company said. Upgrades…

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI’s ​top executives are finalizing ‌plans for a major strategy shift to refocus ​the company around ​coding and business users, the ⁠Wall Street Journal ​reported on Monday. Fidji Simo, chief ​of applications at OpenAI, previewed the changes to employees ​in an all-hands meeting, ​telling them that leaders including ‌CEO ⁠Sam Altman and chief research officer Mark Chen were actively looking at ​which ​areas ⁠to deprioritize, the Journal said, adding ​that they expect to ​notify ⁠staff about the changes in the coming ⁠weeks. OpenAI ​declined to comment.

Iran’s football federation is in discussions with FIFA about moving their World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico due to concerns about the safety of their players, Iranian football president Mehdi Taj said. US President Donald Trump said last week that Iran were welcome to participate but suggested it might not be appropriate for them to play in the US “for their own life and safety”. “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” said Taj in a post on the Iranian embassy…

A new national survey suggested that the United States citizens’ attitudes towards Israel have worsened significantly in recent years, largely driven by increasingly negative opinions among Democrats and independent voters, Fox News reported. The poll, conducted by NBC News, comes at a time when support for Israel has become a contentious issue within the Democrats, more than two years after the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza. According to the survey conducted between February 27 and March 2, only 32% of Americans currently hold a positive view of Israel, while 39% express a negative opinion. The results mark a notable shift compared with…

The Ministry of Natural Resources, together with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, recently issued a notice on further improving the guarantee of natural resource elements. It aimed to further optimize the layout of territorial space, improve policies for the guarantee of natural resource elements, and promote the early implementation and commencement of major projects during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. China has mapped out 109 major projects over the next five years in areas including the development of new quality productive forces, modern infrastructure, urban-rural integration, and the improvement of people’s well-being. The notice introduces 13 policy measures focusing…

It is imperative that the Afghan government and the international community maintain communication, work in the same direction, gradually address each other’s legitimate concerns, and help Afghanistan achieve lasting stability, development and prosperity, a Chinese envoy said on Monday. In an explanation of the vote on the UN Security Council draft resolution extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), China’s permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong said China commends the efforts made by UNAMA and supports it in better fulfilling its mandate. “As the penholder of the Resolution, China thanks Council members for their…