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 President Donald Trump said that he thinks new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father, the former supreme leader, was killed on the first day of the US and Israel’s war on Iran, is alive but “damaged.” Khamenei has not been seen by Iranians since his selection on Sunday by a clerical assembly, and his first comments were read out by a television presenter on Thursday. An Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday that the newly appointed supreme leader was lightly injured but was continuing to operate, after state television described him as war-wounded. “I think he probably is (alive). I think he is damaged,…

KATHMANDU: A three-year-old party won Nepal’s general elections by a landslide, authorities said, positioning its candidate Balendra Shah to become the next prime minister, with a mandate for the rapper-turned-politician to restore political stability. The March 5 election was the Himalayan nation’s first vote since demonstrations against corruption last September led by Gen Z protesters that killed 77 people and toppled the government. “If everything goes well, we can expect that it can give a stable government for five years,” said constitutional expert Purna Man Shakya, referring to splits over dividing up the spoils of office that doomed prior majority…

China launched two new satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in its southwest Sichuan Province on Friday. A Long March-2D rocket, carrying the test satellites Shiyan-30 03 and 04, blasted off at 6:33 a.m., and has sent the satellites into preset orbit. Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), the satellites will be mainly used for experimental verification of Earth observation technologies. The Long March-2D rocket, also developed by the SAST, is a two-stage carrier rocket fueled by liquid propellant. It is capable of deploying single or multiple satellites into different orbits, and has the capacity to…

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi  called on all parties to urge those involved in the current conflict in the Middle East to cease military operations as soon as possible and prevent the situation from further escalation. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Abdelatty briefed Wang Yi on the regional situation and Egypt’s position and expressed deep concerns for the ongoing military confrontations. Following the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations Security Council, Egypt calls on…

Chinese President Xi Jinping has replied to a letter from teachers and students of the Chinese language class at an international school in France’s Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, extending his best wishes to them and to all teachers and students of the school. Xi said that the Chinese language carries the legacy of the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization and that each Chinese character embodies profound historical wisdom. Learning Chinese not only helps one understand both ancient and modern China but also helps build a bridge to a brighter future for China and France, he said. He extended a warm welcome to the teachers…

Chinese mediation efforts have helped ease recent clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan along their shared border, three Pakistani government officials told Reuters, after tensions escalated in some of the worst fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The officials said Beijing’s diplomatic efforts included a meeting between China’s ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in late February. No Pakistani airstrikes have been reported in recent days and ground fighting along the border has tapered off, although sporadic clashes continue, according to Reuters. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing has been mediating between Pakistan…

China launched a group of internet satellites from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China’s Hainan Province on Friday. A Long March-8A rocket, carrying the 20th group of low-Earth orbit internet satellites, blasted off at 3:48 a.m., and has sent the satellites into preset orbit. Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the carrier rocket measures 50.5 meters long with a takeoff weight of 371 tonnes. It is capable of carrying up to 7 tonnes to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers, and can meet the launch requirements for constellation networking in low-…

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday departed for Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to discuss the Middle East tensions following the US-Israel war on Iran. The Foreign Office spokesperson said that Ishaq Dar, who holds the portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, is also accompanying the premier. Pakistan has intensified diplomacy following the Iran war — which was caused by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, killing its supreme leader and plunging the Middle East into conflict — with the PM Shehbaz and DPM/FM Dar speaking to their counterparts in the region as…

 The federal government has decided to appoint senior PML-N leader Nihal Hashmi as the governor of Sindh. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who nominated Hashmi as the governor, replacing Kamran Tessori, met with him and congratulated him on his appointment. The premier has sent the summary to the president for approval. Tessori was removed after several leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have demanded his replacement, especially after the Gul Plaza inferno. However, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the party he belongs to, has so far refrained from giving an immediate response. The news of Tessori’s removal has been circulating…

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has indicated a possible further increase in petroleum product prices in the coming days. Speaking at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, Aurangzeb said the government is implementing austerity and cost-saving measures on the instructions of the prime minister, but petroleum prices are still expected to rise in the near future. During the meeting, officials from the Petroleum Division informed the committee that Pakistan currently has five refinery plants, most of which are outdated. They added that Saudi Arabia is providing crude oil to Pakistan at discounted rates, offering some relief to the…