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Lebanon must not become next Gaza, says UN chief

• Guterres warns war in Middle East is ‘out of control’; calls for immediate halt to hostilities between Israel, Hezbollah • Israeli strikes kill nine more in Beirut, southern areas • Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez condemns US-Israeli actions UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah must not condemn Lebanon to the same fate as Gaza, the Palestinian territory decimated by years of conflict. “The Gaza model must not be replicated in Lebanon,” Guterres told reporters, also saying the wider war in the Middle East is “out of control”, as the United States, Israel and Iran have carried out strikes for more than three weeks. “Across the region, and far beyond, civilians are enduring serious harm and living under profound insecurity. I witnessed some of these consequences firsthand during my recent visit to Lebanon,” he said. “There, too, the war must stop. Hezbollah must stop launching attacks into Israel. And Israel mu...
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Petroleum dealers postpone strike in light of Middle East conflict

KARACHI: Petroleum dealers announced on Wednesday that they were postponing a strike they planned to begin on March 26, keeping in view the situation resulting from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has given rise to a global fuel crunch and supply uncertainties. Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) Chairperson Abdul Sami Khan told Dawn that “we have postponed the strike, keeping in view the hardships consumers will face if the war escalates and leads to a supply chain crisis of petroleum products”. Asked if the PPDA would call a strike in the near future, he said, “I cannot confirm right now as the situation is highly volatile.” The association had announced the strike on March 13 and given the government until March 26 to revise the petroleum dealers’ margin from 2.59 per cent to 8pc in the wake of a Rs55 per litre hike in diesel and petrol rates. The decision to raise the prices was announced on March 6 as Pakistan felt the first direct economic impacts of the...
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US-Israel war on Iran may increase food prices worldwide: UN

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said that the prolonged disruption to trade through the Strait of Hormuz triggered by US/Israeli attack on Iran could create cascading impacts across energy markets, fertiliser supply chains and global agrifood systems, raising production costs, tightening agri­­cultural supply and increasing food prices worldwide. While global food markets remain more stable than during previous crises, the current war underscores the vulnerability of interconnected energy and agrifood systems and the importance of coordinated international action to stabilise markets, maintain open trade routes, and protect vulnerable populations from rising food insecurity, the FAO said in its report titled, Global Agrifood Implications of the 2026 Conflict in the Middle East. A coordinated policy response is urgently needed to mitigate these risks and build resilience. In the short term, alternative trade routes, market monitoring, targ...
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Govt may have to ‘unfreeze’ fuel prices amid global surge

• Targeted subsidy for two-, three-wheelers on the anvil • Jet fuel, kerosene prices rise quietly, but dramatically • Rising jet fuel costs push up domestic, international fares by 30-40pc • Passenger volumes on Gulf routes drop; Europe-bound travellers face limited routes, exorbitant prices • Exporters sound alarm over rising air cargo rates ISLAMABAD: Amid a sharp rise in jet fuel and kerosene prices, the government is considering unfreezing prices of other petroleum products to reflect global trends, while introducing targeted subsidies for two- and three-wheelers. While petrol and high-speed diesel prices have been kept unchanged in recent weeks, the rates of jet fuel (JP-1) and kerosene have been increased without formal announcement. Official rates seen by Dawn suggest JP-1 prices were raised by Rs84 per litre, or 21.65 per cent, to Rs472 from Rs388 per litre with effect from March 21. Since March 1, the price has surged by nearly 150pc from Rs190 per litre. Similarly, ...
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Clerics from Pakistan, Afghanistan appeal to authorities to extend pause in fighting till Eidul Azha

ISLAMABAD: A group of clerics from Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday appealed to the authorities on both sides to extend the pause in hostilities — which was announced for Eidul Fitr — to Eidul Azha. In Pakistan, the announcement was made by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on March 18, three days before Eidul Fitr. “In view of the upcoming Islamic festival of Eidul Fitr, upon its own initiative as well as on the request from the brotherly Islamic countries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye, the government of Pakistan has decided to announce a temporary pause amidst ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan,” Tarar had posted on X. The minister said the pause would be applicable from midnight March 18-19 to midnight March 23-24. Pakistan had launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on the night of Feb 26 following cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban. Eleven Pakistani and as...
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Indonesia says no to $1bn fee for Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ seat

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JAKARTA: Indonesia’s president, under fire at home for signing up to US counterpart Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace ”, has insisted his country would not pay the $1 billion joining fee for permanent membership. Jakarta had only committed peacekeeping troops for the initiative, Prabowo Subianto said in a statement published on the presidential YouTube channel on Sunday. The “Board of Peace” came together after the Trump administration, teaming up with Qatar and Egypt, negotiated a ceasefire in October to halt two years of devastating war in Gaza. Countries that want to be permanent members must pay $1 billion — sparking criticism the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council. Jakarta has only committed peacekeeping troops for initiative, says Indonesian president Prabowo, a former general, has come under criticism from Indonesian Muslim groups for joining the board and pledging to send 8,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza. Prabowo attended t...
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Did Iran attack Diego Garcia military base?

AFTER a joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean was targeted by two long-range missiles, there are conflicting claims about who fired the projectiles, which reportedly had a range of 4000km and were successfully intercepted. Reports indicate that one missile failed mid-flight, while the other was intercepted by a US warship before reaching the island. According to an Al Jazeera report, the incident happened just hours before UK ministers were to assemble in London to discuss the Iran war. At the meeting, the UK agreed to let the US use its military bases for collective self-defence, it reported. The UK condemned what it described as “reckless” Iranian actions after missiles, while Iran denied carrying out the attack. However, a senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera that Tehran was not responsible for the alleged missile launch. Earlier this month, Iran’s foreign minister said that Tehran kept its missile range under 2000km because it did not want t...
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