Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concluded a three-day tri-nation diplomatic tour spanning Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye, returning from Antalya on Saturday. The Prime Minister's Office framed the visits around strengthening bilateral ties, Pakistan's role in regional peace, and engagement on the evolving global situation. The tour opened on April 15 with a two-hour meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, signaling the priority Islamabad places on its Gulf relationships. Sharif also attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye, where he met with additional world leaders beyond the three bilateral hosts. The delegation included Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, indicating the visits carried both diplomatic and communications weight. No specific agreements or deliverables were disclosed in the PMO statement. The practical outcomes of the Gulf leg, particularly any economic, energy, or labor-related commitments with Riyadh and Doha, will determine whether this tour translates into tangible policy movement for Pakistan's stressed external accounts.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed at least 164 people and injured 971, interim president Delcy Rodriguez confirmed Thursday. The quakes are the country's strongest since 1900, collapsing buildings across Caracas and prompting a state of emergency, with the death toll expected to rise as
