https://ift.tt/gH7iwGv

Israel’s ​parliament passed ‌a law on ​Monday ​making the death ⁠penalty ​a default ​sentence for Palestinians convicted ​in ​military court of ‌deadly ⁠attacks, seeing through a ​main ​pledge ⁠by Prime ​Minister ​Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu’s far-right ⁠allies.

The legislation has been sharply criticised as discriminatory by European nations and rights groups.

The Times of Israel reported that the Knesset voted 62-48 to pass the law.

The bill was spearheaded by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, party.

The legislation results in the death penalty becoming the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed “acts of terrorism” by an Israeli military court.

The legislation says that the sentence may be reduced to life imprisonment under “special circumstances”.

According to The Times of Israel, the sentence handed under the law cannot be appealed.

Palestinians in the West Bank are automatically tried in Israeli military courts.

Meanwhile, under the law, in Israeli criminal courts, anyone “who intentionally causes the death of a person with the aim of harming an Israeli citizen or resident out of an intention to put an end to the existence of the state of Israel shall be sentenced to death or life imprisonment”.

Criminal courts try Israeli nationals, including Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The law sets the execution method as hanging, adding that it should be carried out within 90 days of the sentencing, with a possible postponement of up to 180 days.

Opposition lawmaker and former deputy Mossad director, Ram Ben Barak, expressed outrage at the legislation before it was passed.

“Do you understand what it means that there is one law for Arabs in Judea and Samaria, and a different law for the general public for which the state of Israel is responsible?” he asked fellow parliamentarians, using the Israeli name for the West Bank.

“I’ll tell you what it says. It says that Hamas has defeated us. It has defeated us because we have lost all our values,” he said. “It has defeated us because we are beginning to conduct ourselves like them, unfortunately. Full of hatred. And vengeance.”

‘Discriminatory application’

In February, Amnesty International urged Israeli lawmakers to reject the legislation, which it said “would allow Israeli courts to expand their use of death sentences with discriminatory application against Palestinians”.

On Sunday, Britain, France, Germany and Italy expressed “deep concern” over the legislation, which they said risked “undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles”.

While the death penalty exists for a small number of crimes in Israel, it has become a de facto abolitionist country — the Nazi Holocaust perpetrator Adolf Eichmann was the last person to be executed in 1962.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/bFYycEr

https://ift.tt/MS8yoka

On the 31st day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, the economic dimension of the war continued to become more pronounced as the conflict remained locked in a high-intensity, multi-domain phase, with exchanges continuing across Iran, Israel, and the wider region.

Inside Iran, US and Israeli strikes continued to target the civilian infrastructure besides military and strategic targets, including hits on research facilities and air defence systems.

The goal seems to be to degrade both Iran’s operational military capability and technological depth.

Moreover, there have been attacks on energy sites, leading to power outages in major urban centres such as Tehran and Karaj.

Despite these pressures, Iran’s retaliatory capacity remained intact, with continued missile and drone launches targeting Israeli industrial zones and infrastructure, as well as assets in Gulf countries.

In Israel, the impact of these strikes has become more visible with a second confirmed hit on the Haifa Bazan oil refinery — one of the country’s most critical energy facilities — in addition to the damage reported in industrial zones in the south. The cumulative effect of repeated strikes on such targets is beginning to strain infrastructure.

The Israel Defence Forces warned civilians near the Neot Hovav industrial zone to remain indoors due to fears of a hazardous materials leak after an impact on one of the plants in the zone.

The northern front

The northern front has also remained active, with continued fighting in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has maintained pressure through ground engagements and anti-armour operations across multiple sectors. Reports of Israeli casualties and equipment losses underline the attritional nature of this theatre, while Israeli forces have stepped up operations to expand a buffer zone along the border, including through clearance operations in border villages.

Hezbollah’s activity suggests that the front will remain a key pressure point and will continue to limit Israel’s ability to concentrate resources elsewhere.

The Gulf and maritime domain

Across the Gulf and maritime domain, tensions have remained centred on the Strait of Hormuz and related energy routes. Iran has signalled its intent to regulate passage through the strait amid reports of strikes targeting a key pipeline in the United Arab Emirates.

These developments reinforced uncertainty in global energy markets, as a result of which oil prices have remained elevated. International financial institutions have, meanwhile, warned of broader economic fallout if disruptions were to persist.

Limited traction of peace efforts as kinetic activity continues

US military posture in the region has continued to evolve, with additional special operations forces, airborne units, and Marine elements being deployed. These developments indicate that preparation is under way for a range of contingencies that could include limited ground operations or actions aimed at seizing strategic points such as key islands or critical infrastructure.

While Washington has reiterated its preference for a diplomatic resolution, official statements have continued to emphasise military objectives focused on degrading Iran’s air, naval and missile capabilities.

Diplomatic efforts, including those involving Pakistan, reportedly with backing from China, have yet to produce a breakthrough.

Tehran has maintained its position that it is not engaged in negotiations under current conditions, whereas US messaging has continued to combine offers of dialogue with threats of expanded strikes, particularly if maritime routes are not reopened.

This situation highlights the limited traction of ongoing attempts for peace because of continued kinetic activity.

On the economic front

Economically, the conflict is entering a more consequential phase as oil prices have surged beyond earlier thresholds.

It’s worth noting that despite sustained attacks, Iran’s export levels look to have held up, which is being interpreted by some as a signal that Iran has been retaining leverage in the energy domain. At the same time, repeated strikes on Israeli and regional industrial infrastructure are adding to the cumulative costs.

With no off-ramps in sight, the global markets are beginning to factor in the risk of prolonged disruption.

The reading of the situation at the end of day 31 suggests that the coming days are likely to be shaped by the interaction between continuation of military actions across multiple fronts, scarce de-escalation pathways and growing economic pressures. In particular, attention will be focused on developments around the Strait of Hormuz and the potential for further widening of the conflict if current trends persist.

---

Header image: A first responder inspects the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Hanouiyeh, east of Tyre, on March 30, 2026. — AFP

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/A2JE6qa

https://ift.tt/LQwdIGh

ISLAMABAD: The world wastes food on a staggering scale, as every year over one billion tonnes of edible food — nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers — is thrown away, impacting both people and the environment, undermining food security and climate resilience, and compromising progress towards a zero-waste, circular future.

The ‘International Day of Zero Waste’ is being observed on Monday (today), focusing on “Food – what we eat, what we waste, and how we can move towards a more circular future”. While hundreds of millions of people face hunger, 13 per cent of food is lost before it reaches retailers, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said.

In 2022, the world wasted an estimated 1.05 billion tonnes of food across the retail, food service, and household sectors combined. This amounts to 132 kg per capita per year, of which 79 kg per capita was wasted in households.

In a campaign brief, the UNEP said, “Zero waste starts on your plate”, estimating that $1 trillion was the annual cost of food loss and waste to the global economy. Up to 14pc of methane emissions come from food waste alone, largely from rotting organic waste.

Highlights over one billion tonnes of edible items thrown away every year

Speaking at the event, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said the consequences were far-reaching. Food loss and waste generate 8-10pc of global greenhouse gas emissions and are a major source of methane, which is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the short term. Reducing these emissions would slow the rate of global warming by mid-century.

According to the United Nations, around 60pc of food waste occurs at the household level, with the remainder coming mostly from food service and retail due to inefficient food systems, including production, distribution, and consumption. Tackling this issue requires redesigning these systems and transitioning towards a more sustainable, circular approach grounded in efficiency and resilience.

For this transition to succeed, the UN says governments can advance food waste prevention through climate and biodiversity plans and national policies on circularity, waste, food systems, agriculture, and urban development, while promoting effective measures and monitoring.

Businesses can set measurable food waste reduction targets, integrate them into sustainability commitments, and innovate to improve efficiency across supply chains.

‘Waste need not rot’

Speaking at the campaign brief, the UNEP executive director called for consumer behaviour change campaigns and food literacy programmes in schools, alongside retail and hospitality engagement through discounting products approaching expiry dates, improved stock management, and zero-waste dining offers.

She also highlighted the need for date-label reform to reduce confusion between “best before” and “use by” labels, as well as digital tools to help businesses forecast demand and optimise inventory.

“Organic waste represents between 30pc and 50pc of municipal waste, and in some countries up to 60pc,” Ms Andersen said.

However, she added that this waste need not rot, pointing out that it was a vital source of carbon and nutrients that fuelled microbial activity and restored soil health.

“Once treated and composted, this organic waste can be fed back into the food system, boosting degraded soils and reducing farmers’ dependency on fertilisers, the price and availability of which are affected by global shocks, as seen with disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-third of seaborne fertiliser trade passes, threatening access for some of the most vulnerable countries,” she elaborated.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2026

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/2gozwvE

https://ift.tt/8ZNuszd

Lahore Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations) Muhammad Faisal brought to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) chief executive officer’s notice on Sunday the alleged breach of security protocols involving Lahore Qalandar players Sikandar Raza and Shaheen Shah Afridi and urged necessary action to prevent the recurrence of such violations.

The Zimbabwe all-rounder is among several overseas players who arrived in Lahore to join their franchises for the 11th edition of the PSL.

In his letter, the Lahore DIG said, “As per the contents of the report of the superintendent of police (operations), Civil Lines Division, Lahore, a serious breach of established security protocols occurred on March 28, 2026 at the PC hotel where all PSL participant teams are currently residing under strict security arrangements.”

The letter said that at approximately 10:35pm, the Lahore Qalandars liaison officer approached Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Security and Anti-Corruption Manager Lt Col (retd) Akhtar Hussain, seeking his permission to allow four relatives of Sikandar Raza to visit his room.

“The request was declined in accordance with the security protocols in place,” the letter said.

Subsequently, Sameen Rana, the owner of Lahore Qalandars, also approached the PSL CEO with the same request, but his request was also declined on security grounds, the letter said.

“Despite these clear instructions, at approximately 11:05pm, it was reported by PCB security staff that Lahore Qalandar’s captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sikandar Raza disregarded the directives and forcefully escorted” the four visitors to Sikandar’s room “despite resistance from on-duty security personnel”, the letter alleged.

“The visitors remained in the room until approximately 1:25am,” it claimed.

The letter said that this incident represented a “clear violation” of the PCB’s security protocols and code of conduct, which were designed to ensure the safety and integrity of all players, officials, and associated personnel.

“In view of the seriousness of this matter, it is requested that the incident be reviewed at the appropriate forum and necessary action be taken to prevent recurrence of such violations,” the letter said.

It emphasised that ensuring strict compliance with security protocols was essential to avoid any untoward or potentially harmful situations.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/X6h38EP

https://ift.tt/3phiNsI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has developed a national drought action plan in an attempt to transition from a reactive to a proactive risk-based approach for drought management, as climate change is making droughts frequent and severe, leading to water stress.

Federal Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Aisha Humera Moriani, while speaking as a keynote speaker at a national consultative workshop on the National Drought Action Plan (NDAP) on Saturday, said drought was “no longer a distant or occasional risk” but an increasingly persistent threat driven by rising temperatures, water stress, and climate variability.

“Pakistan is already among the countries facing high water risk and drought directly affects agriculture, water resources, food security, ecosystems and livelihoods,” she said, adding that past responses had largely focused on post-impact relief rather than preparedness.

Ms Moriani highlighted the need for a coordinated institutional and policy framework to translate data into action. She acknowledged the role of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and partners in developing the Pakistan Drought Management System (PakDMS), which provides real-time monitoring and early warning capabilities.

Climate ministry official says drought ‘no longer a distant or occasional risk’, calls for ‘proactive’ approach

“This is a significant step forward. However, data alone is not enough. We need systems that ensure timely data-informed and evidence-based decisions and on-ground implementation,” she said.

The climate change ministry secretary informed participants that the ministry, with support from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and following extensive consultations, had developed a National Drought Action Plan. The plan was structured around key pillars, including planning and resource mobilisation, governance and policy, early warning systems, local mitigation actions and capacity building.

The workshop, attended by representatives from federal and provincial governments, development partners and organisations, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), aimed to finalise an operational framework for implementing the plan. Partici­pants discussed identifying priority sectors, defining institutional roles and responsibilities, and developing a roadmap for short-, medium- and long-term actions.

Aisha Moriani emphasised that effective drought management required strong coordination among federal and provincial governments, technical agencies and development partners. “Drought is a cross-sectoral challenge and requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” she stressed.

The secretary reiterated her ministry’s commitment to facilitating coordination with key stakeholders and urged participants to contribute technical inputs to finalise a practical and nationally owned action plan.

Mohammad Saleem Shaikh, a media spokesperson for the ministry, said that Pakistan continued to grapple with recurring and intensifying drought risks due to climate variability, water scarcity, heavy reliance on monsoon rainfall and growing pressure on surface and groundwater resources. The adverse impacts of drought cut across multiple sectors, including agriculture, water supply, energy production and livelihoods, he noted.

He highlighted that despite these risks, responses had largely remai­ned reactive and sector-specific. How­ever, the NDAP would provide a unified framework to shift towards proactive drought risk management by defining strategic priorities, institutional roles and coordinated actions before, during and after drought events, he claimed.

Talking about salient features of NDAP, Saleem Shaikh said it will offer operational drought monitoring and forecasting tools to support timely decision-making. How­ever, he cautioned that without a national action plan, the effective use of such data remains limited.

“Effective and well-coordinated implementation of the NDAP will help bridge existing gaps by providing a strategic roadmap to streng­then preparedness,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2026

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/umTG2rc

https://ift.tt/RCxoyk3

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said late on Saturday that the government of Iran had agreed to allow “20 more ships under the Pakistani flag to pass through the Strait of Hormuz”.

In a post on X, he said two ships will cross the Strait daily.

“This is a welcome and constructive gesture by Iran and deserves appreciation. It is a harbinger of peace and will help usher stability in the region,” he said.

“This positive announcement marks a meaningful step toward peace and will strengthen our collective efforts in that direction,” he said.

“Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward,” he said. He also tagged US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in the post.

The world has been facing a global fuel crunch in the aftermath of a US-Israeli war on Iran, which has been going on for nearly a month. The fuel crisis has resulted from the disruption of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a corridor that carries 20 per cent of global liquified natural gas and a quarter of seaborne oil.

Earlier in the day, Anadolu Agency had reported that Iran had permitted two Pakistani cargo ships to transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, a Pakistani oil tanker had also transited through the Strait on March 16 – the first such voyage by a non-Iranian tanker since the start of the war.

The development came hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and apprised him of Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach efforts to organise peace talks between Washington and Tehran, in a phone call that lasted over an hour.

Pakistan has taken centre-stage in a process to mediate between the US and Iran, being carried out in collaboration with Ankara and Cairo.

On Sunday, Islamabad will also be hosting the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt for “in-depth discussions” on a variety of issues, including efforts to reduce the ongoing tensions in the region amid the war on Iran.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/2rnfFxT

https://ift.tt/iUKPAwh

An international media association on Saturday condemned what it described as a “violent assault” by Israeli soldiers who detained a CNN crew in the occupied West Bank this week.

A CNN team was reporting on the aftermath of an assault by Israeli settlers and the establishment of an illegal outpost near the Palestinian village of Tayasir on Thursday when Israeli soldiers detained it, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) said.

“The soldiers aggressively targeted the crew and Palestinian civilians present, pointing their rifles at them,” the FPA said, even after the journalists identified themselves.

“The soldiers repeatedly tried to infringe the CNN crew’s right to film, ordering the crew to stop filming and threatening to confiscate the camera.

“Later, an IDF (Israeli Defence Force) soldier approached CNN’s photojournalist from behind, placed him in a chokehold, slammed him to the ground, and damaged his camera,” said the association, which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and Palestinian territories.

CNN confirmed the details in its own report on the incident, identifying the photojournalist as Cyril Theophilos.

“This was not a misunderstanding … It was a violent assault on clearly identified journalists and a direct attack on press freedom,” the FPA said.

“The use of force was excessive and dangerous. Pointing rifles at journalists and civilians, physically assaulting a cameraman, and detaining a crew are actions that cross every line.

“Such behaviour reflects a deeply alarming pattern of hostility toward the media and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” the FPA said, demanding an investigation into the incident.

The military said the incident will be probed.

“The soldiers’ conduct and statements in this incident do not represent the IDF, go against what is expected of IDF soldiers and will be investigated,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani wrote on X.

“I apologised privately, and I will say it again — this shouldn’t have happened. Our job is to maintain law and order, among that is allowing for freedom of the press.”

The incident is the second such event involving CNN this month.

Days ago, during Ramazan, a CNN producer was left with a fractured wrist following an “unprovoked assault” by Israeli police officers.

That incident happened when journalists were documenting worshippers praying outside the walls of the Old City in East Jerusalem.

Violence in the West Bank has continued unabated even after the October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, and since the outbreak of the current war in the Middle East, there has been a fresh spate of deadly attacks by Israeli settlers.

from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/vBIzSGY