Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Spectators attending an Indian Premier League (IPL) game in Bangalore were disappointed after numerous mobile phones were reported stolen amid large crowds at and around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, according to Indian media on Monday. The incidents occurred during the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad, with several fans reporting that their phones went missing while moving through packed sections or stepping out for refreshments. According to police and victims cited in media reports, most of the thefts took place inside the stadium stands during peak crowd movement, particularly in the second innings. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division) Akshay Hakay said at least 30 phones had been reported stolen so far. A content creator shared a video claiming that dozens of phones, including her husband&rsquo;s, could have been stolen from just one stand. She claimed that when victims approached stadium police for help, their complaints were ignored. They then went to a nearby police station, where they met other affected spectators.

Asia

Multiple mobile phones were reported stolen amid large crowds at and around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, according to Indian media.

Phones stolen at IPL match leave spectators disappointed

TEHRAN: Iranian state media reported Monday that a parliamentary commission had approved plans to impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to oil and gas shipments that has been effectively closed due to the Middle East war.&nbsp;Citing a member of the parliament&#39;s security commission, state TV said the plan involved, among other things, &quot;financial arrangements and rial toll systems&quot; and &quot;implementing the sovereign role of Iran&quot;, as well as cooperation with Oman on the other side of the Strait.&nbsp;It also included the &quot;prohibition of Americans and the Zionist regime from passing through&quot;, as well as a ban on other countries imposing sanctions on Iran.&nbsp;Around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz in peacetime.&nbsp;Since the war began, crossings have plummeted by around 95 percent, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, with the impact felt across global energy markets.&nbsp;

Middle East

Iran parliament commission approved plans to impose tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, limit US and Israeli access, and work with Oman. War has reduced traffic by 95%, affecting a major route for global oil and gas supplies.

Iran parliament commission approves Hormuz toll plan: state TV

JERUSALEM: Israel&#39;s parliament approved a bill on Monday that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks, a move sharply criticized as discriminatory by European nations and rights groups. Sixty-two lawmakers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, voted in favor and 48 against the bill, championed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. There was one abstention and the rest of the lawmakers were not present. Israeli rights group petitionsA leading Israeli human rights group announced it had filed a petition with the country&#39;s Supreme Court challenging a bill approved by lawmakers on Monday that would permit the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly terror attacks. &quot;The Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition today to the High Court of Justice, demanding the annulment of the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, enacted by the Knesset today, March 30, 2026,&quot; the rights group said in a statement shortly after lawmakers passed the bill. The group said there were two grounds for annulling the bill. &quot;First, the Knesset has no authority to legislate for the West Bank. Israel holds no sovereignty there,&quot; it said, referring to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. &quot;Second, the law is unconstitutional. It violates the right to life, human dignity, due process, and equality - rights protected under (Israel&#39;s) Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.&quot;

Israel's parliament approves a bill that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks; leading Israeli human rights group announces filing a petition with the country's Supreme Court challenging a bill approved by lawmakers 

Israel parliament approves death penalty bill for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s leadership on Monday reviewed the country&rsquo;s energy supplies and economic situation, emphasizing the need to protect the public from rising prices amid global market volatility and regional uncertainty, according to official statements. President Asif Ali Zardari chaired an expanded consultative meeting in Islamabad with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, provincial leaders, and senior cabinet members, directing authorities to take &ldquo;all possible measures&rdquo; to ease the burden of rising costs on the public, particularly for essential goods and services, according to the President&#39;s Media Wing. The meeting was told that despite global pressures, timely decisions had ensured no disruption in fuel supply, with adequate stocks available and future arrangements underway. Officials also reviewed the broader regional situation and its potential impact on Pakistan&rsquo;s security environment, economic outlook and food security. Sufficient petrol availabilitySeparately, a cabinet committee overseeing petroleum prices said the country&rsquo;s fuel supply remained stable, with diesel stocks covering around 23-24 days and petrol availability sufficient. Crude oil stocks were reported to cover about 11 days, with additional shipments in transit expected to sustain refinery operations through April, according to the Finance Division statement. The committee noted that international oil markets remained volatile, with rising benchmark prices and higher cargo premiums linked to regional developments. It said import plans for April were being actively managed, with volumes secured through commercial and government-to-government arrangements. Officials said refinery operations were being maintained at optimal levels to meet domestic demand, while procurement strategies were being adjusted to secure favourable supply terms under existing contracts, as per the statement. Authorities also reviewed fuel demand trends, noting increased consumption in recent weeks, and directed provincial administrations to strengthen oversight to prevent hoarding and ensure smooth distribution. The government said efforts were underway to maintain an uninterrupted fuel supply while minimising the impact of global price fluctuations on consumers.

Economy

Pakistan’s leadership reviews the country’s energy supplies and economic situation, stressing the need to shield the public from rising prices amid global market volatility and regional uncertainty.

Pakistan reviews fuel supplies, vows public relief amid global volatility

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s former ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani has highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s growing significance as a mediator in global conflicts, particularly between the United States of America and Iran. Speaking at Pakistan TV&#39;s programme &#39;Unfold&#39;, Haqqani emphasised that Pakistan has earned trust from both sides, making it a key channel for dialogue. He noted that Pakistan&rsquo;s strong relations with the US, Iran, and Arab Gulf countries give it credibility as a neutral actor. &ldquo;Pakistan&rsquo;s position has already been established, recognised, and acknowledged,&rdquo; he said, praising the country&rsquo;s enhanced diplomatic role. He also pointed to the strength of Pakistan&rsquo;s military and political leadership, whose coordinated efforts have created an environment where Pakistan is seen as a reliable convener for complex negotiations. This reflects the nation&rsquo;s strategic depth, institutional stability, and capacity to engage multiple stakeholders effectively, he added. Hussain Haqqani underlined Pakistan&rsquo;s balanced approach in mediation.&nbsp; &ldquo;Pakistan facilitates dialogue while respecting each side&rsquo;s positions,&rdquo; he said, adding that &ldquo;outcome will depend on all the actors, but Pakistan&rsquo;s effort is recognised and appreciated. He highlighted the country&rsquo;s growing diplomatic credibility. The former ambassador said by providing a platform for peace talks, Pakistan is establishing itself as a stabilising force in a volatile region.&nbsp; He described these efforts as a &ldquo;positive thing,&rdquo; demonstrating the nation&rsquo;s ability to contribute meaningfully to global peace. He further said through persistent engagement, Pakistan shows it can bridge divides, foster dialogue, and promote peace and stability.&nbsp; Its strategic role in mediation underscores the country&rsquo;s diplomatic maturity, reinforcing its position as a credible and responsible global actor, Haqqani added.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani has highlighted Pakistan’s growing significance as a mediator in global conflicts, particularly between the United States of America and Iran

Pakistan emerges as a trusted mediator in global conflicts: Haqqani

TOKYO: Peter Steinberger&#39;s artificial intelligence (AI) agent tool OpenClaw has taken the tech world by storm with its ability to execute real-life tasks such as checking him in for his flight to Tokyo. AI is not yet a ubiquitous personal assistant for ordinary people, but &quot;you&#39;ll see much more of that this year because this is the year of agents&quot;, Steinberger told AFP in the Japanese capital on Monday. &quot;There are still some things we need to do to make it better,&quot; the Austrian programmer said. Demand is ramping up, however, with more developers now &quot;making the future happen&quot;, he added in an interview during a gathering for OpenClaw enthusiasts. When downloaded, OpenClaw can be connected to existing AI models and given simple instructions through instant messaging apps, as if to a friend or colleague. Jensen Huang, head of the world&#39;s most valuable company Nvidia, this month hailed the tool &ndash; whose symbol is a bright red lobster &ndash; as &quot;the next ChatGPT&quot;. But all the buzz has raised concerns over the cybersecurity risks of allowing AI systems vulnerable to hacks to access personal data such as bank details. Chinese &#39;momentum&#39; Steinberger built OpenClaw in November while playing around with AI coding tools in an attempt to organise his digital life. He has since been hired by ChatGPT creator OpenAI &quot;to drive the next generation of personal agents&quot;, the US startup&#39;s boss Sam Altman said in February. &quot;What you have to know about OpenClaw is, like, it couldn&#39;t have come from those big companies,&quot; Steinberger told AFP. &quot;Those companies would have worried too much about what could go wrong instead of just, like &ndash; I wanted to just show people I&#39;ve been into the future,&quot; he said. While tech giants work out how agent tools could be used by businesses, the next AI innovation could come from &quot;someone who just wants to have fun&quot;, Steinberger said. At Monday&#39;s &quot;ClawCon&quot; event in Tokyo, where many of the hundreds of participants were dressed as lobsters, OpenClaw demos were held on stage and experts helped attendees install their agents. Similar scenes have been seen across China, where users have been particularly quick to embrace OpenClaw&#39;s potential to organize emails, help with coding and a plethora of other digital tasks. &quot;If you see it as a competition, it certainly looks like China is gaining a lot of momentum&quot; in the AI sector, Steinberger said. &quot;But right now there&#39;s still quite a bit of a leap between the best models from China and the best models in the US.&quot; AI &#39;hammer&#39; OpenClaw&#39;s success in China has led national cybersecurity authorities and Beijing&#39;s IT ministry to issue official warnings over potential risks. Is Steinberger concerned that people could use his tool for illicit purposes? &quot;Yes, I do worry a bit, especially because there&#39;s now a whole cottage industry of companies that try to make a big buck and make it even simpler to install OpenClaw,&quot; he said. &quot;I purposefully didn&#39;t make it simpler so people would stop and read and understand: what is AI, that AI can make mistakes, what is prompt injection &ndash; some basics that you really should understand when you use that technology.&quot; But at the end of the day, &quot;if you build a hammer... you can hurt yourself. So should we not build hammers any more&quot;? A Reddit-like pseudo social network for OpenClaw agents called Moltbook, where chatbots converse, has also grabbed headlines and provoked soul-searching over AI. &quot;A lot of that was, in my view, very much driven by humans to just create those stories,&quot; Steinberger said, adding that joining OpenAI means he now has more resources to use on &quot;cool ideas&quot;. He said 2023-2024 &quot;was the year of ChatGPT, last year was the year of the coding agent, this year&#39;s going to be the year of the general agent&quot;. &quot;I love that I helped a lot of people to bring AI from this scary thing into something that is fun and weird and gets them excited, because we need to to make it good for this next century,&quot; Steinberger explained. &quot;We need more people to think more about AI.&rdquo;

A man wears a lobster hat that represent the OpenClaw logo, an open-source AI assistant at the Baidu headquarter in Beijing on March 11, 2026. (AFP)

Artificial Intelligence

OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger says 2026 will be “the year of AI agents,” as tools gain popularity for real-world tasks, despite cybersecurity concerns and growing global competition, particularly from China.

OpenClaw creator says new tool shows rise of everyday AI assistants

MUMBAI: India&#39;s rupee fell to a record low of more than 95 to the dollar on Monday, before recovering, despite recent efforts by the central bank to stem its fall. The rupee was among Asia&#39;s worst forex performers in 2025, and its underperformance has continued well into this year, hitting new lows on a regular basis. Experts say the Middle East war has piled more pressure on the currency, as overseas investors offload Indian shares, and as concerns grow over India&#39;s rising energy import bill and the possibility of a wider current account deficit. On Monday afternoon, the rupee hit 95.21, down 0.3 percent from Friday&#39;s close, before recovering later to 94.83. The world&#39;s most populous nation is one of the &quot;most vulnerable economies within Asia to an energy price shock&quot;, analysts at Nomura wrote in a note on Monday. This has partly caused overseas investors to sell around $12 billion in Indian equities in March so far. &quot;Foreign outflows from Indian equities could intensify, if the Middle East conflict tightens global financial conditions significantly,&quot; Nomura analysts added. More significantly, the rupee&#39;s drop comes despite recent interventions by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to stem the fall, including via aggressive dollar sales. On Friday, the RBI clamped down on speculation in the foreign exchange market by limiting to $100 million the daily currency positions that lenders can have. &quot;By capping onshore exposure, the RBI forces unwind ... long-dollar positions, draining speculative fuel from the market,&quot; Raj Gaikar of SAMCO Securities told AFP. Gaikar, however, added that while the measure worked &quot;in intent&quot;, it is not a &quot;trend reversal&quot;. &quot;Crude above $100 and persistent FII (foreign institutional investor) outflows remain structural headwinds that no position cap can fully neutralise.&quot;

India's rupee fell to a record low of more than 95 to the dollar on Monday, before recovering, despite recent efforts by the central bank to stem its fall.

Indian rupee hits fresh record low past 95 per dollar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and European Council President Antonio Costa spoke by phone Monday, with PM Sharif outlining the latest steps Islamabad has taken to reduce tensions in the Middle East, and the two leaders exchanging views on what the widening conflict means for the global economy. According to an official statement released by the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office, both leaders said they were deeply worried about the fighting involving Iran and the Gulf states and called for the situation to be settled through &quot;dialogue and diplomacy.&quot; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2038584095127879726&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=644a46dd8d0d79b531cbdf97a9fc7c9faa515e78&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Islamabad: 30 March 2026. Telephone call between the Prime Minister and the President of the EU Council Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from H.E. Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, this afternoon. During their warm and cordial&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/V1OV32WFoq" style="color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">pic.twitter.com/V1OV32WFoq</a>&mdash; Prime Minister&#39;s Office (@PakPMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakPMO/status/2038584095127879726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote></div> Costa backed Pakistan&#39;s peacemaking role, saying the European Council stood behind every diplomatic channel working to bring order back to the region. PM Sharif told Costa that Islamabad places considerable weight on its ties with the European Union. He also brought up a Brussels trip he was forced to postpone last month. The European Council President said he expected to host the prime minister in the Belgian capital &quot;on mutually convenient dates.&quot; PM Sharif talked about the GSP+, the EU&#39;s preferential trade arrangement for vulnerable developing economies. The prime minister said he planned to open the first Pakistan-EU Business Forum in Islamabad on April 28-29.

The President of the European Council António Costa's opening remarks to the European Parliament on 25 March 2026 in Brussels. (EU Council Newsroom)

The European Council endorsed Pakistan's push for dialog to de-escalate the Middle East crisis, with Brussels signaling support for all efforts to pull the region back from the brink.

PM Sharif briefs European Council president on Pakistan's US-Iran mediation efforts

ISLAMABAD: Taliban courts sentenced three women to flogging across two northern Afghan provinces over the weekend, with prison sentences of up to five years handed down on charges including &ldquo;illicit relations,&rdquo; according to an official statement from the interim government&rsquo;s Supreme Court. The punishments were carried out in Balkh and Jowzjan provinces. These are part of a broader series of rulings implemented across three northern provinces following approval by the regime&rsquo;s Supreme Court. In Balkh&rsquo;s Zari district, a woman was sentenced to five years in prison and 35 lashes on Sunday after being convicted of &ldquo;illicit relations.&rdquo; The ruling was issued by a primary court and enforced after review by higher judicial authorities. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 777px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2038195724676993334&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F5001%2F&sessionId=3b77d12cca200d4fe655a96af0704e28bfd67611&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>In Jowzjan&rsquo;s Qosh Tapeh district, six people, including two women, were convicted on charges including illicit relations, insulting officials, and adultery. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 801px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2038199489274495457&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F5001%2F&sessionId=3b77d12cca200d4fe655a96af0704e28bfd67611&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> According to the court statement, the sentences ranged from six months to two years in prison, along with floggings of 20 to 39 lashes. A separate case in Faryab province&rsquo;s Shirin Tagab district involved three people, including one woman. They were sentenced to one year in prison for what authorities described as &ldquo;maintaining illegal relationships.&rdquo; The court also imposed additional &ldquo;punitive measures.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 777px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2038560810495058005&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F5001%2F&sessionId=3b77d12cca200d4fe655a96af0704e28bfd67611&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Local media reports said the punishments were carried out in public, attended by members of the judiciary and religious scholars. Civilian and military officials, along with large gatherings of residents, also witnessed the punishments. Taliban authorities say such rulings are intended to enforce legal and moral codes. The latest cases come amid a broader pattern of public punishments under Taliban rule. According to recent reporting and United Nations monitoring, corporal punishments, including floggings, have continued across multiple provinces. This has raised concerns about due process, transparency, and the protection of fundamental rights. Human rights observers say the use of public punishments, particularly against women, reflects a wider tightening of restrictions and enforcement of &ldquo;morality-based&rdquo; laws across Afghanistan.

A poster in Kabul reads: ‘Dear sisters! Hijab and veil are your dignity and are in your benefit in this world and in the hereafter’. (AFP)

Afghanistan

Public floggings were carried out in Balkh and Jowzjan after Afghan Taliban's Supreme Court approval, with sentences including prison terms and lashes. Officials say the punishments enforce moral codes, while observers raise concerns over due process and public enforcement.

Taliban courts sentence three women to public flogging across Afghanistan

BERLIN: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday pledged to work with Germany to enable more Syrians to return home and rebuild their country after its devastating civil war, as he made a historic visit to Berlin. Europe&#39;s top economy is home to the largest Syrian diaspora in the European Union at more than a million, many of whom arrived during the peak of the migrant influx in 2015-2016. After meeting Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Sharaa said that &quot;we are working with our friends in the German government to establish a &#39;circular&#39; migration model&quot;. This would &quot;enable Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland without giving up the stability and lives they have built here, for those who wish to stay&quot;, he said. Merz, who has made a tougher immigration policy a priority since taking office last year, also said he and Sharaa were &quot;working jointly towards more Syrians being able to return to their homeland&quot;. Sharaa, 43, a former rebel leader, was speaking on his first trip to Germany since ousting his country&#39;s longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. He has managed to build relations with Western governments and made several overseas trips, including to the United States, France and Russia. As a result, many international sanctions on Syria have been lifted to help the country rebuild after a bloody 14-year civil war. &#39;Wealth of human resources&#39; Earlier, Sharaa told a foreign ministry forum in Berlin that Syria had experienced a &quot;huge amount of destruction&quot; during its long conflict, saying that Syrians &quot;want to catch up with the rest of the world&quot; as Germany did after World War II. He pointed to investment opportunities in Syria&#39;s energy, transport and tourism sectors, describing his homeland as very diverse and with &quot;a great wealth of human resources&quot;. Merz said Germany wanted to &quot;support&quot; reconstruction in Syria as it struggles to rebuild after a long and bloody civil war, adding that a German government delegation would travel to the Middle Eastern country in the next few days. However, Merz also said that he had stressed to Sharaa in their meeting &quot;that many joint projects in the future will depend on our finding a state governed by the rule of law&quot;. Rights campaigners have criticized Sharaa&#39;s Germany visit, pointing to his militant&nbsp;past and ongoing violence and instability in Syria. Protesters gathered in front of the foreign ministry on Monday waving Kurdish flags and placards, highlighting Sharaa&#39;s time as a&nbsp;militant. Near the chancellery, dozens of Syrians also turned out to welcome Sharaa, waving Syria&#39;s new revolutionary flag and a banner showing the president surrounded by hearts. The German Green party&#39;s foreign affairs spokeswoman Luise Amtsberg told AFP Germany should not engage in a &quot;premature normalization&quot; with Sharaa&#39;s government. Merz had reduced Syria policy to the question of returns &quot;and is ignoring the situation on the ground&quot;, she said. &#39;Authoritarian tendencies&#39; Since Sharaa has been in power, sectarian tensions have continued to cause repeated bloodshed in Syria, while the ISIS&nbsp;group remains at large. After Assad&#39;s overthrow, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions. Sharaa was initially planning to visit Germany in January, but the trip was postponed as he sought to end fighting between government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in his country&#39;s north. KGD, a group that represents the Kurdish community in Germany, has said that Sharaa &quot;bears responsibility for numerous human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity&quot;. Sophie Bischoff, president of the German-Syrian NGO Adopt A Revolution, told reporters that any support from the German government &quot;must be linked to clear conditions&quot; and warned that &quot;authoritarian tendencies are on the rise again in Syria&quot;.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) welcomes Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Chancellery in Berlin on March 30, 2026. (AFP)

Europe

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, on a Berlin visit, pledged cooperation with Germany to enable refugee returns and reconstruction, while critics warned against normalization of relations amid ongoing violence, instability and rights concerns within Syria.

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