Officials in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they were unaware of a planned United States attack on Iran. This came after Donald Trump said Gulf leaders had asked him to delay military action. Trump later warned that the US could still strike Iran within days if nuclear talks fail. Iran has sent a new proposal through Pakistan. The growing tensions have raised concerns about a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Tensions across the Middle East have intensified after reports claimed Iranian lawmakers are drafting legislation proposing a €50 million reward linked to the assassination of former US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to reports, the proposed bill emerged following the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in military strikes on February 28. Iranian officials accused Israel and US Central Command figures of involvement. Iranian parliament members described the draft as a major shift in Tehran’s retaliation strategy, warning that future attacks on Iran could trigger responses not only against the US and Israel but also regional allies aligned with them amid fragile diplomatic negotiations. (PC: X)

Pakistan’s Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, has approved a major heritage restoration initiative under the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival to revive Lahore’s pre-Partition place names. Areas like Krishan Nagar, Dharampura and Lakshmi Chowk have officially replaced later Islamic-era names. Analysts view the campaign as a soft-power strategy by the ruling PML-N to project cultural inclusivity, reconnect with shared Punjabi heritage and appeal to Indian audiences and the global diaspora. However, critics argue the symbolic renaming cannot overcome Pakistan’s structural realities, including demographic decline of minorities, blasphemy laws, destroyed religious sites, systemic discrimination and heavily restricted India-Pakistan border and visa regimes limiting meaningful cultural reconciliation efforts. (PC: X)

Three people were killed after two teenage gunmen opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego in California, United States, in what police are investigating as a suspected hate crime. The attackers, aged 17 and 18, later died by suicide inside a vehicle found a few blocks from the mosque. Among those killed was a security guard who police said acted heroically and helped prevent a far deadlier attack. Authorities said one suspect left behind writings containing hate speech and extremist rhetoric. The shooting happened days before Eid al-Adha celebrations, shocking the Muslim community across the US. The FBI and local police have launched a full investigation into the attack and the suspects’ motive. California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the violence and said attacks targeting places of worship would not be tolerated in the United States. (PC: BBC)

A rare 700-kg albino buffalo in Bangladesh has become an internet sensation after locals said it resembles US President Donald Trump because of its golden hair and facial features. The buffalo, kept at a farm in Narayanganj, is attracting large crowds ahead of Eid al-Adha celebrations. Farm owner Ziauddin Mridha said the nickname started as a family joke but quickly went viral online. Visitors travelling to the farm said the buffalo’s hairstyle and face closely resemble Trump. Another buffalo at the farm, nicknamed “Benjamin Netanyahu”, has also gained attention online for its energetic and aggressive behaviour. (PC: Economic Times)

Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has called on the country’s military-backed government to provide “proof of life” for his mother. Speaking outside the UK Parliament, Aris said there was still no credible and independently verified evidence that Suu Kyi is alive more than five years after Myanmar’s military coup. The 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has not been seen publicly since her arrest in February 2021. Concerns over her health and whereabouts grew after authorities recently released an undated photograph claiming to show her under house arrest. (PC: X)

Deepening poverty and severe hunger in Afghanistan are forcing families into heartbreaking decisions, with some parents selling their children to survive. In Ghor province, fathers told the BBC they struggle daily to find work, while millions across the country face extreme food shortages after major international aid cuts.   One father said he was willing to sell his daughters to feed the rest of his family, while another sold his five-year-old daughter to pay for her medical treatment. Hospitals are overwhelmed with malnourished children, and doctors warn rising poverty and lack of medicines are worsening child deaths across Afghanistan. (PC: BBC)

Indirect talks between the United States and Iran remain deadlocked despite fresh mediation efforts by Pakistan. A senior US official described Tehran’s revised peace proposal as “insufficient”, while reports said US President Donald Trump will meet his national security team to discuss possible military options.   Iran is seeking sanctions relief, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a permanent end to hostilities. Regional tensions have intensified following drone attacks near the UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant and renewed Israeli strikes in Gaza and Lebanon, raising fears of a wider Middle East conflict. (PC: HT)

The US-Iran crisis deepened after US President Donald Trump rejected any concessions on Iran’s nuclear programme and warned Tehran that it knows “what’s going to be happening soon.” Speaking to the New York Post, Trump dismissed the latest Iranian peace proposal as inadequate and signalled Washington may consider renewed military action. The remarks followed weekend meetings with his national security team amid reports of possible coordinated US-Israel strikes on Iran. Trump also reversed his earlier suggestion of accepting a temporary uranium enrichment moratorium, saying he is “not open to anything right now.” The statement has intensified fears that the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran may soon collapse. (PC: X)

The United States has extended for 30 days a sanctions waiver allowing trade in Russian seaborne oil, citing requests from multiple countries seeking additional time to continue purchases. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the temporary license would help energy-vulnerable nations access Russian oil stranded at sea and stabilise global crude markets following disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz crisis. The waiver, first introduced in March during the US-Israel-Iran conflict, permits limited access to sanctioned Russian petroleum products without violating broader US restrictions on companies such as Rosneft and Lukoil. India has emerged as a major beneficiary, reportedly purchasing around 30 million barrels of Russian oil under the exemption after refiners previously reduced imports due to sanctions.