Thousands of Afghan refugees are being forcibly repatriated from Pakistan as the country intensified the deportation process with the end of the March 31 deadline.

Over 944 Afghan families, comprising 6,700 individuals, were deported from Pakistan since April 1, according to local media reports.

The most significant transfer took place in the Punjab province, where 5,111 other Afghan nationals were transported to the transit camps or holding centres across the province for repatriation, including 2,301 children and 1,120 women.

From Karachi, over 300 Afghans were deported from Pakistan to their home country.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that those deported from Karachi included 79 children, 37 women, and 191 men.

As the US reciprocal tariffs hit global markets, Neelkanth Mishra, chief economist at Axis Bank, said on Monday that some countries like China will have no option but to devalue their currencies in the current scenario.

The global markets have been shaken by tariffs implemented by US President Donald Trump, as countries plan to respond to these strict trade measures.

Mishra mentioned China’s mounting balance of payments pressure, driven by capital flight and decreased foreign direct investment.

With China’s trade surplus narrowing and tariffs impacting the economy, he predicted the country might be forced to devalue the yuan.

The risk of a currency war is high, and once devaluation begins, the situation could spiral into an unpredictable environment.

As global stock markets plunged on Monday, US President Donald Trump defended his controversial tariff policies, dismissing concerns over the economic impact. He said that the world leaders are "dying to make a deal" to negotiate the reciprocal tariffs.

With Asian markets opening to significant losses and US futures signalling further declines, Trump sought to downplay fears, suggesting that the market pain caused by his tariffs was a necessary "medicine" to fix longstanding trade imbalances.

On Sunday, Trump denied any intent to deliberately engineer a market selloff, insisting that he could not predict market reactions. He emphasised that he would not enter trade agreements with other countries unless they addressed the trade deficits.

"Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something," Trump said, referring to the market volatility.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited and laid a wreath at the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) Memorial in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, near Colombo, on Saturday evening. While paying respects, he hailed the brave soldiers of the IPKF who had laid down their lives in the service of peace, unity and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

The IPKF Memorial in Sri Lanka is perhaps the only war memorial commemorating the sacrifice of Indian soldiers, dedicated by a foreign country other than the United Kingdom.

It honours the memory of the 1169 personnel of the Indian forces who lost their lives while serving with the IPKF between 1987-1990. The memorial was constructed by the Lankan government on the outskirts of Colombo in 2008.

"Laid a wreath at the IPKF Memorial in Colombo. We remember the brave soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force who laid down their lives in service of peace, unity and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Their unwavering courage and commitment remain a source of inspiration for us all," said PM Modi.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday removed his Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Shahram Dabiri over his extravagant trip to the South Pole during the Nowruz (Persian New Year) holidays.

In a communique issued to Dabiri, President Pezeshkian said that after reviewing a report on Dabiri’s trip, he had decided to remove the Vice President from his post, stressing the need for government officials to set a personal example, Iranian media reports said.

Given the many economic hardships faced by the public, extravagant trips by officials, even if covered by personal income, are "not defendable and justifiable and run contrary to a minimalist lifestyle expected of Iranian officials", he said.

"(Our) longtime friendship and your invaluable services at the Vice-Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs do not preclude prioritising adherence to honesty, justice, and the promises made to the people," the President added.

Australia's prime minister has announced additional support for communities affected by catastrophic flooding in the country's northeast.

Anthony Albanese spent the eighth day of the campaign for the general election touring a vast area of the outback in the western part of the state of Queensland that has been inundated by flooding since late March.

The flooding in the sparsely-populated region, which is a major livestock farming area, is considered the worst since 1974 and has caused widespread damage as well as estimated losses of over 140,000 head of livestock, reports news agency.

Albanese on Saturday announced 105 million Australian dollars ($63.4 million) in funding to rebuild fencing to protect livestock from feral pigs and dogs. The state government previously made disaster assistance grants worth up to 75,000 Australian dollars ($45,314) available for affected primary producers in the region.

In an administrative error, the US government mistakenly issued an email to several Ukrainian refugees, notifying them that their provisional legal status would be terminated in 7 days and ordering them to leave the country.

The notice received by the Ukrainians who sought refuge in the US following the war with Russia caused panic among the immigrants this week.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acknowledged the error on Friday.

"A message was sent in error to some Ukrainians who entered the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine program," said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.

Global brokerages and economists have warned an impending US recession after factoring in the impact of reciprocal tariffs announced by the Donald Trump administration.

According to JPMorgan Chase & Co, “We now expect real GDP to contract under the weight of the tariffs, and for the full year (4Q/4Q) we now look for real GDP growth of -0.3 per cent, down from 1.3 per cent previously,”

The bank’s chief US economist Michael Feroli said in a note to clients that the forecast contraction in economic activity is expected to depress hiring and over time to lift the unemployment rate to 5.3 per cent.

Feroli expects the US Federal Reserve to begin cutting its benchmark interest rate in June and proceed with rate cuts at each subsequent meeting through January next year.

South Korea's presidential office has suspended its official website following the Constitutional Court's ruling on former President Yoon Suk Yeol's removal from office, a notice on the site showed on Saturday.

The website said that the service was "temporarily unavailable" as it is "undergoing maintenance," apologising to the public for causing inconvenience, news agency reported.

The notice appears to be a step taken following Friday's court decision to uphold the impeachment of Yoon and dismiss him as President over his martial law attempt last December.

On the same day, the presidential office in Yongsan lowered the flag bearing the official presidential emblem in front of the building, while ministries also removed photos of Yoon.

An Indian national was stabbed to death in the Rockland area near Ottawa, Canada, prompting a swift response from local authorities. The Indian Embassy in Canada confirmed the incident early on Saturday morning, stating that a suspect has been taken into custody.

The Indian Embassy released a statement expressing deep sorrow over the incident, offering support to the victim's family.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of an Indian national in Rockland near Ottawa, due to stabbing. Police has stated a suspect has been taken into custody. We are in close contact through a local community association to provide all possible assistance to the bereaved kin," the Embassy wrote in a post on X.

While the details of the stabbing are still unclear, local media reports indicate that the incident occurred early in the morning in the Clarence-Rockland area.