Trump says NATO's refusal to help on Iran is "very foolish mistake"
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country's military operation in Iran, a move he described as a "very foolish mistake."
But Trump gave no indication that he plans to punish NATO allies for their stances, as he took questions from reporters in the Oval Office during the St. Patrick's Day visit of Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Reuters reported.
Trump said NATO countries were supportive of the joint U.S.-Israeli war, which has now entered its third week, even as they did not want to get involved.
Drone attack targets US embassy in Baghdad, explosion heard
A drone attack targeted the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and an explosion was heard in the area, security sources said early on Wednesday, a day after a series of strikes, Reuters reported.
Security sources had said on Tuesday that rocket and drone attacks had targeted the embassy, triggering sirens with an explosion heard near the diplomatic compound.
At least three explosive drones also targeted a U.S. diplomatic facility near Baghdad International Airport, activating C-RAM air defence systems, the sources said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Morocco declared African champions after Senegal stripped of title
Morocco were declared Africa Cup of Nations champions and Senegal were stripped of the title after an appeal over the result of the final was upheld by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the game in the Moroccan capital Rabat on January 18 because they walked off the pitch in protest at a potentially decisive penalty awarded against them.
They returned after 14 minutes to win the match 1-0 courtesy of a Pape Gueye goal in extra time. CAF's Appeal Board on Tuesday replaced that result with a 3-0 victory for Morocco, according to Reuters.
Public debt size reaches Rs 2,878 billion
The size of public debt in the first eight months of the current fiscal year has increased by over Rs 204 billion, reaching Rs 2,878.29 billion.
According to the Public Debt Management Office, at the beginning of the current fiscal year 2082–83 BS (2025–26), which commenced in mid-July, public debt stood at Rs 2,674.04 billion.
During this period, the government owes Rs 1,348.11 billion in domestic borrowing and Rs 1,530.18 billion in external debt.
Of the total public debt by the end of Fagun, the share of external debt is 53.16 percent, while domestic debt accounts for 46.84 percent.
So far, the total public debt amounts to 47.13 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In the current fiscal year, the government aims to mobilize Rs 559 billion in public debt.
By the end of Fagun (mid-March), Rs 295.19 billion had been raised, which is 50.44 percent of the total target.
Of the domestic borrowing target of Rs 362 billion, Rs 243.66 billion has been collected, accounting for 67.31 percent of the target.
Similarly, of the external borrowing target of Rs 233.66 billion, Rs 56.89 billion has been raised, which is only 24.31 percent of the target.
In the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Rs 411 billion for the repayment of principal and interest on public debt. By mid-March, payments had reached Rs 242.26 billion, which is 58.94 percent of the annual allocation.
The office stated that, based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the total debt servicing cost up to the end of Magh (mid-February) stands at 3.97 percent.
