US President Donald Trump has indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran at the request of Pakistan, aiming to allow Tehran's leadership time to form a unified proposal to end the seven-week war.
The core issues to be settled -- access to Hormuz, Israel's aggression in Lebanon, the question of Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and compensation -- are thorny enough to require weeks of patient negotiation. The most likely outcome of the opening sessions is that both sides take the measure of each other, establish what is and is not negotiable, and return home without having broken anything. That would count as progress.
The United States, which entered this war in expectation of a short, sharp win along the Venezuela model, is now preparing for deeper involvement in a conflict it does not fully control, without the allies it typically relies on, against an adversary that is not behaving as expected, in a global environment that is already absorbing economic shock. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Trump may strike. He may announce productive talks and extend again. He may do both at the same time. Iran will not open the Strait on someone else's terms, so no matter what happens, that problem will remain unsolved. And the IRGC will still be collecting its $2 million toll from every ship bold enough to ask permission to pass.
The LPG squeeze on India's restaurant sector is the quotidian face of a deeper crisis.
September saw some mixed fashion on display with some celebs going desi while others making a statement with their bold and beautiful avatars.
Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met in Islamabad in what analysts say is the formal opening of a new diplomatic formation that could reshape the post-war regional order. Their immediate goal is a ceasefire; their larger ambition is to ensure that neither Iran nor Israel emerges from this war in a dominant position. Pakistan's foreign minister then flew directly to Beijing and mooted a Chinese role as guarantor of any eventual agreement. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
When everyone has footage and no one can verify it, the loudest voice wins, notes Prem Panicker who begins a daily blog on the War in the Middle East.
The chairman of maritime company Safesea Group has described the attack on the US-owned crude oil tanker Safesea Vishnu, which resulted in the death of an Indian crew member, as "deliberate and calculated". He emphasised the need for governments to ensure the safety of commercial shipping lanes and seafarers.
'Was the five-day pause ever meant to hold, or was it simply another instrument of signaling, of positioning, of buying time in a war where even the pauses are tactical?' asks Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Bill Gates has apologized to the Gates Foundation staff for his association with Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to having affairs with Russian women, stating he did nothing illicit but regrets the mistake.
When missiles fly in this region, they are never just aimed at military targets.
'I suspect that Bangladesh being given permission stuck in India's official craw, and this story was an attempt to balance the scales by giving the impression that a similar waiver had been given to India as well.'
Puri's clarification came after Gandhi claimed that the Union minister's name has also figured in 'Epstein Files' released in the US.
Israel and the United States had a plan. Iran punched back. And now the Gulf is reeling, the world is beginning to feel the pain and, as on date, no one in Washington or Tel Aviv appears willing to admit that the punch has landed, notes Prem Panicker, continuing his must-read blog on the war in the Middle East.
Aseem Chhabra lists his top 10 films from this year's Sundance festival, a blend of narratives and documentaries made in the US and other parts of the world.
Nineteen United States states have sued the Trump administration over its 'unlawful' decision to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions, warning that the move will worsen labour shortages in key sectors such as health care, education and technology.
China has imposed sanctions on 20 US defence firms in response to the Trump administration's approval of a record USD 11.1 billion arms sales package to Taiwan.
That a country thinks it has the right to randomly invade another country has repercussions that will for sure be played on the global arena in the years to come.
'...including my baby sisters, age three and one.' 'My dad was humiliated, and he started screaming at them.'
Where are the best places to get vegan food in the world?
The 2025 US National Security Strategy marks a major pullback, with America turning backward and effectively allowing China greater dominance in Asia. while long-time partners like India are left to face an increasingly unstable global order largely on their own, observes Rajeev Srinivasan.
A guide to travel in 2026.
India has strongly rejected a UN expert's report claiming that Myanmar refugees in India faced pressure after the Pahalgam terror attack, calling the analysis biased and unfounded.
A tour bus crash near Buffalo, New York, has resulted in the death of five people, including an Indian national. The bus, carrying 54 passengers, was returning to New York City from Niagara Falls when the accident occurred.
Four senior Indian-origin persons were killed in a car crash in West Virginia. The victims were reported missing from Buffalo, New York, and their vehicle was found off a steep embankment.
Prime Minister Modi held separate talks with world leaders including his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, discussing various facets of bilateral ties and reaffirmed India's support for the Palestinian people.
'Financially we are sound and we have always broken even. 'It is just we don't have the personnel and that is why we have to close down.'
Soldiers, cops, detectives, K-Pop idols, here's everything you can catch on OTT this week.
'We came in the day before yesterday and we just eased into our routines here, the players are just getting used to the time zone.'
Mr Trump's actions, because of their extreme nature and the dangerous rhetoric that accompanies them, receive the most attention, points out Mihir S Sharma.
The designer recalls how he made a sherwani for Michael Jackson in 'one day without measurements'.
Confronted by outrage in Greenland, the US has scaled down a proposed visit to the island.
At least 10 people were injured in a shooting outside a nightclub in Queens on Wednesday night, according to the New York City Police Department, the New York Post reported on Thursday.
The heaviest rainfall began to ease across hard-hit portions of Manhattan and Brooklyn late Friday morning, but another round is expected in the afternoon and could reinvigorate dangerous flooding.
US authorities have identified a 24-year-old man as a person of interest in the case of a 20-year-old Indian student who has gone missing during a spring break visit to the Dominican Republic. Sudiksha Konanki, a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, was last seen on March 6 at the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Konanki's hometown in Virginia, said Joshua Riibe was seen with Sudiksha at a resort before she went missing. While Konanki's father has asked local authorities to broaden the investigation, authorities maintain that the case is not a criminal investigation and Riibe is not considered a suspect. However, he is considered a person of interest as he was the last one to be seen with Konanki. The Dominican Republic National Police has established a "high-level commission" to oversee the investigation and will be reinterviewing "targeted individuals" who were seen near or with Konanki at the time of her disappearance.
Namrata Thakker picks her 10 favourite Leo movies.
According to footage shared online, expletives have been sprayed on the road and the signage outside the temple. The temple is expected to hold a prayer meeting later in the afternoon following the incident.
Two individuals, Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, were arrested from Brooklyn and Staten Island in New York on Thursday.
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