Both sides have now revealed a preference for escalation over strategic defeat, and each new provocation narrows the space for the next pause. The Touska seizure, Iran's refusal to negotiate under blockade, Israel's strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure -- all of these add up to an increasingly untenable situation. This makes the wild card -- Trump and his motormouth -- more consequential than ever, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
Trump has made it clear: the US will not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a deal is signed.
The cost of the war is being counted not in the corridors of power in Washington or Tehran, but in Firozabad's darkened furnace rooms, Howrah's idle casting sheds, and a barbershop in Kochi where the wait is suddenly, inexplicably, an hour long, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
The 98th Academy Awards was a mix of high fashion, subdued politics, flashes of humour and emotions running high.
FC Barcelona hammered Newcastle United F.C. 7-2 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, while Liverpool F.C., Bayern Munich and Atltico Madrid also advanced.
The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
One Battle After Another was among the big winners of the 98th Academy Awards, with six wins.
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.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals after victories over Newcastle United, Wrexham and Mansfield Town respectively on Saturday.
Goals from Dani Olmo, Raphinha, and an acrobatic Lamine Yamal strike powered the Catalans to 52 points, one ahead of Real Madrid.
Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
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.
Late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski earned LaLiga leaders Barcelona a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Espanyol.
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
After Saturday's 2-1 win at Chelsea - their 12th in 13 league matches - Aston Villa have claimed 18 points from losing positions so far this season, more than any other team.
He has since returned for key assignments, including the 2022 T20 World Cup victory and both the Ashes and ODI World Cup campaigns in 2023.
Manchester City seized the opportunity of Arsenal's 2-1 loss at Aston Villa earlier in the day to climb within two points of the leaders.
Grandmasters Raunak Sadhwani and S L Narayanan, India's two best hopes, were held to draws by Daniel Barrish of South Africa and Steven Salas Rojas of Peru in the first game of the opening round of World Chess Cup, in Panjim, on Saturday.
Lionel Messi has extended his contract with MLS side Inter Miami to 2028, the club announced on Thursday.
Liverpool shrugged off the absence of Mohamed Salah as midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scored an 88th-minute penalty to give them a 1-0 Champions League win at Inter Milan.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
A summary of Friday's action in the FIFA World Cup 2026 UEFA Qualifiers.
Iga Swiatek survived a surprise U.S. Open second-round test on Thursday as men's top seed Jannik Sinner and Japan's four-times major winner Naomi Osaka cruised through.
India's Yuki Bhambri and his American partner Robert Galloway progressed to the second round of men's doubles event at the Wimbledon with straight-sets win over Romain Arneodo of Monaco and Manuel Guinard of France on Wednesday.
India's Mehak Sharma won a silver medal in women's +86kg category while Lovepreet Singh settled for a bronze in men's +110kg on the concluding day of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
'I thought helmets would help. So, I took a motorcycle helmet with a polycarbonate visor to WSC.'
Nine players from treble-winning Paris St Germain have been nominated for the men's Ballon d'Or this year along with the club's coach Luis Enrique as France Football announced the list of nominees on Thursday.
Images from the English Premier League matches on Saturday, August 30.
Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts has had his suspension for a high-footed challenge on Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta extended to six matches, the FA said on Friday.
Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta was taken to hospital with a head injury after a collision with Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts.
The singer battled cancer for 18 months.
A round-up of Saturday's fifth round action in the FA Cup
In a dramatic turn of events, Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party secured victory in Canada's federal election, overcoming earlier predictions of defeat.
Shantaram author takes India non-fiction festival by storm and charms audiences.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani-born Canadian national accused of playing a role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has been extradited from the United States to India. Rana was arrested in the US in 2009 and convicted in 2011 for providing material support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, which carried out the Mumbai attacks. He had been fighting extradition since 2012, but the US Supreme Court ultimately denied his review petition, paving the way for his transfer to India. Rana will now face trial in India for his alleged role in the attacks, which killed 166 people.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was upset over several refereeing decisions in his side's 4-3 loss at Inter Milan that stopped the Catalans reaching their first Champions League final in a decade after an extra-time goal by home substitute Davide Frattesi.
The hugely significant development comes just days after Rana's last-resort attempt to evade extradition to India failed after the US Supreme Court justices denied his application, moving him closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice in the dastardly attacks.
Here's a quick look at the winners of the 81st Annual Golden Globe awards.
The US Supreme Court has denied the application of Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, seeking a stay on his extradition to India. Rana, currently detained in Los Angeles, had submitted the application after Associate Justice Elena Kagan initially denied it. Despite a renewed appeal, the Supreme Court ultimately rejected the request.
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