Citizens and residents across the Gulf region are preparing for Eid amidst regional conflict, impacting festivities and daily life.
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
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.
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 fire at the LIC office and the resultant death of the manager occurred at 8.15 pm on December 17. The accused officer Ram(45), who also sustained burns on his legs, has been admitted to a private hospital, they added.
'There is no shortage of fuel whatsoever.' 'India is stock surplus as far as petrol and diesel are concerned.'
The LPG squeeze on India's restaurant sector is the quotidian face of a deeper crisis.
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
A Kerala MLA, K Shantakumari, was targeted by a cyber fraud gang impersonating Anti-Terrorism Squad officers, who claimed she was linked to a bomb blast case. She reported the incident to the cyber cell after uncovering their deception.
A Kerala MLA, K Shantakumari, was targeted by cyber fraudsters claiming a connection to a bomb blast case and using her identity. The MLA reported the incident to the cyber cell after her son identified inconsistencies in the video call.
Discovering the stunning land of breathtaking temples.
This weekend, Donald Trump has begun to say the quiet part out loud -- that he wants to take control of Iran's oil, a formulation more in line with his robber-baron style of international relations.
'We lost the match between the 7th and 15th over. You used Bumrah's two overs early and kept the remaining two for the death. But Rohit Sharma never used Bumrah like this.'
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.
Residents across the Gulf region, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, experienced fear and disruption following attacks, leading to flight suspensions and heightened security measures.
Former cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton lampooned England's top order for their early collapse
'The next two to three weeks will not be decided in Washington.' 'They will be decided in Tehran, in whatever calculation Iran makes about the costs of continued resistance against the costs of appearing to have yielded.'
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.
'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.
For weeks, the war skirted the edge of catastrophe without tipping over. Missiles flew, there was much destruction, commanders were assassinated, cities across the Gulf and even in Israel struggled to absorb the shock. But one line held: Energy infrastructure, the arteries of the global economy, remained largely untouched. That is no longer true. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Taking Kharg would give the US control over virtually all of Iran's oil exports and thus provide significant leverage, notes Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War. It would also put American troops within range of Iran's remaining missiles, drones, and artillery on a piece of real estate that is just eight square miles in size, and just 15 miles from the Iranian mainland.
Alliances fight wars effectively only when they share an endgame. If Israel acted without US knowledge, then the military alliance is operating without real coordination at the level of strategic targeting. Neither picture is reassuring in a war that is no longer regional in its consequences. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The pause gives the US time to breathe, to regroup, to move its expeditionary force into position without risk of interception along the way. It gives Iran nothing -- on the ground, attacks against its infrastructure continue apace. Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Israel has for more than two decades and several US presidencies worked to draw the United States into a full-scale war with Iran. Having finally achieved that, the last thing it wants is Trump declaring victory and going home, as he is prone to do. Ali Larijani was the figure most capable of handing Trump a negotiated exit with something to show for it. Without Larijani, the road to an exit gets considerably narrower. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Iran is fighting a different war: Older, slower, and in some ways more dangerous. Iran doesn't need to shoot down an F/A-18. It only needs to make the Strait of Hormuz feel dangerous long enough for insurance markets, shipping companies, and oil futures traders to do the rest. Prem Panicker continues his must-read daily blog on the war in the Middle East.
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.'
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
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.
What we are watching is something different: A fog manufactured and maintained by the people who started the war, so that the question of why it was started never has to be answered, observes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the war in the Middle East.
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.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claims Union Home Minister Amit Shah appeared 'under pressure' during a Parliament debate on election reforms and avoided addressing allegations of 'vote chori'.
A 26-year-old man who went missing from his home on his wedding night was found in Haridwar three days later. He had left home under mental stress, according to police.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple searched the residence of prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty. The search was part of an ongoing investigation to find documents and digital devices. Potty is currently being interrogated at the Crime Branch office.
'The Kerala of today is not the Kerala of yesterday.' 'What has seeped into this society is the feeling of hatred towards other castes and religions.'
Inter Kashi hold NEUFC to a 2-2 draw in Super Cup; FC Goa beat Jamshedpur
S Padma, a street cleaner in Chennai, found a box full of gold worth more than Rs 45 lakh and returned it. 'I have been sweeping the streets of Chennai for 21 years. Nobody in the street knew me. I was just a faceless, nameless sanitation worker in an orange and blue uniform.'
Officials reveal details of a foiled Jaish-e-Mohammed terror plot involving a doctor who planned a bomb blast near the Red Fort, timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary. Arrests and investigations uncovered the interstate network.
Australia came into the match better prepared and executed their plans to perfection while the Indians hit the panic button once the toss went against them.
Lewis Hamilton said horses were his "next thing" after riding one for the first time ahead of the US Grand Prix.
