China's week-long mediation between Pakistan and Afghanistan concludes without a formal agreement, though Beijing claims progress in exploring solutions to resolve their differences.
The clock on the ceasefire is running out. But everyone's already whispering about round two, possibly as soon as this weekend.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran is considering various paths to address regional tensions, including negotiations conducted with dignity and authority, while emphasising that military gains should be reinforced through diplomacy.
A UN Security Council report indicates that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was reportedly linked to a terror attack on the Red Fort in New Delhi. The report also highlights JeM's activities, including the establishment of a women-only wing and its presence in the region.
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 Punjab Police's Counter-Intelligence unit in Amritsar has dismantled a drug smuggling module, arresting two individuals and seizing 5 kg of heroin. Investigations reveal links to a Pakistan-based smuggler and a foreign handler.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that American forces are maintaining a strict maritime restrictive operation in the region, continuing to enforce a blockade against Iranian ports.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha terminated the services of five more government employees for suspected terror links, bringing the total number of employees sacked since 2020 to 85.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested two individuals for allegedly conspiring to wage war against the country by radicalising individuals through social media and planning to establish 'Ghazwa-e-Hind'.
The Union government has informed the Bombay High Court that Agniveers are not "similarly situated" as regular soldiers and hence, cannot claim parity in pensionary benefits for their next of kin in the event of death in action.
The batter, who has played for Mizoram in Ranji Trophy, calls reports "fake and misleading" after his name appears on a PCB auction list.
UK police have made several arrests as part of an investigation into serious offences alleged to have involved members of an Ahmadi sect in north-west England.
Jammu and Kashmir Sports Minister Satish Sharma has alleged that the drug menace in the region is sustained by political and police patronage, calling for accountability and stronger enforcement.
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.
Trump has said he would be present at the signing ceremony in Islamabad. Don't be surprised if the Pakistani hosts make it a grand event in the geopolitics of the region. Trump would love that, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
For India, much is at stake: Crucial energy supplies traversing the Strait of Hormuz, the fate of its 10 million citizens living and working in West Asia -- who send generous remittances home -- and its major trade links with the region.
Punjab Police have arrested six individuals involved in cross-border arms and drug smuggling with links to Pakistan-based smugglers, seizing weapons and heroin.
The LPG squeeze on India's restaurant sector is the quotidian face of a deeper crisis.
Counter Intelligence Wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted raids at multiple locations in the valley as part of its investigations into a transnational terror module operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The ceasefire is still technically holding, to the extent that no overt hostilities have been reported yet, but the rhetoric has hardened dangerously. The week ahead will also clarify whether the Islamabad failure was a negotiating tactic or whether Washington has genuinely locked itself into a position from which the only exits are climb-down, escalation, or the slow bleed of a new status quo that nobody chose and nobody controls. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Opposition parties in Punjab have criticised the Bhagwant Mann government following a blast incident at a freight corridor rail track in Patiala, citing intelligence failures and a lack of grip on law and order.
Punjab Police have successfully dismantled a cross-border arms smuggling module, arresting three individuals and seizing six pistols. Investigations reveal links to Pakistan-based smugglers using social media to facilitate the illegal arms trade.
The Counter Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police has successfully dismantled a Pakistan's ISI-backed terror module, arresting three individuals and seizing weapons intended for attacks on police establishments.
The question is whether the clocks allow enough time for two deeply mistrustful sides to get there, and whether the surface calm holds long enough for the paddling to produce something before the ceasefire ends on April 22, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
Trump seems to have estimated that Ghalibaf is a pragmatic politician who is receptive to close relations with the US and is enthusiastic about fostering business and economic ties in particular, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The Indian Air Force conducted a day-and-night exercise on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, activating an emergency-landing facility with fighter jets, helicopters, and transport aircraft to demonstrate operational readiness and validate standard operating procedures.
Security agencies in Kerala have arrested a 25-year-old man from Assam on suspicion of using social media platforms to spread extremist ideology, raising concerns over online radicalisation and cross-border links.
Trump has made it clear: the US will not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a deal is signed.
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has appealed to the Islamabad High Court for release on humanitarian grounds, citing deteriorating health and prolonged solitary confinement. The appeal was made during a hearing regarding his conviction in a corruption case.
The police had received information that the boy was in contact with and was providing information concerning the country's security to Pakistan military officers, ISI and frontal organisations running terror modules in that country, Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Daljinder Singh Dhillon said.
Tina Ambani, wife of Anil Ambani, skipped the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons for the second time in connection with a money laundering case. Anil Ambani has been asked to appear before the agency as well.
Two men have been arrested in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly sharing photos and location details of religious sites with a Pakistan-based gangster network, raising concerns of a potential terror plot.
An Iranian tanker successfully bypassed the US Navy to deliver crude oil to the Asia-Pacific region, despite ongoing tensions and a US blockade.
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.
Uncover the real life figures that inspired the characters in Dhurandhar The Revenge, from Pakistani politicians and notorious gangsters to infamous terrorists.
With this, a total of six accused persons have been convicted and sentenced in the case so far, relating to spying at vital installations and Indian Navy establishments by foreign spies and agents with the intent to threaten its unity, integrity, security and sovereignty.
The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani to appear for questioning on February 26 after he skipped deposition this week, official sources said on Thursday.
Delhi Police have dismantled an international arms smuggling ring with links to Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, arresting 10 individuals and seizing a cache of sophisticated foreign-made weapons.
Amritsar police have dismantled a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module, arresting four individuals and seizing sophisticated weapons and ammunition.
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.
