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.
One of the most uncivilised characteristics of this war has been the total disregard for international law and the laws of armed conflict, asserts Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
One of the accused in the Gurdaspur police killings has blamed his accomplices for the crime, while questions arise regarding the encounter death of another suspect, prompting calls for an independent investigation.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that Islamabad will enter into an 'open war' with Kabul if the ongoing peace talks in Istanbul fail, TOLO News reported.
Opposition parties in India are demanding a thorough and speedy investigation into a car blast near the Red Fort in Delhi that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries. They are also raising concerns about the security situation in the national capital and questioning the government's handling of the matter.
Records stretching back to 1947 suggest a consistent strategy by Pakistan's military and intelligence apparatus, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), of using terrorism as a state policy against India.
Former Haryana Police chief Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor has been appointed as the director general of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). He succeeds Praveen Kumar, who has been named the new head of the Border Security Force (BSF).
'If the Trump administration could gain access to the nuclear weapons, they would be satisfied -- at least they could control them.'
'A genuine tribute to Dr Ambedkar does not lie in selective invocation. It lies in asking a harder question: Is the Constitution still doing its job -- restraining even assertive majorities?' asks Manoj Mohanka.
Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with central intelligence agencies, have detained several people from Haryana and Rajasthan for allegedly facilitating the acquisition of fraudulent identities, including passports, by terrorists linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The investigation uncovered an interstate module providing logistical support to terrorists by creating fake documents.
This election is different. It is no longer simply about governance or welfare. It is about identity, fear, and who belongs. The BJP has successfully shifted the terms of the debate from what the government has delivered to who the real Bengali is and who is an outsider, points out Ramesh Menon.
The LPG squeeze on India's restaurant sector is the quotidian face of a deeper crisis.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, delivered a sharp response to comments made by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad.
PCB writes to ICC to invoke 'force majeure', global body asks for justification
Union Home Minister Amit Shah accuses the West Bengal government of openly facilitating infiltration, defends the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists, and asserts BJP's prospects in upcoming elections.
A Pakistan-based gangster posted a video on social media purportedly showing the killing of a police officer in Gurdaspur, near the Indo-Pak border. A terror outfit has claimed responsibility for the incident, prompting a thorough investigation by Punjab Police.
'Pakistan wanted India out of Afghanistan to which again the Taliban told Pakistan to take a walk.' 'Six months after they came back to power in 2021 India was back in Afghanistan at the request of the Taliban.' 'The Taliban realised that India has no agenda of its own in Afghanistan.'
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.
In a major counter-terror operation spanning three states, the Delhi Police has dismantled a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module comprising eight operatives, including seven Bangladeshi nationals who had illegally entered India and procured forged identity documents, an official said on Sunday.
Pakistan has urged India to fully adhere to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), expressing concerns about the level of detail in flood information shared through diplomatic channels.
'In such a scenario, Iran could proclaim itself victor, rebuild, re-enforce its diminished regional proxies to further destabilise neighbouring nations and take control of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.'
'Can a nuclear-armed nation sustain itself indefinitely under overt military rule without catastrophic consequences for itself and the region? History suggests otherwise.'
Bangladesh Cricket Board president Amin ul Islam has arrived in Lahore ahead of a virtual meeting involving the PCB and ICC, amid efforts to resolve the standoff over Pakistan's proposed boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India.
Pakistan has deployed army and paramilitary forces to protect Sri Lanka's cricket team after a deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad raised security concerns during their ongoing tour, the interior minister said on Thursday.
Pakistan's security forces have arrested more than 300 terror suspects, including foreigners, in a crackdown against militants in the capital Islamabad. Pakistan has launched countrywide crackdown on militants after the Peshawar school massacre which killed 148 people, most of them students, last week.
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.
Masood was the financial chief and senior commander.
India's handling of the Iran crisis reflects a growing strain between strategic autonomy and geopolitical alignment, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has rescheduled the opening of a T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from November 17 to November 18 besides making Rawalpindi the sole venue for the tournament owing to the visiting teams' security concerns in the wake of a suicide attack in Islamabad.
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.
The Rann of Kutch comprises 10,000 square miles between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the Indus river in southern Pakistan.
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.
At least 13 militants affiliated to Al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban were killed in a heavy exchange of fire with security forces in the country's financial capital on Monday. The terrorists, in police and rangers' uniforms, were killled in the notorious Al-Asif square of Karachi, said senior superintendent police of Malir district, Rao Anwar.
Punjab ministers Lal Chand Kataruchak and Laljit Singh Bhullar met the family of ASI Gurnam Singh, who was killed in Gurdaspur, to offer condolences and assure support. The ministers condemned the act and vowed strict punishment for the perpetrators, while also addressing concerns about the death of one of the accused and criticizing opposition parties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the exceptional coordination among the three armed forces -- fear instilled by the Navy, extraordinary skills of the Air Force and bravery of the Army -- forced Pakistan to its knees during Operation Sindoor in no time.
Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have resumed peace talks in Istanbul, aiming to address cross-border terrorism and prevent further escalation. The talks follow recent clashes and a temporary ceasefire, with Pakistan demanding that Afghan soil not be used for terrorism.
Official confirmation from the government is still awaited, and more details are expected soon.
Every UN secretary-general has flagged the financial situation, but Antonio Guterres has issued the direst warning yet, calling it a 'race to bankruptcy and of imminent financial collapse, points out Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
After being put into bat, Sri Lanka started brightly as the openers put up a 51-run stand before Pathum Nissanka was run out attempting a risky third run.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are actively pushing Trump to take the war to its bitter finish and 'erase' Iran's presence in the geopolitics of the region. Simply put, the two most powerful Sunni Arab oligarchies are on the same page as Israel. Such interference increases the risk of a breakdown in dialogue between the US and Iran, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
