SOUTH ASIA

Mar92026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Trump’s war strategy criticised by former NSA, says goals remain unclear

Washington, March 9 (IANS) Former US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the Trump administration’s war with Iran risks drifting without a clear strategic objective, even as American military operations demonstrate significant tactical success.Speaking on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, Sullivan said the US military’s operational performance had been “remarkable” but questioned the clarity of the war’s ultimate goals.“On the encouraging side, the US military is just simply remarkable,” Sullivan said. “It's remarkable at being able to achieve tactical objectives, to execute operations with skill, professionalism, and courage.”But he cautioned that the strategic purpose of the war remains unclear.“The discouraging part is we are asking the US military to put itself in harm's way, and...

Mar92026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Oil prices jump past $100 as Iran conflict shakes markets

INDIA, SOUTH ASIA, SPECIAL, TOP STORIES

Washington, March 9 (IANS) Oil prices surged past $100 a barrel as the conflict involving Iran disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz and rattled global markets.US President Donald Trump defended the spike. He said higher oil prices were a temporary cost tied to confronting Iran’s nuclear threat.“Short-term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.“ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!”Crude oil prices almost touched $110 per barrel after major Middle East producers reduced output while the Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed due to the Iran conflict, CNBC reported Sunday.West Texas Intermediate crude jumped about 20.75 p...

Mar92026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

US vows to secure Hormuz amid Iran conflict

SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES, WORLD

Washington, March 9 (IANS) The United States has said it will ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz and maintain the free flow of global energy supplies as the conflict with Iran escalates, while warning that Tehran is miscalculating American military resolve.In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said American forces were already degrading Iran’s naval capabilities and were prepared to take further action to safeguard critical shipping routes.“What was the Iranian Navy is largely no more,” Hegseth said, adding that US forces would continue targeting vessels and assets that threaten maritime security.Hegseth suggested Washington’s military operations were aimed at ensuring that such disruptions do not materialise.“We’re taking care of a lot of that… A...

Mar92026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

New video links timing of school strike to US attack on nearby IRGC facility in Iran: Media

SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES, WORLD

Washington, March 9 (IANS) A newly emerged video appears to show a US airstrike targeting a building at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval base in Minab, Iran, adjacent to an elementary school where Iranian state media says more than 160 pupils were killed on February 28.The footage, posted by the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr News, is the first to show missiles striking the area and adds to a growing body of evidence that appears to contradict recent claims by US President Donald Trump casting blame on Iran, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the CNN report.In the footage, filmed from a nearby construction site, a munition consistent with a US Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) can be seen before striking a location inside the IRGC base, said the report, noting t...

Mar82026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Pakistan continues to have low conviction rates in child abuse cases: Report

SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES, WORLD

London, March 8 (IANS) Child abuse in Pakistan remains pervasive, with cases being reported of physical, sexual, and emotional violence and widespread exploitation through child labour and trafficking, but despite several legislative measures like the Zainab Alert and Recovery and Response Act of 2020, the country continues to have low conviction rates in child abuse cases, as per a report. "On February 2, 2026, in what appears to be one of Pakistan’s most alarming and far‑reaching child‑exploitation cases, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) uncovered a sprawling online network after arresting a Rawalpindi man allegedly involved in trapping and blackmailing minors through fake social‑media identities. Investigators recovered more than 600 indecent videos of children fro...

Mar82026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Bangladesh: July mass uprising museum under cloud over alleged scandal, says report

INDIA, SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES

New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) The July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum, which was set to document the mass uprising of Bangladesh during July 2024, has been hit by a recruitment scandal, said a news report citing a string of irregularities even before the structure takes shape.The irregularities pertain to recruitments undertaken for building the museum and also point to a potential conflict of interest involving former cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.The findings, based on an investigation by the Times of Bangladesh, take objection to Farooki appointing himself as the chairman of the museum’s governing board while serving as cultural affairs adviser with ministerial rank in the interim government – raising serious concerns about probity.The daily claims that its investigations a...

Feb132026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Bangladesh’s electors have spoken, now its upto the new government to deliver: B’desh media

INDIA, SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES

New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS) The Bangladesh election result has been welcomed by the country's media as a verdict against fundamentalism and gender inequality, where an alliance led by a more tolerant party won the trust of an overwhelming majority of the 59 per cent of the country’s 12.8 crore electors who exercised their franchise on Thursday. "BNP clocks landslide victory as Jamaat's religion card fails," said Bangladesh’s The Business Standard, while the weekly Blitz termed it "A silent revolt against extremism and pro-Pakistan politics: BNP wins landslide in general elections".And in a quick assessment of the results on Friday, the Dhaka Tribune found: "Seven women candidates elected to parliament."But if that indeed is the total number of women in a 300-member Parliament, then Bangladesh...

Feb132026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Pakistan: Over 91 per cent buildings in Sindh lack fire safety arrangements

SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES, WORLD

Islamabad, Feb 13 (IANS) An inspection of buildings conducted by the Sindh government committee has revealed that 91.3 per cent of the buildings in province lacked fire safety arrangements, Pakistani media reported on Friday.The government has decided to seal high-risk buildings which were found by the committee in violation of fire safety laws in Sindh. The committee was set up after the fire incident in Karachi's Gul Plaza which claimed lives of nearly 80 people, injured hundreds and caused financial loss for thousands of people, Pakistan's leading daily 'The Express Tribune' reported.During a high-level meeting on fire safety on Thursday, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah stated that inspections were conducted in 3,633 buildings in Sindh. He said that 889 buildings had been declared hi...

Feb132026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

India, Israel to deepen AI cooperation at global summit next week

INDIA, SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES

New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS) India and Israel’s cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), climate innovation and digital transformation is focused on real-world challenges, from resilient agriculture and future-ready skills to responsible AI applications, an official statement said on Friday.The Embassy of Israel in New Delhi has announced the arrival of a high-level Israeli delegation to participate in the ‘India AI Impact Summit 2026’ next week.The delegation, led by Ilan Fluss, former Ambassador and EDTs Policy Coordinator at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brings together senior government officials, technology leaders, researchers, and policy experts to deepen Israel-India cooperation in artificial intelligence, climate resilience, ESG investment, digital governance, and responsi...

Feb132026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Afghanistan minister slams neighbouring nations for forced deportation of Afghan refugees

SOUTH ASIA, TOP STORIES, WORLD

Kabul, Feb 13 (IANS) Afghanistan's Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock Ataullah Omari has slammed neighbouring nations for their policy of deporting Afghan refugees, saying that host nations have deported refugees breaching humanitarian principles, human rights and refugee rights, local media reported on Friday. He stated that more than 4.5 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from various nations since the start of the expulsion process, Afghanistan-based media outlet Tolo News reported. He said, "Our brothers were forcibly expelled from their homes. They were hosted for nearly 40 years, but in the end, they were deported by force and in violation of humanitarian principles."His statement comes as Pakistan and Iran continue to deport Afghan refugees, sparki...