India | Pakistan

The United States Embassy in New Delhi has revoked and subsequently denied visas for some Indian business executives and corporate leaders based on their involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursors, it said in a statement on Thursday. Fentanyl precursors refer to the basic or parent chemicals that form fentanyl, a leading cause of US overdose deaths. The statement from the embassy did not name the people affected, but a spokesperson said they were Indian nationals. Indian government officials have been closely cooperating with US counterparts to combat the challenge of drug trafficking, the US embassy added in its statement. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment on the US visa measures. US President Donald Trump, whose punitive 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports hurt bilateral ties, has previously imposed additional levies on imports from China, Mexico and Canada, saying they facilitated the flow of fentanyl into the US. In a statement to the US Congr...

Pakistan captain Salman Agha said his team were ready to face India in the next round of the Asia Cup on Sunday after last week’s group-stage match between the arch-rivals ended in acrimony when the Indian side refused to shake hands. Pakistan beat United Arab Emirates in their final Group A game on Wednesday to advance to the Super Fours stage, where they will also play two teams from Group B in a round robin format. Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been suspended since 2013, and they play each other only in multi-team tournaments. “We are ready, we are ready for any challenge,” Salman said after their 41-run victory against UAE. “We just want to play good cricket. If we play good cricket, like we have played in the last few months, I think we’ll be good against any side.” Fakhar Zaman made 50, but Pakistan’s frontline batters disappointed against the UAE’s modest attack, with opener Saim Ayub falling for his third successive duck in the tournament. Salman acknowledged they had to bat better....

India’s ban on online gambling has shuttered a billion-dollar industry serving hundreds of millions of people and torpedoed the sponsorship of the national cricket team. But players say those determined to bet will find a way to access overseas and unregulated websites while fans of fantasy sport apps can still play, although for prizes and not cash. Adarsh Sharma, an advertising professional who regularly played fantasy sports games, said offshore sites will “see a sudden boom” as Indian gamblers look for a fix. “A habit once formed cannot be broken easily,” he said. “It is an addiction and people will find ways to gamble.” India’s parliament last month passed a sweeping law banning online gambling after government figures showed companies had stripped $2.3 billion annually from 450 million people. Officials said the rapid spread of the platforms caused widespread financial distress, addiction and suicide, while also being linked to fraud, money laundering and financing terrorism. The law has been challenged...

GURDASPUR: The fields are full but the paddy brown and wilted, and the air thick with the stench of rotting crops and livestock — the aftermath of record monsoon rains that have devastated India’s breadbasket. In Punjab, often dubbed the country’s granary, the damage is unprecedented: floods have swallowed farmlands almost the size of London and New York City combined. India’s agriculture minister said in a recent visit to the state that “the crops have been destroyed and ruined”, and Indian Punjab chief minister called the deluge “one of the worst flood disasters in decades”. Old-timers agree. “The last time we saw such an all-consuming flood was in 1988,” said 70-year-old Balkar Singh in the village of Shehzada, 30km north of Amritsar. The gushing waters have reduced Singh’s paddy field to marshland and opened ominous cracks in the walls of his house. Floods and landslides are common during the June-September monsoon season on the subcontinent, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned dev...

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Atta Tarar has accused India of extending its irresponsible behavior into the sporting arena.

India has refused to grant permission to Sikh pilgrims wishing to visit Pakistan for the 486th death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism.

A wildlife rescue centre run by the philanthropic arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s group has been cleared of allegations of illegal animal acquisition and mistreatment, India’s Supreme Court said on Monday, citing findings from a court-appointed committee. In August, India’s top court appointed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate complaints from non-profit and wildlife groups alleging animal mistreatment at Vantara and raising questions over how the animals were brought to the centre. However, the court has said the evidence did not support claims of illegal acquisitions or abuse. Located in western Gujarat state and led by Anant Ambani, the billionaire’s son, Vantara is a key project of the Reliance Foundation and the Ambani family. Housing more than 150,000 animals across more than 2,000 species, the facility claims its 998-acre (404 hectares) elephant welfare trust is the world’s largest care facility for rescued elephants. The Indian top court said today that the SIT’s inquiry had covered ...

Pakistan suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of India, who beat them by seven wickets after beating the paltry 128-run target set by the Green Shirts during yesterday’s Asia Cup game. However, the match had been marred by controversy from the beginning due to calls from across the border to “boycott” the fixture. It seems the pressure got to the players as well, with the Indian team refusing to shake hands with their rivals at the toss and after the match. Furthermore, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was said to have “politicised” the win by bringing up the Pahalgam terrorist attack in India-occupied Kashmir, over which the two countries fought a four-day military conflict in May, saying the victory was “a perfect gift” for his nation. From cricketers and politicians to fans and analysts watching the game, social media was rife with their takes on the scene. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his disappointment over the “lack of sportsmanship” in a post on X shortly after the...

India and the United States will hold trade talks in New Delhi on Tuesday, weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on the South Asian nation’s exports, slowing its overall shipments to a nine-month low in August. India and the US will “fast-track” trade talks, Rajesh Agarwal, India’s chief negotiator and a special secretary in its commerce ministry, told reporters at an event for the release of trade data, but gave no details. “US Trade Representative for South Asia Brendan Lynch is set to make a one-day visit to New Delhi on Tuesday,” Agarwal said. India’s exports slowed to $35.10 billion in August from $37.24bn in July, and its trade gap narrowed to $26.49bn, from $27.35bn in July. The US imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil starting August 27, taking the total on Indian exports to 50 per cent, among the highest for any US trading partner. Exports to the United States fell to $6.86bn in August from $8.01bn in July...

India romped to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in their high-intensity encounter against Pakistan in the men’s Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Sunday. The match had been coloured from the start by calls from across the border to ‘boycott’ the fixture. It seems the pressure got to the players as well, with the Indian team refusing to shake hands, as is customary, at the toss and after the match. Then, at the post-match ceremony, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav seemingly ‘politicised’ the victory by bringing up the Pahalgham terrorist attack in India-occupied Kashmir, over which the two countries fought a four-day military conflict in May, saying the victory was “a perfect gift” for his country. “We stand with the victim’s families of the Pahalgam terror attack, and we express our solidarity, and we want to dedicate today’s win to the armed forces,” the Indian skipper said. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Yadav said: “Our government and the BCCI were aligned. We took a call and came here just to pl...

Another Pakistan-India match, the gulf of quality between the two sides glaring yet again, and brighter than ever. Fair to say Pakistan are a young side undergoing transition under a new captain and a newer team management, but there were enough instances throughout the fixture that highlighted a bigger problem: big-match nerves. One of those few instances was Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late onslaught of 33 off 16, which included four clean hits for sixes. He and Sufiyan Muqeem added 43 off 22 balls — a strike-rate of 195-plus — to drag Pakistan to 127-9 when it looked like the team wouldn’t even get into three figures. If tailenders can do that, why not the specialist batters? India’s Suryakumar Yadav plays a shot during the Asia Cup 2025 T20 International cricket match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai, the UAE. — Reuters To put it simply, the pressure of the big occasion got the better of them before India, obviously a well-oiled T20 machine, faced no challenge whatsoever during the c...

A Pakistan-India cricket match is always a blockbuster, but emotions will run even higher in Sunday’s Asia Cup clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who engaged in a four-day military conflict earlier this year. Even before the clashes in May, which nearly escalated into a full-blown war, bilateral cricket ties were suspended. The arch-rivals now play each other only in multi-team tournaments. Political relations have deteriorated further since the clashes, with several former Indian players urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to boycott what will be the first meeting between the teams since the recent hostilities. While the threat of a boycott is over, sparks may fly with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav ruling out dialling down aggression in the much-anticipated Group A fixture. While reigning T20 world champions India are the firm favourites to retain their title, Pakistan are on a high, having convincingly beaten Afghanistan to win the ...

Pace bowling great Wasim Akram has urged Pakistan and India’s cricketers to ignore the noise and enjoy the game when they meet in a highly charged Asia Cup T20 match on Sunday. The Group A match in Dubai is the first clash on the cricket field between the countries since a military conflict four months ago took relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours to their lowest point in decades. India resisted calls to boycott the match between the pair, who have not played in any bilateral series since deadly attacks in Mumbai 2008. “Enjoy, it’s a game of cricket,” legendary left-armer Akram told AFP of the match, which potentially could be the first of three high-octane meetings between the countries in the T20 tournament. “Forget about everything other than cricket. One team will win, and one team will lose,” he said. “Just enjoy the moment if you win the game. Pressure will come, enjoy that and show discipline because this is just a game. It’s for both teams and for both sets of fans.” A full house of 25,000 i...

Republican President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the United States ambassador to India said on Thursday that Washington and New Delhi were “not that far apart” on tariffs. “We’re not that far apart on a deal on these tariffs,” Sergio Gor, a close Trump aide who is currently director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, said at his Senate confirmation hearing. “I do think it will get resolved in the next few weeks,” Gor said. US-India ties have been strained by Trump’s trade war, with talks on lower tariff rates collapsing after India, the world’s fifth-largest economy, resisted opening its vast agricultural and dairy sectors. Bilateral trade between the two countries is worth more than $190 billion each year. Trump first imposed additional tariffs of 25 per cent on imports from India, then said they would double to 50pc from August 27 as punishment for New Delhi’s increased purchases of Russian oil, as Washington works to end the war in Ukraine. Trump said on Tuesday his administration is contin...

India’s Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan will battle for javelin gold in Tokyo next week, the latest chapter in a brotherly rivalry which has soured since a deadly military conflict between their countries. The Tokyo Olympic champion, Chopra, and his successor in Paris, Nadeem, will line up at the athletics world championships for their first encounter since the nuclear-armed neighbours engaged in a four-day conflict in May, their worst since 1999. Chopra, who took Olympic silver behind his great rival a year ago, had often spoken about his friendly relations with Nadeem despite the tensions between their countries. After Nadeem won gold and Chopra stood alongside him on the podium in Paris, Nadeem’s mother Raziah Parveen said: “Winning and losing is part of sport, but they are like brothers.” Chopra’s mother Saroj said she took some solace in Nadeem beating her son because the Pakistani “is also our boy”. But publicly at least that changed after the conflict. The 27-year-old Chopra, who will defen...

Kuldeep Yadav returned figures of 4-7 to lead holders India to a crushing nine-wicket win over hosts United Arab Emirates in their opening match of the men’s Asia Cup 2025 on Wednesday. Kuldeep struck three times in one over with his left-arm wrist spin as tournament favourites India skittled UAE for a paltry 57 in 13.1 overs after they elected to field first in the T20 in Dubai. India romped home to victory in 4.3 overs after left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma hit 30 off 16 balls and vice-captain Shubman Gill stood unbeaten on 20. But it was the bowlers who set up victory for the reigning T20 World Cup champions as medium-pacer Shivam Dube claimed three before Kuldeep wrapped up the innings. Put in to bat, UAE opener Alishan Sharafu started briskly with boundaries before falling to pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah for 22 off 17 balls. Skipper Muhammad Waseem struck 19 to be the only other batsman to make double figures in an otherwise shambolic show by the rest of the team. Kuldeep’s three wickets, including Wasee...

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his administration is continuing negotiations to address trade barriers with India and that he would talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a sign a deal may be imminent after weeks of diplomatic friction. Trump, in a marked shift of tone, said he looked forward to speaking to Modi in the “upcoming weeks” and expressed optimism that they could finalise a trade deal. “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries,” he said in a post on social media. Modi reciprocated the optimism in a social media post on Wednesday, saying Washington and New Delhi “are close friends and natural partners”. He said teams from both countries are working to conclude the trade discussions at the earliest. “I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people,” Modi said. The latest comments from both the leaders drove India’s ...

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Monday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to peace, diplomacy, and regional stability while strongly criticizing India’s internal and external policies, particularly its treatment of minorities and alleged involvement in transnational.

India on Monday released additional water into the Sutlej River, raising fears of another wave of flooding downstream.

DUBAI: Could the Indian government’s own sports policy hold the key to reviving the most watched, most lucrative and most emotionally charged rivalry in Test cricket — Pakistan versus India? Upon reviewing India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ policy on international events, a key clause stands out: “Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India.” Another important line states: “About international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons.” Taken together, the policy is clear: bilateral series remain off-limits, but participation in international and multilateral events is allowed, and India defers to the practices of international sports bodies — in this case, the International Cricket Council (ICC). This is wh...