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The Times of India reports that researchers led by epigrapher K. Muniratnam Reddy from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have decoded a Sanskrit inscription written in Brahmi characters on a seal discovered in what is now Pakistan. The translation reads, "Devadaruvane Svami Kotesvarah," indicating that the fifth-century a.d. seal belonged to a temple dedicated to Shiva, a principal Hindu deity. Reddy and his colleagues explained that the inscription refers to a pivotal story about Shiva set in the Devandaru forest that is recorded in a sacred text called the Skanda Purana. The seal is thought to be the oldest...

President Donald Trump on Saturday abruptly canceled a planned trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan, pulling back from what had been billed just a day earlier as a potential jump-start to fragile Iran talks. “I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going is [to] Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’ Nobody knows who on earth is in charge, including them. Also, we have all...

ISLAMABAD — Tehran held firm in its claim that its foreign minister Abbas Araghchi would not meet with US negotiators for a second round of talks during his Saturday visit to Islamabad — throwing into question the future of the negotiations. Abbas and the Iranian delegation left for the airport shortly before 6 p.m. local time after holding meetings with primary Pakistani mediators Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed on Friday that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave the US for “direct talks” with Tehran in Pakistan...

“Iranian officials left peace talks in Pakistan this afternoon without meeting the US delegation, ruling out 'maximalist demands'. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday and held a series of meetings with Pakistani officials, including the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, today. But Iran said it would 'not accept maximalist demands' as their officials left without meeting US representatives.”

In a little-known mountainous area called Hunza Valley, located far north of Pakistan, people seem to defy all medical odds. It is primarily home to the Burusho and Wakhi people, who for centuries have survived and thrived in remote villages — with minimal amenities and rudimentary health facilities. Studies have found that the average life expectancy here is around 100 years. My husband was born and raised here, and is from the Burusho indigenous community. After we got married, I left the U.S. and we settled down in the Central part of the valley. Here are some intriguing habits that...

The regime appears to be trying to prevent a widespread outbreak of protests by reinforcing its presence on the ground, according to Effi Banai, a lecturer and researcher of social networks.

Being a Christian girl in Pakistan means living as a target. Teenagers Maria, Sidra, Niha, and Elishba are just four of countless girls who have been abducted from their homes and forced to convert to Islam in the past year. Sidra and Niha were both abducted less than a month ago, in March 2026. The abuse goes beyond kidnapping. Maria was taken in July and forced to marry a 30-year-old Muslim man. She later gave a statement saying she had done so of her own will and was now a follower of Islam. Despite the efforts of Maria’s parents in...

Fox News has reported a power struggle has broken out within Iranian leadership and a potential coup could be taking place against the new supreme leader. "Tonight there could be a coup, no-one knows who's calling the shots," Fox News' political commentator and host Jesse Watters said. Watters said that the US delegation, comprising of Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Special Envoy for Peace Jared Kushner, were supposed to leave for Islamabad, Pakistan for negotiations with Iran. Watters claimed the Iranian delegation never left Iran. He went on to say that Trump...

Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following moves by Islamabad to end a U.S. blockade ​of Iran's ports, a major hurdle for Iran to rejoin peace efforts. However, the official stressed that no decision had been made. With a two-week ceasefire set to expire, a senior ‌Iranian official said Tehran was "positively reviewing" its participation but no final decision had been made. The comments conveyed a clear change of tone from earlier statements ruling out attendance and pledging to retaliate for U.S. aggression. The Iranian official...

“We’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” Trump said, adding that negotiators may meet again “over the weekend.” Pakistan, which has been mediating between the two sides, is expected to host the next round of talks. Trump said he would consider traveling there if an agreement is reached. “I would go to Pakistan,” Trump said. “If a deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go. They want me.” The ceasefire between the sides, which began last Tuesday, is set to expire next week, though Trump suggested it may not need to be extended.

A shadow industry of law firms and advisers is charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend to be gay in order to stay in the UK, the BBC has found. In the first part of a major undercover investigation, we reveal how migrants whose visas are due to run out are being given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports. They then apply for asylum claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh.In response to our findings, the Home...

Retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Muhammad Saeed tells the New York Post that Iran lacks the "compatible military means" to sustain a conflict against the U.S. and Israel. As Operation Epic Fury chokes the Iranian economy, Saeed predicts Tehran will be forced to accept a "take it or leave it" deal. A retired Pakistani lieutenant general with deep regional insight has told the New York Post that Iran simply “does not have the military means” to keep up its confrontation with the United States and Israel. Lt. Gen. (ret.) Muhammad Saeed, who spoke exclusively to the Post in Islamabad on Monday,...

President Donald Trump has announced that the Iranian regime contacted his administration to resume negotiations, even as the United States maintains its strict naval blockade. In a significant diplomatic development, President Donald Trump revealed from the White House that his administration has received a formal outreach from the "proper authorities" in Tehran. According to the President, the Iranian leadership has expressed a clear desire to return to the negotiating table following the collapse of high level talks in Islamabad earlier this month. While the President appeared open to the prospect of renewed dialogue, he maintained a rigid stance on the...

Brescia imam: “In our Islam, after age 9, a girl becomes a woman.” An “Italian” imam named Ali Kashif went on TV and announced that girls who have reached nine years of age may be considered women, and are appropriate marriage material. The Italian government reacted in an sensible manner and expelled him from the country, putting him on a flight to his native Pakistan. These words, spoken by the Brescia imam Ali Kashif into the microphones of the program “Out of the box”, have earned him expulsion from the country. It was the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi who made...

The Iranian delegation to the US-Iran high-stakes peace talks has adopted the name “Minab-168”. Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf explicitly identified the aircraft the mission as “Minab-168”. The front row of the aircraft was arranged with blood-soaked bags, the children's shoes, and their photograph with white roses. He posted a picture the caption, “My companions on this flight #Minab168.” The Iranian embassy in South Africa re-shared the picture with the caption, “We will never forget the children of Minab" It also posted an AI-generated video emphasising that association. Iranian officials and state media have used the name...

President Donald Trump announced a U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social account, blaming the failure to reach a deal with Iran during talks in Pakistan this weekend. "So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote. "At some point,...

.BREAKING: 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia fully restores East-West oil pipeline, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz and pumping 7,000,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia says it needs no more strait of Hormuz.

The deployment aimed to enhance joint military coordination, improve operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries, and support security and stability at regional and international levels

Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf arrives in Islamabad for US talks, demanding a Lebanon ceasefire and release of frozen assets first. US VP Vance warns Iran against playing games. An Iranian negotiating delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Friday arrived in Islamabad for peace talks with the United States, Iranian media reported. The report stated that negotiations would begin if Washington accepted Tehran’s “preconditions." .....

In the middle of an Easter lunch at the White House, President Donald Trump went off script to address speculation about JD Vance's role in securing a deal to end the war in Iran. "If it doesn't happen, I'm blaming JD Vance," Trump joked, drawing laughter at last week's East Room event attended by senior administration officials including the vice-president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. And "if it does happen," Trump added, "I'm taking full credit." The remarks perfectly captured Vance's predicament as he leads a US delegation holding talks with Iran in Pakistan. It...