Iran transition plan highlights India ties, Chabahar port revival

IANS | March 8, 2026 7:17 AM

Washington, March 8 (IANS) A blueprint drafted by Iranian opposition figures for governing the country after the fall of the Islamic Republic proposes reviving the Chabahar Port project with India and restoring long-term crude oil exports to the world’s fastest-growing major energy market.

Trump honours six soldiers killed in Kuwait

IANS | March 8, 2026 6:54 AM

Washington, March 8 (IANS) Under a grey afternoon sky at Dover Air Force Base, the silence on the flight line was broken only by the slow steps of an honour guard carrying transfer cases draped in the American flag. President Donald Trump stood at attention, raising his hand in salute as each case bearing the remains of fallen soldiers was carried past him, families of the dead watching quietly nearby.

Trump shrugs off oil fears amid Iran war

IANS | March 8, 2026 6:28 AM

Washington, March 8 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said he was not concerned about rising fuel prices despite the ongoing war with Iran, arguing that global oil markets have enough supply and that any price spike would be temporary.

Trump says Iran's military crippled as US weighs next steps

IANS | March 8, 2026 6:16 AM

Washington, March 8 (IANS) President Donald Trump said the United States had severely weakened Iran’s military after a week of fighting, while signalling that Washington holds strong negotiating leverage but is not actively pursuing a settlement with Tehran.

Rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah's rise in Nepal politics widely seen as symbol of generational change

IANS | March 7, 2026 9:05 PM

Kathmandu, March 7 (IANS) When Balen Shah, the former Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, chose Jhapa-5 as his constituency to contest the parliamentary elections against former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli in the latter’s traditional stronghold, many leading experts had questioned the move despite the rising popularity graph of the rapper-turned politician.

Pakistan's failure to tackle trafficking lets criminal networks thrive: Report

IANS | March 7, 2026 9:02 PM

Islamabad, March 7 (IANS) Pakistan will continue to see disappearances buried in administrative records rather than investigated as crimes unless trafficking is recognised not only as a humanitarian crisis but also as an institutional vulnerability. Such neglect enables organised criminal networks to flourish and undermines the credibility of the authorities, a report said on Saturday.