Politics
Trump extends Iran ceasefire following Pakistan’s request

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday extended a ceasefire with Iran, delaying its expiry to allow more time for negotiations mediated by Pakistan. Trump said the decision followed a request from Pakistan, which has been facilitating talks between Washington and Tehran.
He added that US forces would maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports while attacks remain paused.
The extension comes despite Trump’s earlier threats to strike Iranian infrastructure.
In a statement, Trump said attacks on Iran would remain on hold, but military readiness and the blockade would continue.
Trump said that he was extending a ceasefire between the US and Iran until Tehran submitted a “unified proposal” and “discussions are concluded, one way or the other”.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.
“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump’s statement came as the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire agreed on April 8 neared its deadline. The original deadline for the ceasefire was set for April 21 at 8.00 p.m. ET, but Trump said on Monday that it was to continue till “Wednesday evening Washington time”.
He had said he would not extend it beyond Wednesday, but reversed course at the last moment.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had earlier said the truce would end at 4:50 a.m. PST on April 22.
Blockade dispute clouds talks
Tensions remain high over the US naval blockade, which Tehran has described as a violation of the ceasefire.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the blockade an “act of war” and accused Washington of breaching the truce.
“Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying,” he posted on X.
Iran has also tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz in response, raising concerns over global oil flows.
Uncertainty over Islamabad talks
The ceasefire extension comes amid uncertainty over a planned second round of talks in Islamabad.
US Vice President JD Vance, expected to lead the American delegation, had not departed Washington as of Tuesday. A US official said he remained engaged in policy meetings at the White House.
At the same time, Iran signalled hesitation over participating.
“The reason for this is not indecision; the reason for this situation is that we are faced with contradictory messages, contradictory behaviours, and unacceptable actions from the American side,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
Despite the uncertainty, Trump expressed confidence in Washington’s position.
“We’re going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice,” he told CNBC.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire since the first round of talks in Islamabad. The US has enforced a maritime blockade, while Iran has restricted access through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan has continued diplomatic efforts to keep negotiations on track.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged both sides “to consider extending the ceasefire and to give dialogue and diplomacy a chance,” according to a foreign ministry statement.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Islamabad was still awaiting confirmation from Tehran on participation in the next round of talks, calling the decision “critical”.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Tehran would not negotiate “under the shadow of threats” and would “show new cards on the battlefield” if fighting resumes.
Earlier, the US Defence Department said it had intercepted and boarded a “stateless sanctioned” vessel linked to Iranian activity as part of enforcement measures.
Politics
Netanyahu says he was successfully treated for prostate cancer

- Netanyahu does not disclose when treatment occurred.
- Delayed release of medical report by two months: Israeli PM.
- Move aimed at preventing Iran from spreading “propaganda”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that he had received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, without specifying when the treatment took place.
In a statement on social media, as his annual medical report was released, Netanyahu, 76, said an early stage malignant tumor had been discovered during a routine checkup. He said “targeted treatment” had removed “the problem” and left no trace of it.
According to the medical report, which otherwise said the prime minister was in good health, Netanyahu was treated with radiation therapy for early-stage prostate cancer.
Neither the medical report nor Netanyahu said when the treatment occurred.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister said that he had delayed the release of the medical report by two months to prevent Iran from spreading “false propaganda against Israel”.
In March, during the fighting with Iran, rumors that circulated on social media and aired on Iranian state media claimed that Netanyahu had died.
The Israeli leader recorded a video of himself visiting a Jerusalem cafe in March to refute the claims.
Netanyahu underwent surgery on his prostate in 2024 after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement. In 2023, he was fitted with a pacemaker. Elections are due to be held in Israel by October.
Politics
Strategic Assertion or Legal Breach? Deconstructing India’s Indus Waters Doctrine

India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty under the pretext of security concerns constitutes a flagrant violation of international law , devoid of any legal basis within the Treaty framework. By invoking unsubstantiated claims surrounding the Pahalgam incident , India advances a dangerous doctrine that legitimizes treaty erosion and the coercive weaponisation of shared resources.
The Indus Waters Treaty is a binding bilateral instrument that contains no provision permitting unilateral suspension , reinterpretation, or conditional compliance, thereby rendering India’s decision to hold it in abeyance legally untenable and inconsistent with the principle of pacta sunt servanda. The attempt to justify this breach through allegations linked to the Pahalgam incident remains entirely unsubstantiated in international fora, exposing the claim as a politically motivated pretext rather than a lawful justification. By conflating disputed security narratives with treaty obligations, India not only undermines the integrity of a long-standing water-sharing regime but also sets a pernicious precedent that threatens the stability of transboundary agreements and the broader rules-based international order.
India’s unilateral move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance is not a policy shift, it is a shameless act of legal defiance , openly violating the most basic rule of international law; pacta sunt servanda.
The weaponization of a water-sharing treaty exposes the dangerous ideological imprint of the RSS mindset , where majoritarian extremism overrides legal commitments India’s attempt to justify its conduct through the Pahalgam incident collapses under scrutiny even after a year; no evidence, no accountability, no credibility, only a politically convenient narrative weaponized to rationalize treaty violations.
Dragging terrorism allegations into a binding water treaty is not strategy, it is blatant and reckless escalation , dismantling decades of carefully insulated cooperation and replacing it with instability and mistrust.
By sidestepping proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, India has revealed a pattern of selective legality , embracing international law when convenient and abandoning it when constrained. Moreover, India yet remains silent to the UN Special Rapporteurs queries even after 130 days.
The weaponisation of water by an upper riparian state is nothing short of hydro-political terrorism , targeting the economic and agricultural lifeline of millions and crossing the line from governance into coercion.
This conduct represents a shameful erosion of treaty sanctity , sending a chilling message to the world that binding agreements can be hollowed out by power politics and ideological rigidity.
Pakistan’s position remains unequivocal; treaties are not conditional favors but binding obligations, and no state has the authority to unilaterally rewrite or suspend them under the guise of security narratives.
The growing international concern surrounding India’s actions underscores a simple reality: Unilateralism is isolating, destabilizing, and fundamentally incompatible with a rules-based order.
At its core, this doctrine of “blood and water cannot flow together” is not a principle of justice, it is a dangerous precedent, legitimizing collective punishment and transforming a historic instrument of peace into a tool of strategic pressure.
Politics
India rebukes Trump for sharing ‘hellhole’ remarks on birthright citizenship

- Trump shares commentary on birthright citizenship on his social media.
- Conservative talk show host called China, India ‘hellhole’ places.
- India says inappropriate comments do not reflect reality of India-US ties.
India has dismissed as “uninformed” comments shared by US President Donald Trump that described the country as a “hellhole”, saying they were inappropriate and inconsistent with the strong relationship between the two countries.
The comments were made by conservative commentator Michael Savage in an episode of The Savage Nation talk radio show. Trump posted a transcript of the show on his Truth Social account on Thursday without any comments.
“A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet,” Savage said, according to the transcript.
“That there’s almost no loyalty to this country amongst the immigrant class coming in today, which was not always the case. No, they’re not like the European Americans of today and their ancestors.”
Reuters could not immediately contact Savage.
Trump has issued a directive seeking to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States, a move that has been challenged in the US Supreme Court. Earlier this month, he attended a hearing on the issue in a historic visit to the court.
India’s foreign ministry late on Thursday reacted strongly to the comments.
“The remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a statement.
“They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
The US embassy in New Delhi said: “The president has said ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’.”
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
India’s main opposition Congress party called the “hellhole” remark “extremely insulting and anti-India. It hurts every Indian”.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take up this matter with the US President and register a strong objection,” the party said on X.
Indian government data shows nearly 5.5 million people of Indian origin live in the United States. Indian Americans and Chinese Americans are the two biggest groups of Asian origin in the US.
Trump and Modi enjoyed warm ties during Trump’s first term, but relations cooled after India was hit last year with some of the highest US tariffs, many of which were rolled back this year. India and the US are now working on a trade deal aimed at preventing any renewed increase in tariffs and boosting sales to each other.
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