logo
CNA Correspondent - Why are India and Pakistan on the brink of war?

CNA Correspondent - Why are India and Pakistan on the brink of war?

CNA08-05-2025

Another violent chapter in a decades-long rift between two nuclear-armed neighbours. On 7 May, India carried out deadly strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, two weeks after a terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi blames Pakistan, something Islamabad denies. Is diplomacy an option or is war inevitable?
Teresa Tang breaks it down with Ishan Garg in New Delhi and Hira Mustafa in Islamabad.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

At UN, Iran accuses US of being complicit in Israeli strikes
At UN, Iran accuses US of being complicit in Israeli strikes

CNA

time2 hours ago

  • CNA

At UN, Iran accuses US of being complicit in Israeli strikes

UNITED NATIONS: Iran accused the United States of being complicit in Israel's attacks on the Islamic Republic, which Washington denied, telling Tehran at an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting that it would "be wise" to negotiate over its nuclear programme. Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel late on Friday (Jun 13) after Israel attacked Iran earlier in the day. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said Iran had been "preparing for war" and Israel's strikes were "an act of national preservation". His Iranian counterpart, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused Israel of seeking "to kill diplomacy, to sabotage negotiations and to drag the region into wider conflict", and he said Washington's complicity was "beyond doubt". "Those who support this regime, with the United States at the forefront, must understand that they are complicit," Iravani told the Security Council. "By aiding and enabling these crimes, they share full responsibility for the consequences." US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had given Tehran a 60-day ultimatum, which expired on Thursday, to make a deal over its escalating uranium enrichment program. A sixth round of US-Iran talks had been scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead. Danon said Israel had been patient despite mounting risks. "We waited for diplomacy to work ... We watched negotiations stretch on, as Iran made false concessions or refused the most fundamental conditions," Danon told the Security Council. He said intelligence had confirmed Iran could have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs within days. Senior US official McCoy Pitt said the United States will continue to seek a diplomatic resolution that ensures Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon or pose a threat to stability in the Middle East. "Iran's leadership would be wise to negotiate at this time," Pitt told the council. While Washington was informed of Israel's initial strikes ahead of time, it was not militarily involved, he said. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site had been destroyed, and that Iran has reported that nuclear sites at Fordow and Isfahan were also attacked.

Black box found at site of Air India plane crash that killed 265
Black box found at site of Air India plane crash that killed 265

CNA

time12 hours ago

  • CNA

Black box found at site of Air India plane crash that killed 265

AHMEDABAD: Investigators recovered a black box recorder on Friday (Jun 13) from the crash site of a London-bound passenger jet that ploughed into a residential area of India's Ahmedabad city, killing at least 265 people on board and on the ground. The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a mayday call shortly before it crashed around lunchtime on Thursday after lifting barely 100m from the ground. One man on board the plane, which was carrying 242 passengers and crew, miraculously survived the fiery crash, which left the tailpiece of the aircraft jutting out of the second floor of a hostel for medical staff from a nearby hospital. "Initially, I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive," survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen, told national broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed. The nose and front wheel of Air India flight 171 landed on a canteen building where students were having lunch, witnesses said. Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai said 265 bodies had been counted so far, which suggested that at least 24 people were killed on the ground. The toll could rise further as more body parts are recovered. "The official number of deceased will be declared only after DNA testing is completed", Home Minister Amit Shah said in a statement late on Thursday. DNA samples will be taken from family members of the dead who live abroad, he said. Air India said there were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian on board the flight bound for London's Gatwick airport, as well as 12 crew members. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the devastated neighbourhood on Friday and was also pictured by survivor Ramesh's bedside. Ramesh, who suffered burns and other injuries, said: "Everything happened in front of me, and even I couldn't believe how I managed to come out alive from that." "Within a minute after takeoff, suddenly ... it felt like something got stuck ... I realised something had happened, and then suddenly the plane's green and white lights turned on." Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that a flight data recorder, or black box, had been recovered, saying it would "significantly aid" investigations. "LAST CALL" In Ahmedabad, disconsolate relatives of passengers gathered at an emergency centre on Friday to give DNA samples so their loved ones could be identified. Ashfaque Nanabawa, 40, said he had come to find his cousin Akeel Nanabawa, who had been aboard with his wife and three-year-old daughter. They had spoken as his cousin sat in the plane before takeoff. "He called us and he said: 'I am in the plane and I have boarded safely and everything was okay'. That was his last call." One woman, too grief-stricken to give her name, said her son-in-law had been killed. "My daughter doesn't know that he's no more," she said, wiping away tears. "I can't break the news to her, can someone else do that please?" Volunteer rescuers described seeing "bodies everywhere". "The bodies were totally burnt. It was like coal," said Bharat Solanki, 51, who was working at a nearby fuel station and rushed to the site with a couple of friends. Ahmedabad, the main city in India's Gujarat state, is home to around eight million people and its busy airport is surrounded by densely packed residential areas. "One half of the plane crashed into the residential building where doctors lived with their families," said Krishna, a doctor who did not give his full name. US planemaker Boeing said it was in touch with Air India and stood "ready to support them" over the incident, which a source close to the case said was the first crash for a 787 Dreamliner. India's aviation authorities ordered Air India on Friday to "carry out additional maintenance actions" on its fleet of Boeing 787-8/9 Dreamliners equipped with GEnx engines. The carrier has 34 Dreamliners, although it was not immediately clear how many have the advanced GEnx engines. RAPID GROWTH India has suffered a series of fatal air crashes, including a 1996 disaster when two jets collided mid-air over New Delhi, killing nearly 350 people. In 2010, an Air India Express jet crashed and burst into flames at Mangalore airport in southwest India, killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew on board. Experts said it was too early to speculate on what may have caused Thursday's crash. "The aircraft is designed to be able to fly on one engine, so the most likely cause of the crash is a double engine failure," said Jason Knight, senior lecturer in fluid mechanics at the University of Portsmouth. "The most likely cause of a double engine failure is a bird strike." India's airline industry has boomed in recent years. The growth of its economy has made India and its 1.4 billion people the world's fourth-largest air market - domestic and international - with the International Air Transport Association projecting it will become the third biggest within the decade.

Iran calls Israel's attack on its nuclear, military facilities a 'declaration of war'
Iran calls Israel's attack on its nuclear, military facilities a 'declaration of war'

CNA

time12 hours ago

  • CNA

Iran calls Israel's attack on its nuclear, military facilities a 'declaration of war'

Iran has called Israel's attacks on its nuclear and military sites a "declaration of war". Tehran has called on the UN Security Council to address the issue. President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that Iran's response will make Israel "regret its foolish act", while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel will face a "bitter and painful" fate. State media confirmed that those killed include the chiefs of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the armed forces. Trent Murray reports from Tel Aviv and Jagruti Dave reports from Washington DC.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store