Latest news with #Indian-administered
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Says He's Potentially Stopping 'Nuclear War' Through Trade
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump has said that trade threats forced India and Pakistan back from the brink when hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors escalated in May. Trump said his warning that the U.S. "can't trade with people who are shooting at each other" defused tensions after New Delhi accused Islamabad of supporting militants behind an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, a charge Pakistan denied. However, Indian media reported that New Delhi's position was that the ceasefire was struck with no third-party involvement or trade pressure from the U.S. Newsweek has contacted the foreign ministries of India and Pakistan for comment. U.S. President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, May 30, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, May 30, It Matters India launched Operation Sindoor following an attack on April 22 on Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 civilians, prompting the countries to engage in the most intense fighting between them in decades. The countries each possess about 170 nuclear weapons, according to the think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Trump was the first to announce that the neighbors had reached an understanding to end the conflict on May 10, with the U.S. president claiming it was Washington which had helped settle tensions. With his latest comments, Trump is framing the effectiveness of economic measures as a geopolitical weapon as he faces legal challenges to the tariffs he imposed on trading partners. What To Know On May 7, India fired missiles into the Pakistani province of Punjab and Pakistan-run Kashmir, killing at least 26 in what Pakistan dubbed an act of war. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to the killing of at least 26 tourists in India-administered Kashmir on April 22. On May 10, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. had brokered an end to the fighting with both sides agreeing to a "full and immediate" ceasefire. Islamabad praised U.S. involvement, but New Delhi tried to portray the ceasefire as a victory and said that the neighbors had worked together "directly" on the truce. Trump tried to claim credit again during a White House press conference on Friday, saying that it was the U.S. which mediated and stopped the fighting. Trump said, "we stopped" the countries fighting in what could have "turned out into a nuclear disaster." This was due to economic pressure, with the U.S. leader saying his country could not trade with those in conflict who could potentially use nuclear weapons. Trump reiterated this point following a visit to U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin plant where he said the U.S. could stop a potential nuclear war "through trade as opposed through bullets…I'm very proud of that." However, in reporting Trump's comments, Indian media outlets emphasized how New Delhi had always said the ceasefire was a bilateral agreement directly between the directors general of military operations of both countries. India has denied any third-party mediation and said the decision to halt military actions was a result of direct communication between New Delhi and Islamabad and not linked to any trade discussions. India's highest ranking general, Anil Chauhan and Pakistan's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, have both said there was no danger that nuclear weapons would be used during the conflict, Reuters reported. What People Are Saying President Donald Trump: "We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster. "We say we can't trade with people who are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons. They're great leaders in those countries, and they understood and they agreed, and that all stopped." Indian media outlet News 18 reported: "Government sources told [News18] that there was no reference to trade in talks between top leaders of India and the U.S. during the India-Pakistan military conflict. What Happens Next Mirza said Friday that Pakistan and India are pulling back troops built up along their shared border to pre-conflict levels, although he did warn that the recent crisis in the disputed area of Kashmir has upped the risk of future escalation.
DW
a day ago
- Sport
- DW
Despite India-Pakistan conflict, Real Kashmir FC endures – DW – 05/30/2025
Football team Real Kashmir FC was set up to help young people in the troubled region and has been successful on and off the pitch. The club wants to present a different view of Kashmir, especially after recent events. The tragic events of April 22, when 26 tourists were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir, were not only devastating for families and friends of the victims. They also pushed India and Pakistan into a dangerous confrontation and had consequences on the football field too. Real Kashmir FC (RKFC) has been working hard to present a different face of the region to the wider world, with some success, but now the area it represents was back in the news for all the wrong reasons. The immediate challenge is to ensure the events of April do not drive public interest and the private sector away from a club that is less than a decade old but has already made significant progress. "April 22 is the most unfortunate and tragic incident that could have happened," Arshad Shawl, the owner of RKFC, told DW. "It sets us back because when you have millions of tourists coming in, it becomes a bigger and better market for brands, products and services. When there is escalation between the two countries, it becomes an unattractive place for all." India and Pakistan both claim Muslim-majority Kashmir in its entirety, but each only controls a section of territory, as does China. The region has been a flashpoint for India and Pakistan since they became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. Long-term security issues and civil unrest ensured that even before the mass shooting in April, this beautiful part of the world often made international headlines for the wrong reasons. Kashmiris struggle to make their voices heard To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "We were literally cut off from the whole world in many forms," Shawl said. "The youth were disillusioned as there were no investments into the region.' Out of misery After floods devastated Kashmir in 2014, two people came together to try and make a difference. Shamim Mehraj, a Muslim newspaper owner, and Hindu businessman Sandeep Chattoo, who died in 2023, decided that local youngsters needed something to keep them from drifting into violence. They distributed 100 footballs. It was simple but effective. "That was the idea,' said Shawl. "'Let's start allowing the Kashmir youth, feeling stress, anxiety and depression, to come and play.'" It all started from there and in 2016, Real Kashmir FC came into existence. "The club was formed with a motto: 'create, believe and inspire.' [Kashmir] was known for bullets and stones but every Real Kashmir win symbolises our collective effort." It has struck a chord with locals. South Asia may be a hotbed of cricket but this northwestern corner of the subcontinent is different. "We grow up with football and we have a passion for it," fan Amal Mirza told DW. "We have a different identity in Kashmir, and football gives us a chance to enjoy that for ourselves and show it to others." The club also says so in its official video, explaining that, "when you see Kashmir through the lens of football, you see the real Kashmir." Climbing the mountain Helped to get off the ground by local and national support, the club started out in the third tier of Indian football and was promoted to the I-League in 2018. The following year, it reached the semifinals of the Durand Cup, one of the oldest cup competitions in the world. Since then, the so-called "Snow Leopards" have been performing well in the second tier and in the 2024-25 season, finished third, just three points from the top spot and promotion. The breathtaking scenery with mountains, lakes and forest has actually helped the players too. "We are at a high altitude and with our oxygen capacity and diet, we are quite strong physically," said Shawl. Faisal Ashraf, cofounder of the Real Kashmir Fan Club, has been a supporter since the beginning. "There is a love for football in Kashmir, more than anywhere else in India and people come together to support the team, there is a real legacy here," Ashraf said. The club told DW that the average attendance for last season was over 6,000, over three times higher than the league average. "When the team plays, nobody cares about what else is going on, there is no thinking about violence or anything," Mirza said. "We just want our team to win. You see the crowds are not just men and boys but there are girls and women there too, and old people. It gives people something to talk about and support. I hope we can keep going and getting better." Real Kashmir have attendances that outstrip many top division sides Image: Adil Abass/ZUMA/picture alliance Decades of instability left what facilities there were in the state almost unusable but the club's growth as well as support from the government has helped to ensure that pitches are now in good condition and well-used. International and national sponsors — Adidas and Livpure, a drinking water provider — have also been involved. Next steps The challenge is to keep the momentum going and win a place in the Indian Super League (ISL), the country's top tier. To get there and face the giant clubs from Kolkata, Mumbai, Kerala and elsewhere could be a game-changer. "It would be the biggest thing that can happen, giving the chance to the youth to see the biggest ISL teams who would come and play here," said Shawl. "It would open up a new chapter and be the greatest thing that can happen to Real Kashmir and the entire Jammu and Kashmir [area] as well." But Real Kashmir has never just been about results on the pitch. "This club started with a mission, not purely to play football but to get the boys out and allow them to play with the mainland and integrate,'" said Shawl. "Our front pages were about youth turning to violence. We wanted to bring that change." And despite events of April, that is still the club's enduring mission. Edited by: Matt Pearson
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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
'Can't rule out strategic miscalculation': Pakistani general warns of escalation risk despite India-Pak troop drawdown
Despite signs of de-escalation along the India-Pakistan border, with both sides beginning to reduce troops after their worst clashes in decades, a top Pakistani military general has warned that the risk of future escalation remains high read more General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, speaks during an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, in Singapore, May 30, 2025, in this screengrab from a video. Reuters Despite signs of de-escalation along the India-Pakistan border, with both sides beginning to reduce troops after their worst clashes in decades, a top Pakistani military general has warned that the risk of future escalation remains high. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, said while there was no move towards nuclear weapons during the conflict, it was a dangerous situation. 'Nothing happened this time, but you can't rule out any strategic miscalculation at any time, because when the crisis is on, the responses are different,' General Mirza said in an interview to Reuters, cautioning that while the immediate crisis may be easing, the underlying tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours remain dangerously volatile. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He said that the risk of future escalation has grown, as the recent fighting extended beyond the disputed region of Kashmir, claimed in full by both countries but controlled in parts, into each country's mainland. Mirza, Pakistan's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels. 'We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation… we are approaching that, or we must have approached that by now,' said Mirza, the most senior Pakistani military official to speak publicly since the conflict. According to Reuters, India's ministry of defence and the office of the Indian chief of defence staff did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the remarks by Mirza. The latest round of hostilities between the long-time rivals was triggered by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 civilians dead, most of them tourists. New Delhi accused Pakistan-backed 'terrorists' of carrying out the assault, a claim Islamabad firmly denied. In response, India launched missile strikes on May 7, targeting nine terrorist hideouts across the border. Pakistan retaliated with its own strikes, prompting both countries to amass additional troops along the frontier. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery in four days of clashes, their worst fighting in decades, before a ceasefire was announced on May 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan this month that New Delhi would target 'terrorist hideouts' across the border again if there were new attacks on India. India and Pakistan have fought three major wars, two of them over Kashmir, and have been involved in numerous armed skirmishes over the decades. New Delhi holds Islamabad responsible for terrorism in Kashmir that began in 1989 and has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Pakistan, however, insists it offers only moral, political, and diplomatic support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination. 'This (conflict) lowers the threshold between two countries who are contiguous nuclear powers…in the future, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to (the) whole of India and (the) whole of Pakistan,' Reuters quoted Mirza as saying. 'This is a very dangerous trend,' he added. Reuters had earlier reported that the swift de-escalation of hostilities was partly the result of behind-the-scenes diplomacy involving the United States, India, and Pakistan, with Washington playing a key role in brokering peace. However, India has rejected any suggestion of third-party involvement in the ceasefire, maintaining that all engagement with Pakistan must be strictly bilateral. General Mirza cautioned, however, that international mediation may prove more difficult in future crises, citing the absence of formal crisis management mechanisms between the two countries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The time window for the international community to intervene would now be very less, and I would say that damage and destruction may take place even before that time window is exploited by the international community,' he was quoted as saying. Pakistan was open to dialogue, he added, but beyond a crisis hotline between the directors general of military operations and some hotlines at the tactical level on the border, there was no other communication between the two countries. New Delhi has maintained a hard line on any possible rapprochement. 'If there are talks, it will only be on terrorism and PoK," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. 'If Pakistan is serious about talks, it should hand over terrorists…to India so that justice is served,' he added. Mirza said there were no backchannel discussions, or informal talks, to ease tensions. He also said he had no plans to meet General Anil Chauhan, India's chief of defence staff, who is also in Singapore for the Shangri-La forum. 'These issues can only be resolved by dialogue and consultations, on the table. They cannot be resolved on the battlefield,' Mirza added. With inputs from agencies
DW
a day ago
- Sport
- DW
Real Kashmir FC endure despite India-Pakistan conflict – DW – 05/30/2025
Football team Real Kashmir FC was set up to help young people in a troubled region, and has found on pitch success. It also strives to present a different image of Kashmir in the face of recent turmoil. The tragic events of April 22, when 26 tourists were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir, were not only devastating for families and friends of the victims. They also pushed India and Pakistan into a dangerous confrontation and had consequences on the football field too. Real Kashmir FC (RKFC) has been working hard to present a different face of the region to the wider world, with some success, but now the area it represents was back in the news for all the wrong reasons. The immediate challenge is to ensure the events of April do not drive public interest and the private sector away from a club that is less than a decade old but has already made significant progress. "April 22 is the most unfortunate and tragic incident that could have happened," Arshad Shawl, the owner of RKFC, told DW. "It sets us back because when you have millions of tourists coming in, it becomes a bigger and better market for brands, products and services. When there is escalation between the two countries, it becomes an unattractive place for all." India and Pakistan both claim Muslim-majority Kashmir in its entirety, but each only controls a section of territory, as does China. The region has been a flashpoint for India and Pakistan since they became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. Long-term security issues and civil unrest ensured that even before the mass shooting in April, this beautiful part of the world often made international headlines for the wrong reasons. Kashmiris struggle to make their voices heard To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "This is a story where Kashmir was being under militancy for as long as 30-35 years and we were literally cut off from the whole world in many forms," Shawl said. "The youth were disillusioned as there were no investments into the region.' Out of misery and disillusion came football After floods devastated Kashmir in 2014, two people came together to try and make a difference: Shamim Mehraj, a Muslim newspaper owner, and Hindu businessman Sandeep Chattoo, who sadly died in 2023, decided that local youngsters needed something to keep them from drifting into violence. They distributed 100 footballs. It was simple but effective. "That was the idea,' said Shawl. "'Let's start allowing the Kashmir youth, feeling stress, anxiety and depression, to come and play.'" It all started from there and in 2016, Real Kashmir FC came into existence. "The club was formed with a motto: 'create, believe and inspire'. "[Kashmir] was known for bullets and stones but every Real Kashmir win symbolises our collective effort." It has struck a chord with locals. South Asia may be a hotbed of cricket but this northwestern corner of the subcontinent is different. "We grow up with football and we have a passion for it," fan Amal Mirza told DW. "We have a different identity in Kashmir, and football gives us a chance to enjoy that for ourselves and show it to others." The club has said as much in its official video, saying. "When you see Kashmir through the lens of football, you see the real Kashmir." Climbing the mountain Helped to get off the ground by local and national support, the club started out in the third tier of Indian football and was promoted to the I-League in 2018. The following year, it reached the semifinals of the Durand Cup, one of the oldest cup competitions in the world. Since then, 'The Snow Leopards' have been performing well in the second tier, and in the 2024-25 season, finished third, just three points from the top spot and promotion. The breathtaking scenery with mountains, lakes and forest has actually helped. "We are at a high altitude and with our oxygen capacity and diet, we are quite strong physically," said Shawl. Faisal Ashraf, cofounder of the Real Kashmir Fan Club, has been a supporter since the beginning. "There is a love for football in Kashmir, more than anywhere else in India and people come together to support the team, there is a real legacy here," Ashraf said. The club told DW that the average attendance for last season was over 6,000, over three times higher than the league average. "When the team plays, nobody cares about what else is going on, there is no thinking about violence or anything," Mirza said. "We just want our team to win. You see the crowds are not just men and boys but there are girls and women there too, and old people. It gives people something to talk about and support. I hope we can keep going and getting better." Real Kashmir have attendances that outstrip many top division sides Image: Adil Abass/ZUMA/picture alliance Decades of instability left what facilities there were in the state almost unusable but the club's growth as well as support from the government has helped to ensure that pitches are now in good condition and well-used. International and national sponsors – Adidas and Livpure, a drinking water provider, – have been involved. The Next Step The challenge is to keep the momentum going and win a place in the Indian Super League (ISL), the country's top tier. To get there and face the giant clubs from Kolkata, Mumbai, Kerala and elsewhere could be a game-changer. "It would be the biggest thing that can happen, giving the chance to the youth to see the biggest ISL teams who would come and play here," said Shawl. "It would open up a new chapter and be the greatest thing that can happen to Real Kashmir and the entire Jammu and Kashmir as well." But Real Kashmir has never just been about results on the pitch. "This club started with a mission, not purely to play football but to get the boys out and allow them to play with the mainland and integrate,'" said Shawl. "Our front pages were about youth turning to violence. We wanted to bring that change." Despite events of April, that is still the mission. Edited by: Matt Pearson
AFP
2 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Visuals of Indian opposition leader 'posing with YouTuber detained for spying' are altered
The Hindi-language Facebook post shared on May 21, 2025 says Indian YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra can be seen with Gandhi in the images (archived link). "What a strange coincidence that every traitor and anti-national is seen with Rahul Gandhi!" it says. "Is Rahul Gandhi the mastermind behind the turmoil in the country?" Image Screenshot of the false post, captured on May 23, 2025 The post surfaced after Indian authorities accused Malhotra and ten other people of leaking military information to Pakistan (archived link). The nuclear-armed foes agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, ending four days of intense fighting that claimed over 70 lives on both sides (archived link). Fighting erupted two weeks after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people, which India blamed on Pakistan but denied by Islamabad. The image was shared with similar claims elsewhere on Facebook, X and Threads, with comments showing some users believed it was genuine. "I have noticed one thing ... wherever treason is mentioned, Congress is mentioned too," one comment said. Another wrote, "Congress headquarters is a training centre for traitors." But a reverse image search on Google revealed the images had been altered. State lawmaker Aditi Singh shared the first picture on Facebook on December 16, 2017 when she was a member of the Congress party before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2021 (archived link). The photo's caption reads, "Many congratulations and best wishes to Honourable Rahul Gandhi. Jai Hind!" Image Screenshot comparison of the image in the false post (L) and on Singh's Facebook page Another search reveals Gandhi published the original of the second photo on his Facebook page on September 18, 2022 when he travelled across India as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra campaign (archived here and here). It shows him posing for a picture with a person different from that seen in the false post. Image Screenshot comparison of the image in false post (L) and on Gandhi's Facebook page AFP has debunked a series of false claims about the India-Pakistan conflict here.
