theTamilGlobal

The United States will impose a 35% tariff on all Bangladeshi goods starting August 1, 2025, a slight reduction from an initially announced 37%, but still significantly higher than tariffs on regional competitors like Vietnam, which secured a 20% rate and Sri Lanka, which is at 30%. This move follows a 90-day negotiation window that ended on July 9 without a breakthrough. The tariff applies broadly to all product categories, including the vital garment sector, which accounts for 81% of Bangladesh’s exports. The new duties also target goods rerouted through third countries to prevent circumvention. US President Donald Trump justified the tariffs by citing persistent trade imbalances and tariff barriers in Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s garment industry faces a severe challenge, as the higher tariffs threaten to reduce competitiveness against countries like Vietnam, India, and China, which have lower or yet-to-be-finalized tariff rates. Experts warn the tariffs could cost Bangladesh’s appa...

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has formally indicted ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity related to the violent crackdown on student protests during the July-August 2024 uprising that led to her removal from power. The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Mozumder, framed five charges against Hasina along with former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun. While Hasina and Khan are currently in exile in India, Mamun is in custody and has pleaded guilty, offering to become a state witness. The charges include orchestrating mass killings, murder, and torture of protesters. Prosecutors presented evidence including a leaked audio recording in which Hasina’s voice allegedly orders security forces to “use lethal weapons” against demonstrators. According to a UN report, up to 1,400 people were killed in the crackdown. The tribunal rejected defe...

An Islamabad court has ordered the blocking of 27 Pakistani YouTube channels accused of spreading “anti-state,” misleading, and provocative content. The decision follows a petition filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which found these channels responsible for sharing false information, defaming state institutions, and inciting public unrest. The banned channels include prominent journalists, political commentators, and opposition voices, such as Imran Riaz Khan, Moeed Pirzada, Matiullah Jan, Asad Toor, and channels linked to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The court’s order cited violations of Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and emphasized the threat posed to public peace and national unity. YouTube has reportedly notified affected creators about the legal removal requests and warned that non-compliance would lead to channel suspension within Pakistan. The ban has sparked debate over press freedom and government censorship, wi...

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has publicly accused India of supporting terrorist activities within Pakistan, intensifying the long-standing tensions between the two neighbors. Speaking in interviews and political forums, Bilawal condemned the recent Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir as a brutal act of terrorism but dismissed allegations of Pakistan’s state involvement. Acknowledging the presence of terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operating on Pakistani soil, Bilawal stressed that these groups emerged during the Afghan jihad era and were later designated terrorist organizations. He insisted that neither his party nor his late mother, Benazir Bhutto, ever supported such groups, and emphasized Pakistan’s own heavy toll from terrorism, with over 92,000 lives lost in recent years. Bilawal accused India of refusing Pakistan’s offer for an impartial international investigation into terror attacks and blamed New Delhi ...

Intense clashes erupted between police forces and militants in the Meri area of Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan resulting in the deaths of multiple militants and injuries to security personnel. The confrontation began when militants launched attacks using drones and rocket launchers targeting police checkpoints and personnel. According to local police officials, the militants ambushed a police patrol on Pirdal Khel Road, opening fire on the vehicle. The police retaliated, killing two militants identified as Guldar Ali (alias Asim) and Owais (alias Haris), both wanted in connection with terrorism, targeted killings, and extortion cases. Weapons and explosives were recovered from the militants during the encounter. Earlier this week, the district also witnessed two quadcopter attacks in the Srah Bangla area and on Miryan Police Station, which killed one civilian woman and injured three others, including children. Authorities have blamed extremist groups, including factions o...

Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was taken into custody by law enforcement agencies outside the Dera Ismail Khan bench of the Peshawar High Court on Thursday. Gandapur had sought protective bail but was arrested in connection with multiple cases, including charges related to illegal arms and liquor recovery and an audio leak case linked to protests following the ouster of the PTI government in 2022. The arrest followed the issuance of non-bailable arrest warrants by anti-terrorism and district courts due to Gandapur's repeated failure to appear before the courts despite summons. Authorities moved to detain him after he voluntarily surrendered but was considered a proclaimed offender in some cases. PTI condemned the arrest, alleging it was a politically motivated move aimed at suppressing opposition ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The party accused security forces of forcibly entering KP House in Islamabad and using exce...

On July 9, 2025, a twin-seater Jaguar fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Bhanoda village in Rajasthan’s Churu district during a routine training mission, killing both pilots onboard. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh airbase and went down around 1:25 pm in an agricultural field, causing no damage to civilian property but resulting in the tragic loss of life. The deceased pilots have been identified as Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh Sindhu (44), a native of Rohtak, Haryana, and Flight Lieutenant Rishi Raj Singh (23) from Pali, Rajasthan. Squadron Leader Sindhu was recently a father, while Flight Lieutenant Singh was the eldest son in his family. This crash marks the third incident involving a Jaguar aircraft in 2025. Earlier, in March, a Jaguar crashed near Ambala, Haryana, where the pilot ejected safely after a technical malfunction. In April, another Jaguar crashed near Jamnagar Airfield, Gujarat, resulting in the death of one pilot despite both ejecti...

India witnessed one of its largest coordinated labor protests in recent years as more than 250 million workers from diverse sectors participated in the nationwide  strike called by a coalition of 10 central trade unions on Wednesday. The strike, supported by farmers’ and rural workers’ organizations, aimed to protest against what the unions described as the central government’s “pro-corporate, anti-worker, and anti-farmer” policies. The unions behind the strike include major players such as the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and others. Notably, the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) did not join the strike. Reasons Behind the Strike The protest was triggered by the government’s failure to address a 17-point demand list submitted by the unions last year, which includes calls for a minimum wage of ₹26,000, restoration of the old p...

The United States has announced a 30% tariff on all goods imported from Sri Lanka, set to take effect on August 1, 2025, marking a significant escalation in trade tensions between the two countries. The move follows months of negotiations and comes as part of a broader US trade policy targeting several nations with steep reciprocal tariffs. Background: From 44% to 30% - A Hard-Fought Reduction Initially, the US administration had proposed a 44% tariff on Sri Lankan imports in April, citing concerns over what it described as Sri Lanka’s “tariff, non-tariff policies, and trade barriers” that contributed to a persistent trade deficit with the US. After a 90-day grace period and intense diplomatic engagement, Sri Lanka secured a reduction to 30% — the largest tariff cut among all countries targeted in the latest round of US trade actions. US Rationale and Warnings In an official letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, US President Donald Trump stated that the tariffs were necessary t...

A Deadly Innovation Born from Hatred The suicide belt, now one of terrorism's most feared weapons, was invented by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of Sri Lanka in the 1980s and has since proliferated across the globe, transforming the landscape of modern terrorism and asymmetric warfare. This improvised explosive device, designed to be worn on the human body, represents one of the most significant tactical innovations in terrorist methodology and has been responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide. Origins in Sri Lankan Civil War The suicide belt emerged from the crucible of Sri Lanka's conflict, where the designated terrorist organization LTTE fought for a mono-ethnic Tamil homeland. The LTTE, established in 1976 under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran, pioneered what would become known as modern suicide terrorism. Facing overwhelming military disadvantage against the Sri Lankan Army, the LTTE developed asymmetric warfare tactics that would revolutioniz...

India's Suspension of 65-Year-Old Indus Waters Treaty Triggers Agricultural Emergency in Pakistan The Indus Waters Treaty, once hailed as one of the world's most successful water-sharing agreements, faces its gravest challenge since inception as India's unprecedented suspension of the 65-year-old pact has plunged Pakistan into a severe water crisis. The treaty, signed on September 19, 1960, in Karachi by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan with World Bank mediation, has survived three wars and countless diplomatic crises between the nuclear-armed neighbors. However, following the April 22 Pahalgam militant attack that killed 26 civilians, including foreign tourists, India took the step of suspending the treaty on April 23, 2025. A Framework Under Siege The Indus Waters Treaty governs the distribution of water from six major rivers across the 1.12 million square kilometer Indus basin, which spans four countries but primarily affects Ind...

Over 1,400 Killed in Syria's Coastal Regions as New President  Ahmed al-Sharaa's  Forces and Aligned Militias Target Religious Minority   In a devastating outbreak of sectarian violence that has shocked the international community, Syria's Alawite minority has suffered mass killings that claimed over 1,400 lives in March 2025, marking the worst violence since the fall of the Assad regime. The killings, carried out by government forces and aligned militias, have exposed deep sectarian divisions and raised serious questions about the new government's commitment to protecting minority rights.     The Scope of the Massacre   A comprehensive Reuters investigation revealed that 1,479 Alawites were killed and dozens remain missing across 40 distinct sites during three days of intensive violence from March 7-9, 2025. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 1,614 civilians were killed by armed militias supporting the Syrian government between...