US President Donald Trump urged the prime ministers of India and Pakistan to reduce tensions over the disputed region of Kashmir. AP
US President Donald Trump urged the prime ministers of India and Pakistan to reduce tensions over the disputed region of Kashmir. AP
US President Donald Trump urged the prime ministers of India and Pakistan to reduce tensions over the disputed region of Kashmir. AP
US President Donald Trump urged the prime ministers of India and Pakistan to reduce tensions over the disputed region of Kashmir. AP

Kashmir crisis: Donald Trump urges India and Pakistan to reduce tensions


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Donald Trump has called the leaders of India and Pakistan in a bout of telephone diplomacy asking them to reduce tensions in their latest Kashmir dispute.

The American president said he had telephoned Narendra Modi and Imran Khan amid fears the latest row between the nuclear-armed neighbours could unsettle US attempts to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Mr Trump admitted the spat over the contested territory was “a tough situation”, but said he had held “good conversations” with his “good friends”.

Ties between Delhi and Islamabad had already been strained before Mr Modi's government earlier this month abolished Indian-administered Kashmir's special autonomous status. Mr Modi's decision to revoke article 370 of the Indian constitution was accompanied by a widespread security clampdown and communications blackout.

Relations have since plummeted, with Pakistan calling the act illegal and trying to get the United Nations security council to intervene. Transport links and cross-border trade have been halted.

“Spoke to my two good friends, Prime Minister Modi of India, and Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan, regarding trade, strategic partnerships and, most importantly, for India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir,” Mr Trump said.

He also used asked Mr Khan to tone down his rhetoric, a White House statement said.

"The president reaffirmed the need to avoid escalation of the situation and urged restraint on both sides," a statement said.

While Pakistan has as yet shied away from a military response to Delhi's actions, Mr Khan has made dire warnings about Indian abuses. At the weekend Mr Khan likened to Mr Modi's government to Nazis and accused Delhi of planning ethnic cleansing and massacres in Kashmir to change the demographic balance of India's only Muslim-majority state. He has also claimed India's nuclear weapons are now in the hands of racist, Hindu-supremacist fanatics.

Mr Trump first offered to mediate in the Kashmir dispute when Mr Khan visited Washington to reset ties last month. Pakistan has long sought international intervention to resolve the dispute, while Delhi insists the neighbours must sort the problem out themselves.

Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based The Wilson Centre, said: “This is what US presidents do and have often done when things heat up on the Kashmir front: they advise India and Pakistan to work things out. That said, given recent developments, this tweet makes for good optics for Islamabad.”

Help from both Pakistan and India is seen as critical for Washington to forge any lasting political settlement in Afghanistan as Mr Trump tries to disentangle his military from America's longest war. Mr Trump flattered and courted Mr Khan and Pakistan's military chiefs during his visit last month, seeking Pakistan's influence over the Taliban to finalise a deal. Military paranoia over its far larger neighbour, and fears India was courting the Kabul government, led Pakistan to sponsor the Taliban as a proxy. While Western officials say Pakistan has so far played along with Mr Trump's attempts to reach a settlement with the Taliban, they fear another flare up between Islamabad and Delhi would see Pakistan again back the militants to take over the country.

The Taliban last week issued a statement apparently urging Pakistan and India not to link Kashmir with peace in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has found a muted response to its denunciations of India. Islamabad's Gulf allies appear reluctant to alienate India's trading might. The UAE has called the status change in Kashmir an internal matter for Delhi.

Washington confirmed that Trump and Modi spoke during their call about how to increase trade.

US and Indian trade negotiators ended talks in July, reportedly without resolving disputes over tariffs and other protectionist measures imposed by both sides that are straining bilateral ties.

The two sides had resumed trade talks after Trump and Modi met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in June and agreed to seek to deepen the two countries' relationship.

Trade was also discussed with Mr Khan. The former cricketer is desperate for foreign income as he struggles to navigate Pakistan's economy during a balance of payments crisis and quickly rising inflation. A $6bn bailout secured from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund earlier this year has come with painful tax hikes and subsidy cuts which risk undermining his political popularity.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Scoreline

UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia

UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’

Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’

Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

The line up

Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego  

Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh  

Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com

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The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Kerb weight: 1580kg

Price: From Dh750k

On sale: via special order

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

ENGLAND SQUAD

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

LIKELY TEAMS

South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.

India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

IF YOU GO
 
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
 
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info

 Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs

UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv

Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium

Squads

India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur

West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets