https://www.scmp.com/rss/522920/feed The latest news and top stories on Farwa Aamer. A Pakistani policy analyst, she focuses on regional security, non-proliferation and water issues in South Asia. Her work at the Stimson Center involves leading research on transboundary water governance in the Himalayan region, including the disproportionate impacts of climate change and water insecurity on women. Previously, she directed the South Asia program at the EastWest Institute, promoting non-traditional diplomacy and multi-stakeholder... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Planning to update your wardrobe this summer? Industry insiders have some advice: do it soon. By the time autumn collections hit the racks, the aftershocks of war on Iran may have quietly picked your pocket. Clothing manufacturers and industry analysts are warning consumers to budget for price increases of 10 to 15 per cent as South Asia’s US$50 billion garment export industry reels from a cascade of war-driven shocks. Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has choked natural gas supplies to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348195/war-iran-about-make-clothes-more-expensive-heres-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348195/war-iran-about-make-clothes-more-expensive-heres-why?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Iran’s nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan has invoked its mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia in response to Tehran’s missile and drone attacks on the kingdom, in what analysts have described as a key test of Islamabad’s emerging role in the Middle East’s security architecture. A gently worded warning to the Islamic Republic, delivered by Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, has established Islamabad as a go-between to manage the escalation. Briefing the Senate on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345466/pakistan-aims-walk-tightrope-between-saudi-arabia-and-iran-war-flares-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345466/pakistan-aims-walk-tightrope-between-saudi-arabia-and-iran-war-flares-region?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:22:39 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The United States and Pakistan are reviving defence and minerals cooperation in a bid to reset their uneasy ties, marking a policy shift that has stirred anxiety in India even as Washington seeks to reassure New Delhi. Washington has approved hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades for Pakistan’s ageing F-16 fighter jets and opened the door to more than US$1 billion in financing for US companies involved in critical minerals projects in the South Asian nation. These moves mark the most... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336526/india-wary-us-backs-pakistan-f-16-upgrades-and-mineral-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336526/india-wary-us-backs-pakistan-f-16-upgrades-and-mineral-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 03:00:11 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Despite a high-level phone call between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, 2025 is likely to end without the long-promised US-India trade deal, as the “America first” leader continues to stall the agreement while working to cement improved ties with Beijing. The call came just days after Modi hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the Indian Prime Minister described his conversation with Trump as “warm and engaging” in a social media post,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336135/trump-and-modi-have-warm-phone-call-2025-unlikely-end-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3336135/trump-and-modi-have-warm-phone-call-2025-unlikely-end-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 23:00:52 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy frames America’s allies not just as partners, but as instruments to preserve US primacy and counter China’s rise, analysts say. The strategy urges wealthy allies to increase defence spending, align more closely with Washington on measures such as export controls, and take greater responsibility for their regions, a shift that recasts long-standing alliances as tools in great-power competition. The 33-page document declares that the era... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3335432/trumps-security-playbook-recasts-us-allies-tools-counter-china-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3335432/trumps-security-playbook-recasts-us-allies-tools-counter-china-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 22:31:21 +0000 Tom Hussain,Sarmad Iqbal Tom Hussain,Sarmad Iqbal Tensions are again mounting in South Asia after suspected terrorist attacks in Pakistan and India triggered a furious exchange of accusations, including claims of proxy warfare conducted through Afghanistan. Analysts are cautiously optimistic that renewed conflict can be averted, following deadly clashes between Pakistan and India in May and skirmishes between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban in October. The hope is that restraint and international diplomatic pressure may yet stave off... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332728/india-pakistan-conflict-risks-surge-amid-terror-attacks-afghan-proxy-war-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332728/india-pakistan-conflict-risks-surge-amid-terror-attacks-afghan-proxy-war-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Months of intense negotiations appear unlikely to produce a trade deal between the US and India before the August 1 deadline, despite US President Donald Trump having teased one for months as “coming soon”, according to three people familiar with the situation. One person described the current state of discussions as a “total mess” behind the scenes as Trump and his trade representative, Jameison Greer, continue to push for a pact that would secure greater market access for American produce,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3319663/us-india-trade-talks-seen-unlikely-produce-deal-august-1-deadline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3319663/us-india-trade-talks-seen-unlikely-produce-deal-august-1-deadline?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 16:50:22 +0000