Maps cannot substitute facts: China's renaming game fails ahead of BRICS Summit

IANS | August 21, 2026 9:32 PM

Beijing, Aug 21 (IANS) For years, China has attempted to turn maps, place names and administrative terminology into instruments of territorial pressure against India. Beijing’s repeated publication of Chinese names for locations inside Arunachal Pradesh is not simply an exercise in geography. It is part of a broader political strategy designed to normalise China’s territorial claim through repetition, official documentation and state-controlled messaging. India’s latest cartographic response therefore represents more than a naming exercise: it is a rejection of Beijing’s attempt to manufacture sovereignty through nomenclature.

UN warning on Al-Qaeda comes amid renewed extremist activities in Bangladesh

IANS | August 21, 2026 9:16 PM

Dhaka, Aug 21 (IANS) The UN Security Council’s warning over al-Qaeda’s efforts to establish a terrorist cell in Bangladesh should serve as a fresh wake-up call for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The current resurgence of violent extremism was allowed to gain momentum during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, a report has highlighted.

US report flags gaps in civilian oversight of Pakistan’s military spending

IANS | August 21, 2026 9:11 PM

Jerusalem, Aug 21 (IANS) The recent US State Department’s 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report has highlighted serious gaps in parliamentary and civilian oversight of Pakistan’s military and intelligence budgets, recommending greater scrutiny of their spending. The findings raised an uncomfortable question about Pakistan’s democratic system, particularly why its elected representatives are unable to effectively scrutinise military and intelligence expenditures, a report has stated.

B'desh: Series of bomb recoveries, explosions near Dhaka raise fear of militant regrouping

IANS | August 21, 2026 8:56 PM

Dhaka, Aug 21 (IANS) Bangladesh is facing fresh security concerns after a series of bomb recoveries and explosions in areas of Savar and Ashulia raised fears of militant regrouping near Dhaka. Investigators have linked some of the incidents to suspected Neo-Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB) operatives and warned of possible plans for major acts of sabotage, a report has stated.

Pakistan signs high-profile defence pacts, but fails to protect its own seafarers: Report

IANS | August 21, 2026 8:54 PM

Islamabad, Aug 21 (IANS) Days after Pakistan signed the high-profile Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, three Pakistani sailors were among six people killed in a Houthi attack on the commercial vessel Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, underscoring the stark disconnect between high-level security agreements and the safety of ordinary Pakistani seafarers, a report has stated.