15 IS, Taliban militants join peace process

India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's allegations of aggravating skirmishes with Afghanistan, calling them "baseless" and accusing Pakistan of blaming others for its own misdeeds.

As the ongoing conflict in West Asia entered its 11th day, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said that "today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran", signalling a further escalation in the joint military operations against the Islamic Regime.

China has announced a 7 per cent increase in its 2026 defence budget to roughly USD 277 billion. Amidst regional conflicts and military purges, Beijing is prioritising modernisation and "sovereign rights." While feeling vulnerable due to energy dependencies, China is choosing diplomatic engagement over direct military involvement in current global wars.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" in a release on Monday. He urged the Taliban to release Americans "unjustly detained," accusing the group of using "terrorist tactics" and "hostage diplomacy" to seek policy concessions from the US.

With Pakistan facing the impact of the crisis in West Asia, the Chief Minister of the country's Punjab province, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has announced a series of measures "to protect the public and manage resources responsibly".

Following the appointment of a new Supreme Leader by Iran's Assembly of Experts, exiled crown prince of the country Reza Pahlavi on Monday called on the Islamic Republic's military to lay down its arms and join the Iranian people against the current regime, saying those who stand with the people now will have a place in a "free Iran".

India's total arms imports declined slightly over the past decade, partly due to its increasing ability to design and produce weapons domestically.

India, as a democratic and technologically advanced nation, can play a pivotal role in global discussions on the ethics of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), according to Professor Marilyne Andersen, Director General of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA).

The findings have raised questions about the effectiveness of legal mechanisms meant to protect women and vulnerable communities in the province.

Three young men were shot dead in Balochistan's Panjgur district, allegedly by state-backed "death squads." The Baloch Yakjehti Committee condemned the killings alongside recent attacks on intellectuals and artists, urging the UN to investigate these escalating human rights violations and targeted violence across the province.