US President Donald Trump has played down allegations that Chinese companies provided Iran with satellite imagery of a US military base in Jordan before a deadly missile attack, saying that intelligence gathering is a practice carried out by major powers, including the United States and China. “China spies on us, and we spy on them too,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday when asked about the allegations, Reuters reported.
Trump's comments came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had obtained high-resolution satellite imagery from Chinese entities before and after a July 17 missile strike on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in northeastern Jordan. The attack reportedly killed three US service members and injured four others. According to the newspaper, US officials familiar with the matter believe satellite imagery supplied by Chinese entities was connected to Iran's attack on the military facility. The officials did not identify the Chinese companies that allegedly provided the imagery.
The satellite images reportedly offered detailed information about the US facility, potentially giving Iran a clearer picture of the base and the personnel and military assets operating there. American officials had previously raised concerns with Chinese counterparts over the possibility that Chinese companies were supplying satellite imagery to Iran that could be used to monitor US military installations and personnel in the region. China has rejected the allegations and challenged Washington to provide evidence supporting the claims. Chinese officials have also defended Beijing's cooperation with Tehran, saying such activities are consistent with international law.
Trump, meanwhile, did not suggest that he planned to make the allegations a major issue in his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. When asked whether he would confront Xi over the reported satellite imagery, Trump instead pointed to the broader practice of intelligence gathering between major powers. Reuters reported that Trump described his relationship with Xi as good and suggested that China's activities were not fundamentally different from those carried out by the United States.
“I think China basically does what we do,” Trump said. Trump's remarks indicate that Washington may currently view the reported satellite imagery issue as part of the wider intelligence competition between major powers rather than as an immediate reason for confrontation with Beijing. The allegations nevertheless highlight growing concerns over the use of commercial satellite technology to gather detailed information about military facilities and operations.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from PTI.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday stressed the need for the infrastructure sector to move beyond “retrospective justice” and adopt a model of “preventive justice”. He said contracts and institutional systems should be structured in a way that helps resolve potential disagreements before they develop into full-fledged disputes.
Speaking at the FIDIC Global Infrastructure Conference 2026, Justice Kant said the Rule of Law should not be limited to correcting problems after a project has already been affected. Instead, it should ensure that contractual obligations are clearly defined, decision-making powers are understood, risks are distributed fairly and dispute-resolution mechanisms are reliable and timely.
He noted that an effective dispute-resolution system should ideally prevent disputes from arising in the first place. According to him, the real measure of success is not the number of disputes a mechanism settles, but how rarely a project needs to rely on it. The CJI also highlighted the importance of creating a common understanding among parties about how unexpected situations will be handled during infrastructure projects. He said early action, transparent communication and quick decisions can stop disagreements from escalating into formal claims.
Justice Kant pointed out that major infrastructure projects cannot simply stop while legal proceedings continue. Construction of bridges and highways, as well as power projects, depends on timely decisions, making prolonged arbitration or appeals potentially disruptive to both schedules and economic objectives.
Calling for greater standardisation in infrastructure contracting, the CJI said key provisions covering payments, project changes, extensions of time, unforeseen circumstances and dispute resolution should follow broadly consistent frameworks rather than being drafted from scratch for every project. However, he stressed that such standardisation must remain flexible enough to account for local laws, institutional capacity and project-specific conditions.
Justice Kant said India’s infrastructure expansion is occurring at an unprecedented scale and pace. He said the country’s objective should be to develop projects more quickly while making them more resilient, sustainable and productive. He urged policymakers, developers and other stakeholders to give greater attention to clearly defined responsibilities, equitable risk-sharing, sensible standardisation, early dispute prevention and speedy, independent resolution when disagreements do arise. These measures, he said, should be viewed as essential tools of good governance rather than simply technical legal requirements.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.
Pakistan is facing a difficult diplomatic balancing act as tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels put its relations with Riyadh and Tehran under fresh pressure. Islamabad has spent much of the year trying to maintain ties with both sides, including supporting backchannel diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran while simultaneously strengthening its defence partnership with Saudi Arabia.
The latest fighting has made that balancing strategy increasingly difficult. Pakistan has moved quickly to reassure Riyadh after comments from Islamabad appeared to suggest that its recent defence commitments with Saudi Arabia would not automatically require Pakistani forces to participate in military operations against the Houthis.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the weekend and reaffirmed Pakistan's support for the Kingdom. According to Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office, Sharif strongly condemned the Houthi attacks and expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia. He also warned that continued attacks could threaten regional stability and create further disruptions to global energy supplies.
The conversation came amid questions over Pakistan's obligations under its growing defence relationship with Saudi Arabia. A recently signed security arrangement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey states that an armed attack against one member should be treated as an attack against all. The agreement has therefore raised questions about how Islamabad would respond if Saudi Arabia faced a sustained military threat from the Houthis.
Those questions became more prominent after Pakistan indicated that the agreement did not necessarily mean its military would be deployed against the Yemeni group. The position appeared to create uncertainty among the countries involved and prompted Islamabad to step up its diplomatic engagement with Riyadh.
The latest outreach also followed an attack that temporarily disrupted Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, a strategically important route of around 1,200 kilometres that allows Saudi crude to reach the Red Sea without relying on the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway has already faced severe disruption because of the wider confrontation involving Iran and the United States.
Saudi authorities have also reported Houthi attacks involving missiles and drones. One projectile reportedly caused injuries and damaged several buildings, including a mosque. The repeated targeting of civilian and economic infrastructure has increased concerns about the potential impact of the conflict on Saudi Arabia's security as well as international energy markets.
The situation presents a particularly sensitive challenge. Islamabad has strong defence and economic interests in the Gulf, with cooperation with countries such as Saudi Arabia playing an increasingly important role in its efforts to attract investment and strengthen its fragile economy. At the same time, Pakistan shares a border with Iran and has an interest in maintaining stable relations with Tehran.
Pakistan also depends on energy supplies transported through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. A prolonged disruption along either route could create additional economic difficulties for Islamabad. Direct involvement in the conflict could also expose Pakistani personnel and infrastructure to greater security risks. Pakistani military personnel are already stationed close to the Saudi-Yemen border, making any escalation between Saudi forces and the Houthis particularly sensitive for Islamabad. A deeper military role could potentially draw Pakistan into a wider regional confrontation at a time when the country is already dealing with significant economic and security challenges.
Sharif's latest conversation with the Saudi Crown Prince appears to be part of an effort to prevent disagreements over the Houthi issue from damaging the broader Pakistan-Saudi relationship. The Pakistani prime minister also indicated that he, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar would continue diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions and supporting peace in the region.
Islamabad now faces the difficult task of reassuring Riyadh about its security commitments without unnecessarily damaging its relationship with Tehran. For Pakistan, maintaining that delicate balance could become increasingly challenging if the conflict involving Saudi Arabia, the Houthis, Iran and the wider region continues to escalate.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking on Hindi Diwas 2026, said Hindi serves as an important link between India’s many languages and has enabled people from different linguistic backgrounds to communicate and work across the country. Addressing the Sixth All India Official Language Conference in Navi Mumbai on Monday, Shah said his own experience from Gujarat demonstrated how Hindi can help people operate effectively at the national level. He noted that although Gujarati is his mother tongue, his familiarity with Hindi meant he never encountered major difficulties while working beyond his home state.
Shah also stressed the importance of preserving India’s regional languages and said the government is giving greater emphasis to mother-tongue education. Referring to the National Education Policy, he said primary-level education in the mother tongue would help children remain connected to their cultural and social roots.
According to Shah, a person's understanding of family values, traditions, culture and local heritage develops more naturally through their mother tongue. He added that learning, thinking and creativity can also become more effective when people are able to express themselves in the language they understand most deeply.
Highlighting Maharashtra’s diverse linguistic landscape, Shah said Marathi deserves its due recognition while pointing out that several other languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Konkani, Sindhi and Kannada, are also part of the state's multicultural identity. He described Maharashtra as one of India’s most multilingual states.
The Home Minister also recalled the government's 2019 decision to take the All India Official Language Conference beyond Delhi. Instead of limiting the event to the national capital, the government decided that it should be organised in different parts of the country. Shah said the Navi Mumbai gathering marked the sixth edition under this approach.
He further praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for using Indian languages while addressing international audiences. Shah said hearing the country's Prime Minister speak in an Indian language at major global forums creates a sense of pride and reflects respect for India's linguistic heritage. With Hindi Diwas coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi this year, Shah invoked Lord Ganesha, describing him as the remover of obstacles and expressing hope that Indian languages would continue to progress without hindrance.
Shah also referred to the history of Ganesh Utsav in Maharashtra, recalling Bal Gangadhar Tilak's role in popularising the public celebration in the late 19th century. He said Tilak recognised the importance of culture and history in creating social awareness and strengthening a sense of national identity. Hindi Diwas is observed every year on September 14 to commemorate the adoption of Hindi as one of India's official languages. The occasion is also used to highlight the country's linguistic diversity and the role of Indian languages in connecting communities across different regions.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday said India-Vietnam relations have made “significant progress” since the last Joint Commission meeting three years ago. During talks with Vietnamese Foreign Affairs Minister Le Hoai Trung, Jaishankar said the 19th Joint Commission meeting would help turn political commitments into concrete outcomes. He also described Vietnam as a key partner in India’s Act East Policy and its broader Indo-Pacific vision. The two sides also reviewed bilateral cooperation following the elevation of their relationship to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from X/@DrSJaishankar.
Singaporean rap pioneer and entertainer Sheikh Haikel looks back on his decades-long journey in the entertainment industry, recalling key moments that defined his career and discussing the legacy he wants to leave behind. After being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, Haikel also shares how deeply moved he has been by the support from fans, friends and fellow artists across the region. In this interview with Hairianto Diman and Elakeyaa Selvaraji, he speaks candidly about his career, personal journey and recent health battle.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.
Donald Trump has organised a major political convention aimed at energising Republican supporters ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. However, several Republican officials seeking re-election have chosen not to attend, instead focusing on campaigning in their home states and districts. Their absence raises questions about whether some Republicans are concerned that Trump’s current political standing and unpopularity could hurt their own chances at the polls. The discussion examines the growing tensions within the party as candidates weigh their loyalty to Trump against their own electoral prospects. This week, Jenna Amatulli hosts the discussion with Guardian US politics correspondent Rachel Leingang.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.
Singapore is set to increase the salaries of its political officeholders by as much as 9 per cent, marking the first adjustment to ministerial pay in 15 years. The move has renewed debate over how Singapore determines compensation for its political leaders, including whether salaries should continue to be linked to earnings among the country’s highest-paid private-sector professionals. Elakeyaa Selvaraji and Hairianto Diman explore the principles behind Singapore’s political pay framework and the broader question of how public service should be valued. They also discuss the issue with Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law at Singapore Management University (SMU).
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.
Recent discussions between U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have failed to produce a major breakthrough. Daniel Martin speaks with Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, Professor of Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU, for further analysis of the developments.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from CNA.
