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Biden says Putin is getting ‘exactly what he didn’t want’

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US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting ‘exactly what he didn’t want’ — the NATO-zation of Europe, the media reported.

Biden praised the diplomatic breakthrough that resulted in Turkey pulling its objections from Sweden and Finland joining the alliance, marking its biggest expansion since the 1990s, the Daily Mail reported.

“Putin was looking for the Finland-ization of Europe and we’re going to get the NATO-zation of Europe,” Biden said when he met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg upon his arrival at NATO headquarters on Wednesday morning.

“And that’s exactly what he did not want to do — it’s exactly what needs to be done to guarantee security for Europe. And I think it’s necessary and I’m looking forward to it happening,” the US President said, the Daily Mail reported.

Biden will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

On Tuesday evening, after multiple rounds of talks, Turkey lifted its objections to the two Nordic states joining the alliance.

“I am pleased to announce we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO,” Stoltenberg said that evening when he announced the deal.

“Turkey, Finland and Sweden have signed a memorandum that addresses Turkey’s concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism,” he added.

The three nations agreed to protect each other’s security as Europe faces its worst security crisis in decades in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In order to affirm the new members, NATO’s 30 allied parliaments must ratify the decision by leaders, a process that could take up to a year.

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Pakistan rebuilds Jaish-e-Mohammed Bahawalpur base destroyed by India during Operation Sindoor: Report

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New Delhi, Aug 25: UN-designated terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) headquarters in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, which were damaged in strikes launched by India under Operation Sindoor last year, have been rebuilt, according to reports.

According to images and intelligence inputs accessed by several media reports, the Markaz Subhanallah, which was badly damaged in India’s strikes last year, has been rebuilt with new plaster, paint, and polished marble.

The central hall of the facility, which had been damaged, has been repaired, with the craters filled and the structure refurbished. The structure, which was fully damaged, now seems to be prepared for regular use by JeM.

The Pakistani establishment provided approximately (Pakistani) Rs 25 crore to JeM in cash instalments, with approximately Rs 11 crore reportedly given for reconstruction of the central hall, several media reports claimed, citing intelligence inputs.

The structures adjoining the main complex, including the Madrasa Al-Sabir, described as an indoctrination centre, and residential quarters used by JeM commanders, which were damaged during Operation Sindoor, have been cleared or demolished, and new construction has taken place at the site.

The Bahawalpur facility was among the sites targeted by India during Operation Sindoor launched in May last year, in response to the terrorist attack carried out in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

India struck at the heart of Pakistan-based terror infrastructure, targeting well-known training camps in Muridke and Bahawalpur in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy.

The highly coordinated operation, launched on May 6 and 7, saw firing of 24 missiles that precisely hit nine terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), killing an estimated 70 terrorists.

Only verified terror camps were targeted, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke and key facilities in Bahawalpur — both long identified as hubs of extremist training and indoctrination.

Operation Sindoor was a significant demonstration of India’s military and strategic capability, combining both military and non-military measures.

India launched the operation in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that took place on April 22, 2025, in which Pakistan-backed attackers singled out victims after asking about their religion, forcing them to recite the Islamic ‘kalima’ to identify non-Muslims. Among those killed were 25 tourists and one local pony ride operator who tried to save the tourists.

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Iran’s President says Washington must change tone, approach toward Tehran

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Tehran, Aug 25: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that the United States must change its tone and approach toward Iran.

“The US reliance on coercion and bullying will only complicate executive processes,” Pezeshkian said at a meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran on Monday (local time), according to a statement published on the website of the presidential office.

Pezeshkian stressed the need for the United States to remain committed to its obligations toward Iran “based on the (country’s) legitimate rights and international regulations.”

He expressed hope that the objectives stipulated in the US-Iran peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be achieved “with the continuation of the will and joint cooperation.”

On June 18, the United States and Iran signed the MoU, under which the two were scheduled to hold negotiations within a period of 60 days, which ended on August 17, to reach a final agreement. However, the talks’ fate remains unclear following renewed escalation between the two countries, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran will not let the war end based on conditions set by the “aggressive” parties.

“We have definitely not been the party to start the war, but we will not let the war’s end be based on the aggressive parties’ conditions,” Baghaei told a weekly press conference in Tehran.

He said that Iran remained determined to defend its territory and would not “compromise with the aggressive parties” or surrender to their “excessive demands.”

Baghaei dismissed US claims that the Strait of Hormuz was open and that millions of barrels of oil were passing through it each day, describing them as part of “psychological and media warfare”.

He also slammed Washington’s newly announced anti-Iran economic operation, saying Tehran would use all its “multilateral capacities” to counter US sanctions, which he described as a blow to free trade and national sovereignty.

The spokesman also warned that countries assisting US anti-Iran operations could face consequences, and called the US naval blockade an “act of aggression”.

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Bangladesh: Two arrested over brutal killing of four members of Hindu family in Rangpur

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Dhaka, Aug 24: Bangladesh police have arrested two young men in connection with the killing of a retired Hindu schoolteacher and three members of his family in Rangpur city.

Police said the duo planned and carried out the murders after the former Rangpur Zilla school teacher tried to prevent them from using yaba, a potent illicit methamphetamine-based drug, on the rooftop, according to local media reports.

The accused were identified as 23-year-old Siddhartha Das and 19-year-old Mugdha Das, both detained from the Dakhiganj cremation ground in the city. They allegedly ransacked the house to make the killings appear to be linked to a robbery.

The incident occurred on August 20, with police recovering the bodies of all four family members two days later, on Saturday night.

After the incident, the accused allegedly used the bathroom, ate dates from the table, and consumed yaba. They further allegedly soaked the mobile phones of Ganapati and Pritilata in washing-powder solution to wipe away fingerprints, according to police, Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.

The deceased were identified as retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65; his wife, Pritilata Chakraborty, 50; their daughter, Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23; and their son, Priyam Chakraborty, 12.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud said that the suspects were allegedly consuming yaba on the rooftop of Ganapati’s house late Thursday night when the retired teacher went upstairs after hearing a noise.

Ganapati reportedly spotted the suspects consuming drugs and asked them to stop, following which they allegedly strangled him with a towel.

Hearing his screams, his wife, Pritilata, and daughter, Prarthi, rushed to the rooftop and were also allegedly strangled. The suspects then went inside the house and killed Priyam, the couple’s only son, in the same manner, the commissioner said. They allegedly stayed inside the house until Friday morning.

Following the brutal incident, hundreds of Rangpur Zilla School students on Sunday abstained from classes and staged a protest seeking the immediate arrest and capital punishment of those responsible for the killings.

The students marched to the offices of the Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the district administration and submitted separate memorandums demanding justice. They later staged a human chain and demonstration on the main road in front of the school, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Meanwhile, the leading minority human rights organisation Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council strongly condemned the brutal killing, calling for proper investigation and exemplary punishment for those responsible.

The incident comes amid escalating attacks on minorities across Bangladesh that have persisted since the tenure of the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and continue under the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration.

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