Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Ukraine, Gaza, and Japan. Locally, IMF warns flood damage could slow growth, seafood exports to China surge, Navy seizes $1 billion in drugs, and the court reissues arrest warrant for Aleema Khan.

☕ Grab your chaye, let’s go.

P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

Around The World

Un-ceased. A large-scale Russian drone and missile attack across Ukraine killed at least six people. Repeated waves of missiles and drones throughout the night shook at least eight Ukrainian cities, injuring 18 people. The barrage of attacks also targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing rolling blackouts. 

Meanwhile, US-led efforts to end the war have recently stalled, as Trump said Tuesday that his plan for a swift meeting with Putin was on hold because he didn’t want it to be a “waste of time.” European leaders also accused Putin of stalling. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged the EU, the US, and the G7 to heap more pressure on Russia and force it to the negotiating table, as well as provide more ammunition to Ukraine

Gaza and the ceasefire.  The bodies of two more Israeli captives were returned to Israel late last night by Hamas and positively identified by the Israeli government, as US envoy Steve Witkoff said the Gaza ceasefire is “exceeding” expectations despite deadly Israeli attacks across the Palestinian territory, with 13 bodies received by hospitals over the past day. Palestinians in Gaza say that they have seen no real change in their lives since the ceasefire, as Israel continues sporadic attacks and keeps blocking aid.

Hey there, Maggie. A staunch conservative and admirer of the late former UK PM Margaret Thatcher, Sanae Takaichi has been elected Japan's prime minister by its parliament, making her the first woman to hold the office. She won a clear majority on Tuesday, with 237 votes in the powerful Lower House and another 125 in the Upper House, as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). 

According to the 2025 gender gap index by the World Economic Forum, Japan ranked 118th among 148 countries, with female representation in the field of politics notably low. Japan also ranks last among the G7 countries in terms of the share of women in its national parliament, with only 15.7% female lawmakers.

Pakistan

Grimm’s tales. The IMF, in its latest Regional Economic Outlook, has warned that Pakistan’s third-quarter 2025 floods could worsen growth, inflation, and external balances more than currently estimated, though impacts remain uncertain. While inflation has eased due to lower food and energy prices, it is expected to rise again in 2026 as subsidies are phased out. 

Pakistan’s growth is projected to reach 3.6% next year, supported by reforms and improved confidence, with exports and reserves both increasing and the fiscal deficit narrowing to -4.1% of GDP. The Fund noted that Pakistan’s tax and energy sector reforms have bolstered resilience and revenue, though further structural progress is needed.

Net worth. Pakistan’s seafood exports to China surged to over $153 million in the first nine months of 2025, driven by strong demand for frozen fish, chilled crabs, and cuttlefish. The rise follows Pakistan’s $600 million seafood export target for FY2025-26 and growing collaboration with Chinese partners in aquaculture and frozen food ventures. With streamlined clearance at Chinese airports ensuring swift delivery, Pakistan has surpassed Russia and Indonesia as China’s top seafood supplier, earning $465 million from the fisheries sector in FY2024-25.

High seas. Pakistan Navy Ship PNS Yarmook, operating under the Saudi-led Combined Task Force in the North Arabian Sea, seized drugs worth $972 million during two major operations within 48 hours. The crew intercepted two unmarked dhows carrying over two tons of crystal meth, 350 kg of meth, and 50 kg of cocaine, which were confiscated, tested, and destroyed. 

Hide & seek. A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court on Wednesday reissued a non-bailable arrest warrant for PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, marking the fourth such order in a case related to the party’s November 26 protests in Islamabad last year. Aleema failed to appear for the hearing despite repeated summons, prompting the court to also confiscate her guarantor’s surety bonds worth Rs. 1 million and issue contempt notices to two police officials for filing a report claiming she was in hiding. 

Additionally, a bench of the Islamabad High Court will on Thursday hear 11 petitions filed by PTI leaders, including KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, seeking visitation rights to meet incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala Jail. The bench, which includes Acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar, will also address the jurisdictional dispute between Islamabad and Punjab over the jail.

What Else Is Happening?

🔎OpenAI unveiled an AI-powered web browser to challenge competitors like Google Chrome, the most popular browser in the world. Atlas gets rid of the address bar, which is a key feature in search, with boss Sam Altman saying it was "built around ChatGPT".

🤖Wikipedia revealed that its page views dropped 8% in the last year, attributing the decrease to AI models scraping content instead of directly visiting the site.

📉A major outage at Amazon Web Services on Monday took down apps, websites, and online tools used by millions of people around the world, before services were eventually restored. Here’s what actually happened.