Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, the latest from Trump, India, and Venezuela. Plus, updates from Peru and Yemen. Locally, KP CM moves court to meet Imran, Punjab seeks TLP ban after clashes, and 34 militants killed in major KP operations.

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Around The World

It’s CIA time. On Wednesday, US President Trump confirmed that he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. Trump also said his administration was mulling a land attack on Venezuela, amid escalating tensions after multiple US strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean Sea and a troop buildup in those waters ordered by the US president.

Meanwhile, the US military conducted a fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean against a small boat accused of carrying drugs. The Trump administration has asserted it’s treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force. Frustration with the attacks has been growing in D.C as some Republicans have been seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes, while Democrats contend the strikes violate US and international law.

Miss communication. India has seemingly pushed back against Trump’s claims that it had agreed to stop importing Russian oil, signaling that the issue that has strained ties is unlikely to be resolved soon, but on Thursday India’s foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters he was “not aware of any conversation” between Trump and Modi, or any assurance from the Indian leader that he would stop purchasing Russian oil.

Trump has been reportedly frustrated by his inability to force an end to the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion almost four years ago. He’s expressed dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he increasingly describes as the primary obstacle to a resolution, and he’s scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

Update from Yemen. Yemen’s Houthis say that their Chief of Staff Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, one of the most senior military officials of the group, has been killed. Israel claimed responsibility for the killing on Thursday. In August, Israel also targeted senior figures from the group, including al-Ghamari, in air strikes on the capital Sanaa, killing the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi-run government and several other ministers.

Update from Peru. Peru’s new president, Jose Jeri, is refusing to resign amid Gen Z anti-government protests, inflamed by the death of a popular rapper, as crime grips the nation. The government announced that a state of emergency would be declared in the capital, Lima. The protests began a month ago with calls for better pensions and wages for young people and later became a lightning rod for broader frustrations with crime and corruption, culminating in the ouster of former President Boluarte last week.

Pakistan

Fresh on the scene. Newly appointed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has approached the Islamabad High Court seeking permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail, after prison authorities denied him access during a visit on Thursday. Afridi, elected CM earlier this week, said he waited outside the prison for two hours and wanted to consult Imran before announcing his cabinet. In his writ petition, Afridi argued that as chief minister, he has a constitutional duty to seek Imran’s guidance on “urgent and sensitive” provincial matters, including cabinet formation, law and order, and relations with the federal government. 

Iced out. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari announced that the provincial government has forwarded a summary to the Centre seeking a ban on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), following last week’s violent protests in Muridke. She said the Punjab cabinet had approved the move, arguing that the group repeatedly disrupts public life under the guise of religion.

Bukhari claimed authorities had tried to negotiate with the TLP before the clashes, which left 1,648 policemen injured, and accused the group of inciting violence. She stressed that the decision targets “an extremist group,” not any religious organization, and said measures were being taken to seal its social media and bank accounts, impose zero tolerance on hate speech, and register cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.

Armed & dangerous. Security forces killed 34 “India-backed” militants in multiple intelligence-based operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between October 13 and 15. According to the ISPR, the operations targeted TTP-linked fighters, referred to as Fitna al-Khawarij, in North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and Bannu. 18 militants were killed in Spinwam, 8 in South Waziristan, and another 8 in Bannu, with follow-up sanitization operations underway to clear remaining threats.

Additionally, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 were injured in a suicide attack on a military camp in North Waziristan today, as a fragile ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan neared its expiry. In the assault, a militant rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the camp’s wall while two others were shot dead attempting to enter. 

What Else Is Happening?

🧫 Google and Yale University researchers introduced C2S-Scale 27B, a foundation model based on Google’s open-Gemma family, that discovered a previously unknown cancer treatment pathway, proven to work in living cells.

🤑 The US Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration's new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, saying the fee "will make it cost-prohibitive" for US employers to use the program.

🎬 Actress Hania Aamir has been appointed as UN Women Pakistan’s new national goodwill ambassador, becoming the second Pakistani, after Muniba Mazari, to hold the title.