Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Locally, Pakistan shoots down 25 Israeli-made Indian Harop drones. Globally, updates from Gaza and the Vatican. Plus, global warming.

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Pakistan

What’s the latest? This morning, the military shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones used by India. The drones, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), were sent across various regions in Pakistan, including Punjab and Sindh, and were intercepted using both soft-kill and hard-kill methods.

What is being said? Initially, DG ISPR reported that 12 drones had been neutralized overnight at locations including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, and near Karachi. However, later updates revealed the total had risen to 25. One drone managed to partially strike a military target near Lahore, injuring four personnel and damaging equipment. A civilian also lost their life in the drone attacks, with another injured in Sukkur’s Miano area. Indian media outlet ANI confirmed the use of Harop drones, designed to suppress enemy air defenses by homing in on radar systems. Read more about the drones here. 

Indian media has also confirmed Pakistan’s retaliatory actions during the night of May 7–8, 2025. According to the most recent statement, Pakistan targeted multiple military sites across northern and western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj — using drones and missiles.

The statement also mentions today’s drone attacks, saying, “It has been reliably learnt that an air defense system in Lahore has been neutralized.” Read the statement here. 

Everything else. 

• Foreign cricketers in the PSL will remain in Pakistan, the PCB confirmed. With tight army security in place, the tournament will continue as scheduled. Boards from Bangladesh, England, and New Zealand are monitoring the situation and advising players, who will decide individually whether to stay.

• The Pakistani airspace is closed once again. Live here.

• Major contingency measures have been put in place across all provinces, including medical services. 

Around The World

Updates from Gaza. Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed at least 61 people since dawn, targeting civilians in crowded places as its more than two-month blockade of the besieged and bombarded enclave has caused acute food shortages. Gaza's Government Media Office accused the Israeli military of committing war crimes by "deliberately targeting gatherings of civilians and displaced people" in four separate incidents over 24 hours.

Heat the rich. Researchers of a study in the journal Nature Climate Change have claimed that the wealthiest 10 percent of the world’s people are responsible for two-thirds of the global warming since 1990. How the rich consume and invest has substantially increased the risk of heatwaves and droughts. 

The globally richest 1 percent contributed 26 times more to once-in-a-century heatwaves and 17 times more to droughts in the Amazon. Emissions from the wealthiest 10 percent in China and the United States, which together account for nearly half of global carbon pollution, each led to a two-to-threefold rise in heat extremes.

Vatican’t. The cardinals have failed to elect a new pope in two votes this morning. They’ll return to the Sistine Chapel this afternoon for the fourth and potentially fifth rounds of voting on the second day of the Conclave. There could be as many as four votes today. There are 133 voting cardinals sequestered inside the Vatican during the conclave. Any one of them needs two-thirds of the vote to become the next pope. They’ll keep voting until a new Catholic leader is chosen. Live updates here.

What Else Is Happening?

💎Sotheby's has postponed its sale in Hong Kong of hundreds of sacred jewels linked to the Buddha's remains, after a threat of legal action by the Indian government. The collection is described as one of the most astonishing archaeological finds of the modern era.

⚽Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal 2-1 last night and 3-1 on aggregate to face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Munich. For the first time in 15 years, the Champions League winner will not be from England, Spain, or Germany.