Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from the Middle East. Plus, the US reels in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Locally, Reko Diq secures $715m boost, Punjab continues to battle deadly floods, and SC expands women’s maintenance rights.

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Around The World

Updates from the Middle East. The UN Security Council condemned the Israeli attack on the Qatari capital Doha and called for de-escalation in a statement agreed by all 15 members, including the US. Council members issued the statement ahead of the emergency meeting, which was convened to discuss Israel’s attacks targeting Hamas leaders in Doha, which killed five Hamas members. 

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have detained more than 100 Palestinians in raids on the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem and have imposed a curfew, as the Israeli offensive in Gaza City has forced more than 200,000 Palestinians to flee the largest urban center in the enclave. 

Additionally, Israeli PM Netanyahu has moved forward with a settlement expansion plan in the West Bank that would make any future Palestinian state virtually impossible. The development plan would cut off much of the West Bank from East Jerusalem while linking up thousands of Israeli settlements.

Kirk assassinated. Police in Utah have released a video and images of a “person of interest” in the killing of Charlie Kirk, a conservative American activist and ally of US President Donald Trump. Kirk was speaking at a debate at Utah Valley University when authorities say a shooter fired a single round from a rooftop, fatally striking him in the neck in a targeted assassination. 

The shooter remains at large more than a day later, with the FBI offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the identification and arrest of those involved. Trump blamed Kirk’s killing on members of the “radical left” and threatened punitive measures against political rivals, but called on his supporters to remain nonviolent.

Pakistan

Big digs. The Reko Diq copper and gold mine in Balochistan has secured a $715 million funding boost from state-run firms, marking a major step in reviving one of the world’s largest untapped mineral deposits, expected to generate $90 billion over 37 years. The project, jointly owned by Barrick Gold and Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments, will also finance a $350 million railway link connecting Balochistan to Port Qasim to support exports. Production is slated to begin by 2028, initially yielding 200,000 tons of copper annually at a $5.5 billion cost, with a second $3.5 billion phase planned to double output. 

Drenched. Punjab remains in the grip of a severe flood emergency as swollen Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers have inundated over 4,500 villages, displacing more than 4.2 million people and killing at least 79. Rescue operations are ongoing, with over 362,000 evacuated, 396 relief camps established, and thousands relocated from high-risk areas where dykes and protective embankments are under constant monitoring. Water discharges at Panjnad surged past 668,000 cusecs, while boat accidents during evacuations left several dead and missing. 

Rights given. In a landmark ruling advancing women’s rights, Pakistan’s Supreme Court held that a wife’s entitlement to maintenance (nafaqa) begins with the solemnization of marriage and is not contingent on consummation or rukhsati, nor subject to the husband’s discretion. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah declared that maintenance can be suspended only if a husband proves the wife withdrew from the marital relationship without a valid cause.

What Else Is Happening?

📈Oracle's stock surged by 40% Wednesday after revealing $455B in future AI infrastructure contracts, including a massive $300B deal with OpenAI — with the rise sending founder Larry Ellison past Elon Musk as the world's richest person.

🌊Ethiopia inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam along the Nile, shrugging off Egyptian and Sudanese complaints that it poses an unlawful threat to their water supply. As much as 90% of Egypt’s fresh water supply comes from the Nile.