Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Gaza and India. Plus, Trump’s UK visit. Locally, Pakistan inks a landmark defense pact with Saudi Arabia, honor killings surge in Sindh, and $390m Reko Diq railway approved.

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Around The World

Updates from Gaza. The Israeli army is mobilizing near the heart of Gaza City, forcing tens of thousands of Palestinians out of the Strip’s main urban center. Gaza City residents reported nonstop attacks, including strikes by drones and fighter jets and blasts from remote-controlled robots, with the Israeli military blowing up entire neighborhoods as it advances.

Meanwhile, the US, for the sixth time, vetoed a draft resolution at the UNSC that would have demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. All other 14 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the ceasefire.

Eggshells. Wrapping up a trip to the UK, US President Trump projected a united front with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a variety of issues and emphasized the alliance between the two countries despite recent tensions. Trump’s second state visit came at a bad time for Starmer as he fired Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US after the extent of his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became impossible to deny.

Under the table. Russia and Vietnam have reportedly developed a back-door method of concealing arms deal payments to avoid Western sanctions, using the profits from joint oil and gas ventures to pay off defense contracts without any open transfers of cash through the global banking system. Under the system, Vietnam purchased Russian military equipment, including fighter jets, tanks, and ships on credit, then paid that credit back from its share of profits from a joint Vietnam-Russia oil company operating in Siberia.

Big small things. India's stock market regulator has dismissed allegations of stock manipulation and financial fraud against billionaire Gautam Adani and his group of companies, made by US short-seller Hindenburg Research. The Securities and Exchange Board of India began investigating the conglomerate in 2023, after Hindenburg Research published explosive reports, causing the group a loss of more than $100bn in market value.

Pakistan

Brothers in arms. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a landmark “strategic mutual defense” pact in Riyadh, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreeing that any attack on one will be treated as aggression against both. The deal comes after Israel’s strike in Doha deepened Gulf doubts about US protection and derailed Riyadh’s pursuit of a US defense pact tied to Israel normalization.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan share a long history of close military cooperation, including financial aid and joint defense initiatives. The PM’s Office said the pact strengthens deterrence and regional peace. Shehbaz, joined by senior ministers and Army Chief Asim Munir, was received with full honors, including a guard of honor and Saudi jets escorting his plane. Talks also covered trade, energy, and cultural cooperation, reaffirming Islamabad’s central role in Gulf security.

Ore route. The Economic Coordination Committee approved a $390 million bridge financing plan, provided by the Reko Diq Mining Company, to build a 1,350 km railway from Rohri in Sindh to Nokundi in Balochistan for transporting one million tons of copper annually from the massive Reko Diq copper-gold project. Estimated to generate $90 billion over 37 years, the long-stalled mine is touted as a game-changer for Pakistan’s economy at a time of financial crisis, while the project signals major progress for the mining sector.

Honor’s grim toll. Sindh police reported a 43% surge in honor killings this year, with 142 victims killed between January and August compared to 99 in the same period last year, highlighting the spread of the practice beyond tribal districts into urban centers like Karachi. Despite a 2016 law aimed at closing legal loopholes, conviction rates remain below 2%, and activists blame weak implementation, societal acceptance, and disguised cases often reported as suicides.

What Else Is Happening?

👓Meta unveiled a new range of AI-powered smart glasses, along with a neural wristband that pairs with them, allowing users to carry out tasks like sending messages with small hand gestures.

👀French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, will present photographic and scientific evidence to a US court to prove Mrs Macron is a woman, in a defamation suit against the right-wing influencer Candace Owens after she promoted her belief that Brigitte Macron was born male.

🐧A fringe political party in Japan, Path to Rebirth, unveiled plans to install a chatbot penguin as its “AI leader,” after disappointing election results prompted its founder to give up the helm.