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Today’s news: Globally, updates from Gaza, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, and the COP30 summit. Locally, PPP rejects parts of the 27th amendment, Lahore chokes under record smog, and cross-border fire threatens ceasefire talks.

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Around The World

Gaza and Lebanon. US President Trump says he expects a US-coordinated international stabilisation force to be on the ground in Gaza very soon. The projection came as the UN Security Council prepares to start negotiations to authorise a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body and the stabilisation force, which is supposed to protect civilians, secure border areas, and train Palestinian police.

Additionally, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, says he instructed the military to destroy and annihilate all tunnels used by Hamas in Gaza, saying this will lead to the group’s downfall. At the same time, the WHO has reported that more than 16,500 Palestinians in Gaza are in urgent need of medical care.

Meanwhile, at least one person has been killed and nine injured in a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, in a violation of the one-year-old ceasefire. The Israeli military said that it targeted alleged Hezbollah military installations, accusing the group of refusing to disarm in accordance with the truce reached last year, with Hezbollah stating that it is committed to the ceasefire agreement but will not disarm so long as Israel continues to attack Lebanese territory routinely.

Getting in touch. Kazakhstan is set to join the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab and Muslim majority countries in a symbolic move aimed at boosting the initiative that was a trademark of President Trump’s first administration. The action is largely symbolic as Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992 and is much farther geographically from Israel than the other Abraham Accord nations, including Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the UAE.

Hot water. US President Trump has been criticised by world leaders for his stance on climate change, ahead of the global COP30 summit. Trump, who is not attending the meeting, was called a liar by the leaders of Colombia and Chile for his rejection of climate science. Over the next two weeks, countries will try and negotiate a new deal on climate change, with a particular focus on channeling more money to forest protection, while many leaders from the world's largest nations, India, Russia, US, and China, are notably absent from this year's summit.

Meanwhile, a new study has found that the Great Barrier Reef is headed for a "grim future" and will suffer a "rapid coral decline" by 2050, but parts may recover if global warming is kept below 2°C. The research underscores the critical importance of swift and global climate action today.

Pakistan

Court-tastrophe. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Thursday rejected most provisions of the proposed 27th constitutional amendment, opposing changes to the National Finance Commission (NFC) and the devolution of powers. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the party would resist any attempt to dilute provincial autonomy or alter the revenue distribution guaranteed under the 18th Amendment, but would support revisions to Article 243 concerning the military command structure.

The proposed amendment seeks sweeping constitutional changes, including the creation of a new constitutional court, restoring executive magistrates, revising the distribution of federal revenue among provinces, and making changes to how senior judges and military leadership appointments are structured within the constitution. While the government continues consultations with coalition partners to secure a two-thirds parliamentary majority, the opposition PTI has vowed to oppose the amendment, demanding public disclosure of its draft.

Grey area. Lahore has once again been engulfed in toxic smog, with AQI levels exceeding 500 as residents struggle with respiratory illnesses and disrupted routines despite government claims of aggressive anti-smog measures. Experts attribute the crisis to a mix of vehicular and industrial emissions, crop burning, stagnant air, and geographical factors that trap pollutants. In response, the Lahore High Court has ordered the Punjab government to launch a strict campaign against smoke-emitting vehicles for at least two to three weeks to combat worsening smog, directing the Environment Protection Agency to impound violators, post warning banners, and inspect vehicles on major routes.

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz departed from Lahore for Brazil to attend the COP 30 conference in Belém, where she will showcase Punjab’s climate initiatives, including e-mobility projects and wildlife reforms. She is expected to highlight the province’s leadership in climate resilience, building on recent efforts such as the “Suthra Punjab” Programme, the largest solid waste management initiative in the province’s history, which introduced 700 modern waste management vehicles and empowered a 150,000-strong workforce to ensure cleanliness across all districts. 

Lines blurred. Five people were killed and six were injured in cross-border fire between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Thursday, an exchange that both countries blamed on each other and which threatens to derail ongoing ceasefire talks in Turkey. The clash occurred in Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak district amid tense negotiations aimed at ending recent deadly border clashes. Kabul accused Pakistani forces of firing on civilian areas, while Islamabad said Afghan forces initiated the attack and that the situation was swiftly brought under control. 

What Else Is Happening?

🤑Tesla shareholders have approved a pay package for Elon Musk worth nearly $1tn. The milestones Musk must achieve over the next decade to maximise his payout include raising Tesla's market value to $8.5tn from $1.4tn.

📡Elon Musk’s Starlink has struck its largest direct-to-cell partnership with telecom group Veon, granting access to over 150 million potential customers across markets including Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan. 

⚖️Stability AI won a UK court case against Getty Images over trademark infringement related to AI training, with Getty saying the ruling shows that even well-resourced companies face challenges in protecting their creative works.