Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Gaza, Lebanon, Venezuela, and Thailand. Locally, Faiz Hameed jailed, the IMF piles on new reform benchmarks, and the World Bank okays $400m for Punjab.

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Around The World

Update from the Middle East. Several houses, walls, and tents have collapsed in Gaza since Storm Byron descended, killing more than 10 people in the past 24 hours, including 3 children who died from hypothermia. Meanwhile, US President Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan is set to enter a new phase within weeks, but crucial pieces of the agreement remain undefined. With the return of all but one of the deceased hostages, and questions about whether Hamas will even be able to locate the last set of remains, the first phase of the 20-point plan is verging on completion.

Additionally, the Israeli army has announced it targeted a training compound for members of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in southern Lebanon a short while ago. Since Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire last year, Israel has routinely broken the agreement and targeted Lebanon. According to a UN report last month, at least 127 civilians have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire went into effect. 

Sanc or swim. The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Venezuela, targeting three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro’s wife as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, a day after it seized a sanctioned tanker likely carrying millions of dollars’ worth of oil off the country’s coast. Two of Maduro’s sanctioned nephews were previously convicted in the US on drug trafficking charges before being released as part of a prisoner exchange.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s National Assembly voted on Thursday to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Rome Statute counts among its members 125 countries, including Venezuela. As the foundational document for the ICC, the statute outlines the court’s jurisdiction. The judicial body is tasked with the prosecution and adjudication of major international crimes: war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression.

But critics have long accused the ICC of lacking the teeth to enforce its mandate. Major powers, including the US, China, and Russia, are not members. Israel is also not a party to the treaty.

Day five. Fighting between Cambodia and Thailand has entered its fifth day, with Cambodia accusing the Thai military of continued shelling and Thailand’s Prime Minister confirming that he is scheduled to speak with US President Trump. Thai forces allegedly carried out new attacks in three Cambodian provinces in the early hours of Friday morning. At the same time, an estimated 600,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Parliament was dissolved on Friday for new elections early next year, with PM Anutin dissolving the House of Representatives after getting the royal endorsement. The election must be held 45 to 60 days after the royal endorsement, a period during which Anutin will head a caretaker government with limited powers that cannot approve a new budget.

Pakistan

Chains of command. Former ISI chief Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed has been sentenced to 14 years’ rigorous imprisonment by a Field General Court Martial after a 15-month trial, marking an unprecedented conviction of a retired general. According to ISPR, he was found guilty of breaches of discipline, misuse of authority, political interference, and unauthorised handling of classified material under the Army Act and Official Secrets Act, with separate proceedings underway over alleged political agitation. 

The case stemmed partly from the Top City housing society complaint filed by CEO Kanwar Moeez Khan, who accused Hameed and associated officials of unlawful raids, extortion, and withholding seized valuables. Prosecutors argued his conduct violated multiple military and civil provisions, while the government said the conviction followed due process; Hameed retains the right to appeal within 40 days.

Another rodeo. The IMF’s latest review of Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility and Resilience and Sustainability Facility outlines 11 new structural benchmarks across fiscal, governance, monetary, financial, energy, SOE, and trade policy areas, adding to previously met conditions while resetting several missed deadlines. 

Key requirements include publishing a 3–5 year tax reform strategy, enhancing FBR effectiveness, mandating public asset declarations of senior civil servants, introducing anti-corruption action plans, assessing remittance costs, developing local bond markets, enabling private-sector participation in DISCOs, signing PSO agreements with major SOEs, liberalising the sugar market, and amending laws governing companies and special economic zones.

WASHed up. The World Bank has approved $400 million for the Punjab Inclusive Cities Program, which will expand safely managed water, sanitation, hygiene, drainage, and solid waste services across 16 secondary cities, benefiting an estimated 6.5 million people. The initiative will rehabilitate urban infrastructure while strengthening local governments’ institutional and financial capacity to sustainably deliver services, boost revenues, and mobilise private capital. Designed to reduce child stunting, lower healthcare costs, and enhance climate resilience, the program integrates capacity building, gender-focused measures, and improved sanitation management as part of the second phase of the World Bank’s long-term urban WASH program in Pakistan.

What Else Is Happening?

🧑‍⚖️ Reddit has launched a challenge in Australia's highest court against the nation's landmark social media ban for children. Reddit is complying with the ban, but argues that the policy has serious implications for privacy and political rights. It is the second such legal challenge, with two Australian teens also awaiting a High Court hearing.

😷 A new national assessment finds that air pollution is cutting the average Pakistani’s life expectancy by nearly four years and up to six in cities like Lahore, with transport, industry, brick kilns, power generation, and crop burning identified as the chief PM2.5 sources for the first time. 

📈 Disney has agreed to invest $1bn in OpenAI as part of a deal that will let people use many of its iconic characters in the chatbot ChatGPT and video-generation tool Sora. It is the first major studio to license parts of its catalogue to the tech giant.