IRAN – US – GULF
The conflict between Iran and the United States in the Gulf has flared up again, with both sides launching missiles and carrying out targeted attacks on military and economic targets.
Iran fired rockets towards Aqaba and the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan, where US military forces are stationed, causing several ‘explosions’. The Islamic Republic’s military also launched a drone raid against a US base in the United Arab Emirates. The US military struck two launchers on the island of Larak which, according to sources in Washington, were attempting to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks mark the first known military action by the US against Iranian targets since the end of July, whilst Washington continues its economic war in an attempt to force Tehran back to the negotiating table. Yesterday, six months after the start of the war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a written message, called on the Muslim countries of the region to unite against the United States and Israel.
NEPAL – TIBET
The number of people missing in Nepal following the devastating – and sudden – flood that struck the country and spilled over into Chinese Tibet on 26 August has risen to 4,247, with at least 903 people confirmed dead. Of those missing, 3,655 are Nepalese citizens, whilst the remaining 592 are foreigners. In Tibet, the official death toll stands at 16, with 546 reported missing, according to Chinese state media, which continue to impose strict censorship on information and images. Hundreds of those currently missing are believed to be employees of Nepal’s hydroelectric power stations, some of whom were working in tunnels.
PAKISTAN
The Prime Minister has confirmed the suspension of eight officials and the opening of criminal proceedings against them, following the death of 14 newborns in the maternity ward of a hospital in the capital. A preliminary report by a four-member committee set up by Shehbaz Sharif found that the deadly fire engulfed the unit ‘within about two minutes’ shortly after 6.30 am local time on 26 August. A nurse managed to save only one of the 15 newborns being treated at the facility. Among the hospital staff suspended are reportedly the executive director and the head of the neonatal department, as well as the director-general of emergency services in Islamabad.
MALAYSIA
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim introduced measures on Sunday to tackle the rising cost of living and support businesses; these include the reinstatement of higher allowances for subsidised petrol and diesel purchases, as well as increased funding for schools and small traders. The measures, the Prime Minister announced, are due to come into force tomorrow in response to prolonged pressure on the government over rising living costs, against the backdrop of an economy that has outperformed its regional counterparts: gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6 per cent in the second quarter of this year, exceeding official forecasts.
TURKEY - SAUDI ARABIA - PAKISTAN
Top officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are meeting today in Istanbul for the committee’s first meeting, as part of the joint defence agreement they signed this month. This was reported by a source at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, referring to what has been dubbed the ‘Mecca Joint Defence Agreement’, signed on 7 August. A NATO-style pact uniting the United States’ Sunni allies within a regional framework for the war against Iran, aimed at strengthening collective deterrence against any act of aggression.
NORTH KOREA
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has carried out a reshuffle at the very top of the military leadership, appointing Kim Song-gi as Minister of Defence and reinstating long-serving strategist Pak Jong-chon as Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission. This was reported by the state news agency KCNA, which stated that the former director of the military-political bureau replaces No Kwang-chol, who has been reassigned to a senior role within the powerful munitions industry department. The reshuffle coincides with Kim Jong Un’s personal praise for defence scientists for developing the country’s combat weapons.
TAJIKISTAN – AFGHANISTAN
The first deliveries of weapons, military materiel and specialised equipment to reinforce the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan are scheduled for autumn 2026, according to Taalatbek Masadykov, Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). He explains that the member states of the Eurasian alliance have already agreed on a list of lethal and non-lethal equipment needed to bolster security along Tajikistan’s southern border. The supplies will be funded primarily by Russia.
RUSSIA
In the North Caucasus, the authorities have for years been persecuting sorcerers, fortune-tellers and healers; they are exposed on regional television programmes, accused of quackery and called to account. The situation has reached the point where even local residents are persecuting those who offer ‘occult services’. In recent days, a 52-year-old man was shot dead in his home in Ingushetia because one of the suspects believed that a neighbour, an alleged sorcerer, had cast a spell on his brother, causing him to fall seriously ill.
