PAKISTAN
Pakistan yesterday imposed a state of emergency in the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following anti-government protests by supporters of the detained former Prime Minister Imran Khan and a rise in terrorist attacks in the region.
Following the announcement of the measures, Junaid Akbar, an MP from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, stated that the provincial governor, Sohail Afridi, and the local party chairman had been arrested. The Minister of Justice confirmed the dissolution of the provincial government, attributing the rise in extremist group activity to the outgoing administration.
SAUDI ARABIA–YEMEN
The death toll from the Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia is also high amongst pilgrims and workers from South Asia. A Pakistani national lost his life in a fresh missile strike yesterday. Meanwhile, an Indian engineer from Hyderabad and a teacher from Bangladesh are among the 13 victims of the attack on Saturday 10 October: he was at the airport with his family. As many as 11 Indian nationals were injured in that explosion. The Saudi-led coalition stated that it had intercepted and destroyed another ballistic missile heading towards the city of Khamis Mushait in the early hours of this morning. For their part, the Houthis are reporting attacks on Sana’a airport.
NEPAL
Sudden new floods struck Nepal yesterday, sweeping away homes and causing at least five people to go missing. In the district of Gorkha, a landslide is reported to have blocked a river, causing it to burst its banks. Around forty houses were destroyed, whilst three hydroelectric plants and four bridges sustained damage. At least 82 people, including nine foreigners, were rescued thanks to the alert that was issued. This new emergency has struck the country whilst it is still struggling to recover from the devastating floods of 26 August, which left over 1,400 dead and more than 5,000 missing.
NORTH KOREA–SOUTH KOREA
North Korea today launched several ballistic missiles towards the East Sea, according to reports from the South Korean armed forces. The launch, which took place at around 9.20 am in the Pyongyang area, is believed to be a show of force in response to a South Korean test of a hypersonic glide vehicle conducted on 8 October. At least one of the North Korean missiles is reported to have travelled over 900 kilometres. Seoul’s test followed the explosion of a landmine in the demilitarised zone on 21 September.
INDIA
Following Saturday’s tense day, which saw the Delhi police make over 7,000 arrests during demonstrations against the so-called ‘theft of votes’ through the revision of the electoral roll, the protest against Election Commission Chairman Gyanesh Kumar is moving today to the Supreme Court of India.
Opposition parties, led by Rahul Gandhi, have announced a peaceful march to the Supreme Court to challenge the alleged electoral irregularities. Meanwhile, members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) – the ‘cockroaches’ youth movement – went to the Parliament Street police station to request a date for an authorised peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar.
CHINA
A Chinese court has sentenced Zhou Xianwang, former mayor of Wuhan, to 14 years in prison for corruption, also imposing a fine of 5 million yuan. According to the judges, between 2003 and May 2025, the former mayor allegedly exploited his public office to favour companies and private individuals in the awarding of contracts, in commercial activities and in obtaining administrative authorisations. Zhou, who was mayor at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, came under investigation last July. The case forms part of the anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by Xi Jinping, which is supported by some as a tool for transparency but criticised by others as a means of eliminating political rivals.
RUSSIA
In Irkutsk and the surrounding region, the anti-epidemic measures introduced following the death of an employee at the Institute for the Control of Plague have been lifted. This was announced by Igor Kobzev, the regional governor, and the quarantines imposed in healthcare facilities have been lifted. Kobzev also stated that healthcare workers had completed monitoring of those who had been in contact with the deceased, and none of them had fallen ill. No new cases of infectious diseases have been recorded in the city or the region.
