GAZA-ISRAEL
US President Donald Trump announced last night that an agreement on the disarmament of Hamas had been reached, along with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave, as part of the peace plan drawn up by the Board of Peace, the body established last September to bring an end to the war. According to Palestinian sources, an as yet unidentified Palestinian party will carry out an initial inventory of Hamas’s weapons and take custody of them, also receiving maps of underground tunnels and weapons production sites. The handover will take place under the supervision of mediators and a UN-authorised International Stabilisation Force, comprising contingents from various countries, tasked with ensuring security in Gaza. The plan also provides for the disarmament of militias supported by Israel and the reintegration of around 10,000 police officers linked to Hamas. In return, Israel is expected to set out a timetable for its withdrawal from Gaza and to facilitate the entry of Palestinian humanitarian and technical aid.
PAKISTAN
Ten mountaineers, including the renowned Nepalese climber Nirmal Purja, were swept away by an avalanche on Broad Peak, an 8,047-metre mountain in the Karakoram range located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. The expedition, led by Purja, comprises one US citizen, one Chinese national, one Omani national and five Nepalese nationals. Purja, 43, is famous for having climbed all 14 peaks over 8,000 metres in just over six months in 2019. According to Nepalese sources, four bodies have been recovered. Pakistan’s mountains have grown in popularity in recent years, as more and more mountaineers seek to complete the ‘14 Eight-Thousanders’ challenge.
UN
In the first informal poll held yesterday by the UN Security Council to select the next Secretary-General, the former Vice-President of Costa Rica Rebeca Grynspan came out on top with 10 votes in favour, followed by the former Foreign Minister of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (9), and Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (7). António Guterres’s successor will take office in early 2027. Several rounds of voting are expected over the coming weeks, as no candidate has yet emerged who is able to secure a decisive majority. However, the fact that there was only one vote against (which, according to rumours, came from a country that is not a permanent member) and four abstentions is an important starting point in Grynspan’s favour.
TURKEY
Turkish police have arrested the mayor of Etimesgut, Erdal Beşikçioğlu, a famous television actor known for his role as the detective in the series Behzat Ç., as part of a corruption investigation. Other local officials and businesspeople are also implicated, accused of offences including corruption, embezzlement, extortion and irregularities in public procurement.
The opposition, led by the Republican People’s Party (CHP), denounces a political campaign by the government to weaken its opponents following the 2024 local elections and draws parallels with the case of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been in prison since March 2025 following his landslide victory over the AKP candidate in the previous year’s election. The government rejects the allegations, maintaining that the Turkish judiciary operates with complete independence.
JAPAN
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has formalised her plan to reduce the tax on food, with the aim of securing government approval next week and parliamentary approval in the autumn. The measure provides for a reduction in the rate of the consumption tax on food from 8 per cent to 1 per cent, effective from April 2027 for a period of two years, with the remaining amount offset by means-tested subsidies, effectively bringing the tax down to almost zero. If approved, it would be the first cut in the consumption tax since its introduction in 1989. Takaichi explained that the priority is to support households affected by the high cost of living.
CHINA
The Chinese state-owned bookshop chain Xinhua Bookstore will collaborate with delivery giant Meituan to offer a nationwide same-day book delivery service, with delivery times of less than an hour. The agreement will link over 10,000 bookshops to the Instashopping express delivery network, enabling customers to receive their books in as little as 30 minutes. The initiative expands on pilot schemes already underway in several cities. The service aims to boost sales of printed books in a declining market and to capitalise on the growth of instant commerce, which is set to exceed 1,000 billion yuan in 2026 and double by 2030.
RUSSIA-CHINA
Russia is increasing oil shipments to China via the Northern Sea Route: at least six oil tankers are currently transiting or preparing to transit the Arctic route, according to Bloomberg. This year, shipping has begun earlier than usual and shipments could reach record levels; in July 2025, only one oil tanker had used the Northern Sea Route, which runs along Russia’s Arctic coast and offers a shorter route to Asia than transit via the Suez Canal.
ARMENIA
Criminal proceedings against Catholicos Karekin II and six bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church have been referred to court, as announced by the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office. In addition to the patriarch, the defendants include members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, Archbishop Natan Khovhannisyan,
Archbishop Khaikazun-Vrež Nažarian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, Bishop Vakhan Khovhannisyan, Bishop Edgar Khakobyan, Bishop Nelson Babayan and Bishop Artur Khakobyan.
