Saudi Arabia
An interesting geopolitical development to watch. India has said it expects Saudi Arabia to respect their shared interests after Riyadh signed a mutual defense deal with Pakistan. Under the pact, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan agreed that an attack on one would be considered an attack on both. Analysts see the move as partly supporting a theory that Gulf states are seeking new security alliances after the U.S. appeared to tacitly allow an Israeli attack on its close ally Qatar. The deal comes just months after India and Pakistan engaged in a brief conflict. Saudi Arabia is one of the top oil exporters to India.
More from The Hindu here.
Sudan
A drone strike on a mosque in the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher killed at least 78 people, the BBC reported. A resident said the attack happened during morning prayers, and a medical source said at least 20 people were wounded, with rescuers still digging through the rubble. Though it has not claimed responsibility, the strike was blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, which has encircled el-Fasher for more than a year, leading to a rapidly deteriorating hunger crisis. The RSF and Sudan’s army went to war in 2023 after the former allies fell out over plans to integrate the RSF into the national army.
More from BBC here.
Nepal
Nepal’s interim prime minister, Sushila Karki, has pledged to fight corruption, raise living standards and create jobs after replacing K.P. Sharma Oli, who was toppled by young protesters last week. At least 72 people were killed and 2,100 injured in what became known as the Gen Z protests, which culminated in the burning down of parliament buildings. “We must accept the fact that the protests took place because of the failure to fulfill the spirit and objectives of providing good governance and prosperity enshrined in the constitution,” Karki said.
More from Reuters here.