The Rest of the World Report | Monday, October 5, 2026 — Evening Edition
The View From Everywhere Else
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SAUDI DEFENCE PACT ACTIVATES
Pakistan and Türkiye will send forces to Saudi Arabia. The two countries and Saudi Arabia agreed Monday to activate the collective defence commitments of their Mecca Alliance.
The decision came at an emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defence Committee in Riyadh. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the three countries decided to “provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment” to the kingdom. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman said members agreed to trigger deployment. He said it responds “to the attacks and all those responsible for them.” A joint statement said the three agreed to move immediately to practical implementation. The commitments run under approved arrangements and each country’s laws.
No troop numbers, units or arrival date have been reported. Coverage ties the decision to Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
The three states signed the pact on August 7. It says an attack on one is an attack on all. It gave no details of members’ obligations at signing. After the Houthi missile barrage in early September, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said spillover could activate it. No action followed until now.
Analysts say Pakistan and Türkiye also remain keen to mediate in the US-Iran conflict. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Asif, Army Chief Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar attended the Riyadh talks. Dar said last week the talks would address a proposal for political engagement with the Houthis. He called it an alternative to military action. He said it followed an approach by Tehran.
The fighting in Yemen moved on the same day. The Yemeni government’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman, Rashad al-Alimi, ordered operations on Sunday. Government forces now say they have retaken the port city of Mocha. They also claim positions near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, including Dhubab district. They announced a “strategic” offensive on Sanaa. The Houthis denied the Dhubab claim.
The Houthis seized Mocha and strategic islands in mid-September. That choked a second key oil passageway while Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis took about 150km of Red Sea coastline last month. The 2022 truce collapsed in July.
The government army says it “neutralised” 1,747 Houthi fighters in 1,122 operations. It names Saada, al-Jawf, Taiz and the west coast. Spokesman Majed Abdullah al-Nuzaili said 364 vehicles were destroyed or disabled. The figures are unverified. A military source said fighting has also escalated on the Marib front near Raghwan.
Coalition Spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said 100 fighter jets are supporting Yemeni forces. He said the coalition has secured “air protection” of Bab al-Mandeb.
🌍 Translator’s Note: Gulf News, the UAE paper, ran AFP’s report beside its coverage of Houthi strikes on Saudi territory. Those include a drone hit on a power station in Medina and missile debris that injured an expatriate. In that frame the pact is a defence of Saudi civilian infrastructure, and Iran does not appear in the story. Al Jazeera placed the same meeting inside the US-Iran conflict. It reported that analysts see Pakistan and Türkiye as would-be mediators. It also reported that Dar said the Riyadh talks would take up political engagement with the Houthis, after an approach from Tehran. The meeting that activated a military pact was also, in Al Jazeera’s account, a venue for a diplomatic proposal.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Pakistan and Türkiye have committed forces to Saudi Arabia under a pact signed in August. Analysts say both also want to mediate in the US-Iran conflict. Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb are both disrupted.
Sources: Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent; Pakistani Foreign Ministry and Khalid bin Salman statements, pact background, Asif and Dar); Gulf News (UAE; AFP report of the joint statement); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent; Mocha and Dhubab claims, al-Maliki, Dar); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent; 1,747 claim, al-Nuzaili, Marib front)
TAKAICHI PROMISES FOOD TAX CUT
Japan’s prime minister promised to cut the food tax without borrowing more. Sanae Takaichi spoke to the Diet on Monday. She said the consumption tax on food and beverages will fall from 8% to 1% for two years from April.
She paired the cut with cash benefits for middle- and low-income earners. She said it would be funded without deficit-covering bonds. Japan’s fiscal health is already the worst among G7 economies. Opposition parties said the plan brings no immediate relief.
The speech opened a 69-day extraordinary Diet session that runs through December 12. Takaichi promised a five-year investment plan by year-end covering economic security, cyber defense, AI and semiconductors. The government has submitted 21 bills. They include measures to diversify oil supplies amid the Middle East conflict and rules on land acquisition near national-security areas. A separate bill would cut 45 seats from the lower house.
She called China an important neighbor and said she wants a constructive and stable relationship. She said Tokyo will “say what must be said and strongly urge responsible actions.” She also spoke about constitutional revision.
Her ruling bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party won a landslide in February. It holds far more than two-thirds of the 465 lower-house seats. It is a minority in the Senate. Farm Minister Kazuo Yana and Education Minister Yoshihiro Seki face questions over discipline in a slush-fund scandal.
Background: Takaichi told a parliamentary committee in early November 2025 about Taiwan. Beijing summoned Japan’s ambassador and demanded she withdraw the remarks. Relations have been at a low since. Last week China’s top diplomat said ties with Tokyo were “waiting to be normalized again.” China warned its citizens against travel to Japan last year and imposed trade restrictions.
🌍 Translator’s Note: The Korea Times and the Taipei Times both ran AFP’s account of the speech under headlines about China. They led with the diplomatic freeze that began with Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks in November. The copy carries context that Kyodo’s report does not. China’s top diplomat said last week that ties with Tokyo were waiting to be normalized, and Beijing warned its citizens against travel to Japan and imposed trade restrictions last year. For these two outlets, the tax cut is a later paragraph. The question the speech answers is whether Tokyo and Beijing are moving toward a thaw. Kyodo reports the same China passage but carries no Chinese response.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Japan plans a two-year food tax cut without new deficit bonds. Its fiscal health is already the worst in the G7. Takaichi also set out her China approach, which Beijing has met with demands over her Taiwan remarks.
Sources: Kyodo News via Japan Today (Japan; speech content, session length, bills, China language, coalition seat figures); Korea Times (South Korea; AFP wire copy; China passage, Beijing context); Taipei Times (Taiwan; AFP wire copy; China passage, “normalized” remark, travel warning); The Independent via AOL (UK; November 2025 Taiwan remarks and Beijing’s response)
MARINE ARRESTED IN OKINAWA MURDER
A US Marine is in Japanese custody on suspicion of robbing and killing a woman in Naha. Devin Ballard, 20, is stationed at Futenma. Police arrested him Sunday in the killing of Anna Yagi, 39, early Saturday at a Naha hotel.
Police say he was seen entering the hotel with her. She died of suffocation. Her wallet and backpack were taken. An officer detained him walking alone in Naha’s entertainment district late Saturday. He denies the allegations. On Monday police sent him to prosecutors.
The Status of Forces Agreement gives Japan primary jurisdiction over off-duty offenses. He was arrested off base and remains in Japanese custody. The Marine Corps says it is cooperating.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned US Ambassador George Glass and lodged a strong protest. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi protested to Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, the senior US commander. Takaichi called the case extremely regrettable on X. She told parliament Monday that Japan wants full US cooperation and strict discipline. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo and Washington will work together to prevent a recurrence.
Okinawa Gov. Genta Koja called the killing “utterly unacceptable and extremely outrageous.” Koja took office last week with LDP backing. He plans to travel to Tokyo this week. The relocation of Futenma continues despite local opposition.
🌍 Translator’s Note: Xinhua, China’s state news agency, headlined the case as an alleged murder that “sparks outrage.” Its second paragraph turns to Okinawan residents. It says they blame the presence of US bases and the Japanese government’s inaction for letting such crimes recur. The report never mentions the Status of Forces Agreement or Futenma. Kyodo, the Japanese wire, reports the same arrest as a jurisdiction question. Japan has primary jurisdiction over off-duty offenses, the suspect is in Japanese custody, and Tokyo has protested to Washington. Kyodo also reports that the Futenma relocation continues despite local opposition. Xinhua’s version centers the bases themselves.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: A US Marine is in Japanese custody over a killing in Naha. Tokyo and Okinawa’s new governor are both demanding US cooperation and discipline. The Futenma relocation continues despite local opposition.
Sources: Kyodo News via Japan Today (Japan; arrest, case details, protests, Koja); Kyodo News via Japan Today (Japan; prosecutor referral, Takaichi and Kihara statements); Xinhua (China, state news agency; residents’ reaction, protests)
ABIY SWORN IN, WANTS PORT
Abiy Ahmed was sworn in for another five-year term as Ethiopia’s prime minister on Monday. He told Parliament that Ethiopia will secure a port on the Red Sea. He said it will proceed on the principle of “give and take.”
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry answered the same day. It said any discussion of the Red Sea must account for Ethiopia’s legitimate interests and its enduring connection to the sea. The statement responds to Sunday’s New Alamein declaration. Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan are four of the five states on the Red Sea. Their leaders reserved oversight of the coastline for bordering states. Egypt and Sudan also warned against unilateral measures that harm downstream states.
Somalia’s president said Mogadishu does not object to Ethiopian access through Somali territory. He said the two countries would need to negotiate formally.
Ethiopia accuses Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of backing the rebel alliance. Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, said Sunday that Cairo is not party to Ethiopia’s domestic crisis. Eritrea and Sudan also deny it. Sudan accuses Ethiopia of training and supporting the Rapid Support Forces. Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said Sunday that Addis Ababa was creating a pretext to attack Eritrea.
The fighting has spread into Afar and Amhara. Militias allied with the TPLF claim some gains there. The army’s counteroffensive has advanced into Tigray. TPLF chair Debretsion Gebremichael said Thursday that the movement will not hold fixed positions. It will choose where to strike. “We know where and when to hit,” he said in his first televised statement since the fighting began. Analysts say divisions among former Tigrayan commanders, some now aligned with the government, may have weakened the TPLF.
Diplomatic sources report explosions in several parts of Addis Ababa. They include the area near the military’s headquarters. A source linked to the opposition alliance claimed drone strikes on the capital, including on military facilities. The claim is unverified.
The Pretoria agreement ended the 2020 to 2022 war in November 2022. The TPLF said in July that the agreement had effectively collapsed. The federal government rejected that and said it remains committed to the peace process. Clashes between the army and the TPLF began in August. Estimates put deaths in the earlier war at up to 600,000.
🌍 Translator’s Note: Al Jazeera’s reporting from Mekelle, Shire and Addis Ababa runs through residents. One Addis Ababa student told its reporter he fears seeing another Sudan. Its swearing-in report ties Abiy’s Red Sea demand to Eritrea’s 1993 independence, which cut Ethiopia off from the coast. That report also describes the Tigray forces as Eritrea-backed in its own voice, while its other coverage this week carries Eritrea’s denial. The Irish Times frames the same week as an economic and regional risk. It notes that Ethiopia’s economy has grown between 5 and 10 percent a year for a decade. It says renewed war threatens that growth and could draw in regional powers.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Abiy has begun a new term with Red Sea access as a stated goal. Four of the five Red Sea states have publicly reserved the coast for themselves. The earlier war killed up to 600,000 people by some estimates. Washington’s public position, as of Saturday, is a State Department call for Ethiopia and Eritrea to show restraint and return to dialogue.
Sources: Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent; Abiy swearing-in, Foreign Ministry response, Somalia’s president); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent; Addis Ababa explosions, Pretoria background, resident accounts); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent; Red Sea and downstream clauses, Yemane Gebremeskel); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent; US State Department statement); Irish Times (Ireland, centrist; Debretsion statement, Egypt’s denial, fighting in Afar and Amhara, economic context)
BRIEFS
EU trade chief heads to Beijing. European Commission trade chief Maroš Šefčovič meets Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing on Thursday. The agenda is China’s trade surplus with the EU. It reached a record €360.6bn in 2025, up 15%. It widened another 10% in January through April. A June meeting in Brussels set up working groups on the trade balance, export controls, intellectual property and WTO reform. It set a goal of tangible results by October. What to expect: Brussels wants assurances on rare earths. A one-year moratorium on new Chinese export restrictions, which also applies to the US, expires in coming weeks. Some German firms are stockpiling. The EU’s 2024 electric-vehicle tariffs do not cover hybrids. Chinese hybrid exports rose from 3,800 vehicles in October 2024 to about 50,000 in July 2026. If talks fail, Germany and France could push at the October 15-16 EU summit for a hybrid cap, a European preference in public procurement, and limits on Chinese takeovers. China has said it would respond firmly. Source: EUobserver (EU; surplus figures, June working groups, rare-earth moratorium, hybrid exports, summit options)
US bombers leave RAF Fairford. The US Air Force has removed all bombers from RAF Fairford in England, a Pentagon official said Sunday. The official spoke anonymously. Observers watched B-1 bombers fly out Sunday. Dozens of B-52 and B-1 bombers have operated from the base since the Iran war began, according to the Military Air Tracking Alliance. Last week a dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London on suspicion of plotting a terror attack. It followed a late-September security incident at the base. Six people were taken into custody and released on bail. British authorities linked the case to Tehran. Iran denies it. Source: AP via Japan Today (US wire; Pentagon official, flight observers, London arrest, Iran denial)
NUMBERS AT PUBLICATION
🇮🇷 Iran: 3,684 killed 🇱🇧 Lebanon: 4,386 killed, 12,413 wounded 🇮🇱 Israel: 1,200+ killed, ~5,400 wounded 🇺🇸 US military: 23 killed, 861 wounded 🇵🇸 Gaza: 74,332+ killed, 5,060+ wounded (since ceasefire) 🇵🇸 West Bank: 322 killed (incl. 74 children), 5,927 wounded (incl. 946 children) since January 2025 🛢️ Brent crude: $100.30/barrel ⛽ US gas: $4.37/gallon
Sources: HRANA (Iran); Lebanon MOPH; INSS (Israel); DCAS (US); OCHA (West Bank); gazacasualties.org (Gaza total); The National (Gaza since ceasefire); OilPrice.com (Brent); AAA (US gas).
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1789