Aleena Zara Malik

In this episode of Debunkistan, we unpack the tired global narrative that paints Pakistan (and South Asia, for that matter) as one big, homogenous blur. From Karachi&#39;s vibrant truck art to Wakhi poetry in Gilgit, and from Pashto rap to couture fashion weeks, Pakistan&#39;s diversity is evident in its over 70 distinct cultures, languages, and lifestyles.

Debunkistan

Unpacking the tired global narrative that paints Pakistan (and South Asia, for that matter) as one big, homogenous blur.

The Monolith Myth

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan could include a third spinner against South Africa as the hosts try to sweep the series 2-0 in the second Test in Rawalpindi, head coach Azhar Mahmood said Sunday. Pakistan beat World Test champions South Africa by 93 runs inside four days last week with spinners taking 34 of the 40 wickets on a turning Gaddafi Stadium pitch. Mahmood said either leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed or uncapped 38-year-old left-armer Asif Afridi could be called up for the second and final Test beginning on Monday on a dry Rawalpindi pitch. Left-armer Noman Ali took 10 wickets in the first Test while his spin partner Sajid Khan finished with six. With the pitch in Rawalpindi likely to turn more as the match goes on, Mahmood stressed that first innings runs will be crucial, whether batting first or second. &quot;The pitch looks dry ... so you need to score big and not depend on the toss for a favourable result,&quot; said Mahmood. South Africa will be bolstered by the return of experienced left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who missed the first Test with a groin strain. &quot;Keshav is fit and obviously it is great to have him back,&quot; said South Africa stand-in captain Aiden Markram. &quot;He brings in great experience and a really good skill set.&quot; Maharaj is likely to partner Senuran Muthusamy, who excelled with 11 wickets in the first Test. &quot;It is really important for us to try to level the series,&quot; said Markram, who is captain because Temba Bavuma is injured. &quot;We are expecting more spin in this Test but it is an opportunity for us.&quot; Tony de Zorzi made a century in the first Test and Markram said the South Africans had &quot;tapped into him&quot; to understand &quot;what worked against the Pakistan spinners.&quot; &quot;It is good to have someone with that confidence,&quot; he added.

Pakistan's team players attend a practice session on the eve of their second Test cricket match against South Africa, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on October 19, 2025. (AFP)

Cricket

Either leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed or uncapped 38-year-old left-armer Asif Afridi could be called up for the second and final Test beginning on Monday.

Pakistan mull third spinner as they look for South Africa sweep

PARIS: A theft occurred at the Louvre on Sunday, France&rsquo;s culture minister said, as the museum closed for the day while authorities investigate. &ldquo;A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,&rdquo; Rachida Dati wrote on X. The Louvre said it would close &ldquo;for exceptional reasons,&rdquo; offering no further details on the heist. No injuries were reported. Dati said she was on site and that an investigation was underway. French daily Le Parisien reported that the criminals entered the world&rsquo;s most visited museum and former palace via the Seine-facing facade, where construction is underway. The report said they used a freight elevator to gain direct access to the targeted room in the Apollo Gallery. After breaking windows, they reportedly stole &ldquo;nine pieces from the jewellery collection of Napoleon and the Empress,&rdquo; Le Parisien said. The Louvre has a long history of thefts and attempted robberies. The most famous was in 1911, when the Mona Lisa vanished from its frame, stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former worker who hid inside the museum and walked out with the painting under his coat. It was recovered two years later in Florence &mdash; an episode that helped make Leonardo da Vinci&rsquo;s portrait the world&rsquo;s best-known artwork. In 1983, two Renaissance-era pieces of armor were stolen from the Louvre and only recovered nearly four decades later. The museum&rsquo;s collection also bears the legacy of Napoleonic-era looting that continues to spark restitution debates today. The Louvre is home to more than 33,000 works spanning antiquities, sculpture and painting &mdash; from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the classical world to European masters. Its star attractions include the Mona Lisa, as well as the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The Galerie d&rsquo;Apollon, where Sunday&rsquo;s theft reportedly took place, displays a selection of the French Crown Jewels. The museum can draw up to 30,000 visitors a day.

Europe

France’s culture minister announced that the Louvre Museum in Paris has been closed following a reported robbery. Authorities are investigating the incident, and details about what was stolen or suspects involved have not yet been released.


Louvre closed after robbery, French culture minister reports

Reuters

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">JERUSALEM: The Israeli military launched an attack on Gaza on Sunday, Israeli media reported, dimming hopes that a week-old US-mediated ceasefire would lead to lasting peace in the enclave as Israel traded blame with Palestinian militant group Hamas.An Israeli military official said on Sunday that Hamas had carried out multiple attacks against Israeli forces inside Gaza, including a rocket-propelled grenade attack and a sniper attack against Israeli soldiers. &quot;Both of the incidents happened in an Israeli-controlled area...This is a bold violation of the ceasefire,&quot; the official said. Senior Hamas official Izzat Al Risheq said on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group remained committed to the ceasefire, which he accused Israel of repeatedly violating. Neither Al Risheq nor the Israeli military official made any mention of the reported Israeli strikes in Gaza. The government media office in Gaza said on Saturday that Israel had committed 47 violations after the ceasefire deal, leaving 38 dead and 143 wounded. The impact of the Israeli strikes on Sunday, the most serious test since an already fragile ceasefire took effect on October 11, was not immediately clear. Formidable obstacles to Trump&#39;s plan to end the war still remain. Key questions of Hamas disarming, the governance of Gaza, the make-up of an international &quot;stabilization force&quot;, and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state have yet to be resolved. The US embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel returns 15 Palestinian bodies to Gaza AFP reported on Sunday that&nbsp;Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total number handed over to 150, the health ministry&nbsp;said.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Under a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Hamas returned the remains of two hostages late on Saturday -- Ronen Engel, an Israeli national, and Thai farmworker Sonthaya Oakkharasri.

File Photo - A still frame from video shows the moment before Nasser Hospital's eastern staircase was struck for a second time by Israeli military, killing several people, on August 25, 2025, in Khan Younis, in Gaza. (Alghad TV/Handout via Reuters)

Middle East

The Israeli military launched an attack on Gaza on Sunday, Israeli media reported, dimming hopes that a week-old US-mediated ceasefire would lead to lasting peace in the enclave as Israel traded blame with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli air strikes hit south Gaza: witnesses, Israeli media

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: A contingent of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), including the latest JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets, has landed in Azerbaijan to take part in a high-profile bilateral air combat exercise titled Indus Shield Alpha, the military&#39;s media wing said on Sunday.&nbsp;According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the deployment marks another significant step in Pakistan&#39;s efforts to enhance military cooperation and strategic ties with partner nations through advanced joint training exercises.&nbsp;The PAF fighter jets accomplished a non-stop flight from Pakistan to Azerbaijan, showcasing their endurance and advanced capabilities through a mid-air refuelling operation carried out with precision by PAF&rsquo;s IL-78 aerial tanker.&nbsp;&ldquo;This intricate refuelling manoeuvre reaffirmed the long-range operational capability of the JF-17 Block-III and highlighted the PAF crew&#39;s readiness for extended international missions,&rdquo; the ISPR said in its statement.&nbsp;The Indus Shield Alpha exercise is aimed at boosting mutual understanding, improving tactical coordination, and strengthening interoperability between the air forces of Pakistan and Azerbaijan. It will involve training in modern aerial warfare tactics, joint mission planning, and combat execution under scenarios influenced by evolving technology and contemporary airpower dynamics.&nbsp;&ldquo;This bilateral engagement serves as a key platform to exchange operational insights and develop joint responses to emerging aerial defence challenges,&rdquo; the statement added.&nbsp;The PAF&rsquo;s participation also underscores its commitment to regional stability, global defence cooperation, and continuous adaptation to modern warfare demands. It reflects Pakistan&rsquo;s growing aerial capabilities and the strategic reach of its air force in international defence diplomacy.&nbsp;PAF has a strong tradition of excellence in multinational exercises. Earlier in July, PAF aircraft won top honours at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2025 in the UK. The JF-17 Block-III earned the &ldquo;Spirit of the Meet Trophy&rdquo; for its standout livery and remarkable non-stop journey with in-flight refuelling, while the C-130H Hercules won the &ldquo;Concours d&rsquo;Elegance Trophy.&rdquo;&nbsp;Last year, Pakistan hosted Exercise Indus Shield-2024, the largest regional air exercise, featuring participants from 24 countries. That edition showcased the PAF&rsquo;s multi-domain warfighting capabilities and brought together global air forces to foster interoperability and collaboration.&nbsp;With its presence in Azerbaijan for Indus Shield Alpha, the PAF continues to reinforce its image as a technologically advanced, operationally ready, and globally engaged air force.

Security

The deployment marks another significant step in Pakistan's efforts to enhance military cooperation and strategic ties with partner nations through advanced joint training exercises.

PAF JF-17 Block-III jets arrive in Azerbaijan for Indus Shield Alpha air exercise

WASHINGTON: Huge crowds took to the streets in all 50 US states at &ldquo;No Kings&rdquo; protests on Saturday, venting anger over President Donald Trump&rsquo;s hardline policies, while Republicans ridiculed them as &ldquo;Hate America&rdquo; rallies. Organizers said 7 million people marched in protests spanning New York to Los Angeles, with demonstrations popping up in small cities across the US heartland and even near Trump&rsquo;s home in Florida. &ldquo;This is what democracy looks like!&rdquo; chanted thousands in Washington near the US Capitol, where the federal government was shut down for a third week because of a legislative deadlock. Colorful signs called on people to &ldquo;protect democracy,&rdquo; while others demanded the country abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency at the center of Trump&rsquo;s anti-immigrant crackdown. Demonstrators criticized what they called the Republican billionaire&rsquo;s strong-arm tactics, including attacks on the media, political opponents, and undocumented immigrants. &ldquo;I never thought I would live to see the death of my country as a democracy,&rdquo; said Colleen Hoffman, 69, a retiree marching down Broadway in New York. &ldquo;We are in a crisis &mdash; the cruelty of this regime, the authoritarianism. I just feel like I cannot sit home and do nothing.&rdquo; In Los Angeles, protesters floated a giant balloon of Trump in a diaper. Many flew flags, including one referencing the anime &ldquo;One Piece,&rdquo; featuring the skull logo that has become a symbol of anti-government protests from Peru to Madagascar. &ldquo;Fight ignorance, not migrants,&rdquo; read one sign at a protest in Houston, where nearly one-quarter of the population is made up of immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute. While animated, the protests were largely peaceful. However, in downtown Los Angeles, police fired nonlethal rounds and tear gas late Saturday to disperse crowds that included &ldquo;No Kings&rdquo; protesters, the Los Angeles Times reported. &ldquo;After thousands of people gathered to express their constitutional First Amendment rights peacefully earlier in the day, nearly a hundred agitators marched over to Aliso and Alameda, where they used lasers and industrial-size flashing lights,&rdquo; the Los Angeles Police Department&rsquo;s Central Division said on X. &ldquo;A dispersal order was issued and the demonstrators were dispersed from the area,&rdquo; it added, without specifying if any arrests were made. Trump respondsIt was not possible to independently verify the organizers&rsquo; attendance figures. In New York, authorities said more than 100,000 gathered at one of the largest protests, while in Washington, crowds were estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 people. Trump&rsquo;s response to Saturday&rsquo;s events was typically aggressive, with the US president posting a series of AI-generated videos on his Truth Social platform depicting himself as a king. In one, he is shown wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet that drops what appears to be feces on anti-Trump protesters. His surrogates were equally combative, with House Speaker Mike Johnson deriding the rallies as &ldquo;Hate America&rdquo; protests. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to bring together the Marxists, the Socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party,&rdquo; Johnson told reporters. Protesters dismissed that claim with ridicule. &ldquo;Look around! If this is hate, then someone should go back to grade school,&rdquo; said Paolo, 63, as the crowd chanted and sang around him in Washington. Others highlighted the deep polarization dividing American politics. &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s the thing about what right-wingers say: I don&rsquo;t give a crap. They hate us,&rdquo; said Tony, a 34-year-old software engineer. &lsquo;Country of equals&rsquo;Deirdre Schifeling of the American Civil Liberties Union said protesters wanted to convey that &ldquo;we are a country of equals.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are a country of laws that apply to everyone, of due process and of democracy. We will not be silenced,&rdquo; she said. Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the Indivisible Project, condemned the Trump administration&rsquo;s efforts to send National Guard troops into Democratic-led US cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago,&nbsp;Portland, and Memphis. &ldquo;It is the classic authoritarian playbook: threaten, smear, and lie; scare people into submission,&rdquo; Greenberg said. Addressing the crowd outside the US Capitol, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders warned of the dangers democracy faced under Trump. &ldquo;We have a president who wants more and more power in his own hands and in the hands of his fellow oligarchs,&rdquo; he said. Isaac Harder, 16, said he feared for his generation&rsquo;s future. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a fascist trajectory, and I want to do anything I can to stop that,&rdquo; he said.

Crowds gather to listen to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a No Kings protest, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Americas

Huge crowds took to the streets in all 50 U.S. states at “No Kings” protests on Saturday, venting anger over President Donald Trump’s hardline policies, while Republicans ridiculed them as “Hate America” rallies.

Protesters out in force for anti-Trump 'No Kings' rallies across US

Ayesha Mir

When the US military withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, it left behind more than just a broken nation &mdash; it left behind an arsenal. Now, those same US-supplied weapons are showing up in the hands of terrorist groups attacking Pakistan.&nbsp; Find out how Pakistan has fallen victim to a war it didn&rsquo;t start in today&rsquo;s Dossier with Ayesha.

Dossier with Ayesha

When the US military withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, it left behind more than just a broken nation — it left behind an arsenal. Now, those same US-supplied weapons are showing up in the hands of terrorist groups attacking Pakistan. 

Terrorists using US weapons to target Pakistan

REUTERS: Nvidia unveiled on Friday the first US-made Blackwell wafer, produced at TSMC&#39;s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Phoenix, as demand for AI chips accelerates. Companies have been racing to meet the broader AI industry&#39;s voracious appetite for computing power as they develop AI technology that meets or exceeds human intelligence. The move &quot;bolsters the U.S. supply chain and onshores the AI technology stack that will turn data into intelligence and secure America&#39;s leadership for the AI era,&quot; Nvidia said in a blog post. It also aligns with President Donald Trump&#39;s efforts to strengthen U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership. TSMC&#39;s Arizona facility will produce advanced technologies, including two-, three-, and four-nanometer chips, as well as A16 chips, that are essential for applications like AI, telecommunications, and high-performance computing, Nvidia said. There has recently been a flurry of mega deals between AI firms and chipmakers such as Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom to build data center capacity. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), the world&#39;s biggest producer of advanced chips, raised its full-year revenue forecast on Thursday on a bullish outlook for AI spending after posting a record profit that blew past market estimates.

An NVIDIA logo appears in this illustration taken August 25, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Artificial Intelligence

The company unveiled on Friday the first US-made Blackwell wafer, produced at TSMC's semiconductor manufacturing facility in Phoenix, as demand for AI chips accelerates.

Nvidia unveils first Blackwell chip wafer made with TSMC in US

OSAKA: Canada&#39;s Leylah Fernandez won her second title of the year after beating Czech teenager Tereza Valentova 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 in the Japan Open final on Sunday. Fernandez, the world number 27, followed up her victory at the DC Open in Washington in July with another tournament win after seeing off qualifier Valentova in Osaka. It was the fifth title of the 23-year-old Fernandez&#39;s career and the first time she has won twice in the same year. Fernandez, playing with heavy strapping on her right thigh, cruised to the first set against her 18-year-old opponent, who is ranked 78 in the world and was appearing in her first WTA final. Valentova looked shell-shocked at the changeover before the second set but she came out swinging and levelled the match. Fernandez regained the upper hand in the third set, sealing victory when her opponent hit a service return into the net. The Japan Open&#39;s top seed, former world number one Naomi Osaka, pulled out ahead of her quarter-final after failing to recover from a leg injury. Fernandez will compete in next week&#39;s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she will face fellow Canadian Victoria Mboko in the opening round.

Tennis

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez won her second title of 2025, defeating Czech opponent Tereza Valentova6-0, 5-7, 6-3 in the Japan Open final, marking her fifth career title and first season with multiple victories.

Leylah Fernandez wins Japan Open for her fifth career title

HONG KONG: One of China&rsquo;s most important meetings begins Monday, as leader Xi Jinping and other ruling Communist Party elites gather in Beijing to map out the goals for the next five years. The closed-door gathering &mdash; known as the fourth plenum &mdash; is expected to last four days and will discuss and put the final touches on China&rsquo;s next five-year plan, a blueprint for 2026-2030. The leaders are meeting at a time of heightened trade tensions between Washington and Beijing and just ahead of a possible meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump during a regional summit later this month. Here is what to know about the meeting: What the fourth plenum is and why it mattersThe fourth plenum refers to the fourth plenary session, out of typically a total of seven sessions during the five-year term of the Chinese Communist Party&rsquo;s central committee. Xi and about 370 members of the central committee are expected to attend. The gathering also may coincide with personnel changes. Since it&#39;s held behind closed doors, details may come days or weeks later. Such gatherings are meant to help unite officials and the public behind the party&#39;s agenda. The full five-year plan for 2026-2030 and specifics will likely not be released until the annual session of the National People&#39;s Congress is held in March. But there is little reason to expect a radical shift away from the format and messaging style of previous five-year plans, Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING Bank, said in an interview. What to expect in China&rsquo;s next &#39;five-year plan&#39;The world&rsquo;s second-largest economy is forecast to expand by 4.8% this year, according to the World Bank, a figure close to China&rsquo;s official target of about 5% growth. China faces challenges from the trade war that has intensified since Trump took office, but also from chronic domestic problems that are dragging on growth. Longstanding efforts to boost consumer spending and investment by businesses and to curb excess capacity in many industries top the list of economic priorities. But Xi also will likely highlight China&#39;s push to become the global leader in many technologies, such as artificial intelligence. China&rsquo;s pursuit of technological &ldquo;self-sufficiency,&rdquo; weaning its industries of their reliance on advanced computer chips from the US, has sped up as Trump tightens American export control measures and raises tariffs. That could result in more spending on advanced technology, said Ning Zhang, a senior China economist at UBS. One key question is whether there will be any meaningful shift in the leadership&rsquo;s approach to boosting consumption, said Leah Fahy, a China economist at Capital Economics. The government has adopted incremental policy moves &mdash; such as increased government subsidies for childcare, consumer loans, and trade-in programs for appliances and electric vehicles. Boosting consumption, which would drive borrowing and demand, is &ldquo;much more important than before&rdquo; but consumer confidence has been undermined by the bursting of China&#39;s property bubble several years ago, Zhang explained. Economists say bolder moves are needed to make a significant difference. Price wars in the auto industry are an example of the risks of the ferocious competition that results from overcapacity that afflicts many Chinese industries. China&#39;s exports &mdash; including to Southeast Asia and Africa &mdash; have surged as companies seek markets beyond its borders, adding to friction with the United States and other trading partners. China&#39;s chief challenges in the next five yearsSince the massive disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has struggled to reignite faster economic growth. Its property sector downturn has complicated that effort, causing massive layoffs and leading families to cut back on spending as house prices have fallen. Wendy Leutert, a professor of economics and trade at Indiana University, noted in a recent report that China is still stinting on spending on areas that might help to balance the economy and encourage more consumer spending, such as health care, education and child and elder care. &ldquo;Overall, China&rsquo;s leaders still appear willing to accept economic costs, including resource misallocation and failures, in order to pursue self-sufficiency and technological leadership in strategically important industries and strengthen overall national power,&rdquo; she wrote. While it faces increasing friction with the US and other trading partners, China is also running up against demographic pressures, as its population of 1.4 billion begins to shrink and age more rapidly. The unemployment rate for young workers aged 16-24 is nearly 19%, according to official data, impinging on their potential contributions to the economy. The Chinese leadership has set a goal of doubling the size of China&rsquo;s economy in 2020 by 2035, and like any other government, &ldquo;still cares (about) growth and is still trying to get richer,&rdquo; said Zhang of UBS. He estimates that keeping the economy growing at a robust 4% to 5% pace in the next decade will likely be &ldquo;challenging.&rdquo; But it&#39;s imperative to show it is striving for such ambitious goals, to demonstrate the ruling party&#39;s capacity to keep delivering a better quality of life &mdash; its chief claim to its legitimacy. &quot;For China&rsquo;s leadership, what do they care about? Stability, legitimacy, and also ongoing support,&quot; he said.

Asia

China’s Communist Party, led by Xi Jinping, is holding its fourth plenum to finalize the 2026–2030 five-year plan, focusing on economic growth, technology self-sufficiency, consumer spending, and stability amid trade tensions and domestic challenges.