Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have signed a defence pact, saying an attack on one of them would be seen as an attack on all three. Some analysts have described this deal between majority-Muslim powers as the “Islamic Nato” – though the members have not used that term.

So do the signatories of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement really intend to come to their partners’ rescue – particularly if it risks joining a wider conflict in the Middle East?

Iran has launched strikes on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries throughout the war with the US and Israel. In recent days, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have targetted a Saudi tanker and oil refinery.

At the same time, Pakistan has been trying to broker peace between Iranian leaders and the administration of President Donald Trump. And Pakistan’s rival, India, has built its own relationships with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

We speak to the BBC’s global affairs analyst Anbarasan Ethirajan about the deal agreed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

New episodes of the Global News Podcast are published twice a day. You can listen here: https://link.mgln.ai/GNP-YT

And you can find more of our YouTube episodes here: https://bbc.in/GlobalNewsPodcast

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00:00 Introduction
00:20 What is the Saudi, Pakistan, Turkey defence pact?
01:45 Why sign the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement now?
04:08 Iran-backed Houthis strike Saudi targets
07:17 Pakistan and US-Iran peace talks
09:46 How India views the defence pact

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A high of more than 36C (96F) has been recorded near Gatwick Airport, with temperatures expected to rise further.

The Met Office said parts of England could record 38C and 35C in Wales on Thursday.

The last time temperatures rose above 36C in August was 2020.

This latest spell of extreme heat comes after the Met Office warned this summer is on course to be the UK’s hottest since records began.

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Luigi Mangione has admitted killing UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, pleading guilty to two federal charges related to the fatal shooting in 2024.

Mangione, 28, now faces up to a lifetime in prison when he is sentenced in December.

He also faces a raft of separate charges, including second degree murder, in a state trial beginning next month.

His admission today may throw a wrench in the state trial, as Mangione’s lawyers argue he cannot be prosecuted twice for the same crime.

Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal charges of stalking resulting in death on Friday.

“I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione told a Manhattan courtroom, changing his initial plea of not guilty.

Federal prosecutors said the 28-year-old travelled across state lines and used surveillance to kill the healthcare boss.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole.

Mangione has not made a plea deal with the prosecution, as some media previously reported was a possibility.

Prosecutors have recommended Mangione serve between 24 and 30 years in prison. But that is not binding and Judge Margaret Garnett said in court that she ultimately decides his sentence.

The maximum sentence is life in prison and there is no parole in the federal system.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Nada Tawfik in New York.

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Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news …

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The Israeli military has said it will deploy additional troops to the occupied West Bank after failing to force away Israeli settlers who have trapped two Palestinian families in their homes since Sunday.

The Abu Ridi and Hassan families – who live on the outskirts of the village of Qusra, south of Nablus – made appeals for help after their water and power supplies were cut off and their food stocks ran low.

The case is the latest to draw attention to the relative impunity of settlers and how Israeli forces are struggling to deal with rising settler violence.

Videos shared from Qusra overnight show a dozen Israeli security vehicles – including a bulldozer.

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