As the important NATO front-line nation strengthens its defenses as the threat of Russian incursions grows, the US State Department has announced it has approved the sale of Javelin Missile Systems and related logistical equipment to Poland for an estimated $ 780 million.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) stated in a statement on Thursday that the Polish government had requested to purchase 2, 506 FGM-148F Javelin missiles and 253 Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units.
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A portable, shoulder-fired missile system known as a javelin is used to attack tanks, lighter-armed vehicles, bunkers, and low-flying aircraft.
Poland will also receive non-MDE (Major Defense Equipment), such as missile simulation rounds, battery coolant units, toolkits, spare parts support, training, and technical assistance from the US government and contractor.
The US government claimed to have already informed Congress of the potential sale for approval.
By enhancing the security of a NATO Ally, which contributes to Europe’s political and economic stability, the DSCA said in a statement.
By upgrading Poland’s existing command launch units and increasing its defense inventory, the proposed sale will strengthen its ability to meet NATO requirements and meet current and future threats, it added.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz also stated on Thursday that Poland would sign a cooperation agreement with Kyiv to teach Polish soldiers and engineers how to use drones.
More than 20 drones were shot down by Polish and NATO forces in violation of Ukrainian airspace during a Russian airstrike on neighboring Ukraine a week prior to the announcement.
For the first time since the September 10 incident, Polish and NATO forces have reportedly engaged in combat, with Ukraine claiming that Moscow is conducting drone strikes to test its military might.
Russia claimed that its forces were attacking Ukraine at the time of the aerial incursion but had not intended to hit Polish targets.
In what Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen characterized as a “paradigm shift in Danish defence policy,” Denmark also announced this week that it would purchase long-range, high-precision weapons for the first time to deter Russia.
Even if there is no imminent threat of an attack, Frederiksen asserted that Russia will still be a threat to Denmark for “years to come.”
The defense forces can target targets at long range with these weapons, she said, and use them to neutralize enemy missile threats, she added.
According to state media reports, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has stated that using artificial intelligence is “top priority” in the development of his nation’s increasingly sophisticated weapons technology and expanding drone capabilities.
Kim conducted performance tests of multiple-purpose drones and unmanned surveillance vehicles on Thursday, according to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday.
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The North Korean leader cited “rapidly developing the newly-introduced artificial intelligence technology” as a “top priority” in order to expand his military’s unmanned weapons systems, according to KCNA.
Kim also advocated expanding and expanding drone production in serial.
Kim’s visit to the aeronautical complex comes just one week after he praised Pyongyang’s “significant” expansion of its nuclear capabilities by observing another test of a new solid-fuel rocket engine designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles.
According to the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), North Korea’s military is made up of nuclear-armed ballistic and cruise missiles, an expanding stockpile of nuclear weapons, and a developing spy satellite program.
Out of a population of roughly 25.6%, active duty North Korean soldiers now number about one million and are supplemented by more than seven million reservists.
Kim Jong Un, center, is in charge of the unmanned strategic reconnaissance aircraft’s performance test in North Korea [KCNA via KNS/AFP].
However, it’s uncertain how far the nation’s AI development is going.
Despite sanctions, a report from independent analysis group 38 North found that North Korea has continued to work with academics across the US, China, and South Korea on cross-border collaborative AI research, suggesting that it is making “substantial efforts” to catch up with other countries in the AI race.
According to the 38 North report, China, one of the most dominant AI players in the world, has largely played a role in those efforts.
Under Kim, Pyongyang has consistently sought to improve its relationship with Russia despite long being politically and economically dependent on China.
A mutual defense agreement signed by Kim and Vladimir Putin last year sparked controversy in the West.
Moscow may not have benefited from the deal as much as Pyongyang did.
A German think tank reported recently that despite giving North Korea nearly $10 billion in weapons to Moscow and tens of thousands of soldiers to Russian forces in Ukraine, it only received between $457 million and $1.19 billion in rewards.
Russia’s assistance to North Korea has primarily consisted of food, fuel, air defense systems, and possibly some fighter jets.
In a clear demonstration of North Korea’s desire to conquer the world, Kim made an appearance earlier this month in Beijing along with both his Chinese and Russian counterparts, President Xi Jinping and President Putin.
North Korea “has the military means to hold US forces and US allies in Northeast Asia, and continue to improve its capability to threaten the US,” according to the DIA report from May.
Pakistan’s climate change minister has criticized the “crisis of justice” facing his nation as it struggles to recover from one of the worst flooding to hit the country in decades. Over 1, 000 people have died and more than two million have been displaced.
More than six million people have been affected, according to the UN, following reports from local authorities that a heavier-than-usual monsoon and cloudbursts have caused landslides and extensive flooding since June 26. The National Disaster Management Authority estimates that in addition to the widespread destruction of crops across the nation, more than 12 500 homes have been damaged and 6 500 livestock have been lost.
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One of the many contributors to the deluge is thought to be climate change. Pakistan, one of the top 10 most vulnerable countries for climate change, contributes less than 1% of global emissions, but it is one of the top 10 most vulnerable countries.
Pakistan’s climate change minister Musadik Malik also questioned the “lopsided allocation” of funding by the international community to combat the effects of climate change in an interview with Al Jazeera.  ,
Al Jazeera: Agriculture is a major source of income for Pakistan. How significant a threat does climate change pose to this vital industry, particularly as glaciers melt melt?
Malik: Agriculture accounts for between 50 and 55 percent of Pakistan’s population. Canals and rivers, with some reliance on rainfall, provide the majority of our agricultural system. There are about 13 000 glaciers in Pakistan. Imagine the effects on our river system, our barrages, and eventually our canal network if these glaciers start to melt erratically and at a much faster rate as a result of global warming and rising carbon emissions, which are primarily coming from developed nations.
The agricultural economy of Pakistan, which accounts for the majority of our GDP and is a major source of employment, would suffer in such a bad way as a result. The potential for destruction is enormous, both economically and agriculturally.
Al Jazeera: What are Pakistan’s wider effects of climate-induced floods, besides the agricultural impact?
Malik: Agriculture and livelihoods are far at the center of the destruction. Losing a life is the most important concern right away. Over the past ten to fifteen years, floods have risen alarmingly in the number, pattern, and erratic nature. When these floods strike, there are a lot of deaths, morbidities, and people who have to move. In Sindh, thousands of years of civilization were flimsily erased, including mosques, temples, schools, hospitals, and other historic structures.
Such destruction results in significant economic losses, limited access to safe drinking water, increased infant and child mortality, and reduced access to education. This is a harsh reality that we must deal with, not just theoretically.
What other environmental problems does Pakistan face, according to Al Jazeera?
Malik: First of all, there is air pollution. What was once misty or fogy has turned into smog, particularly for two to three months in Punjab’s [province] cities. Traveling is severely hampered, leading to accidents and posing as a challenge. Your lungs burn for about 30 seconds before you can adjust when you land in these cities.
Second, the water is polluting. Our flowing waters, once regarded as intact and a sign of civilization, are now largely poisoned. Children would jump into canals as children, and elders would say that drinking flowing water was okay. You wouldn’t dare to drink directly from a canal today. No one would risk drinking tap water in Islamabad’s most expensive neighborhoods, even in the most expensive real estate areas. Imagine the situation in less developed regions.
Solid waste comes last. Ammonia and other pollutants are produced by the numerous landfills we are building, making temperature increases and causing glacier melting and floods. This also makes agriculture less predictable, which is essential.
Al Jazeera, you’ve frequently addressed the global gap in funding and responsibility for climate change. Can you provide more information about Pakistan’s perspective?
Malik: It’s a secret that one of the two nations, China and the US, has even withdrawn from international agreements, accounting for 45% of the world’s carbon emissions. More than 70% of the world’s carbon burden is made up of the top 10 nations. These ten nations receive 85% of the world’s green funding for building climate resilience and adaptation infrastructure, which is astonishing. Only 10 to 15% of the remaining 180+ nations, including ours, are given this. This is absurd. With such unfinancial funding, what kind of resilience or adaptation can we create?
This is not a climate crisis, in my opinion. It constitutes a justice crisis, in my opinion. The nations that pollute and contaminate the environment don’t invest in solutions for the most suffering and vulnerabilities. Even though our per capita carbon emissions are so small, you wouldn’t even see Pakistan on a map, we are the ones who are affected by erratic climate changes, floods, and agricultural devastation.
Who is consuming the environment on a global scale despite our own water pollution and the health of our citizens? Who is consuming alcohol?
This disparate amount of green funding is a moral gap, not a funding gap. It is complete injustice and overbearing unless there is a fair and equitable distribution of funding to support adaptation, forestation, and various projects from micro to macro.
Al Jazeera: So what is Pakistan’s approach to tackling climate change on its own resources?
Malik: Whether or not we receive sufficient funding, we must take care of our children. Instead of lamenting it, we are embracing our vulnerability.
Because there is little we can do to stop global warming rising, we will slowly work toward adaptation. What kind of resilience can we create to stop carbon emissions from rising or the climate from being consumed? This discussion about resilience, which involves countries like us preventing events from occurring and reducing global temperatures, is somewhat inappropriate. We require justification.
On August 30, 2025, Lahore’s houses were partially submerged in rain [Aamir Qureshi/AFP]
Al Jazeera, you mentioned a language and policy gap between developed nations and nations like Pakistan. Please explain this.
Malik: Our understanding and priorities are fundamentally different. Access, affordability, and sustainability are the key factors for us. We live in a very poor society. Our top priority when we think about energy is ensuring that we have access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and clean air. Additionally, this access must be affordable. Access, affordability, and sustainability are the top priorities for us.
Many of the world’s major emitters don’t have the same language as we do, according to them. They might have been inspired by books or from distant imaginaries of poverty. I urge them to visit Pakistan and use their theories. When their books don’t apply, it simply becomes clear that they are speaking a language that treats billions of people around the world as vagabonds who live in remote areas, like exotic animals.
For clarity and brevity, this interview was edited.
In a pending review of the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, Canada and Mexico have pledged to strengthen ties and coordinate their strategy.
On Thursday, Canada’s Prime Minister met with his Mexican counterpart, President Claudia Sheinbaum, to discuss economic and security ties.
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The two leaders stated in a joint press conference that they were committed to expanding trade between their nations and that they were committed to expanding their three-way trade partnership with the US.
Sheinbaum expressed optimism that the two nations would continue to cooperate under the principle of reciprocal “respect.”
She said, “Mexico and Canada will continue to walk together, with mutual respect and the assurance that cooperation will help them overcome any challenge.”
According to Carney, North America is the “economic envy of the world,” in part due to Canada and Mexico’s close cooperation in trade.
He said, “I have full confidence that we can find the adjustments necessary to increase competition and competitiveness in our region, just like I do the president Sheinbaum.”
On September 18, 2025, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (not pictured) speak.
On Thursday, Sheinbaum and Carney vowed to strike side trade deals with US President Donald Trump in an effort to avoid competing with one another.
Carney remarked, “We will proceed together.”
This week, ahead of a review that will be conducted by each nation for the following year, public consultations on the future of the USMCA began.
In response to Trump’s comments that his northern neighbor should join the US as its 51st state, Canada has recently struggled to renegotiate its existing agreements with Washington.
Trump has also been hostile toward his southern neighbor with an executive order mandating US government agencies to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America.”
Sheinbaum reportedly responded to concerns about direct US military intervention in Mexico by signing a secret executive order directing the military to attack Mexican drug cartels in August.
Sheinbaum stated at the time, “There won’t be an invasion of Mexico.”
Trump has targeted both nations in his trade war, with 25% tariffs on some Mexican pharmaceuticals and 25% on Canadian steel. According to him, the flow of drugs across Mexican borders and into the US has caused Mexico to pay an additional 25% “fentanyl tariff.”
The US is the world’s top trading partner, with Mexico and Canada accounting for both of its largest and second-largest trading partners, respectively.
In 2024, trade between Mexico and Canada reached a $40.5 billion valuation. Compared to that, Canada’s trade relationship with the US was estimated to be worth $ 924. 4 billion.
A Canadian prime minister’s first bilateral visit to Mexico in eight years is Carney’s, and Canadian officials described ties as excellent but acknowledged that they could be even better.
On September 18, 2025, the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shook hands.
The US Department of Defense has denied rumors that it will start a recruiting campaign to honor Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist who was fatally shot at a Utah university event.
A Pentagon spokesperson quickly refuted the report to Fox News, citing two government officials who are familiar with the situation who were cited by NBC’s first report on Thursday.
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Although Kirk himself was not a veteran of the military, NBC reported that the Pentagon was considering using the slogan “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors” as part of its campaign drive.
According to the report, the military hoped to collaborate with Kirk’s political group, Turning Point USA, as part of its recruitment campaign.
Through its outreach to young voters on campus of high schools and universities, Turning Point is credited with helping US President Donald Trump win in the 2024 election.
Later on Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told Fox News, “This is not happening.
Wilson criticised NBC for using unidentified sources to publish “false claims” that were “100 percent false,” according to the Fox News report.
According to the two unnamed Pentagon officials who spoke to the NBC report, “some Pentagon leaders” rebuffed the hiring plan because they feared they would be viewed as making money off of Kirk’s murder.
Al Jazeera’s request for comment was not immediately addressed by the Pentagon.
Erika Kirk, Kirk’s wife, will succeed him as Turning Point’s CEO and board chairman, according to a news release on Thursday.
“We won’t give in to evil” or “knel down.” In a social media announcement, the organization stated, “We will carry on.”
“We will have a chance to make Charlie’s work stronger and more enduring than ever,” says the author.
Leading Republican lawmakers, the White House, and Kirk’s death have caused a wave of grief, with some people losing their jobs as a result of comments that are allegedly disparaging the late conservative activist.
According to ABC News, the US military has also suspended “several people” for their alleged involvement in Kirk’s social media posts, though no specific number has been given.
According to a post shared on Turning Point USA’s X account, President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are all scheduled to address Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday.
A local prosecutor claims a man shot at five Pennsylvania police officers with an assault-style rifle, killing three of them.
When Matthew Ruth, 24, opened fire while being tried to execute an arrest warrant, according to county District Attorney Tim Barker, who was contacted by the North York County Regional Police Department and York County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.
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In North Codorus Township, which is located 185 kilometers (115 miles) west of Philadelphia, Ruth was killed in the subsequent gunfight with police that broke out at a farmhouse owned by his ex-girlfriend and her mother.
According to Barker, five police officers and a deputy sheriff allegedly sought to apprehend Ruth for allegedly stalking and trespassing on her ex-partner.
Unnamed former partner of Ruth’s told police he had allegedly allegedly set fire to her pickup truck in August. Then, on Tuesday, she called the police to say that he was wearing camouflage clothing and peering in through a window with binoculars while he was hiding out.
Police arrived at his home on Wednesday afternoon with an arrest warrant, but he was not there after a futile search for him on Tuesday night.
The ex-girlfriend and mother had fled for safety at the farmhouse when the officers discovered the unlocked door. According to Barker, Ruth immediately opened fire with his AR-15-type rifle as soon as officers entered the property.
According to Barker, the shootout involved four police detectives and one sheriff’s deputy.
Three of the detectives suffered fatal injuries. Officers were seen being taken to a hospital by a medical helicopter after the incident in photos taken from the scene.
In the quiet farmland of southeast Pennsylvania, three police officers were killed in an ambush, making it one of the deadliest days for law enforcement in recent memory.
