Saudi scholar greets Pakistan on I-DAY

Questions have been raised regarding Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg after his $300 million vessel reportedly ignored a call to assist a stranded boat off the coast of south-east Alaska. The 387-foot luxury yacht, named Launchpad, was positioned closer to the helpless 21-foot skiff than the commercial cruise vessel that ultimately stepped in to provide aid. According to an eyewitness account shared on Bluesky by a traveler on the Wilderness Legacy (operated by UnCruise Adventures), the captain informed guests that maritime authorities had tried reaching the billionaire’s vessel first. The passenger noted that their vessel performed the rescue after the US Coast Guard tried contacting Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht, which sat at a shorter distance, and reported that the crew repeatedly ignored the radio broadcasts. Representatives for Zuckerberg and his partner, Priscilla Chan, have strongly disputed the claim that the crew knowingly ignored a distress signal. Spokesperson Brian Baker clarified to Forbes that neither Zuckerberg nor Chan were present on Launchpad during the incident. He further stated that the crew was monitoring a different radio frequency at the time and maintained that rescue operations were already under way by the time the message was reviewed. The small skiff had been left immobilised after running out of fuel while traveling between Petersburg and Juneau. Zuckerberg, who heads Meta Platforms, has not issued any personal statement concerning the event.

TEHRAN: Iranian parliamentarian Ebrahim Rezaei has questioned whether Saudi Arabia’s new defence agreement with Pakistan and Türkiye can guarantee the Kingdom’s security. Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, made the remarks in a social media post. He said Saudi Arabia should understand that the agreement with Pakistan and Türkiye would not provide the level of protection Riyadh had failed to obtain despite decades of reliance on the United States. Rezaei described the agreement as a “paper pact” and urged Saudi Arabia to reconsider its policies so that it would not have to seek security guarantees from other countries. His comments came shortly after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye signed a joint defence agreement in Makkah. The agreement was signed amid concerns over potential attacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-aligned militias in Iraq and Yemen. Saudi officials have reportedly warned of such security threats. Under the new agreement, an attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three. The pact aims to strengthen defence cooperation and develop joint capabilities among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye. A trilateral defence summit was held at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah, attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the three leaders signed the agreement, formally described as the Makkah Defence Joint Agreement.