• US considering Saudi Arabian request to buy 48 F-35 fighter jets.
• US official acknowledges weapons deal moving through system.
• Saudi Arabia has sought fighter jets to modernise its air force.

The Trump administration is considering a Saudi Arabian request to buy as many as 48 F-35 fighter jets, a potential multi-billion-dollar deal that has cleared a key Pentagon hurdle ahead of a visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, two sources familiar with the matter said.

A sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington’s definition of maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge.”

Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal earlier this year to US President Donald Trump and has long been interested in Lockheed Martin’s (LMT.N), opens new tab fighter, one of the people and a US official said. 

The Pentagon is now weighing a potential sale of 48 of the advanced aircraft, the US official and the person familiar with the talks told Reuters. The size of the request and its status have not been previously reported.

The US official and a second US official, who acknowledged the weapons deal was moving through the system, said no final decision has been made and several more steps are needed before the ultimate nod, including further approvals at the Cabinet level, sign-off from Trump and notification of Congress.

The Pentagon’s policy department worked on the potential transaction for months, and the case has now progressed to the secretary level within the Defense Department, according to one of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon, White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said military sales are government-to-government transactions and the matter is best addressed by Washington.

Washington weighs weapons sales to the Middle East in a way that ensures Israel maintains a “qualitative military edge”. This guarantees that Israel gets more advanced US weapons than regional Arab states.

The F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet. Israel has operated the aircraft for nearly a decade, building multiple squadrons, and remains the only Middle Eastern country to possess the weapons system.

Saudi Arabia, the largest customer for US arms, has sought the fighter for years as it looks to modernise its air force and counter regional threats, particularly from Iran. The kingdom’s renewed push for what would constitute two squadrons comes as the Trump administration has signaled openness to deepening defense cooperation with Riyadh. The Saudi Air Force flies a mix of fighter aircraft including Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab F-15s, European Tornados and Typhoons.

• 35 bodies recovered from flooded areas of Liloan. 
• Grim news brings the toll for Cebu to 76. 
• About 400,000 pre-emptively moved from typhoon’s path.

The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines climbed past 90 on Wednesday as the devastating impact on hard-hit Cebu province became clearer after the worst flooding in recent memory.

Floodwaters described as unprecedented had rushed through the province’s towns and cities a day earlier, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and even massive shipping containers.

On Wednesday, Cebu spokesperson Rhon Ramos told AFP that 35 bodies had been recovered from flooded areas of Liloan, a town that is part of provincial capital Cebu City’s metro area.

The grim news brought the toll for Cebu to 76. Earlier in the day, national civil defence deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro confirmed at least 17 deaths in other provinces.

“It was the major cities that got hit (with floods), highly urbanised areas,” Alejandro said in an interview with local radio, adding that 26 people remained missing.

AFP reporters on Wednesday morning spoke with residents as they cleaned up streets that a day before had been rivers.

“The flood here yesterday was really severe,” Reynaldo Vergara, 53, told AFP, adding that everything in his small shop had been washed away.

“The river overflowed. That’s where the water came from,” he said.

“Around four or five in the morning, the water was so strong that you couldn’t even step outside … nothing like this has ever happened. The water was raging.”

In the 24 hours before Kalmaegi’s landfall, the area around Cebu City was deluged with 183 millimetres (seven inches) of rain, well over its 131-millimetre monthly average, weather specialist Charmagne Varilla told AFP.

On Tuesday, provincial governor Pamela Baricuatro called the situation “unprecedented”.

“We were expecting the winds to be the dangerous part, but… the water is what’s truly putting our people at risk,” she told reporters. “The floodwaters are just devastating.”

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, meaning heavier rainfall.

In total, nearly 400,000 people were pre-emptively moved from the typhoon’s path.

Military helicopter crash

The Philippine military confirmed on Tuesday that a helicopter, one of four deployed to assist typhoon relief efforts, had crashed on northern Mindanao island.

The Super Huey helicopter went down while en route to the coastal city of Butuan “in support of relief operations” related to the powerful storm, Eastern Mindanao Command said in a statement.

Hours later, air force spokeswoman Colonel Maria Christina Basco said the remains of six people had been recovered by troops.

“We’re waiting to confirm the identities via forensics in order to ascertain their identities,” she told reporters, saying two pilots and four crew members were on board.

As of 11:00am Wednesday, Kalmaegi was moving westwards towards the tourist hotspots of Palawan, with winds of 130 kilometres (81 miles) per hour and gusts of 180kph.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, routinely striking disaster-prone areas where millions live in poverty.

With Kalmaegi, the archipelagic country has already reached that average, weather specialist Varilla told AFP, adding at least “three to five more” storms could be expected by December’s end.

The Philippines was hit by two major storms in September, including Super Typhoon Ragasa, which tore the roofs off buildings on its way to killing 14 people in nearby Taiwan.

“So Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up,” says Mamdani in victory speech to supporters

New Yorkers celebrated as Zohran Mamdani made history, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor after a landmark election victory.

Mamdani’s victory came in the face of fierce attacks on his policies and Muslim heritage from business elites, conservative media commentators and Trump himself.

“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said in a victory speech to supporters.

There was a party atmosphere at Mamdani’s election results viewing event for supporters, held at a storied concert venue in Brooklyn.

The 34-year-old election winner was born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin and has lived in the United States since he was seven, becoming a naturalised US citizen in 2018.