Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from the US, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and Russia. Locally, Imran’s jail access fight escalates, the NA passes an anti-domestic violence bill, and a UNDP review warns the gold sector is too informal.

☕ Grab your chaye, let’s go.

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Around The World

Strike three. US President Trump vowed on Thanksgiving to “permanently pause migration” from poorer nations in a blistering late-night, anti-immigrant social media post. He also stated that he will end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, adding that he plans to denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk, or incompatible with Western civilisation.

Trump's comments come a day after one US National Guard member died, and another remains in a critical condition after a shooting in Washington on Wednesday, which triggered a large-scale federal investigation, with authorities identifying and arresting one suspect, named as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal. He was arrested after the attack and was said to be not cooperating with authorities.

Fire in Hong Kong. Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies Friday during an intensive apartment-by-apartment search of a high-rise tower complex, after a massive fire engulfed seven of its eight buildings. The death toll in one of the city’s deadliest blazes is now at least 128, with as many as 200 missing, as firefighters finally brought the blaze under control 42 hours after it ignited. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and a police investigation is underway.

Flood in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka closed offices and schools on Friday as the death toll from floods and landslides across the country rose to 56, while more than 600 houses were damaged. Sri Lanka began grappling with severe weather last week, and the conditions worsened on Thursday with heavy downpours that flooded homes, fields, and roads, and triggered landslides across the country.

Ace in the hole. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a US plan to end the war in Ukraine could “form the basis for future agreements”, but renewed threats to seize more territory by force unless Kyiv withdraws. Kremlin is expecting a US delegation to visit Moscow early next week. Ukraine has said that such a withdrawal would leave the way open for a Russian assault on its capital, Kyiv, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his delegation will also meet with US officials by the end of this week to discuss points set out in Geneva. 

Pakistan

Ping-pong. Aleema Khan, sister of Imran Khan, has filed a contempt petition against the Adiala jail superintendent and other officials for repeatedly violating an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order allowing twice-weekly meetings with the incarcerated former prime minister. The move followed an overnight sit-in by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI members, who say they have been denied access to Imran for weeks despite court directives and agreed SOPs. 

The petition accuses authorities of “wilful non-implementation” of court orders, political victimisation, and even detaining PTI leaders who attempted visits. Meanwhile, the government rejected PTI’s accusations, calling the demand for political guidance from a jailed leader “illegal” and urging the party to prioritise governance. Concerns over Imran’s health grew as his family and lawyers have not seen him since early November, though jail officials insist he is fine. 

Big bills. The Senate on Thursday passed the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill 2025, which has already been cleared by the National Assembly, introduces up to three years’ imprisonment for threatening divorce or contracting another marriage on baseless accusations, and broadens the definition of domestic violence to include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse against anyone in a domestic relationship. 

Passed urgently without committee review and amid protests from PTI and JUI-F senators who objected to terminology and called the bill “un-Islamic”, the legislation ensures survivors’ right to reside in shared households. It prescribes six months to one year in jail plus fines for acts not covered under the Penal Code, with compensation paid directly to victims. 

Unrefined. A new UNDP-supported competition assessment warns that Pakistan’s gold sector, where roughly 90% of trade occurs informally, is unprepared to absorb the massive supply expected from the Reko Diq project, which is projected to yield 17.9 million ounces of gold worth $54 billion. The report highlights severe structural weaknesses: no centralized regulator, no mandatory hallmarking, minimal refining capacity, undocumented transactions, price manipulation, and reliance on informal sarafa markets for pricing. 

Pakistan consumes 60–90 tons of gold annually, mostly imported, yet weak oversight leaves the market opaque and prone to smuggling and distortions. Without urgent reforms, the study cautions, Reko Diq’s output risks being swallowed by the same informal ecosystem, squandering export and revenue potential. 

What Else Is Happening?

🧬 Harvard Medical School introduced popEVE, a new AI genetic analysis tool that can rank harmful DNA variants across a patient’s entire genome — outperforming DeepMind’s AlphaMissense and significantly cutting false positives.

💼 HP announced that the company is restructuring and cutting 4,000-6,000 jobs due to the industry-wide AI shift, expecting to generate $1B in savings by 2028.