Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, the US-Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal talks. Plus, updates from Gaza and Spain. Story of the day: floods kill 657 nationwide as KP faces a humanitarian crisis. Locally, the government reviews gas debt reforms, and 2 new polio cases reported.

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Around The World

Old friends. Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed at his summit with President Donald Trump to land swaps, and that the US and its European allies could offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense mandate to end the war. Zelensky suggested such guarantees would need to be stronger than those that “didn’t work” in the past. Russia has yet to mention such agreements.

Trump ramped up pressure on the Ukrainian leader to accept a deal with Russia ahead of talks in Washington, DC, but made it clear that Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO will not be a part of any deal. He also backed away from his threat of new sanctions on Moscow, despite calls to impose more economic pressure. Zelensky will be joined by key European leaders when he meets with Trump today.

Updates from Gaza. Israel is intensifying attacks on Gaza’s largest city before plans to seize it, killing at least 11 Palestinians in attacks since dawn on Monday. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Israel to call for an end to the Gaza war and a deal to secure the release of hostages, saying the government's plans to seize control of Gaza risked the lives of 20 hostages held by Hamas. Israeli PM Netanyahu criticised the protests, saying they would "harden Hamas's stance" and would only slow down the release of the hostages.

Story Of The Day - Rising Tolls As Monsoon Floods Grip Pakistan

What happened?

Flash floods and landslides triggered by intense monsoon rains, which in turn have been caused by climate change, have devastated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). As of Monday, the KP death toll stands at 325 with 156 injured, while the nationwide toll since late June is 657. 

What is the government's response?

• The KP government has allocated Rs. 800 million for relief in affected districts, with Rs. 500 million designated for Buner, which has recorded the highest casualties.

• Federal and provincial officials are present in various regions, monitoring and overseeing restoration and clearance efforts. 

• More than 425 relief camps are operational, housing displaced families in public buildings. 

• The army is assisting with evacuations and medical support, while hospitals remain engaged. 

• The NEOC is on high alert, issuing warnings, and food distribution continues under the PM’s Ration Programme.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has called rescue, relief, and restoration a “national obligation,” citing multi-level coordination through the National Command and Control Center and regular NDMA early-warning feeds to relevant authorities.

What’s next?
At the moment, KP is confronting a high-impact humanitarian and infrastructure emergency. With monsoon conditions likely to stay volatile through late August and further spells possible until around 10 September, authorities will have to sustain surge-level relief, enforce early warnings, and stabilize critical infrastructure. True normalization is not expected before late September.

Read updates here. 

Pakistan

Gas-p. After weeks of consideration, the government’s gas sector reform committee reviewed measures to eliminate the Rs 2.6 trillion circular debt, including cutting two LNG cargoes per month, rationalizing RLNG tariffs, and improving coordination between power and petroleum divisions. Sub-committees presented progress on LNG demand synchronization, debt management, and tariff rationalization, with the final report to be submitted to the Prime Minister.

Resurging threats. Pakistan reported two new polio cases in Sindh and KP, raising the 2025 tally to 21, as health officials warned that low vaccine acceptance continues to leave children vulnerable. A nationwide vaccination drive targeting 28 million children will begin in September to combat the resurgence, with experts stressing vaccination as the only protection against the disease.

What Else Is Happening?

🌚NASA has fast-tracked its plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, as part of US ambitions to build a permanent lunar base for humans. NASA referred to similar plans by China and Russia, which could potentially declare a keep-out zone on the Moon.

🔠 Skibidi, tradwife, delulu, broligarchy, and other slang terms popularized on social media are among the six thousand new words to be added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year.