Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, the US and Ukraine reach a mineral deal, and the latest impasse from the Gaza ceasefire has been resolved. Locally, Pakistan’s Freedom House democracy ranking declines, opposition parties hold a moot in Islamabad, and GB diamer-bhasha dam protests. 

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Around The World

Whatever baby wants. Ukraine and the US have agreed on a broad economic deal that would include access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. However, Kyiv reportedly hopes that signing the agreement will ensure the continued flow of US military support which is not guaranteed in the agreement. The deal could be signed as early as Friday and plans are being drawn up for Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to travel to Washington to meet President Trump. Details on the minerals deal are currently vague, but it is reportedly “very heavily" in Washington's favor.

On the other hand, Russia and Ukraine have fired dozens of drones at each other in the latest round of cross-border attacks. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 110 of 177 drones launched by Russia overnight, targeting mostly the Kyiv region. Russia says its forces shot down 128 Ukrainian drones over Russia and annexed Crimea, one of the largest such attacks since the start of the conflict.

Updates from Gaza. Israeli and Hamas officials say mediators have resolved the latest impasse in the Gaza ceasefire deal and the Palestinian prisoners will be freed as well as another batch, possibly later on Wednesday or Thursday, in exchange for the return of the bodies of four hostages. Israel had delayed the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday in protest at what it said was the cruel treatment of Israeli hostages being handed over by Hamas. Hamas said this was a serious violation of the deal. 

Meanwhile, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has urged Israel to allow more tents and shelters into the Gaza Strip after six Palestinian infants died from hypothermia during a severe cold spell.

Lights out. Chile’s government has enacted a state of emergency after a huge power outage left millions in the South American country without electricity and plunged the capital Santiago into darkness. Tuesday’s blackout, the country’s largest in years, was caused by a high-voltage transmission line failure in Chile’s north and affected 14 of the country’s 16 regions.

Pakistan

Slip n’ slide. Freedom House’s 2024 report has ranked Pakistan as “partly free,” marking a three-point decline in political rights and civil liberties from the previous year. Over the past decade, Pakistan has lost 10 points, placing it among the world’s biggest long-term decliners. The report cites election-related violence, repression, and growing authoritarian practices as key drivers of global democratic backsliding.

Freedom House is a US-based non-profit that researches and advocates for democracy, political freedom, and human rights worldwide. Founded in 1941, it publishes an annual Freedom in the World report, which assesses countries based on political rights and civil liberties, classifying them as "free," "partly free," or "not free."

All in this together. A two-day moot organized by the PTI-led alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan kicked off in Islamabad and will discuss the “current political situation”. Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi criticized the government for suppressing democracy and dismantling the judicial system while PTI’s Salman Akram Raja condemned restrictions on political freedoms and urged broader opposition support.

Dammit. The Gilgit-Baltistan Apex Committee has decided to form two high-powered committees to negotiate with the Diamer-Bhasha Dam affectees, who have been staging a sit-in for 10 days in Chilas despite freezing temperatures. The committees will draft recommendations for the federal committee, which was constituted by PM Shehbaz Sharif to address the protesters' 31 demands. 

The demands include 80% royalty of Diamer-Bhasha Dam and 30% of Dassu Dam for GB, free electricity for Diamer, compensation for acquired land, financial aid for displaced families, jobs in the dam project, and infrastructure development. Protesters warned that if talks do not proceed by Wednesday, they will march to the dam site, halt construction, and storm WAPDA offices.

What else is happening?

🤑The US plans to sell $5m “gold card” resident permits with a route to citizenship to foreign investors. The high-dollar visa would replace the US’s current EB-5 immigrant investor visa which Trump’s commerce secretary has slammed as “fraud”.

🇨🇦More than 280,000 Canadians have signed a petition to strip Elon Musk of his Canadian citizenship for acting against Canada’s national interest and influencing elections. Musk currently holds South African, US, and Canadian passports.