Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, Russia and the US hold informal talks on Ukraine, Trump threatens Canada with tariffs, and Bangladesh indicts ex-PM Hasina. Locally, Nine Punjab-bound passengers killed in Balochistan attack, Pakistan expands education drive, and TCP to import up to 500,000 tons of sugar.

☕ Grab your chaye, let’s go.

P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

Around The World

Marco, Polo. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held rare face-to-face talks on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Malaysia, discussing the war in Ukraine, as well as developments in Iran and Syria. Both sides reportedly expressed interest in easing tensions and resuming dialogue in areas beyond the battlefield. They continued the talks the next day, discussing new and different approaches to reviving peace efforts in Ukraine.

O’ Canada. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 35% tariff on goods imported from Canada, a dramatic escalation in an on-again, off-again trade war with America’s northern neighbor and one of its most important trading partners. In a separate news interview, he suggested that blanket tariffs on other US trading partners will also increase. These announcements are the latest examples of a whipsaw policy that’s left investors, trading partners, businesses, and consumers scrambling globally.

Order, order. A special tribunal has indicted Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday on charges of crimes against humanity in connection with a mass uprising in which hundreds of students were killed last year. A three-member panel indicted Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun on five charges. Authorities published newspaper advertisements asking Hasina, who has been in exile in India, and Khan to appear before the tribunal. 

Pakistan

Punjab-bound passengers killed. At least nine passengers traveling on two Punjab-bound coaches were abducted and killed by unidentified armed men in the Sur-Dakai area on the Balochistan-Punjab border Thursday night, with the Balochistan Liberation Front claiming responsibility for the attack. 

The assailants stopped the vehicles, checked passengers' identity cards, and specifically targeted individuals from Punjab. Security forces launched a search operation following the incident as officials reported similar coordinated attacks in Kakat, Mastung, and Sur-Dakai. The bodies of the nine victims were recovered and transported to their hometowns in Punjab this morning.

Textbook trouble. Pakistan is facing a major education crisis with 25.37 million children aged 5–16 out of school, prompting the expansion of Non-Formal Education initiatives launched at Allama Iqbal Open University. Federal Education Minister Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui announced the upcoming Federal Non-Formal Education Policy 2025 and National Action Plan, emphasizing zero out-of-school children as a national goal.

Spoonfuls short. Pakistan’s Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has issued an international tender to import 300,000 to 500,000 metric tons of white refined sugar to stabilize rising retail prices, with price offers due by July 18 and shipments required to arrive by September 30. The sugar, sourced globally in minimum offers of 25,000 tons, will be delivered in consignments starting in August, and the TCP reserves the right to adjust purchase volumes as needed.

What Else Is Happening?

🤖Nvidia has become the first company in history to reach a $4 trillion market valuation, with its stock surging over 20% in 2025 and more than 1,000% since 2023, driven by soaring demand for its AI chips

🔍Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old lost city in Peru, shedding new light on a civilisation that was contemporary to ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilisations of the Middle East.