Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Ukraine and the EU, Trump waives tariffs on Mexico, and China hits back at the US. Locally, terrorism on the rise, SCBA backs the Army Act, NEPRA cuts electricity prices, and international hockey returns to Pakistan.

☕ Grab your chaye, let’s go.

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Around The World

Forward march. At least 18 people, including four children, were wounded in an overnight attack as Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in a large-scale missile and drone bombardment on Friday. For the first time, Ukraine deployed French Mirage-2000 warplanes delivered a month ago to help repel the attack, according to the Ukrainian air force. The attack came hours after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said talks with the US on ending the war will take place next week in Saudi Arabia. 

Meanwhile, European leaders vowed to rearm the continent at a historic emergency session held in Brussels yesterday, and signed off on loosening budget restrictions so that willing EU countries can increase their military spending. French President Macron also proposed extending France’s nuclear deterrence umbrella to other EU countries for a stronger defence position. Some leaders welcomed the idea, while others expressed concerns about nuclear policy complexities within the EU. Here are the key takeaways from the session.

Girl dinner 💅 US President Trump has announced a tariff waiver on all Mexican imports covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) until April 2, as he lauded Mexican President Sheinbaum’s diplomacy. President Sheinbaum has delivered a singular message that Mexicans should remain calm over Trump, insisting that cooler heads will prevail. In two months she has managed twice to stave off the sweeping 25% tariffs on Mexican goods through a last-minute phone call to Trump even though he said there was no room for negotiation.

Do unto others. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will continue to retaliate for the US’ arbitrary tariffs and accused Washington of “meeting good with evil.” Wang said China’s efforts to help the U.S. contain its fentanyl crisis have been met with punitive tariffs, which are straining their ties. Washington and Beijing have imposed a series of retaliatory tariffs against one another since January. The US raised flat tariffs on all Chinese imports to 20%, while Beijing countered with additional 15% duties on U.S. imports and expanded controls on business with US companies.

Pakistan

Rising toll. Pakistan has been ranked the second-most affected country by terrorism globally, with a 45% increase in militancy-related deaths in 2024, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 released this week. The report, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, recorded 1,081 terrorism-related fatalities last year, driven primarily by attacks from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The TTP carried out 482 attacks, resulting in 558 deaths, while the BLA conducted 504 assaults, causing 388 fatalities.

What came first? The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) told the Constitutional Bench (CB) on Thursday that provisions of the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 had previously been upheld as constitutional and cannot now be deemed illegal. However, the SCBA maintained that civilians should not be tried in military courts, emphasizing that all legal measures should focus on eliminating terrorism. Meanwhile, senior lawyer Hamid Khan highlighted that suspects in the 1951 Rawalpindi Conspiracy case were tried by a special tribunal, not a military court, reinforcing the precedent of civilian trials in such cases. 

Watt’s good. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has reduced electricity prices by Rs. 2.12 per unit due to fuel cost adjustments for January 2025. The reduction follows a request from the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) and will be reflected in March 2025 bills for XWDISCOs consumers. The news comes after Power Minister Awais Leghari announced tariff relief for households using up to 300 units and agricultural tube-wells to ease financial burdens. 

On my turf. Pakistan is hosting its first international hockey series in nearly 15 years as the German Junior Hockey Team arrived for a four-match series. The series, part of efforts to revive the sport in Pakistan, includes one match in Islamabad (March 13) and three in Lahore (March 6, 8, 11). We last hosted an international hockey match in 2004 (Champions Trophy) and a limited series against China in 2011. Once a powerhouse, Pakistan now ranks 15th globally, struggling with declining infrastructure and popularity of the sport.

What else is happening?

🚀A SpaceX rocket exploded shortly after launch in the second launch failure this year for Elon Musk, grounding flights and triggering warnings about falling debris. SpaceX Starship, the largest rocket ever created, spun out of control shortly after its launch. No injuries or damage were reported.

🤖OpenAI is reportedly launching specialized AI agents with price tags ranging from $2,000 to $20,000 monthly for high-level knowledge work and Ph.D.-level research.