Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, the US and Ukraine sign the minerals deal, the US Senate rejects an effort to block Trump’s tariffs, and an update from Syria. Locally, Marco Rubio speaks with PM Shehbaz and Indian FM Jaishankar, the ISI chief appointed as National Security Advisor, and the KP govt. moves forward with VC appointments after a 3-year delay.

☕ Grab your chaye, let’s go.

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Around The World

Metal lovers. The US and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, finalizing a deal months in the making that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv amid concerns that President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia. Get live updates here. 

Trump has long criticized Zelenskyy, saying he didn’t “have the cards” to win the war and blaming him for prolonging the killing by not giving up Crimea, but in recent days has rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin as well, saying he was complicating negotiations with “very bad timing” in launching deadly strikes on Kyiv.

Going down. The United States Senate has rejected an effort to block US President Donald Trump’s tariffs amid bipartisan concerns about the impact of his trade salvoes on the economy. The upper house of the US Congress voted 49-49 to knock back the resolution on Wednesday, hours after government data showed that the US economy shrank for the first time in three years.

Update from Syria. Syrian authorities have decried “foreign intervention” in Syrian affairs after Israel launched air attacks on a Druze town near Damascus, where government forces and several other groups had taken part in deadly clashes. Israel said it had carried out a strike in Syria against so-called “extremists” who attacked members of the Druze community, following through on what it said was a promise to protect the minority group.

Pakistan

Hey, mom and dad. Pakistan’s envoy to the US has called on President Trump to help de-escalate rising tensions with India. As both nations bolster military postures, Ambassador Rizwan Sheikh warned of a potential nuclear flashpoint and urged the US to play a sustained peacemaking role. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and Indian FM Jaishankar, urging de-escalation and accountability. Pakistani forces have shot down two Indian drones, closed madrassas in AJK, and briefly shut airspace over Gilgit-Baltistan as the PAF showcased its readiness. Cross-border firing continues, with tourism in Kashmir disrupted.

Too on the nose. Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik, the current ISI chief, has been appointed as Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA — a first for a serving DG ISI. He will hold both roles simultaneously. The NSA post had been vacant since April 2022 and carries the status of a federal minister. The appointment comes amid rising tensions with India following the Pahalgam attack.

Speed of light. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to appoint regular vice chancellors to 19 public universities, ending a delay of nearly three years and a year-long legal battle. Completed in January 2024, the appointment process was stalled by political transitions and legal challenges. Though the caretaker cabinet had approved the candidates, the incoming PTI government rejected the move and tried to restart the process, a decision the courts ultimately overturned.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has now given the go-ahead for appointments, which will be formally notified within days. The KP Universities Act was also amended to give the chief minister the authority to select VCs from among shortlisted candidates, powers previously held by the governor and the academic search committee. Currently, 24 universities in KP are without permanent VCs, as the terms of five more VCs ended in March 2024.

What Else Is Happening?

🧠UC San Diego researchers have used AI to discover a surprising new cause of Alzheimer's disease, identifying a gene's previously unknown function and discovering a potential treatment that could be taken as a simple pill.

💳The next step in the evolution of e-commerce is looking more like AI commerce, with payment legacy giants set to let AI agents purchase items directly for users instead of just finding and recommending. Visa just introduced Intelligent Commerce, while Mastercard is releasing ‘Agent Pay’ to embed payments into AI conversations.