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Today’s news: Globally, updates from Gaza and Ukraine. Locally, fresh alerts for more monsoon rains issued, traders call July 19 strike, and new study warns of heart disease risks in women.

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Around The World

Updates from Gaza and Israel. Israeli strikes across Gaza overnight killed at least 31 people as UN agencies warned that critical fuel shortages put hospitals and other critical infrastructure at risk. The attacks came after US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no breakthrough in negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release. 

Meanwhile, an Israeli ultra-Orthodox party, a key governing partner of Netanyahu, said it was leaving the coalition government, threatening to destabilize the Israeli leader’s rule. The United Torah Judaism party said they were leaving the government over disagreements surrounding a bill that would codify broad military draft exemptions for its constituents. The issue has long divided Jewish Israelis, most of whom are required to enlist, a rift that has widened since the war in Gaza began and demands on military manpower grew.

Bad blood. Donald Trump threatened Russia with steep tariffs and announced a renewed pipeline for weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance toward Moscow after months of unsuccessful negotiations for ending the war. “We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” Trump said. “Tariffs at about 100%, you’d call them secondary tariffs.” 

Trump once focused his criticism on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he described as unwilling to compromise, but recently has expressed growing irritation toward Putin. “My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,” Trump complained.

Pakistan

Storm season. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a countrywide warning of torrential rains with wind-thunderstorms from July 14 to 17. Heavy rainfall is expected across Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Islamabad, northeastern and southern Balochistan, and parts of Sindh, potentially causing flash floods, urban flooding, landslides, and damage to weak structures and standing crops. Authorities have advised the public to stay alert, as more than 110 weather-related deaths have been recorded since the start of June, with the leading cause being electrocution, followed by flash floods.

Tax tantrum. Pakistan’s largest business chamber, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, has announced a countrywide strike on July 19 to protest against the Finance Act 2025, which they claim will paralyze trade and economic activity. Backed by over 50 trade associations, the strike aims to halt goods movement and business operations unless the government suspends measures like FBR arrest powers, penalties on large cash transactions, mandatory digital invoicing, and reinstates the Final Tax Regime for exporters. 

Cardio gap. A study from Pakistan’s National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases reveals women face higher heart disease mortality rates, more severe symptoms, and delayed diagnoses compared to men. Analyzing data from over 14,800 patients, the study found women are more likely to suffer from valvular heart disease and acute coronary syndrome, with a higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. Researchers stress the lack of gender-disaggregated cardiac data and call for urgent public health policies, early detection programs, and inclusion of women in cardiovascular research to improve outcomes nationwide.

What Else Is Happening?

📦Nvidia says it will resume sales of its high-end artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China. The move, supported by the US government, reverses a ban on sales of Nvidia's H20 chips to Beijing over concerns of misuse by the Chinese military.

💉Dow University of Health Sciences in Karachi has successfully achieved lab-scale formulation of Pakistan’s first indigenous human anti-rabies vaccine. The government estimates 2,000 to 5,000 people die from rabies every year, mainly due to dog bites.