Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear talks, and the latest on tariffs. Locally, the senate rejects India’s Pahalgam allegations, the federal govt halts canal project pending provincial consensus, and Pakistan faces $2bn in annual climate losses, says ADB.

☕ Grab your chaye, let’s go.

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Around The World

Vladimir, STOP! A Russian drone struck an apartment building in the Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad, killing three people and injuring 10 others, despite Trump’s plea for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “STOP!” following a deadly missile and drone attack on Kyiv on Wednesday. 

Trump’s frustration is growing as his effort to get a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia has failed to make a breakthrough. Senior US officials have warned that the administration could soon give up attempts to stop the war if the two sides do not come to an agreement.

Non-commital. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran is ready to engage with Europe over its nuclear programme. France has also indicated that European powers are ready for dialogue if Tehran is seriously engaged. Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the US, which will resume in Oman on Saturday, after talks with Russia and China this week. 

The message to the European powers that were party to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal suggests Tehran is keeping its options open. Trump, who abandoned the landmark 2015 pact between Tehran and world powers in 2018 during his first term, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly and the agreement prevents it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Moving in silence. According to import agencies in Shenzhen, China has quietly rolled back 125% retaliatory tariffs on some semiconductors made in the US as Beijing tries to soften the blow of an ongoing trade war on its tech industry. Although China has made strides in developing its semiconductor industry, it is still highly dependent on imports of chips and chipmaking equipment from the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the Netherlands.

Pakistan

Not the bad guy. The Senate has unanimously passed a resolution rejecting India’s attempt to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir. The resolution condemned India’s “baseless allegations,” suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and other aggressive measures as acts of provocation. Lawmakers warned of a “decisive” Pakistani response to any misadventure and reaffirmed support for Kashmir’s right to self-determination. Senators, including Ishaq Dar and Sherry Rehman, criticized India’s “water terrorism” and warned against escalating tensions between the two nuclear states.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Pakistan and India to exercise maximum restraint. The UN and the US both stressed the need for a peaceful resolution. 

Sneaky links. The federal government has agreed to halt the contentious canals project until all provinces reach a consensus through the Council of Common Interests (CCI), set to meet on May 2. This decision comes amid rising domestic criticism and now, regional uncertainty following India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). PPP leaders hailed the canal freeze as a democratic success, with Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah and Faryal Talpur calling it a win for the constitutional process.

However, opposition alliance Sindh Bachao Tehreek (SBT) rejected the decision as deceptive, accusing PPP of compromising Sindh’s interests and demanding the full cancellation of the canal project and the Green Pakistan Initiative land allocations. (background context on the project, here) 

The looming threat. Pakistan loses over $2 billion annually to climate-related disasters, says the Asian Development Bank, calling it one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. In 2024, ADB committed $3 billion for climate resilience projects, including disaster planning, rural road upgrades, and post-flood housing. A key program has been a $500 million loan to improve disaster preparedness and enable rapid relief funding, the first of its kind in Central and West Asia. Read more here. 

What Else Is Happening?

🩸A new blood test that uses AI to detect signs of up to 12 common cancers has shown a 99% accuracy in detecting the disease and pinpointing where it is located, allowing a diagnosis to be made at an earlier, treatable stage. 

🔎OpenAI says it wants to buy Chrome if Google is forced to sell the browser as an antitrust fix. Last year, a court found that Google is a monopolist in online search and must sell Chrome. Another suggested remedy is for Google to share its search index, which also could be a boon for OpenAI.