Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Syria and Iraq. Plus, the 2022 UK security breach. Locally, Punjab declares flood emergency as rains kill 37, 3 killed and 13 injured in Quetta-bound bus attack

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Around The World

Updates from Syria. Syrian government officials and leaders in the Druze religious minority have announced a renewed ceasefire on Wednesday after days of clashes that threatened to unravel the country’s postwar political transition and resulted in military intervention by Israel. Government forces began withdrawing from the city of Suwayda, but it was not immediately clear if the agreement would hold. 

The Syrian president also accused Israel of sowing divisions and trying to “ignite tension and chaos” in his country after Israel’s military hit Damascus in what it said was support for the Druze. Here’s an explainer on the Druze and the violence in Suwayda.

Fire in Iraq. At least 61 people have been killed and several more are missing in a huge fire at a hypermarket in Kut city in eastern Iraq. The region’s governor has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the fire. The cause of the fire is not immediately known, but initial results from an investigation will be released within 48 hours.

Out with it. A UK court has lifted a gag order, allowing outlets to report that the UK secretly relocated some 4,500 Western-aligned Afghan personnel and their families to the UK after an accidental 2022 data leak exposed them to Taliban retaliation. This is one of Britain’s worst data breaches in recent history. Data of about 19000 people was sent into the public domain after an unnamed official emailed the document to people outside of the government team that was processing Afghan relocation applications.

Pakistan

Flooding intensifies. A state of emergency has been declared in several districts of Punjab as heavy rains triggered flooding. Wasa’s director stated that rivers had overflowed due to heavy rains in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, and surrounding areas, leading to a flood situation. The heavy rains have left 37 dead across the province in the past 24 hours, while another 176 people have been injured. 

The Flood Forecasting Division has issued a warning of exceptionally high floods in the River Jhelum in the next 24 hours, producing a 350,000 to 450,000 cusec stream. Both the Indus River System Authority and the Water and Power Development Authority are alert and hopeful that the entire stream can be absorbed at Mangla Dam, where such cushion is available.

Bus attack. Three people, including renowned Karachi-based qawwals Ahmed Hussain Sabri and his son Ahmed Raza Sabri, were killed and 13 others injured when armed assailants ambushed their Quetta-bound passenger bus near Kalat on Wednesday. The attackers, positioned on both sides of the Quetta-Karachi highway, opened indiscriminate fire on the bus. The Balochistan government condemned the attack, linking it to India-backed terrorist groups, while security forces launched a search operation to apprehend the perpetrators.

Bye bye birdie. Pakistan will shut down the state-owned Utility Stores Corporation (USC) by July 31 as part of government reforms to privatize loss-making public entities, citing years of financial losses, mismanagement, and inefficiency. A committee led by Finance Minister Aurangzeb is overseeing the closure process, including designing a fair Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) for USC employees and consulting the Privatization Commission on asset disposal. 

Originally established in 1971 to provide subsidized goods to low-income households, USC has faced criticism for politicized staffing and weak oversight, with its closure aligning with IMF-backed fiscal reforms aimed at reducing the national budget burden.

What Else Is Happening?

💸US President Donald Trump announced over $92B in AI and energy investments at a Pennsylvania summit, saying America’s destiny is to be the “AI superpower.”

🪨A rare piece of Mars, the largest ever found on Earth, has sold for $4.3m at a New York auction. The meteorite weighs 24.5kg and is nearly 15 inches long.

🛫Pakistan has deployed its advanced JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets and a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to the UK for the Royal International Air Tattoo 2025, showcasing its airpower and long-range operational capabilities through in-flight refueling.