This Week in Explainers: Is Trump embracing Pakistan at the cost of India?

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2 days ago

Donald Trump proudly announced this week that he had signed a deal to jointly develop 'massive oil reserves' with Pakistan. This move came as the US president announced a 25 per cent tariff on India along with an added penalty for trading with Russia. We discuss this and more in our weekly wrap of the news read more
It's been a hectic, hectic past seven days. Donald Trump unleashed a new tsunami of tariffs on several of America's trading partners, including India whom he even referred to as a 'dead economy'.
This week, also saw a further change in Trump's stance in connection to Pakistan. He has signed a new trade deal with India's neighbour, which includes developing 'massive oil reserves' in Pakistan. It's a far cry from calling it one that has 'given us nothing but lies and deceit' as Trump did back in 2018 during his first term at the White House.
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Speaking of a tsunami, a powerful 8.8 earthquake in Russia's far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, also triggered concern as well as tsunami waves across several countries, including America's Hawaii and Japan.
In the week gone by, New York has also garnered headlines — albeit for the wrong reasons. The city's controversial mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani faced fury for his lavish wedding celebrations in Uganda. The city was also shocked when a gunman barged into a midtown Manhattan office, killing four people – including a New York Police Department officer – before turning the gun on himself.
Now, as we wind down from the busy happenings from the week, we discuss these big stories from across the world and much more.
1. Since Trump returned to power in January, he has spoken of tariffs and used them as a pressure tactic to get countries negotiate trade deals with the US. And with just hours before the August 1 deadline on trade deals, the US president announced a new set of tariffs for countries across the world, with the levies ranging from as low as 10 per cent to as high as 41 per cent.
Among those on the list was India — with a 25 per cent tariff imposed. Notably, this makes India among the worst hit in Asia. Neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh fared much better; Trump levied a 19 per cent tariff on Islamabad whereas Dhaka saw a 20 per cent tariff. Here's more about this in our report.
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2. On the topic of trade and tariffs, this week also saw Trump announcing a new deal with Pakistan in which Washington and Islamabad would jointly 'develop massive oil reserves' in the Asian nation.
Many note that this is a clear indicator that the US president is further embracing Pakistan, at the cost of India. After all, this new move comes amid the 25 per cent tariff on India as well as after Trump invited Pakistan army chief Asim Munir to the White House for a lunch in June.
But the question that many are asking is does Pakistan have the oil that it claims? What does data show on Pakistan's oil reserves? Where are these sites that it claims to develop along with Trump?
A woman watches the sea during an evacuation of the coast following a tsunami warning issued by local authorities after an earthquake struck the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia, triggering warnings and evacuations across the South Pacific, in Dichato near Concepcion, Chile. Reuters
3. On Wednesday, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula, sending tsunami waves hurtling across the Pacific Ocean and putting nations from Japan to the United States to Chile on high alert with millions urged to evacuate.
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The waves hit Russia and Japan first and then the US states of Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. The tsunami waves led many to believe that New Baba Vanga's prediction of Japan's destruction would come true.
However, less than 24 hours after the quake first struck, most tsunami alerts around the world had already been lifted.
But how much damage did the quake and tsunami waves cause? Our explainer has the answers for you.
4. In this week gone by, another Indian was attacked in Ireland by a gang of teenagers. This time, Santosh Yadav, an Indian-origin techie was assaulted by the teens in Dublin, leaving him with a fractured cheek bone.
The shocking incident comes just a week after another gang attacked an Indian-origin man in Dublin in the evening, leaving him bloodied and without any pants by the side of the road. It was a woman, who finally helped him get the aid he required.
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Interestingly, the same time the 40-year-old was beaten in Dublin, an Indian student was being assaulted in Australia's Adelaide following a parking lot dispute. These incidents in quick succession have got many asking — are Indians being targeted abroad?
A police officer stands next to the glass window with a bullet hole near the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Manhattan, New York City. Reuters
5. Half of 2025 is over but somethings just don't change. For instance, gun violence in America and the latest instance emerged on Tuesday (July 29) when a gunman stormed into a high-rise office building in Midtown Manhattan, home to heavyweight firms like Blackstone, the National Football League, and KPMG, and opened fire, killing four people before turning the gun on himself.
The gunman was later identified as Shane Devon Tamura, a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, acted alone, armed with an around $500 assault rifle. But who was he? We have the full story here.
Hidaya, a 31-year-old Palestinian mother, carries her sick 18-month-old son Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, who is displaying signs of malnutrition, inside their tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. This image has become symbolic of a famine in Gaza. AFP
6. They say a picture speaks a thousand words. However, a viral photo from Gaza, which has become a symbol of the hunger crisis that emanates from the ongoing Israel war, has now come under a cloud of suspicion.
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A pro-Israeli journalist has questioned the image, slamming it to be propaganda carried out by some Western media. But what's the full story behind the image? Is there more to it than meets the eye?
7. On the topic of war, we turn our focus to the Russia-Ukraine war. This week, data has emerged that HIV rates among enlisted personnel skyrocketed since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
The number of HIV cases in the military has shot up since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, including a fivefold increase by autumn that year. By the end of 2023, there were 20 times more HIV diagnoses among Russian soldiers compared with before the war.
But what's the cause for the soaring numbers? What's to blame for the rise in HIV cases among Russian soldiers?
Read our full essay for the answers.
That's all from us this week. Bookmark this page, if you liked what you read and seek more such reports.
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Happy reading!