February 5, 2025

Announcement comes as US President Donald Trump confirms he is considering eliminating the aid agency. The administration of United States President Donald Trump has ordered nearly all directly-hired staff of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to be placed on leave as part of the Republican’s drive to radically shrink the government. USAID said on Tuesday that all direct hire personnel would be put on leave from Friday, apart from “designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs”. USAID personnel posted overseas will be recalled from their postings within 30 days, the agency said in a statement on its website. The aid agency said it would consider case-by-case exceptions and extensions based on “personal or family hardship, mobility or safety concerns, or other reasons”. “For example, the Agency will consider exceptions based on the timing of dependents’ school term, personal or familial medical needs, pregnancy, and other reasons. Further guidance on how to request an exception will be forthcoming,” the statement said. “Thank you for your service.” USAID employs more than 10,000 people, about two-thirds of whom are stationed overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service. USAID’s announcement comes as the Trump administration is considering abolishing the agency and subsuming its functions into the US Department of State. Asked by a reporter on Tuesday if he was preparing to “wind down” the agency, Trump said, “I think so.” On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he was serving as acting administrator of USAID. USAID, which disbursed more than half of Washington’s $72bn foreign aid budget in 2023, has become a prime target of the cost-cutting drive spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has called USAID a “criminal organisation“, without substantiation, and claimed the agency is a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America”. Critics have accused Trump and Musk of acting beyond their authority, arguing that dismantling USAID through executive action is unconstitutional as the agency’s status was established by an act of Congress. Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/5/usaid-places-staff-on-leave-recalls-personnel-overseas

Govt coordinated series of arrangements to ensure smooth arrival and transport of mortal remains, says official By Web Desk February 04, 2025 Mortal remains of 13 Pakistani nationals, who lost their lives in Morocco boat incident last month, would be brought back homeland this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affair announced on Tuesday. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan has said that the mortal remains of four deceased Pakistanis are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad tomorrow (Wednesday). They include Hamid Shabbir from Mandi Bahauddin, Muhammad Arslan Khan from Shaikhupura, Qaiser Iqbal from Gujrat and Sajjad Ali from Mandi Bahauddin, Radio Pakistan reported. In line with the repatriation process, the government has coordinated a series of arrangements to ensure the smooth arrival and transport of the mortal remains. A facilitation desk has been set up at Islamabad International Airport to assist the families of the deceased, while ambulances will be made available to transfer the bodies to their final destinations. A medical team will be on standby to provide any necessary support, and a mortuary will be arranged for the temporary storage of the remains. Additionally, media coverage will be arranged in coordination with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, while the Ministry of Interior will ensure the implementation of standard operating procedures for the process. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1279463-mortal-remains-of-13-pakistanis-to-be-brought-back-from-morocco-this-week-fo

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/4/live-israel-netanyahu-to-meet-trump-in-washington-gaza-ceasefire