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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

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/4/trump-tariffs-live-us-pauses-mexico-canada-tariffs-after-border-deals

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called out the administration for “using force excessively and disproportionately” during the November 26 protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), seeking an independent and impartial inquiry into the events. “Contrary to the federal government’s claims, the PTI-led protest in Islamabad on 26 November 2024 led to loss of life allegedly among protesters as well as reported deaths among security personnel,” stated a fact-finding report released by the commission on Monday. The report comes after PTI’s talks with the government collapsed after the former ruling party refused to attend the fourth round of discussions on January 28 over the latter’s failure to form judicial commissions to investigate the events related to the May 9 riots and November 2024 protests. On November 26, Islamabad witnessed pitched battles between law enforcement agencies and PTI supporters as the latter inched towards the D-Chowk for the party’s ‘final call’ power show amid intense teargas shelling. However, a late-night crackdown by the government ended in a hasty retreat of the PTI’s top leadership and supporters, following which the party abruptly ended its protest. The fierce clashes resulted in the martyrdom of at least four Rangers personnel along with two policemen with the former ruling party claiming that 12 of its protesters died. The protests led to arrests and multiple cases being registered against the party workers and supporters. In today’s report, the HRCP said a high-level fact-finding mission documented oral testimonies from state representatives, the PTI leadership, reporters on the ground and the families of seven people who were allegedly killed during the protest. “The mission is deeply concerned by allegations that the hospital administrations and police withheld the bodies of victims until their families agreed not to pursue any legal action. “While the hospital administrations refused to speak with the fact-finding team, accounts from journalists and the families of alleged victims suggest that these hospitals may be concealing information,” it added. Quoting reports, the commission stated that some protesters carried slingshots, tear gas shells and firearms on occasion. “While the right to peaceful assembly is constitutionally guaranteed, it must remain within the bounds of the law.” Meanwhile, the report also called out the administration for demonstrating “a clear lack of proficiency in managing the protest and used force excessively and disproportionately”. “Although the mission attempted to contact the interior minister to inquire about the use of live ammunition against protestors, he was unavailable to meet the team,” it added. The mission also expressed alarm over the mainstream media’s blackout of the entire event, which may have resulted from “state coercion or self-censorship”. “The media should have been allowed to assess the situation on the ground without hindrance and report the facts,” it stated. The report urged the government to immediately announce an independent, impartial inquiry into these events, involving the families of the alleged victims, the PTI and other political stakeholders. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1279153-rights-body-seeks-freefair-probe-into-post-nov-26-pti-protest-allegations

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet United States President Donald Trump with the agenda to focus on the paused war in Gaza, as well as Iran. The two leaders are due to meet in the early afternoon on Tuesday, sources told news agencies. The meeting takes place as indirect negotiations between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas on the second phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement are due. Ahead of the meeting, Trump said that discussions with Israel and other countries on the Middle East were “progressing” but offered no details. The US leader admitted, however, that the ceasefire is uncertain. “I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold,” he told reporters. His Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with the Israeli leader on Monday, added: “We’re certainly hopeful.” Netanyahu’s office announced on Tuesday that an Israeli negotiating team is preparing to travel to Qatar this weekend for talks on the second phase. The team will discuss “technical details related to continuing to carry out” the agreement, it said in a statement. Pressure Trump has claimed credit for the ceasefire deal, which was signed before he took office on January 20. During the first phase, Hamas released 18 captives; Israel has halted its onslaught on the enclave and released hundreds of jailed Palestinians. But the situation remains tense. Netanyahu is being pushed by far-right partners in the Israeli government to resume fighting. Meanwhile, he is likely to face pressure from Trump to hold fire. While the US president is a staunch supporter of Israel, the ceasefire deal is also part of a wider regional strategy. Trump and Netanyahu have both said they aim to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and to pull the latter into new regional arrangements to help create a bulwark against Iran. However, the steadfast opposition of Netanyahu – who said on the eve of the trip that he hopes the meeting will help further redraw the map of the region – to any move towards a Palestinian state is a potential obstacle. The Saudis have said they would only agree to take part if the war in Gaza ends and there is a credible pathway to a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. Trump has already shown an increase in support for Israel, restarting supplies of 2,000-pound bombs and suggesting Palestinians should be moved from Gaza to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan. But Iran will be high on his agenda. During his first term, Trump led a hardball approach to Tehran, pulling an international nuclear deal. Trump may “have little patience for political woes of Netanyahu if it gets in the way of the broader goals of this administration,” Mira Resnick, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli and Palestinian affairs told the AP news agency. “The president started his term by saying that he wanted the ceasefire to be in place by January 20. That’s what he got,” Resnick said. “He is invested in this because he was able to take credit for it.” Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/4/israels-netanyahu-to-discuss-fragile-gaza-ceasefire-with-trump

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/1/30/live-plane-and-helicopter-collide-crash-into-washingtons-potomac-river

Martyred personnel identified as Major Hamza Israr, 29, from Rawalpindi, Sepoy Muhammad Naeem, 26, from Naseerabad RAWALPINDI: The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday said that two army personnel, including a major, were killed in exchange of fire with terrorists in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan. The shootout happened during an intelligence-based operation by the security forces on the night between January 29–30. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij [terrorist] location and resultantly six khwarij were sent to hell,” the ISPR said in the statement. The martyred security personnel, meanwhile, were identified as Major Hamza Israr, 29, a resident of Rawalpindi, a brave officer who was leading his troops from the front, the communique added. Another martyr was Sepoy Muhammad Naeem, 26, a resident of Naseerabad, having fought gallantly, and paid the ultimate sacrifice. In response, a sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area as the “security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve”. Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has paid tribute to security forces for killing six Khawarij terrorists. The president also paid tribute to martyred security officials. He lauded bravery and patriotism of Major Israr and Sepoy Naeem. “Security forces will continue their operations until terrorists are completely eliminated. Our resolve to eliminate terrorist elements and defend the country will remain unwavering,” he said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the security forces for showing great gallantry in the fight as well as paid homage to the martyred Army officials. PM Shehbaz prayed for the high ranks of the martyrs and patience for their bereaved families. “We will not let the great sacrifices of the sons of the nation go in vain and will destroy the nefarious intentions of anti-state elements,” the prime minister said. The government and security forces were mobilised to completely eradicate terrorism from the country, he added. Two other soldiers were martyred and five terrorists killed, earlier this week, as militants attempted to attack a security forces’ post in the Gulistan area of Qila Abdullah district of Balochistan. Pakistan witnessed a surge in violent attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The year 2024 turned out to be the deadliest for Pakistan’s civil and military security forces in a decade with at least 685 fatalities and 444 terror attacks, according to “CRSS Annual Security Report 2024” issued by Centre for Security and Strategic Studies. Equally alarming were the cumulative losses of civilians and security personnel, i.e., 1,612 fatalities, accounting for over 63% of the total recorded this year, marking 73% more losses compared to 934 outlaws eliminated, the CRSS report said. The overall fatalities recorded the previous year were a record 9-year high and over 66% more than in 2023. On average, nearly seven people lost their lives daily, with November emerging as the deadliest month across all metrics, compared to all other months of the year. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1277771-army-major-sepoy-martyred-in-north-waziristan-anti-terror-operation

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/1/30/live-israel-hamas-to-exchange-captives-as-north-gaza-waits-for-aid

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/1/29/dr-congo-live-news-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels-tighten-grip-on-goma