Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said that the country has achieved macroeconomic stabilization and is now focused on sustaining growth through structural reforms and digital transformation. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, the finance minister made these remarks during a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, as well as finance ministers and central bank governors from the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAP) region in Washington, D.C. In his address as a lead speaker, Aurangzeb expressed satisfaction over the staff-level agreement reached with the IMF under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and reaffirmed Islamabad&rsquo;s commitment to continuing reforms in taxation, energy, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and privatization. He underscored that the government&rsquo;s ongoing digital transformation and tariff policy are designed to enhance industrial competitiveness and boost exports, which are key to sustaining Pakistan&rsquo;s economic recovery. &ldquo;Pakistan remains committed to staying the course on reforms and unlocking growth through modernization, efficiency, and private sector-led investment,&rdquo; the minister said. Aurangzeb also invited international investors to explore opportunities in minerals, mining, digital infrastructure, agriculture, oil and gas, and pharmaceuticals, highlighting the government&rsquo;s focus on creating an enabling business environment. The remarks came a day after the IMF announced a staff-level agreement with Pakistan, paving the way for a disbursement of about $1.2 billion under the EFF. The Fund noted that Pakistan&rsquo;s recovery remains on track, supported by prudent fiscal management, a current account surplus, and stabilizing inflation. The IMF&rsquo;s previous support in September 2024 had helped stabilize Pakistan&rsquo;s $370 billion economy after a severe crisis that weakened the currency and strained reserves, according to Reuters.

Economy

Aurangzeb highlights country’s digital transformation, government tariff policy aimed at increasing competitiveness and boosting exports. 


Pakistan achieves economic stability, seeks investment in key sectors: finmin

Reuters

WASHINGTON: Planning has begun for an international force to go into Gaza to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisers said Wednesday. One of the top requirements of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s 20-point Gaza plan was the formation of a US-backed stabilization force. The United States has agreed to provide up to 200 troops to support the force without deploying them in Gaza itself. The two senior advisers, in a briefing for reporters, said tensions remain high between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the enclave. &ldquo;Right now what we&rsquo;re looking to accomplish is just a basic stabilization of the situation. The international stabilization force is starting to be constructed,&rdquo; one adviser said. Among the countries the US is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Azerbaijan, the adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The advisers said there were up to two dozen US troops in the region to help set up the operation, serving in a &ldquo;coordination, oversight&rdquo; role. &ldquo;The goal is to use all the different local partners who want to help and be involved,&rdquo; the adviser said. After Hamas killed seven men in Gaza City it accused of collaborating with Israel, the advisers said there were discussions to establish safe zones for civilians to prevent such incidents. The second adviser said no Gazans would be forced to leave the battered Palestinian enclave. Officials are looking at rebuilding in areas that are free of Hamas militants. Trump has said he would like to see the enclave rebuilt and has pledges of investment from various international partners, but that this effort will take time. The advisers also said patience was needed for the recovery of dead Israeli hostages, saying it will take longer than expected because their remains are buried under rubble and unexploded ordnance. They said there are discussions about offering rewards for information leading to the discovery of remains.

An Israeli tank manoeuvres in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, September 28, 2025. 

Middle East

Planning has begun for an international force to go into Gaza to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisers said Wednesday.

Planning under way for international force in Gaza, say US advisers

SYDNEY:&nbsp;Australia&#39;s tropical rainforests are among the first in the world to start emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb, scientists said Thursday, linking the &quot;very concerning&quot; trend to climate change. The world&#39;s rainforests are typically thought of as crucial &quot;carbon sinks&quot; -- sucking huge quantities of planet-heating emissions from the atmosphere. Some models predict that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could boost forest growth by offering trees more of the basic fuel they need for photosynthesis. Forest death&nbsp;But, new research found extreme temperatures have, instead, caused more forest death than growth, with rainforests in Australia&#39;s northern tropics becoming net carbon emitters. &quot;This is the first analysis to show this pattern occurring for natural undisturbed forest and as a persistent pattern over many years,&quot; senior author of the research Patrick Meir told AFP, describing the results as &quot;very concerning&quot;. The researchers pored through records charting the growth of Queensland&#39;s rainforests over almost 50 years. They found that around the year 2000, they began emitting more carbon dioxide from the decay of dead trees than was being taken in and stored by growing trunks and branches. Extreme temperatures&nbsp;Modelling showed the main cause was extreme temperatures linked to climate change, and its related effects on the moisture in the atmosphere and drought. Cyclones, which are expected to increase in intensity with climate change, also had an impact. The findings are in line with some research on the Amazon that showed growing tree deaths weakening the forest&#39;s carbon storage capacity, said David Bauman, a research scientist at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development and second author of the study. &quot;So in that sense our result is not surprising, but the timing... happened earlier than we expected and the effects of the likely climatic drivers (high temperature, drought) are stronger than we expected,&quot; he told AFP. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;More severe&#39; impacts </h2>The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, suggests other rainforests could experience the same shift, but the authors warned that more data and research were needed. &quot;It appears that all tropical forests are likely to respond fairly similarly,&quot; said Meir, but &quot;the exact mechanisms and timings for different regions will differ.&quot; The findings should ring alarm bells, said Melanie Zeppel, an expert on forest carbon who was not involved in the study. &quot;This study shows that impacts of climate change on forest carbon are more severe than previously reported,&quot; said Zeppel, associate director at climate change investment firm Pollination. &quot;Immediate action on climate change must be a key priority,&quot; she told AFP.&nbsp;The study&#39;s authors cautioned that some unknowns remain. Global warming&nbsp;Their work focused on branches and tree trunks, but roots and soil also play a role in carbon absorption and emission, which has not yet been fully quantified. Still, the patterns observed are clear, and &quot;indicate that the challenge to limit global warming to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius has become both more urgent and more difficult,&quot; said Bauman. Despite its growing vulnerability to climate-linked natural disasters, Australia remains one of the world&#39;s biggest exporters of gas and thermal coal.Australia&#39;s carbon dioxide emissions per person are among the highest in the world, World Bank figures show. Global emissions have been rising, but need to be almost halved by the end of the decade to limit warming to safer levels agreed under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere last year was the biggest ever recorded, the United Nations said this week.&nbsp;

Australasia

Researchers pored through records charting growth of Queensland's rainforests over almost 50 years; they found around the year 2000 they began emitting more carbon dioxide from the decay of dead trees than was being taken in.

Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink: study

WASHINGTON: The United States wants Japan to halt Russian energy imports, US. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that India would stop buying oil from Moscow. Bessent said on X that he discussed with visiting Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato Washington&rsquo;s &ldquo;expectation that Japan stop importing Russian energy.&rdquo;Japan relies heavily on importing oil and gas from abroad. In 2023, Japan spent 582 billion yen ($3.9 billion) importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to the latest customs data available. This accounted for 8.9 percent of its total LNG imports. Japanese media in Washington quoted Kato declining to be drawn out on Bessent&rsquo;s comments. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to refrain from discussing what other ministers said,&rdquo; Kato was quoted as saying. &ldquo;We are committed to doing what we can to realize a just peace in Ukraine by coordinating with fellow G7 countries,&rdquo; he said. On Wednesday, Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised him New Delhi would stop buying Russian oil. &ldquo;You know, you can&rsquo;t do it immediately. It&rsquo;s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,&rdquo; Trump told reporters. Modi has previously defended buying oil from Russia, a historic partner of India, despite Moscow&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine. Trump in August raised tariffs on Indian exports to the United States to 50 percent, with Trump&rsquo;s aides accusing India of fueling Russia&rsquo;s war in Ukraine. Bessent said that he and Kato also discussed &ldquo;plans for mobilizing Japan&rsquo;s strategic investment in the United States through the US-Japan trade and investment agreement.&rdquo;

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent looks on during a press conference with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington, D.C., US., October 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Ken Cedeno)

Business

The United States wants Japan to halt Russian energy imports, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that India would stop buying oil from Moscow.

US wants Japan to stop buying Russian energy

NEW DELHI: From the Andes to the Himalayas, a new wave of protests is unfolding across the world, driven by generational discontent against governments and anger among young people. On Monday, Madagascar&#39;s President Andry Rajoelina was forced out of power and out of the country after&nbsp;a military mutiny, the culmination of weeks of demonstrations led by young protesters referring to themselves as&nbsp;&ldquo;Gen Z Madagascar.&rdquo; The rage against the political establishment in the Indian Ocean island country mirrors other recent protests across the world, in countries like Nepal, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Peru and Morocco. These protests have been sparked by specific grievances but are driven by long-simmering issues like widening inequality, economic uncertainty, corruption, and nepotism of leaders. But they have one thing in common: Mostly leaderless, they are made up primarily of young people who brand themselves as &ldquo;Gen Z,&rdquo; defined as those born roughly between 1996 and 2010 &mdash; the first generation to grow up entirely in the internet age. &ldquo;What connects these youth-led protests is a shared sense that traditional political systems aren&rsquo;t responsive to their generation&rsquo;s concerns, whether that&rsquo;s corruption, climate change, or economic inequality. Protest then becomes the logical outlet when institutional channels feel blocked,&rdquo; said Sam Nadel, director of Social Change Lab, a UK-based nonprofit that researches protests and social movements. Protesters take cues from each otherThough their specific demands differ, most of these protests have been sparked by government overreach or neglect. Some have also confronted harsh treatment by security forces and brutal repression.In Morocco, a leaderless collective called Gen Z 212 &mdash; named after Morocco&rsquo;s dialing code &mdash; has taken to the streets to demand better public services and increased spending on health and education. In Peru, protests over a pension law&nbsp;exploded into broader demands, including action to tackle rising insecurity and widespread corruption in the government. In Indonesia,&nbsp;deadly protests&nbsp;have erupted over lawmakers&rsquo; perks and the cost of living, forcing the president to replace key economic and security ministers. The most widely recognized movement to be dubbed as a &ldquo;Gen Z&rdquo; protest was a deadly uprising in Nepal that culminated with the&nbsp;resignation of the prime minister&nbsp;in September. Protesters drew inspiration from successful anti-government movements&nbsp;elsewhere in South Asia&nbsp;&mdash; Sri Lanka in 2022 and Bangladesh in 2024 &mdash; which led to the ouster of incumbent regimes. In Madagascar, in turn, protesters say they were particularly inspired by the movements in Nepal and Sri Lanka.&nbsp;The protests began against regular&nbsp;water and electricity cuts&nbsp;but quickly morphed into wider discontent, as demonstrators called for the president and other ministers to step down. On Wednesday, Madagascar&rsquo;s military coup leader said he is &ldquo;taking the position of president.&rdquo; Uniting behind a manga pirate flagAcross multiple countries, a singular pop culture symbol has emerged: a black flag showing a grinning skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat. The flag comes from a cult Japanese manga and anime series called &ldquo;One Piece,&rdquo; which follows a crew of pirates as they take on corrupt governments. In Nepal, protesters hung the same flag on the gates of the Singha Durbar, the seat of the Nepalese government, and on ministries, many of which were torched in protests. It was also hoisted by crowds in Indonesia, the Philippines, Morocco and Madagascar.<img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/7fdc4dcc-32b9-4f2c-a4c8-6eace2cef591.jpg" style="width: 1000px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Last week in the Peruvian capital, Lima, 27-year-old electrician David Tafur stood with the same flag in San Mart&iacute;n Square, now the stage for weekly protests. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re fighting the same battle &mdash; against corrupt officials who, in our case, are also killers,&rdquo; he said, recalling that President Dina Boluarte&rsquo;s government has held on to power since December 2022 despite more than 500 protests and the deaths of 50 civilians. &ldquo;In my case, it&rsquo;s outrage over abuse of power, corruption, the deaths,&rdquo; Tafur said, referring to the sharp rise in murders and extortion plaguing the South American country since 2017, amid new laws that have weakened efforts to fight crime. Boluarte had been under investigation for months over various allegations including bribery and involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters in 2022. She was replaced last week by interim President Jos&eacute; Jer&iacute;.Tafur said that wasn&rsquo;t enough. &ldquo;The president is an ally of Congress and has to go,&rdquo; he said. Harnessing social media for mobilization and awarenessMany significant protests in the past, like Occupy Wall Street in 2011, the Arab Spring between 2010 and 2012, and the 2014 Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong, have been led by younger people. While they also used the internet and social media for mass mobilization, the &ldquo;Gen Z&rdquo; protesters are taking it to another level. &ldquo;Digital platforms are powerful tools for information sharing and building connections, but the most effective movements often combine digital mobilization with traditional in-person organizing, as we&rsquo;ve seen in these recent protests,&rdquo; said Nadel from Social Change Lab. Days before the deadly protests began in Nepal, the government announced a ban on most social media platforms for not complying with a registration deadline. Many young Nepalese viewed it as an attempt to silence them and began accessing social media sites through virtual private networks to evade detection. Over the next few days, they used TikTok, Instagram and X to spotlight the lavish lifestyles of politicians&rsquo; children, highlighting disparities between Nepal&rsquo;s rich and poor, and announce planned rallies and venues. Later, some of them also used the gaming chat platform Discord to suggest who to nominate as&nbsp;an interim leader for the country.&nbsp;&ldquo;Whatever movement happens, whether against corruption or injustice, it spreads through digital media. The same happened in Nepal. The changes that took place after the Gen Z protests in Nepal spread globally through digital platforms, influencing other countries as well,&rdquo; said protester Yujan Rajbhandari. He said the protests in Nepal awakened not only the youth but also other generations.&nbsp;&ldquo;We realized that we are global citizens and the digital space connects us all and plays a powerful role across the world,&rdquo; Rajbhandari said.

Asia

Africa

The rage against the political establishment in the Indian Ocean island country mirrors other recent protests across the world, in countries like Nepal, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Peru and Morocco.

Angry with governments, the world's young fill streets as 'Gen Z' protest

BEIJING: Rare earths are minerals used to make magnets crucial to the auto, electronic, and defense industries, as well as in renewable energy. The US Treasury Secretary slammed export curbs imposed by Beijing last week on technologies used for rare-earth mining, smelting, and other processing steps. Scott Bessent said on Thursday that it was &quot;China versus the world&quot;. Here are some key things to know: <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Are they rare?&nbsp;</h2>Not really. With names like dysprosium, neodymium, and cerium, rare earths are a group of 17 heavy metals that are abundant throughout the Earth&#39;s crust. The United States Geological Survey estimated in 2024 that there were 110 million tons of deposits worldwide. That includes 44 million in China -- by far the world&#39;s largest producer. A further 22 million tons are estimated in Vietnam and 21 million in Brazil, while Russia has 10 million and India nearly seven million tons. High financial cost&nbsp;However, mining metals requires heavy chemical use, resulting in toxic waste and causing several environmental disasters. Many countries are also wary of shouldering the high financial costs for production. The minerals are often found in minute ore concentrations, meaning large amounts of rock must be processed to produce the refined product, often in powder form. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Why are they special?&nbsp;</h2>The 17 rare earths are found in a wide variety of everyday and high-tech devices, from light bulbs to guided missiles. Europium is crucial for television screens, cerium is used for polishing glass and refining oil, lanthanum makes a car&#39;s catalytic converters operate -- the list of uses in today&#39;s economy is virtually endless. All have unique properties that are largely irreplaceable or can be substituted only at prohibitive costs. Neodymium and dysprosium, for example, allow the fabrication of almost permanent, super-strong magnets that require little maintenance -- making viable the placement of ocean wind turbines to generate electricity far from the coastline. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">China in the lead&nbsp;</h2>For decades, China has&nbsp;made the most of its reserves by investing massively in refining operations, often without the strict environmental oversight required elsewhere. Beijing has also filed a huge number of patents on rare earth production, an obstacle to companies in other countries hoping to launch large-scale processing. As a result, many firms find it cheaper to ship their ore to China for refining, reinforcing the world&#39;s reliance. Alarm in Washington&nbsp;Beijing began in April requiring domestic exporters to apply for a license, seen as a response to US tariffs that sparked alarm in Washington over slower supplies of rare earths. In June, US President Donald Trump hailed a deal that would see China provide the vital elements &quot;up front&quot;. But supply chains had not fully stabilized, with bureaucratic delays and selective approval still preventing many firms from ensuring timely access to the materials -- even before China expanded its restrictions. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Strategy and supply&nbsp;</h2>The United States and the European Union get most of their supply from China. Both are trying to boost their own production and improve their recycling processes to reduce dependence on Beijing. At the height of a US-China trade dispute in 2019, Chinese state media suggested that rare earth exports to the United States could be cut in retaliation for American measures, sparking fear among manufacturers. Back in 2010, Japan saw firsthand the pain of a cut-off when China halted rare earth exports over a territorial conflict. Since then, Tokyo has pushed hard to diversify supplies, signing deals with the Australian group Lynas for production from Malaysia, and ramping up its recycling capabilities.

The US Geological Survey estimated in 2024 there were 110 million tons of deposits worldwide; 44 million in China, 22 million in Vietnam, 21 million in Brazil, and 10 million in Russia.

Rare earths: Strategic metals key to future tech

Pakistan TV Satellite

After nearly two years of relentless violence, people in Gaza are welcoming the ceasefire with relief but also with fear that it may not last.&nbsp;Yousrah Abu Sharekh, Program Coordinator at INARA Gaza, said on Pakistan TV &#39;morning show&#39; that while the truce is &ldquo;a very positive and welcome development,&rdquo; it marks &ldquo;only the beginning of a very complex chapter ahead.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;There are more than 40,000 children who have sustained life-altering injuries &mdash; and many have lost family members, homes, and a sense of safety,&rdquo; she said, adding that the emotional toll is &ldquo;enormous.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fwAStlkrViI" title="Pakistan-IMF Deal I Gaza Crisis I Harsh Winter Ahead I World This Morning" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>Humanitarian groups say trauma among Gaza&rsquo;s children is deep and widespread, with many showing signs of severe distress and fear of renewed fighting.&nbsp;&ldquo;People are happy, yes, but they are also anxious. There&rsquo;s a constant fear that the ceasefire might collapse,&rdquo; Abu Sharekh warned.&nbsp;Crowds celebrated the truce across Gaza, yet uncertainty remains. &ldquo;Children have lost so much, they don&rsquo;t want to lose more,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;The INARA coordinator also cautioned about the lingering dangers of unexploded ordnance and debris, calling them &ldquo;a serious threat to civilians, especially children.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about rebuilding homes; it&rsquo;s about restoring safety and hope,&rdquo; she stressed. &ldquo;The road ahead is long, but the ceasefire gives us a small window of hope.&rdquo;

‘It’s the start of a complex chapter,’ says INARA Gaza coordinator as over 40,000 children live with life-altering injuries.

Ceasefire brings relief — and anxiety — in Gaza: INARA’s Yousrah Abu Sharekh

ISLAMABAD: Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of T&uuml;rkiye, Numan Kurtulmuş, has called for greater unity among Muslim nations and stronger cooperation between Pakistan and T&uuml;rkiye, describing their ties as &ldquo;deep-rooted, time-tested, and anchored in shared values.&rdquo; &quot;The relationship between Pakistan and T&uuml;rkiye goes beyond politics &mdash; it&rsquo;s a bond of the heart, built on mutual respect and a shared vision for the Muslim world,&quot; Kurtulmuş said. &nbsp;&lsquo;Global order is collapsing&rsquo;The Turkish Speaker warned that the post&ndash;World War II balance of power is breaking down, creating global instability. &quot;We are witnessing a systemic disorder. The institutions built after World War II can no longer deliver peace or justice,&quot; he told Pakistan TV. &quot;The United Nations has failed to protect civilians in Gaza and other conflict zones.&quot; He reiterated T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s call for comprehensive UN reform, saying &ldquo;justice and equality must replace privilege and veto power.&rdquo;<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UXyYy6rSr5Q?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> &nbsp;&lsquo;Parliaments can bridge nations&rsquo;Kurtulmuş highlighted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy as a tool for dialogue and peace. &quot;Parliaments connect nations directly. Parliamentary diplomacy can build a fairer world by bringing people together beyond governments,&quot; he said. He said legislatures have a moral responsibility to advocate for justice and humanity, especially in the Muslim world.&nbsp;Trilateral cooperation &amp; regional connectivityOn the trilateral partnership among Pakistan, T&uuml;rkiye, and Azerbaijan, the Turkish Speaker said closer coordination would enhance regional stability and economic connectivity. &quot;Our cooperation is practical, not symbolic. Strengthening parliamentary relations will produce real results on the ground,&quot; he said.&nbsp;He pointed to the Development Road Project in Iraq as a model of how regional energy and trade corridors could integrate the broader region.

Numan Kurtulmuş says the world needs a fairer order as old power structures collapse.

Turkish speaker calls for Muslim unity, stronger Pakistan–Türkiye partnership

ANTANANARIVO: Military officers who seized power in Madagascar in a protest crisis said their leader would be sworn in as the country&#39;s new president on Friday. The military leadership under Colonel Michael Randrianirina has promised elections within two years after President Andry Rajoelina was impeached following weeks of popular demonstrations. The international community voiced alarm, with the United Nations censuring what it called an &quot;unconstitutional&quot; takeover. The poor Indian Ocean nation was plunged into its worst political upheaval in years after the CAPSAT elite military unit took power moments after parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina on Tuesday. The 51-year-old president, in power since 2009, appeared to have fled the country as street protests escalated. Madagascar is the latest of several former French colonies to have fallen under military control since 2020, after coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Gabon and Guinea. CAPSAT commander Randrianirina will be sworn in as transitional president during a &quot;solemn hearing&quot; of the country&#39;s top court on Friday, the new leadership said on Wednesday. It made the announcement in a statement attributed to the &quot;Presidential Council for the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar&quot; and signed by Randrianirina himself. The colonel has said the transition to civilian leadership would take under two years and include the restructuring of major institutions. &quot;It wasn&#39;t a coup, it was a case of taking responsibility because the country was on the brink of collapse,&quot; Randrianirina said on television earlier on Wednesday. He pledged elections in 18 to 24 months and told local media that consultations were under way to appoint a prime minister and form a new government. International concern Randrianirina had long been a vocal critic of Rajoelina&#39;s administration and was reportedly imprisoned for several months in 2023 for plotting a coup. His swift takeover drew international concern. The African Union on Wednesday told AFP it was suspending Madagascar &quot;with immediate effect.&quot; The United Nations said they were &quot;deeply concerned by the unconstitutional change of power.&quot; The capital Antananarivo remained calm on Wednesday, though uncertainty lingered over what might come next. A concert was held on the symbolic Place du 13 Mai square, in front of the city hall, where thousands of protesters and armed vehicles had clashed days before. The youth-led Gen Z movement that initiated the protests on September 25 over lack of water and energy welcomed Randrianirina&#39;s intervention. The colonel had said he is &quot;ready to talk to the youth and we are ready to answer the call,&quot; Gen Z said in a post on Facebook, reiterating its calls for &quot;systemic change.&quot; &quot;We&#39;re worried about what comes next, but we&#39;re savoring this first victory that gave us hope,&quot; 26-year-old Fenitra Razafindramanga, captain of Madagascar&#39;s national rugby team, told AFP. In the northern city of Antsiranana, an entrepreneur who identified herself only as Muriella was relieved that Rajoelina was no longer in power. &quot;It feels like we&#39;ve just been released from prison,&quot; she told AFP, adding: &quot;This is also a message to his successor: learn from this and don&#39;t make the same mistakes.&quot; Rajoelina&#39;s location unknown Rajoelina&#39;s office said on Wednesday the constitutional court&#39;s decision was riddled with procedural illegalities and risked destabilizing the country. &quot;This decision, tainted by multiple defects in both substance and form, is illegal, irregular, and unconstitutional,&quot; it said. Rajoelina first came to power in a 2009 military-backed coup denounced by the international community. He was elected president in 2018 and re-elected in disputed polls in 2023. In recent weeks he resisted mounting calls to step down, saying in a national address from an unknown location on Monday that he was seeking solutions to Madagascar&#39;s problems. Amid reports that he had been helped to leave with assistance from France, the former colonial power, he said he was in a &quot;safe place to protect my life.&quot;

International community voices alarm, with the UN censuring what it called an "unconstitutional" takeover.



Madagascar vows to install colonel as president after takeover

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump indicated on Wednesday that he had authorized covert CIA action against Venezuela and said he was considering strikes against alleged drug cartels on land in the South American country. Trump&#39;s comments triggered outrage from leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who decried &quot;coups d&#39;etat&nbsp;orchestrated by the CIA&quot; and ordered military exercises following a fresh US strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean. Republican Trump declined to comment in detail about a New York Times report that he had secretly approved the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela against Maduro. &quot;But I authorized for two reasons, really,&quot; he said, before listing familiar talking points accusing Maduro of leading a &quot;narco-terrorist&quot; regime and of releasing prisoners from jails and sending them to the United States. Asked if he had given the CIA authority to &quot;take out&quot; Maduro, Trump replied: &quot;That&#39;s a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn&#39;t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?&quot; Trump added that he was weighing up whether to expand US military actions against alleged Venezuelan drug cartels to the land after a series of deadly naval strikes on alleged drug boats. &quot;We are certainly looking at land now, because we&#39;ve got the sea very well under control,&quot; Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. At least 27 people have been killed so far in the US attacks. Experts have questioned the legality of using lethal force in foreign or international waters against suspects who have not been intercepted or questioned. &#39;No to regime change&#39;Trump&#39;s comments come amid a major US naval build-up in the Caribbean that Washington says is part of an anti-drug operation. But the moves have been widely condemned in Latin America, and fears are mounting in Caracas that Trump is seeking regime change. &quot;No to war in the Caribbean ... No to regime change ... No to coups d&#39;etat orchestrated by the CIA,&quot; Maduro said in an address on Wednesday to a committee set up after Washington deployed warships in the region. Maduro earlier ordered military exercises in the country&#39;s biggest shantytowns after the latest alleged drug-boat strike on Tuesday, which Trump said had killed six &quot;narcoterrorists.&quot; Under Maduro&#39;s direction, exercises were conducted across the entire Atlantic Caribbean coast of Venezuela, and other military activities are planned in the states on the border with Colombia. In a message on the social network Telegram, Maduro said he was mobilizing the military, police, and a civilian militia to defend Venezuela&#39;s &quot;mountains, coasts, schools, hospitals, factories, and markets.&quot; Trump accuses Maduro of heading a drug cartel &mdash; charges Maduro denies. Ahead of ramping up military actions, the US Justice Department in August doubled a bounty for information leading to Maduro&#39;s capture to $50 million. Trump has previously said that he is not looking at regime change in Venezuela, while at the same time accusing Maduro of stealing last year&#39;s presidential election and being &quot;illegitimate.&quot; The pressure on Maduro inched higher last week when US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for leading peaceful resistance to his 12-year rule. Machado dedicated the award to Trump, who had campaigned for the award for himself.

Americas

At least 27 people have been killed so far in the US attacks; experts have questioned the legality of using lethal force in foreign or international waters against suspects who have not been intercepted or questioned.

Pakistan achieves economic stability, seeks investment in key sectors: finmin

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Angry with governments, the world's young fill streets as 'Gen Z' protest

Rare earths: Strategic metals key to future tech