Author: TheStateLine

Quetta, July 1 (IANS) Human rights activists from Balochistan on Tuesday reported that Pakistani forces, including Frontier Corps (FC) and police, launched a violent crackdown on sleeping protesters in D-Baloch, Kech district of Balochistan, during the sixth night of the ongoing protest against the closure of Abdohi border.“In the dark of night, forces stormed the protest camp, beat peaceful demonstrators, and opened indiscriminate fire. At least 14 protesters have been arrested. The protesters, made up of local traders, labourers, and civilians, have been peacefully demanding the reopening of the Abdohi border, a lifeline for the local economy. The closure, ongoing since March 19, has devastated livelihoods and pushed the indigenous into desperation," read a statement issued by the Baloch...

Washington, July 1 (IANS) The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) officially shut down on Tuesday, which was criticised by former US Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.Meanwhile, the USAID will be merged into the US State Department from Tuesday.According to an earlier statement of the US State Department, the reorganization of the USAID involves realigning certain USAID functions with the State Department by Tuesday. Other USAID functions, which do not align with incumbent President Donald Trump's policy priorities, will be terminated.In separate statements, Obama called the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID "a colossal mistake," while Bush quoted an AIDS relief programme, whose future remains unclear, like much of US foreign aid, as an example.T...

Islamabad, July 1 (IANS) Over 50 people have been killed in Pakistan over the last few days due to heavy rains and flash floods, with the highest toll reported from the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 21 people lost their lives, including 10 children, local media reported on Tuesday.In Balochistan, heavy rains have wreaked havoc in several districts of the province, including Lasbela, Hub, Barkhan, Zhob, Harnai and Dera Bugti, as five people have died and six others have been injured over the past two days in incidents of being swept away by floodwaters and drowning in dams.Reports suggest that four members of the same family, including three women and a child, were killed after being carried away by flash floods in Zhob.Following the tragic incident, local people have called for eff...