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Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is ending the work of a US aid agency launched by Republican former President George W. Bush to reduce poverty and promote economic growth around the world, according to a recording of a staff meeting and an email to staff seen by Reuters.

The move to shut down the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) comes as part of an unprecedented push by President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Musk to shrink the federal government, saying US taxpayer money is misspent.

MCC staff were told in a meeting on Wednesday that all of the agency’s programs will be closed and staff numbers would be minimized, according to a recording of the meeting.

“Foreign aid is not a priority for the administration and so MCC’s work needs to wind down,” Kyeh Kim, a senior MCC official, told staff, Reuters reported.

Trump’s administration has already dismantled Washington’s main aid agency, USAID, which administered about $40 billion in aid annually.

The MCC, which was created by the US Congress with support from Republicans and Democrats in 2004, has an annual budget of about $900 million. It partners with developing countries on projects like improving electricity supply for businesses and improving roads for farmers to get their goods to market, according to its website, according to Reuters.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 190, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 103, 500 per tola on Sunday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 190, 400 per tola.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 45 and is being traded at Rs 2, 010 per tola today.

CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal has placed emphasis on people's economic and social transformation through industries by developing national capital.

In a message of best wishes on the occasion of Democracy Day today, Nepal, the former Prime Minister, further said that social transformation can be achieved through economic development only in the federal democratic republican system of governance achieved through a long struggle.

Asserting that autocracy is not acceptable at all times, Chair Nepal said that it would be easier to establish social justice, equality, political and economic rights of all classes, castes and religions under a federal democratic republican system. 

The official X account of Pakistan’s government was suspended in India on Thursday, two days after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists.

According to Firstpost, the account was withheld by the Indian side in response to a legal order.

The development comes after India's government cut ties with Pakistan on Wednesday in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam.

For users outside India, the @GovtofPakistan account remains accessible.

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been indicted for alleged bribery over his former son-in-law’s employment at a Thai airline.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office announced Thursday that Moon is accused of receiving illicit benefits between 2018 and 2020 through the son-in-law’s appointment and compensation from a company controlled by ex-lawmaker Lee Sang-jik, according to Reuters.

Prosecutors claim Moon’s son-in-law received 5.95m baht ($177,500) in salary and living expenses, which they allege was a bribe in exchange for Lee’s appointment as head of the SMEs and Startups Agency.

Lee is also indicted for bribery and breach of trust. Moon, Lee, and their legal teams have not responded to the charges, Reuters reported.

Moon served as president from 2017 to 2022.

In reaction to a devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which killed 26 people—25 Indians and one Nepalese tourist, India has declared a number of important diplomatic and strategic steps against Pakistan.

According to Firstpost, the Indian government has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which was a long-standing water-sharing arrangement between the two countries.This suspension will remain in effect until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end its support for cross-border terrorism.

Additionally, India has closed the Attari-Wagah border crossing, a key land route between the two countries, with immediate effect.  The government has also revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES), requiring those currently in India under this scheme to leave within 48 hours.

Further actions include the deportation of Pakistan's military, naval, and air advisors stationed in New Delhi, who have been deemed persona non grata and given one week to leave. India would also withdraw its own defense, navy, and air advisors, as well as five support personnel, from the High Commission in Islamabad, Firstpost reported.

These actions reflect a decisive shift in India’s approach to cross-border terrorism and signify a substantial escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday for rejecting a proposed US peace deal that includes recognizing Russian control of Crimea. Trump called Zelensky’s stance a barrier to ending the war, urging him to choose between peace or prolonged conflict, BBC reported.

The US-backed proposal, essential to recent talks, would create a truce along the current combat lines and legally acknowledge Russia's annexation of Crimea, terms Ukraine strongly opposes.

As Secretary of State Marco Rubio withdrew from peace talks in London, Vice President JD Vance warned the US could walk away from negotiations if Kyiv refuses to engage, according to BBC.

Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s refusal to concede any occupied territory, saying it violates the constitution and international law.

A dozen states have filed a lawsuit in the Court of International Trade, challenging President Trump’s tariff policy as unconstitutional and economically harmful.

The lawsuit claims that Trump's administration utilized the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs without a valid national emergency, bypassing Congress, which has tariff-setting authority, according to CNN.

Plaintiff states include Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai justified the tariffs, claiming they were required to handle a "national economic emergency ", CNN reported.

The Justice Department has yet to respond.