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Evacuation in the Snow: Fears of Conflict Drive Mass Exodus from Pakistan’s Tirah Valley

Residents from Tirah valley, who fled a remote mountainous region bordering Afghanistan, gather to get themself registered, in Bara, Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan A wave of displacement is sweeping through northwest Pakistan as thousands of families flee the Tirah Valley after mosque loudspeakers warned residents of possible upcoming military action. The sudden announcements triggered a rapid and chaotic departure, with many families leaving in the middle of harsh winter conditions. Residents describe a tense atmosphere in the valley, where fears of renewed conflict between security forces and militant groups have been simmering for months. Entire communities have packed their belongings onto trucks, donkeys, and makeshift carts, heading toward safer towns such as Bara and Peshawar. Government officials insist that no military operation has been ordered and attribute the movement of people to seasonal migration patterns. Locals strongly dispute this, sayi...

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Asia Stocks Set to Open Lower Following Declines in European Stocks and Bonds


 According to a Bloomberg report, Asian equities are expected to open lower on Tuesday following declines in European stocks and bonds as European Central Bank officials tampered down rapid rate cut expectations. 

US markets were shut for a holiday Monday. Share futures for Australian and Hong Kong benchmarks slipped, while those for Japanese equities rose. The region-wide Euro Stoxx 50 inched 0.3% lower Monday, partly weighed down by a contraction in German gross domestic product in the fourth quarter, although Europe’s largest economy managed to avoid recession. Elsewhere, oil prices retreated, even as tensions in the Red Sea endured. Houthi militants hit a US-owned commercial vessel with a ballistic missile on Monday, underscoring the risks facing one of the world’s most important trade routes. West Texas Intermediate, the US oil price, fell 0.3%, while Brent, the international benchmark slipped 0.2% Monday.


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