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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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Wall Street and Global Markets Take a Dip After Holiday Weekend

 

Wall Street and global markets started the week on a bearish note, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures down 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively, before the bell. The Hong Kong benchmark index fell more than 2%, and investors were left without cues from overnight trading due to the holiday weekend.

Investors have been betting on the Federal Reserve cutting its main interest rate six or more times through 2024, a much more aggressive track than the Fed itself has hinted at. However, after a roaring start to the year, investors are growing a bit more cautious about how soon the Fed will begin cutting interest rates, how quickly, and by how much.

The first quarter of this year may be marked by the realization that it’s too early for the central banks to cut the interest rates unless something really bad hits the fan.

Microsoft rose about 0.7%, to $391.25 per share, before the bell Tuesday, vaulting past Apple to become the world’s most valuable publicly-traded company with a market capitalization of $2.89 trillion.


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