Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for January 29th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. US Federal Workers Offered "Deferred Resignation"
The Trump administration introduced a policy allowing federal employees to resign now but receive pay through September 2025, provided they meet unspecified conditions
2. Netanyahu to meet with Trump at the White House next week
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week, making him the first foreign leader to meet with Donald Trump in Washington, DC, since the United States president’s return to power.
The Israeli government confirmed on Tuesday that Trump invited Netanyahu the White House on February 4.
3. SRO’s Historic Launch
India’s 100th space mission successfully deployed the NVS-02 satellite from Sriharikota
4. Trump order set to halt supply of HIV, malaria drugs to poor countries, sources say
The Trump administration has moved to stop the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as medical supplies for newborn babies, in countries supported by USAID around the globe
On Tuesday, contractors and partners who work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) began receiving such memos to stop work immediately, sources said. The move is part of a wider freeze on U.S. aid and funding put in place since Trump took office on Jan. 20, while programmes are reviewed.
5. Serbian president hints at snap election after prime minister quits amid protests
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic floated the possibility of a snap election in April after his prime minister resigned on Tuesday amid growing anti-government protests.
Prime Minister Milos Vucevic became the highest-ranking official to step down in the wake of a roof collapse at a railway station in the city of Novi Sad in November which killed 15 people and sparked months of demonstrations.
6. Pakistan’s parliament passes bill with sweeping controls on social media
Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on Thursday passed a controversial bill that will give the government sweeping controls on social media, including sending users to prison for spreading disinformation.
7.Passenger plane catches fire in South Korea prompting mass evacuation, three injured
An Airbus plane belonging to South Korean carrier Air Busan caught fire on Tuesday at Gimhae International Airport in the country’s south while preparing for departure to Hong Kong, fire authorities said.
All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated, with three having minor injuries, fire authorities in Busan said.
8. Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives
9. Trump signs order to block federal support for minors’ gender transitions
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to end federal support for medical procedures aimed at altering sex or gender that involve surgical interventions or the use of puberty blockers or sex hormones in those under 19 years old.
10. Civilian jet breaks sound barrier in historic first
A civilian jet broke the sound barrier three times during a test flight in California’s Mojave Desert on Tuesday, the first time a privately developed and built aircraft has accomplished such a feat.
11. More than seven killed in stampede at India's Maha Kumbh festival, official says
More than seven people were killed and around 10 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India on Wednesday, said an official, as tens of millions gathered to take a holy dip on the most auspicious day of the six-week Hindu festival.
Police detained hundreds of protesters in New Delhi on Sunday as demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's chief election commis...
AnewZ’s recent reporting from Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates brings audiences closer to the technologies, and the decisions, shaping...
The explosion at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon killed at least 12 people and injured a further 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority. The airport remains closed until further notice.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed surprise after Donald Trump mediated the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement in 2025, the U.S. President said at a rally in New York state on Friday.
The United Nations has condemned a sharp rise in attacks on civilians in Ukraine, reporting that more than 100 people were killed and at least 429 injured in a single week as Russian strikes hit residential areas, passenger buses and critical infrastructure.
Turkic states are assessing the feasibility of passport-free travel between countries using national ID cards, Kürşad Zorlu, the Deputy Chairman of Türkiye’s ruling AK Party said on Saturday.
Police detained hundreds of protesters in New Delhi on Sunday as demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's chief election commissioner entered a second day, while a court ordered the release of the founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and two other senior leaders.
Russian and Ukrainian drone attacks injured civilians and disrupted infrastructure, as U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to what he described as an “energy ceasefire.”
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
Air France has reportedly informed its pilots and cabin crew of new Israeli restrictions preventing employees holding certain nationalities, including dual nationals, from operating flights to Israel, according to an investigation published by French outlet Mediapart on Saturday.
Nepali authorities urged villagers on Sunday (11 October) to move to safer places after a flood in a river in the central part of the country swept away several houses and infrastructure, but there were no reports of any casualties.
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