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Which are the 66 global organisations the US is leaving under Trump?

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US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement for the second time after returning to office, January 20, 2025 [Aljazeera]

The Trump administration says it’s going to withdraw the United States from 66 international organisations, including 31 United Nations entities and 35 non-UN organisations.

Many focus on climate, labour, migration and other issues the Trump administration has categorised as catering to diversity and “woke” initiatives and that are “contrary to the interests of the United States”.

Here is a list of all the agencies that the US is exiting, according to the White House:

31 United Nations organisations

  1. Department of Economic and Social Affairs
  2. UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – Economic Commission for Africa
  3. ECOSOC – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
  4. ECOSOC – Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
  5. ECOSOC – Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
  6. International Law Commission
  7. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
  8. International Trade Centre
  9. Office of the Special Adviser on Africa
  10. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict
  11. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
  12. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
  13. Peacebuilding Commission
  14. Peacebuilding Fund
  15. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent
  16. UN Alliance of Civilizations
  17. UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
  18. UN Conference on Trade and Development
  19. UN Democracy Fund
  20. UN Energy
  21. UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  22. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  23. UN Human Settlements Programme
  24. UN Institute for Training and Research
  25. UN Oceans
  26. UN Population Fund
  27. UN Register of Conventional Arms
  28. UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
  29. UN System Staff College
  30. UN Water
  31. UN University

In the new memorandum, the administration moved beyond the Paris Agreement to target the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) itself, which is the foundational 1992 treaty that the Paris Agreement is built upon. By withdrawing from the UNFCCC, the administration aims to exit the entire international framework for climate negotiations.

The withdrawal from the UNFCCC is particularly significant as it is a Senate-ratified treaty. The administration’s authority to unilaterally withdraw from such treaties is expected to face legal challenges.

Climate activists project warning against Trump on London bridge
Climate activists project a message onto Tower Bridge with a silhouette of US President-elect Donald Trump, before COP29 climate talks, in London, UK, November 7, 2024 [Aljazeera]

Notably, the US remains a member of the UN Security Council, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which the administration identified as serving essential security or humanitarian functions.

35 non-UN organisations

  1. 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
  2. Colombo Plan Council
  3. Commission for Environmental Cooperation
  4. Education Cannot Wait
  5. European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats
  6. Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories
  7. Freedom Online Coalition
  8. Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund
  9. Global Counterterrorism Forum
  10. Global Forum on Cyber Expertise
  11. Global Forum on Migration and Development
  12. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
  13. Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
  14. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
  15. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
  16. International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
  17. International Cotton Advisory Committee
  18. International Development Law Organization
  19. International Energy Forum
  20. International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
  21. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
  22. International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law
  23. International Lead and Zinc Study Group
  24. International Renewable Energy Agency
  25. International Solar Alliance
  26. International Tropical Timber Organization
  27. International Union for Conservation of Nature
  28. Pan American Institute of Geography and History
  29. Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation
  30. Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
  31. Regional Cooperation Council
  32. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
  33. Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
  34. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
  35. Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

[Aljazeera]



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Pakistan quicks seal win after Salman Agha ton sets tone

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Salman Agha celebrates reaching his fourth ODI hundred [Cricinfo]

Pakistan withstood a middle-order counterattack from Pavan Rathnayake and Janith Liyanage to see off Sri Lanka by 37 runs. In the first match of a tri-series that also includes England, the pair appeared to have put Sri Lanka on course with a 119-run fifth wicket partnership, with the visitors well in front and requiring just 55 from the last seven overs. Liyanage’s wicket, however, saw the bottom fall out of the side, with Sri Lanka losing their last five wickets for 15 runs to allow Pakistan to breathe a sigh of relief.

The win had been set up by Salman Agha, who marked his return to the Pakistan side with his fourth ODI hundred to hold off a collapse and steer the hosts past 300. By the 22nd over, Pakistan had lost four wickets, and looked vulnerable with a relatively long tail. However, Salman’s 90-ball 107 navigated Pakistan expertly out of danger with sizeable partnerships with Hasan Nawaz and Arafat Minhas.

Sri Lanka deprived Shaheen Afridi’s side of a big finish, though, with Eshan Malinga and Asitha Fernando striking multiple blows in the death overs to ultimately bowl Pakistan out for 305. Those runs they had left on the table looked set to cost them dear at the climax of the context. The dew had set in, and Rathnayake and Liyanage were beginning to reverse Pakistan’s early dominance that had seen them skittle Sri Lanka’s top four with few dents made to the chase.

Afridi rotated his cast of bowlers, but aside from Naseem Shah, there appeared no remedy to the free flow of runs. Haris Rauf, Minhas, Saim Ayub and Afridi himself were all worked over, particularly by Rathnayake, who was especially methodical in the way he timed his innings to dance in tune to the required rate. Afridi was sensationally blown out of the attack with a pair of pulled sixes off the hips, in stark contrast to Pakistan’s own struggles against the short ball.

A pair of tight overs from Faheem Ashraf finally induced Rathnayake into a false stroke as he spooned one to Salman at short cover, only for Dasun Shanaka to pick up the slack. But with 53 runs to go, Liyanage chipped Rauf to long-on, and Pakistan blew the house down. Afridi prised Shanaka out the following over, and though the tail limped on briefly, it was only a matter of time.

Pakistan will look back fondly at their dominance in the first 25 overs, which closely mirrored Sri Lanka’s own success in the first innings. Sri Lanka’s top order was ineffective in keeping pace with the asking rate, and Naseem bowled a tidy spell up front, which included the wicket of Avishka Fernando. Ashraf took a sharp catch after Saad Baig dropped the skier, the allrounder showing good reflexes to scoop the ball up. It was, all told, a difficult evening behind the stumps for the debutant, and, in truth, a poor day out for Pakistan’s fielders throughout the innings.

Sri Lanka’s fortune with the toss had carried over to the ODI series, and they inserted Pakistan in Rawalpindi. There was early swing on offer, but it was the extra pace from Dilshan Madushanka that accounted for both openers. Ayub and Fakhar Zaman were both undone by the short delivery, leaving Babar Azam and Baig to rebuild.

The duo put on 74 and were beginning to get the asking rate ticking upwards. However, Babar’s frustrating recent knack of giving away auspicious starts reared its familiar head once more. Malinga was Sri Lanka’s quickest bowler through the innings, and he landed one short that rushed onto Babar, who was late on the pull just five shy of a half-century. Soon after Baig, who had shown promise as well as a willingness to pull rather than back away from bouncers, miscued one himself, holing out to deep fine leg.

It was precisely the sort of situation Salman – dropped from both the Test side and T20 captaincy in the last two months – thrives in, rebuilding during the middle overs of an ODI. He did so flawlessly, halting Sri Lanka’s momentum while staying on top of the run rate, keeping the strike ticking along, and adeptly covering for Nawaz, who had made a more sluggish start. He capitalised when Sri Lanka erred by turning prematurely to Kamindu Mendis’ spin, taking 11 off the 25th over to turn momentum around.

Sri Lanka began to look more toothless with the ball through those middle overs as Salman’s comfort grew. He dominated the stand and brought up his half-century off 48 balls. Nawaz had begun to loosen his shoulders too, illustrated by a six off legspinner Sachindu Colombage, but Asitha rooted him out the following over, ending the fifth-wicket stand ay 97. Salman played a similar shepherding role with Minhas for the sixth wicket, the pair putting on 64, with Salman once again taking on the lion’s share.

Twenty-six runs came off the 44th and 45th overs, but just as Pakistan looked for a big finish, Sri Lanka’s bowlers hit back. Minhas and Salman fell trying to hit sixes, and Pakistan’s lower order soon followed, with Malinga getting rid of Ashraf and Naseem off successive balls. A pair of lusty blows from Afridi allowed Pakistan to scratch past 300.

For long stretches of Sri Lanka’s chase, it appeared as if Pakistan’s unproductiveness in those death overs would cost them. Instead, on a dewy early autumn night in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s pace attack – which shared nine wickets between them – ensured Salman’s efforts would not be wasted.

Brief scores:
Pakistan 305 in 49.5 overs (Babar Azam 45, Salman Agha 107; Eshan Malinga 4-46, Asitha Fernando 3-59, Dilshan Madushanka 2-67) beat Sri Lanka 268 in 48.1 overs (Kamindu Mendis 44, Pavan Rathnayake 79, Janith Liyanage 60; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-55, Naseem Shah 2-43, Haris Rauf 2-48, Faheem Ashraf 2-49) by 37 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Half a million people join protests in France, but some turn violent

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An estimated 550,000 people took part in demonstrations across France today to protest against teaching conditions in schools, rising fuel prices and the cost of living.

Marches were largely peaceful and took place in several major French cities, including Paris, where 110,000 people attended.

“We just want to study, we just want a future” one student taking part in the protest in the capital told BBC News, while another said they were ” just trying to make things change”.

But French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said some groups “at the margins of these protests” caused the situation to “degenerate”.

According to the French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, 1200 people were arrested.  Officials also reported looting in cities such as Marseille, where masked 8ntruders also entered the city hall.  In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire  and shops were damaged.

French President Emmanuel Macron said any vandals and looters would be “prosecuted and punished”, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of left-wing party La France Insoumise, said demonstrations had been calmly mobilised.

Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to battle a blaze at Limoges City Hall after a reported break-in and arson inside the 19th-century building during protests there.

(BBC)

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Deadly fire breaks out at Canada military base

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Defence Minister David McGuinty says there are casualties but did not go into details (BBC)

A large fire near a Canadian military base in Alberta has killed and injured some people, the defence minister said, without confirming the number of casualties.

The Canadian Armed Forces were working with local authorities to manage the fire and were looking into what caused it, David McGuinty said, describing the situation as “very, very active and delicate”.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X that a “serious incident creating a major fire” had occurred, adding his “thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected”.

Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where the fire broke out, is one of the country’s busiest military training bases.

The blaze “spread rapidly due to high winds” and had torn through the fences of the base, the Municipal District of Wainwright said.

McGuinty told reporters he “cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory”.

It is unclear when the fire broke out, but the district first posted about the incident at about 17:30 local time.

Local authorities have urged residents to avoid the area and give all emergency vehicles right of way.

(BBC)

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