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Democrats urge Rubio to rescue a refugee program he once supported

But the Democrats say this kind of assistance to refugees does not qualify as “foreign development assistance,” since it helps people in the United States rather than abroad.

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Congressional Democrats are appealing to Marco Rubio to restart refugee resettlement services — something the new Secretary of State supported as a Republican senator from Florida — after the Trump administration issued stop work orders to halt programs, Politico reported.

In a letter, a group of lawmakers urged their former colleague to use his leverage to undo the pause on Reception and Placement services, which help refugees rebuild in the U.S, the newspaper reported.

On the first day of his administration, President Donald Trump moved to suspend the entire U.S. Refugee Admissions Program until further notice and issued a pause on “foreign development assistance.”

But the Democrats say this kind of assistance to refugees does not qualify as “foreign development assistance,” since it helps people in the United States rather than abroad.

They also cite the 32,000 refugees that relocated to the U.S. through the Refugee Admissions Program in fiscal year 2025 — a number of whom are still eligible for assistance through the R&P program — in addition to the many Afghan nationals now in the country who aided U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and are now also eligible for help.

“The stop work orders undermine legal obligations that the Department has entered into through its contracts with U.S.-based and intergovernmental organizations, increasing new arrivals’ vulnerability to homelessness and food insecurity at a time when they still have no lifeline for support,” the members wrote.

Signers of the letter are the top Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary Committee — Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, respectively — alongside the ranking members of each panel’s immigration subcommittee — Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Sen. Alex Padilla of California.

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Muttaqi meets Norway’s new special envoy, discusses political and regional cooperation

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The Islamic Emirate’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has held talks with Bjørn Johansen, Norway’s newly appointed Special Representative for Afghanistan, focusing on political and regional developments.

In the meeting, Johansen said Norway maintains historic ties with Afghanistan and has consistently sought to play a constructive role in supporting stability in the country, Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

He noted what he described as noticeable progress in Afghanistan in areas including security, counter-narcotics efforts, and other sectors, adding that further cooperation should be expanded through the normalization of relations with the international community.

Muttaqi, welcomed Norway’s continued engagement and cooperation with the Islamic Emirate, saying that the current stability in Afghanistan should be utilized effectively. He also emphasized that progress made by the Afghan authorities could help broaden future cooperation.

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Slovenia contributes €200,000 to support UNFPA humanitarian work in Afghanistan

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The Government of Slovenia has contributed €200,000 to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support humanitarian work in Afghanistan, focusing on reproductive health and protection services for women and girls.

According to UNFPA, the funding will help expand access to essential maternal and reproductive health care across the country, particularly in areas where services remain limited and humanitarian needs are high.

UNFPA said the support will be used to reach vulnerable women and girls with life-saving health assistance and protection services as part of its ongoing response in Afghanistan.

The contribution comes as international aid agencies continue efforts to sustain basic health services amid ongoing economic and humanitarian challenges in the country.

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Afghanistan rejects Pakistan’s allegations as ‘baseless’

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has rejected recent accusations by Pakistani officials claiming that attacks inside Pakistan were planned from Afghan territory, describing the allegations as “baseless.”

Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said Afghanistan believes regional issues should be addressed through dialogue, mutual respect, and genuine cooperation rather than accusations, emotional rhetoric, or threats.

He reaffirmed that Afghan territory would not be used against any country and stressed that no group or individual would be allowed to carry out activities that threaten regional peace and stability.

The remarks came after Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry reportedly summoned Afghanistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad on Monday and handed over a formal protest note regarding an attack on a police post in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistani authorities alleged that the attack had been planned from inside Afghanistan.

According to reports, the explosion occurred on Saturday evening in the Fathkhel area of Bannu, killing 15 police officers and injuring four others, including one civilian.

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