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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Tuesday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to slain activist Charlie Kirk, a prominent voice in the conservative movement before his assassination last month.
“Today we’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I’ve ever seen before,” Trump said in a Rose Garden event.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot on September 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University, a killing that shocked the nation and reignited debates over political violence.
Kirk’s assassination has become a rallying point for the Republican president, who has used it to energize his base and push for sweeping measures by the state against what he calls “radical left extremism.”
The Trump administration has launched a broad crackdown on left-wing organizations, deploying multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and IRS, to investigate and disrupt groups accused of funding and organizing political violence.
At the same time, Trump has downplayed violence from right-wing groups, insisting political violence is primarily a problem rooted in the left. Experts say political violence is bipartisan, with historically more attacks inspired by right-wing ideology.
Officials have found no evidence that the suspect in Kirk’s shooting acted in concert with any group.
The ceremony drew a mix of top Republican lawmakers, media personalities and Trump allies, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rick Scott, as well as House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson.
A key figure in conservative politics, Kirk mobilized young voters for Trump’s 2024 campaign. His influence was significant but divisive, marked by attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and civil rights. Supporters hailed him as a champion of free speech, while critics argue he helped mainstream extremist views.
Since his death, Trump has called Kirk a “martyr for American freedom” and vowed at his memorial service to carry on his work. In September, both the US House of Representatives and Senate approved resolutions declaring October 14 a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.”
Trump also signed a proclamation on Tuesday declaring October 14, 2025 — on what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday — as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.”
 

DOHA: Congo and the M23 rebel group signed an agreement on Tuesday for the monitoring of an eventual “permanent ceasefire,” a step toward potentially ending fighting in eastern Congo, according to sources on both sides and a copy seen by Reuters.
The agreement is a sign of progress in Qatar-mediated talks after the two sides missed an August 18 deadline to finalize a peace deal.
Qatar has hosted multiple rounds of direct talks between the Congo government and the rebels going back to April, but they have so far dealt largely with preconditions and confidence-building measures.

The ceasefire monitoring agreement was one of two key steps to complete before talks toward a comprehensive peace agreement could begin, the sources said. The second was a deal on a prisoner-of-war exchange that was signed in September, though the exchange itself has not happened.
M23 did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya confirmed the agreement had been signed.
Under the terms of the agreement, a ceasefire monitoring body will be formed featuring representatives of Congo, M23 and the 12-country International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
This body will be mandated to investigate reports of alleged ceasefire violations and is expected to meet no more than seven days after its creation.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo known as MONUSCO will be an “additional participant” and will “provide logistical coordination.”
M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters earlier this month that he opposed any operational role for MONUSCO in ceasefire monitoring, describing it as a belligerent actor because its mandate includes supporting Congo’s army.
Representatives from the African Union, Qatar and the United States will participate as observers, the copy of the agreement said.
Rwanda-backed M23 staged a lightning offensive in eastern Congo this year, seizing the region’s two largest cities and spurring fighting that has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
Rwanda has long denied backing M23 and says its forces act in self-defense. But a group of UN experts said in a report in July that Kigali exercised command and control over the rebels.
US President Donald Trump’s administration brokered a separate peace deal between Congo and Rwanda in June. Trump has said he wants to bring peace to the region and facilitate investments in its minerals sector.
Trump has said the war is over, but Huang Xia, the UN special envoy for the Great Lakes region, told the UN Security Council on Monday that fighting continues.
“While all these African and international peace efforts are commendable and promising, they have so far failed to deliver on their promises — the agreed ceasefire is not being respected,” Huang said.

“After a brief lull, the parties to the conflict have regrouped and resumed military operations.”