Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours

    
     FGN28 US-TRUMP-LD DOGE
* Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead Department of Government Efficiency: Trump
     Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Tesla owner Elon Musk and Indian American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, aimed at improving governance and curbing wasteful expenditures. *

     FGN16 US-TRUMP-APPOINTMENTS
* Trump says John Ratcliffe will head CIA, picks ex-Arkansas Gov Huckabee as ambassador to Israel
     Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe will head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under his administration. He also picked former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as his ambassador to Israel. *
    
     FGN26 COP29-INDIA-NEGOTIATIONS
* COP29: India, other developing countries demand fair climate finance commitments
     Baku (Azerbaijan): India, as part of the Like-Minded Developing Countries bloc, stood firm in calling for equitable financial support from developed nations at the ongoing COP29 climate negotiations, multiple sources from the grouping said here. *

     FGN36 LANKA-LD ELECTIONS
* Sri Lanka set for parliamentary election on Thursday, all arrangements in place
     Colombo: Sri Lanka is set to hold on Thursday its snap parliamentary election - first after the 2022 economic crisis - amid deployment of nearly 90,000 security personnel across the country. *

     FGN40 PAK-MARYAM
* Amid concerns over her health, Maryam Nawaz says treatment underway, but she is fine
     Lahore: Amid rumours that she is suffering from throat cancer, Pakistan's Punjab province Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday said that her treatment is underway, but she is fine. *

     FGN21 US-TRUMP-DHS
* Trump nominates S Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary
     Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the nomination of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as his Homeland Security Secretary. *

     FGN33 UK-LD BOOKER PRIZE
* British author Samantha Harvey wins Booker Prize for 'beautiful' space tale
     London: British author Samantha Harvey has won the 2024 Booker Prize for her “ambitious and beautiful” ‘Orbital’, which becomes the first novel set in space to win the GBP 50,000 literary prize selected from a historic shortlist that was dominated by women this year. *

     FGN38 PAK-COURT-IMRAN
* Pak court acquits Imran Khan, his close aides in Section 144 violation case
     Islamabad: In a relief to Imran Khan, a Pakistani court on Wednesday acquitted the former prime minister and his close aides in a case involving Section 144 violations. *

     FGN19 US-TRUMP-WALTZ
* Mike Waltz an expert on threats posed by China, Russia, Iran: Trump
Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said his NSA pick Mike Waltz brings with him expertise on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism. *

     FGN18 US-TRUMP-DEFENSE
* Trump nominates television host, army veteran Pete Hegseth as his Defense Secretary
Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the nomination of popular Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth, 44, as his defense secretary. *

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)