The landing gear of Ethiad flight EY461, a Boeing 787 with approximately 300 passengers on board, caught fire at Melbourne Airport in Australia. Two of the tires exploded when the plane was on the runway. The aircraft was on its take off roll when the incident happened leading to the pilots aborting the take off and emergency services responding to the fire. No injuries have been reported as of now. An Etihad spokesperson said, "Etihad Airways flight EY461 from Melbourne (MEL) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) experienced a rejected take-off on 5 January, 2025. The flight crew decided to halt the take-off for technical reasons, the aircraft was safely brought to a stop on the runway and emergency services attended as a precaution. Guests have been disembarked safely and our teams are working to enable them to continue their onward journeys as quickly as possible. Etihad Airways sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority. The fire service applied foam to the tyres on the aircraft's landing gear, which is a routine precaution following a high-speed rejected take-off." A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said repairs were being carried out, adding that one runway was being used for all arrivals and departures. "Etihad Airways flight EY461 rejected take off this evening when departing Melbourne Airport for Abu Dhabi. The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service responded to a request from the aircraft and deployed fire fighting foam as a precaution. Due to damage to the aircraft's tyres, we have been unable to tow it off the runway. Repairs are currently underway. All passengers have disembarked the aircraft and have been bussed to the terminal. We continue to have one runway available for operations, which will be used for all arrivals and departures. Disruptions to other flights have been minimal," the spokesperson said.
05 January,2025 07:21 PM IST | Mumbai | Prasun ChoudhariIsraeli airstrikes killed at least 21 people, including at least two children, on Saturday in Gaza, hospital staff said, while a new effort at ceasefire talks was underway in Qatar after nearly 15 months of war. A small boy cried over his father, and a woman draped herself over one of the bodies wrapped in white plastic. The three airstrikes hit a car, a house and people on the street in the city of Khan Younis, according to staff at Nasser Hospital. And the Civil Defence, first responders affiliated with the Hamas-run government, said that an airstrike destroyed a residential area behind the Saraya complex in Gaza City, killing at least five people. Israeli strikes on Saturday evening killed three people in Bureij and three others in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken. One child was among the dead. Israel's military said that it targeted Hamas militants with a strike near Salah al-Din in southern Gaza overnight and with a strike on a vehicle in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. It also said that Hamas fired a projectile that hit near the Erez crossing into Gaza. Gaza's Health Ministry said that at least 59 people had been killed and more than 270 others were wounded by strikes in the past 24 hours. There were no immediate statements on the indirect negotiations in Qatar's capital, Doha, toward a ceasefire. The Hamas militant group on Friday said that discussions had resumed, and added that it was committed to reaching an agreement. It warned against misinformation, which it said can undermine public confidence. The talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press on in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Fighters with Hamas, which wants Israeli forces out of Gaza completely, continue to regroup in areas where Israeli forces withdraw. A new video of a hostage The war is by far the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas. It began when Hamas and other militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Around 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead. Families of hostages and others have rallied weekly for months to press Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal that would bring loved ones home. In a video released by Hamas on Saturday before the latest weekly rally, Israeli soldier and hostage Liri Albag, speaking under duress, expressed anguish over her situation and mentioned being held 450 days. 'Today is the beginning of a new year; the whole world is celebrating. Only we are entering a dark year, a year of loneliness,' she said. She also said a fellow captive had been wounded by the fighting in Gaza, adding, 'We are living in an extremely terrifying nightmare.' She didn't name the injured person. Netanyahu's office said that he spoke with Albag's parents and told them that 'efforts are ongoing, including at this very moment' to bring hostages home. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 45,717 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the dead. The ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. It says uncounted bodies remain beneath rubble or in areas where emergency responders can't reach. Israel's military says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths, because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90 per cent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times. Winter has now arrived, and hundreds of thousands are sheltering in tents near the sea. A small number of children have died from exposure to the cold. Gaza's Health Ministry said in a statement Saturday that Indonesian Hospital was no longer operational after Israeli operations in the area and said that all public hospitals in the north, largely isolated by a monthslong Israeli offensive, were now out of service. Tensions elsewhere Meanwhile, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, relatives mourned an 18-year-old Palestinian who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed on Friday during clashes with Israel's army in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The ministry said that nine other people were wounded. Palestinian health officials have said Israeli raids throughout the West Bank since October 7, 2023, have killed more than 800 Palestinians. Israel says most of these are militants, but youths throwing stones and people not involved in confrontations have also been killed. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held up for more than a month, although its terms seem unlikely to be met by the agreed-upon 60-day deadline. Israel and Hezbollah had exchanged fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 09:03 AM IST | Deir-al Balah | APOutgoing US President Joe Biden on Saturday presented US' highest civilian award to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, controversial philanthropist George Soros, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, scientist Bill Nye, and actor Denzel Washington along with 14 others with the country's highest civilian award ' the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Due to scheduling conflict, Argentinian football star Lionel Messi could not be present in person at the White House to receive the award from the US president. 'For the final time as President, I have the honour of bestowing the Medal of Freedom on our nation's highest civilian honour on a group of extraordinary, truly extraordinary people who gave their sacred effort, their sacred effort, to shape the culture and the cause of America,' Biden said at a glittering function in the East Room of the White House. Former president Bill Clinton, several of his Cabinet members including Defense Secretary Loyd Austin along with several celebrities were present in the East Room of the White House during the awards ceremony Saturday afternoon. 'This group of people leave an incredible mark on our country with insight and influence that can be felt around the globe in major cities and remote areas of life, finding us closer as people and showing us that what's possible as a nation, nothing beyond our capacity,' Biden said. 'As cultural icons, ' humanitarians, rock stars, sports stars, you feed the hungry, you give hope to those who are hurting, and you craft the signs and sounds of our movements and our memories. It's amazing, your innovation, you inspire, you bring healing and joy to so many lives otherwise wouldn't be touched. You answer the call to serve and lead others to do the same thing. You defend the values of America even when they're under attack, which they have been,' Biden said after which he presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Fannie Lou Hamer, who transformed the struggle for racial justice in America, Ashton Carter, who served as the 25th Secretary of Defense, Robert Francis Kennedy remembered as an Attorney General who fiercely combatted racial segregation, and George W Romney, a businessman who served as the chairman and president of American Motors Corporation, were awarded posthumously. The medals were received by their family members. Hillary Clinton was the only recipient to get a standing ovation. 'As a lawyer, she defended the rights of children. As First Lady, she fought for universal health care and declared women's rights are human rights. As Senator, she helped New York rebuild after September 11, 2001. As Secretary of State, she championed democracy worldwide. Her nomination for president broke barriers and inspired generations. Through it all, her career has been dedicated to an eternal truth. America's ideals are sacred, and we must always defend and live by them,' a military aide read the citation as she was presented the medal by the president. Alex Soros accepted the award on behalf of his father George Soros, an investor, philanthropist, and founder of the Open Society Foundations. 'The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to George Soros. Born into a Jewish family in Hungary, George Soros escaped Nazi occupation to build a life of freedom for himself and countless others around the world. Educated in England, he settled in America as he became an investor and philanthropist supporting key pillars of open societies, rights and justice, equity and equality, freedom now and in the future,' said the citation as read by the military aid. 'As an immigrant who found freedom and prosperity in America, I am deeply moved by this honor,' George Soros in a statement. 'I accept it on behalf of the many people around the world with whom the Open Society Foundations have made common cause over the past 40 years,' he said. However, Biden was slammed by MAGA supporters and Republican leadership for giving the award to Soros. 'Giving George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom is another slap in the face of America after reducing the sentences of murderers and pardoning his son. 16 days is a long time until the Inauguration. What is he capable of sliding in next? January 20th can't come soon enough,' GOP leader Nikki Haley said. 'George Soros spent millions electing soft-on-crime politicians that let criminals wreak havoc in our major cities,' Montana Senator Tim Sheehy told The New York Post. Alex who received the award on behalf of his father said his father is an American patriot who has spent his life fighting for freedom and human rights. 'I am incredibly proud that his legacy is now recognized with our nation's highest civilian honour. This award isn't just about the work he's done; as President Biden said, it is a call to action for all of us to fight for democracy on behalf of anyone yearning to be free,' he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 09:03 AM IST | Washington | PTIA petition has been filed in the National Green Tribunal's Bhopal bench seeking an assurance from the Madhya Pradesh government that the disposal of Union Carbide waste won't harm people in nearby areas. The petition has urged the green court to direct the state's chief secretary to declare on oath about the safety of people in Pithampur in Dhar district where the Carbide waste has been transported for disposal. The petition, filed by a Jabalpur-based social organisation, also seeks direction to the authorities in Dhar to submit on oath that the residents in the area won't be harmed due to the disposal of the Carbide waste. On Thursday, 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste reached Pithampur from Bhopal for disposal following the MP High Court order. Furthermore, the petition seeks direction to MP government to publish in Hindi and English newspapers a particular report regarding the disposal of this waste to allay public concerns, said PG Najpandey of Nagrik Upbhokta Margdarshak Manch and activist Sunil Bhargav. The social organisation filed the petition in the NGT on Friday, Najpandey told PTI. There is apprehension because thousands of people died due to the leak of toxic methyl isocyanate gas from Union Carbide Factory on the intervening night of December 2-4, 1984, he said. 'Therefore, we have moved the NGT to take cognizance of their concerns,' Najpandey said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 09:02 AM IST | Jabalpur | PTIMyanmar’s military government has released more than 6,000 prisoners and has reduced other inmates’ sentences as part of a mass amnesty marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain on Saturday. They included just a small proportion of hundreds of political detainees jailed for opposing army rule since the military seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. State-run television reported that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, granted amnesties covering 5,864 prisoners from Myanmar, as well as 180 foreigners who will be deported. Mass prisoner releases are common on holidays and other significant occasions in Myanmar. A small proportion of political detainees who were jailed for opposing the military coup in 2021, were also released. Pic/PTI In a separate report, it said Min Aung Hlaing had commuted the life sentences of 144 prisoners to 15 years’ imprisonment. The report also said that all other prisoners will have their sentences reduced by one sixth, except those convicted under the Explosive Substances Act, the Unlawful Associations Act, the Arms Act and the Counterterrorism Law, all laws which are often used against opponents of military rule. Major General Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for the military government, said that those being released included about 600 prisoners who were prosecuted under Section 505(A) of Myanmar’s penal code, which makes it a crime to spread comments that create public unrest or fear or spread false news. He said Khet Aung, a former chief minister of the southern Kachin state, was among those freed. There was no sign that the prisoner release would include Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held virtually incommunicado by the military since its seizure of power. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 07:13 AM IST | Bangkok | AgenciesTaiwan’s government says China is redoubling efforts to undermine confidence in the self-governing island’s democracy and close ties with the United States through the spread of disinformation, especially online. The National Security Bureau said the number of pieces of false or biased information distributed by China increased 60 per cent last year, to 2.16 million from 1.33 million in 2023. The brief report issued tallied “pieces of controversial information,” but did not further define the term. Facebook and X, were the main conduits for disinformation, along with platforms that explicitly target young people. China created “inauthentic accounts” to distribute its propaganda on YouTube, used technology such as AI to create fake videos and flooded comments sections with pro-China statements, the report said. China has for years used global social media platforms to spread both official messages and misinformation even while banning them inside the country. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 07:13 AM IST | Taipei | AgenciesA fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held up for over a month, even as its terms seem unlikely to be met by the agreed-upon deadline. The deal struck on 27 November, 2024, to halt the war required Hezbollah to immediately lay down its arms in southern Lebanon and gave Israel 60 days to withdraw its forces there and hand over control to the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers. So far, Israel has withdrawn from just two of the dozens of towns it holds in southern Lebanon. And it has continued striking what it says are bases belonging to Hezbollah, which it accuses of attempting to launch rockets and move weapons before they can be confiscated and destroyed. Hezbollah, which was severely diminished during nearly 14 months of war, has threatened to resume fighting if Israel does not fully withdraw its forces by the 60-day deadline. Yet despite accusations from both sides about hundreds of ceasefire violations, the truce is likely to hold, analysts say. That is good news for thousands of Israeli and Lebanese families displaced by the war still waiting to return home. “The ceasefire agreement is rather opaque and open to interpretation,” said Firas Maksad, a senior fellow with the Middle East Institute in Washington. That flexibility, he said, may give it a better chance of holding in the face of changing circumstances, including the ouster of Syria’s longtime leader, Bashar Assad, just days after the ceasefire took effect. With Assad gone, Hezbollah lost a vital route for smuggling weapons from Iran. While that further weakened Hezbollah’s hand, Israel had already agreed to the US-brokered ceasefire. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 January,2025 07:13 AM IST | Beirut | AgenciesAn Army soldier who fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck moments before it blew up outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas left notes saying the New Year's Day explosion was a stunt serving as a "wake-up call" for the country's ills, said investigators on Friday, Associated Press (AP) reported. Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, further wrote in notes he left on his cellphone that he needed to "cleanse" his mind "of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took." Livelsberger served in the Army since 2006 and was deployed twice to Afghanistan, AP reported. "This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake-up call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives," Livelsberger said in one letter found by authorities which was released on Friday. Seven individuals sustained minor injuries due to the explosion but virtually no damage to the Trump International Hotel. Authorities claimed that Livelsberger acted alone, AP cited. The army man's letters covered a range of topics which included political grievances, societal problems and both domestic and international issues, including the ongoing war in Ukraine. He said in one letter that the U.S. was "terminally ill and headed toward collapse." Meanwhile, Tesla's engineers helped investigators extract data from the Cybertruck, including Livelsberger's path between charging stations from Colorado through New Mexico and Arizona and on to Las Vegas, according to Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren, AP reported. "We still have a large volume of data to go through," Koren said on Friday. "There's thousands if not millions of videos and photos and documents and web history and all of those things that need to be analyzed." The new details came up as investigators were still trying to figure out whether Livelsberger sought to make a political point with the Tesla and the hotel bearing the president-elect's name. Law enforcement sources stated that Livelsberger had no animosity towards President-elect Donald Trump. He wrote in one of his notes that the nation needed to "rally around" Trump and Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, AP reported. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk has recently become a member of Trump's inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the day of the explosion. Both had attended Trump's New Year's Eve party at his South Florida estate. "Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues," Spencer Evans, the FBI special agent in charge in Las Vegas, said Friday. Livelsberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Investigators have not yet explained how he shot himself inside the Cybertruck while simultaneously igniting fireworks and camp fuel packed inside, which caused the explosion, AP reported. Among the charred items found inside the Tesla, were a handgun at Livelsberger's feet, another firearm, fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smartwatch. Authorities claim that both guns were purchased legally. Earlier, Livelsberger had confided to Alicia Arritt, his former girlfriend who had served as an Army nurse, about facing significant pain and exhaustion, which she attributed to traumatic brain injury, AP cited. He opened up to Arritt (39), whom he met and began dating in Colorado back in 2018, about exhaustion, pain that kept him up at night, and reliving violence from his deployment in Afghanistan, as per Arritt. "My life has been a personal hell for the last year," he told Arritt in text messages sent during their early days of dating that she shared with AP. The Green Berets are known to be highly trained U.S. Army special forces who specialise in guerrilla warfare and unconventional fighting tactics. According to the Army, Livelsberger rose through the ranks and was deployed twice to Afghanistan and served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo. He recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave when he died. He had received five Bronze Stars, including one with a valour device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valour. Authorities searched a townhouse in Livelsberger's hometown of Colorado Springs on Thursday as part of the investigation. Neighbours said the man who lived there had a wife and a baby. As per AP, across-the-street neighbour Cindy Helwig claimed that she last saw him when he asked to borrow a tool to fix an SUV. "He was a normal guy," she said. The explosion came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans' famed French Quarter early on New Year's Day, killing at least 14 individuals before being shot to death by police, AP reported. The FBI says they believe that Jabbar acted alone and that it is being investigated as a terrorist attack. (With inputs from AP)
04 January,2025 12:05 PM IST | Las Vegas | mid-day online correspondentBritish rapper Stormzy has been banned from driving for nine months on Thursday after admitting to driving his Rolls-Royce through London while using his phone, the Associated Press (AP) reported. District judge Andrew Sweet at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court said Stormzy's driving record was "not good" and criticised his "dangerous and irresponsible" actions. Prosecutor Alice Holloway claimed that Stormzy previously put "vulnerable road users at risk" when he drove a Lamborghini Urus with illegally tinted windows. The windows only allowed 4% light transmission than 70% required for tinting, AP reported. The 31-year-old rapper, who wasn't in court for the hearing, pleaded guilty in a letter to the charges of using a cell phone while driving on Addison Road, west Kensington, in March last year. He had previously admitted to the 2023 tinting offence and also has a record of speeding. The court was told he already had six points on his licence for previous speeding offences. Defence lawyer Peter Csemiczky claimed that Stormzy apologised and accepted his responsibility. The court heard the off-duty officer who had knocked on his tinted passenger window and said: "Get rid of your tints and get off your phone," BBC reported. Stormzy had previously denied using his mobile while driving but wrote to the court to change his plea. The artist was fined 2,010 pounds and penalty points were added to his license, AP reported. The 31-year old whose real name is Micheal Ebenazer Owuo Jr., is known for bringing the grime genre of rap into the commercial mainstream, AP cited. His debut album, 'Gang Signs and Prayer' won album of the Year at the Brit Awards back in 2018, where he was also named the best male British solo artist, an honour he won again in 2020. In 2018, Stormzy beat artists including Ed Sheeran and Liam Gallagher in the British Male Solo Artist category. Stormzy's debut album was up against Lipa's "Dua Lipa", Sheeran's "Divide", J Hus' "Common Sense" and Rag'n'Bone Man's "Human". (With agency inputs)
04 January,2025 11:03 AM IST | London | mid-day online correspondentHonduras President Xiomara Castro's comments earlier this week threatening to stop her country's cooperation with the US military if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on promised mass deportations have generated political heat at home, even as the US government has remained silent. In a New Year's Day speech on a national television channel, Castro said that if Trump goes ahead with massive deportations, Honduras would reconsider military cooperation with the US. 'Faced with a hostile attitude of mass expulsion of our brothers, we would have to consider a change of our cooperation policies with the United States, especially in the military realm,' Castro said. She said the US had maintained a presence in Honduran territory for decades without paying a cent and if Hondurans are expelled en masse that presence would cease to have any reason to exist in Honduras. She added that she hoped the Trump administration would be open to dialogue. It was just the latest response in the region to early pronouncements from Trump. His threat to impose tariffs on Mexico if it didn't do more to stop illegal migration and drug trafficking was met with a suggestion of retaliatory tariffs from that government. More recently Trump criticized charges to transit the Panama Canal and suggested the US could take it back, something Panama's president emphatically rejected. The main US military presence in Honduras is at Soto Cano Air Base outside the capital. While it is a Honduran base, the US has maintained a significant presence there since 1983 and it has become a key U.S. launching point for humanitarian and anti-drug missions in Central America. It is home to Joint Task Force Bravo, which the US Defense Department has described as a 'temporary but indefinite' presence. The U.S. Defense Department declined to comment, noting that it 'pertains to campaign statements and not policy.' U.S. Embassy in Honduras did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Castro's political opposition, however, has been quick to denounce the president's comments. Jorge Cálix, a probable presidential aspirant for the Liberal Party in Honduras' Nov. 30 elections, said Castro had put Honduras 'in grave danger' for personal and ideological reasons. Olban Valladares, a political analyst contemplating his own run for office for the Innovation and Unity Party, panned Castro's threat. 'She knows we don't have the ability to threaten the United States in any way, that the damages it would cause Honduras would be terrible,' Valladares said. He said the threat could make Honduran migrants even more of a target for the Trump administration. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 January,2025 08:38 AM IST | Honduras | APOutgoing US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to India January 5 and 6 to meet his counterpart Ajit K Doval and other top government officials for a final round of talks with them on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues and to finalise some ongoing initiatives that were important priorities for them to wrap up, the White House said on Friday. Sullivan, 48, the youngest national security advisor when President Joe Bident appointed him on January 20, 2021, would also deliver a major India-centric foreign policy speech at IIT, New Delhi during his last trip to India before leaving office. He would be succeeded by Congressman Michael Waltz on January 20, when Donald J Trump would be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. While there, the main purpose will be a capstone engagement and dialogue with his counterpart, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call Friday afternoon. It will cover a range of issues across the breadth of our partnership, but with a specific focus on the strategic technology cooperation that we have had across a range of domains, from defense to space to artificial intelligence, the official added. 'The two national security advisors during this engagement will not only take stock of the progress that we have made over the last four years, which has been a historic and transformative period in this relationship as well, but also continue to finalise some ongoing initiatives that were important priorities for us to wrap up to continue our technology cooperation through the end of the administration and to identify new opportunities that we hope with an upcoming team, will continue to take forward,' said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. From the views of the Biden administration, the US-Indian relationship has not only been one of the bright points and a real foreign policy prairie and area of legacy achievement for the Biden administration, but it is also a relationship where they have seen continued bipartisan support and momentum from administration to administration in the United States, said the official. Sullivan will deliver a speech at IIT Delhi, in which he will emphasise how India is central not only for US priorities in the Indo Pacific, but globally. 'We see this as a partnership that is really not subject to huge partisan swings in the United States but has had a really enduring basis of support that we expect will continue to move forward,' said the official. During the visit, he will also meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, as well as other Indian leaders. The US delegation led by Sullivan will also have members from other government departments. 'While we are there, we will have the opportunity to meet with business leaders as well as young entrepreneurs in India, and really emphasise how much the progress that we have made in this relationship under the Biden administration is not only due to the work that has been done at a GOV to Gov level, but I think increasingly, due to the fantastic and strong relationships that exist at the people-to-people level, at company-to-company level, between the United States and India,' said the official. 'Overall, the message that we intend to leave with at the end of this trip is one of real gratitude for the friendship and the close partnership that President Biden and Prime Minister Modi have enjoyed over the last four years, but also one of tremendous optimism because we see a lot of opportunity in the future for the things that we have started with over the last four years, whether that is commercial space cooperation, looking at opportunities in the future for civil nuclear cooperation, more cooperation on green energy technology. "We think all of these are poised, really, for exponential growth in the future. We are really proud that the Biden administration has put down such a solid foundation and made further growth possible,' the official said. A second senior administration official told reporters that for this particular trip, Sullivan will be taking up several issues. First, advancing the civil nuclear partnership, looking at ways how they can advance cooperation around small modular reactor technology and other forms of civil nuclear cooperation. Second, addressing People's Republic of China overcapacity, whether talking about legacy chips or biopharma supply chains, and also aligning strategies on ICTs risks and cyber focused technology protection measures, whether talking about connected vehicles or the just announced investigation into Chinese drones. Third, discussions around artificial intelligence and national security following the conclusion of their own national security memorandum on AI and other regulations. Fourth, promoting the new commercial space cooperation as the US finalized amendments to its own Missile Technology Control Regime for licensing policies. Fifth, unlocking funding for US India R&D partnerships under the university based local challenges institute, the second official said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 January,2025 08:37 AM IST | Washington | PTIADVERTISEMENT
