Amid concerns surrounding the Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) virus, WHO official, Margaret Harris, said that the rise observed in the number of common respiratory infections is 'common' during winter and spring, reported news agency ANI. She further added that as per Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the pathogens causing the disease are "known ones." "Human metapneumovirus #hMPV is NOT a new virus. First identified in 2001, it has been in the human population for a long time. It is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring. It usually causes respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold." - @who pic.twitter.com/zojxwNLgH8 — United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) January 7, 2025 "There has indeed been a rise in the number of common respiratory infections in the country. And this is entirely expected during the winter. China has a sentinel surveillance system for influenza-like illness and severe respiratory infections," she said, reported ANI. Harris said that the pathogens are known ones and can be tackled, including the pathogens of Covid-19. "According to the Chinese CDC data, the pathogens causing these infections are known ones. And they include the seasonal influenza virus, the respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, and of course, the human metapneumovirus, HMPV, as well as our old friend SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," she said, reported ANI. The WHO official further said that seasonal influenza is a common one that crops up for testing. "Now among the pathogens reported by China's CDC, seasonal influenza is by far the most common that's coming up in all the testing. And it's increasing. The test positivity rate for influenza at the end of December was over 30 per cent among people presenting with flu-like symptoms in outpatient and emergency departments sentinel sites," she said, reporting ANI. She added that the cases of respiratory illnesses reported by China are within the normal range. "China's reported levels of respiratory infections are within the normal range. It's what we expect to see for the winter season. Authorities report that hospital utilisation is currently actually lower than this time last year and there have been no emergency declarations. Human metapneumovirus is not a new virus. So it's got an unusual name, so there's been a lot of interest. But it is not a new virus. It was first identified in 2001. It has been in the human population for a long time. It is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring. It usually causes respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold," she said, reported ANI. Harris said that the precautions to avoid contracting the disease are simple. They are the same as those followed during COVID-19. "So our advice to those who are in the winter season is to try to avoid getting ill in the first place, try to avoid getting infected and simple measures as we know we've all been very well trained by a coronavirus, by COVID-19, are simple measures can prevent spread," she said. (With inputs from ANI)
09 January,2025 10:35 AM IST | Geneva | mid-day online correspondentIt wasn't just fact-checking that Meta scrapped from its platforms as it prepares for the second Trump administration. The social media giant has also loosened its rules around hate speech and abuse ' again following the lead of Elon Musk's X ' specifically when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity as well as immigration status. The changes are worrying advocates for vulnerable groups, who say Meta's decision to scale back content moderation could lead to real-word harms. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company will 'remove restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are out of touch with mainstream discourse," citing 'recent elections' as a catalyst. For instance, Meta has added the following to its rules ' called community standards ' that users are asked to abide by: 'We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like weird.'' In other words, it is now permitted to call gay people mentally ill on Facebook, Threads and Instagram. Other slurs and what Meta calls 'harmful stereotypes historically linked to intimidation' ' such as Blackface and Holocaust denial ' are still prohibited. The Menlo Park, California-based company also removed a sentence from its 'policy rationale' explaining why it bans certain hateful conduct. The now-deleted sentence said that hate speech 'creates an environment of intimidation and exclusion, and in some cases may promote offline violence.' 'The policy change is a tactic to earn favour with the incoming administration while also reducing business costs related to content moderation,' said Ben Leiner, a lecturer at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business who studies political and technology trends. 'This decision will lead to real-world harm, not only in the United States where there has been an uptick in hate speech and disinformation on social media platforms, but also abroad where disinformation on Facebook has accelerated ethnic conflict in places like Myanmar.' Meta, in fact, acknowledged in 2018 that it didn't do enough to prevent its platform from being used to 'incite offline violence' in Myanmar, fueling communal hatred and violence against the country's Muslim Rohingya minority. Arturo Béjar, a former engineering director at Meta known for his expertise on curbing online harassment, said while most of the attention has gone to the company's fact-checking announcement Tuesday, he is more worried about the changes to Meta's harmful content policies. That's because instead of proactively enforcing rules against things like self-harm, bullying and harassment, Meta will now rely on user reports before it takes any action. The company said it plans to focus its automated systems on 'tackling illegal and high-severity violations, like terrorism, child sexual exploitation, drugs, fraud and scams.' Béjar said that's even though 'Meta knows that by the time a report is submitted and reviewed the content will have done most of its harm.' 'I shudder to think what these changes will mean for our youth, Meta is abdicating their responsibility to safety, and we won't the impact of these changes because Meta refuses to be transparent about the harms teenagers experience, and they go to extraordinary lengths to dilute or stop legislation that could help,' 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
09 January,2025 08:41 AM IST | Washington | APPresident-elect Donald Trump, who has alternated among praising, criticising and even mocking Jimmy Carter, came Wednesday to the Capitol Rotunda to pay his respects as the 39th president lay in state ahead of his funeral Thursday in the nation's capital. Carter was often the target of Trump's derision during his 2024 campaign, and the president-elect has renewed his critique of the Georgia Democrat this week amid his state funeral rites for ceding control of the Panama Canal to its home country when he was president more than four decades ago. Trump, who plans to attend Carter's funeral Thursday at Washington National Cathedral, played it straight on Capitol Hill, walking somberly into the rotunda with his wife, Melania, and pausing in front of Carter's flag-draped casket, which is resting atop the Lincoln catafalque and stands surrounded by a military honour guard. Trump was on Capitol Hill to meet with Republican senators 12 days before he takes office for the second time. His visit to the rotunda briefly paused the steady stream of citizens who waited in long lines on Capitol Hill to file past Carter's remains. Members of Congress, Hill staffers and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy were among the steady stream. Lynda Robb and Luci Baines Johnson, the daughters of President Lyndon Johnson paid their respects, as well. Luci aines Johnson blew a kiss toward the casket as she walked away. Carter, the longest-lived US president, died December 29 at the age of 100. A US Naval Academy graduate, submarine officer and peanut farmer before entering politics, Carter won the White House as an outsider in the wake of the Vietnam War and Watergate. He endured a rocky four years of economic unrest and international crises that ended with his defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. But he also lived long enough to see historians reassess his presidency more charitably than voters did in 1980, and the national rites of a state funeral afford him a notable counter to the often testy relationship he had with Washington during his four years in the Oval Office. 'President Carter was the governor of the great state of Georgia when I was born,' said Lyn Leverett, among the people who waited in below-freezing weather Wednesday. 'So he's been around my, you know, my whole entire being. And I just want to pay my respects to a decent person.' Some visitors fondly recalled personal connections to Carter's 1976 campaign, when his family, close friends and other supporters from Georgia formed the 'Peanut Brigade' to fan out across Iowa, New Hampshire and other key primary states and help Carter surprise the Washington establishment by winning the Democratic nomination. 'I'm originally from Nashua, New Hampshire, and when I was a child, Jimmy Carter slept at my house,' said Susan Prolman. 'He had just won the Iowa caucuses and he was in New Hampshire campaigning for the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire presidential primary. And I created this little poster for him, and he very kindly signed it.' Margaret Fitzpatrick, of Kensington, Maryland, recalled a family friend who had attended the Naval Academy with Carter in the 1940s and later hosted him as a presidential candidate. But she and others said what most drew them to the Capitol was what they remember of Carter once he left office ' and the distinctions they see between Carter and Trump. 'The contrast is amazing,' Fitzpatrick said, as she noted the juxtaposition of Carter's funeral with the obvious preparations around Washington for Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration. 'I'm here to respect somebody who has built a reputation on honesty, character and integrity. President Carter was a decent, kind, genuine and gentle person.' Kim James, also a Maryland resident, said she had yet to start grade school when Carter was elected and thinks of him more as the white-haired former president who fought disease and advocated for democracy in the developing world and built homes for Habitat for Humanity in the US and abroad. 'He cared about other people,' she said, adding that political leaders today should work harder to replicate that example. 'That selflessness ' it always stood out.' Official ceremonies this week also have remembered Carter's religious convictions, long public service and decades of humanitarian work beyond what he accomplished in politics. Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune eulogized Carter day earlier at the Capitol, when his remains first arrived in the rotunda. Said Johnson in his tribute: 'In the face of illness, President Jimmy Carter brought lifesaving medicine. In the face of conflict, he brokered peace. In the face of discrimination, he reminded us that we are all made in the image of God. And if you were to ask him why he did it all, he would likely point to his faith.' Carter will remain at the Capitol until Thursday morning, when he is transported to Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral. President Joe Biden, a longtime Carter ally, will deliver a eulogy. Other living former presidents, including Trump, are expected to attend. After the funeral, the Boeing 747 that is Air Force One when a sitting president is aboard will carry Carter and his family back to Georgia. An invitation-only funeral will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church in tiny Plains, Georgia, where Carter taught Sunday School for decades after leaving office. Carter will be buried next to his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, in a plot near the home they built before his first state Senate campaign in 1962 and where they lived out their lives with the exception of four years in the Georgia Governor's Mansion and four years in the White House. 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
09 January,2025 08:39 AM IST | Washington | APA daytime Russian missile attack on the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 civilians and wounded about 30 others on Wednesday, officials said. Footage posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram channel shows civilians lying in a city street littered with debris. The post shows them being treated by emergency services and taken away on gurneys. Russian has frequently launched aerial attacks on civilian areas during the almost three-year war. Thousands of civilians have been killed in Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. Zelenskyy and regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov said Wednesday's attack killed at least 13 civilians. Minutes before the attack, Fedorov had warned of a threat of high-speed missiles and devastating glide bombs being fired at the Zaporizhzhia region. Russian troops started launching the glide bombs at Zaporizhzhia in the middle of the afternoon, and at least two bombs struck residential buildings in the city, Fedorov said. He announced that Thursday would be a day of mourning in the region. 'There is nothing more brutal than aerial bombing of a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Zelenskyy said earlier Wednesday that countries wanting to end the war should offer Ukraine assurances about its future defense. Kyiv officials fear that any ceasefire or peace deal will just give the Kremlin time to rearm and invade again unless it is deterred by military force. 'To be honest, I believe that we have a right to demand serious security guarantees from ' the countries that aim for the peace in the world,' Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy was responding at a news conference in Kyiv to comments the previous day by President-elect Donald Trump that he understood Russia's opposition to neighboring Ukraine joining NATO. The United States, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia have stood in the way of Ukraine immediately joining the 32-nation alliance, Zelenskyy noted. The alliance has said only that the country is on an 'irreversible path' to membership. Earlier, the Ukrainian military said it struck a fuel storage depot deep inside Russia, causing a huge blaze at the facility that supplies an important Russian air base.Russian officials acknowledged a major drone attack in the area, and said that authorities had set up an emergency command center to fight the fire. Ukraine's General Staff said the assault hit the storage facility near Engels, in Russia's Saratov region, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of the Ukrainian border. The depot supplied a nearby airfield used by aircraft that launch missiles across the border into Ukraine, a statement on Facebook said. Ukraine has been developing its arsenal of domestically produced long-range missiles and drones capable of reaching deep behind the front line as it faces restrictions on the range that its military can fire its Western-supplied missiles into Russia. The attacks have disrupted Russian logistics in the war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, and embarrassed the Kremlin. Zelenskyy said last year that his country has developed a weapon that could hit a target 700 kilometers (400 miles) away. Some Ukrainian drone attacks have hit targets more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) away. The governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, said that an unspecified industrial plant in Engels sustained damage from the falling drone debris that sparked a fire, but nobody was hurt. Engels, which has a population of more than 220,000, is located on the left bank of the Volga River, and is home to multiple industrial plants. Saratov, a major industrial city of about 900,000, faces Engels across the river. 'The damage to the oil base creates serious logistical problems for the strategic aviation of the Russian occupiers and significantly reduces their ability to strike peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects. To be continued,' the statement from Ukraine's General Staff said. Russian authorities restricted flights early Wednesday at the airports of Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Kazan and Nizhnekamsk, in an apparent response to the Ukrainian attack. The main base of Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bombers is located just outside Engels. It has come under Ukrainian drone attacks since the early stages of the war, forcing the Russian military to relocate most of the bombers to other areas. 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
09 January,2025 08:35 AM IST | Kyiv | APUS President-elect Donald Trump has warned that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the hostages being held by Hamas are not released by Inauguration Day, repeating the threat four times. Trump did not elaborate on what actions he might take if the captives are not released by the time he takes office. Officials say about 100 hostages, including some Americans, who were seized on October 7, 2023, remain captive in Gaza, though they believe many of them may have died in captivity. Trump will be sworn in on January 20 as the 47th President of the US. 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
09 January,2025 08:28 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesTens of thousands of residents in Southern California have been forced to evacuate as a series of fast-moving wildfires ravage the region, CNN reported. The most destructive, the Palisades fire, is spreading rapidly across Los Angeles, with homes destroyed and major roads closed. Authorities are scrambling to manage the situation, with widespread evacuations and emergency declarations. The out-of-control Palisades fire, which has burned more than 2,900 acres, is blazing through nearly five football fields per minute. It has prompted an emergency declaration from Los Angeles officials, who warned that the worst is yet to come due to the “tornado-like” winds complicating the firefighting efforts. As the fire approached key roads, including Sunset Boulevard, many drivers were told by fire officials to abandon their vehicles and flee. Two new fires erupted in Los Angeles on Tuesday. One has scorched 100 acres, while the other grew to 1,000 acres in just six hours. 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
09 January,2025 08:27 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesPresident-elect Donald Trump told residents of Greenland that “we’re going to treat you well” as his oldest son visited the mineral-rich Danish territory that’s home to a large US military base, heightening speculation that the incoming US administration could seek to acquire it. The president-elect later told a news conference he wouldn’t rule out using military force or economic coercion to take control of Greenland, saying that “we need it for national security”. He said Denmark should give up its control of Greenland or it would face high tariffs and suggested people of Greenland could vote for independence or to become the part of the US. In a statement, Greenland’s government said Donald Trump Jr.’s visit was taking place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him. Why is Greenland coveted? Think of Greenland as an open refrigerator door or thermostat for a warming world, and it’s in a region that is warming four times faster than the rest of the globe. Locked inside are valuable rare earth minerals needed for telecommunications, as well as uranium, billions of untapped barrels of oil and a vast supply of natural gas that used to be inaccessible but is becoming less so. Many of the same minerals are currently being supplied mostly by China, so other countries such as the US are interested, Dabelko said. Three years ago, the Denmark government suspended oil development offshore from the territory of 57,000 people. Panama Canal, Canada bid Trump has also hinted at military force to take control of the Panama Canal and “economic force” to acquire Canada, CNN reported. Since his election, Trump has repeatedly expressed his interest in gaining control of the Panama Canal. However, when asked whether he would also use the military to acquire Canada, he responded, “No, economic force.” Trump, in his recent social media posts, has said that Canada should become the 51st state of the US. He even used Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stepping down as PM and Liberal Party leader to reiterate his stance that Canada becomes the 51st state of the US. Further, Trump said that he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America “which has a beautiful ring and is appropriate.” 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
09 January,2025 08:27 AM IST | Greenland | AgenciesRescuers in the freezing, high-altitude Tibet region in western China searched a second day for any remaining victims of a deadly earthquake that struck near a holy city for Tibetan Buddhists, before shifting their focus to resettling the survivors. More tents, quilts, stoves and other relief items were being delivered on Wednesday to people whose homes were uninhabitable or unsafe. Temperatures fall well below freezing overnight in an area with an average altitude of about 13,800 feet. In video aired by state broadcaster CCTV, workers could be seen erecting rows of tents with metal frames and stakes after nightfall on Tuesday. Meant as temporary shelter, they were lined with quilted padding to keep out the cold. The workers distributed packaged food items to the shelter occupants, donning blue winter jackets over their orange uniforms. The confirmed death toll stood at 126 with another 188 injured as of Tuesday evening, and no further updates were issued during the day on Wednesday. Hong Li, the director of Tibet’s Emergency Management Department, told a late afternoon news conference that the work had shifted from search and rescue to resettlement and reconstruction. The earthquake struck an outlying county in the city of Shigatse, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism. More than 500 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquake, which the US Geological Survey said measured magnitude 7.1. China’s earthquake center recorded a magnitude of 6.8. The quake was also about 75 km from Mount Everest and the border with Nepal. 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
09 January,2025 08:26 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesA renowned Israeli TV journalist who lost his ability to speak clearly because of ALS is now using Artificial Intelligence (AI) software that can recreate his widely recognised gravelly voice to make a comeback. Moshe Nussbaum, 71, known to generations of viewers simply as ‘Nussi’, was diagnosed two years ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body. At the time, he vowed to viewers of Israel’s Channel 12 News to continue working as long as he was physically able. But, gradually, this became very difficult. After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, though he was having trouble moving and speaking, he launched a segment interviewing injured soldiers from Israeli hospitals. However, as it became increasingly difficult for Nussbaum to speak, and to be understood, his interviews became less frequent. On Monday, Channel 12 said Nussbaum would be back as a commentator, with the help of AI. He will report his stories, and then write them up, using an AI program trained to speak using his voice. He will be filmed as if he were presenting, and his lips will be “adjusted” to match the words. 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
09 January,2025 08:25 AM IST | Jerusalem | AgenciesPresident-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America,' a name he said has a 'beautiful ring to it.' It's his latest suggestion to redraw the map of the Western Hemisphere. Trump has repeatedly referred to Canada as the '51st State,' demanded that Denmark consider ceding Greenland, and called for Panama to return the Panama Canal. Here's a look at his comment and what goes into a name. Why is Trump talking about renaming the Gulf of Mexico? Since his first run for the White House in 2016, Trump has repeatedly clashed with Mexico over a number of issues, including border security and the imposition of tariffs on imported goods. He vowed then to build a wall along the US-Mexico border and make Mexico pay for it. The US ultimately constructed or refurbished about 450 miles of wall during his first term. The Gulf of Mexico is often referred to as the United States' 'Third Coast' due to its coastline across five southeastern states. Mexicans use a Spanish version of the same name for the gulf: 'El Golfo de México.' Americans and Mexicans diverge on what to call another key body of water, the river that forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Americans call it the Rio Grande; Mexicans call it the Rio Bravo. Can Trump change the name of the Gulf of Mexico?Maybe, but it's not a unilateral decision, and other countries don't have to go along. The International Hydrographic Organisation ' of which both the United States and Mexico are members ' works to ensure all the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them. There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation. It can be easier when a landmark or body of water is within a country's boundaries. In 2015, then-President Barack Obama approved an order from the Department of Interior to rename Mount McKinley ' the highest peak in North America ' to Denali, a move that Trump has also said he wants to reverse. Just after Trump's comments on Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said during an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson that she would direct her staff to draft legislation to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, a move she said would take care of funding for new maps and administrative policy materials throughout the federal government. How did the Gulf of Mexico get its name?The body of water has been depicted with that name for more than four centuries, an original determination believed to have been taken from a Native American city of 'Mexico.' Has renaming the Gulf of Mexico come up before?Yes. In 2012, a member of the Mississippi Legislature proposed a bill to rename portions of the gulf that touch that state's beaches 'Gulf of America,' a move the bill author later referred to as a 'joke.' That bill, which was referred to a committee, did not pass. Two years earlier, comedian Stephen Colbert had joked on his show that, following the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it should be renamed 'Gulf of America' because, "We broke it, we bought it.' Are there other international disputes over the names of places?There's a long-running dispute over the name of the Sea of Japan among Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, with South Korea arguing that the current name wasn't commonly used until Korea was under Japanese rule. At an International Hydrographic Organisation meeting in 2020, member states agreed on a plan to replace names with numerical identifiers and develop a new digital standard for modern geographic information systems. The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of 'Gulf' and 'Arabian Gulf' is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company's decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. There have been other conversations about bodies of water, including from Trump's 2016 opponent. According to materials revealed by WikiLeaks in a hack of her campaign chairman's personal account, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2013 told an audience that, by China's logic that it claimed nearly the entirety of the South China Sea, then the US after World War II could have labelled the Pacific Ocean the 'American Sea.'
08 January,2025 08:46 AM IST | Washington | APUS President-elect Donald Trump warned that "all hell will break out in the Middle East" if hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are not released before his inauguration on January 20, CNN reported. While addressing a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday (local time), Trump said, "It will not be good for Hamas and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. All hell will break out. I don't have to say anymore, but that's what it is," adding that "there should have never been" the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel. Steve Witkoff, who has been chosen by Trump to serve as the special envoy to the Middle East, expressed an optimistic view about the state of negotiations to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that would secure the release of the hostages, saying negotiators are "making a lot of progress," CNN reported. He further said, "It's the president, his reputation, the things that he has said that are driving this negotiation, and so hopefully it'll all work out and we'll save some lives." Earlier, it was reported that Biden administration officials were taking the lead in the talks, while their incoming Trump counterparts were being updated regarding the developments. A senior Biden administration office offered a much more cautious tone after Trump and Witkoff's statement. Speaking to CNN, the official stated that the negotiations remain difficult. The official, who refused to speak about the status of the negotiations, insisted that despite Witkoff appearing to suggest that the deal was possible before January 20, the talks are challenging. According to the official, the Biden administration has been working in "close coordination" with the incoming Trump national security team. The Biden administration has been trying to help broker a ceasefire in Gaza for over a year. However, they have not been successful in their efforts. Notably, dozens of hostages were released in the first ceasefire, which was agreed weeks after the October 7 attack. However, efforts to halt the fighting and secure the release of more hostages have failed. During the press conference, Trump also refused to rule out the use of military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and "economic force" to acquire Canada, CNN reported. When asked whether he would rule out using "military or economic coercion" to achieve his goal of gaining those territories. he responded, "No, I can't assure you on either of those two, but I can say this, we need them for economic security." Trump said Denmark should give up its control of Greenland or it would face high tariffs. He suggested people of Greenland could vote for independence or to become part of the United States. He said, "I'm talking about protecting the free world." Since his election, Trump has repeatedly expressed his interest in gaining control of the Panama Canal and Greenland. Trump said later that he would only use "economic force" and not military force against Canada. When asked whether he would also use the military to acquire Canada, Trump responded, "No, economic force." He continued, "You get rid of that artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like -- and it would also be much better for national security." In recent weeks, Trump in his social media posts has said that Canada should become the 51st state of the US. He even used Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's announcement of his plan to step down as PM and Liberal Party leader to reiterate his stance that Canada becomes the 51st state of the US. Trump criticised former US President Jimmy Carter's decision to hand control of the Panama Canal back to Panama during his presidency, CNN reported. Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on December 29, negotiated treaties that provided for the handover of the Panama Canal to Panama. He said, "The Panama Canal is a disgrace." Trump said, "What took place at the Panama Canal, Jimmy Carter gave it to them for USD 1 and they were supposed to treat us well." The US President-elect said that he would be renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. He said, "We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America -- what a beautiful name. And it's appropriate." He slammed the Biden administration's handling of the transition ahead of his inauguration ceremony on January 20. Trump said the Biden administration is "trying everything they can to make it more difficult" and wants to "block the reforms of the American people and that they voted for." Trump's remarks come a day after US Congress certified his election victory with no objections from any lawmakers as the tally of states was announced on the House floor. Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes while Harris got 226 votes, a total that was confirmed during the certification on Monday, marking the final step in the election process before Trump returns back to the White House on January 20. 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
08 January,2025 08:38 AM IST | Florida | ANIADVERTISEMENT
