President Donald Trump has ordered the release of thousands of classified governmental documents about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which has fuelled conspiracy theories for decades. The executive order Trump signed Thursday also aims to declassify the remaining federal records relating to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The order is among a flurry of executive actions Trump has quickly taken the first week of his second term. Speaking to reporters, Trump said, 'everything will be revealed.' Trump had promised during his reelection campaign to make public the last batches of still-classified documents surrounding President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, which has transfixed people for decades. He made a similar pledge during his first term, but ultimately bended to appeals from the CIA and FBI to keep some documents withheld. Trump has nominated Kennedy's nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be the health secretary in his new administration. Kennedy, whose father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 while running for president and has said he isn't convinced that a lone gunman was solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President Kennedy, in 1963. The order directs the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to develop a plan within 15 days to declassify the remaining John F. Kennedy records, and within 45 days for the other two cases. It was not clear when the records would actually be released. Trump handed the pen used to sign the order to an aide and directed it to be given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination of President Kennedy have yet to be fully declassified. And while many who have studied what's been released so far say the public shouldn't anticipate any earth-shattering revelations, there is still an intense interest in details related to the assassination and the events surrounding it. 'There's always the possibility that something would slip through that would be the tiny tip of a much larger iceberg that would be revealing," said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of 'The Kennedy Half-Century.' 'That's what researchers look for. Now, odds are you won't find that but it is possible that it's there.' Kennedy was fatally shot in downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, as his motorcade passed in front of the Texas School Book Depository building, where 24-year-old assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had positioned himself from a sniper's perch on the sixth floor. Two days after Kennedy was killed, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer. In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of over 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president. During his first term, Trump boasted that he'd allow the release of all of the remaining records on the president's assassination but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released under President Joe Biden, some still remain unseen. Sabato, who trains student researchers to comb through the documents, said that most researchers agree that 'roughly' 3,000 records have not yet been released, either in whole or in part, and many of those originated with the CIA. The documents released over the last several years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time, and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas. There are still some documents in the collection though that researchers don't believe the president would be able to release. Around 500 documents, including tax returns, weren't subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement. And, researchers note, documents have also been destroyed over the decades. 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
24 January,2025 08:50 AM IST | Dallas | APHundreds of same-sex couples are tying the knot in Thailand on Thursday, as the country becomes the first in Southeast Asia to legalize marriage equality, according to a report by CNN. According to Bangkok Pride, which partnered with local authorities to organize the event, over 200 couples registered to marry at the Siam Paragon shopping centre. This bill marks a major victory for the LGBTQ+ community, which has spent more than a decade advocating for equal marriage rights. The law, approved by Thailand’s parliament and endorsed by the king in 2024, grants same-sex couples the ability to legally register their marriages, offering them full legal, financial, and medical rights, as well as adoption and inheritance rights. 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
24 January,2025 08:24 AM IST | Bangkok | AgenciesSouth Korean investigators asked prosecutors to indict the country’s detained President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law last month, as it accused him of rebellion, abuse of power and obstruction of parliament on Thursday. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials said that Yoon staged a “riot” and sought to undermine the constitution when he declared martial law on December 3 and sent troops and police officers to seal the National Assembly. Lee Jae-seung, deputy chief prosecutor at the CIO, said that Yoon also abused his power by mobilising troops for an illegitimate purpose and attempted to obstruct parliament’s right to vote. Yoon has said that his actions were intended to issue a warning to the opposition-controlled parliament. 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
24 January,2025 08:23 AM IST | Seoul | AgenciesIndia’s 10-year-old karting sensation Atiqa Mir is set to become the first female from the country to race in the World Series Karting (WSK) Championships after being signed by 29-time champions Babyrace for a full season. This was after her impressive results in a test session conducted at La Conca circuit in south of Italy. The racer from Jammu and Kashmir will also be the only female in the Mini class having a highly competitive grid of over 60 karts. 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
24 January,2025 08:23 AM IST | Italy | AgenciesTaiwan plans to cull up to 1,20,000 green iguanas, with supporters urging humane methods to bring down the animal’s population, which is wreaking havoc on the island’s agricultural sector. Around 2,00,000 of the reptiles are believed to be in the island’s southern and central areas, which are heavily dependent on farming, officials say. Specially recruited hunting teams killed about 70,000 iguanas last year, with bounties of up to US$ 15 each. Government officials have asked the public to help identify iguana nests and recommend fishing spears as the most humane means of killing the animals. 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
24 January,2025 08:23 AM IST | Pingtung | AgenciesA federal judge in Seattle is set to hear the first arguments on Thursday in a multi-state lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of the parents’ immigration status. US District Judge John Coughenour scheduled the session to consider the request from Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington. The case is one of five lawsuits being brought by 22 states and a number of immigrants rights groups across the country. The suits include personal testimonies from attorneys general who are US citizens by birthright, and names pregnant women who are afraid their children won’t become US citizens. The order, signed by Trump on Inauguration Day, is slated to take effect on February 19. It could impact hundreds of thousands of people born in the country, according to one of the lawsuits. In 2022, there were about 2,55,000 births of citizen children to mothers living in the country illegally and about 1,53,000 births to two such parents, according to the four-state suit filed in Seattle. ‘Can’t unfollow Trump, J D Vance’ Social media users, including celebrities like Demi Lovato and Gracie Abrams, are upset as they aren’t able to unfollow President Donald Trump, Vice President J D Vance, and First Lady Melania on Instagram, stating that the multinational technology conglomerate Meta is not allowing them to unfollow the head of the new US administration. Additionally, some raised concerns over the hashtag #Democrat being blocked on Instagram for this week. Trump heads to Davos, virtually Donald Trump is coming to Davos. Virtually. The US President is to speak Thursday to an international audience for the first time after returning to the White House, with a speech and question-and-answer session at the World Economic Forum’s annual event. The fourth day of the gathering also features Javier Milei, the brash president of Argentina, and Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Bangladesh’s interim leader after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. Man pardoned for US Capitol riot arrested Just a day after receiving a full pardon for his charges for the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riots by US President Donald Trump, Daniel Ball managed to find himself in trouble again on Tuesday but this time for a federal gun charge. Ball, a resident of Florida, appears to be the first rioter of the January 6 attacks to face new legal issues after the wide-reaching pardons granted to those involved in the US Capitol riot, The Hill reported. Mexican border states prep for deportations Mexico on Wednesday raised sprawling tents on the US border as it braced for US President Donald Trump to fulfil his pledge to carry out mass deportations. Nogales, Mexico—across from Nogales, Arizona—announced that it would build shelters on soccer fields and in a gymnasium. The border cities of Matamoros and Piedras Negras have also launched similar efforts. 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
24 January,2025 08:22 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesAir India, among several major international airlines, announced plans to resume flights to Israel inlight of ceasefire holding up in the country's north and south regions, PTI reported. "It's official now. We are resuming flights from March 2, 2025," a representative for Air India in Israel told PTI. Several Indians who are currently staying in Israel felt a sigh of relief as the Indian carrier's website opened bookings on the said route. As per PTI, travelling to the worn-torn country had become challenging with most of the major international airlines cancelling their operations to the Jewish state in view of the war in the north against Hezbollah and in the south against Hamas in Gaza, since October 23, 2023 when the Palestinian Islamic outfit had carried out a brutal attack on Israel. Air France announced that it will resume daily flights on the Paris-Tel Aviv route starting this week Saturday. The carrier also plans to increase its daily flight frequency in the upcoming months. Transavia France, a low-cost subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group, will also return flight operations on the Israel route on January 28. According to PTI, Lufthansa Group of airlines "including Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings" collectively announced on Thursday that they will gradually resume flights operating to and from Tel Aviv beginning February 1. British Airways will also return to Israel, resuming flights between Tel Aviv and London on April 5 with the initial plan of one daily flight. Irish low-cost giant Ryanair has also announced plans to operate a full summer schedule for Israel following suspension of flights to Ben Gurion Airport from February 2024. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on November 27 which has so far been holding up despite a few hiccups on the way, PTI reported. Ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel went into effect on Sunday leading to the exchange of Israeli hostages with Palestinian prisoners, bringing some calm to over fifteen months of fighting in the region. Large white buses carrying the detainees exited the gates of Israel’s Ofer prison, just outside the West Bank city of Ramallah, as celebratory fireworks erupted overhead. Crowds of Palestinians thronged the buses, chanting and cheering. (With inputs from PTI)
23 January,2025 07:10 PM IST | jerusalem | mid-day online correspondentAssam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday met Japan's State Minister of Justice Komura Masahiro and talked about the Assam government's plans to establish an industrial park dedicated to Japanese companies in the state, ANI reported. The duo also held talks on the shared values and ethos that ties India and Japan. In a post on X, CM Sarma wrote, "It was a privilege to meet H.E. Mr. Komura Masahiro, Japan's State Minister of Justice. We had an insightful conversation on the shared values and ethos that tie India and Japan, and particularly how ideals of Buddha form a spiritual bridge between our two societies." "During my discussion, I underlined Government of Assam's intention to establish an industrial park dedicated to Japanese companies. We also spoke at length at how talented youths from Assam can help bridge the demand for skilled workforce in Japan, through ongoing programs between our countries," the social post reads. It was a privilege to meet H.E. Mr. Komura Masahiro, Japan’s State Minister of Justice.We had an insightful conversation on the shared values and ethos that tie India and Japan, and particularly how ideals of Buddha form a spiritual bridge between our two societies. During my… pic.twitter.com/3vAdtQsPNk — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 23, 2025 Earlier on Wednesday, after wrapping up the first leg of the Advantage Assam 2.0 Roadshow in Seoul, Sarma arrived in Tokyo, to take forward the Advantage Assam Roadshow, ANI reported. According to ANI, the Chief Minister began his day by paying tributes to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi at Edogawa where he was given a warm reception by the Assamese diaspora with whom he had a heartful interaction and savoured homemade Assamese delicacies, as per a press release from Assam CMO. Following the reception, Himanta Biswa Sarma began his official engagements for the day by addressing the Advantage Assam Roadshow amidst the attendance of 160 business leaders. Sharing a post on X, he wrote, "Had a very engaging Day 1 in Japan where I had meetings with over 160 industry leaders and outlined our vision of Simplicity, Transparency, Efficiency and Effective Policy to attract investments into Assam." The Chief Minister highlighted the close Indo-Japan ties and Japan's continued support in a host of projects ongoing in the state of Assam in the fields of urban development, infrastructure, healthcare, and manpower among others, ANI reported. Earlier this week, CM Sarma concluded the first phase of his International Roadshow in South Korea for Advantage Assam 2.0. He had many productive meetings with stakeholders in various sectors like renewable energy, semiconductors, and small and medium enterprises. (With inputs by ANI)
23 January,2025 01:57 PM IST | Tokyo | mid-day online correspondentAs Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy pulled out of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), just 69 days after he was announced the co-head of the team along with tech billionaire Elon Musk, a report has revealed that it was the Tesla CEO who wanted Ramaswamy 'out' of the team. Politico reported citing three people with Elon Musk's preference said the billionaire made it known that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE in recent days. Hours after Trump's inauguration as the 47th US President, Ramaswamy announced that he would not co-head DOGE. Musk's ability to ice out Ramaswamy, who for a variety of reasons had irked some Republicans in Trump's circle, is the latest sign of his influence in the incoming administration. It presages an encore of all of the infighting that marked Trump's first term. Ramaswamy "just burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon," said a Republican strategist close to Trump advisers. "Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of DC." According to the report, Ramaswamy's comments on X during a discussion of H-1B visas were the 'main reason' for some Republicans' getting frustrated with him. In December last year, the Indian-origin leader criticised American culture, saying that tech companies hire foreign workers because the country that has "venerated mediocrity over excellence." "They wanted him out before the tweet -- but kicked him to the curb when that came out," one of the three people familiar with his departure, told Politico. Ramaswamy is planning to announce a run for Ohio Governor next week, as reported by Politico. A person close to DOGE said Musk did not think it was feasible for him to campaign for office while working on DOGE. Meanwhile, Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly lauded Ramaswamy and said that he "played a critical role in helping us create DOGE" and that his plan to run for governor "requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today." Politico reported citing sources, that Ramaswamy maintained to confidants as late as Saturday evening that he was actively involved in DOGE, saying he was at work writing executive orders. However, a person familiar with the arrangement informed that he had done almost no DOGE-related work since early December. Last week, he was hoping to achieve some significant milestones before leaving to run for governor. Now, Ramaswamy and his team are trying to present his exit in a positive light, especially since it's happening as Trump begins his term. Ramaswamy has chosen not to comment on the rumoured tensions between him and Musk. A person familiar with Ramaswamy's thinking said they are now on good terms and that "the reality is that it wasn't possible" to run for governor and co-lead DOGE "both at once." Ramaswamy attended US President Donald Trump's inauguration, where he spoke to Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff. On Monday morning, Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself with Musk shaking hands. "A new dawn," he wrote. But he was already on his way out. That same day, a person close to Ramaswamy who was granted anonymity to speak freely confirmed Ramaswamy was leaving, the Politico report stated. 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
23 January,2025 08:25 AM IST | Washington | ANIForty-one Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lanka Navy have been repatriated by authorities here, the Indian mission here said on Wednesday. Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for trespassing into each other’s waters. “41 Indian fishermen successfully repatriated from Sri Lanka! They are currently on their way home,” the Indian High Commission here said on X. Of the 41 fishermen, 35 were from Ramanathapuram district and had been detained near Katchatheevu on September 8, 2024. The Sri Lankan Navy alleged that they were engaged in cross-border fishing activities, a recurring issue in the region. The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan navy even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait—a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka—and seizing their boats. 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
23 January,2025 08:24 AM IST | Colombo | AgenciesChina’s navy has commissioned a new-generation frigate as competition rises with the US and other regional powers, saying the ship will “play a vital role in enhancing the overall combat effectiveness” of its forces. The first Type 054B frigate, christened the Luohe, was commissioned Wednesday in Qingdao, a port city in northern China where the PLAN’s northern fleet is based. The ship has a displacement of approximately 5,000 tonnes and includes stealth technology, combat command systems and firepower integration, “significantly enhancing overall performance”, the navy said. The Luohe’s armaments include a variety of machine guns for close combat and anti-air and anti-ship missiles, according to defense publications, some of which say the ship could become the backbone of the Chinese navy. China already has the world’s largest navy in terms of number of hulls, although its technology is sometimes seen as lagging. Its largest competitor, the US, has warned its navy could be outnumbered and has called for a building programme as well as reforms to put damaged ships into action sooner. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy operates mainly in waters off the Chinese east coast and in the huge and strategically crucial South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. 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
23 January,2025 08:23 AM IST | Taipei | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
