India, China Special Representatives for the border mechanism, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues, including management of peace and tranquillity along LAC and restoration of bilateral ties frozen for over four years due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh, reported news agency PTI. Doval, who is heading the Indian delegation, arrived in China on Tuesday to take part in the 23rd round of the Special Representatives' talks being held after a gap of five years. The last meeting was held in 2019 in Delhi. The talks began at 10 am China time. The two officials were expected to discuss a range of issues to rebuild the bilateral ties following the October 21 agreement of disengagement and patrolling in eastern Ladakh between the two countries, reported PTI. On Tuesday, China expressed optimism about the talks saying that it is ready to work with India to implement the commitments based on the common understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during their meeting at Kazan in Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on October 24. China is prepared to settle differences with sincerity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here when asked about the Special Representatives (SR) talks, reported PTI. China is ready to work with India to implement the important common understandings between the leaders of China and India, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, strengthen mutual trust through dialogue and communication, properly settle differences with sincerity and good faith, and bring bilateral relations back to the track of stable and healthy development as soon as possible, he said, reported PTI. The two SRs will discuss the management of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and explore a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question, as agreed upon during the meeting of the two leaders in Kazan, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday. After the Modi-Xi meeting, which was their first after five years, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil followed by a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on China-India Border Affairs (WMCC). The military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and was followed by a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June of that year resulting in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours. Barring trade, relations between the two countries virtually came to a standstill. The face-off effectively ended following the completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21. The SRs' meeting is regarded as significant as it is the first structured engagement between the two countries to restore relations. Constituted in 2003 to comprehensively address the vexed dispute of the India-China border spanning 3,488 km, the SRs mechanism over the years met 22 times. While success eluded it in resolving the boundary dispute, officials on both sides regard it as a very promising, useful and handy tool in addressing the recurring tensions between the two countries. (With inputs from PTI)
18 December,2024 10:27 AM IST | Beijing | mid-day online correspondentIsrael rolled out its first domestically made operational quantum computer, laying the groundwork for further technological advancements. “This power will have a dramatic impact on science and the global hi-tech industry. This is an important milestone,” said Eli Bin, Chief Executive Officer of the Israel Innovation Authority, which worked in collaboration with the Israel Aerospace Industries, Hebrew University, and Yissum, the university’s technology transfer company. Quantum computers can handle tasks like cryptography, optimisation, material science, and simulations of complex systems. Quantum computing also promises to revolutionise computing speed and capacity. 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
18 December,2024 08:26 AM IST | Jerusalem | AgenciesNational Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived here on Tuesday to take part in the India-China Special Representatives’ talks to be held on Wednesday aimed at restoring the bilateral ties stalled for over four years due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Doval will hold the 23rd round of the Special Representatives’ (SR) talks with his Chinese counterpart and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and is expected to discuss a range of issues to rebuild the bilateral ties following the October 21 agreement of disengagement and patrolling in eastern Ladakh between the two countries. Ahead of crucial talks, China said on Tuesday that it is ready to honour commitments based on the common understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during their meeting at Kazan in Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on October 24. The military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and followed by a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours. 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
18 December,2024 08:25 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesAn elephant that lived at the zoo on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali was found dead on Tuesday after being swept away by a strong river current. Molly, a 45-year-old female Sumatran elephant was one of two being guided by a mahout to a holding area outside of the zoo grounds through a river on Monday afternoon. The activity was part of their daily routine of mental and physical stimulation. The first elephant had made it across and Molly was in the river when the current suddenly increased due to heavy rain upstream. “Molly lost her balance and was swept away by the current,” the zoo said. The mahout was uninjured. 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
18 December,2024 08:23 AM IST | Indonesia | AgenciesSouth Korea’s acting leader—Prime Minister Han Duck-soo—vowed on Tuesday to convey to the world that things are back to normal following parliament’s impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, as rival parties squabble over the appointments of justices who will determine his fate. The opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach Yoon last Saturday over his short-lived December 3 martial law imposition, suspending Yoon’s presidential powers until the Constitutional Court determines whether he can continue in office. If Yoon is dismissed, a national election must be held within two months. To formally end Yoon’s presidency, the nine-member court panel needs support from at least six justices. But since three seats remain vacant following retirements, a unanimous decision in favour of Yoon’s impeachment is required to oust him. The court can rule on Yoon’s case with only the current six justices. But the opposition Democratic Party, which led the impeachment efforts against Yoon, said it will expedite restoring the justices to promote fairness. 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
18 December,2024 08:20 AM IST | Seoul | AgenciesPope Francis turned 88 on Tuesday and marked the occasion with revelations that he almost didn’t make it. According to excerpts of his upcoming autobiography, suicide bombers had planned to attack him during his 2021 visit to Iraq, but were killed before striking. In the excerpts, Francis recalled that Mosul had been the Islamic State headquarters and British intelligence informed Iraqi police that a woman wearing explosives was heading toward Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit. The visit went ahead as planned. Francis later asked his Vatican security detail what became of the suicide bombers. “The commander replied ‘Iraqi police had intercepted them and made them explode’. This struck me as well: Even this is the poisonous fruit of war,” he says in his book. 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
18 December,2024 08:19 AM IST | Rome | AgenciesThe head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces, Lt. General Igor Kirillov, was killed in an explosion outside a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow on Tuesday, reported news agency AP. The Russian Investigative Committee reported that the blast was caused by an explosive device strategically planted on a scooter. Kirillov's assistant also died in the blast, which was triggered by an explosive device placed in a scooter, officials said, reported AP. Russian authorities have formally opened a criminal investigation into the incident. Svetlana Petrenko, the committee's spokesperson, confirmed that investigators, forensic experts, and operational services are actively working at the crime scene to determine the precise circumstances of the attack. “Investigative and search activities are being carried out to establish all the circumstances around this crime,” she said in a statement. The timing of the assassination is notable, as Kirillov was sentenced in absentia by a Ukrainian court on Monday for allegedly using banned chemical weapons during Russia's military operation in Ukraine that started in February 2022. The Ukrainian Security Service, the SBU, claims to have documented over 4,800 instances of chemical weapon usage on the battlefield since February 2022, with a particular focus on K-1 combat grenades. During the almost 3-year operation, Russia has made small but steady territorial gains to the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls, reported AP. Russia targets Ukrainian infra with massive attack by cruise missiles, drones In another news, Russia on Friday had launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine, which involved dozens of cruise missiles and drones. To cripple the country’s electricity system, this was the latest such strike. Ukraine’s energy minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on his Facebook page that the Russian military targeted the Ukrainian power grid. “The enemy continues its terror,” he said. Halushchenko said energy workers do everything necessary to “minimise negative consequences for the energy system,” promising to release more details on damages once the security situation allows it. Multiple strike drones launched at Ukraine overnight followed by swarms of cruise missiles in the country’s air space, reported Ukraine’s air force. (With agency inputs)
17 December,2024 02:36 PM IST | Moscow | mid-day online correspondentCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces the biggest test of his political career after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, long one of his most powerful and loyal ministers, announced Monday that she was resigning from the Cabinet. It was a move that stunned the country and raised questions about how much longer the unpopular Trudeau can stay in his job. Freeland, who was also deputy prime minister, said that Trudeau had told her Friday that he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and that he offered her another role in the Cabinet. But she said in her resignation letter to the prime minister that the only "honest and viable path" was to leave the Cabinet. "For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada," Freeland said. Freeland and Trudeau disagreed about a two-month sales tax holiday and $250 Canadian ($175) checks to Canadians that were recently announced. Freeland said that Canada is dealing with US President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose sweeping 25% tariffs and should eschew "costly political gimmicks" it can "ill afford". "Our country is facing a grave challenge," Freeland said in the letter. "That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war." The resignation comes as Freeland, who chaired a Cabinet committee on US relations, was set to deliver the fall economic statement and likely announce border security measures designed to help Canada avoid Trump's tariffs. The US president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the US from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the numbers of migrants and drugs. Trudeau has said that he plans on leading the Liberal Party into the next election, but there are some party members who don't want him to run for a fourth term. It wasn't immediately clear what Freeland's resignation from the Cabinet means for Trudeau's immediate future. "This news has hit me really hard," a shocked Transport Minister Anita Anand said. She added that she needed to digest it before commenting further. Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said that the government is losing control at the worst possible time. "Justin Trudeau has lost control, but he's hanging onto power," Poilievre said. "All this chaos, all this division, all this weakness is happening as our largest neighbour and closet ally is imposing 25% tariffs under a recently elected Trump with a strong mandate, a man who knows how to identify weakness." No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms. The federal election has to be held before October. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one major party in Parliament, because they don't hold an outright majority themselves. If the opposition New Democratic Party, or NDP, pulls support, an election can be held at any time. Trudeau channelled the star power of his father in 2015, when he reasserted the country's liberal identity after almost a decade of Conservative Party rule. But the son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now in big trouble. Canadians have been frustrated by the rising cost of living and other issues like immigration increases following the country's emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic. "As a country we have to project strength," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. "It's chaos right now up in Ottawa." Trudeau's legacy includes opening the doors wide to immigration. He also legalised cannabis and brought in a carbon tax intended to fight climate change. Freeland said in the resignation letter that Canadians "know when we are working for them, and they equally know when we are focused on ourselves. Inevitably, our time in government will come to an end." Freeland's resignation comes as Trudeau has been trying to recruit Mark Carney to join his government. Carney is the former head of the Bank of England and Bank of Canada. He was so well regarded after helping Canada dodge the worst of the global economic crisis that the UK named him the first foreigner to serve as governor of the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694. Carney has long been interested in entering politics and becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. It wasn't immediately clear if Carney has agreed to join Trudeau's Cabinet. "This is quite a bombshell," said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. "Freeland was not only finance minister but also deputy prime minister and, until a couple of years ago, was seen as Trudeau's heir as Liberal leader and prime minister." Wiseman said that leaks from the prime minister's office suggest that she was a poor communicator and made Freeland's status questionable. "There was talk about her becoming foreign minister again and that would have been a good fit for her, but the stab in the back from the prime minister's office cast the die," Wiseman said. Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, also called it a political earthquake and not just because Freeland was the second most powerful official in government. "Also because of how she resigned: by publishing a letter on social media that clearly criticizes the prime minister only hours before she was supposed to present the government's fall economic statement," Béland said. "This is clearly a minority government on life support but, until now, the (opposition) NDP has rejected calls to pull the plug on it. It's hard to know whether this resignation will force the NDP to rethink its strategy." NDP leader Jagmeet Singh released a statement, but didn't say whether his party would vote to topple the government. "While the Liberals fight with each other, I believe we should be fighting for Canadians jobs at risk from Donald Trump's tariffs," Singh said in a statement. "People deserve a government that fights for you for a change." 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
17 December,2024 08:35 AM IST | Toronto | AP | PTIPresident-elect Donald Trump on Monday suggested that he may reverse President Joe Biden's recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. Trump called the decision made by Biden last month "stupid." He also expressed anger that his incoming administration was not consulted before Biden made the move. With the loosening of the restrictions, Biden gave Ukraine long-sought permission to use the Army Tactical Missile System provided by the U.S. to strike Russian positions hundreds miles from its border. "I don't think that should have been allowed, not when there's a possibility " certainly not just weeks before I take over," Trump said during at a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort. "Why would they do that without asking me what I thought? I wouldn't have had him do that. I think it was a big mistake." Trump's withering criticism of the Biden administration's move comes as the Democratic administration aims to push every last dollar already designated for Ukraine out the door to help repel Russia's invasion before Trump takes office on Jan. 20, with future aid uncertain. But even as Biden tries to surge weaponry and other aid to Ukraine in his final five weeks in office, the moment underscored that it's Trump who holds the most significant influence over how Ukraine can use its U.S.-provided arsenal in the long run. It's a critical piece of leverage he could use to try to follow through on his campaign pledge to bring about a swift end to the conflict. Asked if he would consider reversing the Biden administration decision, Trump responded: "I might. I think it was a very stupid thing to do." The White House pushed back on Trump's criticism, noting that the decision was made after months of deliberations that started before last month's election. "All I can assure you is that in the conversations we've had with them since the election, and we've had at various levels, we have articulated to them the logic behind it, the thinking behind it, why we were doing it," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said of the current administration's coordination with the outgoing administration. Trump's relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been scrutinised since his 2016 campaign for president, when he called on Russia to find and make public missing emails deleted by Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent. Trump publicly sided with Putin over U.S. intelligence officials on whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 election to help him, and Trump has praised the Russian leader and even called him "pretty smart" for invading Ukraine. Vice President-elect JD Vance has said that while the U.S. has differences with Russia, it was counterproductive to approach Moscow as an enemy. Trump on Monday reiterated his call on both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war, calling the death and despair caused by the conflict "carnage." But Trump also appeared to acknowledge that finding an immediate endgame to the war " something he has previously said he could get done within 24 hours of taking office " could be difficult. "I think the Middle East will be in a good place," Trump said, referring to the conflict in Gaza and an unsettled Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. "I think actually more difficult is going to be the Russia-Ukraine situation." Trump declined to say whether he has spoken with Putin since the election. Zelenskyy met with Trump in Paris earlier this month, while the president-elect was visiting France for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have been making a forceful effort to get Trump to maintain support for Ukraine. But the situation on the ground in Ukraine continues to remain complicated as both sides wrestle for a battlefield advantage that will give them leverage in any negotiations to end the nearly three-year war. The Pentagon last week unveiled U.S. intelligence that predicts Russia could again launch its lethal new intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine soon. Putin deployed the missile for the first time last month days after Biden loosened the restrictions on Ukraine. Putin warned the West that Russia's next use could be against Ukraine's NATO allies who allowed Kyiv to use their longer-range missiles to strike inside Russia. Biden agreed to loosen the restrictions after Zelenskyy and many of his Western supporters had pressed Biden for months. They argued that the U.S. ban had made it impossible for Ukraine to try to stop Russian attacks on its cities and electrical grids. The outgoing president ultimately made the decision last month amid concerns about Russia deploying thousands of North Korean troops to help it claw back land in the Kursk border region that Ukraine seized this year. 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
17 December,2024 08:34 AM IST | Palm Beach | AP | PTIA teenage student opened fire with a handgun Monday at a private Christian school in Wisconsin, killing a teacher and another teenager during the final week before Christmas break. The shooter also died, police said. The shooter also wounded six others at Abundant Life Christian School, including two students who were in critical condition, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. A teacher and three students had been taken to a hospital with less serious injuries, and two of them had been released by Monday evening. "I'm feeling a little dismayed now, so close to Christmas," Barnes said. "Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. ... We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened." The shooter was a 17-year-old female student, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. Police said the shooter was dead by apparent suicide when officers arrived. Barnes declined to give details about the shooter, partly out of respect for the family. With a few rare exceptions, a 17-year-old can't legally possess a gun in Wisconsin. Barnes said investigators may have enough information to release more detail about the shooter in another press conference later Monday. He also warned people against sharing unconfirmed reports on social media about the shooter's identity. "What that does is it helps erode the trust in this process," he said. Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school " kindergarten through high school " with approximately 400 students in Madison, the state capital. Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations, said the school does not have metal detectors but uses other security measures including cameras. She said the school had done a safety retraining with the Madison Police Department just before the school year, so it was "very fresh for faculty." When the school practices safety routines, leaders always announce that it is a drill. That didn't happen Monday. "When they heard lockdown, lockdown,' they knew it was real," she said of the students, who she said "handled themselves magnificently." Children and families were reunited at a medical building about a mile away. Parents pressed children against their chests while others squeezed hands and shoulders as they walked side by side. One girl was comforted with an adult-size coat around her shoulders as she moved to a parking lot teeming with police vehicles. A motive for the shooting was not immediately known, but Barnes said they're talking with the parents of the suspected shooter and they are cooperating. He also said he didn't know if the people shot had been targeted. "I don't know why, and I feel like if we did know why, we could stop these things from happening," he told reporters. Someone from the school called 911 to report an active shooter shortly before 11 a.m. First responders who were in training just 3 miles (5 kilometers) away dashed to the school for an actual emergency, Barnes said. Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told the AP. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Police blocked off roads around the school, and federal agents were at the scene to assist local law enforcement. No shots were fired by police. Abundant Life asked for prayers in a brief Facebook post. Bethany Highman, the mother of a student, rushed to the school and learned over FaceTime that her daughter was OK. "As soon as it happened, your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters," Highman said. "There's nobody around you. You just bolt for the door and try to do everything you can as a parent to be with your kids." In a statement, President Joe Biden cited the tragedy in calling on Congress to pass universal background checks, a national red flag law and certain gun restrictions. "We can never accept senseless violence that traumatizes children, their families, and tears entire communities apart," Biden said. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said it's "unthinkable" that a child or teacher would go to school and never return home. Wiers said their goal is to get the school's staff together early in the week and then try to have some community opportunities for our students to reconnect. The school shooting was the latest among dozens across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas. The shootings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to doing active shooter drills in their classrooms. But school shootings have done little to move the needle on national gun laws. Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the country needs to do more to prevent gun violence. "I hoped that this day would never come to Madison," she 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
17 December,2024 08:34 AM IST | Madison | AP | PTIFrance was rushing help by ship and military aircraft to its poor overseas territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean on Monday after the island was shattered by its worst storm in nearly a century. Authorities in Mayotte fear hundreds and possibly thousands of people have died in Cyclone Chido, although the official death toll on Monday morning stood at 14. Rescue teams and medical personnel have been sent to the island off the east coast of Africa from France and from the nearby French territory of Reunion, as well as tons of supplies. French television station TF1 reported on Monday morning that Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau had arrived in Mamoudzou, the capital of Mayotte. “It will take days and days to establish the human toll,” he told French media. Over 800 more personnel are expected to arrive in the coming days as rescuers comb through the devastation caused by Chido when it hit the densely populated archipelago of around 300,000 people on Saturday. Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville, the top French government official in Mayotte, said on Sunday that the death toll could even be in the thousands. 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
17 December,2024 07:59 AM IST | Cape Town | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
