The Supreme Court on Friday seemed likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United States beginning January 19 unless the popular social media programme is sold by its China-based parent company. Hearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company's connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech, either of TikTok or its 170 million users in the United States. Early in arguments that lasted more than two and a half hours, Chief Justice John Roberts identified as the "main concern" in the case TikTok's ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company's requirement to cooperate with the Chinese government's intelligence operations. If left in place, the law passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in April will require TikTok to "go dark" on January 19, lawyer Noel Francisco told the justices on behalf of TikTok. At the very least, Francisco urged, the justices should enter a temporary pause that would allow TikTok to keep operating. "We might be in a different world again" after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Trump, who has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, also has called for the deadline to be pushed back to give him time to negotiate a "political resolution". But it was not clear whether any justices would choose such a course. And only Justice Neil Gorsuch sounded like he would side with TikTok to find the ban violates the Constitution. ByteDance has said it won't sell the short-form video platform. But some investors have been eyeing it, including Trump's Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchi n and billionaire businessman Frank McCourt. On Thursday, McCourt's Project Liberty initiative said it, along with its unnamed partners, presented a proposal to ByteDance to acquire TikTok's U.S. assets. The consortium, which includes "Shark Tank" host Kevin O'Leary, did not disclose the financial terms of the offer. If TikTok isn't sold to an approved buyer, the federal law would prohibit app stores, such as those operated by Apple and Google, from offering the popular app. It would also bar internet hosting services from hosting TikTok. TikTok users who already have the app on their phones will continue to have access to it. But new users won't be able to download the app, and existing ones will no longer be able to receive updates. That will eventually render the app unworkable, the Justice Department has said in court filings. The federal law was the culmination of a yearslong saga in Washington over TikTok, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. US officials argue that the vast amounts of user data that TikTok collects, including sensitive information on viewing habits, could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. They also are concerned that the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who could pressure ByteDance to shape content on the platform in a way that's difficult to detect. TikTok, which sued the government last year over the law, has long denied it could be used as a tool of Beijing. The company negotiated with the Biden administration between 2021 and 2022 to resolve the concerns around US data privacy and potential algorithmic manipulation. In court documents, it has accused the administration of essentially walking away from those negotiations after it presented a draft agreement in August 2022. But the Justice Department has said the Biden administration concluded the proposal was "insufficient" because it would maintain TikTok's ties to China. The agency said the Executive Branch also could "neither trust ByteDance to comply nor detect noncompliance before it was too late". 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
11 January,2025 07:51 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIThe massive wildfires that have killed 10 people in the Los Angeles area and caused billions of dollars in property damage are the latest sign of the growing threat posed by climate change " one that President-elect Donald Trump will have to take more seriously than he did in his first term, a top adviser to President Joe Biden said. John Podesta, Biden's senior adviser for international climate policy, said one of the iconic images of Trump's first term showed him tossing paper towels to people in Puerto Rico who had been been ravaged by a hurricane. Many critics called Trump's action disrespectful, especially after he disputed a death count from Hurricane Maria that reached nearly 3,000 people. "You would think hopefully he would have learned from the public's reaction to that " that you have to take the science seriously. You have to take the facts seriously. You have to take the threat seriously,' Podesta said in an interview with The Associated Press. As the unfolding disaster in California demonstrates, "these challenges from extreme weather events that are induced by climate change are just getting worse and worse", Podesta said. "I think that, hopefully, the second Trump administration will indeed take this more seriously' than in Trump's first term. Trump, a Republican, has not been offering much sympathy as the wildfires rage. Instead, he claimed this week that he could do a better job managing the crisis, casting blame on California's Democratic governor. Trump has criticised his longtime political foe Gov. Gavin Newsom's forest management policies and falsely claimed the state's fish conservation efforts are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. Trump and his transition team have signalled that they will seek to reverse many of the mitigation actions the Biden administration has taken to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, including tighter pollution standards for power plants and cars and trucks. But Podesta suggested that when it comes to climate resilience " including hardening infrastructure to make it more resistant to climate change " Trump should listen to scientists and other experts. "At least when it comes to this question of resilience and adaptation, I think, that is not a liberal or conservative issue. That's not a red state or blue state issue. It's happening all across the country,' he said, citing Hurricane Helene, which devastated North Carolina and other states last fall. "North Carolina was used to hurricane damage, but not in the mountains and not in Asheville,' Podesta said. Trump and his team "would do well to understand " and listen to the experts in NASA and NOAA " and begin to plan and prepare for what is likely to be, again, an increasing risk across the country from these extreme weather challenges,' he said. Podesta and Ali Zaidi, Biden's domestic climate adviser, spoke to the AP as the White House released a report Friday on national adaptation and resilience planning strategy for climate change. "Across the United States, climate change is accelerating the frequency and fuelling the severity of extreme weather events, resulting in tragedies and new realities that once seemed unimaginable," the report said. The Phoenix area experienced 113 consecutive days of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit last year, leading to heat emergencies that disrupted schools and businesses, while devastating floods in Iowa and Minnesota forced thousands to evacuate and wiped out roads and rail lines, the report said. Hurricanes supercharged by warm ocean water ravaged communities in the Southeast, killing hundreds and cutting communities off from power and water, while wildfires in New Mexico, Oregon and California destroyed entire neighbourhoods, the report added. While the nation is moving to address the projected risks and impacts of climate change, there is far more work to do in the years ahead, the report said, urging an "all-hands-on deck effort across all levels of government," including federal, state, local, Tribal and territorial leaders. The climate adaptation report, submitted under the framework of the United Nations, reflects the reality that the United States is not exempt from climate damage that has ravaged developing countries and island nations, Zaidi said. "Development status does not grant any country climate-haven status," he said. "Just because the US has the biggest, most prosperous economy in the world does not mean climate risk stops at our borders. In our own communities, no place is impervious to this risk. All of us are on the hook to step up in a big way." While Trump has pledged to undo many of Biden's actions on climate change, Podesta and Zaidi were confident that the Democratic president's signature climate law will continue in the new administration. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022 with only Democratic support, authorizes about USD 270 billion for clean energy such as wind and solar power, with many projects located in Republican congressional districts. "There's no question that the public supports the buildout of clean power and wants to see that move forward," Podesta said, adding that many Republican governors are excited about new battery plants, manufacturing jobs and other investments in their states. "I think they'll want to try to do what they can to defend those investments and the jobs that go with them," he said, noting that more than 400,000 jobs have been created as a result of the IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law approved in 2021. "Walking away from all that would just be, not only bad policy, but really bad politics," 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
11 January,2025 07:50 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIA 30-year-old Indian national who was previously employed with a cruise line, has pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material, a US attorney said on Friday. Abdul Rouvoof Shaik faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to USD 250,000, and a period of supervised release of up to life. According to court documents, Shaik was previously employed by Carnival Cruise Lines and was arrested in July 2024 after special agents with the US Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, found he was in possession of child pornography at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans. Sentencing is scheduled for April 16, before United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle in New Orleans. 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
11 January,2025 07:50 AM IST | Washington | PTIEarth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024, with such a big jump that the planet temporarily passed a major climate threshold, several weather monitoring agencies announced on Friday. Last year’s global average temperature easily passed 2023’s record heat and kept pushing even higher. It surpassed the long-term warming limit of 1.5°C since the late 1800s that was called for by the 2015 Paris climate pact, according to the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Service, the UK’s Meteorology Office and Japan’s weather agency. The European team calculated 1.6°C of warming. Japan found 1.57°C and the British 1.53°C in releases of data coordinated to early Friday morning European time.American monitoring teams—NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the private Berkeley Earth—will release figures later. 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
11 January,2025 07:45 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome and discussed critical issues, including Ukraine’s defence needs and progress toward European Union membership. The Ukraine President’s Office in a statement said, “In Rome, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni. One of the key topics of their discussions was addressing Ukraine’s defence needs, particularly enhancing its air defence.” “We are now looking to expedite certain elements of the tenth military aid package. We have joint Italian-French SAMP/T air defence systems, and the number of missiles is very important for us… we are counting on it. There’s a batch of missiles we are already receiving, but there’s another batch that needs to be finalised for delivery to us,” said Zelensky. Zelensky and Meloni also paid special attention to talks on Ukraine’s EU membership. 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
11 January,2025 07:44 AM IST | Rome | AgenciesAs a part of the UAE’s continuous humanitarian efforts to support nations impacted by natural disasters, the UAE has dispatched 700 tonnes of urgent food supplies to the victims of floods that hit several areas in Somalia. The aid follows the directives of the UAE’s leadership to strengthen humanitarian endeavours and alleviate the suffering of people. 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
11 January,2025 07:44 AM IST | Abu Dhabi | AgenciesAn oil tanker that burned for weeks in the Red Sea and threatened a massive oil spill has been “successfully” salvaged, a security firm said on Friday. The ‘Sounion’ had been a disaster in waiting in the waterway, with 1 million barrels of crude oil aboard that had been struck and later sabotaged with explosives by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. It took months for salvagers to tow the vessel away, extinguish the fires and offload the remaining crude oil. The Houthis initially attacked the Greek-flagged Sounion tanker on Aug 21 with small arms fire, projectiles and a drone boat. A French destroyer operating as part of Operation Aspides rescued its crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, after they abandoned the vessel and took them to nearby Djibouti. The Houthis later released footage showing they planted explosives on board the Sounion and ignited them in a propaganda video. The Houthis have targeted some 100 merchant vessels since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. 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
11 January,2025 07:44 AM IST | Dubai | AgenciesInvestigators are considering an array of possible ignition sources for the huge fires that killed at least 10 people and destroyed thousands of structures in Los Angeles. In hilly, upscale Pacific Palisades, home to Hollywood stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal who lost houses in the fire, officials have placed the origin of the wind-whipped blaze behind a home on Piedra Morada Drive. Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire which started on Thursday. Pics/AFP While lightning is the most common source of fires in the US, according to the National Fire Protection Association, investigators were able to rule that out quickly. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton fire. The next two most common causes: fires intentionally set, and those sparked by utility lines. So far there has been no official indication of arson in either blaze. John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated large fires in California including the Oakland Hills fire in 1991, said “People will focus on where it started, determine the origin and look around the origin and determine the cause.” Loss to state finances: Trump As for the impact of the fires on Californians, US President elect Donald Trump framed the losses as a potential hit to the state’s finances. “The biggest homes, some of the most valuable homes in the world are just destroyed. You talk about a tax base, if those people leave you’re going to lose half your tax base of California,” Trump said. Climate change: Biden Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said, “There is global warming. It’s not about the politics… it’s about getting people some sense of security. Climate change is real.” 10,000Approx no. of structures destroyed by two wildfires 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
11 January,2025 07:44 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesPresident-elect Donald Trump was sentenced on Friday in his hush money case, but the judge declined to impose any punishment. The outcome cements Trump's conviction before he returns to power before while freeing him to return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine. Trump's sentence of an unconditional discharge caps a norm-smashing case that saw the former and future president charged with 34 felonies, put on trial for almost two months and convicted by a jury on every count. Yet, the legal detour — and sordid details aired in court of a plot to bury affair allegations — didn't hurt him with voters, who elected him to a second term. Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old Republican to up to four years in prison. Instead, he chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case but assured that Trump will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency. Merchan said that like when facing any other defendant, he must consider any aggravating factors before imposing a sentence, but the legal protection that Trump will have as president “is a factor that overrides all others”. “Despite the extraordinary breadth of those legal protections, one power they do not provide is that they do not erase a jury verdict," Merchan said. Trump, briefly addressing the court as he appeared virtually from his Florida home, said his criminal trial and conviction has “been a very terrible experience” and insisted he committed no crime. The Republican former president, appearing on a video feed 10 days before he is inaugurated, again pilloried the case, the only one of his four criminal indictments that has gone to trial and possibly the only one that ever will. “It's been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and obviously, that didn't work," Trump said. Trump called the case “a weaponisation of government” and “an embarrassment to New York”. With Trump 10 days from inauguration, Judge Juan M. Merchan has indicated he plans a no-penalty sentence called an unconditional discharge, and prosecutors aren't opposing it. That would mean no jail time, no probation and no fines would be imposed, but nothing is final until Friday's proceeding is done. Prosecutors said Friday that they supported a no-penalty sentence, but they chided Trump's attacks on the legal system throughout and after the case. “The once and future President of the United States has engaged in a coordinated campaign to undermine its legitimacy,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said. Rather than show remorse, Trump has “bred disdain” for the jury verdict and the criminal justice system, Steinglass said, and his calls for retaliation against those involved in the case, including calling for the judge to be disbarred, "has caused enduring damage to public perception of the criminal justice system and has put officers of the court in harm's way”. As he appeared from his Florida home, the former president was seated with his lawyer Todd Blanche, whom he's tapped to serve as the second-highest ranking Justice Department official in his incoming administration. “Legally, this case should not have been brought,” Blanche said, reiterating Trump's intention to appeal the verdict. That technically can't happen until he's sentenced. Regardless of the outcome, Trump, a Republican, will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency. The judge has indicated that he plans the unconditional discharge — a rarity in felony convictions — partly to avoid complicated constitutional issues that would arise if he imposed a penalty that overlapped with Trump's presidency. Before the hearing, a handful of Trump supporters and critics gathered outside. One group held a banner that read, “Trump is guilty.” The other held one that said, “Stop partisan conspiracy” and “Stop political witch hunt.” The hush money case accused Trump of fudging his business' records to veil a USD 130,000 payoff to porn actor Stormy Daniels. She was paid, late in Trump's 2016 campaign, not to tell the public about a sexual encounter she maintains the two had a decade earlier. He says nothing sexual happened between them, and he contends that his political adversaries spun up a bogus prosecution to try to damage him. “I never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge,” the Republican president-elect wrote on his Truth Social platform last week. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the charges, is a Democrat. Bragg's office said in a court filing Monday that Trump committed “serious offenses that caused extensive harm to the sanctity of the electoral process and to the integrity of New York's financial marketplace”. While the specific charges were about checks and ledgers, the underlying accusations were seamy and deeply entangled with Trump's political rise. Prosecutors said Daniels was paid off — through Trump's personal attorney at the time, Michael Cohen — as part of a wider effort to keep voters from hearing about Trump's alleged extramarital escapades. Trump denies the alleged encounters occurred. His lawyers said he wanted to squelch the stories to protect his family, not his campaign. And while prosecutors said Cohen's reimbursements for paying Daniels were deceptively logged as legal expenses, Trump says that's simply what they were. “There was nothing else it could have been called,” he wrote on Truth Social last week, adding, “I was hiding nothing.” Trump's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to forestall a trial. Since his May conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, they have pulled virtually every legal lever within reach to try to get the conviction overturned, the case dismissed or at least the sentencing postponed. The Trump attorneys have leaned heavily into assertions of presidential immunity from prosecution, and they got a boost in July from a Supreme Court decision that affords former commanders-in-chief considerable immunity. Trump was a private citizen and presidential candidate when Daniels was paid in 2016. He was president when the reimbursements to Cohen were made and recorded the following year. On one hand, Trump's defense argued that immunity should have kept jurors from hearing some evidence, such as testimony about some of his conversations with then-White House communications director Hope Hicks. And after Trump won this past November's election, his lawyers argued that the case had to be scrapped to avoid impinging on his upcoming presidency and his transition to the Oval Office. Merchan, a Democrat, repeatedly postponed the sentencing, initially set for July. But last week, he set Friday's date, citing a need for “finality.” He wrote that he strove to balance Trump's need to govern, the Supreme Court's immunity ruling, the respect due a jury verdict and the public's expectation that "no one is above the law”. Trump's lawyers then launched a flurry of last-minute efforts to block the sentencing. Their last hope vanished Thursday night with a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that declined to delay the sentencing. Meanwhile, the other criminal cases that once loomed over Trump have ended or stalled ahead of trial. After Trump's election, special counsel Jack Smith closed out the federal prosecutions over Trump's handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. A state-level Georgia election interference case is locked in uncertainty after prosecutor FaniWillis was removed from it. 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
10 January,2025 11:00 PM IST | New York | APAt least five people were killed and more than 1,000 structures were destroyed as fierce wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area, officials said. Fast-moving flames burned through homes and businesses as residents fled smoke-filled canyons and picturesque neighborhoods that are home to many celebrities. Gov Gavin Newsom said the state has deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to battle the blazes. Additionally, Oregon is sending 300 firefighters and Washington state 146 personnel. Utah, New Mexico and Arizona are also sending teams. Uber aids evacuations A burnt down home in Pacific Palisades, California Thousands have been notified to evacuate their homes because of the multiple fires burning in the Los Angeles region. Uber is offering free rides up to US$ 40 to active evacuation centers using the code WILDFIRE25, LA County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath said. Oscar nominations delayed The nominations announcement of the 97th Academy Awards, originally scheduled for January 17, has been postponed to January 19. The deadline for Oscar nomination voting has been extended by two days till January 14. Biden cancels Italy trip Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire US President Joe Biden has cancelled his visit to Italy, the final overseas trip of his presidency, to monitor the response to the devastating wildfires raging in Los Angeles. He was scheduled to leave for Italy on Thursday. Paris Hilton loses LA home Singer and actor Paris Hilton is one of those celebrities who was affected by the wildfire in Pacific Palisades, despite not being harmed physically. Hilton shared a video of a news broadcast that showed her house burning in Malibu. The actress said she felt “heartbroken” and that “no one should go through such an experience”. Mandy Moore, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, James Woods, Diane Warren, Cameron Mathison and Ricki Lake among celebrities who also lost their homes in wildfires. 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
10 January,2025 08:51 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesAn attack on Chad’s presidential palace left 18 assailants dead and six in custody, with one soldier killed and three wounded, state media reported on Thursday. The attack on Wednesday night occurred while Chadian President Mahamat Deby Itno was inside the palace, but authorities said the situation was quickly brought under control. “The situation is completely under control. There is no fear,” Foreign Affairs Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said while surrounded by soldiers in a live Facebook broadcast filmed inside what appeared to be a quiet presidential palace late on Wednesday. Koulamallah praised the vigilance of the palace guards, describing the attackers as disorganised and intoxicated by alcohol. 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
10 January,2025 08:50 AM IST | N’Djamena, Chad | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
