President Donald Trump issued a flurry of pardons in recent days, including for the father of a large donor to his super PAC, a former governor of Puerto Rico and a woman whose sentence he commuted during his first term but who ended up back in prison for a different scheme. Trump commuted the sentence of Adriana Camberos just before his first stint in the White House ended in 2021. That followed her being convicted as part of an effort to divert 5-Hour Energy drink bottles acquired for resale in Mexico and instead keep them in the US. Prosecutors said she and several co-conspirators attached counterfeit labels and filled the bottles with a phony liquid before selling them. In 2024, she and her brother, Andres, were convicted in a separate case, this one involving lying to manufacturers to sell wholesale groceries and additional items at big discounts after pledging that they were meant for sale in Mexico or to prisoners or rehabilitation facilities. The siblings sold the products at higher prices to US distributors, prosecutors said. The Camberoses were among 13 pardons Trump issued Thursday, along with eight commutations. An additional pardon was announced Friday for Terren Peizer, a resident of Puerto Rico and California who headed the Miami-based health care company Ontrak. Peizer had been convicted and sentenced to 42 months in prison, and fined USD 5.25 million, for engaging in an insider trading scheme to avoid losses exceeding USD 12.5 million, according to the Justice Department. The president has issued a number of clemencies during the first year of his second term, many targeted at criminal cases once touted by federal prosecutors. They've come amid a continuing Trump administration effort to erode public integrity guardrails, including the firing of the Justice Department's pardon attorney. Also pardoned this week was former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez, who had pleaded guilty last August to a campaign finance violation in a federal case that authorities say also involved a former FBI agent and a Venezuelan banker. Her sentencing had been set for later this month. Federal prosecutors had been seeking one year behind bars, something Vázquez's attorneys opposed as they accused prosecutors of violating a guilty plea deal reached last year that saw previous charges including bribery and fraud dropped. They had noted that Vázquez had agreed to plead guilty to accepting a promise of a campaign contribution that was never received. Also involved in the case was banker Julio Herrera Velutini, whose daughter, Isabela Herrera, donated USD 2.5 million to Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC in 2024, and gave the group an additional USD 1 million last summer. The case's third defendant was former FBI agent Mark Rossini, who was also pardoned by the president. The recent wave of clemencies joins previous Trump pardons of Democratic former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Republican ex-Connecticut Governor John Rowland, whose promising political career was upended by a corruption scandal and two federal prison stints. Trump also pardoned former US Republican Michael Grimm, a New York Republican who resigned from Congress after a tax fraud conviction and made headlines for threatening to throw a reporter off a Capitol balcony over a question he didn't like. Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who had been convicted of cheating banks and evading taxes, also got Trump pardons. The president also pardoned Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in a bribery and conspiracy case. He later expressed regret and frustration for having done so, however, when Cuellar announced he was seeking reelection without switching parties to become a Republican. 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 January,2026 10:22 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIPresident Donald Trump took the unusual step on Friday of thanking the Iranian government for not following through on executions of what he said was meant to be hundreds of political prisoners. "Iran cancelled the hanging of over 800 people," Trump told reporters while leaving the White House to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He added "and I greatly respect the fact that they cancelled." The Republican president also suggested on his social media site that more than 800 people had been set to be executed in Iran, but he said they now won't be. "Thank you!" Trump posted. Those sentiments come after Trump spent days suggesting that the US might strike Iran militarily if its government triggered mass killings during widespread protests that swept that country but now have quieted. The death toll from those demonstrations continues to rise, activists say. Still, Trump seemed to hint that the prospects for US military action were fading since Iran had held off on the executions. The president's rosy assessment did not appear to match the more complicated situation in Iran. Still, his pronouncements seemed to be more evidence of him backing away from his early comments that suggested a US attack on that country might be imminent. Trump had previously posted of Iran and the protesters there, "Help is on the way." But asked if that was still the case on Friday, he replied: "Well, we're going to see." Questioned specifically if Arab and Israeli officials might have convinced him to back down on seeming suggestions that he would strike Iran, Trump said, "Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself." "You had yesterday scheduled over 800 hangings. They didn't hang anyone," he said. "They cancelled the hangings. That had a big impact." Trump did not clarify who he was speaking to in Iran to confirm the state of planned executions. That's important since, even as he was offering Iran kind words, harsh repression that has left several thousand people dead appeared to have successfully stifled demonstrations across the country. Protests that began Dec. 28 over an ailing economy and morphed into protests directly challenging the country's theocracy seem to have stopped. There have been no signs of protests for days in Tehran, where shopping and street life have returned to outward normality, though a week-old internet blackout continued. Authorities have not reported any unrest elsewhere in the country. Still, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Friday put the death toll from demonstrations at 2,797, and that number continues to rise. Meanwhile, Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urged the US to make good on its perhaps now dwindling pledge to intervene, calling Trump "a man of his word." 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 January,2026 09:48 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Friday said she's confident of her country's eventual transition to democracy after the US military ousted former President Nicolás Maduro. But when pressed, she took pains to avoid giving details on her plans to return home or any timetable for elections in Venezuela. Her remarks reflect how President Donald Trump's endorsement of a Maduro loyalist to lead Venezuela for now has frozen out the nation's Nobel Peace Prize -winning crusader for democracy. Still, Machado has sought to cozy up to Trump, presenting her Nobel medal to him a day earlier at the White House. As Machado was meeting with Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Venezuela meeting with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, further confirmation that Maduro's longtime second in command was the woman that Washington preferred to see managing Venezuela at the moment. Speaking to reporters at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, Machado said she was "profoundly, profoundly confident that we will have an orderly transition" to democracy that would also transform Venezuela's self-proclaimed socialist government long hostile to the US into a strong US ally. Machado dismissed the perception that, in choosing to work with Rodríguez, Trump had snubbed her opposition movement, whose candidate was widely believed to have beaten Maduro in the 2024 presidential election. "This has nothing to do with a tension or decision between Delcy Rodríguez and myself," she said, before pivoting to vague assertions about her party's popular mandate and the government's dismal human rights record. "The only thing they have is terror," she said of Maduro's government. "It's not sustainable." In apparent deference to Trump, she provided almost no details on Friday about what they discussed or even what she thought the US should do in Venezuela, saying, "I think I don't need to urge the president on specific things." Trump has said little about his administration's plans for holding elections in Venezuela and far more about its vision for the nation's sanctions-hit oil industry as it presses ahead with plans for American oil companies to revive Venezuela's crumbling energy infrastructure. US officials also are exploring the possibility of reopening the US Embassy in Caracas, which Trump closed during his first administration. When asked about her hopes for election, Machado said she was not going to set a timeline or discuss specific dates. "We are in a complex phase," she said. Machado travelled to Washington looking to rekindle the support for democracy in Venezuela that Trump showed during his first administration. She presented him with the prize she won last year, praising him for what she said was his commitment to Venezuela's freedom. The Nobel Institute has been clear, however, that the prize cannot be shared or transferred. Trump, who has actively campaigned to be awarded the prize, said Machado left the medal for him to keep. "And by the way, I think she's a very fine woman," he said. "And we'll be talking again." But her efforts have so far done little to alter the Trump administration's perception that Rodríguez is best prepared to stabilize the South American nation. Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country." Machado crisscrossed Venezuela ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, rallying millions of voters looking to end 25 years of single party rule. When she was barred from the race, a previously unknown former diplomat, Edmundo Gonzalez, replaced her on the ballot. But election officials loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Machado, revered by millions in Venezuela, went into hiding but vowed to continue fighting until democracy was restored. She reemerged months later to pick up her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, the first time in more than a decade that she had left Venezuela. 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 January,2026 09:46 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIUS President Donald Trump has unveiled the list of people appointed to the "Board of Peace" to oversee phase two of his 20-Point Peace Plan to end the Gaza conflict. The name includes US State Secretary Marco Rubio, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House said in a statement. CEO of Apollo Global Management, Marc Rowan, and US Deputy National Security Adviser, Robert Gabriel, are also on the list. "Executive Board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza's stabilisation and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation," The White House said. President Trump, who is the Chairman of the Board of Peace, has appointed Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum as senior advisors, charged with leading day-to-day strategy and operations, and translating the Board's mandate and diplomatic priorities into disciplined execution. Additionally, Nickolay Mladenov, an Executive Board member, will serve as the High Representative for Gaza and act as the on-the-ground link between the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) NCAG is a vital step forward in implementing Phase Two of his Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict--a 20-point roadmap for lasting peace, stability, reconstruction, and prosperity in the region, White House said. The NCAG will be led by Ali Sha'ath, a widely respected technocratic leader who will oversee the restoration of core public services, the rebuilding of civil institutions, and the stabilisation of daily life in Gaza, while laying the foundation for long-term, self-sustaining governance, as per the statement. Additionally, to establish security, preserve peace, and establish a durable terror-free environment, Major General Jasper Jeffers has been appointed Commander of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), where he will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarisation, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials, the White House said. The announcement also named members of the Gaza Executive Board. Blair, Kushner and Witkoff were also named to the Gaza Executive board, along with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi and others. The announcement comes just days after Witkoff announced the launch of the second phase of the US-brokered plan to end Israel's war on Gaza. 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 January,2026 09:42 AM IST | Washington DC | ANIUnited States President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) reiterated his claim of having stopped a war between India and Pakistan, while also saying that Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif thanked him for saving at least 10 million lives. He made the remarks at the renaming of Southern Boulevard to Donald J Trump Boulevard. "In a year, we made eight peace deals and ended the war in Gaza. We have peace in the Middle East...We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting, two nuclear nations...The Pakistani Prime Minister said Donald Trump saved at least 10 million people, and it was amazing," he said. Trump has made similar claims many times since May 10 last year, stating that it was his pressure that led to peace between the two nuclear-armed neighbours as he makes his pitch for the Nobel Peace Prize. Following the much-anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump, almost two weeks after US strikes on Caracas, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado on Thursday said that she had presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump at the White House, describing the gesture as recognition for his support for Venezuelan freedom and democratic efforts. President Trump also acknowledged Machado's gesture, calling it "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect" in a post on Truth Social and thanked her for the medal. However, according to statements from the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute, once a Nobel Prize is awarded, it cannot be withdrawn, shared, or passed on to another individual, and the decision is permanent and remains in effect indefinitely As Trump continuous claims continue, it is worth noting that India has consistently denied any third-party involvement, maintaining that peace was brokered directly between the two countries following India's launch of Operation Sindoor to target terror bases in Pakistan. The operation was launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people back in April 2025. According to Indian officials, it was Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) who contacted his Indian counterpart on May 10 to request an end to hostilities. The ceasefire was then agreed upon. 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 January,2026 09:38 AM IST | Washington DC | ANIFormer South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison by the Seoul Central District Court on charges including obstruction of justice, in the first verdict related to his short-lived martial law declaration in December 2024. The court ruled that Yoon obstructed investigators attempting to detain him, violated the rights of Cabinet members who were not consulted on his martial law plan, and drafted and later destroyed a revised martial law proclamation after the decree was lifted. He was also accused of ordering the deletion of records from secure military phones. 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 January,2026 09:17 AM IST | Seoul | AgenciesResearchers have published the most complete map of Antarctica’s subglacial bedrock using Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis (IFPA), revealing thousands of unseen hills and ridges in the Maud Subglacial Basin, averaging 50 metres deep and 6 km wide. The map will guide future radar surveys and improve computer models of ice flow, helping predict Antarctic contributions to global sea-level rise, though further surveys are needed. However, despite its advances, the IFPA method relies on ice-flow assumptions that introduce uncertainties, and radar surveys — which are sparse and costly — remain best for finer features. 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 January,2026 09:15 AM IST | Santiago | AgenciesBreaking with the US, Canada has agreed to cut its 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday. Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would be an initial cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to 70,000 over five years. China will reduce its tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from about 84 per cent to about 15 per cent. Earlier on Friday, he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve relations between their two nations after years of acrimony. 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 January,2026 09:12 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesHorses can detect fear in humans by smell, becoming more wary of people who are scared. Researchers collected samples of odor compounds from armpits of humans and observed how horses behaved when exposed to the odors during tests. Samples were taken from people while they watched a scary video and a joyful video, as well as a neutral sample, and later placed on the nostrils of 43 different female horses. The horses exposed to odor compounds of volunteers who watched scary footage were likely to startle more easily, and less likely to approach 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
17 January,2026 09:09 AM IST | Paris | AgenciesIndian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Thursday hosted 12 Members of the US House of Representatives at India House, holding discussions on strengthening the India-US partnership across trade, technology, defence and security cooperation. Calling it “a special evening at India House,” Kwatra said he welcomed the “consistent, bipartisan support in the US Congress for the deepening India-US partnership.” The interaction covered wide-ranging areas including trade and economic ties, cutting-edge technology and innovation, robust defence cooperation and counterterrorism efforts. Highlighting India’s economic outlook, Kwatra noted that the country’s “strong economic growth, projected over 7 percent growth in the coming years — further strengthens this shared vision for prosperity and security. Kwatra shared some glimpses of his interaction with the representatives Sharing glimpses of the engagement on X, the ambassador said he welcomed Deborah Ross and Rob Wittman, co-chairs of the Congressional Study Group on India. The initiative, he said, aims to augment India’s engagement with the US House and Senate and is supported by the Association of Former Members of Congress and the Roundglass Foundation. Kwatra also acknowledged the participation of Jim Costa, Bill Huizenga, Ami Bera and Donald Norcross, saying he appreciated their perspectives on various aspects of the bilateral relationship. He further welcomed the support of Ron Estes, Chrissy Houlahan and Jay Obernolte, noting their guidance in strengthening the partnership between the two democracies.Referring to the newly elected lawmakers, Kwatra said he “valued the constructive exchanges on key pillars of bilateral cooperation” with members of the 119th Congress — Nathaniel Moran, Julie Johnson and Jefferson Shreve. Earlier in the day, the Indian envoy also met US Senator Steve Daines at India House. Sharing details of the meeting, Kwatra said, “Honored to welcome and host Senator Steve Daines at India House. We discussed various facets of our bilateral partnership including developments in trade, technology and innovation and the evolving global landscape.” He added that he deeply appreciated the senator’s insights and “strong support to the bilateral relationship,” underscoring the growing momentum in India-US ties. With ANI Inputs
16 January,2026 12:22 PM IST | Washington DC (US) | mid-day online correspondentUS President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) announced the formation of a "Board of Peace" as part of phase two of his 20-point peace plan to end the Gaza conflict, shifting the focus from ceasefire to demilitarisation, technocratic governance, and reconstruction. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States has "officially entered the next phase" of the Gaza peace plan following what he described as record levels of humanitarian aid delivered during the ceasefire period. "Since the ceasefire, my team has helped deliver record levels of humanitarian aid to Gaza, reaching civilians at historic speed and scale. Even the United Nations has acknowledged this achievement as unprecedented," Trump said. Trump said he would serve as Chairman of the newly created Board of Peace, which will back a Palestinian technocratic government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), to govern the territory during its transition period. "As Chairman of the Board of Peace, I am backing a newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the Board's High Representative, to govern Gaza during its transition," he said, adding that the leadership is committed to a peaceful future. According to Trump's post, with the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, the next phase will aim to secure a comprehensive demilitarisation agreement with Hamas, including the surrender of all weapons and the dismantling of all tunnels. "Hamas must IMMEDIATELY honor its commitments, including the return of the final body to Israel, and proceed without delay to full Demilitarization," Trump said, warning that the group could do so "the easy way, or the hard way." "The people of Gaza have suffered long enough. The time is NOW. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH," Trump added. This comes after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, in a post on X on Wednesday, formally announced the launch of Phase Two on behalf of the US President. "Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarisation and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorised personnel," Witkoff said. He added that the United States expects Hamas to fully comply with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage, warning that failure to do so would result in "serious consequences". Witkoff said Phase One of the plan had maintained the ceasefire, facilitated the return of all living hostages, and enabled the recovery of the remains of 27 of the 28 deceased hostages, while delivering humanitarian aid at an unprecedented scale. He also expressed gratitude to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for their mediation efforts, calling them "indispensable" to the progress achieved so far. The US-backed Gaza peace plan was implemented on October 10, 2025, resulting in the return of all hostages held by Hamas and bringing an end to the conflict in the embattled region. 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.
16 January,2026 11:05 AM IST | Washington DC (US) | ANIADVERTISEMENT
-1768544188816_d.png "Indian Envoy Kwatra with the 12 members of the US House of Representatives. PIC/X @AmbVMKwatra")
-1768541532463_d.png "US President Donald Trump (File Pic)")