Israel's Ministry of Construction and Housing has initiated a plan to establish a new urban district near the train station in the city of Sderot located just north of Gaza. It was one of the cities attacked during the October 7 attack. The plan includes 5,000 new housing units, including apartments for students, about 370,000 square meters for commerce and employment, about 350,000 square meters for public buildings and about 40 acres of open spaces. The plan sees the complex surrounding the train station as a "central and significant focal point" in the region and strengthens it through the addition of residential, employment and commercial areas around the station. Also, the plan emphasizes a high-quality public space with an active front to encourage walking and community activity along the main streets, and creates a new urban fabric connecting Sapir College to the south, to the train station to the north and an interchange addition at the main entrance to the city. This, along with the creation of high-quality city-wide open spaces such as the river park and other public areas with high accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, the program maintains existing forests in its area for the well-being of the residents. Yehuda Morgenstern, CEO of the Ministry of Construction and Housing: "The expansion of the city of Sderot and the construction of 5,000 housing units is great news for the city, the south and the entire State of Israel. In recent years, Sderot has demonstrated significant development momentum and demographic growth." 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
30 June,2024 09:44 AM IST | Tel Aviv | ANIPresident Joe Biden is looking to recapture his mojo and reassure donors at a Saturday fundraiser that he is fully up to the challenge of beating Donald Trump. The 81-year-old's troubling performance at the first presidential debate Thursday rattled many Democrats, who see Trump after the Jan 6, 2021, insurrection as an existential threat to US democracy. Biden's meandering answers and struggles to respond to Trump prompted The New York Times editorial board to declare Friday that he should exit the race and that staying in would be a "reckless gamble." Biden and his wife, Jill, attended an afternoon campaign event in East Hampton, New York, the Long Island beach town where the real estate firm Zillow prices the median home at $1.9 million. Based on public records, the event that was closed to the news media was at the home of Avram Glazer, an owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. The couple then went to a second event in East Hampton at the home of investor Barry Rosenstein, whose wife, Lizanne, said the president was "a role model for what it is to get knocked down over and over and over again and get up." "We can waste time comparing debate nights," she continued. "But you know what? It's more meaningful to compare presidencies." Addressing the gathering, Biden quickly tore into Trump over his presidential record including his treatment of veterans and said of Thursday night's debate, "I didn't have a great night, but neither did Trump." Biden contended that the polling he's seen shows that Democrats moved up after the debate, saying of Trump: "The big takeaway was his lies." Scheduled later was an evening fundraiser in Red Bank, New Jersey. In the aftermath of Thursday night's debate, Biden flashed more vigour in speeches in North Carolina and New York on Friday, saying he believes with ¿all my heart and soul¿ that he can do the job of the presidency. The Biden campaign said it has raised more than $27 million on Thursday and Friday, including $3 million at a New York City fundraiser focused on the LGBTQIA+ community. Jill Biden told supporters Friday that he said to her after the debate, "You know, Jill, I don't know what happened. I didn't feel that great." The first lady then said she responded to him, "Look, Joe, we are not going to let 90 minutes define the four years that you've been president." The Democratic president still needs to allay the fears stirred by the debate as it seeped into the public conscience with clips and memes spreading on the internet and public pressure for him to bow out of the race. Democratic donors across New York, Southern California and Silicon Valley privately expressed deep concerns about the viability of Biden's campaign in the wake of his debate performance. In a series of text message chains and private conversations, they discussed the short list of possible replacements, a group that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris. But on Friday, there was no formal push to pressure Biden to step aside and some suspected there never would be given the logistical challenges associated with replacing the presumptive nominee just four months before Election Day. Some donors noted they were going to pause their personal giving. They said receipts from Biden's weekend fundraiser would almost certainly be strong because the tickets were sold and paid for before the debate. 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
30 June,2024 09:41 AM IST | East Hampton | APAt least 18 people were killed and 48 others were injured in bomb blasts in Nigeria's northeast Borno state, CNN reported, citing the state's emergency services. The first blast occurred at a wedding ceremony at about 3 pm (local time) on Saturday. Then, another blast took place at General Hospital Gwoza and a third at a funeral. Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Director General Barkindo Muhammad Saidu Barkindo Muhammad Saidu visited the site of the incident in Gwoza Town, CNN reported. According to Borno State Emergency Management Agency-SEMA, men, women and children were among the deceased, the report said. No further details were provided regarding the incident. 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
30 June,2024 09:18 AM IST | Borno | ANIIran will hold a runoff presidential election to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi with reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, an official said on Saturday after an initial vote showed the lowest-ever poll turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. As per the election spokesman, Mohsen Eslami’s announcement in the Iranian state’s television conference, more than 60 per cent of voters cast no ballot in the race that saw reformist Masoud Pezeshkian (secured 10.4 million votes) perform better than Saeed Jalili (9.4 million), who competed alongside two other hard-liners. According to Iranian law, a winner must get more than 50 per cent of all votes cast. If not, the race’s top two candidates will advance to a runoff a week later. There’s been only one runoff presidential election in Iran’s history: in 2005, when hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bested former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. “Let’s look at it as a protest in its own right: A very widespread choice to reject what’s on offer, i.e. both the candidates and the system,” said Sanam Vakil, the director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa program. “That tells us much about public opinion, apathy, and frustration. It sort of brings it all together.” 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
30 June,2024 08:29 AM IST | Dubai | AgenciesDonald Trump’s depiction of the country being under siege from unfettered migration and beset by racial strife and economic chaos echoed his longstanding rhetoric about the state of the US. “The fact is that his big kill on the Black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They’re taking Black jobs now,” Trump said during the debate on television. “They’re taking Black jobs and they’re taking Hispanic jobs. And you haven’t seen it yet, but you’re going to see something that’s going to be the worst in our history,” he warned without specifying the danger. As a result of this comment, he stirred democratic conflicts, where people started criticising his racism. “There is no such thing as a Black job. That misinformed characterisation is a denial of the ubiquity of Black talent. We are doctors, lawyers, school teachers, police officers and firefighters. The list goes on,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP. “A Black job’ is an American job. It’s concerning that a presidential candidate would seek to make a nonexistent distinction. But the divisive nature of this comment is not surprising for Donald Trump.” After the debate, Trump suffered a 10 per cent blow to his shares of Trump Media & Technology, whereas Joe Biden’s odds of remaining the Democratic party’s nominee slid by 29 per cent. Both, Trump and Biden clashed Thursday evening on topics including abortion, immigration, and US Capitol’s attack in 2021. 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
30 June,2024 08:29 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesIt’s no secret that AI can sometimes go off the rails, but an AI clone having a sexually explicit identity crisis? Now that’s a whole new level of wild! Last year, Caryn Marjorie, 24, became the world’s first social media influencer to create a digital clone of herself named CarynAI. The clone was available on Telegram to engage with millions of fans simultaneously. “I’ve digitised over 2,000 hours of my voice and personality to pioneer the first AI creator,” Marjorie had announced on X. PICS/NYPOST Subscribers, mostly men, raced to sign up. They were charged $1 (Rs 83) per minute to chat via audio with CarynAI. Within a week, Caryn AI had over 10,000 boyfriends and overall made around $70,000 (R58,41,843) from selling this service. But in a harrowing turn of events, these subscribers started sharing their deepest and often troubling fantasies with the digital ‘girlfriend’. And CarynAI herself began initiating provocative conversations. This transformation of casual conversations into sexually explicit exchanges left Marjorie immensely disturbed and uneasy. Leah Henrickson, a lecturer in digital media and cultures at The University of Queensland analysed CarynAI’s disturbing behaviour and explained the reasons behind explicit conversations. She said the chats these men had with the AI bot were stored in logs and the data was fed back into a machine-learning model used by the AI Clone. Therefore, prompting her to take on an overly sexualised persona. Adding to the turmoil, John Meyer, CEO of Forever Voices, responsible for CarynAI, was arrested for attempted arson. He tried to set his own apartment on fire. After his arrest, the company abruptly shut down. Horrified by the entire situation, Caryn Marjorie eventually decided to retire from CarynAI earlier this year. 10,000‘boyfriends’ Within a week, CarynAI had over Picasso, only for women’s eyes? A women’s exclusive event stirs up conflicts with men After the court issued a ruling for admitting men in a women’s exclusive art event in Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), the exhibit’s artist retalliated by hiding Pablo Picasso’s artworks in the ladies washroom. Titled “Ladies Lounge”, the exhibition’s curator Kirsha Kaechele, spouse of MONA’s owner says, “The ladies’ lounge serves as a sanctuary for women, addressing the historical exclusion and imbalance in artistic representation.” She also cited the Anti discrimination act that permits this gender-based access. Milking it off the chest A Spanish influencer, Nuria Blanco, shocked the internet after drinking her friend, a new mother’s breast milk on camera.“It was literally something I had to check off my list,” says Blanco, who performed this stunt as per friend’s bizarre request. A 2 minute high PIC/ODDITY CENTRAL Imagine landing in a place in just two minutes? The world’s shortest commercial flight, by Loganair running between the Scottish islands of Westray and Papa Westray, makes this a reality by being in the air for just 90 seconds. Covering a distance of just 1.7 miles, it was first started in 1967. My better half is popular After a retired couple, Irene and Graham Lee cut their neighbour, Bharat Mistry’s 16 ft fir tree in exact half, it became a massive tourist attraction. The action followed a year-long dispute on the nested birds’constant birdroppings in their driveway. Flashing social change “If men can walk around shirtless without fear of reprisal, so can women,” says Eila Adams, a 36-year-old Canadian content creator who flashed her breasts and bottom in public spaces to advocate gender equality and toplessness for women. Citing a 1992 New York State Court decision, she says “Nudity has been such an important part of life, I do not understand anyone who has negative feelings towards being naked.” Losing it with the grain Ozempic and Wegovy are now passé, as Ric-zempic, a concoction of rice, water and lime juice becomes a new weightloss remedy. But in reality it is just a false hope, as per experts. “While rice water may have some nutritional benefits, there is no evidence to suggest it has any properties that would significantly impact weight loss,” says Scott Keatley, a registered dietitian. But on a brighter side, it can surely help with your digestion!
30 June,2024 08:04 AM IST | New York | A CorrespondentTibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama will be discharged from a hospital on Saturday after his successful knee surgery in the United States. Dalai Lama's personal physician, Dr Tsetan D Sadutshang and Secretary to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Taklha, in a short briefing detailed Dalai Lama's condition after his total knee replacement surgery on Friday morning. "Dalai Lama's knee surgery this morning was very successful and his holiness is now resting in his hospital room. His holiness condition is stable," they said in the online briefing on X. Medical Bulletin - His Holiness the Dalai Lama's personal physician Dr. Tsetan D Sadutshang, accompanied by Mr. Tenzin Taklha, Secretary to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, gives a short briefing on His Holiness's condition after having total knee replacement surgery this morning on… pic.twitter.com/5lYUo0RtF6 — Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) June 28, 2024 His Holiness the Dalai Lama's physician further said that there was no problem with the treatment. "There was no problem at all. His holiness is ready to take his lunch right now. He will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow," he said. "All the doctors and nurses in the hospital are giving their service in the highest standard to his holiness, he said, adding that all the staff at the hospital here are highly dedicated in giving their best services to his holiness. His physician emphasised that this is the best hospital for knee surgery in the US. "This is the best hospital for knee surgery in the US and the orthopaedic surgeons are the best in the country. Therefore, please feel at ease, everyone," he added. Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama arrived in New York on Monday after a halt in Switzerland's Zurich. He was welcomed by the members of the Tibetan community and his well-wishers. Dalai Lama left for Delhi from Dharamshala on Friday, to head to the US for his knee surgery. During his stop in Switzerland, he received a traditional Tibetan welcome on his arrival at a hotel in Zurich. His well-wishers and guests watched as the Dalai Lama walked through the hotel lobby. He greeted an old friend as he walked through the hotel lobby in Zurich. Hundreds of Tibetans and devotees also thronged the streets to pay obeisance to the spiritual leader. 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
29 June,2024 08:18 AM IST | New York | ANIChina’s Chang’e-6 mission, which returned this week from the far side of the Moon, has brought back nearly two kilogrammes of samples for research which will further enhance the understanding of lunar evolution, the country’s space agency announced on Friday. Based on the preliminary measurement, the Chang’e-6 mission collected 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). “We have found that the samples brought back by Chang’e-6 were more viscous compared to previous samples, with the presence of clumps. These are observable characteristics,” Ge Ping, Deputy Director of the CNSA’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Centre, told the media. 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
29 June,2024 07:50 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesIsraeli authorities say 68 people --19 sick or wounded children plus their companions -- have been allowed out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt in the first medical evacuation since early May, when the territory’s sole travel crossing was shut down after Israel captured it. The nearly nine-month Israel-Hamas war has devastated Gaza’s health sector and forced most of its hospitals to shut down. Health officials say thousands of people need medical treatment abroad, including hundreds of urgent cases. The Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, known by its acronym COGAT, said that the evacuation was carried out in coordination with officials from the United States, Egypt and the international community. The children and their companions left Gaza via the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing, and the patients were to travel to Egypt and farther abroad for medical treatment. Family members bade a tearful goodbye to the kids at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. Many of the families appeared anxious -- most relatives had to stay behind, and even those allowed to accompany the patients did not know their final destination. Orthodox Jews protest conscription Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men blocked a major highway in central Israel for two hours on Thursday to protest a recent Supreme Court decision ordering young religious men to enlist for military service. Military service is compulsory for most Jewish men and women in Israel. But politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties have won exemptions for their followers that allow them instead to study in religious seminaries. This arrangement has bred widespread resentment. 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
29 June,2024 07:48 AM IST | Khan Younis (Gaza Strip) | AgenciesFormer US President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, the two contenders in the presidential race had a go at each other over their foreign policies, especially concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Hamas war. In a televised debate on CNN on Thursday (loval time) Trump, the Republican Challenger in the US presidential elections scheduled later this year, claimed that it was the US’ “embarrassing” withdrawal from Afghanistan that prompted Putin to start the war against Ukraine. He further claimed both conflicts wouldn’t have taken place if Trump had been in office. “He was so bad with Afghanistan, it was so embarrassing...when Putin watched that so much incompetency...when Putin says that he said ‘I think we are gonna go in,” Trump said. “He [Putin] would have never invaded Ukraine, never, just like Israel would never have been invaded by Hamas, because Iran was broke with me. I would not let anybody do business with Iran...that’s why you had no terror at all during my administration, the whole world is blowing under him (Biden),” he further added. President Biden defended his stance on supporting Ukraine and said Russia has lost thousands of troops and has not succeeded in its aim to capture Kyiv. “This guy [Trump] has told Putin, do whatever you want...Putin said he would take Kyiv in five days because it was part of the old Soviet Union....he could not get it done, they have lost thousands and thousands of troops,” Biden said. Terming Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”, Biden warned that if Russia captures Ukraine, it might lead to further conflicts in Europe. 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
29 June,2024 07:40 AM IST | Atlanta | AgenciesEuropean Union leaders signed off on a trio of top appointments for their shared political institutions reinstalling German conservative Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission for another five years. At the side of von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive branch, would be two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as European Council president and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc. “Mission Accomplished,” outgoing EU Council President Charles Michel told reporters after chairing a summit of the bloc’s leaders, as von der Leyen and Kallas accompanied him at a joint a news conference. Costa took part via video-link. Von der Leyen expressed her gratitude for a shot at a second term of office, saying: “I’m very honored and I’m delighted to share this moment.” Kallas, who as the EU’s top diplomat will lead the bloc’s foreign and security policy with Russia’s war on Ukraine in its third year, noted that “there is war in Europe, also growing instability globally. My aim is definitely to work for the European unity”. Both von der Leyen and Kallas should now be approved by European lawmakers. Costa’s nomination only needed the leaders’ approval, and he will start in his new role in fall. 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
29 June,2024 07:38 AM IST | Brussels | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
