The search for the ill-fated Malaysian Airline flight, MH 370, is all set to restart following a "credible proposal" presented by a United States (US)-based ocean exploration firm that identifies a fresh search area in the southern Indian Ocean. The aircraft mysteriously vanished 10 years ago with 239 people on board. The search was called off in 2018 after an extensive operation which lasted for four years, during which multiple wreckage parts, were washed off the shores of French Reunion Island, were found. However, the final resting place of the main wreckage was never located in the original search area. The new search proposal The proposal adheres to a "No find, no fee" structure, which means that Malaysia would only incur costs if the wreckage of flight MH370 is located. The new search area outlines a search plan for a 15,000 square kilometre (sq km)-zone off the coast of Western Australia. A Texas-based marine robotics company, which previously claimed that they have scientific evidence of the missing flight's final resting place, submitted a proposal to the Malaysian government over the new search operation. On Tuesday, Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed in the Parliament that advanced talks with the firm, Ocean Infinity, are on over the search operation. While talking to the media late on November 7, he again confirmed the plans to reopen the search for flight MH370. According to transport minister Loke, the proposal is in the final stages of approval and an announcement regarding the new search operations will be made soon after the cabinet nod. "Based on the latest information and analysis from experts and researchers, Ocean Infinity's search proposal is credible and can be considered by the Malaysian Government as the flight's official registrar. The terms and costs requested are in the same draft agreement is currently being negotiated between the government and Ocean Infinity. Should it be finalised, the cabinet approval will be required, and I will make a public announcement soon,” said Loke. Maped location at Reunion island where the first wreckage was found - investigation report screenshot. Wreckage parts found so far The parts of the missing aircraft wreckage were found at multiple locations, including the French Reunion Island, where a flaperon was discovered on July 29, 2015. Following the discovery of the flaperon, multiple individuals started to gain interest in combing the coasts of the countries near Reunion Island. This led to the discovery of multiple parts of the aircraft wreckage. A horizontal stabiliser panel was found on the Paluma sandbank in Vilankulo on the Mozambique coast in February 2016. This was followed by an engine nose cowling segment which was found in Mossel Bay on the South Africa coast a month later. A main cabin interior panel was also found on Rodrigues Island on Marautiaus coast the same month while another wing flap was discovered on Pemba Island on the Zanzibar coast in June 2016. Three months later, unconfirmed debris, including panels were later found in Sainte-Luce on the Madagaskar coast, followed by the discovery of a large piece of wreckage, which was found washed up on Farkhar, one of the islands on the Seychelles coast. Timeline: 2014 March 8: Flight MH370, a B777-200 aircraft, departs from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am local time to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew onboard. Of the 239 passengers onboard the ill-fated flight, 153 were from China, followed by 50 from Malaysia, seven from Indonesia, six from Australia, five from India, four from France, three from the United States of America, and two each from Canada, New Zealand and Ukraine, while one each from the Netherlands, Russia and Taiwan. The plane is last seen on military radar at 2.14 am, when it was heading west over the Strait of Malacca. Half an hour later, the airline announces that it has lost contact with the plane, which was to land at its destination at 6.30 am. March 9: Search efforts focus on the Gulf of Thailand. It is reported that two passengers were travelling on stolen European passports, prompting concerns that terrorists might have been responsible for the incident. Authorities later clear all passengers of any link to terrorism. March 10: Search efforts scour an area within a 50-nautical-mile radius of the aircraft's last known position and the northern Strait of Malacca. A Vietnamese plane had spotted a rectangular object that was thought to be one of the missing plane's doors, but a search in the Andaman Sea finds no wreckage. Evidence begins to mount that the flight had headed west after contact with air traffic controllers was lost. Possible source of floating debris based on ocean currents map - investigation report screenshot March 15: Malaysia's Prime Minister, Najib Razak, says MH370 was "deliberately" diverted and continued flying for more than six hours after contact with the ground was lost. Authorities expand their search for the missing jet from Central Asia to the southern Indian Ocean, and search the homes of the pilots, Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid. March 24: Family members of passengers onboard the flight march to the Malaysian embassy in Beijing demanding answers, after authorities say they have concluded that the missing plane crashed in the Indian Ocean, leaving all 239 people onboard. Many of the families learn the news via a text message that stated: "We have to assume beyond all reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and none of those on board survived." April 24: The search and rescue phase becomes a search and recovery operation. A few days later, the search operation moves to an underwater phase, using an autonomous underwater vehicle and a bathymetry survey covering an area around 692 km long and 80 km wide. June 26: Australian authorities issue a preliminary report in which they theorise that the plane flew on autopilot after a "catastrophic" event led to the crew becoming incapacitated, possibly owing to oxygen starvation. August 28: Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss, says the aircraft "might have turned south a little earlier than we have previously expected", as it is announced that airline staff tried to contact the flight crew by satellite phone after the plane disappeared from radar. September 19: It is announced that the underwater search will resume in a remote southern stretch of the Indian Ocean by September-end. Possible mapped routes of MH370 based on satellite data - investigation report screenshot October: The new underwater search involves ships dragging sonar devices called towfish through the water about 100 m (330ft) above the seabed to hunt for wreckage. The towfish, which transmit data in real time, are dragged slowly through the water by thick cables up to 10-km long. If something of interest is spotted on the sonar, the towfish will be hauled up and fitted with a video camera, then lowered again. 2015 January: Senior Boeing 777 captain Simon Hardy suggests the missing aircraft's final resting place is in the Indian Ocean just outside the far south- western edge of the core search area. On January 28, Malaysia officially declares the disappearance an accident and its passengers and crew presumed dead, 327 days after it vanished. It concludes that the aircraft exhausted its fuel "over a defined area of the southern Indian Ocean". March 7: Malaysia's transport minister says that if the undersea search fails to find anything by the end of May, investigators will re-examine data and come up with a new plan. The Australian Government also says that the search of the priority zone, where the flight is thought to have gone down, is likely to be completed by the end of May. July 23: Martin Dolan, the chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, says the plane "will be found within the next year". Two vessels continue search operations in the southern Indian Ocean, with more than 21,000 of the 46,332 sq miles (120,000 sq km) search area already covered. August 5: Malaysia's Prime Minister, Najib Razak, says a wing part that washed up on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean came from missing MH370, confirming the first trace of the plane since it vanished. Authorities in France, the US and Australia stopped short of confirming Malaysia's claim. The same month, France launches a renewed air and sea search around Réunion in the hope of finding more debris. The search ends after 10 days. The Maldives also joins a regional search for wreckage following reports of islanders spotted unidentified debris. However, this debris is later confirmed to be unrelated to MH370. 2016 March: The Australian Government says two pieces of debris made in separate discoveries in Mozambique are "highly likely to have come from MH370" after analysis finds both pieces to be consistent with panels from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft. Darren Chester, the minister for infrastructure and transport, says the discovery of debris on the east coast of Africa "is consistent with drift modelling... and further affirms our search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean". He adds there are 25,000 sq km of the underwater search area still to be searched. May 16: The Australian authority leading the search for MH370 says there is a "decreasing possibility" that the missing plane will be found. More than 105,000 sq km of seafloor in the southern Indian Ocean has been searched as on May 11, leaving a remaining search area of just 15,000 sq km. Several pieces of debris found on the shorelines of South Africa, Mauritius and Mozambique are believed to be from the missing plane. September: It is confirmed that a large piece of debris discovered on the island of Pemba, off the coast of Tanzania, in June was from MH370. October: A piece of an aircraft wing found on Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island, is identified as belonging to the missing plane, Malaysian and Australian officials say. The piece of wing flap (flaperon) was found in May, and subsequently analysed by experts at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. So far, none of the debris has helped narrow down the precise location of the main underwater wreckage. Investigators need to find that in order to locate the flight data recorders that could help explain why the plane veered so far off course. Flaperon found on French Reunion island - screenshot from the Investigation report December: The families of those lost aboard MH370 comb the beaches of Madagascar in the hope of finding more debris from the plane. 2017 January: The underwater search for missing MH370 comes to an end, a joint statement co-signed by the transport ministers of Malaysia, China and Australia states. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau had searched a 120,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean, a remote expanse of ocean west of Perth, with waves sometimes between 15 and 20 metres and depths of up to 6 km, for nearly two-and-a-half years. October 3: Australian investigators deliver their final report on the disappearance of MH370, saying the inability to bring closure for victims' families was a "great tragedy" and "almost inconceivable" in the modern age. The search, despite finding no new evidence of MH370's whereabouts, helped to eliminate a large stretch of ocean as the location. The report stated that the understanding of MH370's location "is better now than it has ever been". 2018 January: The search for MH370 resumes after US seabed exploration company Ocean Infinity charters a Norwegian ship under a "No find, no fee" arrangement with Malaysia. A research ship leaves South Africa, bound for a search area off the coast of Perth. May: Ocean Infinity expands its search, having exhausted a 25,000-km "priority area" identified by Australian experts as MH370's most likely resting place. July: An official investigation report is released in Malaysia. It concludes that the plane was manually turned around in mid-air, rather than being under the control of autopilot, and that "unlawful interference by a third party" could not be ruled out. However, it dismisses theories that had suggested the pilot and first officer brought the plane down in a suicide mission, and also rules out mechanical failure as a cause.
08 November,2024 10:53 PM IST | Mumbai | Prasun ChoudhariAustralia's states and territories on Friday unanimously backed a national plan to require most forms of social media to bar children younger than 16. Leaders of the eight provinces held a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss what he calls a world-first national approach that would make platforms including X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook responsible for enforcing the age limit. We're making 16 years old the minimum age for social media. Here's why. pic.twitter.com/evjttbTjUB — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) November 8, 2024 "Social media is doing social harm to our young Australians," Albanese told reporters. "The safety and mental health of our young people has to be a priority." The government leaders had been discussing for months setting a limit, considering options from 14 to 16 years of age. While Tasmania would have preferred 14, the state was prepared to support 16 in the interests of achieving national uniformity, Albanese said. The legislation will be introduced into Parliament within two weeks, and the age ban would take effect a year after it passes into law, giving platforms time to work out how to exclude children. The government has yet to offer a technical solution. The delay is also intended to allow time to address privacy concerns around age verification. The main opposition party has given in-principle support to the 16-year age limit since it was announced on Thursday, suggesting the legislation will pass the Senate. The minor Greens party was critical, saying the ban would prevent the emergence in Australia of future child environmental activists like Sweden's Greta Thunberg. More than 140 academics with expertise in fields related to technology and child welfare signed an open letter to Albanese last month opposing a social media age limit as "too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively." Critics say most teenagers are tech savvy enough to get around such laws. Some fear the ban will create conflicts within families and drive social media problems underground. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, argues that stronger tools in app stores and operating systems for parents to control what apps their children can use would be a "simple and effective solution." The government likens the proposed social media age limit to the laws that restrict the sale of alcohol to adults aged 18 and older across Australia. Children still find ways to drink, but the prohibition remains. "We think these laws will make a real positive difference," Albanese said. But Lisa Given, professor of information sciences at RMIT University, described the legislation as "really problematic." "Many of our social networks are actually about the provision of extremely critical information to kids," Given told Australian Broadcasting Corp. "There's no doubt that they're also facing bullying and other challenges online, but they actually need the social supports to know how to navigate the platforms safely and so they need more support from parents, from care-givers, not less access to a single or multiple platforms," Given added. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said children would retain access to online education and health services. The legislation would also include strong privacy protections surrounding age verification. "Privacy must be paramount, including that of children," Rowland said. "We should also be very clear about the realities. These platforms know about their users in a way that no one else does." Rowland said YouTube would likely be included among the mainstream platforms defined under the legislation as age restricted services. But YouTube Kids could be exempted. Gaming and messaging services would not face age restrictions, she said. "This legislation would strike a balance between minimizing the harms experienced by young people during a critical period of their development while also supporting their access to benefits as well," Rowland 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.
08 November,2024 03:03 PM IST | Melbourne | APFamily members of two disappeared youths have staged a protest, demanding the immediate release of victims in Turbat, Balochistan on Friday, ANI reported. The victims, Sher Jan and Irshad Baloch were forcibly kidnapped by the Pakistan military forces in the Buleda region of Kech district. The sit-in protest occurred at Turbat's Fida Ahmed Chowk with many people joining the protest and showing solidarity against the oppression by the Pakistan military force. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee has also criticised the abduction of the two Baloch youths and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, ANI reported. In a post on X, the BYC stated,"BYC stands in solidarity with the sit-in protest by the family members of two forcibly disappeared Baloch youths from Bulada".The sit-in protest at Shaheed Fida Chowk, Turbat, demands the immediate recovery of Sherjan Darvesh Baloch, who forcibly disappeared on November 5, 2024, and Irshad, son of Haji Abdul Ghafoor, who forcibly disappeared on November 6, 2024". The BYC further highlighted," Forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are at their peak. In this hour of need, we urge the conscious people of Kech to support these families and join the sit-in protest". BYC stands in solidarity with the sit-in protest by the family members of two forcibly disappeared Baloch youths from Bulada. The sit-in protest at Shaheed Fida Chowk, Turbat, demands the immediate recovery of Sherjan Darvesh Baloch, who was forcibly disappeared on November 5,… pic.twitter.com/n4lDG8twpD — Baloch Yakjehti Committee (@BalochYakjehtiC) November 7, 2024 According to ANI, the families lamented that instead of taking their youths to unknown locations, the armed forces should have brought them before legal authority. They further cautioned the government that if their demand was not accepted then they would hold a demonstration on highways. A similar demonstration took place recently at Khuzdar, demanding the immediate release of Salman Baloch, who was kidnapped two years ago by the Pakistan armed forces. The BYC along with locals participated in the protest and chanted slogans against the enforced disapperance by the Pakistani armed forces. The BYC people are standing in unity against the oppression perpetrated by Pakistani armed troops. Protests against enforced disappearances have so far taken place in Karachi, Hub Chowki, Khuzdar, Turbat, Panjgur, Kharan, Quetta, Nushki, Dalbandin, and Chagai, ANI reported. (With inputs from ANI)
08 November,2024 02:35 PM IST | Balochistan | mid-day online correspondentThe Canadian House of Commons has passed a motion unanimously rejecting China's sovereignty claim over Taiwan. The motion, which was introduced by Yves Perron, the president of the Bloc Québécois, affirms that United Nations (UN) Resolution 2758 does not grant the People's Republic of China (PRC) sovereignty over Taiwan nor does it determine Taiwan's future participation in the UN or other international organisations. According to the Taipei Times, the motion was agreed upon by all political parties before the meeting on November 7. While presenting the motion in French, Perron stated that Canada and Taiwan are strengthening their bilateral relationship, with increasing economic and cultural exchanges. The two nations are cooperating in a variety of areas such as trade, investment, technology, education, youth exchanges, industry, art, culture, and indigenous peoples' affairs. Perron added that the motion’s outcome is positive and in line with Canada's foreign policy, noting that members of the Canadian House of Commons would continue advocating for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in global organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). He further expressed his belief that Taiwan’s increasing presence in international bodies is crucial. Perron also shared his views on social media, where he criticised China for distorting the meaning of UN Resolution 2758 to justify its military activities in Taiwan's airspace and territorial waters. He also accused Chinese President Xi Jinping of using the resolution to issue threats and assert Beijing's claim over Taiwan. The resolution, passed during the 26th UN General Assembly in 1971, granted the PRC the seat held by the Republic of China (ROC), which governs Taiwan. However, the resolution did not explicitly mention Taiwan or the ROC, leaving Taiwan's political status unresolved, according to CNA. Perron was one of two Canadian lawmakers who visited Taiwan in July to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) summit. Last month, the European Parliament also adopted a resolution stating that UN Resolution 2758 does not impact Taiwan's participation in the UN or other international organisations. The resolution also rejected any unilateral attempt to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait as unacceptable. As per ANI, this motion is a clear indication of Canada’s stance in supporting Taiwan’s participation in global affairs, despite pressure from China. (With inputs from ANI)
08 November,2024 02:14 PM IST | OttawaExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Singapore on Friday for the second leg of his two-state visit. He met with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and discussed ways to advance contemporary bilateral partnership, with a focus on industrial parks, innovation, and semiconductors, ANI reported. Sharing the details of the meeting on social media platform X, Jaishankar wrote, "Started my visit to Singapore by meeting DPM & Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong". Started my visit to Singapore by meeting DPM & Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong.Discussed taking forward contemporary 🇮🇳 🇸🇬 partnership, with a focus on industrial parks, green energy, skilling, innovation and semiconductors. pic.twitter.com/QBKw0BGwPH — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 8, 2024 He shared that the two leaders, "Discussed taking forward contemporary partnership, with a focus on industrial parks, green energy, skilling, innovation and semiconductors". Jaishankar is also scheduled to address the 8th Roundtable of ASEAN - India Network of Think Tanks, ANI reported. The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The Act East Policy reflects India's strong and multifaceted connection with ASEAN. The EAM will also meet with Singapore's leadership to evaluate the two countries' tight alliance and discuss ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship. A close bilateral relationship exists between Singapore and India. Since the Look East Policy began in the early 1990s, Singapore has been actively involved in re-establishing India's connections with the nations of Southeast Asia. The Indian community is well-represented in Singapore, making up roughly 9.2 per cent of the nation's overall population. According to ANI, Jaishankar's visit comes on the heels of the three-day state visit of Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Singapore's Minister of Defence, to India. During his visit, he co-chaired the sixth India-Singapore Defence Minister's Dialogue in New Delhi, with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh. Singapore has been an integral partner of India's Act East Policy. Showing confidence in the relationship shared between the two countries, Singapore's Defence Minister Hen remarked, "From Singapore's perspective, India has always been part of the East. Whether you choose to act or look, we consider you part of the area." External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on a two-state visit, to Australia and Singapore. The talks in Australia lasted from November 3 to November 7 and saw the EAM hold meetings with several groups of the Australian society to strengthen the partnership between India and Singapore, ANI reported. Jaishankar's visit to the two countries is set to give a boost to the friendly ties India shares with them, ANI reported. (With inputs from ANI)
08 November,2024 12:09 PM IST | Singapore City | mid-day online correspondentCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Canada-US relations to address his administration's concerns about another Donald Trump presidency. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also the country's finance minister, will chair the committee, which also will include other top officials including ministers of foreign affairs, public safety and industry. "Following the election of President Donald Trump for a second term, the Cabinet Committee will focus on critical Canada-US issues," Trudeau's office said in a statement Thursday. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 75 per cent of Canada's exports go to the US. During Trump's first time, his move to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and reports that he was considering a 25 per cent tariff on the auto sector were considered an existential threat in Canada at the time. Trudeau called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him and the two discussed the new free trade deal Trump reached during his first term with Canada and Mexico, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced NAFTA. Ottawa will soon have to focus on a scheduled review of the agreement in 2026. Although Trump once called Trudeau "weak" and "dishonest" during his first term, ties between the two countries have remained among the closest in the world. Freeland addressed reporters twice on Wednesday in an effort to reassure Canadians. "I know a lot of Canadians are anxious. I want to say with utter sincerity and conviction to Canadians that Canada will be absolutely fine," Freeland said. "We have a strong relationship with the United States. We have a strong relationship with President Trump and his team. Let's remember that our trading relationship today is governed by the trade deal concluded by President Trump himself and his team," Freeland said. During the recent election campaign, Trump has proposed tariffs of 10 per cent to 20 per cent on foreign goods " and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages. Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said Canada should expect new tariffs and pressure to increase its military budget. According to NATO figures, Canada was estimated to be spending 1.33 per cent of GDP on its military budget in 2023, below the 2 per cent target that NATO countries have set for themselves. Trudeau has said Canada will meet the alliance's target by 2032. Trump has urged NATO countries to boost their own defence spending to ease the burden on the US to deter the alliance's enemies. "I expect that the free trade deal will be slightly modified as it was during Trump's first presidency and not dramatically," Wiseman said. "Tariffs will hurt the Canadian economy economy but not cripple it. Canada has some cards to play in negotiations including countervailing tariffs, the concerns of American business leaders, and Canada's storehouse of critical minerals." The Canadian government notes the US and Canada are each other's largest trade partners with nearly 3.6 billion Canadian dollars (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services crossing the border each day in 2023. The ties between the two countries are without parallel anywhere in the world. There is close co-operation on defence, border security and law enforcement, and a vast overlap in culture, traditions and pastimes " with shared baseball, hockey, basketball and soccer leagues. About 400,000 people cross the world's longest international border each day and about 800,000 Canadians live in the US. Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, said Canadians should be worried about potential rash actions on tariffs and trade. "How would you feel if old Uncle Donald was feeling whimsical one morning and decided to do " oh, whatever he'd just heard on Fox News?" Bothwell 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
08 November,2024 11:31 AM IST | Toronto | APPresident Joe Biden will become the first sitting president to visit the Amazon rainforest later this month when he travels to Brazil as part of a six-day trip to Latin America for a pair of international summits, the White House said Thursday. Biden will start his trip with a November 14-16 visit to Lima, Peru, where he will meet with President Dina Boluarte and attend the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. From there, he will travel to Manaus and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from November 17-19. In Manaus, Biden will visit the rainforest and see local, indigenous and other leaders who are working to preserve the region, the first such visit by a US president. In Rio de Janeiro, Biden will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to promote workers' rights and clean economic growth, the White House said. He will also attend the Group of 20 summit of world leaders to discuss global challenges like hunger, poverty and climate change. Biden spoke earlier Thursday with Lula to discuss the upcoming G20 summit. It may have also been an opportunity for Biden to commiserate with a sympathetic world leader. The left-leaning Lula made clear his preference for Democrat Kamala Harris ahead of the US election. Lula in 2022 defeated the far right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was known as "Trump of the Tropics." Biden is in the final months of his presidency and will be handing off the Oval Office to Republican Donald Trump. The two summits will offer Biden one of his last chances as president to meet with heads of state he's worked with over the years. 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
08 November,2024 11:27 AM IST | Washington | APPresident Joe Biden on Thursday (local time) congratulated President-elect Donald Trump and said would ensure an orderly transition of power following his victory in the recent US Presidential elections, ANI reported. Biden mentioned that the people's will prevails in democracy and that his administration will coordinate with Trump's team to make sure there's a peaceful transfer of power, ANI cited. In a post on X, he said, "Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory. I assured him that I would direct my entire Administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That's what the American people deserve." Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory. And I assured him that I would direct my entire Administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition.That’s what the American people deserve. — President Biden (@POTUS) November 7, 2024 Biden also applauded Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris for leading an inspired and positive campaign. In a post on X, he said, "Kamala Harris is an extraordinary partner and public servant. She ran an inspiring campaign and everyone got to see something I respect so much in her - her character. She gave her whole heart to the effort and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran." Kamala Harris is an extraordinary partner and public servant.She ran an inspiring campaign and everyone got to see something I respect so much in her – her character.She gave her whole heart to the effort and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran. — President Biden (@POTUS) November 7, 2024 Biden said that the Democrats welcomed the choice of the American citizens of having Trump as their President. He further said that one cannot love the country only when they win. In a post on X, he said, "The struggle for the soul of America since our very founding has always been ongoing. Campaigns are contests of competing visions. And we accept the choice the country made. You can't love your country only when you win." The struggle for the soul of America since our very founding has always been ongoing.Campaigns are contests of competing visions. And we accept the choice the country made.You can’t love your country only when you win. pic.twitter.com/BFg3LCILw8 — President Biden (@POTUS) November 7, 2024 Biden also highlighted his commitment to fulfilling his "presidential oath and honouring the Constitution" and said that the country will witness a "peaceful transfer of power on January 20." He further emphasised the transparency of the American electoral system and claimed that the system is "honest, fair, and transparent." Biden also expressed gratitude to all elections workers, recognising their efforts in staffing voting sites, counting votes, and safeguarding the integrity of elections, ANI reported. (With inputs from ANI)
08 November,2024 10:01 AM IST | Washington | mid-day online correspondentFor the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it’s ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said. “It’s this relentless nature of the warming that I think is worrying,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus. Buontempo said the data clearly shows the planet would not see such a long sequence of record-breaking temperatures without the constant increase of greenhouse gases.He cited other factors that contribute to exceptionally warm years like last year and this one. They include El Nino -- the temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide -- as well as volcanic eruptions that spew water vapor into the air and variations in energy from the sun. But he and other scientists say the long-term increase in temperatures beyond fluctuations like El Nino is a bad sign. “A very strong El Nino event is a sneak peek into what the new normal will be a decade from now,” said Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist with the nonprofit Berkeley Earth. News of a likely second year of record heat comes a day after Republican Donald Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax” and promised to boost oil drilling and production, was re-elected to the presidency. It also comes days before the next U.N. climate conference, called COP29, is set to begin in Azerbaijan. Talks are expected to focus on how to generate trillions of dollars to help transition to clean energies like wind and solar, and thus avoid continued warming. 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
08 November,2024 07:50 AM IST | Chicago | AgenciesSpecial counsel Jack Smith is evaluating how to wind down the two federal cases against Donald Trump before he takes office in light of longstanding Justice Department protocol that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. Smith charged Trump last year with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But Trump’s election defeat of Kamala Harris means that he can no longer face prosecution in accordance with a decades-old Justice Department legal opinion. The person familiar with Smith’s plans was not authorised to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. 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
08 November,2024 07:47 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesShortly after conceding the presidential race to Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris urged supporters to accept the election results and pledged to ensure a peaceful transfer of power. 60-year-old Harris said the “light of America’s promise will always burn bright” and vowed to keep up the “fight” that fuelled her campaign. Supporters cry during Harris’s speech “My heart is full today -- full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve,” she said. “The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But the light of America’s promise will always burn bright,” she added. Front pages reporting on the US elections. Pic/PTI “I know folks are experiencing a range of emotions. But we must accept the results of this election,” she said. Harris said she spoke to President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. “I told Trump that we will help him and his team in their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transition of power,” she said. Biden blamed by Harris allies for VP’s resounding defeat Joe Biden Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris’s resounding defeat as his loss, too. Some of the vice president’s backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to seek re-election until this summer all but sealed his party’s loss of the White House. “The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.” “Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements, said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years 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
08 November,2024 07:43 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
