President-elect Donald Trump is expected to appoint Michael Waltz, a Republican from Florida, as his National Security Adviser for the Trump 2.0 administration, according to sources familiar with the developments, as reported by ANI. Mike Waltz has been a strong advocate for strengthening US-India relations, repeatedly emphasising India's importance to the United States. He has spoken on multiple occasions about the significance of a robust partnership between the two nations, particularly in the context of security and defence. Last year, Waltz led a bipartisan American Congressional delegation to India, where he attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address at the Red Fort in 2023. During his visit, he praised the Prime Minister's vision for a developed India by 2047, and reiterated that the US would work with India on the government's "Make in India" initiative. As per ANI, Waltz remarked that the close cooperation between both countries highlighted the growing strength of their relationship. Waltz, a former defence policy director under Secretaries of Defence Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, has also expressed concerns over rising aggression from China, particularly towards India. According to ANI, he warned that China's actions, including its aggressive stance on the borders and issues with Pakistan, posed a threat to India, emphasising the need for the US and India to work together to counter such aggression. In his capacity as co-chair of the India Caucus, Waltz has been a proponent of India’s role in global security. He has previously stated that India, as a nuclear power with a growing military and top-tier space programme, is an essential ally for the US in addressing threats such as terrorism in Afghanistan and China’s expansionist policies in Asia. According to ANI, he emphasised that India’s strategic position was crucial in monitoring Afghanistan and deterring China's southern expansion. Waltz has also been instrumental in legislative efforts to strengthen US-India defence ties. In June 2023, along with other US Congressmen, he introduced bipartisan legislation to fast-track US weapon sales to India, which was seen as a step towards deepening security cooperation between the two nations. As reported by ANI, Waltz stressed that enhancing the US-India defence partnership would solidify India's role as a key security provider in Asia. During Trump’s first term, significant agreements were signed to bolster India-US defence relations, including the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). These agreements enhanced military cooperation and logistical support between the two countries, contributing to the strengthening of bilateral ties. Despite his positive view on India-US relations, Waltz has raised concerns about India's ongoing economic ties with Russia, particularly the import of Russian oil. He has suggested applying pressure on both India and China to reduce their economic dependence on Russia, although his overall stance on India remains largely supportive. As per ANI, Waltz has said that the US-India relationship should be upgraded from a "strategic partnership" to a full-fledged alliance, similar to the US’s alliances with NATO, Japan, and South Korea. He believes this stronger alliance would play a crucial role in ensuring security in the 21st century. The National Security Adviser is a key role in the US administration, responsible for advising the president on national security matters. The position does not require Senate confirmation, and Waltz’s appointment is expected to be confirmed soon.
12 November,2024 09:58 AM IST | Washington DCPresident-elect Donald Trump has asked U.S Rep. Michael Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, a person familiar with the matter said Monday. The nod came despite simmering concerns on Capitol Hill about Trump tapping members of the House, where the final tally is still uncertain and there are worries about pulling any GOP members from the chamber because that would force a new election to fill the empty seat. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before Trump made a formal announcement. The move would put Waltz at the forefront of a litany of national security crises ' ranging from the ongoing effort to provide weapons to Ukraine and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. Waltz, a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida, was the first Green Beret elected to the U.S House and easily won reelection last week. He has been chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Waltz is an ardent Trump advocate who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He is considered hawkish on China and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its ongoing mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. He has been a sharp critic of the chaotic U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan and has called on the U.S to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for the deaths of the 13 U.S service members at Abbey Gate and for 'thousands of Americans and allies behind enemy lines.' He has also repeated Trump's frequent complaints about a so-called 'woke' military that the former president has derided as soft and too focused on diversity and equity programs. In a statement last year, Waltz said that as head of the readiness subcommittee: 'I am ready to get to work to better equip our military and turn our focus away from woke priorities and back to winning wars. Our national security depends on it.' A graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Waltz was a Green Beret. He served in the active-duty Army for four years before moving to the Florida Guard. While in the Guard he did multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa and was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with valor. He also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defence chiefs. 'President-Elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second Administration soon," said Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition. "Those decisions will be announced when they are made.' 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
12 November,2024 09:00 AM IST | Washington | APJosep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, strongly condemned the recent Israeli airstrike on Jabalia in Gaza, which resulted in numerous civilian casualties. In a statement, Borrell noted that the term "ethnic cleansing" is increasingly being used to describe the situation in northern Gaza, highlighting the daily reality of forced displacement as a violation of international law. He stressed that the use of hunger as a weapon of war contradicts international humanitarian law, and cited United Nations warnings about the strong likelihood of famine spreading in northern Gaza. Borrell called for urgent action to prevent this man-made disaster, emphasising that, as an occupying power, Israel is obligated to allow humanitarian aid access. He urged the international community and Israel's key allies to take immediate steps to alleviate Palestinian suffering and secure the release of hostages. Borrell further referenced the International Committee of the Red Cross's report, which calls for swift action from all parties involved, within days, not weeks. 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
12 November,2024 08:53 AM IST | Brussels | ANIA new typhoon barreled across an agricultural region in the northeastern Philippines on Monday after thousands were evacuated to safety while still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by three successive storms in the last three weeks. Typhoon Toraji slammed into northeastern Aurora province and was forecast to blow over the mountainous Luzon region, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., just the day before, inspected the damage from the last storm and led the distribution of food packs to residents in Cagayan and Ilocos provinces. Marcos skipped this week’s Asia-Pacific Cooperation forum in Peru to oversee recovery efforts from back-to-back storms. After making landfall in Aurora on Monday morning with sustained winds of up to 130 kmph and gusts of up to 180 kmph, Toraji was expected to barrel northwestward and then blow into the South China Sea. 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
12 November,2024 08:18 AM IST | Manila | AgenciesBoko Haram insurgents killed 17 Chadian soldiers in a weekend attack on a military post that also left 96 of the assailants dead in the country’s west, Chad’s army said. The attack in the Lake Chad region happened on Saturday, army spokesperson Gen Issakh Acheikh said on national television Sunday night. He did not provide details. The Lake Chad region has been plagued this year by frequent attacks from insurgents, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa. It has revived fears of violence after a period of peace following a successful operation launched in 2020 by the Chadian army to destroy the extremist groups’ bases. Last month, 40 soldiers were killed during an attack on a military base, prompting President Mahamat Deby Itno to launch an operation to dislodge Boko Haram militants from Lake Chad. In March, an attack the government blamed on Boko Haram killed seven soldiers. 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
12 November,2024 08:14 AM IST | N’Djamena | AgenciesUS President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and discussed ending the war in Ukraine amongst many other important topics, according to a media report. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the media report of the phone call between Putin and Trump. After winning the recent presidential elections, Trump has spoken to over 70 world leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among the firsts. “The two men discussed the goal of peace on the European continent and Trump expressed an interest in follow-up conversations to discuss ‘the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon,” the Washington Post said in an exclusive report published on Sunday. One former US official who was familiar with the Putin call said that Trump likely does not want to enter office with a fresh crisis in Ukraine prompted by Russian escalation, “giving him the incentive to want to keep the war from worsening”, the daily said. Tom Homan to be Trump’s ‘border czar’ US President-elect Donald Trump has said Tom Homan, who was the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in his last administration will be in charge of US borders. Trump had stated that he will run the largest deportation programme. 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
12 November,2024 08:09 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time admitted that Israel was behind the pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah in September that left at least 39 people dead and more than 3,000 injured, local media reports have said. “The pager operation and the elimination of (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah were carried out despite the opposition of senior officials in the defence establishment and those responsible for them in the political echelon,” The Times of Israel newspaper quoted Netanyahu as saying. Netanyahu’s remarks came during Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, according to Hebrew media reports. Israel had so far not taken responsibility publicly for the attacks, but it was widely speculated that it was behind the complex successfully orchestrated attacks that took the world by surprise. Thousands of pagers containing explosives exploded on their Hezbollah owners across Lebanon and parts of Syria on September 16. While the world was still absorbing the news of pager explosions, walkie-talkies met the same fate a day later on September 17, shocking the world at the level of Israeli intelligence’s preparation in its war against the Lebanese militia. Fans told to skip football match Israel has urged fans to avoid Thursday’s France-Israel football tie, which authorities fear could become a flashpoint following violence in Amsterdam surrounding a match involving an Israeli team. Despite a large police presence and the expected attendance of French President Emmanuel Macron, Israeli officials on Sunday warned fans to stay away because of fears they could be targeted. A right-wing Jewish group has nevertheless announced a rally ahead of the Nations League tie. Israeli strike kills three in central Gaza Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli strike hit a tent sheltering a displaced family in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least three people, including the parents of twins. The strike late on Sunday in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp wounded the two children, aged 10, who were being treated for serious injuries at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah. 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
12 November,2024 08:02 AM IST | Jerusalem | AgenciesThe 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) is set to begin in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on Monday, aiming to address increasing climate challenges, ANI reported. According to ANI, leaders around the world will gather in Baku for the event which will conclude on November 22. The two-week event will see crucial negotiations, dynamic discussions and global collaborations, all centered around the ambition of immediately tackling of climate crisis. The United Nations said that unless all countries are able to cut emissions and build more resilience into global supply chains, no economy including the G20 will survive uncontrolled global heating, and no household will be safe from the impacts of severe inflation. "With global temperatures hitting record highs, and extreme weather events affecting people around the globe, COP29 will bring together leaders from governments, business and civil society to advance concrete solutions to the defining issue of our time," according to the UN, ANI cited. "A key focus of COP29 will be on finance, as trillions of dollars are required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect lives and livelihoods from the worsening impacts of climate change," it added. The first Conference of the Parties (COP) was held almost 30 years ago in Berlin. This year's conference will aim to increase the international goal to curb global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius pre-industrial levels to avoid any catastrophic harm to the planet, ANI cited. Countries will focus on pushing for more ambitious emissions reductions and exploring new sources of finance. Among the most disputable issues that remain are how much money can the developed nations provide and who should provide climate finance. This year's event is also focused on new financial commitment, known as the "New Collective Quantified Goal" (NCQG). Countries are expected to replace the previous USD 100 billion annual commitment to developing countries from the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, ANI reported. NCQG or the "Finance COP" will be the new target in this COP and is planned to take effect from 2025 onwards. The Independent High-level Expert Group on Climate Finance's 2022 report found that the developing countries needed around USD 1 trillion per year by 2025, and USD 2.4 trillion by 2030 in order to meet their climate finance needs, ANI reported. The main objective COPS29's is to secure agreements on financial targets so as to support vulnerable countries facing climate-ralted challenges. The COP29 marks the midpoint of the "COP Presidencies Troika," a collaborative initiative between the United Arab Emirates (UAE, host to COP28) and Brazil (host to COP30 in 2025) aimed to accelerate progress towards the 1.5 degrees C goal. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) is a multilateral treaty established in 1992, after the first assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to ANI, the main aim is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in order to prevent dangerous human-induced disturbances in the climate system. The UNFCCC has been the cornerstone of international climate negotiations since it came into effect in 1994, resulting in important accords like the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Today, around 198 Parties participate in annual meetings to assess progress and put together responses to the climate crisis. As per ANI, the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh is leading the 19-member delegation from India to the Summit. Gujarat Minister of Finance, Energy and Petrochemicals Kanu bhai Desai along with ACS S J Haider and Jai Prakash Shivahare, MD GUVNL are going to represent the State government at the summit. As per the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2024, there is a dire need for in annual emission reductions of 5.5 per cent and 9 per cent until 2030 to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, ANI reported. The daily themes at COP29 will aim to address crucial aspects of climate actions, which includes finance, energy transition, human capital, biodiversity, food security and digitalization. Noteworthy sessions such as the World Leaders Climate Action Summit will make way for high-level discussions, while dedicated days for youths, health and urbanization will promote broad dialogue. Achieving commitment in line with the 1.5 degree Celsius target, increasing adaptation efforts, and setting a new global climate finance target are among the main objectives, ANI cited. (With inputs from ANI)
11 November,2024 12:32 PM IST | Baku | mid-day online correspondentAn early Sunday shooting at Tuskegee University in Alabama left one person dead and injured 16 others, 12 of them wounded by gunfire, authorities said. The victim of the shooting, an 18-year-old man, was not a university student, but some of those who were injured were. No arrests were immediately announced. Twelve people were wounded by gunfire, and four others sustained injuries not related to the gunshots, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a Sunday afternoon update. "The parents of this individual have been notified. Several others including Tuskegee University students were injured and are receiving treatment at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery," the university said in a statement. An autopsy on the person killed, who is male, was planned at the state's forensic centre in Montgomery, Macon County Coroner Hal Bentley told The Associated Press on Sunday. The city's police chief, Patrick Mardis, said the injured included a female student who was shot in the stomach and a male student who was shot in the arm. City police were responding to an unrelated double shooting off campus when officers got the call about the university shooting at the West Commons on-campus apartments, Mardis said. "Some idiots started shooting," Mardis told the news site Al.com. "You couldn't get the emergency vehicles in there, there were so many people there." The shooting happened as the historically Black university's 100th Homecoming Week was winding down. The university was notifying parents, the school statement said. A person who answered the phone at the office of Tuskegee's police chief said no other information was available. The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation also is investigating. "Special Agents are still in the process of gathering and examining information relative to the sequence of events which ultimately led to the shooting," the agency said in a statement. In his 37 years as coroner, Bentley said he couldn't recall any shootings during the school's past homecoming celebrations. The mood around the small town of around 9,000 people was sombre, he said. The shooting left everyone in the university community shaken, said Amare' Hardee, a senior from Tallahassee, Florida, who is president of the student government association. "This senseless act of violence has touched each of us, whether directly or indirectly," he said at the school's homecoming convocation Sunday morning. A pastor who leads the Tuskegee National Alumni Association told those at Sunday's convocation service that the shooting is a reminder of the fragility of life. "It is in moments like these that we need to be reminded not to stand on our own understanding because, in a moment like this, I don't have understanding," said the Rev. James Quincy III. "I can only rely on my faith, and my prayer for our entire family, this community, as we close out this marvellous family reunion that we shared this week," Quincy said, "and most importantly because of that faith walk and that trust in God, that we have resilience, resilience in the time of trouble." Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama " the school's opponent for Tuskegee's homecoming football game on Saturday " released a statement expressing sympathy. "Today, our hearts are with the Tuskegee family as they face the tragic aftermath of the recent shooting on campus," the college said. "We extend our deepest condolences to those impacted and pray for healing and justice. Miles College stands with you in this difficult time." Sunday's shooting comes just over a year after four people were injured in a shooting at a Tuskegee University student housing complex. In that shooting, two visitors to the campus were shot and two students were hurt while trying to leave the scene of what campus officials described as an "unauthorized party" in September 2023, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. About 3,000 students are enrolled at the university about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Alabama's capital city of Montgomery. The university was the first historically Black college to be designated as a Registered National Landmark in 1966. It was also designated a National Historic Site in 1974, according to the school's website. Norma Clayton, chairwoman of the board of trustees, said at the Sunday morning service that "we will get through this together because in tough times, tough people band together and they survive." 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 November,2024 07:43 AM IST | Tuskegee | APAn earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 shook eastern Cuba on Sunday, after weeks of hurricanes and blackouts that have left many on the island reeling. The epicentre of the quake was located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Bartolome Maso, Cuba, according to a report by the US Geological Survey.Rumbling was felt across the eastern stretch of Cuba, including in bigger cities like Santiago de Cuba, as well as Holguin and. Guantanamo. Local media in Jamaica also reported that the island felt the tremors. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries in Cuba. Residents in Santiago, Cuba's second-largest city, were left shaken on Sunday. Yolanda Tabío, 76, said that people in the city flocked to the streets and were still nervously sitting in their doorways. She said that she felt at least two aftershocks following the quake, but that among friends and family she hadn't heard of any damages. ¿You had to see how everything was moving, the walls, everything," she told The Associated Press. Others reported hearing screams, adding that the quake was strong and stretched on. On social media, residents in the small town of Pilon reported minor damage, posting photos of crumbling roofs and cracks on building walls, not uncommon in Cuba where many structures are older and in need of repair. The earthquake comes during another tough stretch for Cuba. On Wednesday, Category 3 Hurricane Rafael ripped through western Cuba, with strong winds knocking out power island-wide, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations of hundreds of thousands of people. Days after, much of the island was still struggling without power. Weeks before in October, the island was also hit by a one-two punch. First, it was hit by island-wide blackouts stretching on for days, a product of the island's energy crisis. Shortly after, it was slapped by a powerful hurricane that struck the eastern part of the island and killed at least six people.The blackouts and wider discontent among many struggling to get by has stoked small protests across the island. 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 November,2024 07:38 AM IST | Havana | APDonald Trump won Arizona on Saturday, returning the state and its 11 electoral votes to the Republican column after Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. The win over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris marks Trump’s second in Arizona since 2016. Trump campaigned on border security and the economy, tying Harris to inflation and record illegal border crossings during Biden’s administration. Trump’s victory dims the hopes of Arizona Democrats, who sought to continue their ascendance, which began with the 2018 flip of a longtime GOP-held Senate seat and continued in 2020 and 2022. Biden was the second Democrat to win Arizona in 70 years. Trump urges supporters to donate to Democrats Washington: President-elect Donald Trump urged his supporters to donate to Democrats to help them overcome the “financial strain” in the aftermath of the general elections. In a social media post, Trump expressed his surprise that the Democrats didn’t have lots of dollars left over. “Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others,” he said after reports emerged that the Harris Campaign is USD 20 million in debt. “Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do. We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was Earned Media, and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said. Trump rules out ex-secretaries Donald Trump ruled out two of his previous Cabinet members —former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley—to be part of his upcoming administration. “I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Pompeo served as the CIA Director and Secretary of State in his first term, while Haley served as his ambassador to the United Nations in the first two years of his presidency. Both his cabinet-ranking officials later entered the presidential race against him in the Republican primaries. 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 November,2024 07:12 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
