British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Thursday for a deeper relationship with China during what he called "challenging times for the world." The UK leader told China's leader Xi Jinping that their countries need to work together on global stability, climate change and other issues. "I have long been clear that the UK and China need a long term, consistent and comprehensive strategic partnership," he said. Starmer, the first British prime minister to visit in eight years, was holding talks with Xi in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing as the two nations try to improve relations after several years of acrimony. The disruption to global trade under U.S. President Donald Trump has made expanding trade and investment more imperative for many governments. Starmer is the fourth leader of a U.S. ally to visit Beijing this month, following those of South Korea, Canada and Finland. The German chancellor is expected to visit next month. Starmer, who became prime minister in July 2024, is trying to expand opportunities for British companies at a time when the economy at home is slow. More than 50 top business executives have joined him on the trip, along with the leaders of some cultural organizations. The U.K. leader earlier met Zhao Leji, the chairman of China's legislature, the National People's Congress. Relations deteriorated in recent years over growing concern about Chinese spying activity in Great Britain, China's support for Russia in the Ukraine war, and the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, the former British colony that was returned to China in 1997. 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 January,2026 10:53 AM IST | Beijing | APUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the possibility of preemptive action against Iran, telling lawmakers that Tehran's leadership is currently at its weakest point in decades, as Washington continues to reinforce its military posture across the Middle East. On Wednesday, testifying before the Senate, Rubio said the Trump administration's decision to strengthen US assets in the region, including the recent arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group in the US Central Command area, was a "prudent" step aimed at protecting more than 30,000 US service members stationed across the region. "And so I think it's wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially, not necessarily what's going to happen, but if necessary, preemptively prevent the attack against 1000s of American servicemen and other facilities in the region. And our allies," Rubio told senators during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing focused on Venezuela. "I hope it doesn't come to that, but that's I think what you're seeing now is the ability to posture assets in the region to defend against what could be an Iranian threat against our personnel," he added. Rubio's remarks come as regional allies, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, brace for the possibility that President Donald Trump could authorise strikes on Iran following Tehran's crackdown on anti-regime protests and amid concerns over potential retaliation. Addressing Iran's military capabilities, Rubio said the country is "weaker than it has ever been," but warned that it has accumulated "thousands and thousands" of long-range ballistic missiles "that they've built despite the fact that their economy is collapsing." Trump has publicly supported the protests, which began in late December but were largely suppressed, warning Iran's leadership that violence against demonstrators would trigger military consequences. Despite earlier pledges, the president has yet to announce concrete assistance for protesters, even as thousands were reportedly killed during the crackdown earlier this month. The president renewed his warning early Wednesday, saying any future action would be "far worse" than last summer's US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. "Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn't, and there was "Operation Midnight Hammer," a major destruction of Iran," Trump added. "The next attack will be far worse! Don't make that happen again." Iran's mission to the United Nations responded by warning it would retaliate "like never before," while also signalling openness to talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed that stance on social media, saying, "Our brave Armed Forces are prepared--with their fingers on the trigger--to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression against our beloved land, air and sea." When asked by Senator John Cornyn about a potential post-regime scenario in Iran, Rubio said, "I don't think anyone can give you a simple answer as to what happens next in Iran if the Supreme Leader and the regime were to fall, other than the hope that there would be some ability to have somebody within their systems, that you could work towards a similar transition." 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 January,2026 09:45 AM IST | Washington DC | ANIWith a partial government shutdown looming, Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands Wednesday for the Department of Homeland Security, including an enforceable code of conduct for federal agents conducting immigration arrests and a requirement that officers show identification as the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. It remained unclear if President Donald Trump and Republicans would be willing to meet those demands, even as funding for DHS and a swath of other government agencies was at risk of expiring Saturday. Irate Democrats have pledged to block a spending bill unless their demands for reforms are met. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that the legislation won't pass until US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is "reined in and overhauled." "The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorising our streets and killing American citizens," Schumer said. With an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate. That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more united this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents. There's a lot of "unanimity and shared purpose" within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday. "Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does," Smith said. "There has to be accountability." Democrats lay out their demands As the administration's aggressive immigration enforcement surge goes on, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to "end roving patrols" in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants. Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have "masks off, body cameras on" and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies. The Democratic caucus is united in those "commonsense reforms" and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said. He has asked Republicans to separate out the Homeland Security bill from the others to avoid a broader shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said he was waiting for Democrats to outline what they want, and he suggested that they need to be negotiating with the White House. He indicated that he might be open to some of their demands, but encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement. Many obstacles to a deal It was unclear whether Trump would weigh in, or how seriously the White House was engaged - or whether the two sides could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats. The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation. With no serious negotiations underway, a partial shutdown appeared increasingly likely starting Saturday. The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, and that makes it difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats are demanding. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators, which would be complicated, or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline. Even if the Senate could resolve the issue, House Republicans have made clear they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE. "The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security," according to the letter. Republican opposition Several Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats' request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it was unlikely that Democrats would find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he's OK with separating the bills, but opposed to the Democrats' proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are "tarnishing" the agency's reputation. "The thing about the masks, I really do disagree," Tillis said. "You know, there's a lot of vicious people out there, and they'll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home. And that's just the reality of the world that we're in." Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that "what happened over the weekend is a tragedy," but Democrats shouldn't punish Americans with a shutdown and a "political stunt." Democrats say they won't back down. "It is truly a moral moment," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. "I think we need to take a stand." 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 January,2026 09:41 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIA small plane crashed Wednesday in a rural area of Norte de Santander province in northeast Colombia, killing all 15 people on board, authorities said. Satena, the state-owned airline that operated the flight, said local officials in the community of Curasica notified authorities about where the plane had gone down and a rescue team was deployed to "assess the condition of the passengers." Colombia's Transportation Ministry later released a statement saying that "once the aircraft was located on site, authorities regrettably confirmed that there were no survivors." The aircraft, which has a registration number of HK4709, took off at 11:42 am local time from the airport in Cucuta, the department's capital, bound for Ocana, a municipality surrounded by mountains, on a flight that typically lasts about 40 minutes. The aircraft's final contact with air traffic control came minutes after takeoff, according to a statement released by Satena. The small plane was carrying two crew members and 13 passengers, including Diogenes Quintero, who represents the victims of the internal armed conflict in his region, the airline 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
29 January,2026 09:32 AM IST | Bogota | APResearchers have developed a low-cost, portable radiation dosimetry system that turns a smartphone into an on-site radiation detector. The system combines a small piece of radiochromic film with a foldable, battery-powered scanner and a smartphone camera. At the core of the system is Gafchromic EBT4 film, which changes color instantly when exposed to radiation. The color shift is visible to the naked eye, but the system goes further by allowing users to quantify radiation doses by scanning the film and capturing its image with a smartphone. Mobile image-processing applications are then used to analyse the change. 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 January,2026 06:42 AM IST | Tokyo | AgenciesA 57-year-old Indian-origin man appeared in a UK court on Wednesday charged with the murder of a woman at a home in Ilford, east London. Dalip Chadha was arrested at the scene at Applegarth Drive in Ilford in the early hours of Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said. The victim, believed to be his wife, is yet to be formally identified. “At around 4.00 am on Tuesday, January 27, officers were called to an address in Applegarth Drive. Upon arrival, they found a woman dead at the property,” the Met Police said in a statement. “Formal identification has yet to take place, but the victim is believed to be 58-year-old Vanessa Puntney-Chadha. Her next-of-kin have been informed, and are being supported by specially trained officers. 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 January,2026 06:37 AM IST | London | AgenciesAmazon is slashing about 16,000 jobs in the second round of mass layoffs for the e-commerce company in three months. The tech giant has said it plans to use generative artificial intelligence to replace corporate workers. It has also been reducing a workforce that swelled during the pandemic. Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a blog post Wednesday that the company has been "reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy." The latest reductions follow a round of job cuts in October, when Amazon said it was laying off 14,000 workers. While some Amazon units completed those "organisational changes" in October, others did not finish until now, Galetti said. She said US-based staff would be given 90 days to look for a new role internally. Those who are unsuccessful or don't want a new job will be offered severance pay, outplacement services and health insurance benefits, she said. "While we're making these changes, we'll also continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future," Galetti said. CEO Andy Jassy, who has aggressively cut costs since succeeding founder Jeff Bezos in 2021, said in June that he anticipated generative AI would reduce Amazon's corporate workforce in the next few years. The layoffs are Amazon's biggest since 2023, when the company cut 27,000 jobs. Meanwhile, Amazon and other Big Tech and retail companies have cut thousands of jobs to bring spending back in line following the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon's workforce doubled as millions stayed home and boosted online spending. Hiring has stagnated in the US, and in December, the country added a meagre 50,000 jobs, nearly unchanged from a downwardly revised figure of 56,000 in November. Labour data points to a reluctance by businesses to add workers even as economic growth has picked up. Many companies hired aggressively after the pandemic and no longer need to fill more jobs. Others have held back due to widespread uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump's shifting tariff policies, elevated inflation, and the spread of artificial intelligence, which could alter or even replace some jobs. While economists have described the labour situation in the U.S as a "no-hire-no-fire" environment, some companies have said they are cutting back on jobs, even this week. On Tuesday, UPS said it planned to cut up to 30,000 operational jobs through attrition and buyouts this year as the package delivery company reduces the number of shipments from its largest customer, Amazon. That followed 34,000 job cuts in October at UPS and the closing of daily operations at 93 leased and owned buildings during the first nine months of last year. Also on Tuesday, Pinterest said it plans to lay off under 15 per cent of its workforce, as part of a broader restructuring that arrives as the image-sharing platform pivots more of its money to artificial intelligence. Shares of Amazon Inc., based in Seattle, rose slightly before the opening bell on Wednesday. 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.
28 January,2026 08:10 PM IST | New York | APCondolences continued to pour in from across the country on Wednesday following the tragic death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a plane crash while travelling from Mumbai to Baramati earlier in the day. Speaking to ANI in Rapiur, Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Raman Singh described Pawar's death as a loss not just for Maharashtra but for the entire nation. "The sudden demise of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash is a great loss for Maharashtra and the entire country. He was known as 'Dada' in Maharashtra politics. He started his political career at a very early age and served six times as Deputy CM," Singh said. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad expressed deep shock over the tragedy, calling the timing particularly painful. "We are deeply saddened by his sudden demise. There was such a big victory in the recent civic elections. This is very painful. He had become a strong pillar of the NDA," he said in Delhi. Samajwadi Party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav termed the incident heartbreaking and said his prayers were with the Pawar family. "This is a very painful hour for the Pawar family. I can only pray to the Lord that they are given the strength to bear this sorrow," he said. Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav remembered Pawar as a straightforward and disciplined leader. "I have known Ajit Dada closely since 1990. He valued time, spoke directly, and worked hard. This tragedy has shaken all of us," he said, paying heartfelt tribute. Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has dispatched a special team to Baramati to investigate the crash, which claimed five lives, including Pawar and crew members. The team will analyse flight recorders, aircraft systems, crew records, and ATC data. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a state holiday and three days of mourning. Pawar, 66, the longest-serving Deputy CM of Maharashtra, is survived by his wife Sunetra Pawar and sons Jay and Parth Pawar. 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.
28 January,2026 05:47 PM IST | New Delhi | ANIUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday condemned a Russian drone strike on a passenger train in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, calling it an "act of terrorism" and saying the attack had killed four civilians. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said the train was carrying more than 200 passengers when it was hit by Russian attack drones, stressing that there could be no military justification for such an assault. He added that the classification of the attack would be unquestioned globally. "Today, Russia struck a passenger train in the Kharkiv region with attack drones. In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way - purely as an act of terrorism. There would be no doubt about the classification, neither in Europe, nor in America, nor in the Arab world, nor in China, nor anywhere else," Zelenskyy said. According to Zelenskyy, one of the drones hit a carriage carrying 18 passengers, while over 200 people were on board the train at the time of the strike. He said the attack involved three drones and has so far resulted in four confirmed deaths. He noted that four people were still missing and two others had been injured in the attack. "There is, and can be, no military justification for killing civilians in a train carriage. In particular, over 200 people were on the train, and 18 were in the carriage hit by one of the Russian drones. Overall, this attack involving three drones has so far resulted in four confirmed deaths. My condolences to all the families and loved ones," his post read. The Ukrainian President said Russia must be held accountable not only for individual strikes but also for its growing capacity to carry out such attacks and called for international action to protect civilian lives and unite the global community. "Russia must be held accountable for what it is doing. And this means responsibility not only for strikes against our people, against our life, but for the very ability to carry out such attacks. The Russians have significantly increased their capacity to kill, their capacity to terrorise. They are investing in the progress of terror. And our task - and this should unite all decent people around the world - is to ensure progress in the protection of life. This is possible through pressure on Russia. This is possible by punishing Russia for its actions. This is possible through support for Ukraine," Zelenskyy's post added. Earlier, Russia had launched a "brutal drone attack" on the Odesa region, with more than 50 drones targeting "energy infrastructure and civilian facilities" as the primary targets. 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.
28 January,2026 02:15 PM IST | Kyiv (Ukraine) | ANIA South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon Hee to 20 months in prison for corruption on Wednesday ahead of the verdict for disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law imposition a year ago. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim for receiving bribes from the Unification Church in return for business favours. The ruling comes about three weeks before the court delivers its verdict on the rebellion charge against Yoon. The independent counsel earlier demanded the death sentence for Yoon. 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.
28 January,2026 01:43 PM IST | Seoul | APGov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas universities and state agencies on Tuesday to halt new H-1B visa petitions, which are used by employers to hire foreign workers with specialised skills, until next year. The pause in the red state, which is home to tens of thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes amid actions by the Trump administration aimed at reshaping the visa programme. Critics argue that it has become a pipeline for overseas workers willing to work for lower pay and is taking job opportunities from Americans. But supporters say the program is crucial to attract top global talent, fill specialised roles and drive innovation. The pause in Texas, which only applies to state agencies "controlled by a gubernatorially appointed head" and public universities, is scheduled to last until May 31, 2027. Abbott's order does allow exceptions if permission is granted from the Texas Workforce Commission. Abbott said the freeze will give lawmakers time to "establish statutory guardrails for future employment practices regarding federal visa holders in state government" and for Congress to "modify federal law" and for the Trump Administration to "implement reforms aimed at eliminating abuse of this visa program." Currently, the public university in the state with the most H-1B visas is the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas with 228 visa holders, based on data reported by the US Citizen & Immigration Services in September. The university employees more than 23,000 people, according to their website. University staff did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment on the pause. Other institutions with H-1B visa holders include: the Texas A&M University in College Station with 214; the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston with 171; the University of Texas at Austin with 169; and Texas Tech University in Lubbock with 143. While there is a wide range of employers who can apply for HB-1 visas - including hospitals, bands and universities - at least 60 per cent of the H-1B visas approved since 2012 have been for computer-related jobs, according to the Pew Research Center. Last year across the country, Amazon was by far the top recipient, with more than 10,000 visas approved, followed by Mumbai-based informational technology company Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google. In Texas, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation - a multinational information technology company - has the most H-1B visas in the state with 3,172. Abbott, who along with Republicans allege that the visas are being abused, said he is also reviewing the programme's use. As such, he is ordering agencies and universities to provide information on the number of new or renewed H-1B visa petitions they filed last year, the number of visa holders currently sponsored, job titles, countries of origin and visa expiration dates. The Republican also asked for documentation showing employers made an effort to give "qualified Texans candidates with reasonable opportunity to apply" for positions filled by H-1B visa holders. "State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities - particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars - are filled by Texans first," Abbott wrote in his letter. Abbott is not the only GOP governor taking action against the visa program. Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for fewer H-1B hires, alleging abuse of the program to fill non-specialised roles. On Thursday, the Board of Governors, which oversees the Florida's public university system, is scheduled to discuss pausing the use of H-1B programme to hire new personnel until next year. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation last year imposing a USD 100,000 annual H-1B visa fee on highly skilled workers, which is being challenged in court. Created by the 1990 Immigration Act, H-1B visas allow American companies to bring in people with technical skills that are hard to find in the United States. The visas, which are good for three years and can be extended another three years, are not intended for people who want to stay permanently. Some eventually do, but only after transitioning to different immigration statuses. The number of new visas issued annually is capped at 65,000, plus an additional 20,000 for people with a master's degree or higher. Some employers, such as universities and nonprofits, are exempt from the limits. 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
28 January,2026 09:12 AM IST | Houston | APADVERTISEMENT
-1769595535345_d.png "State holiday declared as nation mourns Ajit Pawar's tragic demise. File Pic")
-1769580355779_d.png "Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire in a train carriage following the air attack in the Kharkiv region. Pic/AFP")
