The first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, met an old friend — a giant panda born in France. The first lady had first met the panda last year, at the end of her visit to China with French President Emmanuel Macron. During this visit, the panda, Yuan Meng, was living in a reserve in southwest China. She chose his name when he was born in a French zoo in 2017. It means “accomplishment of a dream”. She marvelled at how big he had grown. “When they’re born, they’re like this,” she said, holding up two fingers a short distance apart. The panda roamed in his enclosure, feasting on bamboo, ignoring bystanders who called his name trying to elicit a reaction out of him. “They have a very independent character,” the first lady said. “They do only what they want.” Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China included meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other officials, discussing Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade ties and other issues. 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
07 December,2025 08:17 AM IST | China | AgenciesQatar’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Saturday said the Gaza ceasefire has reached a “critical moment” as its first phase, which took effect on October 10, winds down. “What we have just done is a pause,” he told the Doha Forum, an international conference in the Qatari capital. “We cannot consider it a ceasefire yet. A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today,” he said. While the ceasefire halted the heavy fighting of the two-year war, Gaza health officials say that over 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce took effect in October. In new violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike northwest of Gaza City, Shifa Hospital said. Israel’s army said it wasn’t aware of an airstrike in that location. However, it said that Israeli soldiers on Saturday killed three militants who crossed the “yellow line” into the Israeli-controlled northern part of Gaza and “posed an immediate threat.” Since the ceasefire, the Israeli army says it has carried out a number of attacks on Palestinians crossing the ceasefire lines. The next phase, which includes the deployment of an international security force in Gaza, formation of a new technocratic government for the territory, disarmament of Hamas and an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, has not yet begun. 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
07 December,2025 08:14 AM IST | Doha | AgenciesThe Social Security Administration (SSA) will be forced to scale back field visits in the first half of next year. Field offices have long been community-based branches that serve as the public face of the SSA, which provide in-person help for people applying for retirement and disability benefits, getting Social Security cards and other important services. In an operating plan shared with media houses by the SSA, it outlines a proposed target of 50 per cent fewer field office visitors in fiscal year 2026 compared to fiscal year 2025, or no more than 15 million field office visits by members of the public. Agency field offices saw more than 31.6 million field office visits from SSA recipients from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, according to the agency document. A Social Security spokesperson who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the administration’s plans for the agency said field offices will remain a front-line service to the roughly 75 million Americans who receive monthly payments. However, the spokesperson noted, more Americans are choosing to manage their benefits online or over the phone. At least 7000 SSA workers have been laid off this year. In October, Democracy Forward, a legal group challenging the Trump administration’s policies, filed a lawsuit to compel SSA to release public records about service disruptions. Barton Mackey, a Social Security spokesperson, said “field offices are, and will always remain, our front-line, providing in-person services to the approximately 75 million Americans who receive monthly payments and more than 330 million Americans with Social Security numbers, which the Commissioner has reiterated countless times since his confirmation.” “The Social Security Administration under President Trump’s leadership is serving more Americans than ever before at quicker speeds, and meeting customers where they want to be served,” Mackey said. “Through technology improvements and modernisation, more Americans are choosing to easily and quickly manage their benefits online or over the phone.” 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
07 December,2025 08:11 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesFormer Pentagon official Michael Rubin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India is seen as US President Trump's "gross incompetence" by the majority of the US people, who dislike Trump, which he claimed is around 65 per cent according to recent polls. "It is being perceived in two different ways. If you're Donald Trump, it's being perceived through the lens of "I told you so" that this embrace of India towards Russia is affirming what Donald Trump wants his spin to be. Because Donald Trump isn't going to admit that he is the one at fault. If you're the 65 % of Americans who dislike Donald Trump, according to the recent polls, then what we are seeing now is the result of Donald Trump's gross incompetence," he said. Michael Rubin further said that the US is being "hypocritical" by "lecturing" India on its purchase of discounted oil from Russia, as Washington itself is involved in trade with Moscow, and justified New Delhi's position to prioritise its needs. Michael Rubin's harsh criticism of the US came when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's comment during his New Delhi visit that Moscow is "ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of fuel for the growing Indian economy". The Former Pentagon official noted that India is soon to become the world's third-largest economy and has its own energy needs, criticising the US's imposition of an additional 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports in August due to its purchase of Russian oil, which Washington claims fuels Moscow's war efforts in Ukraine. Speaking with ANI, Michael Rubin said, "What Americans don't understand is that Indians elected Prime Minister Modi to represent Indian interests. India is the most populous country. It's soon going to become the World's third-largest economy, and for that, it needs energy. The US is being hypocritical because we purchase from Russia. We purchase goods and materials for which we don't have alternative markets. We are being hypocritical when we lecture India," "At the same time, if we do not want India to purchase Russian fuel, what are we going to do to provide fuel to India at a cheaper price and in the quantities India needs? If we don't have an answer for that, our best approach is simply to shut up because India needs to take care of Indian security first," he added. Russian President, during his two-day visit, declared that Moscow will remain a steady, uninterrupted supplier for the country's fast-growing economy. "Russia is a reliable supply of oil, gas, coal and everything that is required for the development of India's energy. We are ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of fuel for the fast-growing Indian economy," Putin said, while addressing joint press address with Prime Minister Narendra Modi He further stated that US citizens are "flabbergasted" over Trump's actions that have reversed US-India ties, questioning whether it was "Pakistan's flattery or bribery." "A lot of us are still flabbergasted at how Donald Trump has reversed US-India ties. Many people question what motivates Donald Trump. Perhaps it was the flattery of the Pakistanis. More likely, it was bribery on the part of the Pakistanis or their backers in Turkey and Qatar towards Donald Trump...This is one disastrous bribe that is going to saddle America with a strategic deficit for decades to come," he said. President Putin concluded his visit to Delhi on Friday night. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar accompanied him to the airport to see him off. During his two-day visit, Putin co-hosted the India-Russia Annual Summit with PM Modi. Both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in building stable and efficient transport corridors. They also agreed to take the India-Russia economic partnership to "new heights" by 2030. 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
06 December,2025 06:11 PM IST | Washington DC | ANIThe number of people killed in a deadly shooting incident in Pretoria on Saturday has risen to 11, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed. The incident took place at Saulsville Hostel in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, early Saturday. "25 shot, 11 confirmed dead, 14 survivors and all are in hospital. The South African Police Service has launched a manhunt for three unknown suspects. Three minors are among those deceased which include 3 and 12 year-old boys, 16-year-old female. The rest of those deceased are adults. The incident happened at an illegal shebeen," read a statement issued by the SAPS. According the local media, the incident occurred just after 4:15 am, but police were only alerted around 6 am. "We immediately mobilised our resources, including forensic and ballistics experts, who were already at the scene. Our detectives and the Serious and Violent Crime Unit are piecing together information on what may have led to this shooting," the country's leading media outlet Independent Online (IOL) quoted SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe as saying. Citing Mathe's statement, the IOL reported that at least three unknown gunmen entered the hostel, where a group of people were drinking, and began shooting randomly. The SAPS spokesperson also highlighted the massive challenges being posed by illegal and unlicensed liquor premises. "Between April and September this year, we shut down 11,975 unlicensed liquor outlets nationwide and arrested more than 18,676 people found selling liquor illegally," the official was quoted as saying by the IOL. Last month, seven men were killed in a mass shooting in Cape Town, Western Cape Province of South Africa. The incident occurred on Road R53 in Philippi East, a suburb in Cape Town's Cape Flats area, where seven men aged between 20 and 30 were fatally shot in what authorities described as a "senseless act of violence." After Jo'burg, Cape Town has also seen a surge in gun violence and gang-related killings in recent months, prompting warnings from civil society that the Western Cape Province, of which Cape Town is the capital city, is facing a full-blown crisis. In September, mounting gun violence in Cape Town, which had claimed at least a dozen lives across the metropolis in over one week, prompted the local government to shut down selected minibus taxi routes for 30 days, Xinhua news agency had reported. 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
06 December,2025 04:53 PM IST | Johannesburg | IANSUS Supreme Court agreed to examine the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, reopening a debate widely considered settled since the late 19th century, CNN reported. By taking up the appeal, the top court has moved beyond the procedural questions it addressed earlier this year--when it sided with Trump on technical grounds related to how lower courts handled the challenges and will now directly consider the policy's legality. Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, welcomed the development, saying the organisation looks forward to the Supreme Court "putting this issue to rest once and for all." "The federal courts have unanimously held that President Trump's executive order is contrary to the Constitution, a Supreme Court decision from 1898, and a law enacted by Congress," she said. The Trump administration's arguments--long viewed as fringe interpretations even among some conservative legal scholars--are expected to draw intense public scrutiny as the court's term progresses. The case marks another test of the court's readiness to evaluate an aggressive legal position advanced by the White House. A ruling in Trump's favour could overturn a fundamental principle of US constitutional and immigration law, potentially affecting how American parents document the citizenship of newborns. The court is set to hear the matter next year and will likely deliver its verdict by the end of June. CNN Supreme Court analyst and Georgetown University Law Center professor Steve Vladeck criticised the administration's stance, calling its attempt to restrict birthright citizenship by executive order "wrong.""Whether because it violates the relevant statutes; the Fourteenth Amendment itself; or the Supreme Court's authoritative 1898 interpretation of that constitutional provision, the bottom line is the same," he said. The 1898 ruling in US v. Wong Kim Ark established that individuals born on US soil are citizens, barring a few narrow exceptions. The Trump administration, however, argued before the Supreme Court that this precedent has been misread for over a century. In its filings, the administration asserted that the understanding of the citizenship clause "was mistaken" and had "destructive consequences." Ending birthright citizenship has been a central element of Trump's immigration platform. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court that the Fourteenth Amendment's citizenship clause was intended to cover formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants, "not the children of temporary visitors or illegal aliens." Earlier this year, the Supreme Court issued a key ruling related to Trump's policy, though that case focused on a procedural question concerning the scope of lower courts' authority to block presidential actions. In a 6-3 decision, the court curtailed but did not entirely remove the ability of lower courts to halt such policies. 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
06 December,2025 10:52 AM IST | Washington DC | ANIClaiming "no strategic logic" for the United States embracing Islamabad, former Pentagon official Michael Rubin said Pakistan should be designated as a "state sponsor of terrorism." He also objected to Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir's visit to White House in June and said Munir "should be arrested rather than honoured" if he comes to the US "There is no strategic logic for the United States embracing Pakistan. It should not be a major non-NATO ally. It should be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, period. If Asim Munir comes to the United States, he should be arrested rather than honoured," he said. Michael Rubin further said that the US need to offer a "vocal apology" to India for their actions, such as the imposition of additional 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports in August due to its purchase of Russian oil. He added that even though US President Trump "doesn't like to apologise," the interest of the US surmounts "one man's ego." "What we need is quiet diplomacy behind the scenes, and perhaps, at some point, a more vocal apology from the United States for the way we have treated India over the past year...President Donald Trump doesn't like to apologise, but the interests of the United States, world democracies are much more important than one man's ego, no matter how inflated it is," he said. Trade tensions have surfaced, with the US imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports compared to 19 per cent for Pakistan, as well as signing agreements with Islamabad on mineral mining and oil exploration. Pakistan had welcomed Trump's claims, even nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. In May, following India's Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), which came in retaliation to Pakistan's sponsored terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people in the name of religion, both countries had agreed to halt the full-scale military action, after the Pakistan Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called their Indian counterpart for cessation of hostilities. 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
06 December,2025 10:48 AM IST | Washington DC | ANIResearchers at the University of East London (UEL) have found an extraordinary new purpose for discarded seashells. Once processed into a fine powder, shells can replace up to a third of the cement in concrete, offering a highly scalable method to reduce carbon output. Cement, the binding agent in concrete, accounts for roughly 7 per cent of global carbon emissions. It is everywhere, its carbon footprint enormous. UEL’s study found that ground scallop shells — which typically end up in landfills or waste streams — can be substituted for cement, delivering a 36 per cent reduction in carbon emissions for the material. 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
06 December,2025 10:45 AM IST | London | AgenciesThe US Southern Command announced that it conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This was the 22nd strike the US military carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs. There were four casualties in the strike, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people. The strike was conducted the same day Admiral Frank Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the US Capitol as lawmakers began an investigation into the very first strike carried out by the military on September 2. The sessions came after a report that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack that killed the survivors to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s demands. Bradley told lawmakers there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth. Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare. 87No. of people killed since US strikes began 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
06 December,2025 10:43 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesThe scheduled departure of critically ill former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia for London for advance treatment has been deferred to Sunday as an air ambulance offered by Qatar could not reach Dhaka, a senior leader of her party said on Friday. The 80-year-old head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who was hospitalised on November 23, was originally scheduled to leave for London late on Thursday night or early Friday. “If everything goes well, it may arrive today, and if Zia’s health permits travel, and her medical board gives its approval, she will fly out on Sunday,” BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said. According to a statement issued by Zia’s media cell, the special aircraft provided by Qatar could not reach Dhaka as scheduled on Thursday due to technical flaws.A medical board looking after Zia on Thursday decided to send her to London for advanced treatment, her party 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
06 December,2025 10:36 AM IST | Dhaka | AgenciesUkrainian representatives led by Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security Rustem Umerov, and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Hnatov, were set to continue their talks with the US negotiation team, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, on Friday, after nearly five hours of talks with Moscow led to “no compromise” from the Russian side on the Ukraine peace plans. In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Kyiv’s priority is to obtain full clarity on what was discussed during Moscow’s recent engagements and to ensure that Ukraine’s interests remain central in all diplomatic efforts. He underscored that Ukraine is prepared for “any possible developments” and will continue to work “as constructively as possible” with all its international partners to secure peace. “Today, Ukrainian representatives will continue their discussions in the United States with President Trump’s team. Our task now is to obtain full information about what was said in Moscow and what other pretexts Putin has come up with to drag out the war and to pressure Ukraine,” Zelenskyy’s post read. The meeting comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin held five hours of talks with US negotiators led by President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Witkoff, in an effort to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. However, “no compromise” was reached on territorial issues, as per senior Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow won’t compromise on its security interests to ensure Kyiv’s security. 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
06 December,2025 10:33 AM IST | Kyiv | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
