Russia unleashed a massive combined attack on Kyiv early Friday, sparking fires and scattering debris across many districts of the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. At least 11 people were injured as emergency crews responded to multiple strikes, he said in a statement. Five people were hospitalized, including one man in critical condition and a pregnant woman, after a series of powerful explosions sounded in the city and airs defenses were activated. The attack on the capital was ongoing, officials said, urging residents to remain in shelters until the air raid alert is lifted. City authorities warned that power and water outages are possible. In the Darnytskyi district, debris landed in the yard of a residential building and on the grounds of an educational facility. A car caught fire after being hit by falling fragments. In the Dniprovskyi district, debris damaged three apartment buildings, a private household and caused a fire in an open area. In the Podilskyi district, five residential buildings and a nonresidential structure were damaged. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, falling debris sparked a fire in an open area near a medical facility and inside a nonresidential building. In the Holosiivskyi district, debris ignited a fire at a medical facility and damaged another nonresidential building. In the Desnianskyi district, fires were recorded in two residential buildings. In the Solomianskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a residential building. In the Sviatoshynskyi district, debris caused a fire in a private home. In the Kyiv region, Russian strikes damaged critical infrastructure and private homes, injuring at least one civilian, regional head Mykola Kalashnyk said. A 55-year-old man in Bila Tserkva suffered thermal burns and was hospitalized, he said. Fires broke out in private houses in the capital's suburbs. The strike came as European Union officials warned this week that Ukraine must continue to crack down on corruption following a major graft scandal that has put top nuclear energy officials under scrutiny. But they also offered assurances that aid will continue to flow as Kyiv strains to hold back Russia's invasion. 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
23 December,2025 04:43 PM IST | Kyiv | APA Brown University sophomore who was killed in an attack at the Rhode Island university was remembered Monday as "smart, confident, curious, kind, principled, brave", at a funeral in her home state of Alabama. Hundreds gathered at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in downtown Birmingham to remember Ella Cook, 19. She and freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, were killed Dec 13 when a gunman entered a study session in a Brown academic building and opened fire on students. Nine other students were wounded. Authorities believe the attack was carried out by Claudio Neves Valente, 48, who had been a graduate student at Brown studying physics during the 2000-01 school year. Neves Valente then fatally shot Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno FG Loureiro at Loureiro's Boston-area home two days later, officials said. Neves Valente, who had attended school with Loureiro in Portugal in the 1990s, was found dead days later in a New Hampshire storage facility, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy determined that Neves Valente died Dec 16, the same day Loureiro died in a hospital. On Monday, Cook's family invited attendees to wear "Easter colors," underscoring Cook's Christian faith, at an Episcopal funeral service that also nodded to the Christmas season. The Rev Paul FM Zahl, who formerly led the church, read from several letters written by members of the Brown community to Cook's parents, Anna Bishop Cook and Richard Cook, who raised Ella and her two younger siblings in the affluent Birmingham suburb of Mountain Brook. "Ella was smart, confident, curious, kind, principled, brave. She had a big impact on campus in only three semesters," wrote Brown professor of political economy David Skarbek. "I used to tell Ella, We need an Alabama to Brown pipeline.' In fact, her nickname on campus was Ellabama." Zahl told the congregation that the funeral was "a kind of bigger stage, a kind of more amplified mic" for Cook to spread her Christian faith. Zahl said he dreamed last week that he was skiing behind Cook and her family. "Ella turned around and shouted confidently, self-assuredly, Come on, will you?'" he said, saying he believed God had shown himself through the dream. "I pray now that everyone who has loved Ella so much in this life would be given a vivid, individual feeling of Ella's love, still present with us," Zahl said. "Because Ella's love is eternal and entirely altruistic." Cook was an accomplished pianist who was studying French, math and economics at Brown, where she also served as vice president of the college Republicans. Her political activity brought a wave of reaction from national and Alabama Republicans. Alabama Gov Kay Ivey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff statewide in Cook's memory. 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.
23 December,2025 03:45 PM IST | Birmingham | APUS President Donald Trump has repeated his claim of resolving the India-Pakistan conflict and asserted that Islamabad's leadership credited him for saving millions of lives. "We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India. And the head of Pakistan, a highly respected General, he's a Field Marshal and also the Prime Minister of Pakistan, said President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more...", Trump said Monday. He made these remarks at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, flanked by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "You know, eight planes were shot down. That war was starting to rage, and he actually said the other day that President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more. So we solved all these wars. The only one I haven't solved yet is Russia, Ukraine", he said. Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he "helped settle" the tensions between the two neighbours. New Delhi has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. 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.
23 December,2025 01:17 PM IST | New York/Washington | PTIThe US military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat it said was smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. In a social media post, US Southern Command said, "Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations". Southern Command provided no evidence that the vessel was engaged in drug smuggling. A video posted by US Southern Command shows splashes of water near one side of the boat. After a second salvo, the rear of the boat catches fire. More splashes engulf the craft and the fire grows. In the final second of the video, the vessel can be seen adrift with a large patch of fire alongside it. Earlier videos of US boat strikes showed vessels suddenly exploding, suggesting missile strikes. Some strike videos even had visible rocket-like projectiles coming down on the boats. The Trump administration has said the strikes were meant to stop the flow of drugs into the US and increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. At least 105 people have been killed in 29 known strikes since early September. The strikes have faced scrutiny from US lawmakers and human rights activists, who say the administration has offered scant evidence that its targets are indeed drug smugglers and say the fatal strikes amount to extrajudicial killings. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard has stepped up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Trump administration's escalating campaign against Maduro. 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.
23 December,2025 12:20 PM IST | Washington | APUS President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, signalling renewed attention to the strategically significant territory. Trump said the Louisiana Republican “understands how essential Greenland is to our national security, and will strongly advance our country’s interests for the safety, security, and survival of allies and the World.” The appointment comes against the backdrop of Trump’s long-standing interest in Greenland, which he first publicly expressed during his first term when he floated the idea of purchasing the island from Denmark. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said his country insists that everyone, including the US, must respect “the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark” after Trump’s announcement of a special envoy to Greenland, whose goal would be to “make the territory part of the US”. 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
23 December,2025 09:53 AM IST | New York | AgenciesA concert in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Thursday saw Chinese American singer-songwriter Wang Leehom joined on stage by six humanoid robots, dressed in silver sequined outfits. The robots appeared during his performance of Open Fire and danced alongside the singer, performing a sequence of arm motions, leg kicks, turns and jumps, timed to the music, rather than limited to simple, repetitive gestures. The routine concluded with all six robots completing a Webster flip at the same time. 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
23 December,2025 09:44 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesNASA and Boeing are testing longer, thinner wings that provide a smooth plane rides while saving fuel. When creating lift, longer, thinner wings can reduce drag, making them efficient. However, they can become very flexible in flight. NASA and Boeing recently completed wind tunnel tests of a “higher aspect ratio wing model” to gain desired efficiency without the potential issues these kinds of wings can experience. 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
23 December,2025 09:39 AM IST | Texas | AgenciesA small Mexican Navy plane transporting a young medical patient and seven others crashed Monday near Galveston, killing at least five people and setting off a search in the waters off the Texas coast, officials said. Four of the people aboard were Navy officers, and four were civilians, including a child, Mexico's Navy said in a statement to The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear which of them died. Two of the people aboard were members of the Michou and Mau Foundation, which is a nonprofit that provides aid to Mexican children who have suffered severe burns. The US Coast Guard confirmed that five people had been killed in the crash and that the cause of the crash is under investigation. The crash took place Monday afternoon near the base of a causeway near Galveston, along the Texas coast about 50 miles (80.5 kilometres) southeast of Houston. Mexico's Navy said in a statement that the plane was helping with a medical mission and had an 'accident.' It promised to investigate the cause of the crash. The Navy is helping local authorities with the search and rescue operation, it said in a post on the social media platform X. Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on X. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash. 'The incident remains under investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,' the sheriff's office said in a post on Facebook, adding that the public should avoid the area so emergency responders can work safely. Galveston is an island that is a popular beach destination. It's not immediately clear if the weather was a factor. However, the area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said that at about 2:30 pm on Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility. The foggy conditions are expected to persist through Tuesday morning. 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
23 December,2025 09:37 AM IST | Galveston | APMore than 12.1 million people from 150 countries participated in what was billed as the largest collective meditation in history, led in New York by India’s spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on World Meditation Day (December 21). From Indian cities and villages to communities in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia, participants included students, professionals, farmers, and prison inmates, with organisers highlighting the scale of shared silence and collective stillness. 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
23 December,2025 09:32 AM IST | New York | AgenciesA federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration must give legal due process to Venezuelan migrants flown to a notorious prison in El Salvador, either by providing court hearings or returning them to the US. US District Judge James Boasberg ordered the government to come up with a plan within two weeks for the men, who have since been returned to Venezuela in a prisoner swap. 'Plaintiffs should not have been removed in the manner that they were, with virtually no notice and no opportunity to contest the bases of their removal, in clear contravention of their due-process rights,' Boasberg wrote. It's the latest development in a case that's been a legal flashpoint in the administration's sweeping crackdown on immigration. It started in March, after Trump invoked an 18th-century wartime law to send Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members to a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. Two planeloads of men were flown to the prison, despite a verbal order from Boasberg for the aircraft to turn around. Boasberg subsequently started a contempt investigation, though the dramatic battle between the judicial and executive branches has been paused by an appeals court. The administration has denied violating his order. The White House did not have immediate comment on Monday's ruling. More than 200 migrants were released back to Venezuela in a prisoner swap with the US in July. The ruling from Boasberg, who was appointed to the federal bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, opens a path for them to challenge the allegation that they're members of the Tren de Aragua gang and subject to removal under the Alien Enemies Act. 'This critical ruling makes clear that the Trump administration cannot simply spirit people off to a notorious foreign prison with zero due process and simply walk away. There are consequences,' said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who represents the migrants. 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
23 December,2025 09:28 AM IST | Washington | APThe United States Department of the Interior announced that it is pausing the leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction due to national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports, the Department said in a statement. The statement said that this pause will give the Department, along with the Department of War and other relevant government agencies, time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects. "The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people," said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. "Today's action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centres. The Trump administration will always prioritise the security of the American people." The US has paused the leases for Vineyard Wind 1 (OCS-A 0501), Revolution Wind (OCS-A 0486), CVOW - Commercial (OCS-A 0483), Sunrise Wind (OCS-A 0487) and Empire Wind 1 (OCS-A 0512). "As for the national security risks inherent to large-scale offshore wind projects, unclassified reports from the US government have long found that the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called 'clutter'. The clutter caused by offshore wind projects obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects," the Department of the Interior said. The Department of Energy, in a 2024 report, stated that a radar's threshold for false alarm detection can be increased to reduce some clutter, but an increased detection threshold could cause the radar to "miss actual targets." Defending the move on X, Doug Burgum termed offshore wind as an "expensive, unreliable, subsidy-dependent scheme." He wrote, "Offshore wind is one of the most expensive, unreliable, subsidy-dependent schemes ever pushed upon American taxpayers. Here's why @POTUS is prioritising energy projects like clean, beautiful coal and US natural gas that actually work." "Offshore wind forces consumers and taxpayers to pay CONSIDERABLY more for electricity than proven sources. The prices from the five paused offshore wind projects are, on average, 75 per cent higher than already-high grid prices on the East Coast," the Secretary added. He added that offshore wind is costlier than natural gas. "Even more stark is the cost of electricity produced by offshore wind versus natural gas: in New England, offshore wind is the most expensive source of energy, being nearly 12x more than natural gas," Burgum wrote on X. Interestingly, US President Donald Trump, in September 2025, had launched a sharp critique of climate science during his address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), terming climate change the "greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" and criticising what he called a growing dependence on renewable energy sources. He asserted that the concept of a carbon footprint was a hoax and accused unnamed groups of having "evil intentions" in pushing environmental agendas. 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
23 December,2025 09:24 AM IST | Washington | ANIADVERTISEMENT
