Several countries across the globe, including Russia, Iran and Cuba, on Saturday severely criticised the US military attack on Venezuela, calling it a "flagrant violation" of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Moscow described the US action as "deeply concerning" and condemnable. "The pretexts used to justify such actions are untenable. Ideological hostility has triumphed over businesslike pragmatism and a willingness to build relationships of trust and predictability," read a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Moscow insisted that that all partners who may have grievances against each other should seek solutions through dialogue and prevent further escalation. "Latin America must remain the zone of peace it declared itself to be in 2014. And Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, outside intervention. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for the course of their Bolivarian leadership, aimed at protecting the national interests and sovereignty of the country," the statement added. Russia also backed the statement by the Venezuelan authorities and the leadership of Latin American countries on the urgent convening of a meeting of the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, Xinhua news agency reported, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel also on Saturday condemned what he described as the "criminal attack" by the United States against Venezuela, demanding an urgent response from the international community. In a social media post, the president said that Latin America was being brutally assaulted, and called it "state terrorism against the brave people of Venezuela and against Our America." Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also condemned the ongoing US military aggression against Venezuela on Saturday. In a message posted on social media, the diplomat said the bombings and military actions against Caracas and other localities in the country are cowardly acts against a nation that has not attacked the United States or any other country. Iran's Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the US military attack on Venezuela, calling it a "flagrant violation" of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a statement, the ministry described the attack as an "act of aggression" and a clear breach of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law prohibiting the use of force against sovereign states. Earlier on Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of Venezuela," according to a post by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account. Iran reaffirmed Venezuela's right to defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-determination, and urged the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibility by immediately halting what it described as a US "invasion" of the country. The remarks come amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States. On Friday, Tehran said it would "forcefully reject" any interference in its internal affairs after Trump warned that Washington would act if Iran "kills peaceful protesters." Protests have erupted since Sunday in several Iranian cities over the sharp depreciation of the national currency, the rial. 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
03 January,2026 11:18 PM IST | Moscow | IANSThe United States hit Venezuela with a large-scale strike early Saturday and said President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack. Multiple explosions rang out, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas, the capital, as Maduro's government immediately accused the US of attacking civilian and military installations. The Venezuelan government called it an imperialist attack and urged citizens to take to the streets. Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4:30 am ET and said he would host a news conference at 11 am ET. The US indicted Maduro on narcoterrorism charges in 2020 The Justice Department, during Trump's first term in office, charged in several indictments that Maduro had effectively converted Venezuela into a criminal enterprise at the service of drug traffickers and terrorist groups as he and his allies stole billions from the South American country. The coordinated unsealing of indictments against 14 officials and government-connected individuals, and rewards of USD 55 million for Maduro and four others, attacked all the key planks of what then-Attorney General William Barr called the corrupt Venezuelan regime, including the Maduro-dominated judiciary and the powerful armed forces. One indictment by prosecutors in New York accused Maduro and socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello, head of the rubber-stamping constitutional assembly, of conspiring with Colombian rebels and members of the military to flood the United States with cocaine and use the drug trade as a weapon against America. State Department officials say the tyrant is gone' US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau says the military action and seizure of Maduro marks a new dawn for Venezuela, saying that the tyrant is gone.He posted on X hours after the strike. His boss, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reposted a post from July that said Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government. Maduro will be tried in the US Utah Sen. Mike Lee said Rubio informed him that he anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody, the lawmaker posted on social media. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who briefed him on the strike. Rubio told Lee that Maduro has been arrested by US personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States. The White House did not immediately respond to queries on where Maduro and his wife were being flown to. Maduro was indicted in March 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges in the Southern District of New York. Colombia prepares to receive refugees from Venezuela President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, one of Trump's fiercest critics, said the Colombian government convened a national security meeting before dawn Saturday and sent security forces to the border in preparation for a potential massive influx of refugees from neighbouring Venezuela.He said he'd also call on the UN Security Council to consider the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America.Without sovereignty, there is no nation, Petro wrote on social media. Russia calls US action an act of armed aggression' Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned what it called a US act of armed aggression against Venezuela in a statement posted on its Telegram channel Saturday.Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, outside intervention, the statement said. The ministry called for dialogue to prevent further escalation and said it reaffirmed its solidarity with the Venezuelan people and government, adding that Russia supports calls for an emergency UN Security Council meeting. State Department urges Americans in Venezuela to shelter in place The State Department issued a new travel alert early Saturday, warning Americans in Venezuela to shelter in place due to the situation. US Embassy Bogota is aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas, Venezuela, it said without elaboration. The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, warns US citizens not to travel to Venezuela. US citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place. The embassy in Bogota has been shuttered since March 2019 but operates remotely. Secretary of State Marco Rubio retweeted Trump's announcement without comment, but his deputy, Christopher Landau, posted Trump's statement, adding that it marked a new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will nowfinallyface justice for his crimes, Landau 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
03 January,2026 05:25 PM IST | Washington | APAn Air India pilot was arrested at Vancouver International Airport last week as he was preparing for a flight, with Canada's transportation agency warning the airline that it faced loss of its flight authorisations if it did not comply with rules about alcohol consumption. Transport Canada said in a statement Friday that the incident took place on December 23, and it would engage with Air India and Indian aviation authorities to ensure "appropriate followup actions" were taken. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the arrest occurred after a "report of concern" involving an airline crew member. Police said an investigation is ongoing and no further information would be released. A spokeswoman for the airport said the pilot had been preparing for Air India's scheduled daily flight from Vancouver to Delhi, which was delayed for several hours but later departed safely. Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows that the December 23 Air India flight from Vancouver to Delhi via Vienna was scheduled to depart at 3 pm but did not leave YVR until 10:02 pm. Air India did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Transport Canada said in its statement that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India had primary responsibility for regulatory oversight of Air India. The statement said Canadian aviation regulations prohibited pilots or any other crew members from acting within 12 hours of drinking alcohol or while under its influence. It said airlines could not assign crew who were unfit for duty. "Non-compliance with these regulations may result in the suspension or cancellation of a Canadian Aviation Document under the Aeronautics Act," it said. Airlines could also face judicial and other penalties, the statement 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
03 January,2026 11:57 AM IST | Vancouver | AP | PTIAn Indian-origin cab driver who picked up a couple, including a pregnant woman, as passengers, delivered three people safely to a hospital on a cold winter night, with the female giving birth on board, local media reported. Hardeep Singh Toor, a Calgary taxi driver, answered a late-night dispatch call last Saturday for what he was told was an urgent ride to a hospital. Toor realised the urgency of the situation as soon as he saw the couple in distress. With temperatures around minus 23 degrees Celsius, stormy weather and slippery roads, he said his only focus was getting them to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible. Just blocks away from the hospital, Peter Lougheed Centre, Toor noticed that the kicking and screaming had stopped in the backseat. The baby was born in the back seat with the building already in sight. “I did not stop. I was thinking I should get there as soon as possible,” Toor said. As soon as they reached the hospital, staff rushed to help the couple and the newborn baby. 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
03 January,2026 11:56 AM IST | Toronto | AgenciesChinese researchers are working on a massive geoengineering project of “artificial crusting.” They are using vast amounts of blue-green algae to turn barren dunes into stable, reclaimable land. This method marks the first time microbes have been used on such a massive scale to reshape natural landscapes. The cyanobacteria-based crust, which can withstand winds of 36 kmph, is slated to reclaim up to 6667 hectares in Ningxia over the next five years. This could serve as a blueprint for global desert restoration and climate change mitigation. Deserts are notoriously difficult to reclaim as most plants cannot survive the abrasive, shifting nature of sand. 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
03 January,2026 11:55 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesFollowing a 14-day mission aboard China’s space station, a female mouse has successfully delivered a litter of nine healthy pups back on Earth. The birth marks a major victory for space biology. As part of the Shenzhou-21 mission, the four mice were sent to Tiangong Space Station on October 31. Soon after returning on November 14, one conceived and gave birth to nine pups on December 10. With six of the offspring thriving, the mission confirms that short-term space travel does not negatively impact mammalian reproduction. 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
03 January,2026 11:54 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesPresident Donald Trump on Friday ordered the unravelling of a USD 2.9 million computer chips deal that he concluded threatened US security interests if the current owner, HieFo Corp., remained in control of the technology. The executive order cast a spotlight on a business deal that drew scant attention when it was announced in May 2024 during President Joe Biden's administration. The deal involved aerospace and defence specialist Emcore Corp. selling its computer chips and wafer fabrication operations to HieFo for USD 2.92 million " a price that included the assumption of about USD 1 million in liabilities. But Trump is now demanding that HieFo divest that technology within 180 days, citing "credible evidence" that the current owner is a citizen of the People's Republic of China. HieFo was founded by Dr. Genzao Zhang and Harry Moore. According to a press release that came out after the deal closed, plans for the technology acquired from Emcore were to be overseen by largely the same team of employees in Alhambra, California. Zhang, who was a vice president of engineering at Emcore before becoming HieFo's CEO, pledged to "continue the pursuit of the most innovative and disruptive solutions" with technology designed for purposes that would include artificial intelligence. HieFo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump's order. Emcore was a publicly traded company at the time of the HieFo deal, but was taken private last year by the investment firm Charlesbank Capital Partner. 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
03 January,2026 11:22 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTITaiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) detected four sorties of Chinese aircraft, six naval vessels and an official ship around its territorial waters as of 6 am (local time) on Saturday. The MND said they responded according to the situation. In a post on X, the MND said, "(U) 4 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 out of 4 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's central ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded." (U) 4 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 out of 4 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s central ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded. pic.twitter.com/IRxT4elEmA — 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) January 3, 2026 Earlier on Friday, Taiwan detected six naval vessels, an official ship and two balloons around its territorial waters. In a post on X, the MND wrote, "6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Today. 2 PRC balloons were detected during this timeframe. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded." China's recent large-scale military exercises around Taiwan have triggered widespread disruption to regional air travel, prompting renewed concern over China's growing use of coercive tactics to pressure the island. The drills, conducted on December 30, disrupted 941 flights and affected more than 100,000 passengers, underscoring the broader security implications of China's actions, as reported by Focus Taiwan. According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration confirmed that the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic routes, as live-fire activities forced aircraft to reroute or cancel operations. The disruption lasted nearly 10 hours, significantly impacting commercial aviation across the region. Experts argue that the scale and timing of the drills indicate deliberate planning rather than routine military training. Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR), described the operation as a "quasi-blockade" intended to simulate wartime conditions. 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
03 January,2026 11:21 AM IST | Taipei | ANIPakistan archaeologists found rare decorative stones and coins while excavating a UNESCO-listed site near the historic city of Taxila, providing a rare view of the earliest urban settlement of the extensive ancient civilisation. The discoveries were made at the ancient Bhir Mound, where experts unearthed decorative stones dating to the 6th century BC and coins from the 2nd century AD.Dawn reported that officials hailed the discovery as the most significant at the site in a decade. 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
03 January,2026 10:52 AM IST | Islamabad | AgenciesIndonesia on Friday began enforcing its newly ratified penal code, replacing a Dutch-era criminal law that governed the country for more than 80 years. Since proclaiming independence in 1945, the Southeast Asian country had continued to operate under a colonial framework widely criticised as outdated and misaligned with Indonesia’s social values. Efforts to revise the code stalled for decades as lawmakers debated how to balance human rights, religious norms and local traditions in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. The 345-page Indonesian Penal Code, known as the KUHP, was passed in 2022. It criminalises sex outside marriage, applies to citizens and foreign visitors, and reintroduces penalties for insulting the president and state institutions. 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
03 January,2026 10:24 AM IST | Jakarta | AgenciesUS President Donald Trump and a top Iranian security official exchanged duelling threats on Friday as widening economic protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June. Trump initially wrote on his Truth Social platform, warning Iran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters”, the US “will come to their rescue”. At least seven people have been killed so far in violence surrounding demonstrations. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump wrote, without elaborating. Shortly after, Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, alleged on the social platform X that Israel and the US were stoking the demonstrations. He offered no evidence to support the allegation, which Iranian officials have repeatedly made during years of protests sweeping the country. A video grab shows protesters attacking a government building in Fasa, in southern Iran on Wednesday. Pic/AFP “Trump should know that intervention by the US in the domestic problem corresponds to chaos in the entire region and the destruction of the US interests,” Larijani wrote on X, which the Iranian government blocks. “The people of the US should know that Trump began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers.” Larijani’s remarks likely referenced America’s wide military footprint in the region. Iran in June 2025 had attacked the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar following US strikes on three nuclear sites during Israel’s 12-day war on the Islamic Republic. The current protests, now in their sixth day, have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. 07No. of people killed in violence amid protests 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
03 January,2026 10:20 AM IST | Dubai | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
