External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in New York for a three-day official visit to the United States and is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Tuesday as part of talks focused on cooperation in critical minerals. The meeting comes a day after a phone call between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following the call, the president announced a trade deal with India. The announcement has added momentum to high-level engagements between the two sides. Jaishankar’s visit from February 2 to February 4 includes participation in the Critical Minerals Ministerial convened by Rubio, according to an official announcement. The ministerial will bring together partner countries to discuss supply chain resilience and strategic cooperation. The External Affairs Minister is scheduled to travel from New York to Washington during the visit. He is likely to hold bilateral talks with Rubio on Tuesday, followed by participation in the ministerial on Wednesday. US Vice President JD Vance is expected to address the conference. The bilateral talks are expected to review a wide range of issues, including regional and global matters. These include developments related to the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as economic and strategic cooperation. In a social media post on X, EAM Jaishankar welcomed the announcements on bilateral trade following the conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump. “This will create more jobs, spur growth and promote innovation in both economies. It will strengthen ‘Make in India’ endeavors and encourage trusted technology ties. The opportunities in our economic engagement are truly vast and we are confident of realizing them,” he said. “A robust economic relationship is the strongest foundation for our strategic partnership,” the EiAM wrote. On Wednesday, EAM Jaishankar would attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial. The Critical Minerals Ministerial will focus on supply chain resilience, clean energy transitions, and strategic cooperation in the critical minerals sector. These materials are essential for advanced manufacturing, clean energy technologies, and emerging industries. In addition to the ministerial, Jaishankar will meet senior members of the US administration. Details of those meetings were not disclosed. India and the United States have increased engagement in recent years on issues linked to economic security. Critical minerals have become a central element of that dialogue, with both countries seeking to ensure reliable and diversified supply chains. The US State Department said on February 4 that the United States will welcome delegations to advance collective efforts to strengthen and diversify critical minerals supply chains. “This historic gathering will create momentum for collaboration to secure these critical components vital to technological innovation, economic strength, and national security,” the State Department said. Jaishankar’s Washington engagements are part of regular high-level exchanges between New Delhi and Washington. The two sides maintain frequent dialogue on diplomacy, trade, technology, and security. Critical minerals have gained importance globally in recent years. They are widely used in clean energy systems, batteries, and other strategic sectors, with demand rising as countries expand renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. 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 February,2026 12:59 PM IST | Washington | IANSUS President Donald Trump lashed out at the “pathetic” and “talentless” Trevor Noah, who hosted this year’s Grammy Awards, describing the ceremony as “the worst” and “virtually unwatchable.” During Sunday night’s Grammys, host Trevor Noah took a swipe at Trump and his one-time friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. “The Grammy Awards are the worst, virtually unwatchable! CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer. The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards,” POTUS said on the social media network Truth Social. After Billie Eilish won the ‘Song of the Year’ Grammy, Noah transitioned for a moment with a joke at Trump’s expense. “There you have it, song of the year! Congratulations, Billie Eilish. Wow. That’s a Grammy that every artist wants — almost as much as Trump wants Greenland. Which makes sense because, since Epstein’s gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton. I told you, it’s my last year! What are you going to do about it?,” Variety cited Noah’s remarks from the award ceremony. US President Donald Trump Trump took to Truth Social platform to hit back, “Noah said, incorrectly about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. Wrong! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory, statement, have never been accused being there, not even by the fake news media.” Calling the host a “total loser”, the US President wrote, “Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast. It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$. Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you! President DJT” This year marks Noah’s last time hosting the Grammys. He first took on the role while he was still hosting The Daily Show and continued even after leaving the show in 2022. He is also serving as an executive producer for this year’s ceremony. Dalai Lama wins Grammy Award The 68th annual Grammy Awards took place on and the Dalai Lama won his first Grammy for audio book, narration and storytelling recording in ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’. “I am not the Dalai Lama,” musician Rufus Wainwright, who accepted the award on the Dalai Lama’s behalf, joked in an acceptance speech. “It was a privilege to participate on this project.” China deplored award, saying it opposes the Tibetan leader using the recognition to carry out “anti-China activities”. 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 February,2026 10:13 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesGaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt reopened on Monday for limited traffic, a key step in the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire but a mostly symbolic development on the ground as few people will be allowed to travel in either direction and no goods will be going into the war-torn territory. Within the first hour of the opening, no one was actually seen crossing in or out of Gaza. An Egyptian official said 50 Palestinians would cross in each direction on the first day of the crossing’s operation. About 20,000 Palestinian children and adults needing medical care hope to leave devastated Gaza via the crossing, according to Gaza health officials. Thousands of other Palestinians outside the territory hope to enter and return home. Before the war, Rafah was the main crossing for people moving in and out of Gaza. 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 February,2026 10:12 AM IST | Cairo | AgenciesChinese researchers have turned to the Gobi Desert as a testing ground for high-value rubber-producing trees. Rubber derived from the Duzhong plant has proven especially valuable for defence applications: adding just 3 to 5 per cent to a rubber compound significantly boosts durability and wear resistance in high-performance, puncture-resistant tyres, while the material is also used in electromagnetic shielding composites. Until recently, Duzhong was grown mainly in central and southern China. 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 February,2026 10:11 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesIndia and Norway held their 12th round of Foreign Office Consultations in Oslo on Monday. The discussions centred on deepening cooperation across various areas, including the blue economy, circular economy, energy, and artificial intelligence. Sharing the details in a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that the consultations were co-chaired by Secretary (West) Sibi George and Secretary General Torgeir Larsen of Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and agreed to strengthen it further in the areas of political engagements, trade & investment, blue economy, circular economy, renewable energy, education, science & technology, AI, space and the Arctic. The sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. The post further said, "India-EFTA-TEPA will drive the India-Norway trade, technology and investment partnership. India considers Norway a valued partner in the Nordic region." 12th 🇮🇳 🇳🇴 Foreign Office Consultations held in Oslo today.Co-chaired by Secretary (West) @AmbSibiGeorge and Secretary General Torgeir Larsen of @NorwayMFA.They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and agreed to strengthen it further in the areas of political… pic.twitter.com/UwXHZpn3pY — Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) February 2, 2026 In another post on X, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that during the visit to Oslo, Secretary (West) held a productive meeting with State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ragnhild Sjoner Syrstad. They discussed deepening economic ties after the implementation of India-EFTA-TEPA. They also discussed boosting investments in green and blue tech sectors. During the visit to Oslo, Secretary (West) @AmbSibiGeorge held a productive meeting with State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ms. Ragnhild Sjoner Syrstad,.They discussed deepening 🇮🇳 🇳🇴 economic ties after the implementation of India-EFTA-TEPA. They also… pic.twitter.com/7vsxpk1O6X — Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) February 2, 2026 Earlier on January 29, in an interview with ANI, Norway's Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, welcomed the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), calling it a positive step for global trade and a strong complement to the existing India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), of which Norway is a part. Ambassador Stener described the India-EU FTA as "a very good development", while noting that Norway is not a member of the EU. "Norway strongly supports an open and rules-based world trade order, and in that sense we see this as a very positive step," she said. "We already have a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement with India in the EFTA context, which entered into force in October last year. An EU-India agreement would be a very good complement to that." She noted that the EU is Norway's largest trading partner, and closer economic ties between India and the EU could also indirectly benefit Norway by strengthening trade flows and supply-chain linkages. At a time of rising global trade tensions, Ambassador Stener emphasised the importance of diversified and stable partnerships. "Europe is now clearly saying that India is important for us," she said, adding that both the EU and EFTA countries see India as a key long-term economic partner. "Norway is a small country with a very open economy, and we have benefited greatly from free trade in our development. These are good developments in that direction." Notably, India and EFTA signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on 10 March 2024, which took effect on 1 October 2025, marking India's first FTA with four developed European nations. TEPA commits USD 100 billion in investments and 1 million direct jobs over 15 years, the first binding pledge of its kind in any Indian FTA. At its core, the agreement envisions unlocking $100 billion in investments and creating one million direct jobs in India over the next fifteen years, marking it as one of the most forward-looking trade partnerships in the country's economic history. 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 February,2026 08:48 AM IST | Oslo | ANIThe Trump administration plans to deploy nearly USD 12 billion to create a strategic reserve of rare earth elements, a stockpile that could counter China's ability to use its dominance of these hard to process metals as leverage in trade talks. The White House confirmed on Monday the start of "Project Vault," which would initially be funded by a USD 10 billion loan from the US Export-Import Bank and nearly USD 1.67 billion in private capital. The minerals kept in the reserve would help to shield the manufacturers of autos, electronics and other goods from any supply chain disruptions. During trade talks last year spurred by President Donald Trump's tariffs, the Chinese government restricted the exporting of rare earths that are needed for jet engines, radar systems, electric vehicles, laptops and phones. China represents about 70 per cent of the world's rare earths mining and 90 per cent of global rare earths processing. That gave it a chokehold on the sector that has caused the US to nurture alternative sources of the elements, creating a stockpile similar to the national reserve for petroleum. The strategic reserve is expected to be the highlight of a ministerial meeting on critical minerals that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host at the State Department on Wednesday. Vice President JD Vance plans to deliver a keynote address at the meeting, which officials from several dozen European, African and Asian nations plan to attend. The meeting is also expected to include the signing of several bilateral agreements to improve and coordinate supply chain logistics. The State Department said in its statement announcing the meeting that the gathering "will create momentum for collaboration" among the participants to secure access to rare earths. The government-backed loan funding the reserve would be for a period of 15 years. The US government has previously taken stakes in the rare earths miner MP Materials, as well as providing financial backing to the companies Vulcan Elements and USA Rare Earth. Bloomberg News was the first to report the creation of the rare earths strategic reserve. Trump is scheduled on Monday to meet with General Motors CEO Mary Barra and mining industry billionaire Robert Friedland. 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 February,2026 08:20 AM IST | Washington | APFormer President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized. Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, was advancing criminal contempt of Congress charges against both Clintons Monday evening for defying a congressional subpoena when attorneys for the Clintons emailed staff for the Oversight panel, saying the pair would accept Comer's demands and "will appear for depositions on mutually agreeable dates." The attorneys requested that Comer agree not to move forward with the contempt proceedings. Comer, however, said he was not immediately dropping the charges, which would carry the threat of a substantial fine and even incarceration if passed by the House and successfully prosecuted by the Department of Justice. "We don't have anything in writing," Comer told reporters, adding that he was open to accepting the Clintons' offer but "it depends on what they say." The last-minute negotiating came as Republican leaders were advancing the contempt resolution through the House Rules Committee - a final hurdle before it headed to the House floor for a vote. It was potentially a grave moment for Congress, the first time it could hold a former president in contempt and advance the threat of prison time. Comer earlier Monday rejected an offer from attorneys for the Clintons to have Bill Clinton conduct a transcribed interview and Hillary Clinton submit a sworn declaration. Comer was insisting that both Clintons sit for sworn depositions before the committee in order to fulfill the panel's subpoenas. A letter from the committee to attorneys for the Clintons indicates that they had offered for Bill Clinton to conduct a 4-hour transcribed interview on "matters related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein" and for Hillary Clinton to submit a sworn declaration. "The Clintons do not get to dictate the terms of lawful subpoenas," Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said. The former president and secretary of state had resisted the subpoenas for months after the Oversight panel issued subpoenas for their testimony in August as it opened an investigation into Epstein and his associates. Their attorney had tried to argue against the validity of the subpoena. However, as Comer threatened to begin contempt of Congress proceedings, the Clintons started negotiating towards a compromise. The Republican-controlled Oversight committee advanced criminal contempt of Congress charges last month. Nine of the committee's 21 Democrats joined Republicans in support of the charges against Bill Clinton as they argued for full transparency in the Epstein investigation. Three Democrats also supported advancing the charges against Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton's relationship with Epstein has reemerged as a focal point for Republicans amid the push for a reckoning over Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 in a New York jail cell as he faced sex trafficking charges. Clinton, like a bevy of other high-powered men, had a well-documented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He has not been accused of wrongdoing in his interactions with the late financier. The Clintons remained highly critical of Comer's decision, saying he was bringing politics into the investigation while failing to hold the Trump administration accountable for delays in producing the Department of Justice's case files on Epstein. "They negotiated in good faith. You did not," a spokesperson for the Clintons, Angel Urena, said in response to Comer's threats on Monday. "They told you under oath what they know, but you don't care." Still, the prospect of a vote raised the potential for Congress to use one of its most severe punishments against a former president for the first time. Historically, Congress has given deference to former presidents. None has ever been forced to testify before lawmakers, although a few have voluntarily done so. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier Monday that his caucus would have a discussion on the contempt resolutions later in the week but remained noncommittal on whipping votes against them. Jeffries said he was a "hard no" on contempt and accused Comer of focusing on political retribution rather than investigating the delayed release of case files. Democrats also say the Justice Department has not yet released all the material it has on the late financier. "They don't want a serious interview, they want a charade," Jeffries 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 February,2026 08:09 AM IST | Washington | APAn Australian woman died after her backpack caught on a ski lift on a Japanese mountain and she became suspended mid-air, police said Monday. Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Japan Brooke Day, 22, was preparing to get off the lift on Friday morning at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Hakuba Valley when a loose buckle from her backpack became caught in the lift chair. Brooke, who had secured the rucksack with a chest strap, was then dragged by the lift and became “suspended” mid-air, a spokesman for Nagano regional police 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 February,2026 07:56 AM IST | Tokyo | AgenciesRobotics company Persona AI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state of Louisiana to launch a pilot program that will see humanoid robots working in factories. The pilot will be conducted at SSE Steel Fabrication’s facility in St Bernard Parish. The initiative aims to position the state as a national leader in embodied AI in advanced manufacturing and next-generation workforce technologies. The pilot program will collect data from humanoids working in a steel manufacturing facility to understand how these machines perceive, move, and work alongside humans in heavy-duty environments. 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 February,2026 07:51 AM IST | New York | AgenciesA Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project. Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court Handed 79-year-old Hasina 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for using her official influence in allocating residential plots to others, including her niece, UK Labour MP and former British minister Tulip Siddiq, under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol on the outskirts of the capital. Judge Robiul Alam simultaneously handed down Hasina’s two nieces and a nephew, to different prison terms. Siddiq’s younger sister, Azaman Siddiq and brother Radwan Mujib Siddiq Bobby were sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment, while the deposed premier and her relatives were handed down the prison terms after trial in absentia. 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 February,2026 07:49 AM IST | Dhaka | AgenciesPakistan security forces have killed 22 more terrorists, raising the death toll of militants to 177 in the last two days in Balochistan after coordinated terror attacks at multiple places in the restive southwestern province, security officials said on Monday. The counter terror operation was launched after militants belonging to ethnic Baloch groups carried out multiple attacks at several locations on Saturday. "Since Sunday night, security forces have killed 22 more terrorists," Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said on Monday. He said that 167 bodies have been sent to hospitals so far for future processing and identification. He added that 177 militants have been killed in the last two days.Rind said most of the terrorists killed belonged to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and had support from other insurgent groups. "These terrorists have been killed over a period of over two days during the attacks or when security forces chased them and started clean-up operations," he added. On Sunday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti had said that 145 terrorists had been killed. On Friday, the military said that security forces killed 41 terrorists on Thursday in the Panggur and Shaban areas of the province. The military and the state have designated these terrorists belonging to insurgent groups or the Tehreek-e-Taliban as "Fitna-al-Hindustan", a term the government uses claiming that the militants allegedly receive support from Indian intelligence agencies. Due to the clean-up operations underway at different locations, mobile or internet services since were suspended in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan and other cities on Saturday. Balochistan's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat told the media that the services would resume on Tuesday. The terrorists, including two female suicide bombers, attacked multiple security and government installations at 12 different towns and cities in the province last week. So far, authorities have confirmed the death of at least 17 personnel of police, frontier corps and security forces. Eighteen civilians, including three women and two children, were killed in Gwadar. Security forces engaged the terrorists in gun battles across the province. Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday expressed firm resolve to eliminate the insurgent groups unless they surrendered and laid down their weapons. Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion CPEC projects. In 2025, the BLA claimed responsibility for the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, killing 31 civilians and security personnel and holding hostage over 300 passengers. 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.
02 February,2026 06:59 PM IST | Karachi | PTIADVERTISEMENT
-1770038517640_d.png "Pakistani forces strike back against Baloch militants across 12 towns. Representational Image")