Prince Harry is going where other British royals haven’t for over a century: to a courtroom witness stand. The Duke of Sussex is set to testify in the first of his five pending legal cases largely centered around battles with British tabloids. Opening statements are scheduled Monday in his case. If Harry testifies as scheduled Tuesday in his lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, he’ll be the first member of the royal family to do so since the late 19th century, when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Prince Albert Edward, testified twice in court. In addition to Mirror Group Newspapers, Harry is suing Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and Associated Newspapers Ltd., which owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. The claims are similar: that journalists and people they employed listened to phone messages and committed other unlawful acts to snoop on Harry and invade his privacy. 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
05 June,2023 08:29 AM IST | London | AgenciesThe influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed again Sunday to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite as she lambasted a U.N. Security Council meeting over the North’s first, failed launch. The North’s attempt to put its first military spy satellite into orbit last Wednesday failed as its rocket crashed off the Korean Peninsula’s western coast. An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council was convened at the request of the U.S., Japan and other countries to discuss the launch because it violated council resolutions banning the North from performing any launch using ballistic technology. On Sunday, Kim’s sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, called the U.N. council “a political appendage” of the United States, saying its recent meeting was convened following America’s “gangster-like request.” She said her country’s attempt to acquire a spy satellite is a legitimate step to respond to military threats posed by the U.S. and its allies. “(North Korea) will continue to take proactive measures to exercise all the lawful rights of a sovereign state, including the one to a military reconnaissance satellite launch,” Jong 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
05 June,2023 08:28 AM IST | Seoul | AgenciesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia’s war, now in its 16th month, has killed at least 500 Ukrainian children. Zelensky provided the number hours after rescue workers found the body of a 2-year-old girl who died in one of the latest Russian strikes. The president said in a statement that “Russian weapons and hatred, which continue to take and destroy the lives of Ukrainian children every day,” killed the hundreds who had perished since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on Feb. 24, 2022. “Many of them could have become famous scholars, artists, sports champions, contributing to Ukraine’s history,” he said. Zelensky said it was impossible to establish the exact number of children who were casualties due to the ongoing hostilities and because some areas are under Russian occupation. “We must hold out and win this war!” the Ukrainian president said. “All of Ukraine, all our people, all our children, must be free from the Russian terror!” Rescuers found the 2-year-old’s body early Sunday while combing through rubble of an apartment in the central city of Dnipro. Regional governor, Serhiy Lysak, said five children were among 22 people injured by Saturday’s attack, which damaged two residential buildings. 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
05 June,2023 08:26 AM IST | Kyiv | AgenciesChina tightened already strict access to Tiananmen Square in central Beijing on Sunday, the anniversary of 1989 pro-democracy protests. In Hong Kong, which had been the last Chinese-controlled territory to hold commemorations, eight people, including activists and artists, were detained on the eve of the 34th anniversary of the crackdown, a move underscoring the city’s shrinking room for freedom of expression. Police said in a statement late Saturday that four people were arrested for allegedly disrupting order in public spaces or carrying out acts with seditious intent. Four others were taken away on suspicion of breaching public peace. Authorities did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday. The large public space had been the scene for an annual candlelight gathering to remember the hundreds or thousands killed when army tanks and infantry descended on central Beijing on the night of June 3 and into the morning of June 4, 1989. Discussion of the events has long been suppressed in China and become increasingly off-limits in Hong Kong since a sweeping national security law was imposed in June 2020, effectively barring anyone from holding memorial events. The death toll from the 1989 violence remains unknown and the Communist Party relentlessly harasses those at home or overseas who seek to keep the memory of the events alive. In Beijing, additional security was seen around Tiananmen Square, which has long been ringed with security checks requiring those entering to show identification. Those passing by foot or on bicycle on Changan Avenue running north of the square were also stopped and forced to show identification. Those with journalist visas in their passports were told they needed special permission to even approach the area. “The Chinese government continues to evade accountability for the decades-old Tiananmen Massacre, which has emboldened its arbitrary detention of millions, its severe censorship and surveillance, and its efforts to undermine rights internationally,” Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. 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
05 June,2023 08:24 AM IST | Beijing | AgenciesThe International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Sunday urged the Pakistani authorities to ensure the immediate release of journalist Imran Riaz Khan and allow all journalists to operate without fear of arrest or intimidation. In a statement issued on Sunday, IFJ said that in the wake of widespread unrest since the May 9 arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, two journalists were allegedly abducted, with BOL News president and anchor Sami Abraham released by captors after one week, and journalist and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan remaining missing for almost a month. On May 24, local police confirmed the disappearance of BOL News president Sami Abraham, hours after Abraham’s brother filed a police complaint that the journalist had been abducted by eight people in four cars while returning to his Islamabad home. His driver was unharmed during the incident. Abraham re-emerged on May 30, with his family and network verifying that he had been released by his captors. No group or organisation has claimed responsibility for his abduction, however, Abraham’s supporters and family have alleged the involvement of Pakistan’s security forces. In a separate incident, BOL News editor and prominent YouTuber, Imran Riaz Khan, was arrested on May 11 by police officers at Sialkot International Airport in Pakistan’s Punjab province. According to his family, the journalist was attempting to flee to Oman after his Lahore home was raided the previous day. Since his arrest, Khan has been uncontactable. Khan’s lawyer informed Dawn newspaper that consecutive directions by the Lahore High Court to produce the anchor have not been followed. Leadership from both law enforcement and the armed forces have continued to deny holding the journalist in custody. Also read: Imran Khan likely to be tried in military court: Pakistan's defence minister Both journalists are widely perceived as being aligned with former prime minister Imran Khan, and his political party, Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Imran Riaz Khan has previously been arrested in July 2022 in Punjab for alleged ‘anti-national’ statements against the Pakistani army, and again in February 2023 for allegedly attempting to defame state institutions. In both instances, Khan was released after less than a week. The IFJ said: “The disappearances of journalists Imran Riaz Khan and Sami Abraham are greatly concerning, with the rule of law established under Pakistan’s constitution seemingly disregarded. The IFJ urges the Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough and immediate investigation into the detention of Sami Ibrahim and obey the Lahore High Court’s directions to produce Imran Riaz Khan.” IFJ’s affiliate in Pakistan, The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists’ president GM Jamali and Secretary General Rana Muhammad Azeem condemned the arrest of journalists for criticism of government or security agencies. “PFUJ consider it tantamount to curb freedom of speech and believes that no one should be on the missing list and should be produced before the court if any journalist is found guilty and be given a legal right of defence.”
04 June,2023 06:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said the chances were that former prime minister Imran Khan could be tried in a military court for his alleged involvement in the May 9 incidents in which military and state installations were attacked by his party workers, according to a media report on Sunday. Khan, 70, could stand trial in a military court if evidence of his involvement in the May 9 violence surfaced in the coming days, Asif was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper. He also confirmed that no case had been registered against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief so far in connection with the May 9 attacks. "Definitely, there are chances that Imran Khan can be tried in a military court," the minister said while responding to a question if the deposed premier could be prosecuted under the Army Act. His remarks came days after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Khan will be tried in a military court as the former prime minister was the "architect" of the May 9 incidents. Khan's party found itself in hot waters when protesters allegedly belonging to the party attacked civil and military properties on May 9 following the arrest of Khan in the Al-Qadir corruption case. The trial of people involved in the attacks on military installations in different parts of the country, including the attack on General Headquarters in Rawalpindi as well as Lahore's Jinnah House where the Corps Commander was residing, has already begun. Earlier, Asif was reported as saying that no decision had been made in connection with trying the cricketer-turned-politician under the Army Act but he had not ruled out that possibility on the grounds that Khan was the mastermind behind the May 9 violence and knew everything about what was happening on that day. Both the defence and interior ministers' statements hinting at Khan's trial in a military court stem from the federal cabinet's decision that the protesters who vandalised military installations on May 9 would be tried under the Army Act and Official Secrets Act. The government ministers have repeatedly said that no new military courts would be established and the suspects would be tried in the "special standing courts" that were already functioning under the Army Act. Army Chief General Asim Munir also said perpetrators, planners and executors of the May 9 attacks would be tried under the Army Act and Official Secret Act, adding that no leniency would be shown to those who attacked the military installations. Khan denied his involvement in the violence, saying he was in jail when the incidents took place. He has said that the establishment plans to keep him in jail for 10 years in a sedition case. On May 9, violent protests erupted after the arrest of Khan by paramilitary Rangers in Islamabad. His party workers vandalised over 20 military installations and government buildings, including the Lahore Corps Commander House, Mianwali airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad. The Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was also attacked by the mob for the first time. Khan was later released on bail. The violence elicited a strong reaction from the government and military with vows of taking action against the culprits, leading to an ongoing crackdown against those involved. Law enforcement agencies have arrested over 10,000 workers of Khan's Pakistan party across Pakistan, 4,000 of them from Punjab. Police put the death toll in violent clashes to 10 while Khan's party claims 40 of its workers lost their lives in the firing by security personnel. The Punjab Police had previously claimed, citing a geo-fencing report, that Khan and his close aides allegedly coordinated efforts to storm the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander and other buildings.
04 June,2023 05:08 PM IST | Islamabad, Pakistan | PTIAn earthquake of magnitude 4.6 on the Richter scale jolted 218 kilometres East of Afghanistan's Fayzabad on Sunday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. The NCS said that the earthquake occurred at 10:05 am IST and had a depth of 150 kilometres. NCS tweeted, "Earthquake of Magnitude:4.6, Occurred on 04-06-2023, 10:05:32 IST, Lat: 36.71 & Long: 72.96, Depth: 150 Km ,Location: 218km E of Fayzabad." Further details are awaited. On June 3, an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 on the Richter scale struck 149km north-north-east (NNE) of Kabul, Afghanistan, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. NCS in a tweet stated, "Earthquake of Magnitude:4.2, Occurred on 03-06-2023, 15:55:02 IST, Lat: 35.84 & Long: 69.69, Depth: 10 Km, Location: 149km NNE of Kabul, Afghanistan." 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.
04 June,2023 11:21 AM IST | Kabul | ANIElon Musk has been in the limelight for quite some time now. Recently an AI-generated picture of the SpaceX owner has gone viral on social media which even caught the billionaire's own interest. The picture was created using Midjourney and showcased Elon Musk as an Indian groom, donning a golden sherwani and embracing the grandeur of a desi celebration. The AI-generated pics also depicted him dancing with wedding guests, striking regal poses and even riding a horse. Soon after the picture went viral on social media, Musk himself noticed it and shared his reaction. Taking to Twitter, Elon Musk wrote, "I Love It," followed by Indian flag emoticons. Users were happy to see his appreciation for the AI-generated depiction of himself in traditional Indian attire. "Looks good on you," a fan commented. A user wrote, "i think elon should switch his career to lifestyle influencer." Meanwhile, Musk has yet again claimed his position as the world's richest person after beating the CEO of the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton Bernard Arnault, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as of Thursday, Musk's net worth was about USD 192 billion, with Arnault's USD 187 billion. Tesla chief Musk is back on top of the list of wealthiest persons after shares of Arnault's firm fell over 2 per cent in the latest trade. The rise in Musk's wealth can also be partly attributed to the latest surge in Tesla stock prices. They rose about 89 per cent so far in 2023, data showed. Musk and Arnault have been neck-and-neck on the list of the richest people. In December 2022, Bernard Arnault reportedly overtook the Tesla head when he was in the second spot for more than two months. Musk reclaimed again in late February. 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.
04 June,2023 10:52 AM IST | Washington | ANIA groundbreaking clinical trial, known as CHAMP (Childhood Atropine for Myopia Progression), has demonstrated the potential of a drug therapy to slow the progression of nearsightedness in children. The three-year study found that a low-dose atropine eye drop, compared to a placebo, effectively limited changes in eyeglass prescriptions and inhibited elongation of the eye in nearsighted children aged six to 10. Nearsightedness, or myopia increases the risk of various eye conditions. The results are a significant breakthrough for the myopia research community. Researchers Develop Smart Sensing Ring for healthcare Researchers at Penn State University have created a smart sensing ring called OmniRing that aims to enhance healthcare and extended reality experiences. The ring incorporates both inertial measurement unit sensors and photoplethysmography sensors to capture finger motion and health metrics such as heart rate and oxygen saturation. The absence of a display in the ring enables continuous wear, even during sleep and swimming. It holds promise in effortless interaction with connected devices through hand motions. Used Disposable Diapers Could Replace Sand Construction A recent study published in Scientific Reports suggests that shredded used disposable diapers can replace up to 8 percent of the sand in concrete and mortar used for constructing low-cost housing. Researchers experimented with combining washed, dried, and shredded diaper waste with cement, sand, gravel, and water. This innovative approach could offer an environmentally friendly solution. 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
04 June,2023 08:21 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentPope Francis warned the Vatican’s missionary fundraisers on Saturday not to allow financial corruption to creep into their work, insisting that spirituality and spreading the Gospel must drive their operations. “Please don’t reduce POM to money,” Francis said, referring to the Italian acronym of the Pontifical Mission Societies. “This is a medium, a means. Does it take money? Yes, but don’t reduce it, it is bigger than money,” he 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
04 June,2023 08:15 AM IST | Vatican City | AgenciesIn another step to release pressures on dwindling foreign exchange reserves, Pakistan has opened up barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran and Russia for certain items including petroleum, LNG, coal, wheat, pulses, minerals, metals, and several food items. At a time when the CPI (Consumer Price Index) touched 38 per cent and Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation clocked to 48 per cent, Pakistan took a decision to allow barter trade with neighbouring countries, in the wake of the IMF not coming up to rescue ailing economy of the country. Sources said that the barter trade would help overcome banking transactions because, in the case of Iran, there was no possibility of transactions through official channels because of the economic sanction imposed by the US. Khaqan Najeeb, a former advisor to Ministry of Finance, said it is hoped the barter trade mechanism would help the economy. 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
04 June,2023 08:15 AM IST | Islamabad | AgenciesADVERTISEMENT
