Ukraine has sidelined US-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack, US military officials said. The US agreed to send 31 Abrams to Ukraine in January 2023, which cost about USD 10 million apiece and were vital to breach Russian lines. But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones. Those weapons have made it more difficult for Ukraine to protect the tanks when they are quickly detected and hunted by Russian drones or rounds. Vladimir Putin to visit China next month Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to visit China this May. This would mark the first overseas trip of Putin after his fifth term in office begins May 7. The announcement came shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Beijing. 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
27 April,2024 07:43 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesThe decision by New York’s highest court to overturn the rape conviction of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has reopened a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures—an era that began in 2017 and helped launch the #MeToo movement. New York’s Court of Appeals found the trial judge in the rape case prejudiced Weinstein with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that Weinstein wasn’t charged with. In its 4-3 decision, the court’s majority said it was an “abuse of judicial discretion” for Judge James Burke to allow testimony from these other women about “loathsome alleged bad acts and despicable behavior.” “Without question, this is appalling, shameful, repulsive conduct that could only diminish defendant’s character before the jury,” they said. Weinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala had argued that Burke also swayed the trial by giving prosecutors permission to confront Weinstein, if he chose to testify, about his past history. Meanwhile, Weinstein, 72, will remain imprisoned because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and sentenced to 16 years. Weinstein’s lawyers are appealing the only conviction now remaining — Weinstein’s guilty verdict in Los Angeles, for charges of rape and sexual assault against Italian actor and model Evgeniya Chernyshova. Weinstein maintains he is innocent of the charges of criminal sex acts. 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
27 April,2024 07:43 AM IST | New York | AgenciesAt least 10 people were killed in a fire that broke out at a defunct hotel being used as a makeshift homeless shelter in Porto Alegre city of Brazil, Al Jazeera reported, citing officials, reported news agency ANI. Emergency workers on Friday confirmed 10 victims at the Garoa Floresta, which was functioning without proper authorisation, Al Jazeera reported, citing the fire department for Rio Grande do Sul state. According to officials, the fire erupted at around 2 am (local time). It took firefighters around three hours to contain the fire, reported ANI. In the statement, the fire department said, "Forensic experts are at the scene to identify the victims and investigate the cause of the fire." In a statement posted on X, Porto Alegre Mayor Sebastiao Melo stated that multiple injured people were rescued and rushed to the hospital. However, he did not reveal the number of people who were taken to the hospital. Local media reports claimed that 11 people were injured due to the fire incident, some in serious condition, reported ANI. Images shared by Brazilian media outlets showed the building engulfed in flames as firefighters tried to control the fire. Speaking to local newspaper Zero Hora, Marcelo Wagner Schelech said, "I only had time to put on my flip-flops and run. My sister, who lived on the third floor, ended up being burned to death," Al Jazeera reported. Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite has committed to carry out an investigation into the incident. In a post on X, Eduardo Leite stated, "The fire department dispatched five trucks and dozens of firefighters to fight the flames." "We will continue working on the aftermath of this tragedy and the investigation of the causes. My condolences to the victims' families," he added. Brazilian lawmaker Matheus Gomes accused the city government of funding the homeless shelter despite the shelter facing reports of noncompliance with rules "for years". Taking to X, Gomes stated, "There needs to be an investigation not only into the fire, but the entire chronicle of this tragedy foretold." The building is part of the Garoa group, which has at least 10 small hotels in Porto Alegre. (With inputs from ANI)
27 April,2024 07:42 AM IST | Brasilia | mid-day online correspondentLebanon’s militant Hezbollah group fired anti-tank missiles and artillery shells at an Israeli military convoy in a disputed area along the border, killing an Israeli civilian, the group and Israel’s military, said on Friday. Hezbollah said that its fighters ambushed the convoy shortly before midnight Thursday, destroying two vehicles. Israel said the ambush wounded an Israeli civilian doing infrastructure work, and that he later died of his wounds. Low-intensity fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has repeatedly threatened to boil over as Israel has targeted senior Hezbollah militants. Displaced Palestinian children wait for water supply in Rafah. Pic/AFP Thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the border. On the Israeli side, the cross-border fighting has killed 10 civilians and 12 soldiers. In Lebanon, more than 350 people have been killed, including 50 civilians and 271 Hezbollah members. On Thursday, Palestinian hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes on Rafah in the Gaza Strip killed at least five people. More than half of the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah, where Israel has conducted near-daily raids as it prepares for an offensive in the city. The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles in the area in what appears to be preparations for an invasion of Rafah. In central Gaza, four people were killed in Israeli tank shelling. 350Approx. no. of people killed so far in Lebanon Baby saved from dead mother’s womb dies Baby Sabreen al-Sakani was delivered by Caesarean section in a Rafah hospital shortly after midnight on Sunday. Amid chaotic scenes doctors resuscitated the baby, using a hand pump to push air into her lungs. However, she died on Thursday and has been buried next to her mother after whom she was named. Sabreen was among 16 children killed in Rafah last weekend in bombardment targeting the housing complex where they lived. Israel said it was targeting Hamas fighters and infrastructure. Sabreen’s mother was seven-and-a-half months pregnant. US sanctions those trading with Iran The US has imposed sanctions on over a dozen entities, eight individuals and vessels that have facilitated illicit trade and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) transfer on behalf of the Iranian military. “16 entities and eight individuals, five vessels and one aircraft,” have been sanctioned,” the US State Department 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
27 April,2024 07:40 AM IST | Lebanon | AgenciesGoogle plans to invest USD 2 billion to build a data centre in northeastern Indiana that will help power its artificial intelligence technology and cloud business, company and state officials said on Friday. The data centre planned for Fort Wayne was announced in January. But Google disclosed the project's cost on Friday and said it is expected to create up to new 200 jobs, including data centre technicians and support services, The Journal Gazette reported. The data centre in the city about 120 miles (190 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis will help power Google's "AI innovations and growing Google Cloud business for customers across the world," Gov. Eric Holcomb's office said in a news release. Google said the new data centre will join a network of Google-owned-and-operated data centres across the globe that "keep the internet humming" and power digital services such as Google Cloud, Gmail, Search and Maps. "Together, Fort Wayne and Google will help power the digital future, including AI innovation across our enterprise and consumer services," said Joe Kava, Google's vice president of data centres. Friday's announcement came one day after Amazon's cloud computing unit Amazon Web Services said it plans to invest USD 11 billion to build a data centre in northern Indiana near the town of New Carlisle, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of South Bend. That project is expected to create at least 1,000 jobs. Also Read: TikTok promises to sue over potential US ban 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
27 April,2024 07:01 AM IST | Fort Wayne | AP | PTIA New Hampshire man accused of participating in a plot in which a caller issued bomb threats last year to Harvard University and demanded a large amount of bitcoin was sentenced on Thursday to three years of probation. The threats caused the evacuation of Harvard's Science Centre Plaza and surrounding academic buildings, and the controlled detonation of what was later determined to be a hoax device on April 13, 2023, according to prosecutors. William Giordani, 55, was arrested last year on charges including making an extortionate bomb threat. That charge was dropped, and he pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a federal felony, effectively knowing about a felony and not reporting it, according to his lawyer. Also Read: Kyiv pulls back US tanks due to Russian drones Giordani had faced a sentence of up to three years and a fine of up to USD 250,000. Prosecutors instead recommended a sentence of up to three years' probation. Prosecutors said at the time that they agreed to accept Giordani's guilty plea in part because they believed he had been pulled into the plot after he responded to a Craigslist ad. They also said they believed his response to the ad was driven in part by a drug habit and that he has made efforts to remain in a recovery programme. The case stems from an episode last April when Harvard University's police department received a warning from a caller electronically disguising their voice saying bombs had been placed on campus. The caller demanded an unspecified amount in Bitcoin to prevent the remote detonation of the bombs, prosecutors said. Only one hoax device was discovered. Investigators said Giordani responded to the Craigslist ad looking for someone to purchase fireworks in New Hampshire and pick up some other items in Massachusetts including wire, a metal locking safe and a bag and deliver the items to his son at Harvard. After Giordani collected the items, the individual said his son was unable to meet him and he should leave the bag with the items on a bench in a science plaza area at the school. Police later destroyed those items. Investigators said that at some point Giordani began to harbour suspicions that the items could be used to construct a bomb, pointing to deleted text messages where he acknowledged it could be bomb material. In another text to his girlfriend, Giordani said, ¿I got scammed,¿ police said. Giordani also took steps to hide from police after they made attempts to reach him in order not to reveal his role in delivering the bag, investigators said.There were no injuries. 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
27 April,2024 06:56 AM IST | Cambridge (US) | AP | PTIA Belarusian hacker activist group claims to have infiltrated the network of the country's main KGB security agency and accessed personnel files of over 8,600 employees of the organization, which still goes under its Soviet name. The authorities have not commented on the claim, but the website of the Belarusian KGB was opening with an empty page on Friday that said it was "in the process of development". Seeking to back up its claim, the Belarusian Cyber-Partisans group published a list of the website's administrators, its database and server logs on its page in the messaging app Telegram. Group coordinator Yuliana Shametavets told The Associated Press from New York that the attack on the KGB "was a response" to the agency's chief Ivan Tertel, who publicly accused the group this week of plotting attacks on the country's critical infrastructure, including a nuclear power plant. "The KGB is carrying out the largest political repressions in the history of the country and must answer for it," said Shametavets. "We work to save the lives of Belarusians, and not to destroy them, like the repressive Belarusian special services do." Shametavets said the group was able to access the KGB's network "several years ago" and has been trying to hack its website and database ever since. Also Read: Kyiv pulls back US tanks due to Russian drones Once it succeeded, she said Cyber-Partisans was able to download personal files of more than 8,600 KGB employees. Based on that data, Cyber-Partisans launched a chat bot on Telegram that would allow Belarusians to identify KGB operatives by uploading their photos. "We want to show that in the digital world it is impossible to hide information, and the truth about political repressions will surface, and those who carried them out will be punished," Shametavets said. Last week, Cyber-Partisans claimed infiltrating computers at the country's largest fertiliser plant to pressure the government to release political prisoners. The state-run Grodno Azot plant has made no comment on the claim but its website has been unavailable since April 17. Grodno Azot, with about 7,500 employees, is a key producer in the country, which relies heavily on chemical industries. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, was rocked by mass protests after an election in 2020 that gave authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko his sixth term in office " a vote that was denounced by the West and the opposition as fraudulent. Authorities responded by arresting more than 35,000 people and brutally beating thousands of them. Many top opposition figures were arrested and given long prison terms, while others fled abroad. The country's oldest and most prominent rights group Viasna says nearly 1,400 people are political prisoners in Belarus, including its founder and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski. Cyber-Partisans have carried out several large-scale attacks on Belarusian state media in the last four years, and in 2022 hacked Belarusian Railways three times, hijacking control over its traffic lights and control system and paralysing transit of the Russian military equipment into Ukraine via Belarus. "We're telling the Belarusian authorities that if they don't stop political repressions, it will get worse," Shametavets said. "We will continue the attacks in order to inflict that maximum harm of the Lukashenko regime." 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
27 April,2024 06:54 AM IST | Tallinn (Estonia) | AP | PTIFor the second time in recent months, President Joe Biden's administration has delayed a sweeping plan to ban menthol cigarettes, a decision that is certain to infuriate anti-smoking advocates but could avoid angering Black voters ahead of November elections. In a statement on Friday, Biden's top health official gave no timeline for issuing the rule, saying only that the administration would take more time to consider feedback, including from civil rights groups. "It's clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time," said Health and Human Service Secretary Xavier Becerra, in a statement. The White House has held dozens of meetings in recent months with groups opposing the ban, including civil rights organisers, law enforcement officials and small business owners. The announcement is another setback for the health officials at the Food and Drug Administration, who drafted the ban and predicted it would prevent hundreds of thousands of smoking-related deaths over 40 years. The agency has worked toward banning menthol across multiple administrations for more than a decade without ever finalizing a rule. Previous FDA efforts on menthol have been derailed by tobacco industry pushback or competing political priorities. With both Biden and former President Donald Trump vying for the support of Black voters, the potential impact of the decision has been scrutinized by Republicans and Democrats heading into November's election. Anti-smoking advocates have been pushing the FDA to eliminate the flavour since the agency gained authority to regulate certain tobacco ingredients in 2009. Menthol is the only cigarette flavour that wasn't banned under that law, a carveout negotiated by industry allies in Congress. But the law instructed the FDA to study the issue. More than 11 per cent of US adults smoke, with rates roughly even between white and Black people. But about 80 per cent of Black smokers smoke menthol, which the FDA says masks the harshness of smoking, making it easier to start and harder to quit. Most teenagers who smoke cigarettes also smoke menthols. Also Read: Over 1,000 voters in Tripura boycott polls in protest against "inadequate basic amenities" 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
27 April,2024 06:50 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIJust as India's election and voting phases get underway, the US counterparts are also getting ready for their elections. Setting things in motion, President Joe Biden's administration on Friday formally began planning for a potential presidential transition, aiming to ensure continuity of government no matter the outcome of November's general election. Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent memos to all executive departments and agencies, directing them to name a point person for transition planning by May 3. It's the routine first step in congressionally mandated preparedness for presidential transitions. Next week, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients who also chaired Biden's 2020 transition effort will lead the first meeting of the White House Transition Coordinating Council, which consists of senior White House policy, national security and management officials, as required by the Presidential Transition Act. The act provides federal support for major party candidates to prepare to govern so that they can have personnel in place to take policy actions on their first day in office. Making sure presidential candidates are ready to take charge of the federal government became a heightened priority after the September 11 attacks, and the act has been updated several times since to provide additional resources to candidates and to require incumbents to plan for a handoff with even greater intensity. Young's letter is nearly identical to the one sent four years ago by Trump administration acting director Russell Vought, for a transition process that started out orderly, but derailed when then-President Donald Trump refused to concede his defeat to Biden. It took until November 23, two weeks after the election was called, for Trump's General Services Administration to name Biden as the apparent winner of the 2020 race a required step for the transition to begin. The law requires presidential candidates and the General Services Administration to reach a memorandum of understanding that governs everything from the provision of federal office space to access to sensitive documents by September 1, though often it is reached sooner. Candidates must first formally secure their party's nomination at their conventions before the memorandum of understanding can be signed. Transition teams begin vetting candidates for jobs in a future administration, including beginning the time-consuming security clearance process for likely appointees who need to be ready to take their posts on Inauguration Day. Biden in February launched a separate task force aimed at addressing the systemic problem of mishandling classified information during presidential transitions, days after a Justice Department special counsel's sharply critical report said he and his aides had done just that when he left the vice presidency in 2016. 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
27 April,2024 06:36 AM IST | Washington | mid-day online correspondentUnited States President Joe Biden on Friday said that he is willing to debate with his Republican opponent, Donald Trump, later this fall his most definitive comment yet on the issue. The comment came during the interview with Howard Stern, the Sirius XM radio host. Stern asked Biden if he would participate in the debate against Donald Trump. I am, somewhere. I don't know what Biden said. But I'm happy to debate him. So far, Biden's reelection campaign had declined to commit to participating in the debates, a hallmark of every general election presidential campaign since 1976. Also Read: IN PHOTOS: Phase 2 of Lok Sabha elections 2024 concludes President Joe Biden himself is unclear as he said in March that whether he debated Trump depends on his behaviour. Following the issue, Trump campaign senior adviser, Chris LaCivita took to X saying that "OK let's set it up!" The Trump campaign had said the former president is willing to debate anytime, any place and anywhere, although Trump did not participate in any of the Republican primary debates this cycle. The Commission has already announced the dates and locations for the three general elections debated between the presidential candidates. September 16 in San Marcos, Texas; October 1 in Petersburg, Virginia; and October 9 in Salt Lake City. The lone vice presidential debate is slated for September 25 in Easton, Pennsylvania. Biden engages in relatively fewer press interviews than his predecessors, and his aides tend to choose outlets and media avenues outside the traditional press corps that covers the president in Washington. Biden's interview with Stern took a controversial turn as the interview saw topics that included the President's upbringing, family, and his favourite president (Thomas Jefferson). Less the shock jock of old, Stern still commands a loyal audience. And he's become known for his conversational interviewing skills. He can turn talks with celebrities into revealing discussions, often by asking things others might be afraid to, but not in confrontational ways. (With AP Inputs)
26 April,2024 10:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAn Indian-origin man was shot and killed by the police in the US, San Antonio after he struck two policemen with his vehicle. The cops were trying to arrest him with a serious assault case against a female. Sachin Kumar Sahoo was declared dead after a police officer named Tyler Turner shot him in San Antonio, Texas. Sahoo died following the severe wounds he received during the dispute with the policeman, said the Bexar County Medical Examiner. Sahoo originally hailed from Uttar Pradesh. Sources said he could have been a naturalised US citizen. According to a preliminary investigation, just before 6:30 pm on April 21, officers were dispatched to a home in Cheviot Heights in San Antonio for a report about Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, the San Antonio Police Department said in a statement to PTI. Also Read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan casts vote in Nanded After arriving, the policemen found a 51-year-old woman injured after getting struck by a vehicle. The suspect Sahoo had fled the location. The lady was soon taken to the hospital in a critical condition. Later, San Antonio Police issued an arrest warrant for Sahoo. A few hours later, neighbours called the police and informed them that Sahoo had returned to the location. The policemen then arrived at the location and tried contacting Sahoo when he struck the officers with his BMW SUV. Soon, one of the officers fired his weapon and Sahoo was pronounced dead on the scene itself. Following the injuries, one of the officers was taken to the hospital and the other one was treated on the scene. No other casualties were found during the incident. This investigation remains ongoing, police said. Police Chief Bill McManus said that Sahoo had run over the woman, who was his roommate, with his vehicle. The woman was undergoing several surgeries and was in critical condition. The police had issued an arrest warrant for Sahoo and a couple of officers had gone to his known location on April 21 to see if they could find him and arrest him. They did find him and he jumped in his car. He pulled out of his driveway where the police officers blocked him with their vehicles but he was able to squeeze through them. Sahoo hit the officers with his vehicle. The other officer that was with him fired to stop him and struck him, McManus said. He said the police are yet to look at the bodycam footage to determine further facts. A report in Kens5.com quoted Sahoo's ex-wife Leah Goldstein as saying that Sahoo was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He suffered the past ten years with bipolar disorder," Goldstein said. "He also had symptoms of schizophrenia. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him," she said in the news report. "He would hear voices. And hallucinates and just hears voices and just gets stuck in his own mind. Goldstein described Sahoo as a great dad. I was a stay-at-home mom for many years," she said. "He provided for us. (With PTI Inputs)
26 April,2024 02:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
