A Mexican navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday night, snapping its three masts, fatally injuring two crew members, and leaving some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air waiting for help. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage, but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment after the crash. Two of the four people who suffered more serious injuries later died, Adams announced on social media early Sunday morning. The cause of the collision was under investigation. In a scene captured in multiple eyewitness videos, the ship, called the Cuauhtémoc, could be seen travelling swiftly toward the bridge near the Brooklyn side of the East River. Then, its three masts struck the bridge's main span and snapped, one by one, as the ship kept moving. Videos showed heavy traffic on the span at the time of the 8:20 p.m. collision. The vessel, which was flying a giant green, white, and red Mexican flag and had 277 people aboard, then drifted toward the piers lining the riverbank as onlookers scrambled away. Sailors could be seen aloft in the rigging on the damaged masts but, remarkably, no one fell into the water, officials said. Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz told The Associated Press they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge. Looking closer, they saw someone dangling from high on the ship. “We saw someone dangling, and I couldn't tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,” Katz said. Just before the collision, Nick Corso, 23, took his phone out to capture the backdrop of the ship and the bridge against a sunset. Instead, he heard what sounded like the loud snapping of a “big twig.” Several more snaps followed. People in his vicinity began running back and “pandemonium” on the boat erupted, he said. He later saw a handful of people dangling from the mast. “I didn't know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?” he said. The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtémoc was an academy training vessel. It said a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom needed medical treatment. The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 1,600-foot (490-meter) main span supported by two masonry towers. More than 100,000 vehicles and an estimated 32,000 pedestrians cross every day, according to the city's transportation department. Its walkway is a major tourist attraction. Traffic was halted after the collision but was allowed to resume after an inspection, city officials said. It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course. New York Police Department Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not toward the bridge. He said an initial report was that the pilot of the ship had lost power due to a mechanical problem, though officials cautioned that information was preliminary. Videos show a tugboat was close to the Cuauhtémoc at the time of the crash. The Cuauhtémoc about 297 feet long and 40 feet wide (90.5 metres long and 12 metres wide), according to the Mexican navy — sailed for the first time in 1982. The vessel's main mast has a height of 48.9 metres, according to the Mexican government. As midnight approached, the broken boat was moved slowly up the East River, going under and past the Manhattan Bridge, aided by a series of tugboats, before docking at a pier. Onlookers continued to gather on the waterfront to watch the spectacle. Each year the Cuauhtémoc sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets' training. This year it left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on April 6, the navy said. It arrived in New York City on May 13, where visitors were welcome for several days, the Mexican consulate said. The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations over 254 days, 170 of them at sea. 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
18 May,2025 11:16 PM IST | New York | APTens of thousands of people streamed into St. Peter's Square early Sunday to inaugurate Pope Leo XIV's pontificate, joining presidents and princes in celebrating history's first American pope with a formal installation ceremony that blends ancient ritual, evocative symbols, and a nod to modern-day celebrity. Starting at dawn, civil protection crews in neon uniforms funnelled pilgrims into quadrants in the piazza, while priests and patriarchs hurried into St. Peter's Basilica to get ready for the Mass. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, one of the last foreign officials to see Pope Francis before he died, paid his respects at the Argentine pope's tomb upon arriving in Rome late Saturday and was heading the U.S. delegation honouring the Chicago-born Leo. Leo will start the day by taking his first tour through the piazza in the popemobile. The open-topped vehicle has become synonymous with the papacy's global reach and mediatic draw, used at home and abroad to bring popes close to their flock. It was here that Francis took his last popemobile ride on Easter Sunday, and it was on the back of a popemobile that Francis' casket was brought across Rome last month to its final resting place. Leo, a 69-year-old Augustinian missionary elected May 8 after a 24-hour conclave, seems a bit more timid than Francis. But all eyes will be on how he manages the throngs of pilgrims, tourists, and curiosity-seekers, and the babies who will inevitably be passed up to him for him to bless. After the festive public tour in the square, Leo goes into the basilica to begin the solemn ceremony to inaugurate his ministry in a series of rites that emphasise the service that he's called to perform in leading the Catholic Church. He prays first at the tomb of St. Peter, considered to be the first pope, under the basilica's main altar, and then processes out into the piazza for the Mass. Strict diplomatic protocol dictates the seating arrangements, with both the United States and Peru getting front-row seats thanks to Leo's dual citizenship. Vance, a Catholic convert who tangled with Francis over the Trump administration's mass migrant deportation plans, is being joined by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Rome ahead of time to try to advance Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte is one of around a dozen heads of state attending, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. U.S. seminarian Ethan Menning, 21, from Omaha, Nebraska, wrapped himself in an American flag, purchased at a truck stop in Iowa, to celebrate. “Rome always felt like home for a Catholic, but now coming here and seeing one of our own on the throne of Peter ... it almost makes Jesus himself more accessible,” he said. Kalen Hill, a pilgrim from the U.S., got to St. Peter's soon after the gates opened Sunday morning and said he never expected an American would lead the 1.4-billion-strong church. “I would say all the Americans are emotional about it,” he said. “It is really powerful for American Catholics who sometimes feel separated from the world church to be brought in and included in this community through Pope Leo.” During the Mass, Leo will receive the two potent symbols of the papacy: the lambswool stole, known as a pallium, and the fisherman's ring. The pallium, draped across his shoulders, symbolises the pastor carrying his flock as the pope carries the faithful. The ring, which becomes Leo's official seal, harks back to Jesus' call to the apostle Peter to cast his fishing nets. The other symbolically important moment of the Mass is the representational rite of obedience to Leo: Whereas in the past all cardinals would vow obedience to the new pope, more recent papal installations involve representatives of cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, nuns, married couples, and young people participating in the rite. Another change from the past is that Sunday's Mass isn't a coronation ceremony, which used to involve the pope receiving a tiara, but is merely known as a “Eucharistic Celebration for the start of the Petrine ministry of the Bishop of Rome.” In the days since his historic election, Leo has already sketched out some of his key priorities as pope. In his first foreign policy address, he said the Holy See's three pillars of diplomacy were peace, justice, and truth. In his first major economics address, he emphasised the Catholic Church's social doctrine and the search for truth. It's not known if he'll use his installation homily as a mission statement, as some of his predecessors did. In his October 22, 1978 installation homily, St. John Paul II uttered a phrase that became something of a refrain of his pontificate and the ones that followed: “Be not afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ!” Pope Benedict XVI quoted his predecessor during his installation homily, on April 25, 2005, and offered a meditation on the symbols of church unity represented by the pallium and fisherman's ring. Francis' installation homily, on March 19, 2013, focused on the need to protect the environment, an early hint of what would become one of the priorities of his pontificate. Leo has vowed all efforts to find peaceful ends to the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and elsewhere. But as a priority, he has also identified the challenges to humanity posed by artificial intelligence, making the parallel to the challenges to human dignity posed by the industrial revolution that were confronted by his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878–1903. After the homily and at the end of the Mass, Leo will offer a final blessing and then go into the basilica to greet the heads of the more than 150 official delegations attending. Security was tight, as it was for Francis' funeral on April 26, which drew an estimated 250,000 people. Rome authorities are planning for another 250,000 on Sunday. The piazza and main boulevard leading to it, and two nearby piazzas, were set up with giant television screens, and dozens of portable toilets have been erected in a nearby park. 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
18 May,2025 04:56 PM IST | Vatican City | APIsrael has launched a major military campaign in Gaza, dubbed Operation “Gideon’s Chariots”, aiming to “seize strategic areas” and “achieve operational control”. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported extensive attacks and troop mobilisations across the Gaza Strip as part of the operation’s initial phase. Gaza’s civil defence agency reported 100 fatalities on Friday due to Israeli strikes, while the IDF claims to have struck over 150 terror targets in the Gaza Strip within 24 hours. The conflict has led to critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel, and medicines, prompting NGOs to urge Israel to lift its aid blockade. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy involves displacing Gaza’s population to the south and holding more territory in Gaza to eradicate Hamas. This plan has drawn international condemnation, with the UN’s rights chief denouncing the renewed attacks and apparent push to permanently displace the population. “We’re looking at Gaza. And we’re going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving,” Trump said, acknowledging the dire humanitarian situation. Dissent is growing within Israel’s ranks, with thousands of reservists voicing frustration over the prolonged war. 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
18 May,2025 10:19 AM IST | Jerusalem | AgenciesFlights resumed at Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport on Saturday, over a week after Israeli air-strikes severely damaged the facility. The May 6 strike, in retaliation for a Houthi missile attack near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, destroyed the terminal, created craters on the runway, and damaged six aircraft, including three belonging to Yemenia, the national carrier. A Yemenia flight from Amman carrying 136 passengers landed in Sanaa, with three more flights scheduled the same day — marking a cautious return to operations. The Israeli military has since launched strikes on Yemen’s Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Salif, targeting Houthi military assets in a sharp escalation of hostilities. The Houthis, aligned with Hamas and backed by Iran, have regularly fired missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war began. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that continued Houthi attacks would result in “severe harm” not only to military capabilities but to the group’s leadership. They specifically named Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi as a potential target, likening him to Hamas’ Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli air-strikes also hit energy facilities in Sanaa, triggering major power outages across a quarter of the capital, particularly in commercial areas. The Houthi-run health ministry reported one death and 11 injuries in the strikes. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 May,2025 10:11 AM IST | Cairo | AgenciesA 28-year-old woman, Tiffany Slaton, survived for three weeks in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada by foraging for food and drinking melted snow after a solo camping trip went wrong during harsh snowstorm. Slaton described her ordeal at a news conference with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, two days after being found in an unlocked cabin left by the owner for hikers in need. She had been there only eight hours before the owner arrived. She was caught in an avalanche at one point, injuring her leg. Although she had a bicycle, tent, two sleeping bags, and food, she lost all her equipment except a lighter, knife, and some snacks. After falling, she tried calling 911 five times without success but maintained a GPS signal on her phone. Slaton journalled throughout her arduous journey to keep sane and eventually managed to reach civilisation. “I ended up on this very long, arduous journey that I journalled to try and keep sane and eventually managed to get to civilisation,” she said. The cabin was more than 32 km from where she was last seen, with up to 12 feet of snow in the mountains. The owner of Vermilion Valley Resort, Christopher Gutierrez, said his staff left cabin doors unlocked during the winter in case someone needed shelter during the frequent mountain snowstorms. Authorities called her survival stunning. “I would have never anticipated her in my wildest dreams being able to get back as far as she did,” Sheriff John Zanoni said. Slaton was last seen April 20 near Huntington Lake on a security camera riding a bicycle. Her parents reported her missing April 29. Slaton’s athleticism and foraging skills helped her survive until found in the cabin. “If he hadn’t come that day, I think they would have found my body there,” Slaton said, referring to Gutierrez. When she saw Gutierrez, she ran up to him to give him a hug. “I really do have a new faith in humanity,” Slaton 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
18 May,2025 10:07 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesUS President Donald Trump said he plans to speak by phone Monday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, followed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of various NATO countries, about ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said the call with Putin will be about stopping the "bloodbath" in Ukraine. "Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end," Trump wrote Saturday in a post on his social networking site Truth Social. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed in comments to Russian media that preparations were underway for Monday's call. Trump's remarks came a day after the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to yield a ceasefire. Putin had spurned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to meet face-to-face in Turkiye after he himself proposed direct negotiations " although not at the presidential level " as an alternative to a 30-day ceasefire urged by Ukraine and its Western allies, including the US. Also on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. During a visit to Rome, Rubio suggested that the Vatican could be a venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks. In Ukraine, a northeastern town declared a period of mourning after a Russian drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from front-line areas, killing nine people, Ukrainian officials said. The strike came hours after the Russian and Ukrainian delegations left Istanbul, after agreeing to what would be the biggest prisoner swap to date between the warring parties. Zelenskyy faces a gamble as talks stall The talks in Istanbul on Friday broke up after less than two hours without a ceasefire, although both sides agreed on exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations. Ukraine's intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Ukrainian television Saturday that the exchange could happen as early as next week. But the Kremlin has pushed back against a proposal by Ukraine and its Western allies for a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement, and the parties remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. Since US-brokered talks began in March, Ukraine's strategy has been to convince the Trump administration that Putin is unreliable, and that Kyiv is serious about peace. Trump has expressed frustration with the stalled talks and threatened to abandon his efforts if results aren't achieved. He has also said that no peace would be reached until he held a face to face meeting with Putin. On Friday, Trump told reporters after boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Abu Dhabi that he may call Putin soon. "He and I will meet, and I think we'll solve it, or maybe not," Trump said. "At least we'll know." The political theatrics are underscored by stark realities on the ground in Ukraine. In a war of attrition against Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's position is poised to grow weaker as time goes on, unless powerful sanctions are imposed against Moscow and the U.S. continues arms deliveries. Zelenskyy said that he had discussed the outcome of the talks with Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Poland. In an X post from a European leadership meeting in Albania on Friday, Zelenskyy urged "tough sanctions" against Moscow if it rejects "a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings."Peskov on Saturday held open the possibility of Putin holding talks with Zelenskyy, providing the agreed prisoner swap goes ahead, and if the Russian and Ukrainian delegations reached unspecified further "agreements." Peskov also told reporters that Moscow will present Ukraine with a list of conditions for a ceasefire, but gave no timeframe, or say what needed to happen before Zelenskyy and Putin can meet. A town in mourning In Ukraine, nine civilians were killed and seven others were wounded when a Russian drone struck a bus evacuating people from Bilopillia, a town around 10 kilometres from Russia's border, according to local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov and Ukraine's national police. The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Moscow. Zelenskyy described the attack as "deliberate killing of civilians," adding in a post on the Telegram messaging app that "Russians could scarcely not realize what kind of vehicle they were hitting." The local media outlet Suspilne said that the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from the town when the strike happened. Authorities are working to identify some of the victims, most of them older women. Local community chief Yurii Zarko called the day "Black Saturday," and mourning was declared in the town through Monday. Zelenskyy lamented the missed opportunity from Friday's peace talks, saying that "Ukraine has long proposed this " a full and unconditional ceasefire in order to save lives." Ukraine's European allies strongly condemned the attack. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that he was "appalled" by it. "If Putin is serious about peace, Russia must agree to a full and immediate ceasefire, as Ukraine has done," he wrote on X. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, condemned Russia for "continuing their attacks today with undiminished ferocity." He vowed to continue to increase the pressure on Moscow with added sanctions. 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
18 May,2025 10:02 AM IST | Kyiv | AP | PTIA Russian drone hit a bus evacuating civilians from a front-line area in Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region Saturday, killing nine people, Ukrainian officials said, hours after Moscow and Kyiv had held their first direct peace talks in years that failed to yield a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike as a deliberate assault on civilians and criticised Russia’s continued aggression despite Ukraine’s offer of an unconditional ceasefire. In Bilopillia, a period of mourning was declared through Monday. Local community chief Yurii Zarko called the day “Black Saturday.” Russia claimed it targeted a military staging area in the region but did not acknowledge the drone strike. The Istanbul peace talks resulted in an agreement on a large prisoner swap of 1,000 individuals each but made little progress toward ending hostilities. Zelensky discussed the outcome with Western leaders, urging tougher sanctions on Russia. European leaders reiterated their support for Ukraine and criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for undermining ceasefire efforts. Despite ongoing violence, both sides agreed to further exchanges of ceasefire proposals and a potential future meeting between Zelensky and Putin. 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
18 May,2025 09:13 AM IST | Kyiv | AgenciesAfter 17 years of chilling underground, billions of red-eyed cicadas have burst onto the scene like nature’s own flash mob. But this isn’t just a regular bug reunion — some of these critters are infected with a wild fungus called Massospora cicadina. This parasitic party crasher turns cicadas into hyperactive, sex-obsessed zombies. The fungus consumes their insides, replaces their butts with a chalky plug of spores, and then cranks their mating drive to 11. Infected males even mimic female signals to lure in more victims, spreading the fungus like a scandalous STD. Some of these critters are infected with a wild fungus which turns them into hyper active, sex hunger bugs. Pics/iStock Despite their chaotic love lives and loud mating calls — loud enough to prompt police calls — the cicadas are harmless to humans. They don’t bite or sting, but they might pee on you if you get too close. So, if you’re in the eastern US and hear the buzz, just know it’s the sound of a once-in-a-generation bug bash. And remember, this wild party won’t happen again until 2042. 2042The year the mating period will return Go, gator, gone In Florida, an alligator’s head got stuck in a folding chair, and authorities got involved The alligator in Lee County’s Tortuga community. Pic/Instagram@leesheriff Florida Man? Nah, Florida Gator. In Lee County’s Tortuga community, a curious alligator decided to go full door-to-door salesman — except instead of selling insurance, he brought chaos and vibes. Things escalated quickly when the reptilian visitor got its head stuck in a folding chair, dragging it around like a fashion statement. The chair said camping, the gator said commitment. Deputies got called when residents reported a “suspicious” gator knocking on doors like he had an Amazon delivery. Authorities finally wrangled the gator, who’s now off to a new (hopefully chair-free) home. Florida, never change — you’re nature’s weirdest reality show. A toddler’s dream Not being able to eat normal nutritious food like others, Thomas Sheridan is crowdfunding his treatment. Pic/iStock Meet Thomas Sheridan, whose food pyramid is more like a Jenga tower of carbs and sugar. Living on white bread, Shreddies cereal, and Haribo sweets, he’s never touched fruits or veggies. Diagnosed with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, even the thought of an egg makes him projectile vomit. Now he’s crowdfunding for hypnotherapy to expand his menu beyond the beige. AI Interview from hell AI job interview glitches into “vertical bar pilates” loop, freaking out the candidate and many others on the Internet. Pic/iStock Job interviews are nerve-wracking, but imagine your interviewer being an AI bot that malfunctions mid-conversation. That’s what happened to TikTok user Ken during her interview at Stretch Lab in Ohio. The AI, developed by startup Apriora, glitched and repeated “vertical bar pilates” 14 times in 25 seconds. Ken described the experience as “creepy”. Her viral TikTok sparked widespread concern over the impersonal nature of AI-led interviews. Was that green goblin? This green fireball set out to give Australia’s skies a complete makeover! Pic/X@Curiosity Australia’s night sky threw a Mother’s Day rave when a neon-green meteor blazed across Western Australia. Travelling up to 60 km/s, this cosmic party crasher was about the size of a basketball and left a glowing trail. While some speculated it was the Soviet-era Kosmos 482 spacecraft making a return, experts confirmed it was just a fiery rock on a solo mission. What in the GTA VI?! Pic/X@Bubblebathgirl Houston man’s GT-R went for a “surprise sleepover” with a tow truck driver who couldn’t resist living the Fast & Furious dreams of the little boy inside of him. Caught on the car’s dash cam we see tire spins, joyrides, and a whole boys’ night out. Bro even tried to unplug the cam like this was Mission: Impossible. Owner posted the footage online like some flex and — boom, an instant viral. Tow company’s now backpedalling faster than the GT-R. Dashcams never sleep, and clout-chasing behind the wheel is not street-legal. A fiery outburst On May 12, the Sun decided to flex, unleashing a colossal 6-lakh-mile-long plasma filament — think of it as the solar version of a dramatic hair flip. Pic/X@JAtanackov The Sun woke up on May 12 and chose violence. It let loose a 6-lakh-mile-long fiery eruption, basically the cosmic version of flipping a dinner table mid-argument. Astronomers call it a “plasma filament.” We call it a flaming ball of doom. Luckily, this solar rage spiral wasn’t aimed at us. But Earth still got roasted two days later by an X2.7-class solar flare that caused radio blackouts. Classic overachiever behaviour. So, while we weren’t totally scorched, the Sun clearly needs a spa day (or a hug). In the meantime, charge your devices and maybe send it a chill playlist. Hair she goes Pic/Instagram@leileinoone Leila Noone just did what no conditioner ever prepared us for — she literally hung out by her hair. Yep, this 39-year-old circus performer from California broke the Guinness World Record by suspending herself mid-air for 25 minutes and 11.3 seconds using nothing but her glorious mane. Rapunzel? Babe, step aside.
18 May,2025 09:05 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesIndia is willing to cut 100 per cent tariffs on American goods, US President Donald Trump claimed once again while saying that a trade deal between New Delhi and Washington is coming soon. In an interview to a TV channel, Trump, however, said that he is not in a "rush" for the proposed trade deal. Against the backdrop of the US president's repeated claim of India offering to drop all tariffs on American goods, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in New Delhi on Thursday that "any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial". Trump again described India as "one of the highest tariff nations in the world." "They make it almost impossible to do business. Do you know that they're willing to cut 100 per cent of their tariffs for the United States?" Trump said. When asked if the deal with India is coming soon, Trump said, "that'll come soon. I'm in no rush. Look, everybody wants to make a deal with us." He added, "South Korea wants to make a deal but I'm not going to make deals with everybody. I'm just going to set the limit. I'll make another some deals. Because I can't, you can't meet with that many people. I've got 150 countries that want to make deals." India and the US are holding talks to firm up a trade deal. On Thursday, Jaishankar said trade talks have been going on between India and the US. "These are complicated negotiations. Nothing is decided till everything is. Any trade deal has to be mutually beneficial; it has to work for both countries," he said. "That would be our expectation from the trade deal." Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is currently in Washington to assess the progress of negotiations for the proposed trade agreement. He is expected to hold talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer. To boost bilateral trade, India is seeking duty concessions for labour-intensive sectors like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, garments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, chemicals, grapes, and bananas in the proposed pact with America. On the other hand, the US wants duty concessions in sectors like certain industrial goods, automobiles (electric vehicles in particular), wines, petrochemical products, dairy, agriculture items such as apples, and tree nuts. 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
17 May,2025 05:08 PM IST | New York | PTIA man who attacked Salman Rushdie with a knife in front of a stunned audience in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison. Hadi Matar, 27, stood quietly as the judge pronounced the sentence. He did not deny attacking Rushdie, and when he was invited to address the court before being sentenced, Matar got in a few last insults at the writer. He said he believed in freedom of speech but called Rushdie "a hypocrite." "Salman Rushdie wants to disrespect other people," said Matar, clad in white-striped jail clothing and wearing handcuffs. "He wants to be a bully, he wants to bully other people. I don't agree with that." Rushdie, 77, did not return to western New York for the sentencing but submitted a victim impact statement in which he said he has nightmares about what happened, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said. The statement was not made public. Rushdie, through his agent, declined to comment after the sentencing. During the trial, the author described how he believed he was dying when a masked attacker plunged a knife into his head and body more than a dozen times as he was being introduced at the Chautauqua Institution to speak about writer safety. Video of the assault, captured by the venue's cameras and played at trial, show Matar approaching the seated Rushdie from behind and reaching around him to stab at his torso with a knife. As the audience gasps and screams, Rushdie is seen raising his arms and rising from his seat, walking and stumbling for a few steps with Matar hanging on, swinging and stabbing until they both fall and are surrounded by onlookers who rush in to separate them. A jury found Matar guilty of attempted murder and assault in February after deliberating for less than two hours. Judge David Foley told Matar that he thought it was notable he had chosen to try and kill Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution, a summer retreat that prides itself on the free exchange of ideas. "We all have the right to have our own ideals; we all have the right to carry them," Foley said. "But when you interfere with someone else's ability to do that by committing a violent act, in the United States of America, that has to be an answerable crime." The judge also gave Matar a seven-year term for wounding a man who was on stage with Rushdie, though that time will run concurrently to the other sentence. After the attack, Rushdie spent 17 days at a Pennsylvania hospital and more than three weeks at a New York City rehabilitation center. The author of "Midnight's Children," "The Moor's Last Sigh" and "Victory City" detailed his recovery in his 2024 memoir, "Knife." Matar's lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, had asked the judge for a sentence of around 12 years, citing his lack of a previous criminal record. Schmidt, the prosecutor, said Matar deserved the maximum sentence of 25 years, saying Matar "designed this attack so that he could inflict the most amount of damage, not just upon Mr. Rushdie, but upon this community, upon the 1,400 people who were there to watch it." Matar next faces a federal trial on terrorism-related charges. While the first trial focused mostly on the details of the knife attack itself, the next one is expected to delve into the more complicated issue of motive. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted of the federal charges, Matar faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Authorities said Matar, a US citizen, was attempting to carry out a decades-old fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie's death when he travelled from his home in Fairview, New Jersey, to target Rushdie at the summer retreat about 110 kilometres southwest of Buffalo. Matar believed the fatwa, first issued in 1989, was backed by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and endorsed in a 2006 speech by the group's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, according to federal prosecutors. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa after publication of Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses," which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Rushdie spent years in hiding, but after Iran announced it would not enforce the decree he travelled freely over the past quarter century. 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
17 May,2025 09:14 AM IST | Mayville | AP | PTIThe Supreme Court on Friday barred the Trump administration from quickly resuming deportations of Venezuelans under an 18th-century wartime law enacted when the nation was just a few years old. Over two dissenting votes, the justices acted on an emergency appeal from lawyers for Venezuelan men who have been accused of being gang members, a designation that the administration says makes them eligible for rapid removal from the United States under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The court indefinitely extended the prohibition on deportations from a north Texas detention facility under the alien enemies law. The case will now go back to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which declined to intervene in April. President Donald Trump quickly voiced his displeasure. "THE SUPREME COURT WON'T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!" he posted on his Truth Social platform. The high court action is the latest in a string of judicial setbacks for the Trump administration's effort to speed deportations of people in the country illegally. The president and his supporters have complained about having to provide due process for people they contend didn't follow U.S. immigration laws. The court had already called a temporary halt to the deportations, in a middle-of-the-night order issued last month. Officials seemed "poised to carry out removals imminently," the court noted Friday. Several cases related to the old deportation law are in courts The case is among several making their way through the courts over Trump's proclamation in March calling the Tren de Aragua gang a foreign terrorist organization and invoking the 1798 law to deport people. The high court case centers on the opportunity people must have to contest their removal from the United States " without determining whether Trump's invocation of the law was appropriate. "We recognize the significance of the Government's national security interests as well as the necessity that such interests be pursued in a manner consistent with the Constitution," the justices said in an unsigned opinion. At least three federal judges have said Trump was improperly using the AEA to speed deportations of people the administration says are Venezuelan gang members. On Tuesday, a judge in Pennsylvania signed off on the use of the law. The legal process for this issue is a patchwork one The court-by-court approach to deportations under the AEA flows from another Supreme Court order that took a case away from a judge in Washington, D.C., and ruled detainees seeking to challenge their deportations must do so where they are held. In April, the justices said that people must be given "reasonable time" to file a challenge. On Friday, the court said 24 hours is not enough time but has not otherwise spelled out how long it meant. The administration has said 12 hours would be sufficient. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines ordered immigration officials to give people 21 days in her opinion, in which she otherwise said deportations could legally take place under the AEA. The Supreme Court on Friday also made clear that it was not blocking other ways the government may deport people. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Alito complaining that his colleagues had departed from their usual practices and seemingly decided issues without an appeals court weighing in. "But if it has done so, today's order is doubly extraordinary," Alito wrote. In a separate opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said he agreed with the majority but would have preferred the nation's highest court to jump in now definitively, rather than return the case to an appeals court. "The circumstances," Kavanaugh wrote, "call for a prompt and final resolution. 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
17 May,2025 09:12 AM IST | Washington | AP | PTIADVERTISEMENT
