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Hamas dismisses Gaza protests as 'serving foreign interests'
Palestinian protests against Hamas in northern Gaza entered their third day while Israeli forces encircled a Rafah neighborhood in the southern part of the Strip on Thursday. In the terror group's first official response to the demonstrations, Hamas official Basem Naim told the Qatari channel Al-Araby that "demonstrations are expected from people facing extermination, against war and destruction" and claimed the Palestinians were protesting against Israel. "People are calling to stop the aggression, but the enemy and other parties with political agendas are diverting the spontaneous protests to serve the occupation's agenda and trying to portray it as if the demonstrators are against the resistance," Naim said. He claimed that people characterizing the protests as against Hamas "serve [foreign] interests." Palestinians have been demonstrating in Beit Lahiya, Shejaya and Jabaliya calling for an end to the war and demanding that Hamas relinquish control of Gaza. Protesters chanted "Hamas out" and held signs reading "Stop the war" and "We want to live in peace." Others were heard saying that Hamas was "hiding among the youth, and we are the ones suffering." 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
29 March,2025 09:48 AM IST | Tel Aviv | ANI
Appeals court clears way for DOGE to keep operating at USAID
A federal appeals court has lifted an order blocking Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from further cuts at the US Agency for International Development. The lawsuit was among of the first filed against Musk himself. It argued that DOGE's actions were unconstitutional because he was wielding significant power without being elected or Senate approved. A lower court judge agreed, but the three-judge appeals court panel sided with the Trump administration on Friday, at least for now. It found that while DOGE played a part in the dismantling of USAID, the cuts were approved by government officials. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals found that social-media posts like Musk's declaration that he 'fed USAID into the wood chipper" didn't legally prove he was making the orders. Rather, the evidence indicates he was acting as an adviser to President Donald Trump, carrying out his policies of rooting out what he calls waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, the court found. 'While defendants' role and actions related to USAID are not conventional, unconventional does not necessarily equal unconstitutional,' Circuit Judge Marvin Quattlebaum, who was appointed by Trump, wrote. More evidence may be unearthed as the lawsuit keeps playing out but for now the record doesn't support barring DOGE from USAID, he said. If the plaintiffs say that the dismantling of USAID violates the constitutional separation of powers, those claims should be directed at the administration, the appeals court suggested. Their order halted a ruling from US District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland in a lawsuit filed by former USAID employees. He found DOGE's moves to dismantle the agency were likely unconstitutional. Chuang had required the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to USAID employees, including those put on administrative leave, though he stopped short of reversing firings or fully resurrecting the agency. 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
29 March,2025 09:44 AM IST | Washington | AP
Elon Musk sells X to his own xAI for USD 33 billion in all-stock deal
Elon Musk has sold social media site X to his own xAI artificial intelligence company in a USD 33 billion all-stock deal, the billionaire announced on Friday. Both companies are privately held, which means they are not required to disclose their finances to the public. Musk said in a post on X that the move will 'unlock immense potential by blending xAI's advanced AI capability and expertise with X's massive reach.' He said the deal values xAI at USD 80 billion and X at USD 33 billion. Musk, who serves as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX as well as an advisor to Presidend Donald Trump, bought the site then called Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, gutted its staff and changed its policies on hate speech, misinformation and user verification and renamed it X. He launched xAI a year later. 'xAI and X's futures are intertwined. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent. This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI's advanced AI capability and expertise with X's massive reach,' Musk wrote on X. 'The combined company will deliver smarter, more meaningful experiences to billions of people while staying true to our core mission of seeking truth and advancing knowledge.' 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
29 March,2025 09:42 AM IST | Washington | AP
Donald Trump optimist about US-India trade talks 'working out very well'
US President Donald Trump has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "very smart man" and a "great friend of mine" while emphasising that tariff talks would "work out very well between India and our country". The remarks assume significance since Trump has repeatedly criticised the high tariffs charged by India and other countries on American goods. "Prime Minister Modi was here just recently and we have always been very good friends," the US president said in the White House Friday. "India is one of the highest tariffing nations in the world.' it's brutal, it's brutal. They're very smart. He (Modi) is a very smart man and a great friend of mine. We had very good talks. I think it's going to work out very well between India and our country, Trump said. "And I want to say you have a great prime minister," he said. PM Modi had visited Washington DC in February and held bilateral discussions with Trump. The visit came less than a month after Trump was sworn in as US President for a second term. Trump had earlier said that India was a very high-tariff nation and reiterated that reciprocal tariffs on countries that impose levies on American goods would kick in on April 2. 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
29 March,2025 09:40 AM IST | New York | PTI
Bangladesh chief advisor Muhammad Yunus meets with Xi Jinping
Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting in Beijing on Friday and discussed bilateral issues, including trade and investment. Shariqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor, termed the meeting between the two leaders as “most important and successful”. He said that Yunus highlighted Bangladesh’s historical ties with China. The two countries signed nine bilateral agreements— one on economic and technical cooperation and eight Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) on translation and production of classics, exchanges and cooperation on cultural heritage, news exchange, media, sports and health sectors—Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser’s office 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
29 March,2025 09:10 AM IST | Beijing | Agencies
Charles seen in public after hospitalisation
King Charles III smiled and waved to members of the public Friday as he left his home in London, the day after a brief hospitalisation for the side effects from his cancer treatment. The king’s appointments for the day were cancelled following his “short period of observation in hospital” on Thursday, Buckingham Palace said. The king’s health has been closely watched since early 2004 when he announced that he had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. 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
29 March,2025 08:45 AM IST | London | Agencies
Drone reduces time taken to detect wildfires
Dryard Networks, which specialises in early wildfire detection, says its new, AI-based drone will help speed up the detection, location and monitoring of fires. The Silvaguard drone, presented on Thursday in Eberswalde outside of Berlin, can deliver infrared images, among other things, and works in combination with the company’s fire detection system—Silvanet—which is already being used in several countries. Silvanet detects wildfires at the smoldering stage using solar-powered gas sensors connected via a wireless network. Each gas sensor can protect an area the size of a football field and be attached to a tree. 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
29 March,2025 08:43 AM IST | Munich | Agencies
Thailand: 90 missing, 3 dead as construction site crumbles
Thailand’s defence minister says 90 people are missing and three are confirmed dead at the site where a high-rise building under construction collapsed when a powerful earthquake hit the capital. Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai offered no more details about the ongoing rescue efforts but first responders said that seven people had been rescued so far from outside the collapsed building. The building came down suddenly when the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck on Friday, sending a crane toppling off the roof and a giant plume of dust into the air. Six quakes in a day Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared in six regions and states in Myanmar after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake whose epicentre was near the country’s second largest city. A total of six earthquakes jolted Myanmar on Friday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology said. Rescue teams at the building collapse site in Bangkok. Pic/AFP As per the NCS, the latest earthquake occurred at a depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. Myanmar is in the midst of a civil war and many areas are not easily accessible. It was not immediately clear what relief efforts the military would be able to provide. Tremors felt in Bangladesh Tremors were felt in various parts of Bangladesh, including Dhaka and Chattogram, when an earthquake hit Myanmar on Friday. However, no casualties were reported so far. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the earthquake with the epicentre at Mandalay in Myanmar near the Bangladesh border hit at 12.25 pm. The distance from Dhaka to the epicentre is 597 km. Jolts in southwest China Strong tremors were felt in southwest China’s Yunnan province bordering Myanmar after an earthquake. No casualties have so far been reported in Yunnan, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Many residents in the provincial capital of Kunming came or stayed outdoors to escape danger when they felt the earthquake at 2.20 pm (local time). 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
29 March,2025 08:41 AM IST | Bangkok | Agencies
Strong earthquake rocks Thai capital of Bangkok
A high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar midday on Friday, police said, and possible casualties are not yet known. A dramatic video circulated on social media showed the multi-story building with a crane on top collapsing into a cloud of dust, while onlookers screamed and ran. Police told The Associated Press they were responding to the scene near Bangkok's popular Chatuchak Market, and had no immediate information on how many workers were on the site at the time of the collapse. The midday temblor was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock, and people in Bangkok evacuated from their buildings were cautioned to stay outside in case there were more. All of a sudden the whole building began to move, immediately there was screaming and a lot of panic, said Fraser Morton, a tourist from Scotland, who was in one of Bangkok's many malls shopping for camera equipment. I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving, yeah, a lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, lots of banging and crashing inside the mall. Like thousands of others in downtown Bangkok, Morton sought refuge in Benjasiri Park away from the tall buildings all around. I got outside and then looked up at the building and the whole building was moving, dust and debris, it was pretty intense, he said. Lots of chaos. The US Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ center for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with an epicenter in Myanmar, according to preliminary reports. In Mandalay, the country's second-largest city and close to the epicenter, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on Facebook social media. While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated, and most houses are low-rise structures. In the Sagaing region just southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, were also damaged. Residents in Yangon rushed out of their homes when the quake struck. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes. In Bangkok, alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m., and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels. The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments. Water from high-rise rooftop pools sloshed over the side as they shook, and debris fell from many buildings as the long-lasting earthquake rattled the city. I have experienced earthquakes twice before in Myanmar, but that was only one second, one big bang, but here it went on for at least, I'd say, a minute, said Zsuzsanna Vari-Kovacs, a Hungarian resident of Bangkok, who had just finished eating at a restaurant when the quake hit. My husband was in a high-rise, I think that's even worse. Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country.Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the quake.
28 March,2025 02:41 PM IST | Bangkok | AP
Suspected US strikes pummel Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen
Suspected US airstrikes pummelled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighbourhoods in the capital, Sanaa. The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn't immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15. An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more more extensive than those under former president Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities. Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks in Sanaa, Yemen's capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebel's stronghold of Saada and in Yemen's al-Jawf, Amran and Marib governorates. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what at those sites had been targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighbourhoods in the capital also are home to military and intelligence service sites -- as well as crowded with civilians. An Associated Press video showed one bomb dropping into Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky as many people were awake in the final days of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. The Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19 strikes there alone. The US military's Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information in this campaign. The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis say have killed at least 57 people, started after the rebels threatened to begin targeting 'Israeli' ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well. The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far. The attacks greatly raised the Houthis' profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen's decade-long stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab world's poorest nation. 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
28 March,2025 11:46 AM IST | Dubai | AP
Trump signs executive order to end collective bargaining with agencies
US President Donald Trump on Thursday moved to end collective bargaining with federal labour unions in agencies with national security missions across the federal government, citing authority granted to him under a 1978 law. The order, signed without public fanfare and announced late on Thursday, appears to touch most of the federal government. The affected agencies include the departments of state, defence, Vterans affairs, energy, health and human services, treasury, justice and commerce and the part of homeland security responsible for border security. Police and firefighters will continue to collectively bargain. Trump said the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 gives him the authority to end collective bargaining with federal unions in these agencies because of their role in safeguarding national security. 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
28 March,2025 11:45 AM IST | Washington | AP