Canada's foreign minister on Friday said India's remaining diplomats in the country are "clearly on notice" not to endanger Canadian lives after New Delhi's top envoy in Canada was named a person of interest in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader. India's high commissioner was expelled on Monday along with five other diplomats, prompting Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly to compare India to Russia, saying Canada's national police force has linked Indian diplomats to homicides, death threats and intimidation in Canada. Joly said Canada won't tolerate foreign diplomats putting the lives of Canadians at risk. "We've never seen that in our history. That level of transnational repression cannot happen on Canadian soil. We've seen it elsewhere in Europe. Russia has done that in Germany and the UK and we needed to stand firm on this issue," she said in Montreal. Asked if other Indian diplomats will be expelled, Joly said: "They are clearly on notice. Six of them have been expelled including the high commissioner in Ottawa. Others were mainly from Toronto and Vancouver and clearly we won't tolerate any diplomats that are in contravention of the Vienna convention." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police went public this week with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information about them with their government back home. They said top Indian officials were then passing that information along to Indian organised crime groups who were targeting the activists, who are Canadian citizens, with drive-by shootings, extortions and even murder. India has rejected the Canadian accusations as absurd, and its foreign ministry said it was expelling Canada's acting high commissioner and five other diplomats in response. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist, was shot and killed outside a cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. The Nijjar killing in Canada has soured India-Canada ties for more than a year, and despite Canada's assertion that it has forwarded evidence of its allegations to Indian authorities, the Indian government continues to deny it has seen any. India has repeatedly criticised the Canadian government for being soft on Khalistani supporters. Trudeau said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined to him at a G-20 summit in India last year that he wanted Canada to arrest people who have been outspoken against the Indian government. Trudeau said he told Modi that he felt the actions fall within free speech in Canada. Trudeau added that he told Modi his government would work with India on concerns about terrorism, incitement of hate or anything that is unacceptable in Canada. But Trudeau also noted that advocating for separatism, though not Canadian government policy, is not illegal in Canada. 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
19 October,2024 03:34 PM IST | Toronto | AP | PTIKamala Harris and Donald Trump both sought support from Arab American voters on Friday as they campaigned in Michigan, trying to lock down support in a battleground state that could decide the presidential race next month. Trump was expected to visit a new campaign office in Hamtramck, one of the nation's only Muslim-majority cities, and he will be joined there by Mayor Amer Ghalib, a Democrat who has endorsed him. Meanwhile, three city council members in the same town have endorsed Harris. Michigan is one of three "blue wall" states that, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, will help decide the election, and the diverse voting blocs are key to winning the state. "It's an election for president. It's not supposed to be a cake walk for anyone. There are very important issues at play," Harris said. David Plouffe, a top campaign adviser for Harris, said on Friday on CNN that he believed all of the swing states were still in play, but the key was zeroing in on voting blocs. "We're going to treat every cohort like they're a swing voter," he said. "We're going to fight for every vote." Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is trying to capitalize on frustration with Harris over the US backing of Israel's offensive in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon, following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel. His allies have held meetings for months with community leaders in Michigan, which has a sizable population of Arab Americans, particularly in and around Detroit. Harris, in comments following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the architects of the October 7 attack, said Friday that his death provided an opportunity to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. "My message remains, first of all, we have got to end this war," she said Friday. "And I think what has happened now, with the killing of Sinwar, creates an opportunity for us to end this war and bring the hostages home." But the Democrat has been greeted by demonstrators protesting US support of Israel in the conflict. During a closed-door meeting Thursday with students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she was confronted by one, based on a video posted by a pro-Palestinian student group on social media. According to the video, as Harris was telling students she was invested in them, a protester interrupted her saying, "And in genocide, right? Billions of dollars in genocide?" The demonstrator was eventually escorted out by university police, as he continued recording. At her first event of the day, hundreds of supporters gathered in Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, on a carpet of fallen orange leaves under cloudless skies. A phalanx of Democratic governors " Maura Healy of Massachusetts, Wes Moore of Maryland, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Kathy Hochul of New York " took the stage before Harris. Whitmer tore into Trump, calling him "a petty man who tells dangerous lies, and he's always looking for someone else to blame." Harris will travel next to Lansing, where she will speak at a United Auto Workers union hall and promote the White House's record of supporting domestic car manufacturing. Her final event of the day is a rally in Oakland County, northwest of Detroit. Trump, who hasn't commented publicly about Sinwar's death, has his own event in Oakland County on Friday afternoon before holding a rally in Detroit in the evening. His Detroit event will be his first there since insulting the city last week. While warning what will happen if Harris is elected, he said that "our whole country will end up being like Detroit". The city spent years hemorrhaging residents and businesses, plunging into deep financial problems, before rebounding in recent years. One challenge for Harris in Michigan has been union support. Although organised labour is traditionally a Democratic bloc, she's failed to win some key endorsements. Whitmer, a co-chair of Harris' campaign, said in an interview Thursday that the expectation was always that "it was going to be a close election". "People are like, Oh it's so close.' And I'm like, Have you not been listening for decades?'" Whitmer said. "Michigan is a divided state. And that's why we don't write off the reddest of areas on a political map. We show up." Kent County, where Harris started her day on Friday, leaned Republican for many years, and was won by Trump by 3 per cent in 2016. But Biden won the county in 2020, and it has increasingly voted Democratic recently. 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
19 October,2024 03:32 PM IST | Grand Rapids | APRussian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said it is difficult to specify a timeline for ending the prolonged war in Ukraine but asserted that his country will win, as he appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's concern over the situation. Days ahead of the 16th BRICS Summit to be hosted by him, Putin also endorsed Modi's description of the grouping, saying the Indian leader had "aptly" noted that it is "not an anti-western one but a non-western one". He also made it clear the grouping, which has since been expanded from five initial members to include five more countries, should not be seen as a "bloc style organisation". Modi is due to visit Kazan to attend the summit on October 22-23. At an interaction with senior Editors from BRICS countries at his official residence Novo-Ogaryovo, about 50 km from Moscow, the Russian leader also indicated he could discuss giving Indian movies another boost when he meets Modi. Asked by PTI whether he saw a role for India in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine, he referred to the concern expressed by Modi, whom he described as a "friend". He said Russia was "grateful" for this. Modi had told Putin on phone on August 27 that he backed an early, peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, days after he held talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. He had also visited Moscow in July. In his remarks on September 5, Putin had identified India, China and Brazil as the countries with which Russia was in touch to resolve the Ukraine conflict. Putin on Friday said setting a timeline on ending the war will be "counterproductive." The Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in February 2022. He blamed the US and NATO for pushing Russia into the war, and said his country will prevail. He added that the Ukraine army, on its own cannot handle precision weapon delivery systems. "It is all done by NATO professionals. But you know what the difference is? NATO is waging a war against us"." He said the Russian army has become one of the most combat effective and high-tech armies in the world, and NATO will get tired of "waging this war against us". "We will have the upper hand. We'll win. We'll prevail," he said through an interpreter at the media interaction. The Russian leader expressed his willingness to negotiate peace and accused Ukraine of backing out from earlier efforts. Besides India and Russia, the BRICS also has China, South Africa and Brazil. The grouping represents 24 per cent of the global GDP and 41 per cent of the world's population and positions itself as an economic counterweight to the West. The latest five entrants to the grouping are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Putin said the doors of BRICS were not closed to new members, and as the grouping develops even the non-member countries will benefit economically. The Russian leader said what sets this group apart from others is that BRICS was never meant to be against anyone. "The Indian prime minister put it aptly. Of late, he has said that BRICS is not an anti-Western one but a non-Western one" he said. On other issues, Putin accused the US of trying to stem development in China. "It's like telling the sun not to rise," he said. He also accused the US of resorting to provocative actions in different regions and "literally dragging NATO like puppies into Asia like an angry big person". The US is galvanising its allies like Australia to provide additional points of tension, he added. To a question on BRICS having a common currency, Putin said it is moving "slowly and cautiously" on this front. Answering another question by PTI, he said Indian movies were very popular in Russia and indicated giving another boost to the sector when he meets Modi next week. He also made a mention of India's' pharmaceutical and automotive industries, and referred to "decisions" by New Delhi to "protect its own". But we are positive that if the Indian friends have this interest, we will find some common ground to promote Indian films to the Russian market," he added. Putin expressed concern over the escalating situation in Gaza, and said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been invited to BRICS events. 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
19 October,2024 03:28 PM IST | Moscow | PTIUS President Joe Biden on Friday arrived on a visit to Germany, marking the first official state visit by an American President since the German reunification. He is expected to hold meetings with the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also join Biden and Scholz later. Expected on the agenda of discussions are conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia according to a Biden administration official who said the two leaders will discuss “increased reports of antisemitic acts in both countries over the last year as war has raged in the Middle East” as per a Voice of America report. “I look forward to his visit and I am grateful for the good cooperation between me and the American president,” German Chancellor Scholz said on Wednesday. The visit is taking place just three weeks ahead of the scheduled US presidential polls. 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
19 October,2024 08:28 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesThe Lebanese militant group Hezbollah vowed to launch a new phase of fighting against invading Israeli troops Friday, a day after Israel said its forces in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of last year’s brutal October 7 attack on Israel. Early Friday, Hezbollah said its fighters have used new types of precision-guided missiles and explosive drones against Israel for the first time in recent days. The statement refers to an explosives-laden drone that evaded Israel’s air-defence system and slammed into a mess hall at a military training camp deep inside Israel last Sunday, killing four soldiers and wounding dozens. The group also announced earlier this week that it fired a new type of missile called Qader 2 toward Tel Aviv. Hezbollah said its fighters were working according to “plans prepared in advance” to battle invading Israeli troops in several parts of south Lebanon. It also announced several missile and artillery attacks on Israeli forces operating in villages in southern Lebanon’s border area. 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
19 October,2024 08:20 AM IST | Jerusalem | AgenciesAuthorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province shut all schools and universities for two days on Friday in to contain the spread of protests by students over an alleged on-campus rape. The closures in Pakistan’s most populous province affect an estimated 18 million students. Tensions have been high on college campuses since reports of the alleged rape in the eastern city of Lahore spread on social media, and protests have broken out in four cities. In Gujrat in Punjab province, a security guard died in clashes between student protesters and police on Wednesday. Police arrested a person in connection with the death. The government and police have denied that any rape occurred on a campus of the private Punjab Group of Colleges in Lahore. 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
19 October,2024 08:10 AM IST | Lahore | AgenciesKing Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday for the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has rekindled debate about the nation’s constitutional links to Britain. The Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits to welcome the couple, whose six-day trip will be brief by royal standards. Charles, 75, is being treated for cancer, which led to the scaled-down itinerary. Charles and Camilla were welcomed in light rain at Sydney Airport by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns and the king’s representative in Australia, Governor-General Sam Mostyln. Charles is only the second reigning British monarch to visit Australia. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first 70 years ago. While the welcome has been warm, Australia’s leaders want the royals removed from their constitution. 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
19 October,2024 08:02 AM IST | Melbourne | AgenciesAn Indian RAW official was involved in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil around the state visit of PM Narendra Modi, federal prosecutors alleged on Thursday in an indictment filed in a US court in New York. The official identified as Vikas Yadav, 39, was employed by the Cabinet Secretariat, which houses India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the federal prosecutors claimed. Yadav, who is believed to be no longer a government employee, has been charged with three counts, including murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering. “He remains at large”, the Department of Justice said. His co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta was arrested in Czechoslovakia last year and is languishing in a US jail after extradition. “The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. India denied its association or involvement with such a plot. Following allegations by the US, New Delhi had set up an inquiry committee to investigate the matter. Sikh body concerned over India, Canada ties The recent diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, particularly surrounding the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, have had profound implications for the Sikh diaspora, the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) said on Friday. This incident has intensified existing insecurities and divisions within the community, affecting how Sikh immigrant families navigate their identities, political beliefs, and social interactions, said Satnam Singh Chahal, NAPA's executive director. This can create rifts in families and social circles, leading to heated discussions and estrangement, 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
19 October,2024 07:36 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesThe celebrations for ‘India Week’ commenced in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, as part of Riyadh Season, showcasing the vibrant Indian culture and harmony. The celebrations are being held at the AL Suwaidi Park in Riyadh, as part of Saudi Arabia’s Global Harmony Initiative. Many artists from the Indian community in Saudi Arabia performed during the celebrations. Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Ajaz Khan appreciated the showcasing of Indian culture and termed it a great initiative. “The way Indian culture is showcased here today is a very important thing. Everyone is enjoying it and there is a very good atmosphere. It is a great initiative,” Khan said. Riyadh Season is one of the world’s largest winter entertainment event. 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
19 October,2024 07:24 AM IST | Riyadh | AgenciesSouth Korean intelligence has found that North Korea has dispatched 12,000 troops including special operation forces to support Russia's war against Ukraine, news reports said Friday. Yonhap news agency cited the National Intelligence Service as that the North Korean troops have already left the country. The NIS didn't immediately confirm the report, but South Korea's presidential office said in a statement that President Yoon Suk Yeol had presided over an emergency meeting earlier Friday to discuss North Korea's troop dispatch to Ukraine. The statement said participants of the meeting agreed that North Korea's troop dispatch poses a grave security threat to South Korea and the international community. But the presidential office gave no further details like when and how many North Korean soldiers have been sent to Ukraine and what roles they are expected to play. Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that six North Koreans were among those killed after a Ukrainian missile strike in the partially occupied eastern Donetsk region on Oct. 3. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government has intelligence that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities could turn the conflict into a “world war.” “From our intelligence we've got information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told reporters at NATO headquarters. “They are preparing on their land 10,000 soldiers, but they didn't move them already to Ukraine or to Russia.” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the western alliance “have no evidence that North Korean soldiers are involved in the fight. But we do know that North Korea is supporting Russia in many ways, weapons supplies, technological supplies, innovation, to support them in the war effort. And that is highly worrying.” The U.S., South Korea and their partners have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with artillery shells, missiles and other equipment to help fuel its war on Ukraine Outside officials and experts say North Korea in exchange possibly received badly needed food and economic aid and technology assistance aimed at upgrading Kim's nuclear-armed military. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have repeatedly denied the existence of an arms deal between the countries. 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 October,2024 04:39 PM IST | Seoul | PTIPrime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Russia from October 22-23 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin to participate in the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, reported news agency ANI. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the BRICS Summit in Kazan is being held under the chairmanship of Russia. During his visit to Kazan, PM Modi is anticipated to hold bilateral discussions with fellow leaders from BRICS nations and other invited leaders. "The Summit, themed "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security," will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues," said the MEA. The MEA further said, "The Summit will offer a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration." The BRIC group, which originally included Brazil, Russia, India, and China, first convened in St. Petersburg in 2006. The inaugural BRIC summit took place in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. In September 2010, South Africa was welcomed as a full member at the BRIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in New York leading to the rebranding of the group as BRICS. This coalition represents major emerging economies, accounting for approximately 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of global GDP, and over 16 per cent of world trade. Earlier this September, President Putin extended an invitation to PM Modi for a bilateral meeting on October 22. Putin referred to Modi as a "good friend" during a meeting with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Constantine Palace in Russia's St. Petersburg. Quoting President Putin, the Kremlin in a statement said, "We will be expecting Mr Modi in Kazan. I also suggest holding a bilateral meeting there on October 22 in order to close the books on our joint work in implementing the agreements reached during his visit to Moscow and outline some prospects for the near future." "Please extend my warmest regards and best wishes to Mr Modi, my good friend," the statement added. This will mark PM Modi's second trip to Russia in 2024; he previously attended the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit in July. During that visit, he was honoured with Russia's highest civilian award, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, at the Kremlin. The two leaders visited the Rosatom Pavilion at the VDNKh Exhibition Centre in Moscow. (With inputs from ANI)
18 October,2024 03:24 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
