The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday that Shri Anurag Srivastava, a distinguished officer from the 1999 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Mauritius. Currently serving as Joint Secretary in the MEA, Srivastava will soon assume his new responsibilities, as per ANI. This appointment reflects the critical importance India attaches to its enduring and multi-faceted relationship with Mauritius, a key partner in the Western Indian Ocean region. Mauritius holds a special place in India’s foreign policy, given its historical, cultural, and demographic ties. According to ANI, nearly 70 per cent of Mauritius’s 1.2 million population is of Indian origin, underlining the deep-rooted bond between the two nations. The bilateral relationship between India and Mauritius is built on shared history. Indian workers first arrived in Mauritius under French rule in 1729, and during British rule, nearly half a million Indian indentured labourers were brought to the island between 1834 and the early 1900s. Two-thirds of these workers eventually made Mauritius their permanent home. November 2, the day the first group of Indian workers arrived aboard the ship Atlas in 1834, is observed as Aapravasi Diwas in Mauritius, highlighting the historical significance of this migration, as per ANI. India and Mauritius have maintained formal diplomatic ties since 1948, two decades before Mauritius achieved independence. This enduring partnership has been characterised by strong political engagements, cultural exchanges, and collaborations in areas such as maritime security, development assistance, and capacity-building. India’s influence in Mauritius is evident through various initiatives such as the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, the World Hindi Secretariat, and the Indian Cultural Centre. Additionally, several India-assisted development projects across the island further exemplify the deep cooperation between the two nations. Srivastava’s appointment reaffirms India’s commitment to fostering this unique partnership. As per ANI, his role is expected to enhance mutual trust and cooperation on global and regional platforms, strengthening the already close relationship between the two countries. This development highlights India’s resolve to continue its active engagement with Mauritius, focusing on shared goals and collaborative progress in the years ahead. (With inputs from ANI)
16 November,2024 02:37 PM IST | New DelhiTrump picks Steven Cheung as White House communications director Washington [US], November 16 (ANI): President-elect Donald Trump selected his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung as White House communications director, CNN reported. Cheung, who served as director of strategic response during Trump's first term, will now be serving as assistant to the president and director of communications. Additionally, Sergio Gor has been selected to lead the Presidential Personnel Office, CNN reported. "Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way to our Historic Victory in 2024," Trump said in a statement. "I am thrilled to have them join my White House as we, Make America Great Again!" Notably, the position of White House communication director is separate from the White House press secretary. Trump is yet to announce a press secretary. Cheung has served as a spokesman for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the past. Earlier, Trump picked North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to lead the Department of the Interior. The announcement, made at the America First Policy Institute Gala at Mar-a-Lago, came with a note of excitement, CNN stated. Trump stated, "I look forward to doing the formal announcement, although this is a pretty big announcement right now. He's going to head the Department of Interior, and it's going to be fantastic." Burgum, who challenged Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, will inherit the Department from Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve in a Cabinet position. The Department oversees the nation's public lands, natural resources, and Indian affairs. Cheung and Agor are the latest in a series of controversial picks by Trump, who has named over 20 individuals for high-level positions in his administration. Among these appointments are Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defence, former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. (ANI)
16 November,2024 12:25 PM IST | Washington | ANIPakistan's Punjab government on Friday declared smog a "health crisis" and used artificial rain in several cities across the province in an effort to combat its hazardous levels, as millions reported breathing problems and other respiratory issues over the past month. This is the second time the Punjab government went for artificial rain. In December last year, the government had a successful cloud seeding experiment in Lahore. "The cloud seeding experiment conducted in Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, and Gujar Khan cities of Punjab resulted in rainfall in Jhelum and Gujar Khan on Friday," the Punjab government said in a late night statement. It said it held a successful trial of artificial rain using local technology. "Cloud seeding was carried out at 2pm Friday and within hours, it rained in Jhelum and Gujar Khan. There is also a strong likelihood of rainfall in Lahore after this experiment. The artificial rainfall will significantly help reduce smog," it said. Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference here, senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the Punjab government has imposed a "health emergency" in Lahore and Multan districts to combat dense smog blanketing the province of about 130 million population for the last few weeks. According to the provincial health department, around two million cases of respiratory disease, besides complaints of asthma, chest infections, conjunctivitis and heart issues, have been reported in hospitals during the last month. Dense smog caused by toxic pollutants has engulfed several cities in Punjab with Lahore and Multan being the worst hit. The AQI (air quality index) reading in Multan has already crossed 2,000 twice, setting a new record for air pollution. Aurangzeb said the hospital data did not give the complete picture of the adverse health impacts caused by smog as it only included reported cases. "Many people suffering from respiratory problems don't visit hospitals to seek doctors' advice and instead self-medicate at home or visit informal dispensaries," she said. "At the moment, the smog crisis has turned into a health crisis. Various factors contributing to smog include transport, agriculture, energy, our habits, behaviour, and actions towards nature," she said, adding that the Punjab government had made a 10-year smog mitigation plan to address the issue. According to the government, the artificial rain project was a collaborative effort involving Pakistan's scientific research and development experts (SPD), Army Aviation, PARCO and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Punjab government, culminating in the successful artificial rain. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz congratulated all the institutions and scientific experts involved in the achievement. "Today, dedication, hard work, and expertise have written a new chapter in the history of Punjab. The entire nation is proud of the team," she said. Lahore and some other cities of Punjab are facing the worst pollution for the last few weeks. The Punjab government has taken various measures, including shutting schools, cracking down on vehicles emitting excessive smoke, and prohibiting barbecues and visits to recreational places, to combat smog. These measures have, however, proven insufficient to address the crisis. 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
16 November,2024 12:14 PM IST | Lahore | PTIPresident Joe Biden arrived Thursday in Peru to start his six-day visit to Latin America for the final major international summits of his presidency, even as world leaders turn their attention to what Donald Trump’s return to the White House means for their countries. The visit to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru and stops in the Amazon rainforest and at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Brazil offer Biden one of his last chances as president to meet with heads of state he’s worked with over the years. White House officials insist that Biden’s visits will be substantive, with talks on climate issues, global infrastructure, counternarcotic efforts and one-on-one meetings with global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, and a joint meeting with South Korea’s Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The meeting with Yoon and Ishiba would aim to solidify the progress made since their initial meeting last year, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One. That includes tightening security and economic cooperation amid increasingly tense relations with China and North Korea. It also would be an opportunity for them to discuss North Korean troops going to Russia to help with the war in Ukraine, Sullivan said. APEC leaders to open Lima summit Representatives from 21 members of the Pacific Rim are meeting in Peru on Friday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the first global summit since US President-elect Donald Trump’s victory featuring several major world leaders. The annual gathering brings together countries and members that jointly account for almost two-thirds of global GDP and half the world’s trade. The heads of government attending include US President Joe Biden, China’s President Xi Jinping, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, among others. 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
16 November,2024 08:11 AM IST | Lima (Peru) | AgenciesWestern Australia’s Parliament on Friday felicitated the women crew of the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini, which is undertaking a global circumnavigation expedition. The 2-member crew of Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa A was present during the felicitation ceremony. The vessel, which is undertaking a global circumnavigation expedition christened Navika Sagar Parikrama II, arrived at its first port of call in Fremantle, a port city in Western Australia. The historic expedition was flagged off from Goa by Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff on October 2 this year. 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
16 November,2024 08:05 AM IST | Perth | AgenciesJapanese Princess Yuriko, the wife of wartime Emperor Hirohito’s brother and the oldest member of the imperial family, has died after her health deteriorated recently, palace officials said. She was 101. Yuriko died on Friday at a Tokyo hospital, the Imperial Household Agency said. It did not announce the cause of death, but Japanese media said it was pneumonia. 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
16 November,2024 08:00 AM IST | Tokyo | AgenciesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised testing of “suicide attack” drones and called for prompt full-scale mass production, state media reported on Friday. Kim said the drones, also known as loitering munitions, emerged as an essential requirement. “The competition for using drones as the main means of military capabilities is being accelerated in the world,” he said. Kim provided on-site guidance for the tests of various types of suicide attack drones to be used within different striking ranges to “precisely attack any enemy targets on the ground and 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
16 November,2024 07:57 AM IST | Seoul | AgenciesAn Israeli airstrike killed at least 12 Lebanese rescue workers on Thursday inside a civil defense center in the eastern city of Baalbek, according to health and rescue officials, hours after state media in Syria said Israeli strikes in and around the capital killed at least 15 people. Lebanese emergency workers were digging through the rubble on Thursday evening to search for more of their colleagues still trapped under the destroyed rescue center, the group said in a statement. At least three civil defense members were wounded. Hezbollah attacks Israeli army base Hezbollah said that it targeted the Tel Haim military base in Tel Aviv, located approximately 120 km from the Lebanon border. Hezbollah said it used “qualitative missiles” to target the base which belongs to the military intelligence division of the Israel. 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
16 November,2024 07:53 AM IST | Beirut | AgenciesEmmy Award-winning television host, writer, producer and comedian Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Oscars, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang announced on Friday. It will be O’Brien’s first time hosting the broadcast. “We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” said Kramer and Yang. “He is the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, his love of movies, and his live TV expertise. His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers together to do what the Oscars do best--honor the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year.” “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” said O’Brien. O’Brien is best known for hosting the late-night talk shows ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’, ‘The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien’ and ‘Conan’. He has also served as a writer for ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘The Simpsons’. O’Brien has won five Primetime Emmys and earned 31 nominations for his work. 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
16 November,2024 07:50 AM IST | Los Angeles | AgenciesCities in Asia and the United States are the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change, with Shanghai being the most-polluting city, a new data, which combined observations and artificial intelligence, revealed. Seven states or provinces emit more than 1 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gases, all of them in China, except Texas, which ranks sixth, news agency AP reported. The data, provided by an organisation co-founded by former US Vice-President Al Gore and released during the United Nations climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, revealed. Delegates at the climate talks are working to set new targets for reducing emissions and negotiating how much wealthier nations will contribute to global climate action. According to AP, using advanced AI and satellite observations, Climate Trace quantified the emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other traditional air pollutants across the world, including data for more than 9,000 urban areas, which is a first-of-its-kind study. Globally, the total carbon dioxide and methane pollution increased by 0.7% last year, reaching 61.2 billion metric tonnes, with methane emissions alone rising by 0.2%. "The figures are higher than other datasets because we have such comprehensive coverage and have observed more emissions across more sectors than typically available," said Gavin McCormick, co-founder of Climate Trace. Shanghai topped the list of cities with 256 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, surpassing the total emissions of countries such as Colombia and Norway. Tokyo’s emissions of 250 million metric tonnes would place it in the top 40 if it were a nation, while New York City's 160 million metric tonnes and Houston's 150 million metric tonnes would rank in the top 50 globally. Seoul, South Korea, ranks fifth with 142 million metric tonnes, reported AP. Gore pointed out that a site in the Permian Basin in Texas is by far the largest-polluting site in the world. “Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised by that, but I think of how dirty some of these sites are in Russia and China. But the Permian Basin is putting them all in the shade,” Gore said. The countries with the largest increases in emissions from 2022 to 2023 include China, India, Iran, Indonesia, and Russia. In contrast, Venezuela, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States saw the biggest reductions in pollution. The dataset, compiled by scientists and analysts from various organisations, also covers traditional pollutants such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide, all of which are associated with harmful air quality. "Burning fossil fuels releases both types of pollution," Gore explained. He concluded, “This represents the single biggest health threat facing humanity.” (With AP inputs)
15 November,2024 09:13 PM IST | Baku | mid-day online correspondentThe National People's Power (NPP), led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, clinched a historic victory in the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections on Friday, securing a two-thirds majority and dominating the Jaffna electoral district, which is the heartland of the country's Tamil minority, news agency PTI reported. Contesting under the Malimawa (compass) symbol, the NPP won 159 out of 225 seats in parliament. This is the first time that any party has achieved a two-thirds majority under Sri Lanka's proportional representation system, introduced in 1978. The NPP secured more than 6.8 million votes (61 per cent) in the Sri Lanka elections, the poll body of the country said. According to PTI, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), led by Sajith Premadasa, was a distant second with 40 seats. Other smaller parties, including the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), New Democratic Front, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, won eight, five, and three seats each, respectively. The voter turnout in Thursday’s poll was the lowest since 2010. Dissanayake had called for snap elections shortly after assuming the presidency in September. The new parliament is scheduled to meet next week. Historic result in Jaffna The NPP made history in the Jaffna electoral district, trouncing traditional Tamil nationalist parties in the cultural capital of the community. This is the first time a predominantly Sinhala party from Sri Lanka’s south has won seats in this district, PTI reported. Previously, the United National Party (UNP) had won only a single seat here. The NPP garnered more than 80,000 votes in Jaffna, outperforming ITAK, which received just over 63,000 votes in the final count. As a result, three seats in the district were claimed by Dissanayake's party, while ITAK, All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), and Independent Group 17 each secured one seat. The result in Jaffna aligns with Dissanayake’s pre-election claim that his party has become a truly national party, accepted by all communities. "The era of dividing and setting one community against the other has ended as people are embracing the NPP," he had stated. The NPP, in its earlier Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) avatar, had been a vocal opponent of power-sharing arrangements — a key demand of Tamil groups during the armed separatist struggle led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The shift in its approach is seen as significant, particularly in the context of the party’s broader appeal across Sri Lanka's diverse communities. NPP leaders expressed their gratitude to voters and acknowledged the responsibility that came with their victory. "We are cognizant of the mandate and the responsibility that comes with it. We will do everything to uphold public trust," said Tilwin Silva, a leader of the JVP, the NPP’s founding party. Indian High Commissioner to Colombo, Santosh Jha, congratulated Dissanayake on the NPP’s landslide victory. "As a fellow democracy, India welcomes the mandate and remains committed to further strengthening bilateral ties for the benefit of our people," Jha said in a statement. Sri Lanka went to the polls as the country continues to emerge from a severe economic crisis. (With PTI inputs)
15 November,2024 07:42 PM IST | Colombo | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
