Israel Informs US Of 'Limited Ground Op' Against Hezbollah In Lebanon

Israel has told the United States it is conducting limited ground operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon near the border with Israel, the State Department said on Monday.

"This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

Asked to confirm they were limited ground operations, he said: "That is our understanding."

Indications grew on Monday that Israel was on the verge of sending ground troops into Lebanon, two weeks into an assault on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia that culminated in the assassination of its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters the positioning of Israeli troops suggested a ground incursion could be imminent.

After two weeks of intensive airstrikes and a string of assassinations of Hezbollah commanders, Israel has suggested ever more strongly that a land invasion is looming.

The Israeli attacks on militant targets in Lebanon are part of a conflict stretching from the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank to Iranian-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq. The escalation has raised fears that the United States and Iran will be sucked into the conflict.

Miller said that the United States continues to support a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah but added that military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. He cautioned that military pressure can also lead to miscalculation and unintended consequences.

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Scientists Explain Mount Everest's 'More Than Expected' Growth

Mount Everest is Earth's tallest mountain - towering 5.5 miles (8.85 km) above sea level - and is still growing.

While it and the rest of the Himalayas are continuing an inexorable uplift that dates back to their birth roughly 50 million years ago when the Indian subcontinent collided with Eurasia, Everest is growing more than expected from this alone. Scientists now think they know the reason why, and it has to do with the monumental merger of two nearby river systems.

Everest has gained roughly 49-164 feet (15-50 meters) in height due to this change in the regional river system, with the Kosi river merging with the Arun river approximately 89,000 years ago, the researchers estimated. That translates to an uplift rate of roughly 0.01-0.02 inches (0.2-0.5 millimetres) per year.

The geological process at work, they said, is called isostatic rebound. It involves the rise of land masses on Earth's crust when the weight of the surface diminishes. The crust, Earth's outermost layer, essentially floats atop a mantle layer made of hot, semi-liquid rock.

In this case, the merger of the rivers - more like a hostile takeover, with the Kosi subjugating the Arun as the rivers changed course over time - resulted in accelerated erosion that has carried off huge amounts of rock and soil, reducing the weight of the region near Everest.

"Isostatic rebound can be likened to a floating object adjusting its position when weight is removed," said geoscientist Jin-Gen Dai of China University of Geosciences in Beijing, one of the leaders of the study published on Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

"When a heavy load, such as ice or eroded rock, is removed from the Earth's crust, the land beneath slowly rises in response, much like a boat rising in water when cargo is unloaded," Dai added.

The main gorge of the merged river system is located approximately 28 miles (45 km) east of Everest.

The researchers, who used numerical models to simulate the evolution of the river system, estimated that isostatic rebound accounts for about 10% of Everest's annual uplift rate.

This geological process is not unique to the Himalayas.

"A classic example is in Scandinavia, where the land is still rising in response to the melting of thick ice sheets that covered the region during the last Ice Age. This process continues today, affecting coastlines and landscapes, thousands of years after the ice retreated," Dai said.

Study co-author Adam Smith, a University College London doctoral student in Earth sciences, said GPS measurements reveal the continued rising of Everest and the rest of the Himalayas.

This uplift outpaces the continued surface erosion caused by factors such as wind, rain and river flow. As this erosion continues, Everest's uplift rate from isostatic rebound may increase, Smith said.

Neighbouring peaks including Lhotse, the world's fourth highest, and Makalu, the fifth highest, also get a boost from the same process. Lhotse is experiencing an uplift rate similar to Everest. Makalu, situated closer to the Arun, has a slightly higher uplift rate.

"This research underscores our planet's dynamic nature. Even a seemingly immutable feature like Mount Everest is subject to ongoing geological processes, reminding us that Earth is constantly changing, often in ways imperceptible in our daily lives," Dai said.

Earth's rigid outer part is divided into colossal plates that move gradually over time in a process called plate tectonics, with the Himalayas rising following a collision between two plates.

Everest, also called Sagarmatha in Nepali and Chomolungma in Tibetan, is situated on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It was named for George Everest, a 19th-century British surveyor in India.

"Mount Everest occupies a unique place in human consciousness," Dai said.

"Physically, it represents Earth's highest point, giving it immense significance simply by virtue of its stature," Dai added. "Culturally, Everest is sacred to local Sherpa and Tibetan communities. Globally, it symbolizes the ultimate challenge, embodying human endurance and our drive to surpass perceived limits."

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As Hezbollah Recovers Nasrallah's Body, Israeli Strikes Kill 105 In Lebanon

1. Lebanon claimed fresh Israeli strikes killed 105 people and injured 359 others on Sunday after Israel said it had kept up its bombardment of Hezbollah targets.
2. Lebanon's health ministry said there had been deadly air raids near the main southern city of Sidon, while dozens more had died in the east, in the south, and in and around Beirut.
3. Four people were also killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut on Monday, the first attack on the city itself since the Iran-backed Hezbollah engaged in cross-border fire with Israel after Hamas attacked Israeli towns on October 7 last year, triggering war in Gaza.
4. France on Sunday said a second French national had been killed in Lebanon after a woman died following a south Lebanon blast on Monday. 
5. The announcement came as French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in Lebanon, the first high-level foreign diplomat to visit since the Israeli attacks intensified.
6. Lebanon has said more than 1,000 people have been killed and 6,000 injured since Israel increased the frequency of attacks against Hezbollah members two weeks ago.
7. According to Reuters, the body of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been recovered from the site of an Israeli air attack on Beirut and is "intact".
8. His body had no "direct" wounds and it appeared the cause of death was "blunt trauma from the force of the blast", Reuters reported.
9. Israel's military said the air strike that killed Nasrallah had "eliminated" another 20 Hezbollah members after earlier strikes killed top leaders Fuad Shukr and Ibrahim Aqil.
10. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep up the assault on Lebanon, saying he wants to make Israel's northern areas secure again for residents who have been forced to flee due to Hezbollah attacks. 

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France Submits Final Price Offer To India For 26 Rafale Marine Jet Deal

France has submitted the final price offer to India for the 26 Rafale Marine Jet deal just ahead of the scheduled visit of Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to the country.

Defence sources told ANI that the best and final price offer has been submitted to the Indian authorities by the French side for the project and a significant price reduction has been given after tough negotiations in the proposed contract.

India and France are negotiating the deal for buying 26 Rafale Marine jets which are going to be deployed on the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier and different bases.

The two sides had also held negotiations last week when a French team was in the national capital for finalizing the discussions with India.

The deal is scheduled to be taken up for discussion during the India-France Strategic Dialogue where the Indian NSA is scheduled to meet his French counterparts from tomorrow in Paris.

The deal is important for the Indian Navy as it is looking at strengthening its maritime strike capability.

India has also approved deviations in the letter of request, which is the tender document equivalent in government-to-government deals, like the integration of the indigenous Uttam radar in the jets for the Indian Navy.

Sources said that the integration would have taken a longer time of around eight years along with a high price to be paid to the French side for doing so.

India had also asked France for integration of indigenous weapons on the plane. This includes the Astra beyond visual range missiles along with the Rudram anti-radiation missiles.

The sources added that the price for the deal has been based on the agreements over rate it inflation to be taken into account and would be using the previous deal for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force as the basis.

Some of the Indian Air Force requirements have also been incorporated in the naval deal which will include around 40 drop tanks and a small number of work stations for the planes.

The Indian side is also going to get more number of long-range air-to-air Meteor missiles and with the anti-ship weaponry in this project planned to be concluded before the end of this financial year.

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Who Is Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah's Possible New Leader?

The killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in airstrikes in a Beirut suburb has put the spotlight on the man widely regarded as his heir, Hashem Safieddine. 

The Iran-backed group confirmed that Nasrallah, who led the group for 32 years, had been killed in Friday's strike. It now faces the challenge of choosing a new leader after the heaviest pounding the group has faced in its 42-year-old history.

Here are some facts about Safieddine, who a source in the group said survived the Israeli attacks.

• As head of the executive council, Safieddine oversees Hezbollah's political affairs. He also sits on the Jihad Council, which manages the group's military operations.
• Safieddine is a cousin of Nasrallah and like him is a cleric who wears the black turban denoting descent from Islam's Prophet Mohammed.
• The US State Department designated him a terrorist in 2017 and in June he threatened a big escalation against Israel after the killing of another Hezbollah commander. "Let (the enemy) prepare himself to cry and wail," he said at the funeral.
• Safieddine's public statements often reflect Hezbollah's militant stance and its alignment with the Palestinian cause. 
• At a recent event in Dahiyeh, Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs, he declared, "Our history, our guns and our rockets are with you," in a show of solidarity with Palestinian fighters.
• Nasrallah "started tailoring positions for him within a variety of different councils within Lebanese Hezbollah. Some of them were more opaque than others. They've had him come, go out and speak," said Phillip Smyth, an expert who studies Iran-backed Shi-ite militias.
• Safieddine's family ties and a physical resemblance to Nasrallah, as well as his religious status as a descendant of Mohammed, would all count in his favour. 
• He has also been vocal in his criticism of U.S. policy. In response to American pressure on Hezbollah, he stated in 2017, "This mentally impeded, crazy U.S. administration headed by Trump will not be able to harm the resistance," asserting that such actions would only strengthen Hezbollah's resolve.

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US Did Not Have Advanced Warning Of Israeli Strike In Beirut: Pentagon

The United States had no advance warning of an Israeli strike in Beirut and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart as it was ongoing, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Friday.

They were the U.S. government's first comments about an Israeli operation that defied Washington's calls for de-escalation and a ceasefire.

"The United States was not involved in this operation and we had no advanced warning," spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Singh declined to say what Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Austin about the operation and whether it targeted the Iran-backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The Pentagon declined to speculate on whether Nasrallah was still alive.

Austin and Gallant spoke as the Pentagon chief flew over the Atlantic after a visit to London.

The Biden administration has been seeking to contain the crisis from spiraling further. Austin has publicly warned that an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would be devastating. On Thursday, he warned that risk existed but added a diplomatic solution was still viable.

"We now face the risk of an all-out war. Another full-scale war (could) be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon," Austin told reporters on Thursday.

Asked what Austin may have communicated to Gallant given the Israeli strike's potential impact on U.S. efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Singh declined to offer specifics, but she said the defense secretary is always frank in his conversations with his Israeli counterpart.

"Look at just the engagements that the secretary and Minister Gallant have had over the last two weeks, speaking regularly. I think if there was any type of fracture in trust, you wouldn't see those type of levels of calls and engagements occurring frequently," Singh said when asked if the lack of advance notification by Israel indicated a lack of trust.

The Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah's central headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday in an attack that shook the Lebanese capital and sent thick clouds of smoke over the city.

The news outlet Axios cited an Israeli source as saying Nasrallah was the target of the strike and that the Israeli military was checking if he was hit.

A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters that Nasrallah was alive, while Iran's Tasnim news agency also reported he was safe. A senior Iranian security official told Reuters that Tehran was checking his status.

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Kamala Harris Visits Border To Neutralize Weak Spot Against Trump

Kamala Harris will tackle the politically explosive issue of illegal immigration with a visit to the US-Mexican border Friday, in a bid to blunt one of Donald Trump's main attack lines in their fight for the White House.

The US vice president's trip to Arizona, her first to the border since replacing President Joe Biden as Democratic nominee in July, comes as polls show the subject remains one of her biggest vulnerabilities against the Republican.

Harris will call for tougher border security in a major speech in the border town of Douglas, and accuse Trump of killing off attempts to pass a bipartisan migration bill to boost his own election chances, her campaign said.

"The American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games," she plans to say, according to her campaign.

Arizona is also one of the half-dozen battleground states that are expected to decide the agonizingly close November 5 election, and the one where polls show Harris may have to do the most work.

Republican former president Trump has turbocharged the border issue in recent weeks as he seeks an edge against Harris, America's first female, Black and South Asian vice president.

He has called for mass deportations, amplified bogus claims about migrants eating pet cats and dogs, and stepped up his racist rhetoric about an "invasion" of illegal immigrants.

'Save her airfare'

On the eve of Harris's visit, which is just her second to the Mexican border as vice president, Trump accused his rival of having "completely destroyed" the frontier.

"She should save her airfare. She should go back to the White House and tell the president to close the border," he said in New York on Thursday.

Trump is set to hold a campaign event in Michigan, another key swing state, after a tense meeting in New York with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on US support for Kyiv.

Recent polls have seen Harris eating into Trump's lead on migration with voters, yet it still remains a weak spot for Harris, with record numbers of illegal border crossings under her and Biden's watch.

But Harris points to the fact that numbers have plummeted since Biden signed an executive order in June temporarily closing the border to asylum seekers -- to around 58,000 in August from a peak of 250,000 last December.

The 59-year-old will meet border agents during her visit, call for action to stop the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl across the border, and talk up her former career as a prosecutor involved in tackling gangs smuggling drugs across the border, the campaign said.

Harris will also accuse Trump of lobbying Republicans in the US Congress to tank last year's bill on migration, which would have given more funding to border security, because he feared it would hurt him politically.

Trump doubles down

Republicans for their part have accused her of flip-flopping on whether to continue with the wall along the 1,900-mile (3,050-kilometer) border that Trump made one of his signature policies.

They have also focused on her role early in the Biden administration when the president tasked her with looking into the causes of illegal migration from Central America -- falsely calling her a "border czar" and implying that she had overall control over US border policy.

Harris has struggled with the subject in the past, including in a widely mocked interview in 2021 when she defensively claimed that "we've been to the border" when she personally had not, and added: "And I haven't been to Europe."

Trump has meanwhile doubled down on his divisive rhetoric targeting migrants, with the 78-year-old billionaire seeing it as appealing to his base of largely white, blue-collar voters.

In his remarks on Thursday, Trump also repeated his claim that migrants were "infecting our country," using language that Biden has previously compared to that used by Nazi Germany.

Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance have in recent weeks played up false stories about Haitian migrants eating pets in the town of Springfield, Ohio.

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America's Big Corporate Divide As US Election Comes Knocking On The Door

America is increasingly divided on political lines as the 2024 Presidential election approaches. Though open and upfront divergence in political ideology is not uncommon among citizens, especially in democracies and near elections, another big divide has emerged in the run-up to the November polls - that of Corporate America.

Tech behemoths, banking giants, large corporations and even regional and small firms stand on either side of this political divide.

On November 5, citizens across the US will vote for their next president between Democrat candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump. The divide is straightforward - "liberal and left-leaning" Kamala Harris vs "protectionist and right-leaning" Donald Trump.

TECH BEHEMOTHS DIVIDED

Big tech has joined the cause, aligning themselves to their chosen candidate. Employees at Microsoft, Google (Alphabet), Amazon, and Sun Microsystems have donated millions of dollars to Kamala Harris's campaign, according the data made public by political watchdog OpenSecrets. The contribution to Ms Harris's campaign is significantly more than what was given to the Trump campaign.

Tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are, however, rallying strongly for Donald Trump. The contributions they have made directly to the Trump campaign are not available at the moment.

According to the a CNN report, Meta chief executive Zuckerberg made public statements supporting right-wing "censorship" narratives and praised Donald Trump for being a "badass". He later claimed he wanted to appear "neutral" and nonpartisan.

The report also said that Mr Zuckerberg sent a letter to the powerful House Judiciary Committee, stating that the Biden administration had "pressured" Meta to "censor" content.

"In 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn't agree," Mr Zuckerberg said.

The letter was immediately weaponised by Trump, who claimed once again that the 2020 election was stolen.

Elon Musk, however, has been far more open in his support for Trump. According to ta report in the Wall Street Journal, Musk had said in July that he is personally donating $45 million every month to an organisation called America PAC, which in turn looks after the Trump campaign.

Another big venture capitalist who is openly backing Donald Trump is Peter Theil.

Indian-American billionaire and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Vinod Khosla, and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman are among those strongly backing Kamala Harris.

Election funding data reveals that Sundar Pichai-led Google (Alphabet), and its subsidiaries have donated $2.16 million to Kamala Harris. In comparison, the same companies donated much smaller amounts to the Trump campaign.

While Satya Nadella-led Microsoft donated $1.1 million to Kamala Harris's campaign, Jeff Bezos-led Amazon donated $1 million. In comparison, the same groups made much lower contributions to the Trump campaign - $88,000 from Microsoft and $116,000 from Amazon and their employees.

More than a hundred venture capitalists and big tech companies in Silicon Valley, which has largely been left-leaning in the past, have backed Kamala Harris.

BANKING AND OIL GIANTS

Banking corporations and crude oil firms appear to be leaning towards Trump, thanks to his promise of less tax and less regulation in these sectors. Even the US stock market reflected that sentiment when there were assassination attempts against the Republican leader.

According to a Bloomberg report, CEOs of Oil giants have been getting signals from Donald Trump to go big on drilling due to Trump's love for oil. Trump has openly said that he does not believe in Climate Change and has called it a "lie". He has also said that he believes in coal and oil for energy because of the advantage United States has in the sector. The ex-President has also faced criticism from climate activists like Greta Thunberg for his view on the issue.

"We have more liquid gold than anybody," Trump had told Businessweek in July.

According to the Bloomberg report, banking chiefs see an opportunity for more mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector, bringing a windfall in fees. The capital markets hope to send fresh dollars into pipelines, liquefied natural gas terminals and electric transmissions capabilities - and maybe even a new commitment to nuclear energy infrastructure.

Bankers also believe that strict rules which have been implemented under the Biden administration will be rolled back should Donald Trump. Some believe that new banking rules suggested by the Biden Administration will not even see the light of day.

Big banking giants and Oil firms are hence backing Donald Trump.

TRUMP vs HARRIS - A LOOK AT THE TOP CONTRIBUTORS

According to political funding analysts OpenSecrets, the following table shows corporations and individuals who have made the largest monetary contributions to the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns.

KAMALA HARRIS CAMPAIGN - TOP CONTRIBUTIONS

Add image caption here

DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN - TOP CONTRIBUTIONS

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"World Has Evolved Yet UN Remains A Prisoner Of The Past": S Jaishankar

Asserting that the United Nations remains a "prisoner" of the past, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said countries of the Global South cannot continue to be "short-changed" and their proper representation in the permanent category in a reformed UN Security Council is a "particular imperative".

Mr Jaishankar made these remarks at the 2nd Foreign Ministers meeting of G20 Brasil 2024 on the theme 'Building a just world and a sustainable planet'.

"The world has evolved into a smart, interconnected and multipolar arena and its members have increased fourfold since the UN's inception. Yet the UN remains a prisoner of the past," Mr Jaishankar said.

He said that as a result, the UN Security Council struggles to fulfil its mandate of maintaining international peace and stability, undermining its effectiveness and credibility.

Addressing the event in the UN Headquarters Wednesday, Mr Jaishankar said that "without reforms, including expansion in both categories of UNSC membership," the lack of effectiveness of the 15-nation body will only continue.

"Expansion and proper representation in the permanent category is a particular imperative. Asia, Africa and Latin America - the Global South - cannot continue to be short-changed," he said adding that they must be given their legitimate voice.

Mr Jaishankar emphasised that real change needs to happen and happen fast.

India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts calling for reform of the Security Council, including expansion in both its permanent and non-permanent categories, saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geo-political realities.

Delhi has underscored that it rightly deserves a permanent seat at the horse-shoe table.

India last sat at the UN high table as a non-permanent member in 2021-22. A polarised Security Council has also failed to deal with current peace and security challenges with Council members sharply divided on conflicts such as the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also noted that the United Nations had 51 Member States when it was established nearly 80 years ago, and today it is made up of 193 nations.

The UN chief warned that the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, which he has described as "outdated" and whose authority is eroding, will eventually lose all credibility unless its composition and working methods are reformed. The UN chief has given a clarion call that "we can't build a future for our grandchildren with a system built for our grandparents." 

On reform of the multilateral trading system, Mr Jaishankar said India remains unwavering in its commitment to rules-based, non-discriminatory, fair, open, inclusive, equitable and transparent multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core.

Delhi strongly supports policies that foster trade and investment, enabling every nation to flourish in an interconnected and dynamic world, he said.

He said that to foster a favourable trade and investment environment, "we must ensure a truly level playing field and fair competition. Market distorting practices and protectionism must be firmly discouraged," he said.

India calls for comprehensive reform of the WTO to enhance its functions through an inclusive, member-driven and transparent process.

"It remains committed to constructive discussions for realising a fully operational and effective dispute settlement system accessible by all members.

He stressed that a reformed and fair multilateral trading system is vital for "our future to be more equitable and inclusive." "It demands bold, transformative action. The world looks to the G20 In that regard," he said.

Presenting India's views on key areas of global governance reform, Mr Jaishankar highlighted the need for reform of the international financial architecture.

"The Bretton Woods institutions have to now focus on urgent issues dictated by persistent development challenges and pressing climate change," he said adding that neither the multilateral development banks (MDBs) nor the orthodox global financial system were designed to handle that.

He said that financing and investment gaps for the Sustainable Development Goals, estimated at up to USD 4 trillion annually, need to be addressed urgently.

He stressed that as key anchors of the global development financing landscape, MDBs must be made more robust, expansive and effective.

He recalled that significant strides were made during India's G20 presidency, with G20 leaders having called for expanding development in climate finance from billions to trillions.

Brazil's presidency of the grouping has continued that momentum, Mr Jaishankar said.

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Biden Warns "All Out War" Possible In Middle East

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday of the possibility of an "all-out war" in the Middle East but said he was hopeful a settlement was still achievable for the conflict-torn region.

Biden's comments as he appeared on ABC chat show "The View" came as Israel put troops on alert for possible entry into Lebanon and the war in Gaza grinds on.

"An all-out war is possible," Biden said when asked about the situation. "What I think is, also, the opportunity is still in play to have a settlement that could fundamentally change the whole region."

Biden appeared to raise the possibility of a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes targeting the Hezbollah militia have killed more than 600 people this week.

"They have a possibility -- I don't want to exaggerate it -- there's a possibility if we can deal with a ceasefire in Lebanon that it can move into dealing with the West Bank as well," said Biden.

Israel has been carrying out deadly raids in the occupied West Bank since late August targeting what it says are Palestinian militants.

Biden added however that "we also have Gaza to deal with", as efforts stall to get a ceasefire deal to end Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza after the group's October 7 attacks.

"But it's possible and I'm using every bit of energy with my team to get this done. There's a desire to see change in the region," he said.

The US president also pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop his opposition to an independent Palestinian state to end the crisis.

"I don't agree with his (Netanyahu's) position. There needs to be a two-state solution," Biden told the show's all-women panel, led by US comedian Whoopi Goldberg.

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Satellite Data Reveals How Earth's Crust Is 'Dripping' Beneath Turkey

A recent study has confirmed a fascinating geological phenomenon happening beneath Turkey. An analysis of satellite data revealed the Earth's crust below the Konya Basin in the Central Anatolian Plateau of Turkey has been reshaping over millions of years. The research, conducted by Earth scientists at the University of Toronto, was published in Nature Communications.

Researchers said experimental simulations, combined with geological, geophysical and geodetic data, explain the enigmatic sinking of the basin, inside the rising plateau interior.

It further adds to the existence of a new class of plate tectonics that have implications for other planets in the universe, like Mars and Venus, that do not have Earth-like plate tectonics.

The study suggests the sinking is due to the multi-stage lithospheric dripping — the phenomenon named for the instability of rocky material that creates the crust and upper mantle of the Earth.

Major landforms like basins and mountainous folding of the crust are formed at the surface as the dense rock fragments beneath get detached and sink into more fluid layers of the mantle of the planet, the research said.

“Looking at the satellite data, we observed a circular feature at the Konya Basin where the crust is subsiding or the basin is deepening,” said lead author Julia Andersen, a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto.

This prompted the researchers to look at other geophysical data beneath the surface. There they witnessed a "seismic anomaly in the upper mantle and a thickened crust, telling us there is high-density material there and indicating a likely mantle lithospheric drip," Andersen added.

In the past, studies have suggested that the Central Anatolian Plateau has risen by around one kilometre over the past 10 million years due to the lithospheric dripping phenomenon.

How it happens

Russell Pysklywec, a co-author of the study, has given insight into the phenomenon and stated that when the lithosphere thickened and further dripped below the region, this led to the formation of a basin at the surface that "later sprang up when the weight below broke off and sank into the deeper depths of the mantle".

However, this process was not a one-time tectonic event, Pysklywec said and suggested that the "initial drip seems to have spawned subsequent daughter events elsewhere in the region, resulting in the curious rapid subsidence of the Konya Basin within the continuously rising plateau of Turkiye.”

To conclude, the research team recreated the dripping process in laboratory experiments and further analysed the observations.

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Hezbollah Says Commander Alive After Israel Strike On Lebanon

Lebanon's Hezbollah said commander Ali Karake, who a source reported had been the target of an Israeli strike Monday on Beirut, was alive and had moved to safety.

In a statement, the Iran-backed movement said "commander Ali Karake is well... and has moved to a safe place".

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"Global Action Must Match Global Ambition": PM Modi At UN Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the United Nations Summit of the Future on Monday, said alongside terrorism, new areas of conflict are emerging and it is high time that "global action must match global ambition".

Pointing out that terrorism continues to be a serious threat to global peace and security, PM Modi said on the other hand, "cyber, maritime and space are emerging as new areas of conflict".

"On all these issues, I will stress that global action must match global ambition," he added.

Talking of growing global concern over dangers from new and evolving technologies, especially artificial intelligence, PM Modi said, "There is a need for balanced regulation at a global level, for the safe and responsible use of technology."

According to the Wilmington Declaration - made two days ago at the Quad meet -- leaders of the US, Australia, Japan and India announced their intention to enhance cybersecurity partnership.

"In the face of a deteriorating security environment in the cyber domain, Quad countries intend to enhance our cybersecurity partnership to address common threats posed by state-sponsored actors, cybercriminals, and other non-state malicious actors. Our countries commit to taking concrete steps to increase our collective network defense and advance technical capabilities through greater threat information sharing and capacity building," read the joint declaration.

The leaders, in their declaration, had unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.

"We are committed to international cooperation and will work with our regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen their capability to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, including threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, consistent with international law," the statement had added.

"When we are discussing the global future, we must accord the highest priority to a human-centric approach while prioritising sustainable development," PM Modi also said. 

"We must also ensure human welfare, food and health security," he added, declaring India was ready to share her experience in poverty eradication and bridging the digital divide.

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Couple's 1.5 Million Pounds Mansion Left In Ruins By Previous Owner In UK

A couple's dream of owning a £1.5 million, approximately Rs 16.65 crore, mansion quickly turned into a nightmare when they found the previous owner stripped the property of its most valuable assets. Martin and Sarah Caton bought the home, Bochym Manor, in Cornwall, but were devastated to see it in ruins when they first moved in. They were eager to transform the estate into a wedding venue and holiday destination.

“I was distraught. It was like a warzone or like a tornado had shredded the place. He took pretty much every door handle, tiles off the wall, the locks were removed,” Mr Caton was quoted as saying by the Metro.

The once-majestic property, steeped in history, featured a Jacobean oak staircase and a walnut-panelled library. The 10-bedroom gothic-revival villa had 13 vacation houses on the estate, as well as hidden tunnels and antique stained-glass windows.

It was found stripped of doors, windows, fireplaces, floors and even plumbing and electrics. The stained-glass windows and the library's original panelling — carved by the same artisans who worked on the Houses of Parliament — had also been removed. The Catons further revealed the holiday homes were left gutted, and the estate's clock tower staircase had been torn out.

“There was some very random and bizarre destruction. I don't understand the mentality behind it – it's staggering that you can be that cruel actually,” Mr Caton told Metro.

The couple, who bought the property in 2014, have had to spend an additional £1.5 million to restore the mansion and its surrounding properties. They immediately reported the destruction to the police and Cornwall Council, sparking a nine-year legal battle.

Sellers are prohibited from removing fixtures and fittings without the consent of buyers, especially when dealing with a listed property like Bochym Manor. Despite these regulations, the previous owner, Mark Payne, dismantled and removed several key elements of the historic estate.

According to Metro, in 2015, Payne was arrested on suspicion of theft, criminal damage, and violations of the Planning Act at his new home in Cumbria. Police recovered a few items, but the case stalled when Cornwall Council dropped it, citing concerns over proving Dr Payne had caused the damage. He was released without charge.

The Catons, using historic photographs of the property, provided evidence of what had been taken and presented it to the council again. External legal advice confirmed that there was enough evidence to pursue a case. However, the council declined to prosecute Payne, leaving the Catons baffled and frustrated.

After nearly a decade of legal wrangling, the Catons finally achieved a small victory earlier this year when the removed items were returned.

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"His Warmth Touched My Heart": PM Modi On Joe Biden's Hospitality

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his heartfelt gratitude to United States President Joe Biden for his warm hospitality during a visit to his home in Delaware, stating that it "touched my heart."

Addressing the Indian community at Nassau Coliseum in New York, PM Modi emphasised that the honour bestowed upon him is not just his own, but also belongs to 1.4 billion Indians and the millions of Indians living abroad

"I salute you all, the Indian diaspora. Wherever I go in the world, I hear praise for the Indian community from every leader. Yesterday, President Biden took me to his home in Delaware, and his warmth and hospitality touched my heart. This honour belongs to 1.4 billion Indians, it's your honour, your achievement, and the honour of the millions of Indians living here. I express my gratitude to President Biden and to all of you," said PM Modi.

Further, PM Modi also spoke on India's general elections held earlier this year and stated that "the recent elections in India were the largest in human history."

"Friends, 2024 is a crucial year for the world. On one hand, there's conflict and tension between nations, while on the other hand, many countries are celebrating democracy. India and the US stand together in this celebration of democracy, with elections happening in America and having taken place in India. The recent elections in India were the largest in human history. Just imagine, more voters than the total population of America, and even more than the entire population of Europe. So many people cast their votes in India," said PM Modi.

Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day visit to the US from September 21-23. As PM Modi entered the Nassau Coliseum in New York, Long Island today, he greeted the Indian community, with 'Bharat Mata ki Jai

PM Modi arrived in New York in the second leg of his three-day visit to the United States.

On Saturday, PM Modi took part in the Quad Summit and held bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Quad has emerged as a key group of like-minded countries to work for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Kamala Harris Challenges Donald Trump To Another Debate Ahead Of Elections

Kamala Harris on Saturday challenged Donald Trump to another debate in the lead-up to the US presidential election, with her campaign saying she had accepted an invitation from broadcaster CNN to host the event on October 23.

"Vice President Harris is ready for another opportunity to share a stage with Donald Trump," her campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said in a statement.

"The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots."

Republican Trump has attended two debates so far, one against President Joe Biden and one against Harris, who has since replaced her boss at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Trump has previously rejected the idea of facing Harris again. His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Most pundits put Harris as the winner of the last debate, which was held on September 10.

Biden's poor debate performance against Trump in June, where the president struggled to complete some of his sentences, catalyzed concerns over his age and ramped up pressure for the 81-year-old to drop out of the race.

The move has left Trump, 78, now the oldest presidential nominee against a much younger Harris, 59.

- Voting already underway -

Saturday's announcement came as three states -- Virginia, Minnesota and South Dakota -- have already begun early voting in what is an agonizingly close race.

On the campaign trail on Friday, Harris cast Trump and his party as "hypocrites" over abortion, blaming Trump for an abortion ban in the battleground state of Georgia that she said had caused the deaths of two women.

Trump has frequently bragged on the campaign trail that his three Supreme Court picks paved the way for the 2022 overturning of the national right to abortion, turning the issue over to state governments.

At least 20 states have since brought in full or partial restrictions, with Georgia banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The race remains neck-and-neck, with Trump running with the support of a conservative religious voter base and others, many of whom feel disaffected by the country's political status quo.

Hardline anti-immigrant rhetoric has become a centerpiece of his election campaign.

The race between Harris and Trump has continued despite a tense atmosphere that was brought to the fore last weekend when a gunman appeared to have tried to assassinate Trump in Florida, the second such threat in as many months.

Every vote will count in the race, whose result Trump has once again refused to say he will accept if he loses.

The former president faces criminal charges for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 result, after which his supporters violently rushed into the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The result is expected to hinge on just seven crucial swing states, including Georgia.

Trump on Friday sought to lay the blame for any potential loss at the door of Jewish American voters, sparking outrage.

"If I don't win this election... in my opinion the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss," Trump told an anti-Semitism event on Thursday, repeating his grievance that Jewish voters have historically leaned towards the Democrats.

He is set to campaign on Saturday in North Carolina.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Joe Biden Welcomes PM Modi With A Hug, India-US Bilateral Talks Begin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived in Philadelphia for his three-day US Visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden ahead of the Quad Leaders' Summit today. 

US President Biden has opted for his hometown of Wilmington - around 170 kilometres from Washington - to host the farewell summit for Quad leaders. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Philadelphia today. He then headed to US President Joe Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where the two leaders are holding bilateral discussions. 

PM Modi is also likely to hold bilateral discussions with some other world leaders on the sidelines of the UN summit. 

Here are the LIVE updates on Prime Minister Modi's US visit:

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US Secret Service Admits Lack Of Diligence Ahead Of Trump Rally Shooting

A US Secret Service probe found communication gaps and a lack of diligence ahead of the July attempted assassination of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally.

"There was complacency on the part of" some agents "that led to a breach of security protocols," Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told reporters on Friday, adding that agency employees will be held accountable.

The assassination attempt against Trump at the July 13 rally led to widespread criticism of the Secret Service and the resignation of its former director. Critics raised concerns about how the suspect was able to access a nearby rooftop with a direct line of sight to where the former president was speaking.

Trump's ear was wounded, a rally attendee was killed and two others were wounded in the shooting. The Secret Service has since said it was "ashamed" of the security lapse.

Authorities are also probing a separate apparent assassination attempt against Trump in Florida on Sunday. In that case, the Secret Service caught the suspect and no shots were fired at Trump.

Rowe said that Trump was getting the same level of protection as President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, his rival in the Nov. 5 election.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Google Ex-Employee Shares Struggle For Indians To Find Job In Canada

Is work experience from India not enough to fetch you a decent salary abroad? A video of an Indian man, who works as a process inventory associate in Canada, highlights the struggle to land a job even though he previously worked with Google India for three years.

"They (Canadians) are preferably looking for Canadian candidates only and not looking for Indian candidates," he said. In a conversation with digital creator Piyush Monga, the man expressed dissatisfaction with his current salary of CAD 17,500 (around Rs 10.78 lakh), deeming it inadequate for a comfortable living.

When asked about his satisfaction with the salary, he candidly responded, "Obviously no one is happy. You hardly make any survival with that sort of money."

The former Google employee voiced his disappointment regarding the undervaluation of his experience, saying that he has worked on-site with the company in India for over three years as a digital marketing expert. However, since moving to Canada, he feels compelled to "cut down his experience" as employers think that "if you have experience from India, it's not going to count." 

Addressing the significance of local experience, he said, "It definitely doesn't make any sense because you have spent a lot of years over there and have done a lot of things. Some companies say I'm overqualified for the job."

 "Is Indian experience irrelevant? Bro has worked with Google but, recruiters don't care," read the caption posted with the video on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Piyush Monga (@salaryscale)

The video highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Indian professionals in Canada.

People reacted in the comments of the video with their own edperiences. One of them wrote, "Here I was sad my Wipro experience doesn't count in Canada." 

"When fresher goes they want experience. When experienced guy goes they want less experience. What do they want," a person wrote questioning the confusion over job opportunities. 

Another user, however, did not agree with the man's claims and added, "I do not think that's true. If one has developed Google ad skills, a recruiter will prefer those. Not having Canadian experience might impact his level and pay but you can get a job or at least an internship in a year.

Meanwhile, the Justin Trudeau-led government in Canada recently announced a policy change affecting foreign students. The Canadian government has tightened work permits and increased financial requirements, among other adjustments. 

The changes have led to protests from Indian students in Canada.

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Watch: Panting, Barking Dogs Painted As Pandas At China Zoo

A zoo in the Shanwei city of China's eastern Guangdong province was forced to admit that the pandas in their exhibits are, in fact, "painted dogs".

The duped visitors at the Shanwei zoo, who were left outraged, witnessed that one of the so-called "pandas" was actually panting and barking, New York Post reported.

They even clicked photographs and took videos of the animals that have gone viral on social media.

Glitch in the Matrix: China zoo forced to admit the truth after one of their “pandas” started panting and barking. The Shanwei zoo admits they painted dogs white and black to make them look like pandas. pic.twitter.com/5SWDlpOSqB

— SynCronus (@syncronus) September 19, 2024

In one of the viral videos, one of the animals can be seen panting while lying on a rock in a fenced area. Also, it shows another dog, having a long, curly tail, strolling around.

Officials at the zoo initially tried to cover upand bizarrely claimed that the two animals were a breed of "panda dogs."

However, when the visitors criticised them over various social media platforms, the zoo's manager said the dogs are one of its top attractions.

"You can see by our name, we are 'Strange Animals and Cute Pets Paradise. These are Chow Chow dogs being painted (as pandas), as this is part of our specialties," CNN quoted her as saying.

Chow Chows are a fluffy breed of spitz, originally from northern China.

The two dogs were painted with black-and-white markings.

This was not the first time when a zoo in China was caught misleading visitors with the claims of housing real pandas in their exhibits.

A few months ago, the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province was also criticised by many for painting Chow Chows and presenting them as 'pandas'. The zoo advertised the attraction of ''Xiong Mao Quan'', which translates as ''panda dogs'' to boost its visitor footfall during the May Day holiday. 

At that time too, the zoo representatives had claimed that the animals were rare "panda dogs" breed. However, they later admitted that such animal breeds don't exist.

Back then, the zoo officials had informed the local media that they did not intentionally mislead anyone as they advertised the animals as "panda dogs".

After being confronted on the idea of inventing "panda dogs," a zoo representative said, "There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result. People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur."

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Ammunition From India Diverted To Ukraine? What Government Said

Dismissing a report by news agency Reuters claiming that ammunition sold by Indian manufacturers has been diverted to Ukraine by European customers and New Delhi did not stop the trade, the Ministry of External Affairs has termed it "inaccurate and mischievous". 

Answering questions on the report, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday, "We have seen the Reuters report. It is speculative and misleading. It implies violations by India, where none exist and, hence, is inaccurate and mischievous.

Emphasising that India has an impeccable track record of compliance with international obligations on the export of military and dual-use items, Mr Jaiswal added, "India has been carrying out its defence exports taking into account its international obligations on non-proliferation and based on its own robust legal and regulatory framework, which includes a holistic assessment of relevant criteria, including end-user obligations and certifications."

In its report, Reuters cited conversations with eleven Indian and European government and defence industry officials and an analysis of commercially available customs data to claim that artillery shells sold by Indian arms manufacturers had been diverted to Ukraine by European customers and the Indian government did not intervene to stop the trade despite protests from Moscow.

The report said the supply of munitions, which have helped Ukraine in the war against Russia, had been happening for over a year and the Kremlin had raised the issue with India at least twice, including in July, during a meeting between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. 

It said Indian arms export regulations specify that weaponry can be used only by the declared purchaser and future sales to them can be stopped if there are unauthorised transfers. 

"Two Indian government and two defence industry sources told Reuters that Delhi produced only a very small amount of the ammunition being used by Ukraine, with one official estimating that it was under 1% of the total arms imported by Kyiv since the war. The news agency couldn't determine if the munitions were resold or donated to Kyiv by the European customers," the report said.

"Among the European countries sending Indian munitions to Ukraine are Italy and the Czech Republic, which is leading an initiative to supply Kyiv with artillery shells from outside the European Union, according to a Spanish and a senior Indian official, as well as a former top executive at Yantra India, a state-owned company whose munitions are being used by Ukraine," it added.

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US Warns Against Further Middle East Escalation After Lebanon Blasts

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned against the risk of escalation in the Middle East after the detonation of thousands of Hezbollah pagers threatened to derail his latest regional diplomacy push.

News of the blasts broke as the top US diplomat traveled to Cairo to meet senior Egyptian officials hoping to advance efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and improve ties with Egypt.

Militant group Hezbollah promised to retaliate against Israel, accusing it of detonating pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday killing at least 12 people, including two children, and wounding nearly 3,000.

Israel has declined to respond to questions about the explosions.

Asked about the blasts, Blinken said the United States was still gathering facts but it was in no one's interest for conflict to spread.

"It's imperative that all parties refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict," Blinken said at a news conference alongside his Egyptian counterpart.

He did not say who the US believes was behind the blasts.

Blinken said he was focused on securing a ceasefire deal that would bring calm, including to Israel's northern border with Lebanon, and that 15 out of 18 paragraphs of a deal had been agreed by all sides.

Making progress involved long waits for messages to be passed between the parties that left time for incidents to disrupt the talks, Blinken said.

"We've seen that in the intervening time, you might have an event, an incident - something that makes the process more difficult, that threatens to slow it, stop it, derail it - and anything of that nature, by definition, is probably not good in terms of achieving the result that we want, which is the ceasefire," Blinken said.

He cited Hamas' execution of six Israeli hostages last month. He did not name Israel, which is believed to have targeted members of groups aligned against it in Lebanon, Syria and Iran that have set back the talks.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Blinken in their meeting on Wednesday morning that Egypt opposed attempts to "escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally" and called for all parties to act responsibly, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

Blinken will head from Cairo to Paris on Thursday for a meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Italy and Britain to discuss the Middle East and Ukraine and other issues, a State Department official said. Blinken will also meet French President Emmanuel Macron, the official said.

Blinken will not visit Israel on this trip, the first time he has skipped a stop in Washington's closest regional ally since Hamas sparked the war in Gaza nearly a year ago.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that was because Washington aimed to discuss bilateral issues with Egypt on this trip and the Gaza ceasefire proposal that U.S. and mediators have been working on was still not ready to present to Israel.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Quad, UN Summits: PM Modi On 3-Day US Visit From September 21

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a three-day visit to the US beginning September 21 to attend the annual Quad Summit and address the 'Summit of the Future' at the UN General Assembly.

PM Modi will also address a gathering of the Indian community in New York on September 22 during his three-day visit, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday.

The two key engagements of the prime minister during the visit are expected to be his participation at the Quad Summit and the 'Summit of the Future'. US President Joe Biden will host the fourth 'Quad Leaders Summit' in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21. Besides PM Modi and Biden, it will be attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

It was India's turn to host the Quad Summit. But following a request from Washington, India agreed to host the Summit next year.

Prime Minister Modi will address the 'Summit of the Future' at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said announcing his trip.

The theme of the Summit is 'Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow'.

It will bring "leaders from various countries to forge a new international consensus on how to deliver a "better present and safeguard the future", according to the UN.

"On the sidelines of the Summit, the prime minister would be holding bilateral meetings with several world leaders and discuss issues of mutual interest," the MEA said.

On the Quad Summit, it said India will host it in 2025.

"Following the request of the US side to host the Quad Summit this year, India has agreed to host the next Quad Summit in 2025," the MEA said.

"At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the last one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations," it said in a statement.

In New York, PM Modi would also be interacting with CEOs of leading US-based companies to foster greater collaborations between the two countries.

"The prime minister would also be interacting with CEOs of leading US-based companies to foster greater collaborations between the two countries in the cutting-edge areas of AI, quantum computing, semiconductors and biotechnology," it said.

While in New York, the prime minister will address a gathering of the Indian community on September 22, the MEA said.

"The prime minister is also expected to interact with thought leaders and other stakeholders active in the India-US bilateral landscape," it said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Trump Shooting Suspect Charged With Gun Crimes

A man suspected of plotting to assassinate former US president Donald Trump was charged with federal gun crimes on Monday.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number at his initial court appearance.

Routh, who was arrested on Sunday after an alleged abortive bid to shoot the Republican presidential candidate at his West Palm Beach golf course, is expected to face further charges at a later date.

Routh appeared calm during the brief court hearing before Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe of the Southern District of Florida, answering "yes" to several questions.

A detention hearing was scheduled for September 23 and an arraignment on further potential charges was set for September 30.

Routh was arrested on Sunday after a Secret Service agent on the former president's security detail saw what appeared to be the barrel of a rifle pointing out of a tree line on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Course, according to a criminal complaint filed by an FBI special agent.

"The Agent fired his/her service weapon in the direction of the rifle," the complaint said.

Trump, who was slightly wounded in a July 13 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, was several hundred yards away when the golf course shooting occurred and was unharmed.

A man later identified as Routh was seen by a witness fleeing the area in a Nissan sport utility vehicle at high speed, the complaint said.

Routh was arrested by local police about 45 minutes later on I-95, a major north-south highway, and replied in the "affirmative" when asked if he knew why he was being stopped, it said.

Video footage of the arrest showed Routh, who was wearing sunglasses and dressed in a peach-colored shirt, being taken into custody by the roadside without incident by heavily armed police officers.

According to the complaint, a "loaded SKS-style, 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope," a digital camera, a backpack and a black plastic bag containing food were recovered from the tree line.

Criminal convictions

Routh appears to have spent nearly 12 hours on the perimeter of the Trump golf course.

"Routh's mobile phone was located in the vicinity of the area along the tree line... from approximately 1:59 am until approximately 1:31 pm on September 15," the complaint said.

Routh is reported to be a self-employed builder based in Hawaii, with an arrest record spanning decades.

He regularly posted about politics and current events on social media, including criticism of Trump, according to US media.

According to the criminal complaint, he was convicted in North Carolina in December 2002 of "possession of a weapon of mass death and destruction."

He was convicted in 2010 in the same state of multiple counts of possession of stolen goods, it said.

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number carries a maximum five-year sentence.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"I'm Glad He's Safe": Kamala Harris After Shots Fired In Trump's Vicinity

Shots were fired from an AK-47-style rifle in former US President Donald Trump's vicinity on the grounds of his golf course in Palm Beach Florida, where he was present. The Republican candidate is "safe", his party campaign said.

Kamala Harris, US Vice President and Democratic Party's Presidential candidate said she has been "briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida. I am glad that he is safe." Ms Harris said, "Violence has no place in America."

I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 15, 2024

The US Secret Service, the organization responsible for protecting serving and former Presidents, accompanied Mr Trump - A protocol followed by the team. 

The motive behind the shooting is unclear, but still, it came almost two months after a failed assassination attempt against Mr Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a shooter, atop a roof, shot a 5.56mm bullet from an AR-15 style rifle, which grazed his ear and blood splattering on his face. 

The US Secret Service accepted that it had failed to protect the former president at an election rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.

The Secret Service takes full responsibility for the tragic events of July 13th. This was a mission failure. The sole responsibility of our agency is to make sure our protectees are never put in danger. We fell short of that in Butler. And I'm working to make sure that this failure does not happen again," Acting Director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe said.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will be up against each other in the closely contested presidential elections scheduled for November this year. 

The incident in Florida comes days after the first Presidential debate between the rival candidates where Ms Harris "trumped" Donald Trump and a majority of debate watchers said Harris outperformed Trump, according to a CNN flash poll released shortly after the debate. YouGov showed 54% of those surveyed said Harris won while 31% said Trump was the victor.

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Donald Trump Safe After "Gunshots In His Vicinity" At Florida Golf Club

Donald Trump's campaign reported Sunday that there had been "gunshots in his vicinity" but added that the Republican presidential candidate was safe.

"President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time," said a statement from his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung.

Trump had been golfing at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from his Mar-a-Lago residence, during a day away from the presidential campaign, multiple media reports said.

It was unclear who had fired the shots, and there was no immediate indication that Trump had been targeted.

Some reports said the gunfire was between two people in a dispute near the course.

Still, it came amid heightened concern for the candidate's safety -- just two months after the former president was wounded in the ear when a gunman opened fire during a Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

The US Secret Service, tasked with protecting presidents, former presidents and other dignitaries, faced criticism after the Pennsylvania incident.

The head of the agency later resigned, and at least five of its agents were placed on administrative leave.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Hamas Official Says Group Has "High Ability" To Continue Gaza War

A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian Islamist movement had ample resources to continue fighting Israel despite losses sustained over more than 11 months of war in Gaza.

"The resistance has a high ability to continue," Osama Hamdan told AFP during an interview in Istanbul.

"There were martyrs and there were sacrifices... but in return there was an accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance."

His comments came less than a week after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told journalists that Hamas, whose October 7 attack triggered the war, "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza.

"The number of casualties... is much less than what is expected in a battle of this size, level and breadth," Hamdan said on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched retaliatory military operations to destroy Hamas after the group's surprise attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

The Israeli military campaign has killed at least 41,206 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not provide breakdowns of civilian and militant deaths.

Militants also seized 251 hostages on October 7, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Netanyahu is facing mounting domestic pressure to seal a deal in which hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel's announcement this month that the bodies of six hostages had been recovered from a tunnel in Gaza after they were "executed" by Hamas spurred an outpouring of grief and anger, leading to a brief general strike and large-scale demonstrations that continued in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Saturday night.

But months of negotiations aimed at securing a truce -- mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar -- have apparently stalled.

In the interview on Sunday, Hamdan said the United States, Israel's most important military backer, was not doing enough to force concessions from Netanyahu that would end the bloodshed.

"The American administration does not exert sufficient or appropriate pressure on the Israeli side," Hamdan said.

"Rather it is trying to justify the Israeli side's evasion of any commitment."

During two press conferences after officials announced the deaths of the six hostages earlier this month, Netanyahu said it was Hamas who refused to compromise and vowed "not to give in to pressure" on remaining sticking points.

He also said Israel's military campaign had killed "no less than 17,000" Hamas militants.

Israel 'not immune'

The war between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas has drawn in other Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, notably Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Huthi rebels in Yemen.

On Sunday the Huthis claimed a missile attack on central Israel that, while producing no casualties, triggered a rush to shelters and added to regional tensions.

Hamdan said the attack showed the limits of Israel's ability to defend itself, including its oft-touted aerial defence system.

"It is a message to the entire region that Israel is not an immune entity," Hamdan said.

"Even Israeli capabilities have limits."

Hamdan also reiterated Hamas's view that an attack earlier this month in which a Jordanian truck driver shot dead three Israeli guards at a border crossing underscored widespread anger at Israel in the region.

As for Arab leaders who have normalised diplomatic ties with Israel or are considering doing so, Hamdan said they should ask themselves how they would feel if their countries were occupied and the world stood by and watched.

"If you see Israel as a blessing and a gain... give them a piece of your country," he said, jokingly adding that it could be called "the new Israel".

'Day after' planning

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007, but with Israel calling for the group to be eliminated it is unclear what form it will exist in after the war.

Hamdan said on Sunday it was impossible to imagine a scenario in which Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar would leave the besieged territory.

Sinwar and other leaders "are ready to be martyred thousands of times in Palestine rather than leaving it because everything he is doing is to free Palestine," Hamdan said.

Hamas has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of land along Egypt's border that has emerged as a key sticking point in the truce talks.

Hamdan said that Hamas wants "joint Palestinian rule" in Gaza, adding that Hamas officials and representatives of other Palestinian factions would meet soon in Cairo to discuss their post-war vision.

"The day after the battle is a Palestinian day," he said.
 

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Russia, Ukraine Swap 206 Prisoners Of War In UAE-Brokered Deal

Moscow and Kyiv swapped 103 prisoners of war each on Saturday in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, a rare moment of coordination between the two warring sides as Russia pushes ahead in east Ukraine.

The Russians released in the swap were captured during Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, Moscow said, while some of the Ukrainians freed had been held prisoner since Moscow seized the Azovstal steel plant in May 2022.

"Another 103 soldiers were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.

Among the freed were 82 privates and sergeants as well as 21 officers, Zelensky said.

"The defenders of Kyiv, Donetsk, Mariupol and Azovstal, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and the Kharkiv regions," he added.

Russia confirmed it had "handed over" 103 Ukrainian army prisoners, and received 103 Russian servicemen captured by Kyiv in its Kursk offensive in return.

"At present, all Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are being provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as an opportunity to contact their relatives," the Russian defence ministry said.

Despite ongoing hostilities, Russia and Ukraine have managed to swap hundreds of prisoners throughout the two-and-half-year conflict -- often in deals brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey.

The announcement comes a day after Zelensky said 49 Ukrainian POWs had been returned from Russia, and three weeks ago both sides swapped 115 prisoners each in a deal also mediated by the UAE.

The UAE's foreign ministry hailed the deal as a "success" and thanked both sides for their cooperation on Saturday.

Russian advances

The prisoner swap came as Russia pushed ahead in east Ukraine, where it claims to have captured a string of villages in recent weeks.

The Russian defence ministry said in a daily briefing it had "liberated" the village of Zhelanne Pershe, less than 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the key Ukrainian-held logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for Moscow's army.

More than half of the city's 60,000 residents have fled since the invasion began in February 2022, with evacuations ramping up in recent weeks as Moscow's army closes in.

Ukraine had hoped its major cross-border incursion into the Kursk region last month would slow down Russia's advances in the east.

On Friday, Zelensky said Moscow had been slowed down somewhat but conceded the situation on the eastern front was "very difficult".

Russia meanwhile claimed this week to have clawed back a swath of territory in the Kursk region, as it mounted what appeared to be a counter-offensive.

Missile spat

Tensions between Russia and the West over the conflict reached dire levels this week over UK and US discussions about letting Ukraine use longer-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

The discussions came after a visit to Kyiv by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British counterpart David Lammy.

President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Thursday that green-lighting the use of the long-range weapons deep inside Russia would put the NATO military alliance "at war" with Moscow.

"This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict," Putin told a state television reporter.

"It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia," he added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden on Friday delayed a decision on the move.

US officials believe the missiles would make a limited difference to Ukraine's campaign and also want to ensure that Washington's own stocks of the munitions are not depleted.

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3 US Citizens Sentenced To Death In Congo Over Role In Failed Coup

Three U.S. citizens on trial for their role in a failed coup in Democratic Republic of Congo were sentenced to death by a military court on Friday.

Armed men briefly occupied an office of the presidency in the capital Kinshasa on May 19 before their leader, U.S.-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, was killed by security forces.

His son, Marcel Malanga, was among the Americans on trial, along with Marcel's friend Tyler Thompson who played high school football with him in Utah. Both are in their 20s.

The third American, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, was a business associate of Christian Malanga.

All three were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, terrorism and other charges, and sentenced to death in a ruling read out on live TV.

Malanga had previously told the court that his father had threatened to kill him unless he participated. He also told the court it was his first time visiting Congo at the invitation of his father, whom he hadn't seen in years.

The Americans are among around 50 people, including U.S., British, Canadian, Belgian and Congolese citizens, standing trial following the failed coup.

The verdict was read out under a tent in the yard of Ndolo military prison on the outskirts of Kinshasa. The defendants were seated in front of the judge, wearing blue and yellow prison-issued tops.

The trial began in July.

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"For Greater Good...": New York Police Chief Resigns Amid Corruption Probe

New York's top cop, head of the largest police department in the United States, resigned Thursday amid corruption probes swirling through the city's leadership.

The storied New York Police Department (NYPD) is a mammoth force including 35,000 uniformed officers and a budget of just under $6 billion.

Mayor Eric Adams announced the departure of Edward Caban, the New York City Police Department commissioner, in a brief televised statement.

"A short time ago, I accepted the resignation," he said, noting that he took ongoing federal probes into his administration "extremely seriously."

Adams said he was appointing veteran law enforcement officer Tom Donlon as the force's interim commissioner.

Caban, 57, had come under pressure to resign after federal agents seized his cellphone and those of other high-ranking members in the Adams administration.

No criminal charges have been filed and federal authorities have yet to clarify what they are probing. According to ABC News, one investigation is targeting city contracts and another enforcement of regulations on nightlife.

Adams, a former police officer and only the second Black mayor of the biggest US city, is increasingly weighed down by growing scandals, including a sexual assault allegation and claims of corruption.

Caban, appointed by Adams in 2023, is the first Latino NYPD commissioner.

In his statement, Adams addressed New Yorkers, telling them he "was as surprised as you" to hear of the federal probes.

"I spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, and so every member of the administration knows my expectations that we must follow the law," he said.

A prominent member of the city council, Robert Holden, said Caban had stepped down "for the greater good of the department and New York."

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Harris Leads Over Trump, Voters See Her As Debate Winner In Latest Polls

Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump 47% to 42% in the race to win the Nov. 5 presidential election, increasing her advantage after a debate against the former president that voters largely think she won, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday.

The two-day poll showed Harris with a five percentage point lead among registered voters, just above the four-point advantage she had over Trump in an Aug. 21-28 Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Among voters who said they had heard at least something about Tuesday's debate, 53% said Harris won and 24% said Trump won. Some 52% of respondents said that Trump stumbled and didn't appear sharp, while 21% said that of Harris.

Harris, 59, put Trump, 78, on the defensive in a combative presidential debate with a stream of attacks on his fitness for office and his myriad legal battles.

The poll surveyed 1,690 U.S. adults nationwide, including 1,405 registered voters. It had a margin of error of around three percentage points for registered voters.

While national surveys including Reuters/Ipsos' polls give important signals on the views of the electorate, the state-by-state results of the Electoral College determine the winner, with a handful of battleground states likely to be decisive.

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S Jaishankar Calls On German Chancellor, Conveys Personal Greetings Of PM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and conveyed the personal greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Jaishankar is in Berlin on the second leg of his three-nation tour. He arrived in Germany from Saudi Arabia after attending the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue.

"Honoured to meet Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin today. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM Modi. Look forward to his visit to India for the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations," he said in a post on X.

Honoured to meet Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin today.

Conveyed the personal greetings of PM Modi. Look forward to his visit to India for the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations.@Bundeskanzler

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— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 11, 2024

The minister also had an "in-depth exchange with Jens Plotner, Security and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor. "Our conversation focussed on preparations for IGC and important strategic developments," Mr Jaishankar said.

He met Friedrich Merz, Chairman of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, and member of the CDU-CSU (Christian Social Union) parliamentary group.

"A great pleasure to meet @_FriedrichMerz, Chairman @CDU and members of the CDU - CSU parliamentary group. A comprehensive discussion on our bilateral relationship as well as regional and global issues. Appreciated his many insights and suggestions to strengthen our strategic partnership," he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Jaishankar met Michael Roth, the chairman of the German Parliament's committee on foreign affairs, and discussed the current global challenges and the possibilities of new bilateral collaborations.

"Glad to meet Mr Michael Roth, MP and Chairman of the @Bundestag Committee on Foreign Affairs. Shared views on current global challenges, and possibilities of new collaborations between India and Germany," Mr Jaishankar said in a post on X.

He also held a lively conversation with foreign affairs and security policy experts organised by the Munich Security Conference in Berlin on Tuesday.

"Exchanged perspectives on the changing global order, multipolarity, security challenges and the strategic convergences between India and Germany," he said.

Mr Jaishankar also interacted with the members of the German parliament known as the Bundestag. "Appreciated their insights on contemporary global issues. Value their support for stronger India-Germany relations," he said.

Earlier, Mr Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and took stock of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, covering areas such as trade, defence and security.

On the third and final leg of his trip, Mr Jaishankar will visit Geneva. 

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