Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 961
As the war enters its 961st day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Sunday, October 13, 2024. Fighting Kyiv said Russian attacks killed two people in the eastern Donetsk region: a 19-year-old travelling in a civilian car and an 84-year-old pensioner. One person was killed when a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian village of Ustinka in the Belgorod region close to the border with Ukraine, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement. Russia’s air defence units destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight over three regions bordering Ukraine, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said. Six drones each were downed over the Belgorod and Kursk regions, while one drone was destroyed over the Bryansk region, it said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow had attempted to push back Ukrainian positions in the Russian Kursk region but that Kyiv was “holding the line”. Zelenskyy also acknowledged that the situation for Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region and southern Zaporizhia region was “very difficult”. The Ukrainian military said its forces hit a fuel depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region on Saturday. The facility was used to store oil and oil products for the Russian army, it said on Telegram. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance with the compulsory military service, media and witnesses reported. Observers said it is unusual for such raids to take place in the capital, and reflects Ukraine’s dire need for recruits. All Ukrainian men aged 25-60 are eligible for conscription, and men aged 18-60 are not allowed to leave the country. Lithuanians vote on Sunday in elections likely to deliver a change of government but keep much else the same, including the NATO and European Union member’s strong support for Ukraine and moves to bolster defence policy. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he planned to partially suspend asylum rights for irregular migrants, accusing human traffickers and countries such as Russia and Belarus of abusing the system amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)
In a first, casino hub Macau elects chief executive born in mainland China
Former judge Sam Hou Fai receives 394 out of 398 votes cast in an election where he was the sole candidate. Former judge Sam Hou Fai has been elected chief executive-designate of Macau, China’s special administrative region, setting him up to be the leader of the casino-dominated area next to Hong Kong. Sam received 394 votes out of 398 ballots cast in an election that lasted about one hour and 35 minutes on Sunday, according to a statement on the government’s website. He is the territory’s first leader born in mainland China. Critics fear the move will see Beijing’s agenda take priority over business interests. After being announced as the chief executive-elect, Sam walked onto the stage to applause from the committee members. “It is the highest honour of my life,” the 62-year-old said. He pledged to uphold national sovereignty, accelerate the city’s economic diversification, and better integrate it into the national development plans. Sam celebrates after being declared the winner of Macau’s chief executive election [Bertha Wang/AP Photo] The appointment of Sam to a five-year term as chief executive must be approved by China’s central government. “This was an election with one candidate. Ordinary residents here can’t vote here,” Al Jazeera’s Laura Westbrook reported from Macau. “Some people that I have been speaking to, they weren’t even aware there was an election happening today.” Sam was born in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong in 1962. He graduated from the prestigious law school of Peking University in Beijing. He also studied the Portuguese language, culture and law at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, and once practised law in mainland China. Macau is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal. Beijing has called for the city to diversify its gambling-reliant economy. “He [Sam] is the first leader of Macau that doesn’t come from a business background, and he has had some pretty strong comments about the gambling industry here – where he says that he wants to diversify it away from gambling,” Al Jazeera’s Westbrook said. Sam has promised to accelerate the current government’s plan to boost tourism and other sectors such as traditional Chinese medicine, finance, exhibitions and commerce. However, the city will still need to rely on the gambling industry for government revenues to support the city’s welfare and accomplish other goals laid out by Beijing, analysts say. China wants Macau to develop into a world-class tourism and leisure centre and play a bigger role as a bridge for trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Adblock test (Why?)
Mumbai police identifies third shooter involved in Baba Siddique’s murder, probe underway
The Mumbai police have identified the alleged third shooter involved in the killing of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Ajit Pawar) leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique.
‘Don’t even know who he is’: Wisconsinites talk Harris’ midwestern running mate, Tim Walz
WISCONSIN — Voters who spoke with Fox News Digital in the battleground state of Wisconsin were not particularly fond of Vice President Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., despite his proximity or Midwestern characteristics. “Who’s Tim Walz?” asked Waukesha County, Wisconsin resident Diana Altwies, who said she plans to vote for former President Donald Trump after supporting him in 2016 and 2020. Fox News Digital interviewed voters in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Waukesha counties, asking whether Walz’s status as a Midwesterner, hailing from neighboring state Minnesota, was relatable to them. LEAD COUNSEL HITS NEW DEM EFFORT TO ‘DELEGITIMIZE’ SUPREME COURT AMID SENATOR’S REPORT ON KAVANAUGH PROBE “I mean, if you like people that are completely stupid, he’s great,” said Brian Morawski of Milwaukee County. “I mean, he’s relatable as somebody that I really dislike,” he said of Walz. According to Altwies, she had heard his last name before, but didn’t actually know who Harris’ running mate was. “I’ve never seen him on TV or anything,” she said. Harris and Walz have notably done far fewer interviews than Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. ALSOBROOKS BACKS COURT-PACKING AS HOGAN FIGHTS GOP, MCCONNELL, TRUMP ASSOCIATIONS Kathy Przekwas of Kenosha County said she didn’t like Harris’ running mate “at all.” “I see right through him,” she said. She explained that Walz comes off as “fast-talking” and “throws in, like, a bunch of things that aren’t true but talks real fast.” “I don’t like any of the things he did in Minnesota, you know, because I’m up on all of that and how he handled the pandemic.” ‘OUT OF MONEY’: WHISTLEBLOWERS ALLEGE LACK OF SECRET SERVICE FUNDS, DELAYED PAYMENTS, TOP SENATOR REVEALS During the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz instituted a Hotline for reporting people who weren’t abiding by the social distancing guidelines he put in place. “We’re seeing crowds that are a little too big, especially around the lakes,” he reportedly said in early 2020. “It is being used, and we simply want to let people be able to call and let folks know,” he said. “It’s for their own good. If we see people that may not be as informed on this, it’s an educational piece,” Walz reportedly said in defense of the Hotline during the same time period. Walz’s stay-at-home executive order carried potential penalties of up to a $1,000 fine or 90 days of jail time, according to the Minnesota Reformer. Przekwas explained that Midwesterners are “natural and down to earth,” but she doesn’t think this description fits Walz. “I think he tries to portray that, but I don’t think he really is.” FOR WISCONSIN DEMS, A 2024 WIN IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATE IS YEARS IN THE MAKING While Fox News Digital only found voters who did not like Walz, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler claimed, “So many people have said to me, ‘He’s like my dad.’” “Tim Walz has this extraordinary quality, for Wisconsin voters specifically,” he said. “He’s such a familiar type of person.” According to the chairman, what Wisconsinites look for are good neighbors. “That stuff matters a lot,” he explained. “And you can sort of see in Tim Walz in the way he carries himself, the stories that he tells, that he is that kind of good neighbor that everyone aspires to be and wants to live next to.” Asked about Walz, Wisconsin Republican Party Executive Director Andrew Iverson said, “Actually, I hear a lot of people who are really excited about JD Vance in Wisconsin.” Sen. Vance, Trump’s running mate, is also from the Midwest, having grown up in Ohio. “A lot of folks are excited about him because he has such a great story to tell,” he said of the “Hillbilly Elegy” author. As for Walz, Iverson claimed voters are aware of “his failed record.” “They know a lot of Minnesotans actually crossed the border and moved to Wisconsin because of his failed policies as governor,” he added. According to him, “people are more excited about JD Vance than Tim Walz” in Wisconsin. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Mumbai police identifies third shooter involved in Baba Siddique’s murder, probe on
The Mumbai police have identified the alleged third shooter involved in the killing of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Ajit Pawar) leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique.
Baba Siddique’s last rites to be performed with full state honours in Mumbai
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-Ajit Pawar) leader Baba Siddique’s last rites will be performed with full state honours in Mumbai, Maharashtra today.
Gretchen Whitmer apologizes for video of her feeding Doritos to kneeling podcaster following backlash
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, apologized amid scrutiny for a social media video in which she wore a Harris-Walz campaign hat and fed Doritos to a kneeling podcast host to promote the CHIPS Act. Whitmer was seen in the clip taking a Doritos chip out of a bag and placing it into the mouth of liberal podcaster Liz Plank, who was kneeling down on the floor, before the video panned to the governor wearing a camouflage Harris-Walz hat. The use of Doritos chips appeared to be a clever way to put a spotlight on the CHIPS and Science Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022 that allocated nearly $53 billion towards efforts to bring semiconductor supply chains back to the U.S., create jobs, support American innovation and protect U.S. national security. MICHIGAN GOV FEEDS KNEELING FEMALE PODCAST HOST DORITOS WHILE WEARING A HARRIS-WALZ HAT “Chips aren’t just delicious, the CHIPS Act is a game-changer for U.S. tech and manufacturing, boosting domestic production of semiconductors to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers! Donald Trump would put that at risk,” Plank wrote in the caption of the video she posted on Instagram. The video was made as part of a viral TikTok trend where one person feeds another person, who is acting sexually, with the song “Dilemma” by Nelly and Kelly Rowland playing in the background before the first person stares uncomfortably into the camera. MICHIGAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONDEMN WHITMER’S DORITOS VIDEO STUNT AS OFFENSIVE Some critics mistakenly perceived the video as Whitmer pretending to participate in Holy Communion as a way to mock Christians who participate in the Eucharist. Following the backlash over these accusations, Whitmer apologized for the video and emphasized that the video was not meant to mock people of faith. “Over 25 years in public service, I would never do something to denigrate someone’s faith,” the governor said in a statement to Fox 2. “I’ve used my platform to stand up for people’s right to hold and practice their personal religious beliefs.” “My team has spoken to the Michigan Catholic Conference,” she continued. “What was supposed to be a video about the importance of the CHIPS Act to Michigan jobs, has been construed as something it was never intended to be, and I apologize for that.”
Baba Siddique shot dead: Is Lawrence Bishnoi gang behind NCP leader’s murder? Police say…
Siddiqui was shot outside his son’s office in Kher Nagar around 9:30 PM on Saturday
‘Complete collapse of law and order….’: Rahul Gandhi attacks Maharashtra government over Baba Siddique’s killing
Following the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the incident reflects a “complete collapse of law and order in the state”.
Trump takes detour to ultra-blue California to spotlight Harris’ home turf’s failed policies: ‘Paradise lost’
With Election Day closing in, former President Trump took a surprising detour to ultra-blue California to spotlight the state’s sky-high inflation, crime and illegal immigration. Trump touched down in Coachella Valley on Saturday evening to take on Vice President Kamala Harris on her home turf. Voters in the decidedly blue state came out in droves, with Trump remarking on the sheer size of the crowds as he took the stage at 5:30 p.m. PST. “We have had a great reception here. Look at this crowd,” Trump said, marveling at the crowd. “This is like record stuff as far as the eye can see.” WHY TRUMP IS HEADED INTO ‘THE BELLY OF THE BEAST’: THE STRATEGY BEHIND HIS BLUE STATE STOPS Trump highlighted California’s failed policies, saying that “we gotta make it better.” “I stand before you today in the heart of the majestic Coachella Valley, to declare that the Republican Party will always put America first and lead us on to victories like you have never seen before,” he said. “Because we’ve become the party of common sense.” The former president promised that he’d fight for “hard-working citizens of every race, religion, color and creed.” During the Trump campaign’s announcement that the former president would make a rare visit to California, spokesperson Steven Cheung said that it was to “highlight Harris’ poor record and show that he has the right solutions for every state and every American.” Trump highlighted Harris’ as well as Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s track record in the state, promising to “save it.” “The radical left Democrats have destroyed this state, but we are going to save it,” he said. “And we’re going to make it better than ever before.” “I’ve come here today not only to talk about California, where you have one of the worst governors in the country, Gavin Newsom, but you definitely had somebody here that was horrible – Kamala,” he said. “And now she wants to destroy our country. “She wants to destroy our country like she did San Francisco,” he said. Trump likened California to “paradise lost,” transitioning his spiel to a promise of a safe and secure southern border. THE CLOSER: FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA HITS THE TRAIL FOR HARRIS IN THE CLOSING STRETCH “California’s really is a paradise lost, but we’re going to bring it back,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. We’re bringing it back. It’ll happen fast. “We’ll stop the murderers from coming in. The drug dealers, everybody coming into California,” he said. Trump reminisced of what California used to be, saying it was a ‘beacon of what our country aspired to become.” “It had the weather, it had the water,” he said. “The state had the best schools, the safest communities, and a booming middle class, but all that was eradicated by decades of the very policies that Kamala Harris wants to now force upon America.” The Republican nominee for president pointed to California’s sky-high cost of living, ongoing crime crisis and continuing illegal immigration crisis. “Today, California has the highest inflation, the highest taxes, the highest gas prices, the highest cost of living, the most regulations, the most expensive utilities, the most homelessness, the most crime, the most decay, and the most illegal aliens,” he said. “Other than that, I think you’re doing quite well, actually,” he quipped. While acknowledging the economy is top of mind in California and across the nation, Trump highlighted illegal immigration as a top issue for voters, saying that the U.S. is considered an “occupied country.” “But we are known all throughout the world now as an occupied country,” he said. “We got people taking over parts of Colorado. We have people taking over other states, a lot of states.” CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION Trump promised to “liberate our country from criminals” and “rescue California.” “To everyone here in California and all across our nation, I make this pledge to you. November 5th, 2024 will be liberation day in America,” he said. “We’re going to liberate our country from criminals. I will rescue California in every town across America that’s been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail or kick them the hell out of the country,” he said. Trump pointed to Eduardo Sarabia, an illegal immigrant, who was recently arrested in Los Angeles after he allegedly viciously raped two women in his windowless Ford Transit van. “He was charged with sadistically raping two women in the back of a windowless van that police said was disgustingly outfitted as, quote, a rape dungeon on wheels,” Trump said. “Detective believes this monster had many more victims.” Trump also pointed to Victor Hernandez, an illegal migrant from El Salvador, who escaped his country of origin after committing a heinous crime and allegedly murdered Maryland mother, Rachel Morin. “We had the strongest border in the history of our country. Now we have the worst border in the history of the world,” he said. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS “My message to the American people is very simple,” Trump said. “No person who has inflicted the violence and terror that our harass has unleashed on our country can never be allowed to become the President of the United States again.” Trump promised that Harris’ “reign of terror” would end the first day he took office. “Anyone who orchestrates an invasion of America cannot lead America,” he said. “Kamala Harris, her reign of terror ends the day I take office.” With time an extremely precious commodity for the presidential campaigns in the final stretch of a White House showdown in a margin-of-error race with Harris, many are wondering why Trump is stopping in blue states. The stop in Coachella may benefit Trump with Latino voters — who have been trending towards the GOP in recent years — not only in southeast California, but more importantly in neighboring Arizona and Nevada, two of the seven crucial battleground states