RAMASWAMY ECHOES TRUMP'S CONTROVERSIAL CALL TO RECONSIDER BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

In a move reminiscent of former President Donald Trump and his "MAGA" supporters, Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has pledged to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants if elected to the White House. During the second Republican presidential debate, Ramaswamy, the son of Indian immigrants to the United States, challenged the interpretation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the laws and jurisdiction thereof."

Ramaswamy argues that this interpretation should not extend birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants, drawing a parallel with the children of diplomats who are not granted such citizenship. He made this commitment in response to a question from Univision host Ilia Calderón regarding the legal basis for expelling undocumented immigrants and their U.S.-born children from the country. While acknowledging his opponents' support for border militarization, defunding sanctuary cities, and cutting foreign aid to Mexico and Central America, Ramaswamy proposed going further by ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

The interpretation of the 14th Amendment has long been a subject of debate among hardline Republicans, who argue that the phrase "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" originally pertained to slavery, not illegal immigration. Ramaswamy contends that children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents should not receive citizenship because their parents violated immigration laws by entering the country illegally. As the father of two sons, he expressed his difficulty in instructing them to follow the law when the government fails to enforce its own laws, emphasizing that his parents had immigrated to the U.S. legally.

NATO CHIEF AFFIRMS UKRAINIAN PROGRESS IN COUNTEROFFENSIVE AGAINST RUSSIA

NATO's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, made an unannounced visit to Kyiv and declared on Thursday that Ukrainian forces were steadily advancing in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. During a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Stoltenberg emphasized that every meter reclaimed by Ukrainian forces represented a loss for Russia.

He added a stark contrast: Ukrainian forces were fighting for their families, future, and freedom, while Moscow was pursuing imperial delusions. Zelensky underscored Ukraine's urgent need for enhanced air defense capabilities against Russian attacks, citing the use of more than 40 Shahed drones in recent strikes on Ukraine, with similar occurrences happening almost every night. Given these intense attacks on Ukrainian cities and ports, he stressed the necessity for increased pressure on Russia and a corresponding strengthening of Ukraine's air defenses.

Stoltenberg mentioned his continuous efforts to encourage NATO allies to provide more support to Ukraine and expedite the delivery of various resources, especially air defense systems. He also announced that NATO had established overarching framework contracts with arms companies worth €2.4 billion ($2.53 billion), including €1 billion in firm orders for ammunition. These contracts would enable NATO members to replenish their depleted stockpiles while simultaneously continuing to supply Ukraine with the necessary ammunition.

PUTIN CALLS ELECTIONS IN ‘OCCUPIED’ AREAS A STEP TOWARDS INTEGRATION

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that elections conducted this month in Russian-held parts of Ukraine marked a step towards their full integration into Russia.

The votes in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — all partly under Russia’s control— were denounced by Kyiv as illegal. “This is, of course, a significant event, an important step towards the full entry of the new regions into the single legal, state space of our big country,” Putin told newly elected governors.

PAKISTAN SENATE PANEL SAYS ‘90% OF BEGGARS’ HELD ABROAD ARE OUR PEOPLE

Islamabad : As many as 90% of beggars arrested in foreign countries belong to Pakistan, reported the Dawn.The Senate standing committee on overseas Pakistanis was informed Wednesday a large number of beggars from Pakistan were moving abroad, which has spurred “human trafficking”.

Overseas ministry secretary Zulfikar Haider disclosed this during a discussion in the Senate panel on the issue of skilled and unskilled labour leaving the country. He further said that many beggars exploited pilgrim visas to travel to Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq. He said a significant number of pickpockets were arrested at holy sites and were identified to be Pakistani nationals.

Meanwhile, Haider said that Japan has now emerged as a new destination of such visitors, according to Dawn.

Moreover, he emphasized Pakistan’s historical role in ex porting skilled labour and expressed optimism that the country’s foreign remittances would increase when professionals went abroad. He said Saudi Arabia now preferred skilled labour over untrained individuals, according to Dawn.

Hasan also noted that 50,000 engineers in Pakistan were unemployed. “India has reached the moon, while we stumble every day,” the senator added. He also said about three million people were in Saudi Arabia, 1.5 million Pakistanis were in the UAE, while 0.2 million were in Qatar.

AHEAD OF HIS RETURN, PAK ANTI-GRAFT BODY SET TO REOPEN 4 CASES AGAINST NAWAZ

Pakistan’s anti-graft body is reopening at least four corruption cases against former PM Nawaz Sharif as he is scheduled to return to the country next month, ending four years of self-exile in the UK, an official said on Thursday. The National Accountability Bureau in the light of a Supreme Court ruling which struck down amendments made to the accountability laws by the previous government led by Nawaz’s brother Shehbaz Sharif, is reopening four pending probes against Nawaz related to illegal plots and land allotment, dubious transfer of shares of his sugar mills and Toshakhana.

Meanwhile, Nawaz’s close aide Mian Javed Latif said PML-N has stopped “demanding accountability of former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI head Gen Faiz Hameed” for conspiring against Nawaz to topple his government in 2017.

CHINA SPENDING BILLIONS TO SPREAD DISINFORMATION: US GOV'T REPORT

WASHINGTON, United States - China is spending billions worldwide on disinformation campaigns, posing a threat to global freedom of speech, warns a US State Department report. The report, released by the State Department's Global Engagement Center, highlights China's use of propaganda, disinformation, and censorship to manipulate information. It also accuses China of suppressing critical information on issues like Taiwan and human rights. The report underscores the danger of allowing this manipulation to continue, as it could erode democratic values and create a world where fact and fiction blend. China's tactics include promoting "digital authoritarianism," controlling Chinese-language media, and co-opting foreign influencers and journalists. The report suggests that if unchecked, China could reshape the global information environment.

TRUDEAU SORRY FOR RECOGNITION OF A NAZI IN CANADIAN PARLIAMENT

Toronto : Canadian PM Justin Trudeau apologised on Wednesday for parliament’s recognition of a man who fought alongside the Nazis during last week’s address by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trudeau said the speaker of the House of Commons, who resigned on Tuesday, was “solely responsible” for the invitation and recognition of the man but said it was a mistake that has deeply embarrassed Parliament and Canada. “All of us who were in the House on Friday regret deeply having stood and clapped, even though we did so unaware of the context,” Trudeau said, adding, “It was a horrendous violation of the memory of millions of people who died in the Holocaust, and deeply painful for Jewish people.”

Just after Zelensky delivered an address on Friday, Canadian lawmakers gave Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Speaker Anthony Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for first Ukrainian division.

“It is extremely troubling to think that this egregious error is being politicised by Russia, and its supporters, to provide false propaganda about what Ukraine is fighting for,” the Canadian PM said.

CHINESE HACKERS STOLE 60K US STATE DEPT EMAILS IN ’23: SENATE STAFFERS

Washington : Chinese hackers who gained access to the email accounts of commerce secretary Gina Raimondo and other government officials this year stole 60,000 emails from the state department alone, according to two people familiar with a briefing Senate staff members received on the matter Wednesday.

The emails came from 10 state department email accounts, department officials told Senate staff members, according to the people familiar with the briefing, one of whom is a staff member for Senator Eric Schmitt. Nine of the 10 email accounts belonged to people working on East Asian and Pacific affairs.

The hack, which compromised Microsoft-based email accounts at the state and commerce departments, was first reported in July. Washington has not formally blamed China for the intrusion, but various US officials — including Raimondo — have made the connection.

The hackers used one stolen Microsoft certificate to penetrate the state department email accounts, Biden administration officials told Senate staff members, and that token was used to hack 25 organisations and government agencies.

It is not yet clear what the substance of the emails was. US officials have downplayed the notion that sensitive information could have been caught up in the hack, arguing that it had not compromised classified email accounts.

TAIWAN REVEALS 1ST DOMESTICALLY MADE SUBMARINE

Kaohsiung : Taiwan unveiled its first domestically developed submarine on Thursday, a major step in a project aimed at strengthening the island’s deterrence against the Chinese navy, though it won’t enter service for another two years. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has made the indigenous submarine programme a key part of an ambitious project to modernise its armed forces. President Tsai Ing-wen, who initiated the plan in 2016, showed off the new submarines on Thursday in the southern city of Kaohsiung. “In the past, a domestically developed submarine was considered an impossible task. But, today, a submarine manufactured by our country’s people sits before our eyes,” Tsai said.