Trump to meet ‘fantastic’ India PM Modi in US
Al Jazeera,

Former United States President Donald Trump announced that he will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an upcoming visit to the US next week. Trump, the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential race, praised Modi as “fantastic” but was critical of India’s trade practices, calling the country “a very big abuser” in trade.

Speaking at a town hall event in Flint, Michigan, Trump stated, “He’s fantastic. I mean, fantastic, man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic. They’re at the top of their game, and they use it against us. But India is very tough, Brazil is very tough. I can tell you, every one.”

Trump did not provide further details about the meeting with Modi, who will be visiting the US to attend a Quad group summit involving Australia, Japan, India, and the US, hosted by President Joe Biden. Trump remains in a tight race for the presidency against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Beijing sanctions 9 Pentagon contractors after US arms deal for Taiwan
South China Morning Post,

In retaliation for Washington’s approval of an arms sales package to Taiwan earlier this week, China announced sanctions on nine US defense contractors. The $228 million deal, approved by the US State Department, involves the return, repair, and reshipment of spare parts and equipment for Taiwan’s F-16V fighter jets.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, condemned the arms sales, stating that they violate the “one-China” principle and undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests. “Weapons sales by the United States to Taiwan have seriously violated the one-China principle,” Lin said, calling the deal a serious infringement on China-US relations.

The sanctions will target contractors such as Sierra Nevada Corporation, Cubic Corporation, and TextOre, freezing their assets and banning Chinese groups and individuals from doing business with them. Beijing has urged the US to halt what it called the “dangerous trend” of arming Taiwan, warning that such actions could escalate tensions in the region.

A bewildered seal found itself in the mouth of a humpback whale
AP News,

In an unusual incident off the coast of Anacortes, Washington, a whale-watching tour captured the moment when a seal was accidentally swallowed by a humpback whale during a feeding attempt. The whale, known as “Zillion,” had been lunging toward a school of fish when it surfaced with the seal caught in its mouth.

Tyler McKeen, captain of the whale-watching boat, said the whale seemed to realize the mistake and quickly spit out the seal. “It was a funny, funny moment for everybody,” McKeen recounted, “but probably not for the seal.” The seal, which had likely been hunting the same fish as the whale, was unharmed and swam away after the mishap.

Humpback whales have made a notable recovery in the waters between British Columbia and Washington State, an area where they were once hunted to near extinction. Today, they are frequently seen by whale-watching tours as part of their migratory route.

Vision for the blind: Neuralink’s brain implant gets FDA ‘breakthrough device’ label
Gulf News,

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s startup, has achieved a major milestone with the FDA granting its brain-computer interface (BCI) implant the designation of a “breakthrough device.” The implant, named “Blindsight,” is designed to restore vision to people who are completely blind, even if they lack eyes or optic nerves.

Musk said the initial vision restored by the implant would resemble low-resolution images, similar to old Atari graphics, but could eventually exceed natural vision, allowing users to see infrared, ultraviolet, or radar wavelengths. The FDA’s designation helps accelerate the development of life-changing medical technologies, making Neuralink’s vision-restoring implant one step closer to reality.

The breakthrough technology has already shown success with patients such as Noland Arbaugh, a 30-year-old quadriplegic, who received a Neuralink implant earlier this year. Two months after the surgery, Arbaugh demonstrated his ability to play chess using only his mind to control the game’s cursor.

Venezuela’s González ‘forced’ to accept Maduro election win
BBC,

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González has revealed that he was coerced into signing a letter recognizing Nicolás Maduro’s victory in the disputed July election before being allowed to seek asylum in Spain. In a video message from Madrid, González, 75, stated that Maduro’s aides had pressured him while he was hiding in the Spanish embassy in Caracas, giving him the ultimatum to sign the letter or face imprisonment.

“There were very tense hours of coercion, blackmail, and pressure,” González said in the message. “At that point, I considered I could be of more use free than if I were imprisoned.” González called the letter “worthless,” and vowed to continue fighting for democracy in Venezuela. Despite being in exile, he described himself as the “president-elect of millions and millions of Venezuelans who voted for change.”

Maduro’s allies have denied the allegations, with Jorge Rodríguez, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, claiming that González willingly signed the letter. International communities remain divided on the legitimacy of the election.

Japan’s leader demands answers from China over schoolboy’s fatal stabbing
CNN,

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has demanded a full explanation from China following the fatal stabbing of a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen. The boy, a Japanese national with a Chinese mother, was attacked near his school and later died in the hospital. Chinese authorities have arrested a 44-year-old suspect, but details about the motive remain unclear.

Kishida condemned the attack as a “despicable crime” and urged China to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in the country. The incident has increased tensions between the two countries, with Japan seeking additional protections for its citizens living in China.