President-elect Donald Trump demonstrated backing for the H-1B visa initiative, joining tech tycoon Elon Musk in a passionate discussion among MAGA conservatives. In an interview with The New York Post on Saturday, Trump expressed support for immigration visas for skilled workers, a stance that has created rifts in his political base. “I’ve always liked the visas. I’ve always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump stated, referring to the H-1B program, which allows companies to hire foreign specialists for key roles. Trump admitted to heavily utilizing H-1B visas at his properties, describing the program as “great” and “essential.” These remarks differ from Trump's previous position during his presidency when he placed limits on visas for foreign workers, such as the H-1B program. Critics have claimed that the initiative puts American workers at a disadvantage, a worry often expressed by staunch MAGA supporters. Elon Musk Defends H-1B ProgramElon Musk became a prominent supporter of the H-1B visa program, emphasizing its significance for sustaining U.S. competitiveness. Musk emphasized that the initiative is essential for acquiring high-quality engineering talent that is frequently not accessible within the country. Addressing critics on his social media platform, X, Musk ardently supported the program. His remarks escalated after Steven Mackey, an X user, mocked Musk’s advocacy by using Musk’s own words, “Stop trying to optimize something that shouldn’t exist.” Musk fired back, stating that the H-1B program enabled many key contributors, including himself, to thrive in America. “The reason I’m in America, along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies, is because of H-1B,” Musk wrote. In a heated exchange, Musk added, “Take a big step back and F–K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” paraphrasing a famous line from the film Tropic Thunder. Pushback From MAGA ConservativesTrump's remarks and Musk's support have elicited strong backlash from certain MAGA conservatives. Notable individuals like Laura Loomer and Ann Coulter have claimed that the program is being misused by corporations to the detriment of American workers. Steve Bannon, an ex-White House advisor, ridiculed Musk on Gettr, suggesting a “wellness check” on the billionaire's mental health. As reported by The New York Post, these conservatives contend that H-1B visas compromise Trump's commitment to prioritize American jobs and implement tougher immigration regulations. Broader ImplicationsMusk’s stance has gained backing from certain individuals within Trump’s inner circle. Vivek Ramaswamy, set to head the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump, shared Musk’s views. Ramaswamy characterized American culture as one that “valued mediocrity more than excellence,” endorsing policies that draw in top talent. Musk stressed that the U.S. needs to compete internationally by attracting the best “0.1% of engineering talent” to maintain its leadership in fields such as technology and innovation. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News, World and around the world.Oscar Health COO Steven Wolin sells $353,955 in stockSpecial counsel moves to dismiss election interference and classified documents cases against TrumpIn the continuing saga of billionaires and big rockets comes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with his latest space vehicle, New Glenn. The rocket, which stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, is named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first person to orbit Earth in 1962. Though much shorter than SpaceX 's towering Starship , it is about the size of NASA's mega moon rocket, the Space Launch System . Years in the making, the commercial rocket is on the verge of its maiden flight. On Friday, while strapped firmly to its launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, New Glenn nailed its final dress rehearsal, firing all seven of its engines for 24 seconds. It was the first time Bezos' company, Blue Origin, had operated the entire stacked rocket as an integrated system. Flashes from the engines pierced through billows of steam, like cracks of lightning amid storm clouds. "Next stop launch," said Bezos in a post on X, the social media platform owned by his space launch competitor, Elon Musk . Despite their rivalry, Musk replied with a wish for godspeed. A video of the test, called a hot fire, can be watched in the above post. The demonstration involved a complete fueling and practice countdown. New Glenn's booster runs on methane and liquid oxygen, while the second stage of the rocket, which propels a spacecraft further into space, runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. When all seven booster engines are firing in concert, they produce enough horsepower for two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers at full tilt, said David Limp, Blue Origin's CEO. For 13 seconds of the hot fire test, New Glenn was operating at 100 percent of its thrust capacity. Bezos started Blue Origin in 2000, but its first small rocket, New Shepard, has primarily focused on space tourism, providing short flights for wealthy passengers to the cusp of space and back. Star Trek actor William Shatner, one of the most familiar space figures in pop culture, became a real space traveler in October 2021. But the company has aspirations to do much more. It's building a lunar lander for NASA, to be named Blue Moon , that will perform several uncrewed test flights with the New Glenn rocket, before ferrying Artemis V astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon. It's also building a commercial space station, dubbed Orbital Reef . NASA awarded Blue Origin a $130 million contract to build it as the U.S. space agency tries to transition to a new model of space research, wherein businesses own and operate space labs in low-Earth orbit and NASA becomes one of their many customers. Just prior to Friday's test, the Federal Aviation Administration issued Blue Origin a launch license for New Glenn, its final administrative approval. Though the company hasn't yet announced when it will attempt a liftoff, an FAA operational advisory indicates a tentative plan of a launch window opening at 11:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, with a backup window at the same time on New Year's Day. "Well, all we have left to do is mate our encapsulated payload...and then LAUNCH!" Limp said on X . "Congrats to the many Blue folks on today's test." Blue Origin will attempt to use a sea-based landing platform, named Jacklyn, to save New Glenn boosters. The license allows Blue Origin to launch New Glenn from the Space Force station at Cape Canaveral, as well as land its reusable booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. That sea-based landing platform, named Jacklyn , is one of the largest remotely operated vessels in the world. The company hopes to be able to reuse a single booster at least 25 times. Reusability is an important facet of the burgeoning commercial space industry, significantly lowering the cost per launch. Blue Origin wanted to get to this point months ago. The inaugural flight was slated for October, which would have included two Mars orbiters built by Rocket Lab for NASA. Had New Glenn launched then, the twin spacecraft would have taken advantage of the planetary alignment that shortens the travel time to the Red Planet, an average of 140 million miles away from Earth. NASA and Blue Origin are now in talks for a potential launch for that mission, known as Escapade , no earlier than spring 2025.

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins called President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden a “political timebomb” that left Dems in “the blast radius” — and pointed out his hypocrisy after years of claiming he would respect the Justice Department’s rulings. The Democratic president late Sunday pardoned Hunter, who was convicted of federal gun and tax evasion charges earlier this year, after repeatedly denying he would use his pardoning powers for his 54-year-old son. “With 50 days left in his presidency, Joe Biden just set off a political timebomb before leaving for Africa today, and leaving his party behind to deal with the blast radius,” Collins said Monday night during “The Source with Kaitlan Collins.” Collins pointed out how Biden went back on his word, since he repeatedly said he would not pardon Hunter to prove that no one is above the law – an attempt to contrast himself with Trump. In a statement released Sunday , Biden said his son’s prosecution was unfair and politically motivated. “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election,” Biden said in the statement. “Raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.” The statement “at times sounded like something Trump himself could have posted on Truth Social,” Collins said In a clip played during Collins’ show, Biden said he was committed to reinstating the Justice Department’s reputation and integrity after it had been “corrupted” under Trump. “I did not, have not and will not pick up the phone and call the attorney general and tell him what he should or should not do in terms of who he should prosecute,” Biden said in 2021 during a town hall. His promise was met with resounding applause. In another clip, this time from a June interview with ABC’s David Muir, Biden vowed to abide by the jury’s decision and said he had ruled out a pardon. Most recently, a few days after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to reporters’ questions about a possible pardon: “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.” In June, Hunter was convicted in Delaware federal court of three felonies for purchasing a gun in 2018 after prosecutors say he lied on a federal form by claiming he was not using or addicted to drugs. Hunter had been set to take the stand in a California trial in September over claims he failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes, but he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges in a surprise last-minute move as jury selection was set to begin. “Rarely, if ever, have we heard from both Biden and Trump on the same page about anything,” Collins said. “But now, it’s in print – their mutual anger at the Justice Department,” Collins said.EFCC, Sowore at loggerheads over unnamed owner of 753 forfeited duplexesNone

1 2 Kanpur: The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) at IIT Kanpur , in collaboration with the department of science and technology (DST), Govt of India and the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), is organising the ASEAN-India Start-up Festival 2024 to be held at Vivanta Taj New Delhi from November 28 to November 30. IPL 2025 mega auction IPL Auction 2025: Who went where and for how much IPL 2025: Complete list of players of each franchise The event aims at bringing together entrepreneurs and innovators from India and the 10 ASEAN countries to strengthen cross-border collaborations and promote innovation. The festival will spotlight deep-tech and sustainable innovations , featuring groundbreaking solutions from 60 Indian startups and 40 ASEAN startups. The three-day programme will feature a range of activities, including seminars, startup exhibitions, pitch competitions, and networking sessions. The event will conclude with industry visits to prominent organisations in the Delhi-NCR region, offering participants a unique opportunity to explore India's vibrant innovation ecosystem.

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Supporting the Increase in Withholding Tax: A Step Toward Strengthening Sri Lanka’s Tax SystemHelping to drown out the noiseLEDUC COUNTY, ALTA. — Alberta’s government says it will invest up to $50 million to support the creation of a first-in-Canada drilling test site to support technology development in the oil, gas, geothermal and lithium industries. The Alberta Drilling Accelerator is intended to be an open-access, industry-led site where companies can test drilling technologies at deep depths, high temperatures and varying rock types. A location for the hub site has yet to be determined. While no binding contracts have been signed, the province says several companies have expressed strong interest in serving as anchor tenants, including Calgary-based geothermal company Eavor Technologies, Tourmaline Oil Corp. and international oilfield service supermajor Halliburton. The money the province is providing will come from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, which Alberta’s heavy emitters are required to pay into as part of the province’s industrial carbon pricing system. The provincial government says the Alberta Drilling Accelerator could start drilling in 2026. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:TOU) The Canadian PressNEW YORK (AP) — There's no place like home for the holidays. And that may not necessarily be a good thing. In the wake of the very contentious and divisive 2024 presidential election, the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving and the ramp-up of the winter holiday season could be a boon for some — a respite from the events of the larger world in the gathering of family and loved ones. Hours and even days spent with people who have played the largest roles in our lives. Another chapter in a lifetime of memories. That's one scenario. For others, that same period — particularly because of the polarizing presidential campaign — is something to dread. There is the likelihood of disagreements, harsh words, hurt feelings and raised voices looming large. Those who make a study of people and their relationships to each other in an increasingly complex 21st-century say there are choices that those with potentially fraught personal situations can make — things to do and things to avoid — that could help them and their families get through this time with a minimum of open conflict and a chance at getting to the point of the holidays in the first place. DO assess honestly where you are with it all For those who feel strongly about the election's outcome, and know that the people they would be spending the holiday feel just as strongly in the other direction, take the time to honestly assess if you're ready to spend time together in THIS moment, barely a few weeks after Election Day — and a time when feelings are still running high. The answer might be that you're not, and it might be better to take a temporary break, says Justin Jones-Fosu, author of “I Respectfully Disagree: How to Have Difficult Conversations in a Divided World.” “You have to assess your own readiness,” he says, “Each person is going be very different in this.” He emphasizes that it's not about taking a permanent step back. “Right now is that moment that we’re talking about because it’s still so fresh. Christmas may be different.” READ: DON’T miss the bigger picture of what the holiday is all about Keep focused on why why you decided to go in the first place, Jones-Fosu says. Maybe it’s because there’s a relative there you don’t get to see often, or a loved one is getting up in age, or your kids want to see their cousins. Keeping that reason in mind could help you get through the time. DO set boundaries If you decide getting together is the way to go, but you know politics is still a dicey subject, set a goal of making the holiday a politics-free zone and stick with it, says Karl Pillemer, a professor at Cornell University whose work includes research on family estrangement. “Will a political conversation change anyone’s mind?" he says. “If there is no possibility of changing anyone’s mind, then create a demilitarized zone and don’t talk about it.” DON’T take the bait Let’s be honest. Sometimes, despite best efforts and intentions to keep the holiday gathering politics- and drama-free, there’s someone who’s got something to say and is going to say it. In that case, avoid getting drawn into it, says Tracy Hutchinson, a professor in the graduate clinical mental health counseling program at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. “Not to take the hook is one of the most important things, and it is challenging,” she says. After all, you don’t have to go to every argument you’re invited to. DO think about what will happen after the holiday If you risk getting caught up in the moment, consider engaging in what Pillemer calls “forward mapping.” This involves thinking medium and long term rather than just about right now — strategy rather than tactics. Maybe imagine yourself six months from now looking back on the dinner and thinking about the memories you'd want to have. “Think about how you would like to remember this holiday,” he says. “Do you want to remember it with your brother and sister-in-law storming out and going home because you’ve had a two-hour argument?” DON'T feel you have to be there uninterrupted Things getting intense? Defuse the situation. Walk away. And it doesn't have to be in a huff. Sometimes a calm and collected time out is just what you — and the family — might need. Says Hutchinson: “If they do start to do something like that, you could say, `I’ve got to make this phone call. I’ve got to go to the bathroom. I’m going to take a walk around the block.'" Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Spotify just announced that it’s begun rolling out a new “Recents” page that keeps tabs on everything you’ve been listening to. This section of the app will hold onto content for up to 90 days and integrates with music, podcasts and even audiobooks. The page also keeps an eye on saved content. The platform says this should be useful for “picking up a paused podcast, finding last week’s earworm or finally playing that saved album or audiobook.” This page replaces the “Listening History” tab and will work for both free and Premium subscribers. All you have to do is tap on your profile picture, open the sidebar and click on Recents. Everything will be listed in chronological order, but there are some available filters to help winnow down the search. Spotify also says users will be able to find this page by scrolling through the home feed. The tool releases today for iOS and Android, but could take a while before it reaches every user throughout the globe. The music and Joe Rogan streaming app has been busy lately. It beefed up its audiobook tools , which is nice, and added an in-app cover art maker for playlists . CEO Daniel Ek recently crowed that 2024 will likely be the platform’s first full year of profitability. The company’s most-recent quarterly financial results show an increase in year-to-year revenue of 19 percent and a free cash flow growth increase of 238 percent, totalling over $4 billion. It also now has 602 million monthly active users and the stock currently hovers at around $470 per share. Musicians, however, still get $0.003 to $0.005 per stream. What the heck, Ek.