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international STEM students in the United States, the Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal challenging the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The OPT program, which permits international students in the United States on student visas to work during their studies or up to one year post-graduation, has been a crucial pathway for international students seeking employment opportunities in the country. At the heart of the case was the extension of the OPT program for up to 36 months after graduation, a provision introduced by the Department of Homeland Security in 2008 and modified in 2016. This extension was exclusively available to students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields, making it especially attractive to tech companies. The Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (Washtech), a Communication Workers of America affiliate, initiated the legal challenge against this extension in 2014, arguing that it allowed tech employers to sidestep the H-1B visa program, which has limited annual quotas and is assigned through a lottery system. The STEM OPT extension not only simplifies the hiring process for tech employers but also enables visa holders to apply for a green card during their stay in the US, offering a pathway to permanent residency similar to H-1B visa holders. Throughout the legal battle, Washtech faced several setbacks, including a critical decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022. The union's argument questioned the Department of Homeland Security's authority to establish the OPT STEM extension, contending that it reshaped the entire non-immigrant visa system and undermined protections for American workers.

New Delhi’s decision to ask Canada to reduce its number of diplomats in India by over 40 is the latest in the downward spiral of India-Canada relations. There is now a danger that India’s words and actions are going well past the point of serving its long-term interests. Whatever the truth of the multiple allegations hurled at each other by India and Canada, the fact is that as the emerging power, an Asian one and a developing country still, the former cannot and must not lose sight of the fact that global institutional structures and narratives are still not entirely in its favour.

NewsClick site and its journalists on 17 August, weeks after a New York Times report alleged that the NewsClick website had received funds from an American millionaire who, the Times wrote, had funded the spread of “Chinese propaganda." Delhi Police on Tuesday searched 30 locations connected with online news portal NewsClick and its journalists in a case filed under the anti-terror law UAPA following allegations that it received money for pro-China propaganda and later in the day sealed its office. Police said the Special Cell searches began early in the morning and were concentrated in the Delhi-NCR region.

On Wednesday, Bitcoin faced a modest decline of nearly 0.50%, with its trading price settling at $27,412. However, this slight dip belies the cryptocurrency's resilient performance over the past week, witnessing an impressive surge of nearly 4%. 

The Singapore subsidiary of crypto payments giant Ripple has officially received its Major Payments Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Former Celsius Network CEO Alex Mashinsky is set to face a criminal trial beginning on September 17, 2024.

Three individuals involved in a global fraud and money laundering operation linked to the cryptocurrency scheme, AirBit Club, have received prison sentence, Department of Justice revealed in a press release. 

oil trading at $100-a-barrel next year? Because a triple-digit price tag wouldn’t just mean elevated energy prices — it would also turbocharge the dollar. The combination of expensive barrels and a rampaging greenback could make crude a wrecking ball in 2024 that keeps inflation high enough to destroy growth around the world. The more oil soars, the pricier the dollar is likely to be, creating a pernicious feedback loop.

Crypto lawyers are seemingly divided over the significance of a recent court order from Judge Analisa Torres, which denied the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) plan to file an interlocutory appeal against Ripple.

Westpac will maintain a presence in the South Pacific after the federal government indicated it wants to see Australian companies playing a role in the region.

Spotify's business was stagnating. Apple had overtaken it as the top paid music service in the United States, losses were mounting and customer growth was slowing. Daniel Ek, the company's CEO, decided that Spotify needed to transform from a music service into the everything store for audio. The first missing piece was podcasts.

Bullion prices fell for the eighth session in a row amid an uptick in the dollar index (DXY) following Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic's comment that the rates are likely to remain higher for longer. On Wednesday, the MCX December gold futures were trading at Rs 56,851 per 10 gram, down by Rs 76, or 0.13%.

Florida-based startup M2X Energy has raised more than $20 million from investors, including Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures, to build its gas-to-methanol trailers. The methanol plants on wheels could help reduce methane emissions at remote locations like North Dakota’s Bakken shale play where gas is often produced as a byproduct of oil and a dearth of pipeline space means the fuel isn’t transported to market. In the US, more than 286.7 billion cubic feet of gas was wasted through flaring or venting in 2021 from upstream oil and gas facilities, although the actual figure is likely far larger because some releases don’t get reported and the total doesn’t include emissions from some key producing states that don’t track the data.

New York, it catered to the city's elite, offering everything from tennis shoes to elephant guns. One of its frequent customers, Ezra Fitch, eventually purchased shares in the company in 1900. However, disagreements over the company's direction led to Abercrombie's departure in 1907, with Fitch taking full control.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a federal judge to deny Coinbase’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit by the regulator.

United States Representative and crypto-friendly lawmaker Patrick McHenry has been appointed as interim House Speaker after the high-profile ousting of U.S. House speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Ripple said it has received the full-fledged license to operate as a major payments institution from Singapore's central bank, allowing it to continue operations in the country after receiving in-principle approval in June.

Day trading guide for today: On account of weak global cues, Indian stock market finished lower on Tuesday. Nifty 50 index lost 109 points and closed at 19,528 levels, BSE Sensex shed 316 points and ended at 65,512 mark whereas Bank Nifty index finished 185 points lower at 44,399 levels. In broad market, small-cap index surged 0.61 per cent while mid-cap index managed to end marginally higher on the previous session.

Kevin McCarthy has left the chamber in a state of paralysis until a new speaker is found. That raises the chances of a US government shutdown next month and a delay in further Ukraine assistance. Here are the next steps the House faces: Patrick McHenry, Republican of North Carolina, is now the speaker pro-tem.

Jali: Lattice of Divine Light in Mughal Architecture', the illustrated edition by author Navina Najat Haidar, Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, curator in charge of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is published by Mapin. A jali is a perforated stone or latticed screen, with ornamental patterns that draw on the compositional rhythms of geometry and calligraphy. It brings filtered light into enclosed spaces while providing protection and privacy.

Also read: India tells Canada to withdraw dozens of diplomats amid Nijjar killing row: Report Post Trudeau's statement, a row has sparked between the two countries. India has dismissed the allegation as “absurd." Besides, India has issued an advisory warning its residents against traveling to Canada and suspended visas for Canadians seeking to visit the South Asian country.