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US Congress. In the United States, transgender rights have become a hot-button election issue — and the latest battle in America's culture wars. Manuel, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, serves as the director of operations for the Louisiana Abortion Fund, which helps provide access to abortion services.

Lok Sabha Secretariat announced on Thursday that the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will conduct a study tour across five Indian cities. The committee will visit Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow from November 9 to November 14, as part of its examination of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. According to an official communication from Joint Secretary JM Baisakh, the study visit program is designed to assist committee members in their review of the proposed bill.

Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received over 300 calls reporting fire-related incidents on Diwali, though no life-threatening cases were reported, an official said on Friday. Speaking to ANI, Delhi Fire Services Director Atul Garg said that between midnight and 6 am, approximately 158 fire-related incidents cases were reported. «There were no major calls but we received many. From 5 pm yesterday until midnight, around 192 calls were logged, and between midnight till 6 am around 158 more were reported. From 5 PM to 5 AM, in just 12 hours the 300 mark was crossed,» Atul Garg said.

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, is building what he says will be the world's largest supercomputer. Its electricity needs will rival those of 100,000 homes. The supercomputer's neighbors in southwest Memphis, Tennessee, have a problem with that. The project, part of Musk's xAI artificial intelligence business, sits in an old manufacturing plant on more than 550 acres. Before beginning operations there in July, xAI rolled in flatbed trucks loaded with almost 20 mobile power plants, fueled by natural gas, to help meet its electricity demands.

AtlasIntel poll, conducted from October 25-29, shows Trump ahead by 3.5% in Arizona, 3.4% in Georgia, 2.7% in Pennsylvania, 1.2% in Michigan, 0.9% in Nevada, and 0.5% in Wisconsin. In North Carolina, Harris leads by 0.5%. The sample size ranged from 983 in Michigan to 1,665 in North Carolina with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3%, placing all races within the margin. Previously, Harris was ahead in Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin in AtlasIntel’s October 17 poll.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s compensation surged by 63% in fiscal year 2024, reaching around $79.1 million (approximately Rs 665 crore), largely due to a substantial increase in stock awards, TOI reported, citing Microsoft’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing. Stock awards rose from $39 million last year to $71 million, significantly boosting his overall earnings. However, the filing also revealed that Nadella requested a reduction in his cash compensation, citing cybersecurity concerns and hinting at a possible “China angle” in the decision.

Joe Biden appeared to take a swipe at supporters of Donald Trump, drawing objections from the federal workers who document such remarks for posterity, according to two U.S. government officials and an internal email obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. Biden created an uproar earlier this week with his remarks to Latino activists responding to racist comments at a Trump rally made by the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who referred to the U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico as a «floating island of garbage.» Biden, according to a transcript prepared by the official White House stenographers, told the Latino group on a Tuesday evening video call, «The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American.»

JPMorgan Chase will pay $151 million to settle five U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement cases, including accusations that the largest U.S. bank made misleading disclosures to brokerage customers, the regulator said on Thursday. The settlements include $61 million of civil fines and $90 million of reimbursements to customers. JPMorgan did not admit or deny wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlements. «JPMorgan's conduct across multiple business lines violated various laws designed to protect investors from the risks of self-dealing and conflicts of interest,» Sanjay Wadhwa, acting director of the SEC enforcement division, said in a statement.

Lloyd Austin recently spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to explore opportunities for de-escalation amidst rising Middle East tensions. Their conversation highlighted the US' support for Israel's security, particularly in the face of threats from Iran and Iranian proxies. Sharing a post on X, Austin wrote, «I spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to discuss opportunities for regional de-escalation. I reaffirmed that the United States remains fully prepared to defend US personnel, Israel, and partners across the region against threats from Iran and Iran-backed proxies.»

Intel on Thursday posted the biggest quarterly loss in its 56-year history, as the onetime highflying chipmaker struggles to turn itself around. The Silicon Valley company said its loss for the third quarter totaled $16.6 billion, a result of $15.9 billion in charges to reflect lowered valuations of company assets and a $2.8 billion restructuring charge associated with cutting more than 15,000 workers. Pat Gelsinger, Intel's CEO, had ordered the restructuring in August in response to shrinking profit margins caused by the costs of catching rivals in manufacturing technology and little success in the booming market for artificial intelligence chips, among other factors.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) seeking integration with its Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) platform, aiming for real-time verification of limit utilisation under the Liberal Remittance Scheme (LRS), said people familiar with the development. Under the LRS, Indian citizens can remit up to $250,000 per financial year for various permissible transactions. The move can also fast-track the inclusion of international credit card spending under LRS regulations, the people said.

Sunni lawmaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as its speaker, lawmakers said, breaking a nearly year-long deadlock over the position that had remained vacant due to protracted disagreements among political factions. The stalemate followed a decision by the Federal Supreme Court last November which upended the career of former speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, Iraq's most powerful Sunni Muslim politician and set the stage for a fight over succession. Mashhadani, who previously served as parliament speaker from 2006 to 2008, was elected to the post again with significant support from the coalition that includes influential Shi'ite parties and Iran-aligned groups along with the State of Law coalition, which is led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Apple's AI-enhanced iPhone made a strong start, pushing quarterly sales ahead of Wall Street expectations, but a modest revenue forecast raised questions about whether that momentum will hold over the holiday sales season. A decline in China sales during the fourth quarter also concerned some analysts and investors, helping send shares down 1.4% in after-hours trade, despite surprisingly large overall profit and revenue in that period. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri told analysts during a conference call that Apple expects overall revenue to «grow low to mid single digits» during its fiscal first quarter, which ends in December. Analysts had expected revenue growth of 6.65% to $127.53 billion during the quarter, according to LSEG data.

financial services, US-headquartered IT firm Cognizant posted a net profit of $582 million in the third quarter, up 2.8% sequentially and 10.8% on-year. The Nasdaq-listed technology major saw its third quarter revenue growing by 4% sequentially at $5 billion. On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the revenue was up 3%. Buoyed by its healthy deal pipelines and strong performance in its top two large verticals — Health Sciences and Financial Services, Cognizant revised its FY24 annual revenue guidance up to 1.4-1.9% in constant currency (this assumes approximately 200 basis points of inorganic contribution), from its earlier guidance of -0.5-1%. “Investments in AI-driven platforms, like our Neuro suite and Flowsource, are resonating with our clients and supporting our large deals success. In the third quarter, we signed six deals with a total contract value of more than $100 million each, bringing our year-to-date count to nineteen, which is more than we signed in the full-year 2023,” said Ravi Kumar S, chief executive officer of Cognizant.

e-commerce giants Google, Meta, Amazon, and Flipkart collectively generated over Rs 60,000 crore in advertising revenue in FY24, a 9% increase from Rs 55,053 crore in FY23, according to Registrar of Companies (RoC) filings. For the first time, the Indian arms of Google and Meta surpassed Rs 50,000 crore in combined gross revenue. The marketplace arms of Flipkart and Amazon garnered over Rs 10,000 crore in cumulative ad revenue, with Flipkart Internet alone raking in close to Rs 5,000 crore. Amazon Seller Services, which generated Rs 5,380 crore in ad revenue in FY23, has yet to publish its annual report. However, sources indicate that the company is likely to report strong ad revenue earnings in line with industry trends.

stubble burning, and local pollution to push the Air Quality Index (AQI) into the “very poor” category. At 10 p.m., the overall AQI for Delhi stood at 330, and certain key areas even recorded “severe” pollution levels.

India could be treading a thin line between bravado and desperation while going for the jugular on a rank turner in the final game of the series, starting Friday. After losing their first home series in 12 years, India need to win the Wankhede Test to remain in contention for a slot in the World Test Championship final at Lord's in June.

Mario Balotelli is looking for a fairy-tale swansong to a nomadic — and often controversial — career. He will have the spotlight on Monday in Parma, where the mercurial forward could make his debut for his latest Serie A club Genoa. Balotelli joined beleaguered Genoa this week, marking his return to Serie A after more than four years. «Mario has arrived with really great motivation. I've spoken a lot with him,» Genoa coach Alberto Gilardino said.

Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), shared a video on Thursday featuring the White House military band playing the prayer "Om Jai Jagdeesh Hare" as part of Diwali celebrations. In the video posted by Gopinath on X, the White House was beautifully adorned with marigold flowers, and many guests were seen wearing traditional Indian attire. «Wonderful to hear the White House military band play Om Jai Jagdeesh Hare for Diwali. Happy Diwali,» she wrote in her post.

Kerala government on Thursday announced the 2024 Kerala Awards, the highest civilian awards instituted by the state government on the model of the Padma Awards, whose eight recipients include eminent writer M K Sanoo, ISRO chairman S Somanath and cricketer Sanju Samson. Established in 2021, the awards are categorised into three groups — Kerala Jyothi, Kerala Prabha, and Kerala Shree — and announced every year in the wake of 'Keralappiravi', the state's formation day that falls on November 1. Sanoo will receive the Kerala Jyothi for his contributions to literature, while Somanath and Bhuvaneshwari will be honored with the Kerala Prabha for their accomplishments in the fields of Science and Engineering and Agriculture, respectively, according to a state government release. The Kerala Sree, awarded to five individuals, will go to Kalamandalam Vimala Menon (Art), Dr. T K Jayakumar (Health), Narayana Bhattathiri (Calligraphy), Sanju Samson (Sports), and Shaija Baby (Social Service, Asha Worker) and V K Mathews (Industry-Commerce), according to the release.

Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, has endorsed Donald Trump for the upcoming US Presidential elections. In a press release dated October 30, Aldrin expressed his support for Trump, highlighting the nation's pursuit of ambition, hope, and innovation. «America is a nation of bold ambition, hope, and energy. We are a nation of free thought, free association, and free movement. We are a nation that allows the best of humanity to emerge, and we strive for great things,» Aldrin said. He recalled his involvement in the mission to put a man on the Moon 50 years ago and voiced his disappointment in the government's inconsistent approach to space exploration. Aldrin, reflecting on his historic Apollo 11 mission over fifty years ago, voiced his disappointment with the government's fluctuating commitment to space exploration. He noted, «the government approach to space had waxed and waned,» describing it as a dynamic that «disappointed» him. However, he praised the Trump administration for reinvigorating national efforts in space, saying, «Under the first Trump Administration, I was impressed to see how human space exploration was elevated, made a policy of high importance again.»