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Saudi Crown Prince MBS (left), US President Donald Trump (ANI)

The TOI correspondent from Washington: US President Donald Trump doubled down on his support for foreign skilled labor at a US-Saudi investment forum on Wednesday, presenting the need for overseas professionals to train American workers in high-tech manufacturing as part of his MAGA agenda even as his base bristled with resentment at his framing. Speaking alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump declared, “I love MAGA – This IS MAGA!” as he defended the need for foreign workers. But his remarks, which explicitly welcomed “thousands of people” from abroad to staff multibillion-dollar chip factories, sparked a fierce backlash from MAGA loyalists who accused him of abandoning “America First” principles in favor of “tech bros” and globalist donors, while insisting the US has enough talent for the jobs. In remarks that were parsed endlessly in MAGA-sphere, Trump linked the trillions in investment he claims to output from immigration stance, arguing that without foreign expertise, projects arising from the inflow would stall. “You can’t open a massive computer chip factory for billions of dollars, like in Arizona, and think you can hire people off an unemployment line to run it,” he said. “They have to bring thousands of people and I will WELCOME those people.” The framing is in line with expert opinion that the US lacks talented workforce in niche areas.“Those people will teach OUR people how to make computer chips. And in a short period of time, our people will do great and those people can GO HOME!” Trump insisted, positioning the policy as a bridge to long-term American dominance. He referenced a real-world example, recounting how he halted an immigration raid on South Korean engineers at a Georgia battery plant, telling officials: “Stop it. Don’t be stupid.”But many MAGA faithful expressed skepticism insisting that current policy is not geared towards sending foreign workers back, even as they expanded their fight to stop even foreign college admissions which they say provides another channel for immigration. Trump has also made known his support for the inflow of foreign students, saying they are needed to keep American universities solvent. The MAGA supremo acknowledged the political tightrope, quipping, “I may take a little heat from my people, the people that love me. They happen to be toward the right of center. Sometimes WAY right.” He dismissed critics as “unbelievable patriots” who “just don’t understand our people need to be taught,” adding that his poll numbers might dip but rise among “smart people.” Traditionally, surveys show that Trump polls better among the less educated voters and his numbers dip among college graduates. The foreign workers issue, part of the larger debate on immigration, looks set to become a lightning rod in the mid-term Congressional elections a year from now.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was recently asked to pick his best no. 4 batter in Test cricket ahead of the Ashes series beginning Friday.At first, given the choice to pick between Kevin Pietersen and Mahela Jayawardene, Ponting picked Pietersen. Then Ponting chose Kevin Pietersen (KP) over Mark Waugh, and then Pakistan’s former cricketer Javed Miandad over KP. Thereafter, the former Australian men’s cricket team captain chose fellow countryman Steve Smith over Miandad. He then picked Steve Smith over West Indies legend Brian Lara, and former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis. Then put forward with a tough of choosing between Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, Ponting went with Smith. Then he also chose Smith over England batter Joe Root, saying, “Smith’s average is obviously better, Root has got 13,500 runs. I’m gonna go with Steve Smith still.”Lastly, he was asked to choose between Steve Smith and Sachin Tendulkar, and Ponting chose Smith as the best No.4 in Test cricket. Ricky Ponting has also delivered his predictions on the upcoming Ashes series. While Australia have held the Ashes since 2018 and has lost just four Test matches to England on home soil since the turn of the century, Ponting believes England will be competitive during the five-match Test series Down Under.“I don’t think there’ll be any draws, just the way that England play,” Ponting declared, as quoted from the official website of the ICC.“If there’s reasonable weather through the Australian summer, we know that the biggest concern for the last 15 years has been Sydney with the amount of days we’ve lost there,” he said.“Perth and Brisbane this time of year are normally great. So I don’t foresee any drawn games and I just think it’s going to be really, really close,” he added.“So I’m going 3-2 Australia,” he noted.

Authorities intensified searches across hospitals and media offices in Jammu and Kashmir, probing links between medical staff, extremist modules, and fugitive operatives following the Delhi blast. Recoveries of arms and explosives from a “white-collar” terror module have fueled the investigation, with a media house also raided for alleged anti-national content.

NEW DELHI: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir intensified searches across hospitals and media offices on Thursday as part of the widening investigation into the Delhi blast, with police focusing on possible links between medical staff, extremist modules, and networks connected to fugitive operatives.The scrutiny, officials told PTI, stems from the recovery of arms, ammunition and nearly 3,000 kg of explosive material in the “white-collar” terror module that first came to light in south Kashmir earlier this month.

In Srinagar and Anantnag, police teams, accompanied by medical officers, inspected lockers used by doctors and other hospital staff in district hospitals, private facilities, medical colleges and health centres. Officers said the drive was aimed at preventing misuse of storage spaces for illegal or hazardous material and ensuring that hospital infrastructure was not being exploited for activities that could compromise security. Every rack and locker was examined, and staff were reminded that lockers must be used strictly for official purposes. Officials said these checks will now be part of routine vigilance across health institutions.The operation followed the discovery of an AK-47 rifle in the locker of Dr Adeel Rather at the Government Medical College in Anantnag earlier this month. His arrest led to the unravelling of a larger terror network involving several doctors. During Thursday’s inspection at GMC Anantnag, police and hospital administrators identified unclaimed lockers and directed that records be updated to prevent further misuse.Parallel to the hospital searches, the State Investigation Agency raided the Jammu head office of Kashmir Times and the residence of owner Prabodh Jamwal. The agency said arms, ammunition and incriminating documents were seized during the raids. According to investigators, the publication is accused of promoting anti-national activities and running content that allegedly propagated secessionist narratives. Items recovered during the search included a revolver, empty AK-series cases, live rounds, fired bullets, grenade safety levers and suspected pistol ammunition. These will undergo forensic and technical analysis as part of the ongoing inquiry.Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Special Cell identified a new link in the Red Fort car blast investigation, connecting the case to fugitive Indian Mujahideen operative Mirza Shadab Baig. Baig, wanted for the 2008 blasts in Rajasthan and Gujarat, studied at Al-Falah—an institution already under scrutiny after the “suicide bomber” involved in the Delhi attack was found to be a professor there. Multiple agencies are now examining networks tied to the university, which is facing separate cases for alleged financial irregularities and forgery, alongside searches by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this week.

US markets traded in green on Thursday as investors welcomed fresh signs that pressure on Wall Street may be easing, with Nvidia’s latest earnings and renewed hopes of another interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. Dow jumped 662 points or 1.44% to 46,801. Nasdaq also rose to 23,134 up, 569 points or 2.5% at 8:30 PM IST. S&P500 also followed the suit, rising 126 points or 1.9%.The gains also came after Nvidia delivered another heavyweight profit update, calming concerns that enthusiasm around artificial intelligence might be fading. Walmart’s stronger-than-expected results also helped lift sentiment. Ahead of the opening bell, futures trading pointed clearly to a risk-on mood. S&P 500 futures gained 1.6%, while futures tied to the Dow advanced 1% and the Nasdaq added 2.1%. Nvidia shares rose 5.2% in pre-market activity after the chipmaker posted a summer profit that outpaced Wall Street expectations and released a revenue forecast that once again sailed past analysts’ estimates. The company’s ability to repeatedly exceed projections has strengthened its role at the heart of market volatility. Nvidia, now the most valuable firm on Wall Street and briefly worth more than $5 trillion, holds such a large weight in the S&P 500 that its daily swings can set the tone for the entire index. Recent doubts about whether AI-linked stocks had surged too far, too fast have rattled markets, but the latest earnings figures offered investors a renewed sense of assurance. Nvidia’s dominance has also made it a proxy for the wider AI build-out, with companies across industries relying on its chips to expand their artificial-intelligence capabilities. Markets also reacted to new figures on the U.S. labour market. Government data showed hiring in September was stronger than economists had projected, although the unemployment rate rose slightly. The mixed report kept hopes alive that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates again at its December meeting. The central bank has already trimmed rates twice this year as the job market has gradually slowed. However, some Fed officials have recently suggested that holding off next month may be prudent, warning that inflation’s persistence above the 2% target leaves little room for complacency. Lower rates can stimulate the economy and lift asset prices, but they also risk fuelling further inflation. Overseas markets largely mirrored the positive tone. Germany’s DAX rose 1.3%, London’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.7%, and France’s CAC 40 posted a 1.1% gain. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 posted a 2.6% rise as tech stocks rallied, while South Korea’s Kospi increased by 1.9%. Chinese indices closed mixed amid reports that Beijing may be preparing new steps to support its struggling property sector. With Nvidia once again surpassing expectations and broader economic data offering room for optimism, Thursday’s session marked a rare stretch of calm after weeks of uncertainty across global markets.

NEW DELHI: Shashi Tharoor’s recent praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ruffled some feathers in the Congress as fellow party leaders have questioned the move. Demanding an explanation for his praise, Tharoor’s colleague Sandeep Dikshit went on to ask “why are you in Congress” and even termed him a “hypocrite”.“Shashi Tharoor’s problem is that I don’t think he knows a lot about the country… If, according to you, someone is doing good for the country by going against the Congress’s policies, then you should follow those policies… Why are you in Congress? Is it only because you are an MP?” Dikshit said.

“If you really feel that the BJP or PM Modi’s strategies are working better than the party you are in, then you should give an explanation. If you are not giving one, you are a hypocrite,” he added.Congress leader Supriya Shrinate had echoed similar sentiments as she said that she “didn’t find anything in the speech (of PM Modi) worth appreciating” and she didn’t “know how he (Shashi Tharoor) found one”.“I didn’t find anything in the speech (of PM Modi) worth appreciating. I think PM must answer a lot of things. He was at an event of a newspaper. He should tell us what his problem is with fair journalism. He should have told us why is he not happy with those who show and speak truth… So, I didn’t see any reason to appreciate him,” she said.“I don’t know how he (Shashi Tharoor) found one…I found it to be a petty speech. He criticised Congress there too. PM thinks of Congress day and night. This is amazing,” she added.

Earlier this week, Tharoor shared his experience of attending a PM Modi lecture. In a post on X, he wrote a short critical analysis of what his opinion was regarding the prime minister’s speech.However, he did go on to praise the PM’s address saying that it “served as both an economic outlook and a cultural call to action, urging the nation to be restless for progress.”“The PM emphasized that India is no longer just an ’emerging market’ but an ’emerging model’ for the world, noting its economic resilience. PM Modi said he’d been accused of being in “election mode” all the time, but he was really in “emotional mode” to redress the problems of the people,” Tharoor said.“A significant part of the speech was dedicated to overturning Macaulay’s 200-year legacy of “slave mentality.” PM Modi appealed for a 10-year national mission to restore pride in India’s heritage, languages, and knowledge systems. I wish he had also acknowledged how Ramnath Goenka had used English to raise a voice for Indian nationalism!” he added.

Panaji: Most clubs in the top tier of Indian football have indicated to KPMG, the company that prepared the request for proposal (RFP) to monetise the rights of the Indian Super League (ISL), “a preference for phased relegation” and expressed concern on commercial sustainability of a relegated club.Clubs pointed out the “wide commercial, reputational and quality gap between the top-tier ISL and second division I-League,” according to KPMG findings which have now been submitted to the Supreme Court by Justice (Retd) L Nageswara Rao.Appointed by the Supreme Court, Justice Rao supervised the process of constitutional reform within the AIFF and is now chairman of the bid evaluation committee (BEC).Indian football is back waiting for directions from Supreme Court after its tender to commercialise the rights of the top tier ISL for 15 years found no takers.Promotion and relegation, now part of the approved Constitution, was one of the reasons cited by prospective bidders — FSDL, Sporta Technologies, Raak Advisory and Supersub Management (representing Conexus) — for not making a bid. One bidder said it “could hamper the football ecosystem and its long-term development.”Promotion and relegation has been a bone of contention in Indian football ever since the ISL was accorded the top tier status in 2019. While ISL clubs continue to be immune from relegation – despite assurances by the AIFF to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) while charting out the Roadmap – the league grants entry on sporting merit to I-League champions. Punjab FC, Mohammedan Sporting and now Inter Kashi have all moved to the top after winning the second tier competition.According to Justice Rao’s report, prospective bidders had several concerns, with most expressing apprehension that the commercial partner, despite assuming substantial operational and financial responsibility, would have limited representation within the governing council.Bidders also felt that the Rs 37.5 crore annual minimum guarantee payment was “on the higher side and did not adequately reflect the current dynamics of sports monetisation in India.”In his recommendation that seeks to “strike a balanced approach by preserving the AIFF’s regulatory role while making the commercial framework more viable, and attractive to prospective bidders,” Justice Rao has suggested reconsidering the financial obligations stipulated in the RFP, reconstitution of the governing council to provide the commercial partner with equal representation, and permission for bidders to independently sub-licence media rights in line with its commercial strategy, without requiring prior approval of the federation.Significantly, Justice Rao has made no mention about promotion and relegation in his report which has now been submitted to the Supreme Court.Promotion and relegation has been a bone of contention in Indian football ever since the ISL was accorded the top tier status in 2019. While ISL clubs continue to be immune from relegation – despite assurances by the AIFF to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) while charting out the Roadmap – the league grants entry on sporting merit to I-League champions. Punjab FC, Mohammedan Sporting and now Inter Kashi have all moved to the top after winning the second tier competition.