Hyderabad: Actor Allu Arjun on Saturday, September 21, briefed the media stating the stampede and subsequent death of 35-year-old Revathi that occurred during the stampede in Sandhya Theatre on December 2 were unfortunate and claimed there have been several misunderstandings surrounding the incident. He was responding to accusations made by Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy and AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi who alleged that the actor continued watching the movie till the end while the stampede took place outside the theatre. (This is a breaking story. Refresh for fresh inputs )By HALELUYA HADERO, Associated Press President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case. The filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute , leading TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The brief from Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.”
Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Economists Caroline Freund, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, UC San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Executives Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. Not participating this week: Alan Gin, University of San DiegoHaney Hong, San Diego County Taxpayers AssociationRay Major, economist Have an idea for an Econometer question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com . Follow me on Threads: @phillip020Tourism Holdings’ Grant Webster: What’s the future for campervansVoices: Macron’s Notre Dame reopening is an ode to history in a Europe with no clear future
NEW YORK :Global stocks were set for a strong weekly gain on Friday while U.S. yields slipped as markets eyed the future policies of President-elect Donald Trump and its impact on the U.S. economy, even as bitcoin traded near the $100,000 threshold. Traders are bracing for Trump's agenda after he takes office in January, which is expected to include tariffs, tax cuts and deregulation. Trump has been nominating senior officials in his administration, and markets are awaiting his pick for Treasury secretary. Benchmark S&P 500 and the Dow were advancing and set to finish the week higher. Consumer discretionary, industrials, consumer staples, and financials stocks were driving gains while communication services and technology equities were the biggest losers. The Nasdaq was down in choppy trading although it was set for a weekly gain. Nvidia, the world's most valuable company, was down 2.5 per cent after the artificial intelligence chipmaker reported strong quarterly results but issued lacklustre sales forecasts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.51 per cent to 44,093.82, the S&P 500 rose 0.10 per cent to 5,954.64 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.18 per cent to 18,938.67. Europe's Stoxx 600 share index ended the week 1 per cent higher, snapping four straight weeks of losses. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe rose 0.16 per cent to 852.80. "The earnings of Nvidia were really solid and the market traded off a little bit but I don't think it was a major event that it could have been," said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at SiebertNXT in New York. "So we put that behind us and when we look at what else might be driving the market this week ... People are starting to think about what has happened to the market since Trump was elected and some of the appointments he's been making." The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes fell 1.8 basis points to 4.414 per cent, as markets reassess future rate cuts from the Federal Reserve given expectations that some of Trump's policies could be inflationary. The market is now pricing in a 53 per cent probability the Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points in December. Bets that Trump's administration will take a lighter-touch approach to regulation also propelled bitcoin to the brink of $100,000 for the first time. The world's largest cryptocurrency hit a fresh record high after rising above $99,000. It pared those gains and was up 0.63 per cent to $98,698. Ethereum declined 1.45 per cent to $3,300.12. The euro fell to a two-year low while the dollar gained after gauges of business activity were released in each region. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.57 per cent to 107.67, with the euro down 0.73 per cent at $1.0397 after falling to $1.0333, its lowest since Nov. 30, 2022. Oil prices were set for their biggest weekly rise in almost two months driven by the intensifying Russia-Ukraine conflict. Brent crude futures rose 0.92 per cent to $74.91 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 1.1 per cent to $70.87 a barrel. Gold prices breached the $2,700 threshold for the first time in two weeks, on track for their biggest weekly gain in over a year. Spot gold rose 1.21 per cent to $2,701.95 an ounce. U.S. gold futures rose 0.76 per cent to $2,692.30 an ounce.The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by January 19 while the government emphasised its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Mr Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case. The filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for January 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute, leading TikTok to appeal to the Supreme Court. The brief from Mr Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office”.US to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, pushing to get aid out before Biden leaves office
Wearable robot 'X-ble Shoulder' to boost industrial efficiency and reduce musculoskeletal injuries Designed to assist overhead work by enhancing upper arm muscle strength, expected to find use in various industries The strong yet lightweight X-ble Shoulder enhances worker comfort by reducing shoulder load by 60% and muscle activity by 30% Hyundai Motor and Kia's Robotics LAB announced commercialization plan for X-ble Shoulder, expected to begin deliveries in first half of 2025 SEOUL, South Korea , Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have unveiled a reliable companion for industrial work, the wearable robot 'X-ble Shoulder.' This device, just by being worn, can increase workers' efficiency and reduce musculoskeletal injuries. Two videos released on Hyundai Motor Group's YouTube channel show the X-ble Shoulder in action, including product features and the development story . Hyundai Motor and Kia unveiled the X-ble Shoulder at Wearable Robot Tech Day held at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang near Seoul . The X-ble brand — a combination of 'X,' symbolizing infinite potential, and 'able,' indicating that anything can be realized — heralds a new era in wearable technology. The X-ble Shoulder, the first product in the X-ble line, is an industrial wearable robot developed by Hyundai Motor and Kia's Robotics LAB. When used in 'overhead work' where the arm is raised, it can assist the user's upper arm muscle strength and reduce the burden on the upper extremity musculoskeletal system. The X-ble Shoulder will find use in various industries, including construction, shipbuilding, aviation and agriculture, not just automobiles. Following its domestic launch, the companies plan to gradually expand sales to overseas markets. In addition to the X-ble Shoulder, Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to develop an industrial wearable robot 'X-ble Waist' to assist the waist when lifting heavy loads, and a medical wearable robot 'X-ble MEX' for the rehabilitation of the walking impaired. "The X-ble Shoulder is a wearable robot that leverages the technical capabilities of the Robotics LAB and implements feedback from actual users," said Dong Jin Hyun , Vice President and Head of Robotics LAB at Hyundai Motor and Kia. "Going forward, we aim to expand the availability of wearable robots, creating products that work naturally with users to enhance their daily lives. By pushing technological boundaries, we will make these beneficial products accessible to more people." View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyundai-motor-and-kias-robotics-lab-announce-plans-to-launch-x-ble-shoulder-at-wearable-robot-tech-day-302317253.html SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation