Category: WASHINGTON

• Seattle

The stock of Elon Musk-run Tesla soared almost 15 per cent on Wednesday in early trade on Nasdaq (US time), making it one of the biggest winners in the S&P 500 index.

Republican candidate Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House, on Wednesday hailed Elon Musk, saying America has a "new star" in him, highlighting the tech billionaire's significant achievements. 

Former US President Donald Trump has secured 120 electoral college votes and Vice-President Kamala Harris 99 as polling closed in states at 9 p.m. Eastern time, according to projections by the Associated Press.

The outcome of the 2024 US presidential election could be known as early as Wednesday morning, just a few hours after the polling ends on Tuesday. Or it could take days, weeks, and, as it happened in one instance, a month.

More than 78 million American voters had already cast their ballot by Monday morning, on the eve of Election Day as Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump crisscrossed the seven battleground states with their closing remarks.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris have collectively raised $154 million in the seven biggest battleground states, and while Harris' fundraising has far surpassed Trump's overall, the ex-President is within striking distance of her cash haul -- or even surpassed it -- in a couple of closely watched states where they're neck-and-neck.

“At its core, Diwali is about the idea that light will push back against darkness, that compassion, curiosity can overcome ignorance, that each of us has an obligation to care for the other,” he said on Friday at the State Department celebration of the festival.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defence destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East region.

Inflation was cited as the topmost election issue by the single largest group of Indian-Americans surveyed for a recent poll, while abortion and jobs/economy were the topmost for the next largest cohorts.

The White House has cautioned Iran against responding to Israel's retaliation, saying that the US will support Israel in defending itself if Iran chooses to respond.

Democratic Party's presidential candidate Kamala Harris has said that although she was proud of being President Joe Biden's Vice President, her presidency will be different because the challenges are different.

The US has said that it is "closely following" the developments related to the India-China LAC agreement and it "welcomes any reduction in tensions" along the border.

The Harris campaign has said that it believes the polls showed the presidential race so close in the battleground states because "many people are still undecided".

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has highlighted India's commitment towards African countries which has been redefined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, particularly in areas such as infrastructure development and healthcare and also urged the G7 and G20 nations to intensify their support.

India saved pilferages worth $40 billion in the last eight years with the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes of the government, according to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. 

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that India wants to enhance its influence in the world as one in every six persons is Indian and the world cannot ignore India's economy.

The US Space Force’s Space Systems Command issued Launch Service Task Orders (LSTOs) totalling $733,566,001 to SpaceX under the “National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1.”

US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has requested a briefing from the State Department on reports of "the rise in harassment and violence against Hindus" and other minority communities in Bangladesh following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A man in illegal possession of a shotgun and a loaded handgun was arrested at an intersection near former US President Donald Trump's rally in Coachella, California, the police said as per media reports.

The MoU will also pave the way for the two countries to launch joint projects in a third country and seek investments from other countries, the Commerce Minister said at a news conference to review his meetings with US officials.

Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and his US counterpart Gina Raimondo co-chaired the 6th meeting of the US-India CEO Forum, which is the highest platform for discussing trade and commerce between the two countries.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar held a "productive" meeting with US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden has directed American forces to aid Israel's defence against Iran, which launched missile attacks against the Jewish state.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar is set to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, where a range of bilateral and global issues will be on the agenda.

The NASA-SpaceX mission safely reached orbit, after it was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission is significant as it marks the first human spaceflight to launch from Space Launch Complex-40.