&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Latest News India and World LIVE updates: White House press room revamp proposed; NYC mayor dances garba; India calls for Cyprus mobility pact")
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly discussed removing journalists from the White House press briefing room and restoring a historic indoor swimming pool, a proposal that has gained support among some of his advisers amid escalating tensions between the administration and the news media. During a meeting in the Oval Office in late August, Trump reportedly urged Karoline Leavitt, who was then serving as White House press secretary, to move reporters out of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. In front of several senior aides, he described the move as her ‘last legacy’.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined Navratri celebrations in New York and performed Garba along with members of the Indian community. The Indian-origin leader received a rousing welcome at the Navratri event. Videos shared online shows the 35-year-old dancing along with dozens of women who were dressed in festive Indian wear. Mamdani is seen wearing a black suit, with an Indian-style scarf on top. On Tuesday, Mamdani also extended his greetings to the Hindu community on X. He highlighted the pluralistic nature of the celebrations by acknowledging diverse regional traditions, such as Durga Puja, Dashain, Dussehra, and Navratri, and rituals like Sindur Khela and Golu displays. He is the first South Asian, Indian American, and Muslim mayor of New York City. He is the son of celebrated Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani. He takes part in all major festivals of all communities.
The High Commissioner of India to Cyprus, Manish, has called for a formal migration and mobility agreement with Cyprus to ensure legal, predictable pathways for Indian nationals while protecting their rights, amid a sharp increase in arrivals through student permits and temporary work arrangements. Speaking in a recent interview with the television station Alpha, Manish stressed that Indians in Cyprus arrive through official channels. “Whatever Indians you are seeing here, all of them are coming here legally,” he said. “They are not coming illegally. They are all coming here legally after permits, visas, work permits, student permit, which is given by your ministries and department, but the challenge is to have a framework agreement for legal and predictable migration.”
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Elon Musk said Tuesday (Oct 20) that he would back a merger of SpaceX and Tesla, as his rocket and AI company reported its first quarterly profit since going public, driven by deals to rent out computing power to AI firms. Asked about a possible tie-up on a call with analysts, Musk said he felt he was "tap dancing through a minefield," but noted that a combination would be "a good idea." Shares in SpaceX shot up nearly five per cent in after-hours trading following the comments.
