US tech clampdown widens to 32 firms across Asia and Middle East

The United States on Friday penalized two Chinese firms that acquired US chipmaking equipment for China’s top chipmaker SMIC, including them among 32 entities that were added to the Commerce Department’s restricted trade list, according to a US government posting. Twenty-three of the 32 were in China. GMC Semiconductor Technology (Wuxi) Co and Jicun Semiconductor Technology were placed on the list, formally known as … Read more

Utah student jailed in Charlie Kirk killing to face charges next week

The Utah trade school student jailed on suspicion of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk faces formal charges next week, according to the governor, from an act of violence widely seen as a foreboding inflection point in U.S. politics. Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested on Thursday night after relatives and a family friend alerted authorities … Read more

AI avatars bring comfort but can’t replace grieving

Diego Felix Dos Santos never expected to hear his late father’s voice again — until AI made it possible. “The tone of the voice is pretty perfect,” he says. “It feels like, almost, he’s here.” After the 39-year-old’s father unexpectedly passed away last year, Dos Santos travelled to his native Brazil to be with family. It was only after returning to … Read more

Alvarez, Crawford both scale 167.5 pounds for blockbuster bout

LAS VEGAS: Undisputed super middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and American challenger Terence Crawford faced off for one last time before their blockbuster bout at a raucous ceremonial weigh-in on Friday. Both were 167.5 pounds (75.9kg), half a pound under the supper middleweight limit, at the closed-door official weigh-in on Friday morning. They then … Read more

BlackRock to invest $700m in UK data centres during Trump visit

BlackRock plans to invest 500 million pounds ($700 million) in British data-centre infrastructure, one of a string of deals to be announced during US President Donald Trump’s state visit next week, Sky News reported on Saturday. BlackRock and Downing Street did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the report, which said BlackRock would invest through a new venture with Digital Gravity Partners. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink will join OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman … Read more

Gold prices in Pakistan Today

[ Gold prices fell in domestic and international markets on Saturday, tracking a slight dip in global rates. The international bullion rate eased by $2 to $3,643 an ounce, leading to a Rs200 decline in the local 24-carat gold rate to Rs386,300 per tola, according to the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Association. The price … Read more