27 h. ago Harvard scores big win over Trump as judge overturns billions in funding cuts

A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday ordered the reversal of the Trump administration’s cuts to more than US$2.6 billion in funding for research grants for Harvard University. US District Judge Allison Burroughs sided with the Ivy League school, ruling the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of White House demands for changes to its governance and policies. The ruling delivers a significant victory to Harvard in its battle with the Trump administration, which has also...

Politics

3 d. ago As US adds more semiconductor hurdles, Chinese firms could seize an opportunity

China’s drive for economic self-reliance is raising the spirits and prospects of its semiconductor industry, as insiders expect more home-grown technologies after Washington revoked waivers for some foreign-owned chipmakers’ factories in China to use US technologies in their operations. The Chinese branches of South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix, as well as Intel Semiconductor (Dalian), will lose their fast-track status for compliance as “validated end-users”, meaning they will need to...

Politics

6 d. ago Intel, Samsung, and SK hynix hit by another abrupt US policy change — government revokes waivers for advanced chipmaking tools at companies' China

Intel, Samsung, and SK hynix hit by another abrupt US policy change — government revokes waivers for advanced chipmaking tools at companies' China-based fabs  Tom's Hardware

Events

6 d. ago US makes it harder for Samsung, Intel to produce chips in China

The United States is making it more difficult for chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix to produce chips in China by revoking authorisations that allowed the companies to receive American semiconductor manufacturing equipment there, according to the Federal Register. The US Commerce Department had given the companies exemptions to sweeping restrictions created in 2022 on the sale of US semiconductor equipment to China. The companies will now need to obtain licences to buy the equipment for China. The...

Politics

6 d. ago US to make it harder for Intel, SK Hynix and Samsung to make chips in China

US to make it harder for Intel, SK Hynix and Samsung to make chips in China  Reuters

Politics

1 week ago Is India’s new sports law a game changer for athletes? ‘A valuable step’

India’s move to strengthen sports governance through a new law is set to transform the management of sports federations, empower athletes and pave the way for more investments across different disciplines, according to analysts. Among the key changes under the National Sports Governance Act, which was passed into law last week, a national sports board will be created to oversee all sports federations, including the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India, while a tribunal will be formed...

Sport

1 week ago Canada dropping many retaliatory tariffs in olive branch to Trump

Canada will remove its retaliatory tariffs on a long list of US products that comply with the existing North American trade deal, seeking to lower tensions with the White House. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the decision on Friday after a meeting with his cabinet. The government is changing its tariff policy to align more closely with US measures. That means a broad range of US-made consumer products will no longer face a 25 per cent tariff when imported into Canada, as of September 1, as...

Politics

2 w. ago Beijing floods a deadly reminder to prepare for climate change’s worst

When I first arrived in Beijing in the summer of 2012, I was greeted with what local authorities called “a historically rare storm”. Trains were late, traffic was congested, basements were flooded and a man driving an SUV drowned in logged water under the Guangqumen Bridge. A total of 79 people died and the government vowed to make changes. Then Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong said the disaster had exposed many issues in Beijing’s urban planning, infrastructure and emergency management, stressing the...

Events

2 w. ago Beijing floods should spark rethink in disaster preparedness

When I first arrived in Beijing in the summer of 2012, I was greeted with what local authorities called “a historically rare storm”. Trains were late, traffic was congested, basements were flooded and a man driving an SUV drowned in logged water under the Guangqumen Bridge. A total of 79 people died and the government vowed to make changes. Then Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong said the disaster had exposed many issues in Beijing’s urban planning, infrastructure and emergency management, stressing the...

Events