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Amazon shares surge as AWS rebounds, AI demand lifts outlook Amazon (AMZN.O) shares jumped nearly 12% in premarket trade on Friday after strong growth at its cloud unit and a bullish sales outlook eased fears that the tech giant was falling behind rivals in the AI race. Revenue at Amazon Web Services, the hub of the company's recent AI investments, rose 20% in the third quarter, compared with Microsoft Azure's 40% and Google Cloud's 34%. However, analysts said the rebound marked a potential turning point for Amazon. The company's $33 billion in quarterly cloud revenue is more than double that of Google's $15.16 billion. "There was definitely concern about AWS losing market share to Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud," said Jed Ellerbroek, portfolio manager at Argent Capital. "But now AWS is aboard the train as well and they're seeing a big revenue increase." The Seattle-based company has relied on strong cloud demand to offset pressures on e-...

Halo comes to PlayStation, signals a new direction for Xbox The announcement that Halo: Campaign Evolved will arrive on PlayStation is one of those moments that five years ago would have screamed “alternate universe” to any fan of gaming ecosystems. But for Xbox, battered by layoffs, studio closures, and an increasingly light release schedule, this signal may instead mark a strategic pivot: multi-platforming its marquee titles and moving away from the old console-war paradigm. Xbox has already opened its flagship titles to rival platforms. Smaller games such as Grounded and Pentiment made their way to the Switch; others like Hi‑Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves landed on the PlayStation 5. After that came higher-profile releases such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, and Gears of War. Halo arriving on PS5 now stands as the apex of that multi-platform evolution. In May, Sony reported that Indiana Jones, The Elder Scrolls V: Oblivion Remaste...

Nvidia to supply more than 260,000 Blackwell AI chips to South Korea US semiconductor leader Nvidia on Friday said it will supply more than 260,000 of its most advanced AI chips to South Korea's government and some of the country's biggest businesses, including Samsung Electronics. The deal is the latest for a company at the core of a global race to integrate artificial intelligence into products and services, adding to a flurry of deals it is striking worldwide that helped it on Wednesday become the first $5 trillion firm. For Korea, the deal will put the country on track to become a regional AI hub after President Lee Jae Myung, who took office on June 4, prioritized AI investment to spur growth at a time when US tariffs have clouded the broader economic outlook. "Just as Korea's physical factories have inspired the world with sophisticated ships, cars, chips, and electronics, the nation can now produce intelligence as a new export that will drive global tra...

Trump tells Pentagon, US nuclear weapons testing to immediately resume US President Donald Trump ordered the US military on Thursday to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump made the surprise announcement on Truth Social while he was aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to meet Xi for a trade negotiating session in Busan, South Korea. He said he was instructing the Pentagon to test the US nuclear arsenal on an "equal basis" with other nuclear powers. "Because of other countries' testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately," Trump posted. "Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years". A senior Russian lawmaker said Trump's decision would herald a new era of unpredictability and open confrontation, sta...

PayPal and ChatGPT forge deal to integrate wallet into AI chatbot shopping Digital-payments giant PayPal announced today that its wallet will soon be embedded within ChatGPT’s “Instant Checkout” feature, enabling purchases directly in chat starting in 2026. The integration means users will retain access to the familiar PayPal interface, including their saved payment methods, shipping, and contact information. The partnership between PayPal and OpenAI comes just weeks after ChatGPT added a “Buy Now” button and rolled out Instant Checkout in marketplaces such as Shopify, Etsy, and is expanding to Walmart. Leveraging what OpenAI calls the “Agentic Commerce Protocol” (ACP), PayPal will not only serve as a payment option but also act as the connection between the vast PayPal-merchant network and ChatGPT’s new commerce layer, meaning merchants using PayPal can be discoverable in ChatGPT without separately integrating with OpenAI. Although PayPal is not available in Pakistan, the p...

Cameo sues OpenAI over “Cameo” feature in Sora app Cameo, the celebrity-video marketplace founded in 2017, has filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against OpenAI in a California federal court, alleging that OpenAI’s use of the term “cameo” in its newly launched Sora app feature confuses consumers and dilutes Cameo’s branding. The complaint argues that Sora’s “Cameos” feature, released on 30 September 2025, allows users to create AI-generated video likenesses, including of celebrities, and thus enters into direct competition with Cameo’s business model of personalized videos featuring real talent. Cameo contends that OpenAI “intentionally selected” the name to ride on its established goodwill, and fears that the term will be associated with “ersatz, hastily made AI slop and deepfakes featuring celebrities.” In a statement, Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said, “We do not take litigation lightly. While we attempted to resolve this matter with OpenAI amicably, they refused to stop using...

Musk-backed xAI launches Grokipedia to challenge Wikipedia Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company xAI has introduced Groki­pedia, a new AI-driven online encyclopedia intended as a direct competitor to Wikipedia, which Musk and several US conservative figures have long accused of ideological bias. The site, labeled version 0.1, reportedly contained more than 885,000 articles by Monday evening. In contrast, the English-language Wikipedia holds over seven million entries. Musk accompanied the launch with a promise that version 1.0 would be “10× better” than the live site, which he claimed is already “better than Wikipedia”. He added: “We will never be perfect, but we shall nonetheless strive towards that goal”. Groki­pedia’s content is generated by a generative-AI assistant called Grok, developed by xAI. Musk said the rollout was postponed from its originally scheduled end-September launch in order to “purge out the propaganda”. In a move that underscores his concerns regarding Wik...

Pakistan, Meta partner on AI, E-commerce, digital skills Jam Kamal Khan, Minister for Commerce, appreciated Meta’s collaboration in strengthening Pakistan’s digital economy. He stated that Pakistan is among South Asia’s fastest-growing digital economies, noting that over 75,000 IT graduates enter the market annually. Kamal noted that exports of IT and IT-enabled services had risen by 18% to reach $3.8 billion, while in the first quarter of the current fiscal year alone, IT exports grew by 21% to $1.06 billion. He said the National E-Commerce Policy 2.0 is being finalised, targeting a $20 billion market by 2030. The minister invited Meta to collaborate on AI ethics, digital safety, and e-commerce standards, noting that Pakistan has made significant progress in promoting artificial intelligence through the National AI Policy 2025 and the Digital Pakistan Act. Read: Bilawal, Meta delegation discuss AI, youth safety Kamal also invited Meta to partner in AI-skilling programmes for you...

Amazon targets as many as 30,000 corporate job cuts, sources say Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning on Tuesday, as the company pares expenses and compensates for overhiring during the peak demand of the pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter. The figure represents a small percentage of Amazon's 1.55 million total employees, but nearly 10% of its roughly 350,000 corporate employees. This would mark Amazon's largest job cut since late 2022, when it started to eliminate around 27,000 positions. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. Amazon has been trimming smaller numbers of jobs over the past two years across multiple divisions, including devices, communications and podcasting. The cuts beginning this week may affect a variety of divisions, including human resources, known as People Experience and Technology or PXT; operations, devices and services; and Amazon Web Services, the people said. Read More: Chegg to lay of...

Chegg to lay off 45% of workforce as AI disruption hits business Educational technology company Chegg (CHGG.N) said on Monday it would cut 388 roles globally, or about 45% of the workforce, to reduce costs and streamline operations as it works to adapt to the growing shift toward AI-powered tools. The company, which offers textbook rentals, homework help and tutoring, said the "new realities of AI and reduced traffic from Google to content publishers have led to a significant decline in Chegg's traffic and revenue". Chegg also said Dan Rosensweig would return as CEO effective immediately, replacing Nathan Schultz, who has stepped down and would serve as an executive adviser. Rosensweig had previously led the company from February 2010 to June 2024. The Santa Clara, California-based company expects to incur charges of roughly $15 million to $19 million related to the restructuring by the first quarter of 2026, and $12 million to $16 million by the fourth quarter of 2026....

Meta, TikTok, Snap to deactivate under-16 accounts under new Australian law Instagram owner Meta and other social media firms said on Tuesday they will comply with a ban on users under the age of 16, adding that they will start deactivating accounts once the law takes effect on December 10. In parliament, Meta, TikTok owner ByteDance and Snapchat owner Snap said they continued to believe the ban would not protect young people, but they would soon reach out to owners of more than a million underage accounts to prepare them for the change. Their comments represented a shift in the social media industry's response to the law, which is being watched by lawmakers around the world as concern grows about youth mental health. Under the Australian law, platforms must take "reasonable steps" to block users aged less than 16 or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($32.5 million). The platforms previously argued that the ban would drive young people to more dangerous corners of the...

Netflix broadens focus from gaming to interactivity Netflix said it is expanding its gaming initiative into a broader strategy centered on interactive entertainment, as the company seeks to merge storytelling with user participation. Speaking during the company’s third-quarter 2025 earnings call, Co-Chief Executive Greg Peters said Netflix views its gaming efforts as part of a larger push to create new forms of interactive content. According to The Verge, Peters said, “We’ve mostly talked so far about our work in this space as games because that’s an easy shorthand,” “But we see this initiative as more about interactivity broadly. How does interactivity become complementary to linear storytelling? How is it able to unlock whole new entertainment experiences?” As part of the strategy, Netflix is testing real-time audience participation features such as voting. The company is currently piloting this format with Dinner Time Live With David Chang and plans to apply it to its upcoming...

Yango introduces new Flex Mode to allow drivers trip selection control Yango Ride has introduced a new feature called Flex Mode for partner drivers on the Yango Pro app, allowing users to work on a part-time basis with greater discretion over which trips they accept. The feature has been launched in Karachi, with rollout to other cities expected in the coming months. Flex Mode allows drivers to view fares and destinations before accepting a trip, and to choose when to work without incurring penalties for declining orders. According to the company, the feature is intended for individuals who want to earn supplementary income, including office workers, freelancers, retired persons and students who have variable schedules. Yango Pakistan's Country Head Miral Sharif said the mode is designed for those who do not rely on driving as a full-time occupation but seek flexibility in determining their working hours and trip selection. Flex Mode operates alongside the platform’s Max Mode, wh...

China’s DeepSeek AI becomes core of military modernisation, with integration of autonomous systems China's state-owned defence giant Norinco, in February, unveiled a military vehicle capable of autonomously conducting combat-support operations at 50 kilometres per hour. It was powered by DeepSeek, the company whose artificial intelligence model is the pride of China's tech sector. The Norinco P60’s release was touted by Chinese government officials in press statements as an early showcase of how Beijing is using DeepSeek and AI to catch up in its arms race with the United States, at a time when leaders in both countries have urged their militaries to prepare for conflict. A Reuters review of hundreds of research papers, patents and procurement records gives a snapshot of the systematic effort by Beijing to harness AI for military advantage. Specifics of how the systems behind China's next-generation weapons work and the extent to which it has deployed them are a state sec...

New Ferrari token to let wealthy fans bid for Le Mans–winning 499P in auction Ferrari is tapping into crypto markets and tech-rich youngsters with a planned new digital token that its wealthiest fans will be able to use in an auction for a Ferrari 499P, the endurance car that won three straight Le Mans titles. The plan for now is limited in scope and is an effort by the Italian sports car maker to tap into a trend among luxury brands seeking access to the growing wealth of younger tech entrepreneurs, as AI and data centres drive investment and markets around the world. It comes after Ferrari, which is also developing its first electric car, began accepting Bitcoin, ethereum and USDC for car purchases in the United States in 2023 and extended the service to Europe last year. Ferrari is working with Italian fintech Conio to launch the 'Token Ferrari 499P' for members of its Hyperclub — which groups 100 of its most exclusive clients, with a passion for endurance races...

AI’s false alarm: US police handcuff teen after Doritos bag mistaken for gun Police handcuffed a 16-year-old student after an AI gun-detection system flagged a "possible weapon", which turned out to be a bag of Doritos. This has sparked a debate about the place of AI in everyday lives, especially in schools, and paying attention to this is imperative for Pakistan, as we should learn from international incidents to inform our own implementation of AI. This took place on Monday in Maryland, US, outside Kenwood High School. International news outlets say that local officers responded to a report of “suspicious person with a weapon”, and on arrival, the police ordered the teenager to the ground, handcuffed and searched him, but found no firearm. The student told their local outlets he had eaten some crisps and placed the empty packet in his pocket when several police cars arrived “with guns” drawn. “They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me,” he s...

Drone policing in Lahore approved The Punjab government has decided to introduce new laws on drone policing, integrated security and arms regulation to eradicate weapons smuggling. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired the fourth meeting on law and order, in which important decisions were taken to make the province free of weapons. The government decided to re-examine and scrutinise one million licensed weapons across the province by introducing the Punjab Surrender of Illegal Arms Act 2025, which will be implemented in three phases of return of weapons, their destruction and enforcement of arms laws. Illegal arms holders were directed to surrender their weapons within 15 days, and a complete check of licensed arms will be conducted across the province soon. The owners and issuers of licensed arms will be verified. It was decided in the meeting that federal arms licence holders in Punjab will also be checked, and the provincial government will contact the central authorities for...

Instagram launches long-awaited ‘Watch History’ feature for Reels Instagram has introduced a new “Watch History” feature, allowing users to view Reels they have previously watched, a capability that rival platform TikTok has offered for several years. The update aims to help users rediscover Reels they lost or forgot to save. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a video statement that the feature was developed to make it easier for people to locate reels they had seen but could not find again. Users can access the new option by navigating to Profile → Settings → Your Activity → Watch History, where all previously viewed Reels will appear. Unlike TikTok’s version, Instagram’s watch history provides additional tools for sorting and managing viewed content. Users can filter videos by date, such as the past week, month, or a custom period and also delete specific items from their history. Sorting options include chronological, reverse chronological, and creator-based order. Instagram said...

Hedge funds boost AI hardware bets to record highs, Goldman Sachs reports Hedge funds' exposure to artificial intelligence-related tech hardware reached its highest in October since Goldman Sachs (GS.N) started tracking the data in 2016, the US bank said in a client note. Hedge fund buying in semiconductor and related chip industry stocks, considered to be sensitive to economic and business cycles, suggests speculators believe rising markets have further to go, Goldman said in the note on Thursday, seen by Reuters on Friday. Hedge fund stock buying centred on long positions, betting these equities would rise, in Asia and US companies, said Goldman. BCA Research's Chief US Investment Strategist Doug Peta said in a research note on Tuesday that companies poised to benefit from prospective AI profits or investment are thriving while those without an AI link are lagging. Communications services, .SPLRCL technology, .SPLRCT and utilities .SPLRCU...

What to look out for at Health Asia 2025 happening at Karachi Expo Centre Health Asia Exhibition is being held at the Karachi Expo Centre from the 23rd to the 25th of October, and is the largest health sector exhibition held in Pakistan with over 200 exhibitors this year and more than 24 countries participating, including Iran, China and Russia. "The destination you have chosen - the right place to be is here," said Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, addressing representatives from foreign companies. "Our country's population is growing bigger and bigger. It's a big market...The economy is of scale here" Below are some exhibitors who stood out at the event. All-in-one x-ray machine — Rays Medical World A Pakistani company specialises in manufacturing and supplying imaging equipment, such as MRI machines, CT scans, and X-ray technology. They are currently innovating with a new kind of all-in-one X-ray machine that can do both full-body imagery as w...

First locally made advanced X-ray machine unveiled The country’s first locally manufactured advanced X-ray machine was unveiled at the 22nd Health Asia International Exhibition and Conference in Karachi on Thursday. According to Muhammad Rafiq, Director of Rays Medical World, the firm had earlier produced basic X-ray machines that were installed in several hospitals across Pakistan. The latest model, however, is an upgraded FDR (Flat Panel Digital Radiography) system which is designed and assembled entirely by Pakistani engineers using local resources. “An imported advanced X-ray machine costs around Rs15 million, but it is priced at Rs4 million. The Chughtai Lab, Kutiyana Memon Hospital use these versions,” Rafiq told The Express Tribune. “Our model costs significantly less than imported machines, making advanced radiography more accessible for local hospitals,” he said, adding the company also plans to export the device in the near future. “The purpose of our new design is to make ...

After spat with Musk's X, India limits content takedown powers to fewer officials The Indian government has reduced the number of officials who can order content to be taken down from the internet, a move that follows a bitter legal battle with Elon Musk's X that centered around a contentious policy. X, Musk's social media platform, had been in opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2023 decision to police the internet by allowing thousands of officials to file takedown orders. In August, Reuters reported that police inspectors were issuing takedown orders on cartoons and satirical posts, sparking one of X's most high-profile legal challenges against a government's content-removal policy. X lost the lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court in September, with a judge ruling that its challenge was without merit and X had to abide by local laws. But late on Wednesday, India's IT ministry changed its policy by limiting the number of people who can issue such ...

Airbus opens second assembly line in China amid US-China trade tensions Airbus (AIR.PA) said on Wednesday it had opened a second assembly line in China, increasing manufacturing capacity for its best-selling A320neo family of single-aisle jets. The new line completes a jigsaw of 10 global final assembly lines that Airbus says will be involved in a production drive, including two each in the US and China. The second Chinese line in the port city of Tianjin near Beijing is set to be fully operational in early 2026, the European planemaker said in a statement. Its inauguration comes just over a week after Airbus opened a second final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said the second Tianjin production line would give the planemaker the "flexibility and capacity we need to reach our target of 75 A320-family aircraft per month by 2027," as he reiterated a global production goal. Analysts estimate Airbus is currently producing about 6...

OpenAI launches AI browser Atlas OpenAI on Tuesday launched ChatGPT Atlas, an artificial intelligence-powered web browser built around its popular chatbot, in a move that aims to loosen Google Chrome’s tight grip on the market. Shares of Alphabet, which owns the Chrome browser, were down 2.6% in afternoon trading. Read More: Bryan Cranston thanks OpenAI for tightening Sora 2 deepfake safeguards after likeness misuse incident The product marks the latest entrant in a fast-growing field of AI browsers, joining rivals such as Perplexity’s Comet and Opera’s Neon, as companies race to integrate tools that summarize pages, fill out forms, and draft code to attract users. Atlas allows users to open a ChatGPT sidebar in any window to summarize content, compare products, or analyze data from any website. In its agent mode, ChatGPT can interact with sites directly, performing tasks from start to finish — such as researching and booking a trip. Read More: OpenAI announces Broadcom partnership t...

Goldman Sachs warns China’s rare earth dominance threatens global supply chains Goldman Sachs flagged mounting risks to global supply chains of rare earths and other critical minerals, emphasising China's dominance in mining and refining, and outlining challenges for nations seeking to build independent supply chains. China expanded export curbs on rare earths on October 9, adding five new elements and extra scrutiny for semiconductor users ahead of an expected summit of leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. China's supply chain leverage In a note on Monday, Goldman Sachs said China controls 69% of global rare earth mining, 92% of refining, and 98% of magnet manufacturing. Rare earth elements (REEs) have become a flashpoint in geopolitics, as they are critical to high-tech industries and essential in uses from batteries to computer chips, artificial intelligence, and defence equipment. While the rare earth market was valued at $6 billion last year, just a fraction the size of...