NEW YORK: The benchmark S&P 500 index hit a fresh record high on Thursday after a blowout revenue forecast from AI darling Nvidia boosted investor confidence in the sector and sparked a rally in growth and technology stocks. Nvidia galloped to $2 trillion market value as its shares surged 15.2 per cent after the chip designer forecast a roughly three-fold …

KATHMANDU: Former Nepal cricket captain San­d­eep Lamichhane appea­led against his eight-year prison sentence for rape on Thursday and was permitted to remain out of jail while the case proceeds. Lamichhane was once the poster boy for cricket in Nepal and the leg-spinner’s on-field success had boosted the sport’s profile in the Himalayan republic. The 23-year-old was convicted of the rape of a …

ISLAMABAD: Considering the reply of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) unsatisfactory, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Thursday formed a committee to investigate the matter of the athletes’ non-participation in the 11th Indoor Asian Athletics Champio­nship held in Tehran earlier this month. Pakistan athletes Shajar Abbas and Jaf­far Ashraf — despite being present in Iran’s capital — did not compete in …

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo gui­ded Al Nassr into the quarter-finals of the Asian Cham­pions Lea­gue on Wednesday as the Saudi Arabian side defeated domestic rivals Al Fay­ha 2-0 to progress 3-0 on aggregate. Nassr, who won last week’s first leg 1-0 thanks to a Ronaldo goal nine minutes from time, were the better side at Al Awwal Park and took the …

RANCHI: India said on Thursday they are primed for whatever the pitch has in store for the fourth Test but expect it to favour spinners, after England captain Ben Stokes said he “had never seen anything like” the Ranchi wicket. The Rohit Sharma-led hosts are looking to seal the series in the Test beginning at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association …

LAHORE: Quetta Gladiators were getting closer. Although not cruising, they were nearing the paltry 139-run target set by Islamabad United with fair ease. United, meanwhile, were desperate. They were not shying away from putting up a fight on a chilly night here in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) match at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. And the Shadab Khan-led …

PARIS: Governments around the world are “reaching beyond their borders” to attack their own citizens abroad in order to crush dissent, Human Rights Watch said on Thurs­day, urging more protection for them. The New York-based rights group said so-called “transnational repression” was having a “chilling effect” on political criticism and called on countries and international organisations to take action. “Methods… …

ISLAMABAD: In a rare comparison before leaving portfolio on completion of about six months, caretaker Finance Minister Dr Shamshad Akhtar on Thursday claimed better debt management — domestic and external — from all aspects than her predecessor Ishaq Dar in the PDM-led coalition government, apparently pitching for her continuation. “Borrowings in the caretaker government’s term have been lower as compared …

KARACHI: The nation’s battle with debt repayment has intensified amid a drop in the State Bank’s foreign exchange reserves and rising political uncertainty, currency experts said. The SBP reported on Thursday that its foreign exchange reserves fell by $44 million during the week ending Feb 16 due to debt servicing, highlighting the ongoing financial strain Despite an uptick in remittances …