H Company

The United States is tightening immigration enforcement, and the H-1B skilled worker visa programme is at the centre of the debate. Analysts, including India's Vivekananda International Foundation, warn that stricter scrutiny, higher costs and uncertainty are complicating pathways for foreign professionals, particularly Indian tech workers, who account for the largest share of H-1B recipients.

US immigration firm Pabian Law released a weekly video explaining work visa options available to foreign nationals throughout the year, covering pathways that are not limited to annual lottery windows such as the H-1B. The discussion focuses on employer-sponsored routes like L-1, O-1 and TN classifications, and practical timing for companies and applicants considering filing outside peak seasons.

William H. Draper III, the pioneering Silicon Valley venture capitalist, has died according to a New York Times obituary. Draper helped shape the early venture capital industry, backing numerous technology companies and serving as head of the US Export-Import Bank and the UN Development Programme. Tributes and remembrances are circulating among the technology and investing communities.

NPR's weekly science roundup highlights three stories: unusually loud birds, research on how eating with company affects us, and new findings from asteroid samples. The roundup gathers recent developments in nature, behavior, and space research into a single digest for general readers.

Attention is on the debt-to-assets ratio of Star Sports Medicine Co., Ltd Class H shares, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under ticker 1609. The measure, which indicates how much of the company's assets are financed by debt, is being tracked as investors assess the sports medicine company's balance sheet strength and financial risk.

NPR's weekly science roundup highlights three stories: research on unusually loud birds, findings on how eating in company affects people, and new insights from asteroid samples. The roundup packages recent studies and discoveries into one digest for listeners. Reaction details beyond the broadcast summary are limited, but it fits the pattern of news outlets offering accessible weekly recaps of scientific research.

A Swedish company has used an artificial intelligence-generated likeness of the late film star Greta Garbo in an advertisement, according to The New York Times. The campaign has drawn attention as one of the latest examples of AI being used to recreate deceased celebrities, reigniting debate over consent, estates' control of image rights and the ethics of digitally reviving Hollywood icons for commercial purposes.

Donald Trump hosted a lunch bringing together leaders of nearly every major technology company to discuss artificial intelligence. The notable exception was Apple, which was not part of the gathering despite its standing in the industry. The meeting highlights ongoing efforts to align the tech sector with the administration's AI agenda, and the conspicuous absence of the iPhone maker has drawn attention.

A US federal judge has struck down the latest version of the $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions, blocking the Trump administration's steep charge on skilled-worker immigration. The ruling affects employers who sponsor foreign professionals, including technology companies that rely heavily on the H-1B program, and marks a significant legal setback for the administration's immigration fees.

H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) is drawing investor attention with commentary arguing that its core tax preparation business remains resilient despite concerns about disruption. The analysis suggests demand for tax services persists even as software and DIY filing options expand, making the case that the company's franchise is harder to displace than skeptics assume.

A second federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration's $100,000 fee on H-1B skilled-worker visas, blocking its enforcement. The decision follows an earlier court ruling against the same policy, deepening the administration's legal setbacks on immigration measures. Employers and tech companies that rely on foreign workers are watching closely as the cases make their way through the courts.

A technology company has reached a deal to acquire the former IBM campus in the hills of San Jose, California, according to The Mercury News. The purchase signals renewed commercial real estate activity in the South Bay, where large corporate campuses have changed hands as companies reassess office space. Details on the buyer and price were not immediately disclosed.

Charles Kantor, cofounder of French AI startup H Company, has launched a new venture building an AI neocloud, providing cloud infrastructure tailored to artificial intelligence workloads. The move adds to a wave of founders leaving prominent AI labs to bet on compute infrastructure, one of the fastest-growing corners of the startup landscape.

A second federal court has ruled against the Trump administration's $100,000 fee on new H-1B skilled-worker visa petitions. The decision adds to earlier judicial pushback against the fee, which was introduced as part of the administration's broader immigration restrictions. Employers, immigration lawyers and tech companies that rely on foreign skilled workers are watching closely, as the rulings cast doubt on whether the fee can be enforced while appeals proceed.

Anthropic has joined ARPA-H's clinical AI moonshot program and will host a closed-door event focused on health care applications of artificial intelligence. The partnership signals growing involvement of major AI companies in US government-backed medical research, as health agencies push to bring advanced AI tools into clinical settings.