Author: admin

The final season of super-hit “Squid Game” helped drive Netflix to strong second quarter earnings.No Ju-han/Netflix Boosted by increases in pricing, a flood of new overseas subscribers and the continued advertiser interest in the platform, Netflix outpaced analyst expectations with its second quarter earnings results released Thursday after the market closed. The country’s largest streamer had anticipated good numbers with the release of big-buzz shows like Squid Game and Ginny & Georgia during the quarter. It was also buoyed by the subscription price increase in January and a new partnership with a French broadcaster that expanded access to its shows…

Pakistan on Friday beat India 3-0 in the Asian Men’s U-16 Volleyball Championship semi-final being held in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. “Team Pakistan U-16 Men’s Volleyball continues its dream run at the 2nd Asian Men’s U-16 Volleyball Championship 2025 in Thailand by defeating arch-rivals India in the semi-final,” the Pakistan Volleyball Association announced in a post on Instagram. Pakistan beat India with a clean sweep by winning three straight sets (25-16, 25-19, 25-12). “Stellar performances from Junaid, Faizan, Irfan, and Talha powered the Green Shirts into the Final and one step closer to glory,” the association said. With this victory, Pakistan…

US President Donald Trump arrives to speak on his policy to end tax on tips in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 25, 2025. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” includes a section called “no tax on tips” — an idea that both Republicans and Democrats floated during the 2024 campaign.Now that the provision has been enacted, questions remain about how the tax break works and who qualifies.Despite its name, “no tax on tips” doesn’t eliminate tax on tips, which are still subject to payroll and state taxes. Instead, it’s a deduction worth up to $25,000.…

Pakistani cueist Muhammad Asif is set to face India’s Brijesh Damani in the final of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Masters Snooker Championship 2025 in Bahrain’s Manama city on Friday. The former world amateur champion advanced to the final after securing a 4-2 win over India’s Manan Chandra in the semi-final held on Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain. The frame scores were 118-6, 0-84, 25-76, 92-11, 87-62, and 72-41. Asif’s match today against Damani will be held at 6pm Bahrain Time (8pm PKT), the IBSF said in a post on Instagram. Asif qualified for the semifinals…

President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package includes a new child savings account with a one-time deposit of $1,000 from the federal government for newborns.The premise is simple: So-called “Trump accounts,” a type of tax-advantaged savings account, will be available to all children who are U.S. citizens starting in July 2026. Beyond that, the rules get somewhat confusing, tax experts say.Funding a Trump accountUnder Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” children born in 2025 through 2028 will also receive a $1,000 deposit each in their Trump account, funded by the Department of the Treasury. There are no income requirements.Parents and others will be able to contribute…

Pakistani cueist Muhammad Asif has advanced to the final of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Masters Snooker Championship 2025, being held in Manama, Bahrain, the federation said on Thursday. According to the IBSF, the former world amateur champion secured a 4-2 win over India’s Manan Chandra in the semi-final held on Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain. The frame scores were 118-6, 0-84, 25-76, 92-11, 87-62, and 72-41. Asif will face India’s Brijesh Damani in the final on Friday (today). The match will be held at 6pm Bahrain Time, 8pm PKT, the IBSF said in a post…

New York/Washington CNN  —  If President Donald Trump were to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, it could have unintended and severe consequences that reverberate throughout the US economy and global markets. For now, the likelihood of the president actually moving to oust the head of the central bank remains low, due to the legal hurdles required. That’s partly why investors have seemingly grown numb to Trump’s ongoing admonishment, even after the president brandished a draft of a termination letter for the Fed chair in front of lawmakers on Tuesday night. Another reason is that Trump’s own economic advisers have…

TUNIS: Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur is taking a break from competitive tennis, the 30-year-old said in a social media post on Thursday. Tunisia’s Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, has struggled with her form in recent months, failing to get past the third round of a major this year. The two-time Wimbledon finalist’s campaign came to a disappointing end at the All England Club last month as she retired from her first-round clash against Viktoriya Tomova, unable to continue after a long medical timeout. The former world number two suffers from asthma and…

BARCELONA’S Lamine Yamal poses with his new jersey. —Reuters BARCELONA: Three days after turning 18, Lamine Yamal received the most special gift of all — Barcelona’s iconic number 10 shirt, capping a remarkable breakthrough season for the youngster. Although the electric winger has eschewed comparisons to all-time Barca great Lionel Messi, he has followed in the Argentine’s footsteps by taking the number 10, also worn by Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho among other historic Barca stars. “I will try to continue this legacy,” said Yamal told reporters on Wednesday, undaunted by the shirt’s history. “Messi paved the way with the number…

CNN  —  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell responded by letter Thursday to a senior Trump administration official who accused the head of the central bank of mismanaging an “ostentatious overhaul” of its Washington, DC, headquarters. Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, suggested in a social media post last week that Powell had broken the law by failing to comply with government oversight regulations related to the Fed’s ongoing $2.5 billion renovation, which includes the historic marble Marriner S. Eccles Building on the National Mall. “The President is extremely troubled by your management of the Federal Reserve…