Author: admin

As Bitcoin surges, crypto companies are jockeying for position.getty Kraken, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, with $43 billion in assets and 2.5 million customers, is expanding into crypto derivatives in the U.S. in a bid to position itself as a full-service trading house and attract new smart money. The Wyoming-based crypto exchange has actually been offering derivatives in Europe, where it claims to have over 35% market share, since 2019. The U.S. expansion comes amid growing appetite for these instruments and a more crypto-friendly regulatory environment under President Donald Trump. It’s a “huge area of growth,” says Shannon Kurtas,…

As the Trump administration overhauls the federal student loan repayment system, borrowers may soon find it difficult to keep up with their monthly payments, consumer advocates said.The SAVE, or Saving on a Valuable Education, plan, touted by the Biden administration as the most affordable repayment program ever, is now defunct. President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” phases out several other income-driven repayment plans, which were aimed at making payments manageable for student loan holders.”In many instances, borrowers will be left with no affordable options, increasing the risk of default,” said Nancy Nierman, assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance…

LONDON: After missing four years of Test duty due to injury, England speedster Jofra Archer is keen to make up for lost time and says he wants to play the final two Tests against India and prove he deserves a place in the squad for the Ashes series in Australia. Archer made his test comeback at Lord’s in the third Test, bowling at full tilt to claim five wickets, including three in the second innings as England clinched a 22-run victory to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. England management, men’s managing director Rob Key in particular, have been…

CNN  —  US wholesale inflation was muted in June, despite expectations for an increase amid the rollout of tariffs. The Producer Price Index, which measures the average change in prices paid to producers, was unchanged from May, and the annual rate of wholesale-level inflation slowed 2.3%, helped lower in part because of base effects (where the year-ago period experienced higher inflation). Economists had expected that prices would rise 0.2% on a monthly basis and 2.5% annually, according to FactSet. Stock futures moved higher after the data release. Dow futures were up 165 points, or 0.37%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.21%…

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday announced a Rs100 million grant for the Asia Cup Wheelchair Cricket Tournament in major support for sports involving persons with disabilities. According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s House, aside from the Rs100m grant, Murad also announced an annual grant of Rs15 million for the Pakistan Wheelchair Cricket Council (PWCC), along with a dedicated customised coaster (minibus) for the national wheelchair cricket team. PWCC is the governing body of wheelchair cricket in Pakistan and a founding member of the International Council of Wheelchair Cricket (ICWC). It focuses on providing sporting…

President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package will bring sweeping changes to federal student loans, in part by capping how much money people can borrow from the federal government to pay for college and graduate school.Among other measures, the legislation, which Trump has called the “one big, beautiful bill,” sets new limits for students and their families. The following changes go into effect for new borrowers on July 1, 2026:For the first time, borrowers will have a total lifetime borrowing limit of $257,500 for all federal student loans.Unsubsidized student loans for graduate students will be capped at $20,500 per year with a…

CNN  —  Battered by multiple years of high health care costs, employers are planning to shift more of the expense to workers in 2026, a new survey released Wednesday found. Just over half of employers are planning to adjust their health insurance offerings to increase staffers’ share of the cost, such as instituting higher deductibles or annual out-of-pocket maximums, according to Mercer’s Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2026. The tight labor market and rising cost of living in recent years had made companies more reluctant to add to workers’ financial burden, Mercer said. Some 45% of employers reported…

KARACHI: Ahtesham Humiyun and Hassan Usmani registered convincing wins to set up the 21st Westbury National Tennis Championship final in the Under-18 category here at the Karachi Club on Tuesday. Ahtesham swept aside Muzammil Bhand 6-2, 6-3, while Hassan downed Muhammad Yahya 7-5, 6-0 to book their spots in the final. Romaisa Malik, meanwhile, routed Safa Afzal 6-1, 6-0 in the girls U-18 semi-final. In the men’s quarter-finals Kashan Tariq overpowered Asif Ali Bachani 8-2 and Ismail Aftab beat Taimoor Ansari with the same score. Eschelle Asif delivered a flawless 8-0 victory over Taiba Yar Baig in the women’s last-four…

MANAMA: Pakistan’s campaign at the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship saw contrasting fortunes on Tuesday as Mohammad Asif stormed into the last 16 while compatriot Shahid Aftab bowed out following hard-fought battles. Asif, who won the Saarc Championship last year, delivered a masterclass in the last 24 round, dismantling Wales’ Tony Morgan 3-0. The 42-year-old displayed formidable break-building, sealing victory with runs of 55 [74(55)-10], a near-perfect 90 [106(90)-0] and 61 [89(61)-11]. Asif now faces Mohamed Shehab of the UAE in Wednesday’s last 16 round. Earlier, current national champion Shahid exited the championship after a 4-2 defeat to Qatar’s Bashar…

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced a revamped three-tier departmental cricket structure for the 2025-26 domestic season, marking a significant development in the country’s domestic setup. Set to commence in August and conclude in May 2026, the season will feature over 40 departmental teams divided across three grades — I, II and III. The structure introduces promotion and relegation mechanisms aimed at enhancing competitiveness. Grade-III, a new addition to the structure, will feature a two-day tournament scheduled for March-April 2026. Teams in this tier have been selected based on their performances in the 2024-25 President’s Trophy Grade-II.…