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RIYADH: Saudi officials are in “difficult” talks to keep Cristiano Ron­aldo in the country, a source with kno­wledge of the negotiations told AFP on Thursday, after the star footballer suggested he was leaving Al Nassr. The Portuguese superstar, whose arrival in 2023 heralded a rush of late-career players to the oil-rich country, could transfer to Al Hilal and feature at the upcoming Club World Club, the source said. “There is an ongoing difficult negotiation to convince Ronaldo to stay and play” in the Saudi Pro League next season, said the source from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a major investor…

Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty ImagesFederal student loan borrowers could be in repayment for up to 30 years under proposed changes in the House Republicans’ massive spending and tax package, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”Currently, most student loan repayment plans range from 10 years to 25 years — which already generate concerns about people bringing their education debt into middle-age and beyond, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.”A 30-year repayment term means indentured servitude,” Kantrowitz said.The House passed the bill last week. With control of Congress, Republicans can use “budget reconciliation” to pass their legislation, which only…

LAHORE: A pumped-up Pakistan side will look to go all out against Bangladesh in the second T20 International in Lahore on Friday to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series. Pakistan during the past year or so have experienced an alarming decline in their T20 International contests, winning only nine while losing nineteen. Currently languishing at eighth in the ICC T20 International team rankings, the Green-shirts under new captain Salman Ali Agha no doubt will seek to make progress against Bangladesh who are ninth. The home side in the series opener on Wednesday comfortably defeated Bangladesh by 37 runs…

Javelin star Arshad Nadeem and compatriot Muhammad Yasir on Friday qualified for the finals of the Asian Athletics Championships, months after the former made the country proud with his historic win at the Paris 2024 Olympics. On Thursday, Arshad had said that he was preparing to participate and secure a win in the tournament. More than 2000 athletes from 43 countries are competing at the 26th Asian Athletics Championships, taking place in South Korea. The Mian Channu-born elite athlete cruised into the final with an 86.34m throw on his first and only attempt in the A Qualification round. He will…

CNN  —  President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs — both those he has threatened and those he has already enacted — have led many economists and American consumers to predict that the US economy could enter a recession while also pushing up inflation. But a federal court’s ruling late Wednesday that found Trump exceeded his authority to impose many tariffs could significantly disrupt the president’s trade agenda — and potentially even nullify tariffs that are already in effect. The White House immediately appealed the ruling. And it remains to be seen whether the tariffs being challenged can remain in effect during…

Washington CNN  —  President Donald Trump on Thursday met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for the first time in his second term, according to a statement from the central bank. The meeting, which comes after months of unrelenting attacks from Trump against the Fed chief, took place at the White House and was at Trump’s request. “Chair Powell did not discuss his expectations for monetary policy, except to stress that the path of policy will depend entirely on incoming economic information and what that means for the outlook,” the Fed said in its statement. Trump has described Powell as…

In the escalating standoff between Harvard University and the White House, trade schools could come out on top.As part of a broader crackdown at the nation’s wealthiest and most elite Ivy League schools, President Donald Trump recently signaled that he would divert funds from Harvard to financially support vocational training.”I am considering taking THREE BILLION DOLLARS of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land,” Trump posted on Monday on Truth Social.It’s unclear how the president’s plan might work, and there would be many obstacles associated with redirecting federal funding. But the…

Washington CNN  —  The US economy shrank slightly less in the beginning of the year than previously reported, new data shows, but it was still the first quarterly decline since 2022, in a sign of how President Donald Trump’s chaotic and aggressive tariff regime is affecting American consumers and businesses. Gross domestic product, which captures all the goods and services produced in the economy, registered an annualized rate of -0.2% in the first quarter, according to the Commerce Department’s second estimate released Thursday. An initial estimate showed that GDP fell 0.3%. Trump’s tariffs have prompted American companies and consumers to…

NEW DELHI: Cricket legend Virat Kohli was announced on Wednesday as the newest investor in the World Bowling League. The Indian superstar joins the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts as high-profile partners in the venture. Like Betts, announced in March as the owner of the WBL’s Team OMG, Kohli has been bowling since childhood. “I started bowling when I was 11 years old, spinning the ball by 12,” Kohli shared. “It is evident how popular the sport is while being underappreciated as a business proposition.” Kohli, 36, is the world’s third-most followed athlete on Instagram behind only soccer icons Ronaldo…

BIRMINGHAM: Jamie Smith will open the batting for England in Thursday’s ODI against West Indies here at Edgbaston, captain Harry Brook confirmed on Wednesday ahead of the three-match series. “He’s got the strength to do so — the technique to be able to face the swinging ball,” said Brook, who takes charge of his first match since replacing Jos Buttler as captain. Smith, who will open alongside Ben Duckett, batted at three during England’s disappointing ICC Champions Trophy campaign, averaging a meagre eight with a top score of 15. He comes in at seven for the Test team. “Baz [head…