Arena in Birmingham cleared after report of suspicious bag, with comedian pulled from stage mid-performance A man has been charged over a bomb hoax after a live show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham was stopped when a “potentially suspicious bag” was found around the venue. The Utilita Arena Birmingham was evacuated and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody, West Midlands police said on Frid...
Arena in Birmingham cleared after report of suspicious bag, with comedian pulled from stage mid-performance A man has been charged over a bomb hoax after a live show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham was stopped when a “potentially suspicious bag” was found around the venue. The Utilita Arena Birmingham was evacuated and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody, West Midlands police said on Friday evening. Continue reading...
Trump On Hormuz Blockade: "We're Like Pirates - And It's Very Profitable" Rare agreement with Iranian officials? President Trump has newly said the US Navy is acting "like pirates" as he described an operation about seizing a ship amid the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports. "We … land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business...
Trump On Hormuz Blockade: "We're Like Pirates - And It's Very Profitable" Rare agreement with Iranian officials? President Trump has newly said the US Navy is acting "like pirates" as he described an operation about seizing a ship amid the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports. "We … land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business," Trump told a large audience at a rally in Florida on Friday. "We’re like pirates," he added as the crow cheered him on. "We’re sort of like pirates. But we’re not playing games." Watch the US President also declare "it's a very profitable business" : TRUMP ADMITS AMERICANS ARE PIRATES “It’s a very profitable business. We’re like pirates.” pic.twitter.com/p7g6kMPCmG — Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) May 2, 2026 The irony in this statement is that it precisely echoes Tehran's own accusation that the Pentagon is indeed engaged in 'piracy' in Persian Gulf waters, and as the US seeks to interdict other Iranian vessels on the high seas globally, especially near Asia. This week Iran issued formal request to the UN Security Council that it stop the "continuing internationally wrongful acts of the United States through yet another piracy-style seizure and deliberate targeting of commercial vessels , namely the M/T Majestic and M/T Tifani." Some of Iran's embassies abroad have also directly responded to the fresh Trump piracy clip. Here's what the Iranian Foreign Ministry had to say on X through one of its diplomatic outposts in south Asia : "Sort of like pirates"? No, Donny—that's textbook piracy. One upside to an incompetent opponent: moments like this . But the crowd cheering and clapping along? That's the truly disturbing part. U.S. urgently needs a swift and serious regime change. Additionally, one show host with Russia's RT had this to say by way of reaction : "The only good thing about Trump is that he openly admits the US is a rogue state that doesn’t care at all about in...
On Thursday, Apple Inc. said it is actively seeking refunds on tariffs it previously paid and plans to channel any recovered funds into additional U.S. innovation and advanced manufacturing investments. Apple Q2 Earnings Show Tariff Relief Helped Offset Rising Costs During Apple's fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings call, CFO Kevan Parekh said product gross margin declined sequentially due to seas...
On Thursday, Apple Inc. said it is actively seeking refunds on tariffs it previously paid and plans to channel any recovered funds into additional U.S. innovation and advanced manufacturing investments. Apple Q2 Earnings Show Tariff Relief Helped Offset Rising Costs During Apple's fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings call, CFO Kevan Parekh said product gross margin declined sequentially due to seasonal factors and rising memory costs, but lower tariff-related expenses helped support the company's
As the closest mainland Chinese province to Taiwan, Fujian is a key site for Beijing’s messaging towards the island. In the second of a two-part series, Xinlu Liang looks at how the ancestral home village of William Lai Ching-te has become a focus for efforts to promote closer ties based on kinship and religion. The village of Xintian in Fujian province is usually a quiet rural backwater but that ...
As the closest mainland Chinese province to Taiwan, Fujian is a key site for Beijing’s messaging towards the island. In the second of a two-part series, Xinlu Liang looks at how the ancestral home village of William Lai Ching-te has become a focus for efforts to promote closer ties based on kinship and religion. The village of Xintian in Fujian province is usually a quiet rural backwater but that changed in November when popular Taiwanese YouTuber and bodybuilder Holger Chen Chih-han descended...
If you're married to someone who qualifies for Social Security retirement benefits, you should be eligible for a spousal benefit once you turn 62. These benefits are often far less than retirement benefits, but a lot depends on how much your spouse earned throughout their career. The maximum spousal benefit in 2026 is on par with the average retirement benefit. But to earn it, you and your spouse ...
If you're married to someone who qualifies for Social Security retirement benefits, you should be eligible for a spousal benefit once you turn 62. These benefits are often far less than retirement benefits, but a lot depends on how much your spouse earned throughout their career. The maximum spousal benefit in 2026 is on par with the average retirement benefit. But to earn it, you and your spouse must meet some very specific requirements. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
If you’ve been snagged in the airline’s now-defunct flight schedule, here are some things to know about next steps The collapse of the US-based Spirit Airlines may mark the end of an era for travelers with a certain financial sensibility. But if you’ve been snagged in their now-defunct flight schedule, here are some things to know on how to get home, and get whole. Continue reading...
If you’ve been snagged in the airline’s now-defunct flight schedule, here are some things to know about next steps The collapse of the US-based Spirit Airlines may mark the end of an era for travelers with a certain financial sensibility. But if you’ve been snagged in their now-defunct flight schedule, here are some things to know on how to get home, and get whole. Continue reading...
Antonelli seals third straight pole in tight contest Mercedes star narrowly pips Verstappen; Leclerc in third Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the Miami Grand Prix with a strong lap, but only by narrowly beating a resurgent Max Verstappen and Red Bull into second place. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were in third and sixth for Ferrari, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and se...
Antonelli seals third straight pole in tight contest Mercedes star narrowly pips Verstappen; Leclerc in third Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the Miami Grand Prix with a strong lap, but only by narrowly beating a resurgent Max Verstappen and Red Bull into second place. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were in third and sixth for Ferrari, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and seventh for McLaren, while Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell could manage only fifth, four-10ths back from the Italian. Continue reading...
Driven by intensifying competition in advanced manufacturing, the world is waking up to “China shock 2.0”. The first “shock”, associated with China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, focused on low-tech manufacturing. Of course, this latest “shock” isn’t framed as such by Chinese policymakers. They present it as an upgrade in export strength, often described as a shift from the “...
Driven by intensifying competition in advanced manufacturing, the world is waking up to “China shock 2.0”. The first “shock”, associated with China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, focused on low-tech manufacturing. Of course, this latest “shock” isn’t framed as such by Chinese policymakers. They present it as an upgrade in export strength, often described as a shift from the “old three” of textiles, furniture and home appliances to the “new three” of electric vehicles,...
Tether Reports $1.04B Profit In Q1 As Treasury Holdings Top $140BN Authored by Nate Kostar via CoinTelegraph.com, Stablecoin issuer Tether (USDT) reported $1.04 billion in net profit for the first quarter of 2026, as its excess reserves rose to a record $8.23 billion, according to its latest attestation on Friday. The company said its reserves remain heavily concentrated in US Treasuries, with aro...
Tether Reports $1.04B Profit In Q1 As Treasury Holdings Top $140BN Authored by Nate Kostar via CoinTelegraph.com, Stablecoin issuer Tether (USDT) reported $1.04 billion in net profit for the first quarter of 2026, as its excess reserves rose to a record $8.23 billion, according to its latest attestation on Friday. The company said its reserves remain heavily concentrated in US Treasuries, with around $141 billion in direct and indirect exposure, while total assets of about $191.8 billion exceeded liabilities of approximately $183.5 billion as of March 31. Tether said this level of exposure makes it the 17th largest holder of US Treasuries globally. Beyond Treasuries, reserves included about $20 billion in physical gold and $7 billion in Bitcoin (BTC). USDT circulating supply remained broadly stable at about $183 billion at the end of the first quarter. After the period, CEO Paolo Ardoino said supply has increased by more than $5 billion into April. Tether said its proprietary investments are held separately from reserves backing USDT (USDT) and are funded through excess capital and profits. The report was prepared by accounting firm BDO. The company also said it has begun the formal audit process . Tether is the issuer of USDT (USDT), the largest stablecoin by market capitalization. According to DefiLlama data , the total stablecoin market is valued at about $320 billion, with USDT accounting for roughly 59% of the sector. Total stablecoins market cap. Source: DefiLlama Demand for digital dollars rises in emerging markets Ardoino said in a post on X on Friday that USDT’s user base reached an all-time high of about 570 million in the first quarter, citing demand for dollars across emerging markets. In Latin America, stablecoins accounted for 40% of crypto purchases in 2025, surpassing Bitcoin’s 18% share, according to a report released by Bitso this week based on data from its nearly 10 million retail users. The report described the trend as “digital dollarization,” ...