Author: i2wtc
The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage dropped 16 basis points to 6.29% Friday, according to Mortgage News Daily, following the release of a weaker-than-expected August employment report.It marks the lowest rate since October 3 and the biggest one-day drop since August 2024. Rates are finally breaking out of the high 6% range, where they’ve been stuck for months.”This was a pretty straightforward reaction to a hotly anticipated jobs report,” said Mortgage News Daily Chief Operating Officer Matt Graham. “It’s a good reminder that the market gets to decide what matters in terms of economic data, and the bond…
QUETTA: Balochistan’s major political parties have given a province-wide shutter-down and wheel-jam strike call for September 8 in protest against the recent suicide attack targeting Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) rally in Quetta. The deadly blast, which struck near Sariab Road on Tuesday, claimed at least 17 lives and left dozens injured, sparking widespread outrage across the province. The announcement for the strike was made during a joint press conference in Quetta, addressed by prominent political leaders — Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain Pakistan head Mahmood Khan Achakzai, BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal, National Party Secretary General Kabir Muhammad, ANP Balochistan President Asghar Khan Achakzai,…
Thiago Prudêncio | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesRoblox on Friday announced new short-video and AI features that come amid increasing lawmaker scrutiny into how the company protects children on its platform.With Roblox Moments, users 13 and older will be able to create and share video clips of their gameplay with others on a feed within the platform. The artificial intelligence additions, meanwhile, will allow users to generate advanced 3D objects for the games they create on the platform.Tune in at 4:15 p.m. ET: Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki joins CNBC TV to discuss the company’s latest announcements coming out…
Warner Bros. | Universal Studios | Amazon PrimeHollywood is finally leveling up.For decades, studios have tried to capitalize on the financial success and cultural relevance of video games, but it’s only been in the past few years that things have clicked.With the box office achievements of Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and Warner Bros.’ “A Minecraft Movie,” alongside television hits like Amazon Prime Video’s “Fallout” and HBO’s “The Last of Us,” Hollywood has doubled down on its investment in content based on video game franchises and related intellectual property.”Adaptations of popular games used to be met with a high…
* Some 500 journalists, scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from 110 countries or international and regional organizations gathered in southwest China’s Yunnan Province for the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025.* Their common aspiration is to turn the Global South’s rising economic weight — representing 40 percent of global GDP and 80 percent of world growth — into an equally powerful voice in the fields of international discussion and communication.* The event also marks the formal launch of the Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network, which features more than 1,000 media outlets, think tanks and other institutions across…
ISLAMABAD: The country’s polls oversight authority has postponed by-elections at nine different National Assembly and Punjab Assembly constituencies in view of floods. Most of these seats had fallen vacant after conviction of PTI lawmakers in May 9 rioting cases and their subsequent de-seating. According to an official notification issued on Thursday, the ECP postponed by-elections at NA-66 Wazirabad, NA-96 Faisalabad, NA-104 Faisalabad, NA-129 Lahore, NA-143 Sahiwal, PP-73 Sargodha, PP-87 Mianwali, PP-98 Faisalabad and PP-203 Sahiwal. It said the polls body would announce new dates for the elections “once the situation improves”. The by-elections were earlier scheduled for September 18 and…
News anchors work at Newsmax’s booth during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024.Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesA federal judge dismissed Newsmax’s antitrust lawsuit against Fox News just two days after it was filed, but will allow the right-leaning media outlet to resubmit an amended version.Newsmax’s five-count civil complaint against Fox is an impermissible “shotgun pleading” because four of the counts “incorporate all preceding allegations,” Judge Aileen Cannon wrote in the order dated Thursday in southern Florida federal court.Doing so causes each count “to carry…
ISLAMABAD: Salaried individuals have paid 21% more in income tax during the first two months of this fiscal year, contributing Rs85 billion, showing that the nominal reduction in rates in the budget was insufficient to ease their financial burden. Compared to Rs70 billion in income tax payments during July-August of the last fiscal year, their contributions surged to about Rs85 billion this year, government sources told The Express Tribune. They paid roughly Rs15 billion, or 21% more, despite the government having nominally reduced their income tax rates in this year’s budget. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb acknowledged that the relief was…
Google was on Friday hit with a 2.95-billion-euro ($3.45 billion) antitrust fine from European Union regulators for anti-competitive practices in its lucrative advertising technology business.The European Commission, which is the executive body of the EU, accused Google of distorting competition in the so-called adtech market by unfairly favoring its own display advertising technology services to the detriment of rival adtech providers, advertisers and online publishers.It also ordered Google to “bring these self-preferencing practices to an end” and “implement measures to cease its inherent conflicts of interest along the adtech supply chain.” The company has 60 days to respond.”Today’s decision shows that Google…
Budrul Chukrut | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesPowerball fever is spreading as the jackpot hits $1.7 billion — making it the third-largest prize in U.S. lottery history.The enthusiasm for the gargantuan pot is fueling business on Jackpocket, a lottery courier owned by DraftKings and available in 16 states.DraftKings said 15 million Powerball tickets have been ordered using Jackpocket during this Powerball run. Powerball ticket sales on the platform increased 130% day over day from Wednesday to Thursday this week. And sales on Wednesday alone increased 200% from the previous week.Lotto.com and Jackpot.com also offer online lottery sales.As of…