Latest news with #268
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bitcoin Treasury Corporation Acquires 292 BTC, Prepares for Toronto Trading Debut
Bitcoin Treasury Corp. (BTCT), a provider of institutional lending and liquidity services, said it bought 292.80 bitcoin BTC for C$43 million ($31.6 million), launching an accumulation strategy aimed at building a robust digital asset treasury. The Toronto-based company said it viewed bitcoin as both a long-term reserve asset and a crucial part of its revenue model, planning to use the holdings to support its institutional loans business. With the $125 million raised from a recently completed brokered share offering and any income resulting from the BTC purchase, Bitcoin Treasury aims to deliver institutional-grade services tied to the digital asset economy. It said it will focus on disciplined risk management and creating shareholder value as it positions itself as a leader in bitcoin-backed financial solutions. The company's shares are set to begin trading on the TSX Venture Exchange on June 30, following its reverse takeover of 2680083 Alberta Ltd. Shares of the merged entity were first listed at C$10 on Thursday with an immediate halt applied by the exchange. Although neither BTCT nor 268 shares were listed previously, the merger is a corporate shortcut that lets BTCT become a public company without a traditional IPO, using 268 as a private shell vehicle set up specifically for this purpose. The offering involved multiple financial institutions including Canaccord Genuity, Stifel, National Bank Financial Markets, BMO Capital Markets, and CIBC Capital Markets.
The Star
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Smaller families still in favour
Good boy: A grandfather talking to his grandchild inside a kindergarten in Hanoi. — AFP After the country removed its two-child limit, pharmacy worker Nguyen Thi Nguyet Nga says she still has no plans to have more kids, since she barely has time to see her daughters or the money to provide them a good life. The country's communist government on Wednesday lifted a long-standing ban on families having more than two children, as it battles to reverse a declining birth rate and ease the burden of an ageing population. But rising living costs and changing societal values mean the adjusted law may not bring the baby boom the government hopes for. First introduced in 1988, the law has been loosely enforced in recent years, and despite its abolishment, 31-year-old Nga said she worries about the costs of having a third child. It would mean seeing her two girls – aged seven and 12 – even less than she does or skimping on their education, she said. 'My parents-in-law really want us to have a boy... However, I will definitely not have more kids,' Nga said. She earns around US$300 (RM1,268) a month working in a pharmacy in the main town of northern Tuyen Quang province, while her children live with their grandparents 40km away. 'I don't earn enough for the two girls to have a good life. I don't have a chance to live with them every day,' she said. 'Mostly we talk on video chat and only see them once or twice a month, so why would I have another child?' Vietnam has experienced historically low birth rates in the last three years, with the total fertility rate dropping to 1.91 children per woman in 2024, below replacement level. No preschool blues: A mother taking her child to kindergarten in Hanoi. — AFP Although the trend is most pronounced in major cities, such as the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Nga says she and her friends in the countryside feel no more inclined to have larger families. 'It's better to have two grow up well than having three or four kids who don't have a good education or good life,' she said. 'Time for myself' University student Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, 18, shared Nga's scepticism about having a big family, explaining that in an increasingly developed Vietnam, young people believed there are more options than devoting themselves entirely to raising children. 'My plan is to get married and have children once I have a stable career and financial security,' said Chi, who studies dance performance in Hanoi. 'I intend to have one or two kids because I want to balance work, childcare, and also have time to take care of myself.' Like in many countries, the soaring cost of living has become a drag on birth rates in Vietnam. Housing, utilities, healthcare and education costs are rising across the country, and those living in cities in particular say salaries no longer meet their needs. Baby's day out: A grandmother taking her grandchild for a stroll on a street in Hanoi. — AFP The United Nations Population Fund said it welcomed the country's policy shift but warned that it needed to invest in policies that help people balance family and professional life, including expanding access to quality childcare and promoting gender equality in the workplace. Tran Thi Thu Trang, who had a third child unexpectedly and now has two boys and a girl under seven, admitted life got much more difficult after the birth of her youngest. As an office worker in the port city of Haiphong, the 30-year-old is lucky to be able to afford a nanny. 'But salaries need to rise,' she said. 'We need help with kids' tuition fees and more support on healthcare.' Following the removal of the two-child limit, 'I think it will take 5-10 years (for people to change their views)', she added. 'But only if the government makes this a priority.' — AFP
Business Recorder
27-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Gold price per tola falls Rs3,600 in Pakistan
Gold prices in Pakistan decreased on Tuesday in line with their decline in the international market. In the local market, gold price per tola reached Rs347,900 after it lost Rs3,600 during the day. Similarly, 10-gram gold was sold at Rs298,268 after it shed Rs3,086, according to the rates shared by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA). On Monday, gold price per tola reached Rs351,500 after it lost Rs2,600 during the day. The international rate of gold also declined on Tuesday. The rate was at $3,295 per ounce (with a premium of $20), a decrease of $36, as per APGJSA. Meanwhile, silver price per tola decreased by Rs60 to settle at Rs3,448.
New Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Malaysians illegally in the US urged to take amnesty, return with US$1,000
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians and others residing in the United States illegally should take advantage of that country's amnesty programme and return home — with US$1,000 (RM4,268) in their pockets. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently launched a programme for voluntary self-deportation using the Customs and Border Protection agency's CBP Home app. The programme offers financial and travel document assistance to anyone who is residing illegally in the US to facilitate travel back to their home countries. In a briefing with journalists from the Indo-Pacific region today, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said the offer was for citizens of any country illegally residing the US. She said, under the programme, illegal immigrants will get a US$1,000 stipend upon confirmation of travel arrangements out of the US. According to the DHS website, the US government would also assist in booking tickets and/or with obtaining necessary travel documentation should a request be made. "(Those who register for self-deportation) will be (temporarily) deprioritised for detention by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency)," said McLaughlin. "(By opting for self-deportation) they can come back legally (at a later date) and live the 'American dream'." She said those who did not take advantage of the programme, should they be detained by ICE and forcibly deported, would lose the right to return to the US. McLaughlin could not provide a breakdown of statistics of estimated illegal immigrants from countries in the Indo-Pacific currently in the US, nor the number currently under final deportation orders. However, in February this year, then Malaysian ambassador to the US Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had said there were, at the time, 435 Malaysians had been issued final deportation orders. US State Department senior bureau official for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Sean O'Neill, in the same briefing, said the US was working with countries whose citizens were scheduled for deportation, as well as third countries willing to accept others' citizens. "The citizens of all countries want their governments to protect their borders (and this goes for the US). "Why is this important? One is the ability to control who comes in (to any given country)," he said. The second reason is that many of those who enter countries illegally do so with the aid of criminal organisations involved in human, drug and wildlife trafficking. O'Neill said US President Donald Trump and his administration would not tolerate this. Asked about people with valid visas and green cards being deported, McLaughlin stressed that the US and the Trump administration were not anti-immigration. "If you are abiding by US laws, you have nothing to worry about, but if you are here on a visa or a green card, you are a guest in this country and you can act as such. "And further, that's a privilege, it's not a right, and if you are glorifying terrorists or committing crimes on a visa or green card, we reserve the right... to revoke that privilege and will do so to further US national security," she said. O'Neill echoed McLaughlin, saying that while the Trump administration was not anti-immigration, it was anti-illegal immigrtion. "I think that's a policy that pretty much every government on earth shares... no government supports illegal activity within their borders," he said. On people with valid visas being detained and deported, he said that getting a valid visa was the first condition of being in another country legally. "(However), the second basic condition is abiding by the terms of that visa, so if you have a valid visa (but) you start doing stuff that is inconsistent with the terms of that visa... obviously that visa doesn't mean you get to stay," he said. To a question that, with the new reciprocal tariffs being implemented, US policy seemed to be "all stick and no carrot", O'Neill said there were "an entire host of things" that the US continues to do with its allies in the Indo-Pacific. He said there was still economic engagement, with the tariffs being just one part of that, adding that there were also cultural exchanges, combatting transnational crime, ensuring the security of the Indo-Pacific and law enforcement training.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers introduce controversial bills to regulate harmful chemicals leaked by factories: 'Taxpayers .. will largely shoulder the burden'
Two Oklahoma bills aim to protect people and farmland from dangerous chemicals that have been polluting our water and soil for decades. According to Oklahoma Voice, these bills target PFAS, synthetic chemicals that don't break down in nature. Manufacturers first created them 80 years ago, and despite knowing about potential health risks by 1961, they kept making them anyway. Scientists now link PFAS to health problems like cancer, liver damage, and reduced fertility. Oklahoma plans to tackle this through Senate Bills 268 and 271. SB 268 would stop farmers from using sewage-based fertilizer on cropland, a common practice that spreads PFAS into our food supply — over 80% of Oklahoma's wastewater ends up on farm fields. Meanwhile, SB 271 would protect farmers who unknowingly used contaminated fertilizer from getting sued. Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The proposed laws could save money and protect health. Clean drinking water helps prevent medical issues, while protecting farmland preserves food safety. However, cleaning up PFAS costs money — the EPA has estimated that $1.5 billion is needed yearly just to improve water systems. Some worry these bills don't address the root cause: industrial facilities releasing PFAS into waterways. Others point out potential gaps in farmer support. It's not clear if farmers will receive income replacement if their production drops or if there will be funding to monitor affected farms and families. Water bills might rise as local governments pay for cleanup. This would hit low-income households hardest through higher costs and increased exposure to contaminated water. "States and taxpayers didn't cause the contamination, but they will largely shoulder the burden of testing and monitoring, delivering clean water to communities, cleaning up contaminated sites, and covering health care costs," noted the Oklahoma Voice's Mike Altshuler. But action beats inaction. Oklahoma joins 11 other states that passed PFAS restrictions in 2024, showing growing momentum to protect Americans' health and resources. These bills could help create cleaner water and safer food for Oklahoma families with proper funding and implementation. The effects of PFAS might be invisible now, but communities can't afford to wait. By supporting smart regulations today, we're investing in healthier soil, cleaner water, and better health for future generations. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
