US stock futures have hit record highs, fueling analyst predictions that Bitcoin could soon break past resistance to hit a new price peak. US stock futures are at record highs as the country’s largest markets are nearing their peaks, which could help propel Bitcoin to reach another all-time high, according to analysts. S&P 500 futures entered new all-time high territory on Thursday with the index tapping 6,145 points, surpassing February’s peak. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite futures also hit a peak at 20,180 around the same time. The S&P 500 has gained 23% since its April 8 crash as trade tariff shocks ease and a ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to hold. Read more
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei • In first appearance since truce with Israel, supreme leader hails ‘slap’ on the face of America • Hegseth insists strikes on N-facilities were successful • Iran’s legislature clears bill to suspend cooperation with IAEA TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Even after Iran’s supreme leader accused President Donald Trump of exaggerating the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Washington continued to insist on the success of its actions, claiming that there was no evidence Tehran had been able to move any of its highly enriched uranium. In his first public appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel took hold, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed what he termed a “victory” over Israel, vowing never to yield to US pressure and insisting that the US had been dealt a humiliating “slap”. “The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration,” Khamenei said, rejecting US claims Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by decades. The str...
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif greets PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in the National Assembly during the final budget session.—APP • Bilawal supports budget, highlights increased funding for BISP, tax relief • Opposition objects to FBR’s arrest powers, says ‘most corrupt’ body turned into police force ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with an outlay of Rs17.57 trillion, despite opposition calls for the budgetary proposals to be made public and for the passage to be delayed until public input had been sought. The House passed the Finance Bill for 2025 with certain amendments, incorporating around half of the suggestions put forward by the finance committees of both houses of parliament. All amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected. Speaking to lawmakers, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari explained why his party was supporting the federal budget. He highlighted an increase of 20 per cent in the allocation for the Bena...
DappRadar found AI agent projects raised $1.39 billion this year, a 9.4% increase on the total funding in 2024, while a onchain activity has surged 86%. Artificial intelligence activity on blockchains has nearly doubled since the start of the year, with more funding and users piling into the trendy technology, according to blockchain analytics platform DappRadar. AI-related onchain activity has surged by 86% so far in 2025, with an estimated 4.5 million daily unique active wallets taking part in AI decentralized apps (DApps), DappRadar said in a report on Thursday. The boost in daily users has grown AI app market share from 9% at the start of the year to 19%, just behind blockchain gaming at 20%. Read more