Author: Jack Mulligan
Ben Shelton captured the biggest victory of his young tennis career, winning the National Bank Open in Toronto by defeating 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3). The 22-year-old American, seeded fourth, became the first U.S. player to win the prestigious Masters 1000 hard-court tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003. A Breakthrough Performance Shelton’s victory marks his third career title, following previous wins on hard courts in Tokyo (2023) and clay in Houston (2024). This week in Toronto, he delivered his best tennis when it counted most, particularly in high-pressure moments. His performance was highlighted by resilience…
Streaming debut prioritizes sports, news, and stability Fox Corp. will officially enter the direct-to-consumer streaming race with the August 21 launch of Fox One, priced at $19.99 per month. CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the launch during the company’s Q2 earnings call, positioning the platform as a modest but strategic move anchored in live sports, news, and legacy content. Fox One will include access to the full Fox content slate — from Fox’s NFL and Big Ten college football coverage to playoff MLB games, soccer, and other live sports — alongside Fox News Channel, Fox Business, and remaining original content from…
New models aim for accessibility and customization OpenAI has launched two open-weight language models, gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b, marking its first open-weight release since GPT-2 in 2019. These models are text-only and designed to offer developers, researchers, and businesses a lower-cost, customizable alternative to closed models. The release is part of OpenAI’s broader effort to promote transparency and decentralize access to powerful AI tools. Open-weight models expose their parameter data, allowing third parties to run and tailor them as needed. However, unlike open-source models, they don’t provide access to full source code. The announcement follows similar moves by competitors such as…
Tariff warnings and supply increases unsettle energy markets Oil prices dipped on Monday as investors weighed fresh supply news from OPEC+ alongside geopolitical tensions sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to penalize India for continuing to import Russian crude. West Texas Intermediate crude hovered near $66 per barrel after sliding to its lowest level in a week. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) announced an additional output hike of 547,000 barrels per day for the upcoming month. This increase effectively reverses a cut implemented in 2023 by eight member states, including Saudi Arabia and…
New rates start in September amid push for profitability Spotify announced that its Premium individual subscription rates will increase globally beginning in September. The move comes as part of the company’s broader effort to improve profit margins and offset rising operational costs. Customers in Europe will see monthly fees rise from €10.99 to €11.99, with similar hikes planned for subscribers in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and the Asia-Pacific region. Spotify has begun notifying users, stating that affected subscribers will receive official emails detailing the price adjustments within the coming weeks. Stock rebounds after earnings stumble The…
New contract streamlines Army tech under one enterprise framework Palantir has landed a landmark contract with the U.S. Army valued at up to $10 billion, reinforcing its role as a central player in military artificial intelligence and defense modernization. The agreement spans ten years and consolidates 75 separate contracts into a single enterprise deal, dramatically simplifying procurement and reducing bureaucratic delays. According to an official release, the deal establishes a long-term framework for meeting the Army’s evolving software and data needs. It allows for flexible purchasing without incurring additional contract fees or extended procurement timelines. The move reflects the government’s…
President demands aggressive policy shift amid weak job data President Donald Trump has publicly called for the Federal Reserve’s board of governors to override Chair Jerome Powell and impose immediate interest rate cuts, escalating months of criticism against the central bank’s leadership. In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump labeled Powell as “stubborn” for resisting calls to slash rates amid mounting economic pressure. Trump’s remarks followed a weak July jobs report, which showed only 73,000 new jobs added, with significant downward revisions to prior months. The president framed rate cuts as essential for fueling growth and easing debt burdens,…
Central bank keeps interest rate at 2.75 percent The Bank of Canada (BoC) left its overnight interest rate unchanged at 2.75 percent on Wednesday, reflecting ongoing concerns about global trade tensions, particularly those involving the United States. The hold was widely anticipated by economists, who cited both domestic economic resilience and persistent external risks as influencing the decision. Governor Tiff Macklem emphasized the unpredictability of U.S. tariffs, noting that the BoC would continue to provide multiple economic outlooks rather than a singular forecast. “U.S. policy remains too uncertain to offer a single economic projection,” he said. The Monetary Policy Report…
Shares surge 49% YTD as AI chips boost sentiment Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is seeing a strong rebound in 2025, with its stock up 49% year-to-date. The gains come as investors grow more confident in AMD’s ability to compete in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market. After initially trailing Nvidia due to the latter’s early dominance in AI accelerators, AMD is now viewed as a credible challenger, particularly with the rollout of its own AI-focused GPUs and CPUs. Investor sentiment has been supported by comments from market observers and analysts who believe AMD could gain meaningful market share in…
Economists Expect Hiring to Hit 10-Month Low The upcoming U.S. jobs report is forecast to show a marked slowdown in hiring, with economists predicting that only 100,000 jobs were added in July. This would represent the weakest employment growth since October and a decline from the 147,000 jobs reported in June. The unemployment rate is expected to edge up to 4.2%, slightly above the previous 4.1% figure, continuing the narrow range observed since mid-2024. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release the report on Friday. If confirmed, the data may signal mounting pressure on the labor market stemming…