US compliance alert: New York warned of $73M fund loss; federal audit flags improper immigrant commercial licences

The US Transportation Department has warned New York that it could lose $73 million in federal highway funds after an audit found thousands of immigrant commercial driver’s licences (CDLs) were allegedly issued without proper verification, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday, AP report.Duffy said federal investigators reviewed 200 non-domiciled commercial licences and found more…

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Crypto deal: Pakistan, Binance sign MoU on tokenising sovereign assets; plan covers up to $2 bn

Pakistan on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global crypto exchange Binance to explore tokenisation of sovereign and real-world assets of up to $2 billion, marking one of the country’s most significant steps toward adopting blockchain-based financial infrastructure, PTI reported.The MoU was signed at the Finance Division by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and…

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Diamond market outlook: Russia’s miner ALROSA CEO says India will adapt to US tariffs; natural stones to stay resilient as synthetic prices plunge

Russia’s diamond miner ALROSA CEO-Chairman Pavel Maryinchev said diamond companies will need time to adjust to the US tariff hike but the long-term impact is unlikely to be severe, adding that India’s cutting and polishing sector should be able to “adapt and minimise the effect”.“According to GJEPC data, the amount of diamonds purchased by Indian…

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Coal policy reform: Cabinet okays CoalSETU window for auction-based linkages; new route to allow industrial use and export

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Friday approved a new policy framework called the CoalSETU window, creating an additional auction route for long-term coal linkages for any industrial use and exports, according to an official release.The decision modifies the existing Non-Regulated Sector (NRS) Linkage Auction Policy of 2016, which restricts linkages to specified end-use…

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US rental aid update: Section 8 landlord payments resume after shutdown delay; $1,500 checks begin rolling out

Americans are being advised to monitor their bank accounts as landlord subsidy payments of up to $1,500 under the Section 8 rental assistance programme begin to roll out, following delays triggered by the recent federal government shutdown, according to an ET report. The payments, formally known as Housing Assistance Payments, support low-income households, seniors and…

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Trade impact: Mexico’s tariff hike to hit 75% of India’s exports; duties to rise up to 50% from Jan 2026

Mexico’s steep tariff increase on imports from countries without a free-trade agreement will significantly disrupt India’s exports from January 1, 2026, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) has said, warning that nearly three-quarters of outbound shipments will come under sharply higher duties, ANI reported.Mexico has decided to impose duties of up to 50% on goods…

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The TerraUSD scam: South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon faces 15 year jail time; what was the ‘epic fraud’?

Do Kwon, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur once celebrated for building the TerraUSD and Luna digital tokens, is now beginning a 15-year stretch in a US federal prison. But how did the South Korean businessman ended up with a jail sentence? The 34-year-old, who co-founded Singapore-based Terraform Labs and promoted his coins as stable, innovative and built…

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