Circle stock tumbles as US banks challenge CLARITY Act loophole

14 July 2026 at 19:32

Circle Internet Group shares have dropped more than 2% in pre-market trading after US banking groups urged the Senate to tighten stablecoin provisions in the CLARITY Act, adding fresh pressure to the stock. According to a joint letter from several…

Binance.US targets 20% U.S. crypto market share in comeback push

crypto.news

By:Olivia Stephanie

14 July 2026 at 09:06

Binance.US targets a return to 20% U.S. market share with low fees, deeper liquidity and plans for derivatives and prediction markets again.

Why did the U.S. move $297M in Bitcoin and Ether to Coinbase Prime?

crypto.news

By:Olivia Stephanie

14 July 2026 at 08:49

U.S. wallets moved $297M in seized Bitcoin and Ether to Coinbase Prime, raising reserve questions but no asset sale has been confirmed so far.

Hyundai trials Tether-powered treasury payments across US and Mexico

crypto.news

By:Lawrence Mondal

13 July 2026 at 22:10

Hyundai Motor’s U.S. and Mexican operations have completed a pilot cross-border treasury payment using Tether’s USDT stablecoin, settling a $20,000 transfer in about seven minutes over the Avalanche blockchain. According to Tether, the proof-of-concept involved Hyundai Motor America converting U.S.…

Senate Democrats renew push for hearings into Trump’s crypto holdings

crypto.news

By:Rony Roy

13 July 2026 at 10:43

Democratic senators have renewed calls for Senate hearings into President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency business interests after his latest financial disclosure reported about $1.4 billion in crypto-related income as lawmakers prepare to vote on the CLARITY Act. A notice released on…

FIFA World Cup: Which semifinal team has best chance to win the trophy?

Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

13 July 2026 at 10:28

The football teams of forty-eight countries set out with a chance of winning the World Cup on June 11, and the hopes of just four nations remain alive.

The top four teams in the FIFA rankings, with eight previous titles between them, will lock horns on Tuesday and Wednesday to try to secure a place in what is set to be the grandest of showpiece occasions in sport: the World Cup Final at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19.

Al Jazeera ranks the contenders for the title:

Argentina's Lionel Messi pours water on his face — Argentina’s Lionel Messi takes a break during the quarterfinal [Lee Smith/Reuters]

4. Argentina

What’s this? The defending champions as the outsiders?

Well, Algeria, Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland must be one of the kindest ever paths to the business end of a World Cup, and La Albiceleste have not exactly been convincing along it.

They were made to sweat by Cape Verde and Egypt in the knockout stages before finding a way to prevail in dramatic circumstances, and the pattern was repeated against Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday night, when they went almost 90 minutes without a shot on target following Alexis Mac Allister’s early opening goal.

Their ageing side eventually prevailed after 120 minutes in sweltering conditions. Had Switzerland kept 11 men on the field, things might have been very different, but, once again, in the end, the defending champions found a way to win when they were well below their best.

Surely they cannot get away with another performance like that against England? Well, England fans might well be saying the same about the Three Lions. Both Harry Kane and Lionel Messi fell well short of their best in the last-eight matchups too.

The outpouring of emotion from Messi at full-time in the comeback win over Egypt showed just how close the three-time winners came to being eliminated. In an already emotionally charged matchup with England, expect tempers to rise and tears to flow on either side come full-time.

If Argentina, and – in his first-ever appearance against the Three Lions – Messi, are able to rediscover their swagger and win, ousting their old foes from the tournament in the knockout stages for a third straight time, then the confidence and momentum they would take into the final would be huge.

However, nothing they have shown in the US this summer would suggest that is likely to happen.

And even if it did, whether it would be enough to give them the edge against European champions Spain, or a vengeful France side they vanquished on penalties in the epic final of Qatar 2022, is another matter entirely.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Quarter Final - Norway v England - Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. - July 11, 2026 England's Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane celebrate after the match as England qualify for the semi finals of the World Cup REUTERS/Paul Childs — England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane celebrate after beating Norway [Paul Childs/Reuters]

3. England

Have we seen the best of England in this tournament? Probably not. And yet, here they are, in the semifinals for just the fourth time ever.

The win over Norway was neither pretty nor convincing, and manager Thomas Tuchel admitted they were lucky to get through, thanks largely to Jude Bellingham putting the team on his shoulders at a couple of key moments once again. Could a midfielder really win the Golden Boot? He is only two behind Messi and Kylian Mbappe with six goals already.

Much to Tuchel’s frustration, bar a 20-minute purple patch in the second half of the 4-2 opening game win against Croatia, England have yet to dominate a team, and relied on counterattacking bursts to give them a 3-2 lead to defend in the epic round-of-16 victory over Mexico in the cauldron of the Azteca.

What they have shown is character, in abundance, and they will likely need plenty more of that if they are to end 60 years of longing for a second World Cup title.

The game against Argentina will be far more than 11 vs 11; the ghosts of football history will line up alongside both teams, and the hype and pressure are sure to be enormous.

A few possible positives for England will be that they have already made par for this tournament: Ranked fourth in the world, they have reached the last four. Anything else would be a bonus. Nobody really considers them a top-two team in the world, which might help to alleviate some of the burden of expectation.

After a trip to the altitude of Mexico City, and the oppressive heat and humidity of Miami, a return to the 22-Celsius (71.6F) climate-controlled confines of Atlanta, where England overcame DR Congo in the round of 32, will be welcome.

They also have no new suspensions to deal with, with Jarell Quansah left with one game of his two-match ban to serve; and there were minutes for Reece James against Norway. England will meanwhile be hoping Declan Rice recovers fully after a 45-minute cameo in which he was patently not fit following illness.

An ageing Argentina side have struggled against the pace, movement and trickery of Cape Verde, Egypt and Switzerland in the past three rounds, and Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, and even Marcus Rashford will be even better placed to exploit that.

Beyond Messi, Argentina have not posed too many attacking questions themselves, though Julian Alvarez’s stunning strike against Switzerland might just be the start of his own World Cup.

All things considered, expect England to make it through to the final, but France would likely be a step too far, and even Spain would be a big ask, despite the additional motivation of revenge for their Euro 2024 final defeat.

Spain's Mikel Merino celebrates after the match — Spain’s Mikel Merino celebrates the victory against Belgium [Jessie Alcheh/Reuters]

2. Spain

They are the third semifinalists yet to find top gear at this tournament, bar a one-sided display against Austria in the round of 32.

La Roja’s stoic defence might have been punctured for the first time this summer by Belgium in the last eight, but the 649 minutes that preceded that goal were the longest streak in World Cup history without conceding, and they have still allowed just seven shots on target in their six matches so far.

Though the goal contribution stats might not reflect it, Lamine Yamal has shown flashes of a return to top form after that season-ending hamstring injury in April, while La Roja’s carousel of tricky attackers has posed problems for defences in all six matches so far, and Mikel Merino has written himself into folklore with last-gasp winners against Portugal and Belgium.

Four-goal leading scorer Mikel Oyarzabal has gone off the boil in the past couple of games, however, and is unlikely to strike too much fear into the French backline.

While teenage defender Pau Cubarsi looks at home on the biggest stage of all, he is yet to face the kind of test that Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele will pose.

If they make the final, Spain will be favourites to win it, and they have won the World Cup the only time they previously reached the last four, but despite having beaten France in their past two encounters, a third should be beyond them.

France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his team's third goal with forward #07 Ousmane Dembele and forward #12 Bradley Barcola during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP) — France’s forward line of Kylian Mbappe (bottom), Ousmane Dembele (top), Bradley Barcola (right), and Michael Olise (left) is considered the strongest at the tournament [Mauro Pimentel/AFP]

1. France

Before their last-eight matchup with Morocco, we asserted that France were the class of the field with a fearsome foursome in attack and a defence that, although it had not really been tested yet, had only allowed two goals in five matches.

Well, make that two in six, even if they still have not really been tested, such was the Atlas Lions’ toothless attack on the night in their 2-0 defeat.

Mbappe further enhanced his credentials for the Golden Boot and all-time World Cup scoring record with another quality goal against Morocco, and Olise, Dembele, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola continue to threaten across the field in a way no other team on earth can.

Spain, and in particular their defence, will pose a different challenge, and the underworked French defence will likely get their own test this time, too, with the likes of Dani Olmo, Alex Baena, Ferran Torres and Fabian Ruiz getting into promising positions around Oyarzabal, and that’s not to mention super-sub Merino.

Whoever beats France will surely lift the World Cup, but none of the remaining teams can match the dynamism of Les Bleus’ forwards. Although Spain will likely be their hardest challenge, it is one you can expect Didier Deschamps’s men to overcome, not least fuelled by the additional motivation of having lost to La Roja in the Euro 2024 and Nations League semifinals over the past two years.

US eases export curbs on UAE for AI chips

Tech in Asia

By:Naomi Li Gan

11 July 2026 at 05:37

G42 plans a 5-gigawatt UAE-US AI campus supported by US-approved advanced AI chip exports.

Trump signals new Iran talks as Bitcoin surges past $64K

crypto.news

By:Lawrence Mondal

10 July 2026 at 22:21

Bitcoin has climbed above the $64,000 level after U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States has agreed to continue talks with Iran following a new request from Tehran. According to a post by President Trump on Truth Social,…

Trump refuses housing bill as CBDC ban moves toward becoming law

crypto.news

By:Lawrence Mondal

10 July 2026 at 21:45

President Donald Trump has refused to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, even as the bill containing a provision blocking a U.S. central bank digital currency through 2031 has remained on course to become law. According to a…

Circle wins final OCC approval for U.S. national trust bank

crypto.news

By:Olivia Stephanie

10 July 2026 at 14:45

Circle secured final OCC approval for a national trust bank offering regulated digital asset custody and future USDC reserve management.

North Carolina law clears path for CFTC regulated prediction markets

crypto.news

By:Rony Roy

10 July 2026 at 10:42

North Carolina has become the first U.S. state to explicitly recognize the CFTC’s authority over prediction markets while setting a 6% state tax on their trading fee revenue. Under Senate Bill 257, signed by Governor Josh Stein on July 7…

American CryptoFed presses SEC as Locke token nears key deadline

crypto.news

By:Lawrence Mondal

8 July 2026 at 18:00

American CryptoFed has urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to recognize its Locke governance token registration ahead of an Aug. 17 deadline that the organization says should take effect automatically under federal securities law. According to a memorandum published…

Bitcoin price faces $60K test as U.S.-Iran conflict escalates

crypto.news

By:Olivia Stephanie

8 July 2026 at 11:56

Bitcoin trades near $62,800 as U.S.-Iran strikes lift oil and dollar, while ETF inflows, charts and K33 loss data shape the BTC outlook.

Gemini launches commission free U.S. stock trading in super app push

crypto.news

By:Rony Roy

8 July 2026 at 10:38

Gemini has launched commission-free stock trading for customers across most U.S. states, adding thousands of exchange-listed securities to its app as it expands beyond cryptocurrency services. According to Gemini’s announcement on Tuesday, eligible customers can now buy and sell thousands…

Polymarket ban fails as U.S. wallets wager $571M

crypto.news

By:Olivia Stephanie

6 July 2026 at 14:11

U.S.-linked wallets traded $571M on Polymarket politics despite a ban, with demand leaning toward foreign-conflict markets.

Bill Hagerty revives CLARITY Act hopes with new Senate roadmap

crypto.news

By:Lawrence Mondal

3 July 2026 at 23:15

The CLARITY Act has regained momentum after Senator Bill Hagerty outlined a revised Senate timeline that points to floor action after lawmakers return from the July recess. According to reports citing Senator Bill Hagerty, the U.S. Senate is expected to…