Liverpool punish rivals’ errors with dominant win over Leicester to stretch lead
Representational image US Universities Expand Tuition-Free Programs: Higher education in the United States is notoriously expensive, leaving many families burdened with debt or unable to afford college at all. While scholarships and grants help some students, they often cater to only a select segment of the population. Recently, a growing trend among top universities has focused on comprehensive tuition waivers aimed at making college more accessible for a broader range of students who are both deserving and in financial need. This week, five prominent universities announced tuition-free programs designed to reduce financial barriers for undergraduates from low- and middle-income families. IPL 2025 mega auction IPL Auction 2025 Live: CSK snatch Ravindra via RTM after Pant, Iyer become most expensive buys IPL 2025 Auction LIVE: Updated Full Team Squads IPL Auction 2025: Who got whom Spanning public and private institutions across multiple states, these initiatives underscore a nationwide push for affordability. Starting in 2025, these programs will provide significant financial relief to families, helping to ensure that cost isn’t a roadblock to higher education. Here's a closer look at how these programs work and what they mean for eligible students. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) MIT is expanding its already generous financial aid program. Starting next fall, students from families earning less than $200,000 annually will qualify for tuition-free education, an increase from the current threshold of $140,000. Families earning under $100,000 will receive full financial coverage, including tuition, room and board, books, and personal expenses—essentially making MIT cost-free. Currently, 35% of MIT undergraduates pay no tuition, and this expansion is expected to benefit an even larger proportion of students. University of Texas System Beginning in the fall of 2025, the University of Texas (UT) System will waive tuition and mandatory fees for students from families earning $100,000 or less annually. This new policy will apply to all nine UT academic institutions, unifying the varying financial aid programs previously in place across the system. By creating a universal income threshold, the UT System aims to provide consistent and accessible opportunities for students regardless of which campus they attend. Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is launching its CMU Pathway program in the 2025–26 academic year, offering tuition-free education to students from families earning $75,000 or less. Additionally, families earning up to $100,000 will benefit from substantial aid, ensuring that most students within this income range can attend without taking on significant student loans. This marks CMU’s commitment to making higher education attainable for a more diverse student body. Brandeis University Brandeis University, a private research institution near Boston, is also stepping up its financial aid. Starting in fall 2025, undergraduates from families earning less than $75,000 will receive grants and scholarships covering their full tuition. Families earning up to $200,000 will see a 50% tuition reduction. This initiative targets affordability while maintaining Brandeis’ commitment to fostering a supportive academic environment for students from varied economic backgrounds. University of Massachusetts (UMass) System The UMass System plans to enhance its existing financial aid offerings by fully covering tuition costs for high-need families earning $75,000 or less. Currently, this applies to 92% of eligible students, and the new initiative aims to close the gap for the remaining 8%. Eligible students must be Massachusetts residents, enrolled full-time, and pursuing an on-campus undergraduate degree. The program will span all UMass campuses, including Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell. Quick overview: Tuition-Free Programs at US Universities — Benefits and Eligibility University Benefits Eligibility Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tuition-free education for families earning
Wake Forest keeps trying new things early in the season, even if not all of the adjustments are by design. The Demon Deacons will try to stick to the script when Detroit Mercy visits for Saturday's game in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons (5-1) will be at home for the final time prior to three consecutive road games. Detroit Mercy (3-2) already has two more victories than all of last season. After a couple of narrow wins and a loss at Xavier, Wake Forest had a smoother time earlier this week in defeating visiting Western Carolina 82-69 on Tuesday night. Yet these are games when teams have to figure where contributions are going to come from in certain situations. The experimenting took a turn for Wake Forest in the Western Carolina game. Center Efton Reid III had limited minutes because of migraines, so there was a shift in responsibilities. Normal backcourt players Cameron Hildreth and Juke Harris logged time at the power forward slot. "That's just part of it," coach Steve Forbes said. "They did a good job adjusting. We ran a lot of stuff and there are several guys learning different positions. ... I give credit to those guys for doing the best job that they could do on the fly and adjusting to the play calls that we ran and the stuff that we changed." Wake Forest could excel if both Parker Friedrichsen and Davin Cosby can be consistent 3-point threats. Friedrichsen slumped with shooting in the first few games of the season and was replaced in the starting lineup by Cosby. In Tuesday's game, Friedrichsen drained four 3-pointers, while Cosby hit two. "It was really good to see Parker and Davin both make shots together," Forbes said. Not everything was solved for the Demon Deacons. Western Carolina collected 12 offensive rebounds, and that took some of the shine off Wake Forest's defensive efforts. "We can't be a good defensive team, or a really good defensive team, unless we rebound the ball," Forbes said. "It's demoralizing to your defense to get stops and then not get the ball." In Detroit Mercy's 70-59 win at Ball State on Wednesday, Orlando Lovejoy tallied 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. "We got the ball to the shooters and playmakers," first-year Titans coach Mark Montgomery said. "You could tell by the guys' body language that we were going to get a road win. It had been a long time coming." On Saturday, the Titans will look for their second road victory since February 2023. The outcome at Ball State seemed significant to Montgomery. "We had to get over the hump," he said. "Our guys grinded it out." --Field Level Media
I drove a $63,000 Infiniti QX60. It's a stylish luxury SUV let down by its unrefined engine.With a new year ahead and the holiday fanfare behind, this is a great time to set money goals, especially if you recently spent a lot on gifts and travel and want to get your finances in shape. You’d be in good company, too — according to a January 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center, of the 30% of Americans who made at least one New Year’s resolution, 61% had a goal that was money-related. Right now, you may be highly motivated to solve every single one of your money issues in the next few months, but daily life is guaranteed to get in the way. Your financial to-do list, once so full of promise, can eventually get stuffed in the back of a drawer while you manage more pressing matters. The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions go unfulfilled. So how can you improve your odds of success? It comes down to accepting that you won’t have the time or energy to complete every task to perfection. Creating a system where you can prioritize, plan ahead and hold yourself accountable can help. Many start by setting a goal to trim frivolous costs, which can certainly be helpful, but there are other ways to make a big difference. Taylor Schult — a certified financial planner and founder of Define Financial, an advisory firm in San Diego — recommends starting with a few overlooked financial tasks. Freezing your credit is a quick, easy way to guard yourself against identity theft. It’s free to do, and you can temporarily lift the freeze when you’re applying for a loan or credit card. Schulte also suggests looking into umbrella insurance , which offers additional coverage beyond what your auto, homeowners and other insurance policies provide. This coverage can spare you from massive out-of-pocket costs in the event you get sued. Basic estate planning, including creating a will, is another thing to put high on your list. Putting off this task can create a major headache for your loved ones if something happens to you unexpectedly. “I know it’s a pain point and it’s often kicked down the road,” Schulte says. Paying attention to your spending is always important, but don’t neglect taking steps to protect your money, yourself and your loved ones. So many money goals are born out of social pressure. You “should” want to save up to own a home, even if you’re happily renting. You “should” sacrifice short-term needs and wants to stash away as much as possible for retirement, even though it leaves you feeling deprived. But money goals should be tied to the things that matter most to you. If they aren’t, you’ll quickly lose interest. “If you don’t know what goals to choose, go back to your values and have them guide the goals you set,” says Eric Roberge, a certified financial planner and founder of Beyond Your Hammock, a financial advisory firm in Boston. More from this section You can combine goal-setting with a little planning, so expenses are less likely to creep up on you throughout the year. Think about what expected costs will be coming up in the next six to 12 months, like recurring bills, vacations, anticipated home or car repairs, and other expenses. This approach allows you to set money aside each month to put toward planned costs, as well as longer-term goals. Forgetting your goals can be far too easy, so to make something stick, write it down . It can be as simple as a handwritten list you keep on the fridge, or online calendar reminders that will nudge you every so often. For time-sensitive goals, set deadlines. One tactic is to make multiple lists based on what you need to complete within the next week, month or three months. As time passes and you check off items, you can update the list. Enlist others’ help, too. Weekly or monthly household money meetings are useful if you’re completing financial tasks as a group. Or share your goals with a trusted friend or family member who can serve as an accountability partner. Looping in loved ones can help keep you on track. “We don’t mind letting ourselves down,” Schulte says. “But we hate to let other people down.” It’s easy to get stuck in decision-making mode when trying to pick a high-yield savings account, credit card or possible investments, but eventually, you need to make a good-enough choice . Taking action now can have more of a positive effect on your life than waiting until you’ve painstakingly considered each option. Roberge says that though he’d prefer to optimize every financial decision, he doesn’t because if he did, he wouldn’t get things done. “Everything in moderation is one of the things that I live by,” he says. “Going to extremes in any one thing, at the detriment of other things that are important, doesn’t work long-term.” More From NerdWallet Boost Your Credit Card Rewards This Holiday With a Few Extra Clicks Activating Your Credit Card? Don’t Skip the Mobile Wallet Step Should You Donate Your Points and Miles to Charity? Sara Rathner writes for NerdWallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com . Twitter: @sarakrathner. The article Got Money Goals for the New Year? Stay on Track With These Tips originally appeared on NerdWallet.
No. 16 Iowa State faces Skattebo, No. 12 Arizona State in Big 12 title game for playoff spot
Lincoln Educational Services Expands Footprint with Second Campus in New YorkShares of PepsiCo’s bottling partner Varun Beverages jumped 1.7% to their intraday high of Rs 657 on the BSE after the company announced that it has completed the acquisition of a 39.93% stake in Lunarmech. This makes Lunarmech a wholly-owned subsidiary of Varun Beverages. “In continuation of our intimation dated November 12, 2024, we would like to inform you that today (01:47 P.M. IST) our company has acquired 39.93% of the issued and paid-up equity share capital of Lunarmech, and accordingly, it has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of our company with effect from December 16, 2024,” the company said in a filing to the exchanges. Earlier, in November, the company had announced via an exchange filing that its board had approved a share purchase agreement to acquire the remaining 39.93% of the issued and paid-up equity share capital of Lunarmech Technologies. This was stated to be for a consideration of Rs 200 crore. Stock Trading A2Z of Stock Trading - Online Stock Trading Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Complete Guide to Stock Market Trading: From Basics to Advanced By - Harneet Singh Kharbanda, Full Time Trader View Program Stock Trading Market 104: Options Trading: Kickstart Your F&O Adventure By - Saketh R, Founder- QuickAlpha, Full Time Options Trader View Program Stock Trading Advanced Strategies in Stock Market Mastery By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Stock Trading Stock Markets Made Easy By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Options Scalping Made Easy By - Sivakumar Jayachandran, Ace Scalper View Program Stock Trading Options Trading Course For Beginners By - Chetan Panchamia, Options Trader View Program Stock Trading Candlesticks Made Easy: Candlestick Pattern Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Macroeconomics Made Easy: Online Certification Course By - Anirudh Saraf, Founder- Saraf A & Associates, Chartered Accountant View Program Stock Trading Mastering Options Selling: Advanced Strategies for Success By - CA Manish Singh, Chartered Accountant, Professional Equity and Derivative Trader View Program Stock Trading Markets 102: Mastering Sentiment Indicators for Swing and Positional Trading By - Rohit Srivastava, Founder- Indiacharts.com View Program Stock Trading Stock Investing Made Easy: Beginner's Stock Market Investment Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Futures Trading Made Easy: Future & Options Trading Course By - Anirudh Saraf, Founder- Saraf A & Associates, Chartered Accountant View Program Stock Trading Stock Valuation Made Easy By - Rounak Gouti, Investment commentary writer, Experience in equity research View Program “The board of directors of Varun Beverages Limited (“Company”) at their meeting held today (started at 4:45 P.M. and concluded at 5:20 P.M.) inter alia considered and approved the following: Share Purchase Agreement between our company and the sellers to acquire the remaining 39.93% of the issued and paid-up equity share capital of Lunarmech Technologies Private Limited (a subsidiary of the company) for Rs 2,000 million,” Varun Beverages had said in the previous filing. Also read: Ventive Hospitality sets price band at Rs 610-630 for Rs 1,600 crore IPO. Check details PepsiCo’s bottling partner had reported a 22.3% year-on-year (YoY) jump in its net profit at Rs 628.83 crore for its third quarter ended September 2024, while its revenues reported a jump of 24.1% YoY to Rs 4,804.68 crore in Q3CY24. The shares of Varun Beverages have increased by 48% in the last year and by 31% in the current year so far, according to the BSE analytics. (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel )
Happy holidays from Bad Bunny , who announced Thursday he will release a new album Jan. 5. “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which translates to “I should have taken more photos,” is his sixth studio album and follows in his tradition of releasing new music on unexpected dates. His debut album, 2018’s “X 100PRE," arrived around Christmas and 2020's “El Último Tour del Mundo” near Thanksgiving. The January release date is just before “Día de Reyes,” or Three Kings Day, and is a Sunday — unlike the industry's standard Friday release date. The Puerto Rican musician announced the news on Instagram in a short video featuring filmmaker Jacobo Morales. He also released a new single, “PIToRRO DE COCO.” A day before, Bad Bunny teased a 17-track list on social media, with each song titled “BOMBA,” perhaps in reference to the Puerto Rican musical style and dance. “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” follows 2023's “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” (“Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow”), which was met with mixed reviews. On that album, Bad Bunny's reggaeton offerings were limited, returning instead to the Latin trap of “X 100PRE” in songs like “MONACO” and “GRACIAS POR NADA.” The announcement caps a busy year for El Conejo Malo. Bad Bunny made headlines after he threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after a comedian at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally made crude jokes about Latinos and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” He also canvassed North America on his “Most Wanted Tour,” which made The Associated Press' list of the best concerts of the year. Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
Manmohan Singh will be remembered as the statesman who saved the Indian economy from going over the edge. When he took over as finance minister in the minority government of Narasimha Rao in 1991, the Indian economy was very close to sovereign default. Foreign exchange reserves were barely enough to cover a month of imports and the country had to suffer the ignominy of having to ship its gold reserves to England. The looming economic disaster was a result of fiscal and trade profligacy in the 1980s when the Indian economy, both public and private arms of it, had been spending beyond their means. The crisis was a result of a deeper economic malaise in the economy where the post-Independence State-led planning model had failed to deliver and private enterprise had become shackled in what was infamously referred to as the Licence-Quota Raj. All of that would change with the famous 1991 Budget which Manmohan Singh presented, and the industrial deregulation which accompanied the Budget. More than three decades later, there is as big a consensus for reforms in India just as there was an opposition to it when the process started. Having said all this, what have the economic reforms done for India? Here are five charts which try to answer this question as briefly as possible. India is on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world in a couple of years, and the seeds of India’s growth story were sowed during the economic reforms. World Bank data on India’s share in global GDP (in current dollars) shows this clearly. India’s weight in the global economy declined steadily from the 1960s (earliest period for which this data is available) and reached a trough in 1991. Since then, this number has been on an upward trajectory even though the pace of this has varied in the last three decades. (chart 1) That the reforms delivered growth in India is pretty much an undisputed fact now. The more controversial question is whether this growth has reached the proverbial last person in the line or been hogged by a smaller clique. On this count, one can say that the glass is half full. World Bank data on various measures of poverty shows that India has had significant success in eradicating extreme poverty – as captured by its $2.15 poverty line – even as poverty rates are significantly higher for poverty lines with higher income levels. Here, there is still a lot to be done. To be sure, it is unlikely even extreme poverty eradication would have happened had post-reform growth not generated the revenue to launch welfare programs. (chart 5) Concerns on poverty and inequality aside, the reforms unleashed an unprecedented virtuous cycle of wealth creation in the Indian economy as deregulation allowed private enterprise to exploit the new opportunities in both domestic and external markets. This is best seen in a rise and rise of the Indian stock market almost a decade after the reforms were launched. (chart 2). For instance, replacing the Controller of Capital Markets with the more contemporary SEBI, and relaxing IPO norms, allowed Infosys to list in the early 1990s, sparking India’s equity culture. The strengthening of sentiment vis-à-vis the Indian economy also attracted a lot of foreign capital into India which along with a stock market boom has also provided a much-needed stability on the external account despite Indian imports being significantly larger than they were in the pre-reform period. (chart 3) Does all this mean economic reforms have succeeded in everything they wanted to achieve in the Indian economy? There are important areas where things have not moved, the biggest being India’s failure to give a big boost to its manufacturing sector. The share of manufacturing in India’s GDP has largely been stagnant in the post-reform period even as countries such as China have benefited from export tailwinds via the manufacturing route. (chart 4) With the US and the developed world becoming more protectionist, there is some merit in the skepticism that India might have missed the best period to exploit this opportunity. As irony will have it, the blame for lack of India’s manufacturing progress is often attributed to less reforms rather than reforms per se. But the fact also remains that some states have managed to do much better than others on this front in a similar national policy environment. Even as some economists who have praised reforms argue that India should focus more on services than manufacturing, it is difficult to imagine a bigger source of remunerative non-farm mass employment generation than a robust manufacturing sector. This is one area where the next generation and political and economic policy leaders will have to carry forward the work which started in 1991.Death and Taxes for North Carolina Business Owners
Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office
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