Author: Lucas

Each day, Alam, like many other riders, logs in to the app and books his work slots, also called “gig slots”.The idea is simple – the more deliveries riders complete during those windows, the more “streak” incentives they unlock, boosting their pay and rewarding longer hours.In December, Alam says he earned an additional 16,000 rupees through incentives alone. He completed more than 1,000 orders and worked 406 hours that month.But this setup can unravel quickly for drivers.Earlier this month, Alam’s phone was stolen mid-shift. He had already worked five consecutive days for more than 12 hours and was just two…

Last Updated:February 02, 2026, 08:41 ISTFrom April 1, the tax-free benefit for SGBs is now reserved exclusively for original subscribers who stay invested till the end.Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) Taxability.The Union Budget 2026 has quietly but decisively tightened the tax rules around Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs). While the government has not removed the popular tax-free maturity benefit altogether, it has clearly defined who gets it. For many investors, especially those buying SGBs from the secondary market, this change alters the tax outcome quite meaningfully.Here’s a simple, no-jargon explainer of what has changed and what it means for you.What are Sovereign…

A lack of reliable transportation could have adverse health outcomes, especially among adults who are older, uninsured and have lower incomes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to a new analysis published by the CDC, about 5.7 percent of adults — between 13 million and 14 million people — lacked reliable transportation for daily living in 2022. The analysis defined a lack of reliable transportation as one’s response to the question, “In the past 12 months, has a lack of reliable transportation kept you from medical appointments, meetings, work, or from getting things you needed…

Updated on: Feb 02, 2026 5:38:13 AM ISTGold, silver rate today highlights: Check prices of both precious metals for the day here.Gold, silver price today highlights: 24-carat gold on MCX fell to ₹1,36,185 per 10 grams, down from an opening price of ₹1,46,800 per 10 grams on Sunday, the day of the Union Budget 2026, showing heavy selling and sharp price swings during the session.In metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, gold prices hovered around ₹1,69,300 per 10 grams, and the highest rate for 24 Karat gold was seen in Chennai, at ₹1,73,010 per 10 grams. The new…

Palantir is set to report earnings on Feb. 2.Palantir Technologies (PLTR 3.52%) has scored a home run for investors as the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution picked up momentum. The company, thanks to its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), allows customers to apply AI to their needs — demand for the system has been high and has translated into strong revenue growth. And this has powered the stock higher, with shares advancing 2,200% in three years. So, investors have gotten used to solid earnings reports from Palantir and fantastic stock price performance. And now, with the company’s next earnings report set for…

Options trading is not without risk – as we’ll explain in lesson 4. However, it can be very attractive for retail traders as it gives you the opportunity to gain a very large exposure with only a small capital outlay – smaller than the capital required when trading the underlying instrument. Options also allow you to profit within short or medium timeframes, rather than having to wait months or even years for an asset to move and generate a profit. But the benefits don’t stop there. Options trading provides some important advantages over other approaches to the market. First, it…

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy (MSTR), said the largest public traded holder of bitcoin BTC$78,358.92 increased the dividend rate on its preferred stock, Stretch (STRC), by 25 basis points to 11.25% for February.Strategy describes Stretch (STRC) as a short-duration, high-yield savings account. The increase is the sixth since STRC first traded in July 2025. STRC is a perpetual preferred stock that pays monthly cash distributions, with the dividend rate set each month to encourage trading near its $100 par value and to limit price volatility. STRC closed at $98.99 on Friday, slightly below par. Strategy has raised $2.25 billion…

Meanwhile, Silver is also seeing strong gains, trading at $119.13 with a 1.96% rise, as safe-haven demand grows amid global uncertainties and US dollar weakness. Geopolitical Tensions and Dollar Weakness Push Gold Higher On the geopolitical front, concerns about US tariffs have returned after Germany, the Eurozone’s largest economy, lowered its growth forecasts for this year and next. Meanwhile, the tension is also rising in the Middle East, as US President Donald Trump warned Iran to come to the table on nuclear weapons, or face stronger attacks. Iran fired back, threatening the US, Israel, and their allies. Meanwhile, Russia keeps…

One of the top Google searches for This Land Is Your Land is a complicated question: “Is This Land is Your Land a communist song?” Woody had a quip for that: “I ain’t a communist necessarily, but I been in the red all my life.” While it’s true that he never joined the American Communist Party (CPUSA), during 1938 and 1939 he played many fundraisers and wrote a column for the People’s World newspaper.For the party, this charismatic, authentic voice from the working-class heartlands was a godsend, because US communists were in a phase of reclaiming patriotism rather than rejecting…

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian bond market is set to continue its resiliency in 2026, with foreign investors flocking into ringgit bonds, especially long-tenured government bonds.Experts attributed this positive momentum to favourable domestic and external conditions despite heightened geopolitical risks.Foreign inflows into the ringgit-bond market surged to RM25.6bil in 2025 versus RM4.8bil in 2024, the largest since 2021, with the strongest inflows occurring in early of the second quarter of financial year 2025 (2Q25), when global markets began to price in aggressive US Federal Reserve (Fed) easing.MARC Ratings Bhd chief economist Ray Choy told StarBiz he expects foreign participation in the…