John Toshack held the record of being Cardiff City’s youngest player for 42 years. Aaron Ramsey then had the honour for 18 years. Rob Tankiewicz? Just 64 minutes.
Midfielder Tankiewicz started in Tuesday’s EFL Trophy match against Newport County at the age of 16 years and 117 days.
That saw him break the record set by Wales captain Ramsey, who made his Cardiff debut at 16 years and 123 days old in 2007, to surpass John Toshack’s previous mark from 1965.
But just as Tankiewicz was getting used to his achievement, Cardiff replaced him with Axel Donczew, even younger at 15 years and 234 days.
Both are attacking midfielders, products of the Bluebirds’ academy and Wales youth internationals, though they both qualify to play for Poland.
Leading banks in the UK saw their share prices hit hard as news of a proposed new bank tax emerged.
NatWest share prices lost more than 4.7% nearing midday in Europe, Lloyds saw a dip of 4.5%, and Barclays lost 3.7%. This dragged down the benchmark stock index in London; the FTSE 100 was down by nearly 0.4% at time of reporting.
“NatWest, Lloyds and Barclays were the FTSE 100’s biggest fallers on Friday morning as investors wondered if the era of bumper profits, dividends and buybacks is now under threat,” Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said.
The idea for the new tax came in a proposal from think-tank IPPR to the UK government on Friday. They suggest charging commercial banks to compensate for the losses of the Bank of England’s massive government bond buying—‘quantitative easing’ (QE)—programme. This “will cost the taxpayers £22 billion (€25.4bn) a year in every year of this parliament,” said the IPPR in their report.
The so-called quantitative easing is a monetary policy tool which provided a boost to the UK economy and yielded significant profits for a while. However, since December 2021, the Bank of England has increased its interest rate from close to zero to a peak of 5.25% and that took a toll on the programme and led to interest rate losses.
The think tank said in its report that the government could compensate for the loss partially by implementing a ‘QE reserves income levy’ on commercial banks.
It is unclear where the government stands on this issue at the time of writing the article, but analysts say that it could choke growth in the UK.
“The issue is whether taxing the banks more will end up stifling the very growth the government is keen to foster, by crimping lending to businesses and households alike,” said Mould.
However, the public opinion could be supportive, given that “HSBC, Barclays, NatWest and Lloyds are expected to earn some £44 billion (€50.7bn) between them worldwide in 2025, their third-best year ever, after 2023 and 2024,” he adds.
The investment director noted: “These companies have enjoyed a strong run on the stock market in recent years, and they’ve also played an important role in lending money to small and large businesses, which helps to create jobs and support the UK economy.”
The first World Humanoid Robot Games have concluded in Beijing with more than 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they took part in events ranging from the 100m (109-yard) hurdles to kung fu.
Two hundred eighty robotics teams from 16 countries competed at the Chinese capital’s National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Events included traditional sports such as athletics and basketball as well as practical tasks such as medicine categorisation and cleaning.
“I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans,” 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan said.
Human athletes might not be quaking in their boots just yet.
At one of the first events on Friday, five-a-side football, 10 robots the size of seven-year-olds shuffled around the pitch, often getting stuck in a scrum or falling over en masse.
However, in a 1,500m (nearly 1-mile) race, domestic champion Unitree’s humanoid stomped along the track at an impressive clip, easily outpacing its rivals.
The fastest robot finished in six minutes, 29.37 seconds, a far cry from the human men’s world record of 3:26.00.
One mechanical racer barrelled straight into a human operator. The robot remained standing while the human was knocked flat although did not appear to be injured.
Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games is the first to focus specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organisers said.
The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, hoping to lead the industry.
Beijing has put humanoids at the “centre of their national strategy”, the International Federation of Robotics wrote in a paper released on Thursday.
“The government wants to showcase its competence and global competitiveness in this field of technology,” it added.
In March, China announced plans for a one-trillion-yuan ($139bn) fund to support technology start-ups, including those in robotics and artificial intelligence.
The country is already the world’s largest market for industrial robots, official statistics showed, and in April, Beijing held what organisers called the world’s first humanoid robot half-marathon.
Musk’s political ambition has spooked investors as the auto company reports a decrease in sales in the second quarter.
Tesla shares have tumbled after CEO Elon Musk announced plans to launch a new US political party amid his ongoing feud with his longtime ally, United States President Donald Trump.
Shares of the electric automaker are down 7 percent as of 12pm in New York (16:00 GMT) on Monday. Musk announced his plans on Friday to launch a new political party after disagreements with the president over the tax legislation signed into law the same day. Trump has called the idea “ridiculous”.
Musk’s announcement has fuelled further concerns amongst analysts about his dedication to the automaker after it reported a sales decline in the second quarter driven by Musk’s political involvement.
Trump-Musk conflict weighs on investors
“Very simply, Musk diving deeper into politics and now trying to take on the Beltway establishment is exactly the opposite direction that Tesla investors/shareholders want him to take during this crucial period for the Tesla story,” Dan Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities, said in a note. “While the core Musk supporters will back Musk at every turn no matter what, there is a broader sense of exhaustion from many Tesla investors that Musk keeps heading down the political track.”
“After leaving the Trump Administration and DOGE [the US Department of Government Efficiency], there was initial relief from Tesla shareholders and big supporters of the name that Tesla just got back its biggest asset, Musk. That relief lasted a very short time and now has taken a turn for the worse with this latest announcement.”
Last week, Trump had threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Musk’s companies receive from the federal government after their feud erupted into an all-out social media brawl in early June.
“I, and every other Tesla investor, would prefer to be out of the business of politics. The sooner this distraction can be removed and Tesla gets back to actual business, the better,” Camelthorn Investments adviser Shawn Campbell, who owns Tesla shares, told the Reuters news agency.
Tesla is set to lose more than $80bn in market valuation if current losses hold, while traders are set to make about $1.4bn in paper profits from their short positions in Tesla shares on Monday.
Musk’s latest move also raises questions around the Tesla board’s course of action. Its chair, Robyn Denholm, in May denied a Wall Street Journal report that said board members were looking to replace the CEO.
Tesla’s board, which has been criticised for failing to provide oversight of its combative, headline-making CEO, faces a dilemma managing him as he oversees five other companies and his personal political ambitions.
“This is exactly the kind of thing a board of directors would curtail – removing the CEO if he refused to curtail these kinds of activities,” said Ann Lipton, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School and an expert in business law.
The company’s shares and its future are seen as inextricably tied to Musk, the world’s richest man, whose wealth is constituted significantly of Tesla stock. He is Tesla’s single largest shareholder, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).
“The Tesla board has been fairly supine; they have not, at least not in any demonstrable way, taken any action to force Musk to limit his outside ventures, and it’s difficult to imagine they would begin now,” Lipton added.
Other companies tied to Musk – including X Corp, formerly Twitter, and SpaceX – are not publicly traded.
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran’s leader is an “easy target,” sending jitters through risk markets such as cryptocurrencies on Tuesday.
“We don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” He added. Trump also called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
The market has reacted negatively to the news. Bitcoin is down 1.7% at $105,000, Ethereum is down 2.2% at $2,500, and the total cryptocurrency market cap has dropped 1.3%. Some altcoins, such as Virtuals Protocol, IP, and Pudgy Penguins, are down over 7%.
However, seasoned investors are well aware that dips caused by geopolitical escalations often recover quickly. Put differently, the current low prices could mark a lucrative trading opportunity for investors. But what are the best coins to buy on the dip?
Snorter
Over 26,000 tokens launched on Pump.fun alone yesterday. Thousands more would have been created on other crypto launchpads and decentralized exchanges. For the solo crypto trader relying on manual research, keeping track of new trends and opportunities is almost impossible.
That’s why the crypto trader bot sector is growing fast – and it’s why Snorter might be the best coin to buy on the dip. It’s a powerful Telegram-based trading bot that offers automated token sniping, copy trading, dynamic stop-losses, and rug-pull detection.
It supports Solana, Ethereum, BSC, Base, and Polygon, so you won’t miss an opportunity no matter where it launches.
The project is undergoing a presale and has raised $1 million in its opening three weeks.
This early success suggests genuine market interest, which could ultimately lead to long-term gains. Visit Snorter.
Bitcoin Hyper
Bitcoin Hyper is the new Bitcoin layer 2 blockchain built using the Solana Virtual Machine. Bitcoin’s security and Solana’s speed and programmability – that’s Bitcoin Hyper.
One of the most popular crypto sectors is meme coins, but Bitcoin’s meme coin ecosystem is relatively thin, especially considering its $2 trillion market cap. Bitcoin Hyper offers smart contract functionality and a seamless developer environment – alongside low fees and high speeds – hoping to cultivate a new meme coin ecosystem on Bitcoin.
The project also features a staking mechanism, which currently offers a 554% APY. However, this will decrease as the staking pool grows.
Bitcoin Hyper is also undergoing a presale and has raised $1.3 million so far.
With a strong use case, clear market interest, and lucrative staking rewards, it’d be no surprise if $HYPER skyrockets after hitting exchanges. Visit Bitcoin Hyper.
Fartcoin
Fartcoin is a Solana-based meme coin that launched on Pump.fun in Q4 of 2024 and quickly went viral. It peaked in January 2025, and then, after a deep selloff in line with the market-wide crash, it has risen once again.
It now trades at $1.10 with a $1.1 billion market capitalization and a $245 million 24-hour trading volume.
The project soared approximately 7x from its March lows to its local peak in April, massively outpacing most other meme coins.
Since its inception, Fartcoin has consistently outpaced the market average when conditions are bullish. So with prices currently on a dip, this could prove an opportune time to buy.
AB
AB is in an interesting spot. While most cryptocurrencies have dipped this week, AB is up 37%.
The project focuses on blockchain interoperability. It enables users to transfer assets between Ethereum, Solana, and other networks using the AB Connect protocol, and it also features a sidechain for the Internet of Things (IoT) and a main network for decentralized applications.
Like Bitcoin Hyper, its focus on cross-chain interoperability helps it stand out, and this has even caught the eye of Binance.
On June 7, AB was listed on Binance Alpha, a Binance Wallet feature that enables easy buying. This created a liquidity boon for AB, but the real benefit may still be to come. That’s because Binance says that projects listed on Binance Alpha are shortlisted to receive a listing on the main Binance exchange.
Best Wallet Token
Best Wallet Token is a new cryptocurrency that’s gaining popularity. As its name suggests, it powers a crypto wallet.
The wallet is called Best Wallet, and it boasts over 500,000 users. It stands out for its wide range of features and multi-chain support, allowing users to store cryptocurrencies from Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Cardano, Solana, and many more networks.
Some of Best Wallet’s features include a cross-chain DEX, a presale aggregator, a derivatives exchange, a staking aggregator, and an NFT gallery.
Users can get more out of the wallet by holding $BEST. It unlocks trading fee discounts, higher staking yields, governance rights, and access to promotions on partner projects.
Best Wallet’s features go well beyond those of competitors like MetaMask and Phantom, yet they’re worth billions of dollars. In other words, $BEST has explosive potential. Visit Best Wallet Token.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.
