Meta Platforms, Inc. has recently filed a lawsuit in court, accusing four advertisers of systematic fraud by impersonating well-known public figures and corporate brands. Bitget
Meta Platforms, Inc. has recently filed a lawsuit in court, accusing four advertisers of systematic fraud by impersonating well-known public figures and corporate brands. Bitget
After WaPo Axed 30% Of Staff, We Now Learn They Lost $100 Million Last Year - Again The The Washington Post lost more than $100 million last year, WSJ reports , citing people familiar with the matter - which explains why Jeff Bezos axed 30% of the newspaper's workforce three weeks ago, including CEO and publisher Will Lewis . The 2025 loss matches 2024 - when it also lost $100 million, which follo...
After WaPo Axed 30% Of Staff, We Now Learn They Lost $100 Million Last Year - Again The The Washington Post lost more than $100 million last year, WSJ reports , citing people familiar with the matter - which explains why Jeff Bezos axed 30% of the newspaper's workforce three weeks ago, including CEO and publisher Will Lewis . The 2025 loss matches 2024 - when it also lost $100 million, which followed a $77 million loss in 2023 , the people said. So, nearly $300 million in losses in three years. The Post, long associated with its reporting on the Watergate scandal and publication of the Pentagon Papers, has struggled to adapt to a media landscape defined by declining web traffic, shifting reader habits and intense competition for digital advertising. Like many legacy publishers, it has sought to build a sustainable subscription business while navigating the dominance of large technology platforms in distributing news. In a staff meeting Wednesday, acting Chief Executive and Publisher Jeff D’Onofrio and Executive Editor Matt Murray outlined what they described as years of overspending and falling productivity . The presentation marked their first major address to employees since the layoffs. According to people who attended, D’Onofrio said expenses exceeded revenue between 2022 and 2025, reflecting a hiring surge in earlier years that added hundreds of staff members. He did not detail the full extent of the losses during the meeting. The number of news stories published has declined by 42% since 2020 , D’Onofrio said, even as newsroom costs in 2025 were 16% higher than in 2020. The figures highlight the strain of maintaining a large reporting staff amid slowing audience growth. Murray, who previously served as editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal and took the top editorial role at the Post in June 2024, acknowledged what he called “the painfulness of the moment.” He signaled a shift in editorial priorities, urging staff to be more selective. “ We don’t want or n...
HKEX CEO Bonnie Chan (center) attends the fiscal 2025 earnings conference in Hong Kong on Feb. 26, 2026. Photo: VCG Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. (HKEX) reported record revenue and profit for a second consecutive year in 2025, propelled by a surge in trading across its cash equities, derivatives and commodities markets. The operator of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange posted net profit attributa...
HKEX CEO Bonnie Chan (center) attends the fiscal 2025 earnings conference in Hong Kong on Feb. 26, 2026. Photo: VCG Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. (HKEX) reported record revenue and profit for a second consecutive year in 2025, propelled by a surge in trading across its cash equities, derivatives and commodities markets. The operator of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange posted net profit attributable to shareholders of HK$17.8 billion ($2.3 billion), up 36.1% from a year earlier. Revenue and other income rose 30.3% to HK$29.2 billion, while core business revenue increased 31.8% to HK$27.1 billion, supported by record average daily turnover at both the local bourse and its London Metal Exchange (LME) subsidiary.
Shares of cloud monitoring platform Datadog (NASDAQ:DDOG) jumped 5.5% in the morning session after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed fears that artificial intelligence would cannibalize the enterprise software sector.
Shares of cloud monitoring platform Datadog (NASDAQ:DDOG) jumped 5.5% in the morning session after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed fears that artificial intelligence would cannibalize the enterprise software sector.
Readers respond to an article by an anonymous 15-year-old girl about hateful comments against women and girls on social media The disturbing account from a 15‑year‑old girl describing the misogyny she faces online ( I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day, 23 February ) will come as no surprise to those of us working to safeguard young...
Readers respond to an article by an anonymous 15-year-old girl about hateful comments against women and girls on social media The disturbing account from a 15‑year‑old girl describing the misogyny she faces online ( I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day, 23 February ) will come as no surprise to those of us working to safeguard young people’s mental health. The scale of harmful content in online worlds is deeply concerning. The author has been brave in shining a light on her experiences, and many young people today are exposed to misogyny and hatred in ways that are difficult for those who are not digital natives to fully understand. Yet it is also important to recognise that the online world is not wholly negative, since for many young people it offers connection, solidarity, creativity and meaningful support. Any policy response must protect access to these positive spaces, not cut young people off from them. Continue reading...
A Republican-led panel grilled Hillary Clinton on Thursday over her links to Jeffrey Epstein but she called for Donald Trump to testify about the president’s own connections to the convicted sex offender. Clinton told the congressional committee she had no information about Epstein’s crimes, did not recall encountering him and had never visited his island or flown on his plane, accusing the panel ...
A Republican-led panel grilled Hillary Clinton on Thursday over her links to Jeffrey Epstein but she called for Donald Trump to testify about the president’s own connections to the convicted sex offender. Clinton told the congressional committee she had no information about Epstein’s crimes, did not recall encountering him and had never visited his island or flown on his plane, accusing the panel of trying to “protect one public official” – Trump. “You have compelled me to testify, fully aware...
Getty Images This piece explores Avalanche’s second act as the network shifts toward becoming institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure for tokenization, payments, and real-world financial systems. Please note that VanEck may have a position(s) in the digital asset(s) described below. Key takeaways: Avalanche is a high-speed, multi-chain platform: It is a system of many blockchains designed to...
Getty Images This piece explores Avalanche’s second act as the network shifts toward becoming institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure for tokenization, payments, and real-world financial systems. Please note that VanEck may have a position(s) in the digital asset(s) described below. Key takeaways: Avalanche is a high-speed, multi-chain platform: It is a system of many blockchains designed to solve scalability issues by allowing applications to run on their own dedicated, purpose-built networks. Enterprise adoption anchors long-term value: Major financial institutions such as J.P. Morgan, Apollo, and Citi are using Avalanche for real-world asset tokenization and backend infrastructure. Strategic pricing shift drives network activity: Recent fee reductions have successfully sparked growth in daily active users and transaction volume, positioning the network for broader mainstream adoption. Introduction to Avalanche Avalanche ( AVAX-USD ) is a high-performance platform that powers a network of interconnected, customizable blockchains. It has attracted both crypto-native users and enterprises, with Avalanche L1s processing about 40M transactions per day and supporting roughly 38M daily active users across 81 active blockchains. Avalanche has also brought $1.4B of real-world asset value onchain through institutions such as BlackRock, Janus Henderson, Franklin Templeton, and Republic. These teams are drawn to Avalanche’s predictable performance and scaling model built to support tens of millions of future users. From the start, Avalanche was built around different priorities than many legacy blockchains. Rather than centering the “digital gold” narrative, Avalanche focused on performance and scale, pioneering a novel consensus design and a multi-chain architecture. After launching in 2020, early adoption came from crypto-native users who wanted a faster alternative to Ethereum ( ETH-USD ). Avalanche still maintains meaningful activity in DeFi and gaming, but it has ...
Readers respond to articles by Gaby Hinsliff and Sumaiya Motara on the availability of first jobs, and the hoops applicants are made to jump through Gaby Hinsliff may be right to link the current lack of starter jobs to recent increases in minimum wage and national insurance costs for employers ( Do you remember your first crappy job? Today’s young people would wish for half your luck, 20 February...
Readers respond to articles by Gaby Hinsliff and Sumaiya Motara on the availability of first jobs, and the hoops applicants are made to jump through Gaby Hinsliff may be right to link the current lack of starter jobs to recent increases in minimum wage and national insurance costs for employers ( Do you remember your first crappy job? Today’s young people would wish for half your luck, 20 February ). But there’s more to it. In the 250-plus years between the invention of the water-powered spinning jenny and artificial intelligence, we have developed technology and technique with the primary aim of reducing the number of people necessary to employ for a given amount of output. On a finite planet, the amount of output must eventually stabilise. We cannot maintain for ever the notion that everyone must have a job in order to be allowed to have a life. Donald Simpson Rochdale, Greater Manchester Continue reading...
Readers respond to an interview with Beth Gardiner on how the oil industry is pumping billions more into plastics Beth Gardiner is right to argue that plastic is not merely a recycling failure ( ‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics, 19 February ). It is something far more consequential: an oil growth strategy. Petrochemicals – of...
Readers respond to an interview with Beth Gardiner on how the oil industry is pumping billions more into plastics Beth Gardiner is right to argue that plastic is not merely a recycling failure ( ‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics, 19 February ). It is something far more consequential: an oil growth strategy. Petrochemicals – of which plastics are the dominant output – now account for roughly 75% of net global oil-demand growth , and are projected to become the largest driver of future oil demand . Plastic production has already doubled in the past two decades. Major oil companies are responding accordingly. Recent consolidation – including a $60bn merger creating one of the world’s largest plastics producers – reflects a deliberate pivot toward petrochemical assets as a long-term demand anchor. Continue reading...
Stupid government policy | The best U-turns | Easy crossword | Warming the sheets | Hot bricks Regarding the new rules on dual nationals ( Report, 24 February ), given its standing in the polls, surely the government would prefer not to give voters yet another reason to think they are governed by callous, indifferent fools? Permitting dual nationals to enter with an electronic travel authorisation...
Stupid government policy | The best U-turns | Easy crossword | Warming the sheets | Hot bricks Regarding the new rules on dual nationals ( Report, 24 February ), given its standing in the polls, surely the government would prefer not to give voters yet another reason to think they are governed by callous, indifferent fools? Permitting dual nationals to enter with an electronic travel authorisation would be a simple fix for a stupid and illiberal policy inflicted on its own citizens. Bill Robinson Norwich • Keir Starmer’s latest change of mind, over local elections ( Report, 16 February ), reminds me that years ago, my driving instructor told me U-turns should be avoided if possible. But if one was required, it was necessary to move as far to the left as possible before turning. Stuart Harrington Burnham on Sea, Somerset Continue reading...
Earnings Call Insights: VICI Properties (VICI) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Edward Pitoniak highlighted the company's focus on the operational performance of tenants, referencing the transformation at The Venetian as recognized by Harvard Business School: "the EBITDAR of the property had increased from $487 million pre-pandemic to $777 million in 2024." Pitoniak emphasized, "given our triple net le...
Earnings Call Insights: VICI Properties (VICI) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Edward Pitoniak highlighted the company's focus on the operational performance of tenants, referencing the transformation at The Venetian as recognized by Harvard Business School: "the EBITDAR of the property had increased from $487 million pre-pandemic to $777 million in 2024." Pitoniak emphasized, "given our triple net leases, we don't operate anything that goes on within our real estate, but we pay attention to operations and greatly appreciate all that our operators do every day to make our real estate relevant to their end customers." President John Payne discussed several new partnerships in 2025, including a long-term relationship with Cain and Eldridge Industries, a $510 million delayed draw term loan with Red Rock Resorts, the addition of Clairvest as the 14th tenant, and a $1.16 billion sale leaseback with Golden Entertainment. Payne stated, "these announcements combined represents $2.1 billion of committed capital in 2025 at a weighted average initial yield of 8.9%." He also noted the company's entry into the Las Vegas locals market and described the market as "demographically attractive." CFO David Kieske reported, "AFFO increased 6.8% year-over-year to $642.5 million and on a per share basis, increased 5.6% year-over-year to $0.60" for Q4, and "for the full year 2025, AFFO increased 6.6% year-over-year to $2.5 billion and on a per share basis increased 5.1% year-over-year to $2.38." Kieske noted, "our net income margin for the year was approximately 69%, one of the highest net income margins in the S&P 500." Outlook Kieske stated, "AFFO for the year ended December 31, 2026, is expected to be between $2.59 billion and $2.625 billion or between $2.42 and $2.45 per diluted common share." Management reiterated that "guidance does not include any transactions that have not closed, interest income from any loans that do not yet have final draw structures, possible future acquisitions o...
Earnings Call Insights: Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Stephen Zsigray opened by highlighting the formation of a special committee in December to evaluate strategic alternatives "to maximize shareholder value, including a potential transaction." Zsigray acknowledged frustration regarding "the discrepancy between the value of our underlying portfolio and the market valu...
Earnings Call Insights: Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Stephen Zsigray opened by highlighting the formation of a special committee in December to evaluate strategic alternatives "to maximize shareholder value, including a potential transaction." Zsigray acknowledged frustration regarding "the discrepancy between the value of our underlying portfolio and the market value of our common stock" and reinforced a focus on "driving outsized performance while pursuing opportunistic dispositions to deleverage, improve cash flow and maximize shareholder value." The company reported the sale of 6 hotels, generating approximately $145 million in sales proceeds and eliminating nearly $50 million in anticipated capital expenditures. Additional asset sales were announced, with agreements to sell three more hotels for a combined $194.5 million, expected to save $45 million in projected capital expenditures. Zsigray disclosed a maturity default on the $325 million JPM8 mortgage loan, stating that "disposition of these assets for the balance of the debt would represent a 6.2% trailing cap rate and would yield many of the same benefits for the portfolio as our ongoing sales efforts." CFO Deric Eubanks stated, "For the fourth quarter, we reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $78.3 million or $12.33 per diluted share. For the full year, we reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $215 million or $35.99 per diluted share." Eubanks also reported adjusted EBITDAre for the quarter of $40.4 million and $221.3 million for the full year, with cash and cash equivalents of $66.8 million at quarter end. Senior VP Christopher Nixon explained that "comparable hotel RevPAR decreased 1.8% compared to the prior year period," citing the federal government shutdown and demand disruptions as key factors, but emphasized "full year total revenue increased 0.8%" and "hotel EBITDA increased 2.4%." Nixon noted upcoming brand conversions at tw...
Chelsea recorded a pre-tax loss of £355m for 2024-25 - the highest loss ever made by an English football club - according to financial figures released by Uefa. How did it happen?
Chelsea recorded a pre-tax loss of £355m for 2024-25 - the highest loss ever made by an English football club - according to financial figures released by Uefa. How did it happen?
Shares of Europe's No. 1 frozen food company, Nomad Foods (NYSE: NOMD) , are down 11% as of 11 a.m. ET after delivering fourth-quarter earnings. For the full year, Nomad saw sales decline 2%, gross profit margins dip 250 basis points, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) slide 7%, as the company absorbed roughly $100 million in supply chain inflation without raising prices on consumers. Guidance ...
Shares of Europe's No. 1 frozen food company, Nomad Foods (NYSE: NOMD) , are down 11% as of 11 a.m. ET after delivering fourth-quarter earnings. For the full year, Nomad saw sales decline 2%, gross profit margins dip 250 basis points, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) slide 7%, as the company absorbed roughly $100 million in supply chain inflation without raising prices on consumers. Guidance wasn't much better, with the company forecasting organic sales to drop 2% to 5% and adjusted EPS to fall between 4% and 13% as it executes its "year of transition" under new Chief Executive Officer Dominic Brisby. However, it isn't all doom and gloom for Nomad Foods. Full-year retail sell-out (sales from retailers to customers) rose 0.4%, indicating that consumer demand is stronger than the company's sales figures suggest. While Nomad has lost a bit of market share over the last couple of years, the frozen foods industry in Europe typically grows by 2% annually, creating a steady tailwind. Furthermore, Nomad remains the market leader in its niche, with its top 25 category and country product combinations (e.g., fish sticks in the U.K.) commanding an average market share 2.3 times that of its next-largest peer. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 26, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) ended the year with record LNG exports, supported by new train completions and improved reliability. Management introduced higher 2026 EBITDA and cash flow guidance, driven by additional production, but tempered by lower expected spot margins and the absence of prior-year tax benefits. A new long-term SPA with CP...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 26, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) ended the year with record LNG exports, supported by new train completions and improved reliability. Management introduced higher 2026 EBITDA and cash flow guidance, driven by additional production, but tempered by lower expected spot margins and the absence of prior-year tax benefits. A new long-term SPA with CPC Corporation of Taiwan extended the company’s contracted revenue base into 2050. Management emphasized disciplined capital allocation, rapid share repurchases, and a commitment to 10% annual dividend growth. Project updates confirmed construction timelines remain on schedule, supporting forward production targets without revision at this time. Continue reading