Achieving this year’s inflation target would be one of China’s top economic tasks, a prominent economist and government adviser said, as it was pivotal to accomplishing other government priorities such as boosting consumption, raising incomes and achieving the required headline growth figures. “The inflation target corresponds to a state of relative equilibrium between supply and demand,” Zhang Bi...
Achieving this year’s inflation target would be one of China’s top economic tasks, a prominent economist and government adviser said, as it was pivotal to accomplishing other government priorities such as boosting consumption, raising incomes and achieving the required headline growth figures. “The inflation target corresponds to a state of relative equilibrium between supply and demand,” Zhang Bin, deputy director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said on Thursday. “Among the various macroeconomic objectives, I believe the most crucial one is the inflation target.” Advertisement Also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , Zhang’s comments came as Beijing endeavours to emerge from a period of deflationary pressure and see the country’s annual inflation rate head towards 2 per cent – its target for this year. Two per cent is also the level at which the US hopes to cap its inflation. Advertisement The annual session of the CPPCC, China’s top political advisory body, convened in Beijing this week alongside that of the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislature. Collectively known as the “two sessions”, they are a key window to understanding Beijing’s policy direction.
The Canadian dance director has created a dazzling body of work that tackles human relationships and the big questions of our times. She talks through pivotal moments in her career There aren’t many current choreographers more respected and in-demand than the multi-award-winning Crystal Pite. The Canadian founded her contemporary dance company, Kidd Pivot, in Vancouver in 2002, but she’s also made...
The Canadian dance director has created a dazzling body of work that tackles human relationships and the big questions of our times. She talks through pivotal moments in her career There aren’t many current choreographers more respected and in-demand than the multi-award-winning Crystal Pite. The Canadian founded her contemporary dance company, Kidd Pivot, in Vancouver in 2002, but she’s also made visually splendid works for the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet among others. What stands out in all of Pite’s work is its humanity. These are never just bodies moving for movement’s sake. Her supple choreography is genius at illuminating relationships and emotional grey areas. But she’s also unafraid to tackle the big questions of our times: refugee crises (Flight Pattern), the climate crisis (Figures in Extinction), warmongering and political power struggles (The Statement), often using text in experimental ways. In opposition to the intimate scale of her duets, Pite has also created a strand of work that uses massed ranks of dancers moving in unison to awesome effect. Elements of all of these strands come together in Pite’s piece Body & Soul (Part 1), which will be performed by English National Ballet at London’s Sadler’s Wells and Plymouth’s Theatre Royal this spring. Here, she talks us through that landmark work along with the rest of her back catalogue Continue reading...
A decaying gothic mansion tells the story of the family who once lived there, in this pitch-perfect debut of disappearances, betrayal and despair Angela Tomaski’s debut novel is a delicious comfort read about loyalty and despair, and a gentle questioning of the nature of progress. Crumbling stately home Thornwalk is on the verge of becoming a luxury hotel. The ancestral owners are all dead – with ...
A decaying gothic mansion tells the story of the family who once lived there, in this pitch-perfect debut of disappearances, betrayal and despair Angela Tomaski’s debut novel is a delicious comfort read about loyalty and despair, and a gentle questioning of the nature of progress. Crumbling stately home Thornwalk is on the verge of becoming a luxury hotel. The ancestral owners are all dead – with the exception of a pair of rapacious cousins, naturally – and the only person left to mourn is the loyal valet (and maybe more?) of the old master. Maximus, last guardian of the house, guides the reader on a final tour through Thornwalk, and the lost lives, loves and brass buttons of the titular Gilberts: Lydia, the eldest girl, desperate to fall in love; Hugo, the stubborn eldest son; “poor little Annabel”, dreaming of writing; quiet runaway Jeremy; and unstable actor Rosalind. He takes us, room by room, trinket by trinket, stain by stain (blackcurrant to blood) through 100 years of family life before it is all lost for ever. Continue reading...
As ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones rained down on the Middle East, one of the world’s most talked-about businesses was inviting wagers on whether nuclear Armageddon might be imminent. Polymarket is a prediction market, a relatively new breed of betting company that has burst on to the scene, particularly in the US, often seducing customers with little previous interest in gambling. Alongsid...
As ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones rained down on the Middle East, one of the world’s most talked-about businesses was inviting wagers on whether nuclear Armageddon might be imminent. Polymarket is a prediction market, a relatively new breed of betting company that has burst on to the scene, particularly in the US, often seducing customers with little previous interest in gambling. Alongside its larger rival Kalshi, Polymarket offers the chance to stake money on everything from the result of last week’s Gorton and Denton byelection to whether the US will confirm the existence of aliens before 2027. Its market on nuclear Armageddon now appears to have been taken down, after widespread distaste circulating online for the prospect of wagering on the deaths of millions of humans. Polymarket did not return a request for comment. An upside down Vote Labour sign duringlast week’s Gorton and Denton byelection. Polymarket was offering odds on the result. For those who like to put their money where their mouth is, it has long been possible to gamble on affairs of state. The 2024 general election betting scandal in the UK opened many people’s eyes to the myriad ways in which bookmakers and punters can do so. However, the rapid growth of prediction markets, particularly in the US, is making such wagers more commonplace. So how do they work and are they likely to take off in the UK? What are prediction markets? For all the fuss about this “new” phenomenon, British punters are already very familiar with prediction markets. We just call them betting exchanges. Betfair, the dominant UK exchange, launched more than a quarter of a century ago. Unlike bookmakers, exchanges and prediction markets pit customers against one another. The exchanges provide the platform for users to bet on multiple “markets”, such as the outcome of a football match or whether a prime minister will be deposed by June. Punters choose a side of that bet, either backing (betting on) or laying (betting ag...
Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung face off in a wildly inventive film whose hospital shootout remains one of cinema’s most irresistible set pieces John Woo’s Hong Kong cop-thriller extravaganza from 1992 is now on rerelease; it is pure outrageous mayhem in which Woo showed that he was a pioneering maestro of the PAE – Pointless Action Explosion – as well as the Mexican-standoff set piece, in which a pai...
Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung face off in a wildly inventive film whose hospital shootout remains one of cinema’s most irresistible set pieces John Woo’s Hong Kong cop-thriller extravaganza from 1992 is now on rerelease; it is pure outrageous mayhem in which Woo showed that he was a pioneering maestro of the PAE – Pointless Action Explosion – as well as the Mexican-standoff set piece, in which a pair of sweaty, homicidal guys statically point guns in each other’s faces, mutually hypnotised by the sudden stalemate, a kind of Zen duplication/opposition of killer and victim. Hard Boiled irresistibly combined two of the most compellingly beautiful men in Hong Kong cinema: Tony Leung and Chow Yun-fat. As Inspector “Tequila” Yuen, Chow became legendary in this film for the scenes in which he has to carry around an adorable baby during the final, entirely bizarre shootout in a hospital. He and his girlfriend-slash-police-officer Teresa Chang (Teresa Mo) have previously had to get all the newborns out of the maternity unit, having daintily put cotton buds in their ears so the poor little mites weren’t upset by the deafening gunfire. This scene appears to have mutated from a previous script draft about a baby-poisoning wacko, a gruesome idea that was thankfully junked in favour of this inspired image, which made Chow relatable as nothing else could. Continue reading...
Homes for sale in new commuter hotspots in England – in pictures In the run-up to our commuter special report, we pick five properties in places with great rail links. Read the full list on Saturday This Grade II-listed property in Retford, Nottinghamshire, was built in 1775. Photograph: Fine & Country
Homes for sale in new commuter hotspots in England – in pictures In the run-up to our commuter special report, we pick five properties in places with great rail links. Read the full list on Saturday This Grade II-listed property in Retford, Nottinghamshire, was built in 1775. Photograph: Fine & Country
In this week’s newsletter: From nature projects to biodiversity funds, key programmes will suffer as the UK aims to lower its international climate finance commitments by billions The UK’s spy chiefs are accustomed to being listened to at the highest levels of government. Prime ministers and cabinets take notice when the joint intelligence committee (JIC), which directs MI5 and MI6, warns of threa...
In this week’s newsletter: From nature projects to biodiversity funds, key programmes will suffer as the UK aims to lower its international climate finance commitments by billions The UK’s spy chiefs are accustomed to being listened to at the highest levels of government. Prime ministers and cabinets take notice when the joint intelligence committee (JIC), which directs MI5 and MI6, warns of threats to national security. Except, it seems, when it comes to the future of the planet. Last year the JIC produced a hard-hitting report which, the Guardian revealed, found the collapse of globally important ecosystems around the world – including the potential shift of the Amazon from rainforest to savannah, the demise of coral reefs, and the loss of glaciers – would threaten the UK’s national security , through food shortages at home and the potential for conflict overseas. Dirty water, death and decline: the inside story of a privatisation scandal Global sea levels have been underestimated due to poor modelling, research suggests ‘I live in constant fear’: surge in giant sinkholes threatens Turkey’s farmers What exactly is climate finance? Who pays it? And who gets it? | Explainer We can move beyond the capitalist model and save the climate – here are the first three steps | Jason Hickel and Yanis Varoufakis Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn Continue reading...
Alpine playgrounds, unforgettable train rides and white-water rafting feature in our readers’ family trips from Norway to the Netherlands • Tell us about a trip to a UK national park or national nature reserve – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher Travelling by rail in Europe gives you plenty of opportunity for ad-hoc adventure. We were returning from a ski trip in Italy and took the Bernina ...
Alpine playgrounds, unforgettable train rides and white-water rafting feature in our readers’ family trips from Norway to the Netherlands • Tell us about a trip to a UK national park or national nature reserve – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher Travelling by rail in Europe gives you plenty of opportunity for ad-hoc adventure. We were returning from a ski trip in Italy and took the Bernina Express part of the way. We’d heard that if you disembark at Bergün, leave your luggage at the station and take the train back one stop to Preda village it’s possible to sledge between the two stations. So there we found ourselves renting traditional wooden sledges from Preda and walking the short distance to the start of the tobogganing run. What we thought might be a gentle run into town turned into a fast and fun-filled couple of hours as we hurtled down the tree-lined course. At times it felt like we were in the game Mario Kart and at one point a children’s birthday party overtook us, the birthday girl’s sledge trailing balloons. About 5 miles later we arrived back in Bergün, before continuing our train journey onwards. Layla Astley Continue reading...
Pick of the week Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere It was inevitable that Louis Theroux would collide with the manosphere: his diffidence is a perfect counterpoint to the empty bravado that defines the assorted blaggers and oddballs he meets here. As Theroux spends time with influencers including Harrison Sullivan and Myron Gaines, it becomes clear that their performance of hypermasculinity is ...
Pick of the week Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere It was inevitable that Louis Theroux would collide with the manosphere: his diffidence is a perfect counterpoint to the empty bravado that defines the assorted blaggers and oddballs he meets here. As Theroux spends time with influencers including Harrison Sullivan and Myron Gaines, it becomes clear that their performance of hypermasculinity is often linked to loss and trauma. This manifests as bullying but also as an inescapable dullness. However, it’s worryingly evident that many vulnerable young men take the manosphere’s posturing at face value and, as the film goes on, it’s also apparent that Theroux and these influencers are talking to completely separate worlds. Netflix, from Wednesday 11 March Scarpetta View image in fullscreen Admirably committed … Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta in Scarpetta. Photograph: Prime Video Nicole Kidman’s TV roles are rarely understated and the trend continues in this melodramatic thriller, adapted from a series of novels by Patricia Cornwell. Kidman stars as Kay Scarpetta, a brilliant but troubled criminal pathologist, who is having a second try at the job of chief medical examiner of Virginia. Her previous spell finished unhappily so the last thing she needs is a case (a possible serial killer) with freakish echoes of one that defeated her years earlier. It’s never subtle but everyone involved commits admirably and Jamie Lee Curtis is in fine sardonic form as Kay’s sister Dorothy. Prime Video, from Wednesday 11 March Outlander View image in fullscreen Weirdly addictive … Caitriona Balfe as Claire Fraser and Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser in Outlander. Photograph: Robert Wilson/Starz/Sony Pictures Television The eighth and final season of weirdly addictive hokum from a drama that has combined time-travelling mysteries, tribal conflicts and lost children to emotionally exhausting effect. Season seven left us with quite the cliffhanger. It centred on I Do Like to Be Beside the Seasid...
What began as a US-Israeli assault on Iran is rapidly evolving into a conflict with the potential to spread far beyond the Middle East. Iranian missiles and drones have already struck or reached Turkey , Azerbaijan and Cyprus, while European powers are rushing additional warships, fighter jets and air defences to the eastern Mediterranean and Gulf to contain the fallout. Analysts warn the longer t...
What began as a US-Israeli assault on Iran is rapidly evolving into a conflict with the potential to spread far beyond the Middle East. Iranian missiles and drones have already struck or reached Turkey , Azerbaijan and Cyprus, while European powers are rushing additional warships, fighter jets and air defences to the eastern Mediterranean and Gulf to contain the fallout. Analysts warn the longer the war continues, the greater the risk that long-simmering regional fault lines – from Kurdish militancy to Azeri and Baloch separatism – could open entirely new fronts. Advertisement President Donald Trump fuelled those fears on Thursday when he voiced support for a possible invasion into Iran by Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq At the same time, neighbouring Azerbaijan vowed retaliation after being struck by Iranian drones, while Turkey warned it would not tolerate another missile after one headed into its airspace the day before. Azeri security personnel guard the debris of what is believed to be an Iranian drone near a school in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on Thursday. Photo: Azerbaijan State News Agency/Xinhua Nato and the European Union are also being pulled closer to the conflict.
With Europe Vulnerable To An Energy Crisis, Putin Says Russia May Pull The Plug On Gas Supplies To Europe Via Remix News, The Russian government, along with domestic energy companies, is examining whether or not to immediately withdraw from the European market, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement to Rossiya 1 television on Wednesday evening. Putin appears to be reacting to the ind...
With Europe Vulnerable To An Energy Crisis, Putin Says Russia May Pull The Plug On Gas Supplies To Europe Via Remix News, The Russian government, along with domestic energy companies, is examining whether or not to immediately withdraw from the European market, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement to Rossiya 1 television on Wednesday evening. Putin appears to be reacting to the indication from Brussels that Russian energy may, after all, be needed in the short term, due to the war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz. However, Putin may just decide to pull the plug now and start transitioning to other countries and regions that are not threatening a ban, reports Hirado . “They (…) plan to introduce restrictions on the purchase of Russian gas, including liquefied gas, starting in a month, (March) 25. A year later, in (20)27, further restrictions will come into effect, up to a complete ban. Now other markets are opening up. And perhaps it would be more beneficial for us to stop deliveries to the European market now. To move to those markets that are opening up and gain a foothold there,” he said. The move comes at time when gas prices are surging across Europe , leaving the EU vulnerable to a further supply shock. Putin made clear that no decision has been made in the case. “We will see what will happen in this area,” he said, “but this is a very dangerous game, especially today.” “According to the data available to our services, just as they once blew up the Nord Streams, now in Kyiv, with the support of some Western services, they are preparing to blow up the Blue Stream and the Turkish Stream. We have informed our Turkish friends about this matter,” he said. The Russian president also called the attack on a Russian gas tanker in the Mediterranean Sea an act of terrorism. Putin additionally called Russia a reliable supplier, explaining that the increase in European gas prices is not directly related to supplies, because they have not decreased...
BARCELONA, Spain, March 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, announced its partnership with Maxon, a leading provider of professional software solutions for 3D design, motion graphics, and visual effects, among other creative applications. This partnership introduces powerful generative AI capabilities ...
BARCELONA, Spain, March 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, announced its partnership with Maxon, a leading provider of professional software solutions for 3D design, motion graphics, and visual effects, among other creative applications. This partnership introduces powerful generative AI capabilities designed to augment the creative process, putting the artist firmly in the driver's seat. Founded in Germany and now contributing to creative communities worldwide, Maxon is recognized for delivering powerful yet approachable tools that help creators across industries. Through its partnership with Tencent Cloud, the company is integrating Tencent HY 3D Global into its Oscar-winning Cinema 4D tool on iPad and desktop, bringing scalable generative AI directly into the workflows of millions of creators around the globe. Powered by Tencent's self-developed generative AI model, Tencent HY 3D Global offers API-based services for high quality 3D model generation and processing. With this integration, Cinema 4D — already established as a leading solution for 3D animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering — gains new AI-driven capabilities that enhance speed, reliability, and creative flexibility. Cinema 4D's new feature is expected to be available in late 2026. This partnership comes at a pivotal moment, as the artistic community is raising concerns that AI could undermine human creativity, replace jobs, or rely on models trained without clear ethical standards. Tencent Cloud and Maxon are responding to these concerns with transparency and a creator-first approach, ensuring that artists remain firmly in control. At MWC, Tencent Cloud presented the first recorded demonstration of the integration, highlighting a workflow where the creator leads every step of the process. In this setup, generative AI functions as a supportive assistant, enhancing efficiency and unlocking new creati...
vencavolrab/iStock via Getty Images By Warren Patterson , Head of Commodities Strategy Strait of Hormuz uncertainty hangs over oil and gas markets US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the resulting retaliation have caused havoc for energy markets, with the market witnessing significant disruption to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, there are growing risks to energy infras...
vencavolrab/iStock via Getty Images By Warren Patterson , Head of Commodities Strategy Strait of Hormuz uncertainty hangs over oil and gas markets US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the resulting retaliation have caused havoc for energy markets, with the market witnessing significant disruption to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, there are growing risks to energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, with Iran striking neighbouring countries in the energy-rich region. For oil markets, we have seen Brent trade above US$85/bbl recently, with as much as 20m b/d of oil supply (14m b/d of crude oil and 6m b/d of refined product) at risk due to the ongoing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption to flows has the potential to drastically change the outlook for the oil market – a market which was expected to be in large surplus this year. The duration of the disruption is crucial to the market outlook. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the ability to divert up to 5m b/d via pipeline to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, but this still leaves 15m b/d of oil supply at risk. While OPEC+ agreed on a larger-than-expected supply increase for April, this does not move the needle much when you consider the amount of oil supply impacted. The bulk of OPEC’s spare production capacity sits in the Persian Gulf, so it will not be very helpful amid the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Furthermore, any supply response from other producers, such as from the US shale industry, will be too little too late; it's likely to take 6-12 months to bring additional supply onto the market. A prolonged outage would likely need to see coordinated action from governments in the form of stock releases from strategic reserves to tide the market over until Persian Gulf supply disruptions ease. The European natural gas market and the spot Asian LNG market have seen even more strength than the oil market, with TTF up as much as 70% following the escalation. The disruption in the Strait of Ho...
The dollar is among the few major assets to have rallied this week, while traditional safe havens such as Treasuries, the yen, the Swiss franc and gold offered no refuge to investors amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Bloomberg's Mark Cudmore breaks down the situation. (Source: Bloomberg)
The dollar is among the few major assets to have rallied this week, while traditional safe havens such as Treasuries, the yen, the Swiss franc and gold offered no refuge to investors amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Bloomberg's Mark Cudmore breaks down the situation. (Source: Bloomberg)
The Israel Defense Forces said overnight it was carrying out a “broad” wave of attacks on Iran, as tensions continue to escalate on the seventh day of war. (Source: Bloomberg)
The Israel Defense Forces said overnight it was carrying out a “broad” wave of attacks on Iran, as tensions continue to escalate on the seventh day of war. (Source: Bloomberg)