Sustainability certification by Marine Stewardship Council may be obscuring labour abuses in seafood supply chains, say researchers The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which operates a “blue tick” scheme to indicate the sustainability of fish, has been accused of creating an “illusion” of ethical sourcing, after a study reported that widespread labour abuses have taken place on the fishing vesse...
Sustainability certification by Marine Stewardship Council may be obscuring labour abuses in seafood supply chains, say researchers The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which operates a “blue tick” scheme to indicate the sustainability of fish, has been accused of creating an “illusion” of ethical sourcing, after a study reported that widespread labour abuses have taken place on the fishing vessels it approves. One in five vessels where the crew reported abuses to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) over the last five years took place on ships catching seafood certified as sustainable by the MSC, researchers found. Continue reading...
Guardian readers describe how their lives have been upended by cost hikes stemming from Trump’s Iran war With the US and Israel’s war on Iran now in its seventh week, with a fragile ceasefire in place since earlier this month, Americans are continuing to feel the effects at the pump as global fuel prices rise . For several readers who spoke to the Guardian, the impact has forced difficult trade-of...
Guardian readers describe how their lives have been upended by cost hikes stemming from Trump’s Iran war With the US and Israel’s war on Iran now in its seventh week, with a fragile ceasefire in place since earlier this month, Americans are continuing to feel the effects at the pump as global fuel prices rise . For several readers who spoke to the Guardian, the impact has forced difficult trade-offs – from accessing essential medicines and groceries to facing the brink of homelessness amid an already rising cost of living . Continue reading...
For his project ‘De Oförtrutna’ (The Relentless), photographer Christer Björkman pictured Swedish scientists working in the spirit of Carl Linnaeus , the botanist who created the modern taxonomic system that classifies organisms based on appearance. Each scientist brought to the shoot a book and an item of importance to their work Continue reading...
For his project ‘De Oförtrutna’ (The Relentless), photographer Christer Björkman pictured Swedish scientists working in the spirit of Carl Linnaeus , the botanist who created the modern taxonomic system that classifies organisms based on appearance. Each scientist brought to the shoot a book and an item of importance to their work Continue reading...
A tenfold increase in the number of immigration detentions has compelled many workers to barely leave the farms where they work ‘They want to keep denying us our rights’: workers in Vermont’s $5.4bn dairy industry fight for basic labor protections Last spring, José Edilberto Molina-Aguilar was resting in his bedroom when a co-worker burst through the front door. Out his window, Molina-Aguilar, a 3...
A tenfold increase in the number of immigration detentions has compelled many workers to barely leave the farms where they work ‘They want to keep denying us our rights’: workers in Vermont’s $5.4bn dairy industry fight for basic labor protections Last spring, José Edilberto Molina-Aguilar was resting in his bedroom when a co-worker burst through the front door. Out his window, Molina-Aguilar, a 37-year-old dairy worker from Chiapas, Mexico, caught sight of the olive green uniforms of immigration enforcement officials who later claimed they had pursued a worker on to the farm property. A farm manager told Molina-Aguilar and five of his co-workers at Pleasant Valley Farms, Vermont ’s largest dairy, in Berkshire, about three miles from the Canadian border, to come outside. Continue reading...
Later this year, two spacecraft are scheduled for launch on missions to land somewhere near the rim of Shackleton Crater , an impact basin near the Moon's south pole harboring an immense reservoir of water ice. The two landers will arguably be the most ambitious robotic missions ever sent to the Moon. The Endurance spacecraft, built by Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin, will become the largest...
Later this year, two spacecraft are scheduled for launch on missions to land somewhere near the rim of Shackleton Crater , an impact basin near the Moon's south pole harboring an immense reservoir of water ice. The two landers will arguably be the most ambitious robotic missions ever sent to the Moon. The Endurance spacecraft, built by Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin, will become the largest lunar lander in history, exceeding the size of NASA's Apollo lunar module that ferried crews to and from the lunar surface more than 50 years ago. China's Chang'e 7 mission will feature a smaller lander, but the project also includes an orbiter, rover, and a hopper drone to scout for hidden ice deposits. Blue Origin's Endurance lander departed NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday for a trip by barge back to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for final preparations to launch on the company's heavy-lift New Glenn rocket. The lander underwent a comprehensive test in Houston to ensure it can survive the extreme temperatures on the airless lunar surface. Two days earlier, Chang'e 7 arrived at a spaceport on Hainan Island in the South China Sea to be integrated with China's own heavy-lifter: the Long March 5 rocket. Read full article Comments
LICreate The European Commission has sent preliminary findings to Alphabet's ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) Google outlining proposed measures to comply with the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, under which the company should allow third-party search engines to access Google search data. The EU regulator noted that the proposed measures cover the eligibility of data beneficiaries to receive search data, including...
LICreate The European Commission has sent preliminary findings to Alphabet's ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) Google outlining proposed measures to comply with the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, under which the company should allow third-party search engines to access Google search data. The EU regulator noted that the proposed measures cover the eligibility of data beneficiaries to receive search data, including that of AI chatbots with search functionalities. In addition, the proposed measures cover: the scope of the search data that Google must share; the means and frequency by which Google must share search data; measures to ensure the anonymization of personal data; parameters for setting fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory prices for search data; and processes governing beneficiaries' access to search data. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha. The Commission noted that the aim is to allow third-party online search engines or 'data beneficiaries' to optimize their search services and contest Google Search's position. Interested parties have until May 1 to submit their views on the proposed measures. "Today’s decision sets out the specifications we expect Google to follow to comply with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act. Data is a key input for online search and for developing new services, including AI. Access to this data should not be restricted in ways that could harm competition," said Teresa Ribera, executive vice president for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. These preliminary findings are part of proceedings opened in January. The EC said at the time that it would guide Google over the course of six months to ensure the U.S. tech giant loosens controls and shares data with rival search engine firms and AI developers. The DMA is a legislation that establishes a set of objective criteria to qualify a large online platform as a "gatekeeper" and ensure that they behave fairly online and leave room for contest...
The Travelers Companies ( TRV ) declares $1.25/share quarterly dividend , 13.6% increase from prior dividend of $1.10. Forward yield 1.67% Payable June 30; for shareholders of record June 10; ex-div June 10. See TRV Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on The Travelers Companies Travelers: FY2025 Results Reinforce Long-Term Dividend Appeal The Travelers Companies, Inc. 2025 Q4 ...
The Travelers Companies ( TRV ) declares $1.25/share quarterly dividend , 13.6% increase from prior dividend of $1.10. Forward yield 1.67% Payable June 30; for shareholders of record June 10; ex-div June 10. See TRV Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on The Travelers Companies Travelers: FY2025 Results Reinforce Long-Term Dividend Appeal The Travelers Companies, Inc. 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript The Travelers Companies Non-GAAP EPS of $7.71 beats by $0.63, revenue of $10.34B misses by $770M Travelers dividend preview: set for another dividend increase
The Chinese embassy in Japan has received a series of “terrorist threats”, including an intrusion and a bomb threat, in the past month, a diplomat told a news briefing on Thursday, describing the incidents as “extremely egregious”. Shi Yong, the acting head of the embassy, told reporters that on March 5 the embassy received a threatening letter from an organisation claiming to comprise former Japa...
The Chinese embassy in Japan has received a series of “terrorist threats”, including an intrusion and a bomb threat, in the past month, a diplomat told a news briefing on Thursday, describing the incidents as “extremely egregious”. Shi Yong, the acting head of the embassy, told reporters that on March 5 the embassy received a threatening letter from an organisation claiming to comprise former Japanese police officers and former Self-Defence Forces members. Shi said the embassy had reported the...
Geopolitical tensions are expected to further drive fundraising demand in the mining sector amid a commodities “supercycle”, although concerns over national security could complicate dealmaking, according to industry experts. Johnson Chui, head of global issuer services at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), said 2025 had been an inflection point. Mining and metals companies had become a key ...
Geopolitical tensions are expected to further drive fundraising demand in the mining sector amid a commodities “supercycle”, although concerns over national security could complicate dealmaking, according to industry experts. Johnson Chui, head of global issuer services at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), said 2025 had been an inflection point. Mining and metals companies had become a key driver in the capital market as rising commodity prices, triggered by the energy transition and...
kynny/iStock via Getty Images This monthly article series aims at a top-down analysis of the industrials sector based on valuation and quality metrics. It may also help analyze sector ETFs such as Fidelity MSCI Industrials Index ETF ( FIDU ) and State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLI ), whose largest holdings are used to calculate these metrics. Shortcut The next two paragraphs in it...
kynny/iStock via Getty Images This monthly article series aims at a top-down analysis of the industrials sector based on valuation and quality metrics. It may also help analyze sector ETFs such as Fidelity MSCI Industrials Index ETF ( FIDU ) and State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLI ), whose largest holdings are used to calculate these metrics. Shortcut The next two paragraphs in italics describe the dashboard methodology. They are necessary for new readers to understand the metrics. If you are used to this series or if you are short of time, you can skip them and go to the charts. Base Metrics I calculate the median value of five fundamental ratios for each subsector : Earnings Yield ("EY"), Sales Yield ("SY"), Free Cash Flow Yield ("FY"), Return on Equity ("ROE"), and Gross Margin ("GM"). The reference universe includes large companies in the U.S. stock market. The five base metrics are calculated on the trailing 12 months. For all of them, higher is better. EY, SY, and FY are medians of the inverse of Price/Earnings, Price/Sales, and Price/Free Cash Flow. They are better for statistical studies than price-to-something ratios, which are unusable or unavailable when the "something" is close to zero or negative (for example, companies with negative earnings). I also look at two momentum metrics for each group: the median monthly return (RetM) and the median annual return (RetY). I prefer medians to averages because a median splits a set into a good half and a bad half. A capital-weighted average is skewed by extreme values and the largest companies. My metrics are designed for stock-picking rather than index investing. Value and Quality Scores I calculate historical baselines for all metrics. They are noted respectively as EYh, SYh, FYh, ROEh, and GMh, and they are calculated as the averages on a look-back period of 11 years. For example, the value of EYh for transportation in the table below is the 11-year average of the median Earnings Yield in tran...
smrm1977/iStock via Getty Images It's been a whirlwind dozen of trading sessions since I published “ It is Time to Be Greedy, ” where I evoked the words peak fear and bottom of the market . Some commenters found my arguments compelling, others didn't, but my conviction didn't change. Truth be told, I was a little early to the bottom by a few days. That article hit on March 23rd; at the close on Ap...
smrm1977/iStock via Getty Images It's been a whirlwind dozen of trading sessions since I published “ It is Time to Be Greedy, ” where I evoked the words peak fear and bottom of the market . Some commenters found my arguments compelling, others didn't, but my conviction didn't change. Truth be told, I was a little early to the bottom by a few days. That article hit on March 23rd; at the close on April 15th, the S&P 500 hit a new all-time high, breaking 7,000. Sometimes, conviction pays off, as does doubting the haters. This chart starts when that article was published. Data by YCharts The S&P 500 is on Trend Both Technically and Fundamentally Whenever the S&P hits a fresh new number like 7,000, I always like to refer to this long-term technical chart circulated by the head of global macro at Fidelity Investments, Jurrien Timmer. Jurrien Timmer It's a great perspective on where we've come from and how past sell-offs have not derailed us from the trend. This one bounced nicely off the trendline itself and fell in line with the high in early 2025. While the S&P 500 was trading at the top of its historical channel heading into this March, the correction has put us back toward the middle, now more firmly in the channel than we were before the war despite making the new high. Technically speaking, little looks wrong in the big picture, and there is clear momentum when you zoom out. Among cyclical bull markets, the one that started in September 2022 was still on trend at the lows in March and is still on trend now, although it's extended well beyond the median duration even if we're close to the median magnitude. Jurrien Timmer Provided that the market is right to be pricing in eventual peace and an eventual resumption of oil flows out of Hormuz, Perhaps that is a Pollyannish view, given the current deadlock in negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran war, but at the end of it all, it will serve us to remember that markets are moved by corporate earnings. And earnings are rising q...
Their sensitive facial hair may be the harbor seals superpower for tracking fish, scientists are learning. (Image credit: Robin Heinrich/Marine Science Center)
Their sensitive facial hair may be the harbor seals superpower for tracking fish, scientists are learning. (Image credit: Robin Heinrich/Marine Science Center)
AUCKLAND, New Zealand & AUSTIN, Texas, April 16, 2026--Packet capture authority, Endace, has announced a raft of new partners and updated integrations as part of its Fusion Partner Program, including Cisco XDR, Splunk SIEM, Splunk SOAR, Vectra AI, Microsoft Sentinel, Google SecOps, Exabeam LogRhythm, Palo Alto Networks XSOAR, Sumo Logic, and Fortinet FortiNDR.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand & AUSTIN, Texas, April 16, 2026--Packet capture authority, Endace, has announced a raft of new partners and updated integrations as part of its Fusion Partner Program, including Cisco XDR, Splunk SIEM, Splunk SOAR, Vectra AI, Microsoft Sentinel, Google SecOps, Exabeam LogRhythm, Palo Alto Networks XSOAR, Sumo Logic, and Fortinet FortiNDR.
Venezuelan bonds that became a global symbol of Wall Street’s indifference to the country’s deep economic crisis are now among the biggest winners in a sweeping debt rally. “Hunger bonds,” issued by state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA , have jumped 70% since the US captured President Nicolas Maduro in January. The securities, which traded at steep discounts in deals that provided the Madur...
Venezuelan bonds that became a global symbol of Wall Street’s indifference to the country’s deep economic crisis are now among the biggest winners in a sweeping debt rally. “Hunger bonds,” issued by state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA , have jumped 70% since the US captured President Nicolas Maduro in January. The securities, which traded at steep discounts in deals that provided the Maduro regime with quick liquidity nearly a decade ago, draw their name from the moral outrage over investors propping up a government while its citizens went hungry. The $3 billion worth of securities have risen to 35 cents on the dollar, from a low of about 20 cents at the start of the year, according to indicative pricing compiled by Bloomberg. The gains come as the stigma around how they were sold starts to fade, though they are still the cheapest across the PDVSA curve. The moves underscore how aggressively investors have piled into Venezuela’s roughly $60 billion of defaulted government and PDVSA bonds since Maduro’s ouster. A political thaw between Washington and Caracas is raising expectations for a massive debt restructuring, sparking one of the biggest rallies in emerging markets. “If you can buy them, why not?” said Riccardo Grassi , head of Risk Management and Quantitative Research at Swiss-based fund Mangart Capital Advisors, which holds Venezuelan bonds. “The path to restructuring is there, but in terms of timing, we don’t know. The moment we have more visibility, the spread will narrow.” The rally reflects how investors are betting that all bonds — even those with a tainted reputation — will be treated equally in a debt rework. “The architects of Venezuela’s debt restructuring, whenever it comes, would be ill-advised to start down the road of giving differential treatment based on the provenance of the claim or the perceived moral characteristics of the instrument,” said Lee Buchheit , a restructuring attorney who previously advised the Venezuela opposition on fin...
Fewer German companies are investing in the US due to President Donald Trump ’s trade tariffs and instead shift their focus to China and other Asian countries, according to a survey by industry lobby group DIHK. Among around 1,700 manufacturers polled, 44% said they planned to invest in the US, four percentage points less than in the 2025 survey and the first significant decline since the Covid-19...
Fewer German companies are investing in the US due to President Donald Trump ’s trade tariffs and instead shift their focus to China and other Asian countries, according to a survey by industry lobby group DIHK. Among around 1,700 manufacturers polled, 44% said they planned to invest in the US, four percentage points less than in the 2025 survey and the first significant decline since the Covid-19 pandemic, the DIHK said Thursday . China was a declared investment target for 34% of respondents, up from 31%, while the figure for the entire Asia-Pacific region jumped by five percentage points to 26%. “The trade dispute with the US is fueling uncertainty and leading companies to postpone decisions,” said Volker Treier, DIHK’s head of foreign trade. In Asia, firms are increasingly moving to both produce and sell their products in local markets, particularly in China and India, he said. The euro area remained the most important region for German foreign investment by some distance. “Its stability, the common internal market, and the common currency offer reliable framework conditions,” according to the DIHK report. “Especially in geopolitically uncertain times, this is a factor that should not be underestimated when making investment decisions.” Germany’s Klingbeil Is Bracing for a Prolonged Energy Crisis German Industry Production Disappointed Even Before Iran War German Growth Forecast Cut in Half on Iran War, Advisers Say
Thirteen of the Damallsvenskan’s 14 teams are based in the south. For Piteå IF, rising costs are now the priority Piteå IF are entering their 17th season as a top-division side in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, but the challenge for them is getting tougher and tougher every year. And it is not a small budget compared to clubs such as Hammarby and Häcken who have, in recent years, been able to rely on th...
Thirteen of the Damallsvenskan’s 14 teams are based in the south. For Piteå IF, rising costs are now the priority Piteå IF are entering their 17th season as a top-division side in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, but the challenge for them is getting tougher and tougher every year. And it is not a small budget compared to clubs such as Hammarby and Häcken who have, in recent years, been able to rely on the support of major men’s club, or the rejuvenated Malmö FF side, but geographical issues which have put a strain on club finances. Continue reading...