CBI and Energy UK report finds 40% of firms have cut investment as electricity costs remain far above pre-Ukraine levels The UK is at risk of losing its status as a major manufacturing centre after a sharp rise in energy prices that has forced about 40% of businesses to cut back investment, according to a report by the CBI and Energy UK. In a stinging message to ministers, the report said British ...
CBI and Energy UK report finds 40% of firms have cut investment as electricity costs remain far above pre-Ukraine levels The UK is at risk of losing its status as a major manufacturing centre after a sharp rise in energy prices that has forced about 40% of businesses to cut back investment, according to a report by the CBI and Energy UK. In a stinging message to ministers, the report said British businesses – from chemical producers to pubs and restaurants – were being undermined by a failure to cap prices and upgrade the UK’s ageing gas and electricity networks. Continue reading...
Indoor growers warn April price jump will hinder sector’s competitiveness and drive up costs for consumers Outside, it’s an overcast and blustery February day in Kent – hardly the ideal conditions for growing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Yet inside the enormous glasshouses run by grower Thanet Earth, the climate has been optimised to a humid 20C, perfect for the regimented rows of small pepper...
Indoor growers warn April price jump will hinder sector’s competitiveness and drive up costs for consumers Outside, it’s an overcast and blustery February day in Kent – hardly the ideal conditions for growing tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Yet inside the enormous glasshouses run by grower Thanet Earth, the climate has been optimised to a humid 20C, perfect for the regimented rows of small pepper plants poking out of raised trays. Growing fresh produce indoors in the south of England year-round requires plenty of energy to provide light, warmth and carbon dioxide. But the site’s energy bills are about to grow too, when a significant increase in electricity standing charges comes into force on 1 April. Continue reading...
Insurers say cases of scammers manipulating people into staging crashes and filing bogus claims are under-reported Romance fraud typically evokes images of people being tricked out of their life savings by partners they meet on dating sites, but some scammers use a different tactic: recruiting unsuspecting victims into fake insurance claims. The scam involves a fraudster convincing their partner, ...
Insurers say cases of scammers manipulating people into staging crashes and filing bogus claims are under-reported Romance fraud typically evokes images of people being tricked out of their life savings by partners they meet on dating sites, but some scammers use a different tactic: recruiting unsuspecting victims into fake insurance claims. The scam involves a fraudster convincing their partner, or a person they are dating, either to say they have witnessed a car accident, or to take out an insurance policy and file a bogus claim in order to secure a payout. Continue reading...
Animal rights activists disagree with authorities on how best to handle boom in primate population near Table Mountain At the edge of Da Gama Park, where the Cape Town suburb meets the mountain, baboons jumped from the road to garden walls to roofs and back again. Children from South African navy families living in the area’s modest houses played in the street. Some were delighted; some wary; most...
Animal rights activists disagree with authorities on how best to handle boom in primate population near Table Mountain At the edge of Da Gama Park, where the Cape Town suburb meets the mountain, baboons jumped from the road to garden walls to roofs and back again. Children from South African navy families living in the area’s modest houses played in the street. Some were delighted; some wary; most were unfazed by the animals. A few miles away, overlooking a soaring peak and sweeping bay, Nicola de Chaud showed photos of food strewn across her kitchen by a baboon. In another incident, a baboon threw one of her dogs across the veranda. In January, a male baboon lunged at her and refused to leave the house for 10 minutes. Continue reading...
Dolls that look like real babies – complete with tiny veins and folds of skin – can be endearing yet deeply unsettling. In the Netherlands, however, there are tens of thousands of ‘reborn’ doll enthusiasts “It’s a doll,” Ineke Schmelter, 71, often says as she walks down the street with a pram and someone peers fondly under the hood, asking: “How old is the baby?” Then she pulls back the blanket an...
Dolls that look like real babies – complete with tiny veins and folds of skin – can be endearing yet deeply unsettling. In the Netherlands, however, there are tens of thousands of ‘reborn’ doll enthusiasts “It’s a doll,” Ineke Schmelter, 71, often says as she walks down the street with a pram and someone peers fondly under the hood, asking: “How old is the baby?” Then she pulls back the blanket and reveals the doll. She points out the craftsmanship – the little veins, the creases in the skin – and explains that it can take as many as 20 layers of paint to achieve such a lifelike finish. Sometimes, though, she can’t be bothered with the long version – the explanations, the strange looks. “As if I’m not quite right in the head.” Then she just says: “Two months,” and keeps walking. Ineke Schmelter in the kitchen with her reborn baby Ronin Continue reading...
With pine-fringed beaches, crystal waters and affordable seafood restaurants, L’Étang de Thau is a hidden gem worth visiting at any time of year When I asked Nordine Nid Hsain, the owner of my favourite Parisian bistro, why he sold up and left the capital to join the arty diaspora living in the Mediterranean port of Sète, he said: “What really drew me here was not Sète itself, but the natural para...
With pine-fringed beaches, crystal waters and affordable seafood restaurants, L’Étang de Thau is a hidden gem worth visiting at any time of year When I asked Nordine Nid Hsain, the owner of my favourite Parisian bistro, why he sold up and left the capital to join the arty diaspora living in the Mediterranean port of Sète, he said: “What really drew me here was not Sète itself, but the natural paradise of the adjoining Thau lagoon. I love cycling and, after 10 years here, I am still excited to go out every day to explore the bike paths that run around the lagoon.” He added: “There’s always something new to discover – beaches; wetland landscapes; enjoying a plate of freshly harvested oysters at the water’s edge; riding through the vineyards then tasting the wine in the vigneron’s cellar.” Continue reading...
With sensors that cool the air as it nears your head, this high-end tool promises gentler styling for sensitive scalps • The best hair dryers for smooth, speedy styling at home Tell most hair-care enthusiasts you want to upgrade your hair dryer, and I’d bet good money you’ll be asked, “Will you buy a Dyson?” That would have been a ludicrous question more than a decade ago when the brand specialise...
With sensors that cool the air as it nears your head, this high-end tool promises gentler styling for sensitive scalps • The best hair dryers for smooth, speedy styling at home Tell most hair-care enthusiasts you want to upgrade your hair dryer, and I’d bet good money you’ll be asked, “Will you buy a Dyson?” That would have been a ludicrous question more than a decade ago when the brand specialised in vacuum cleaners, but not since it took the luxury hair-care market by storm in 2016 with its Supersonic hair dryer. The Supersonic ripped up the hair-dryer rulebook, with its distinctive design, lightweight feel and quiet operation. Eight years after the original, Dyson launched the Supersonic Nural: an upgraded version with new tricks up its sleeve. Continue reading...
Resorts are near capacity in Pattaya, Bangkok restaurants are doing a roaring trade and the strict time slots to visit the Louis Vuitton pop-up “hotel” in the Thai capital are fully booked. As this year’s Lunar New Year holiday draws to a close, Thailand’s tourist businesses are totting up the receipts from what many hope will be an enduring rebound in Chinese visitors. More than 30,000 Chinese vi...
Resorts are near capacity in Pattaya, Bangkok restaurants are doing a roaring trade and the strict time slots to visit the Louis Vuitton pop-up “hotel” in the Thai capital are fully booked. As this year’s Lunar New Year holiday draws to a close, Thailand’s tourist businesses are totting up the receipts from what many hope will be an enduring rebound in Chinese visitors. More than 30,000 Chinese visitors have arrived each day since the start of January. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)...
Indian trade officials will postpone a trip to the US aimed at finalizing their interim deal after a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The talks set for this week will be rescheduled for a later date, according to officials in New Delhi familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. India’s Ministry of ...
Indian trade officials will postpone a trip to the US aimed at finalizing their interim deal after a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The talks set for this week will be rescheduled for a later date, according to officials in New Delhi familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment outside of regular business hours. After the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Friday, Trump imposed a new 10% global levy instead and vowed to use other powers to maintain his signature tariff policies. On Saturday, he raised that new tariff to 15%. India earlier this month reached an interim framework where Trump cut the levy on Indian goods to 18% from 25%, and also removed an extra punitive 25% duty. The visit will take place when both countries have studied and evaluated the developments and its implications, the officials said. Read: Indian Opposition Calls for Modi to Put US Trade Deal on Hold
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images The Supreme Court struck down President Trump's use of emergency powers to impose widespread tariffs. The court did not rule on refunds. Trump quickly announced a 10% across-the-board tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the president to impose up to a 15% tariff for 150 days. The dollar remained firm after the softer-than-expected Q...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images The Supreme Court struck down President Trump's use of emergency powers to impose widespread tariffs. The court did not rule on refunds. Trump quickly announced a 10% across-the-board tariff under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows the president to impose up to a 15% tariff for 150 days. The dollar remained firm after the softer-than-expected Q4 GDP, which, at 1.4%, was half the pace of the median forecast in Bloomberg's survey. However, it was sold after the court's decision was announced. Yet, key technical levels were not violated, and the momentum indicators suggest the dollar's upside correction may not be over. At the same time, tensions over Iran remain elevated as President Trump indicated a limited strike was possible, even though it appears that he also suggested a 10–15-day window to reach an agreement. Reports indicate that the US has amassed its largest force in more than two decades since the invasion of Iraq. Gold and April WTI made new highs for the week before the weekend. US Drivers: The dollar still seems to be caught up in a corrective/consolidative technical phase that was threatened by the Supreme Court decision, which was as most expected. Given the more than 25 bp decline in the 10-year Treasury yield this month through early last week and the fact that the Fed funds futures are discounting more than two Fed rate cuts this year, the greenback has been surprisingly resilient. Data: Last week's initial estimate of Q4 GDP renders much of the December data due this week, including factory and durable goods orders, house prices, and construction spending, largely moot. February survey data from the Richmond, Dallas, and Kansas Federal Reserve branches is rarely impactful in the best of times. The University of Michigan's consumer confidence survey steals some of the Conference Board's survey's thunder. Recall that the University of Michigan's survey showed an uptick in sentiment and assessment ...
xiao zhou/iStock via Getty Images In late November 2025, I provided an update for Lam Research Corporation ( LRCX ), and in that article, I downgraded the stock from a strong buy to just a buy. Despite strong results, guidance was slightly soft, China risks were present, and the valuation was less attractive than before. As you can see in the below rating history chart, Lam Research has managed an...
xiao zhou/iStock via Getty Images In late November 2025, I provided an update for Lam Research Corporation ( LRCX ), and in that article, I downgraded the stock from a strong buy to just a buy. Despite strong results, guidance was slightly soft, China risks were present, and the valuation was less attractive than before. As you can see in the below rating history chart, Lam Research has managed another 50%+ of gains since then. The chip equipment giant reported earnings just a few weeks back, and so today I'll be providing an updated perspective on the stock. Seeking Alpha Below, it is shown that Lam Research is fundamentally robust. Installed base stats, top line growth, and bottom line growth all look favorable, and the guidance they provided is also solid. However, the company has increased its reliance on China YoY, and so geopolitical risks are considerable and may lead to headwinds. With that in mind, I believe the stock is now only a hold, as the P/E ratio is basically at multiyear highs and is far above the 3 year median. Adoption Continues Lam Research December Quarter Slides We'll get to their December quarter financial results in just a second, but it's worth mentioning that their installed base continues to grow in a solid manner. Adoption clearly remains strong, as installed base units were up by 6,000 in CY2025. At the end of the day, healthy numbers here will speak for themselves in the financial results, and so business momentum seems to be in a good position right now. A key example of how their innovation and bleeding edge solutions are driving growth would be Akara. Lam Research reported that the installed base has doubled YoY as DRAM and foundry-logic wins powered adoption. Investors should expect Akara to continue to drive robust results. At this point, it is clear that their innovation is paying off and is essential for continued success. Growth Remains Strong Data by YCharts Judging by the top line results, it seems that Lam Research's financi...