News from the 186.2km run from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre Stage-by-stage guide | Stage five report | And mail Andy After stage five: 1. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): 143 points 2. Biniam Girmay (NSN): 79 3. Max Kanter (XDS Astana): 77 4. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech): 72 5. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team): 70 6. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): 55 7. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): 55...
News from the 186.2km run from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre Stage-by-stage guide | Stage five report | And mail Andy After stage five: 1. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): 143 points 2. Biniam Girmay (NSN): 79 3. Max Kanter (XDS Astana): 77 4. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech): 72 5. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team): 70 6. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): 55 7. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): 55 8. Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek): 45 9. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike): 44 10. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG): 39 Continue reading...
After hopping between country, disco and soft rock, Tyler found her groove with Jim Steinman-penned epics, shining through even the most overblown backing tracks • News: Bonnie Tyler, 80s pop legend known for Total Eclipse of the Heart and more, dies aged 75 • From Swansea clubs to worldwide fame: Bonnie Tyler – a life in pictures Bonnie Tyler had a peculiar career: two bursts of global success th...
After hopping between country, disco and soft rock, Tyler found her groove with Jim Steinman-penned epics, shining through even the most overblown backing tracks • News: Bonnie Tyler, 80s pop legend known for Total Eclipse of the Heart and more, dies aged 75 • From Swansea clubs to worldwide fame: Bonnie Tyler – a life in pictures Bonnie Tyler had a peculiar career: two bursts of global success that seemed to have almost nothing to do with each other beyond the name that appeared on the records. Her first big British hits, 1976’s Lost in France and 1977’s It’s a Heartache, were superior examples of what writer Pete Paphides subsequently dubbed “medium wave pop”, the largely forgotten stuff that actually filled the charts and Radio One’s playlists at a time when reductive rock histories would have you believe the entire nation was gripped by punk. They were a little bit soft rock, a little bit country, a little reminiscent of reliable mid-70s hitmakers Smokie, and so catchy that no one seemed to notice that somewhere between their respective releases, Tyler’s voice had changed dramatically: possessed of a rather sweet tone on Lost in France , an operation to remove nodules on her vocal cords had caused her to develop a striking Rod Stewart-like huskiness by the time of It’s a Heartache . It looked like It’s a Heartache would turn Tyler into a huge star: it sold 6m copies, and the accompanying album made the Top 3 on the US country chart. But said success proved difficult to sustain, compounded by the fact that her record label seemed bizarrely unsure what to do with her. Get her to cover Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as on Louisiana Rain? Aim her squarely at the easy listening market via a version of Sometimes When We Touch? Encourage her to go disco, as on the fabulously camp (The World is Full of) Married Men? Continue reading...
Experts say rise in social media attacks on players such as Kylian Mbappé need to be viewed in wider political context World Cup live – latest updates As players in the World Cup shore up their tactics and hone their teamwork skills ahead of the quarter-finals, a chorus of voices have warned that the rise of divisive political rhetoric is translating into an intensifying challenge for players on t...
Experts say rise in social media attacks on players such as Kylian Mbappé need to be viewed in wider political context World Cup live – latest updates As players in the World Cup shore up their tactics and hone their teamwork skills ahead of the quarter-finals, a chorus of voices have warned that the rise of divisive political rhetoric is translating into an intensifying challenge for players on the pitch: a surge in racism. “There’s a huge issue,” said Samuel Okafor, the chief executive of Kick It Out, a UK-based organisation that seeks to tackle discrimination in football. “The political climate that we’re facing is clearly finding its way into football. And it’s making a huge difference in the levels of abuse we’re seeing – people are certainly being emboldened now more than ever.” Continue reading...
Greggory DiSalvo American companies have a new AI addiction: cheaper Chinese models. But as the race for artificial-intelligence supremacy heats up, Beijing is reportedly considering tightening its grip on homegrown technology, according to multiple media reports. Across Silicon Valley, models made by Chinese companies such as DeepSeek ( DEEPSEEK ) and Moonshot AI have become core to daily work at...
Greggory DiSalvo American companies have a new AI addiction: cheaper Chinese models. But as the race for artificial-intelligence supremacy heats up, Beijing is reportedly considering tightening its grip on homegrown technology, according to multiple media reports. Across Silicon Valley, models made by Chinese companies such as DeepSeek ( DEEPSEEK ) and Moonshot AI have become core to daily work at companies large and small, offering a less costly alternative and supplement to the products of OpenAI ( OPENAI ) and Anthropic ( ANTHRO ), the Wall Street Journal reported. China is now considering stricter rules to stop homegrown AI models from reaching foreign rivals, including treating tech leaks as national security offenses and limiting foreign investment in AI startups. Reuters Wednesday reported that Chinese authorities have held meetings with top tech firms over the past month about potentially restricting overseas access to China's most advanced AI models, including those yet to be released. Companies present at the talks included tech giants Alibaba ( BABA ) and ByteDance ( BDNCE ) as well as startup Z.ai. Alibaba's Qwen and ByteDance's Doubao are two of the most widely used AI models in China. Z.ai recently set Silicon Valley abuzz as the capabilities of its GLM-5.2 model come close to leading U.S. offerings but at a fraction of the cost, reports said. For every week since February 8, 2026, Chinese-origin AI models have accounted for at least 30% of the enterprise token volume on OpenRouter. By mid-2026, that share reached a weekly peak of 46%, according to a CNBC investigation published July 7. That figure stood at 11% averaged over the prior twelve months — and just 4.5% in the first half of 2025. The scale of this shift is underscored by the growth of OpenRouter itself, which expanded from roughly 5 trillion tokens per week in April 2025 to over 20 trillion by April 2026. China ETFs: ( KWEB ), ( PGJ ), ( CQQQ ), ( FXI ), ( GXC ), ( MCHI ), ( FLCH ), ( CNYA...
Barclays Plc is preparing to sell about $875 million of debt financing used to fund a takeover of UK aerospace supplier Senior Plc . Senior agreed to a takeover proposal from a consortium including private equity firm Blackstone Inc. and Tinicum Inc. in April, valuing the firm at about £1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) and beating out bids from rivals such as Advent. Barclays is leading a group of banks...
Barclays Plc is preparing to sell about $875 million of debt financing used to fund a takeover of UK aerospace supplier Senior Plc . Senior agreed to a takeover proposal from a consortium including private equity firm Blackstone Inc. and Tinicum Inc. in April, valuing the firm at about £1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) and beating out bids from rivals such as Advent. Barclays is leading a group of banks providing the dollar-denominated underwritten debt financing and is now preparing to sell it to institutional investors in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The financing comprises a $685 million senior secured term loan facility, an additional $190 million senior secured term loan facility and a $150 million senior secured revolving credit facility, according to a commitment letter . Blackstone and Barclays declined to comment. Senior and Tinicum didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Senior produces parts for European planemaker Airbus SE and rival Boeing Co., which are ramping up production to keep up with soaring travel demand. The deal is the latest in a string of takeovers of UK companies, including asset manager Schroders Plc and ingredients maker Tate & Lyle Plc . Others, such as industrial heat specialist Bodycote Plc, have also been pursued by bidders. British Takeovers Up 250% as Global Buyers Bypass Political Flux Barclays is also among the banks working on another UK debt package — a £5 billion financing to back EQT AB ’s acquisition of Intertek Group Plc .