Liu Hui More than eight months after her initial detention, Liu Hui, the former chairwoman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region government, has been expelled from the Communist Party and referred for criminal prosecution. The move was officially announced on March 26 by China’s top anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The disciplinary body outlined a litany of cha...
Liu Hui More than eight months after her initial detention, Liu Hui, the former chairwoman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region government, has been expelled from the Communist Party and referred for criminal prosecution. The move was officially announced on March 26 by China’s top anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The disciplinary body outlined a litany of charges against the 66-year-old former provincial leader. Officials accused her of abandoning her political ideals, severely compromising the implementation of directives from the central leadership, associating with “political frauds,” and engaging heavily in superstitious activities.
Markets exhaled a bit during the Asian day at the end of another week of turmoil in the Middle East. The biggest monthly selloff in global stocks since 2022 moderated after President Donald Trump delayed his deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire deal by 10 days. US equity-index futures extended gains (before fading again), and Asian equities pared earlier losses . But the costs of the war are ...
Markets exhaled a bit during the Asian day at the end of another week of turmoil in the Middle East. The biggest monthly selloff in global stocks since 2022 moderated after President Donald Trump delayed his deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire deal by 10 days. US equity-index futures extended gains (before fading again), and Asian equities pared earlier losses . But the costs of the war are hard to ignore. The MSCI All Country World Index was still headed for its worst month in more than three years as the Middle East conflict stokes concerns about inflation and lower economic growth. Australian and New Zealand bond yields pushed higher. And Japan’s super-long bond yields climbed as uncertainty persists over the prospects for a ceasefire in the Iran war, while a weaker currency and rising oil prices stoke stagflation worries. Expect policy makers to remain on high alert. Japan’s finance minister flagged the possibility of taking “bold actions” to counter currency moves, a reference to intervention, as the yen traded near a familiar threshold . What’s more, Macquarie warns that oil may hit a record $200 a barrel if the Iran war drags on till June, with the Strait of Hormuz staying shut. In uncertain times, information is key. Keep track of the twists and turns — and the global fallout — of the war with Iran here . What You Need to Know Today Those market swings are proving too much for oil traders . Almost a month into a deepening conflict in the Middle East, oil traders reeling from weeks of massive market swings are beginning to pull back, creating a drain on liquidity that threatens to exacerbate future moves . “I am exhausted and my clients are there too as well,” said Scott Shelton, an energy specialist at TP ICAP Group. As if war wasn’t enough, other factors are adding to energy crunches . Three Australian plants that provide about 8% of the world’s liquefied natural gas have had their output curbed by a cyclone , in a further blow to mainly Asian buyers ...
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signalled support for a European Union-China trade deal, as rising tensions with the United States complicate Europe’s response to a growing flood of low-cost Chinese imports. Merz told German lawmakers on Wednesday he could envisage an agreement with China in “the longer term” among other trade accords. “We now need strategic partnerships around the world in order...
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signalled support for a European Union-China trade deal, as rising tensions with the United States complicate Europe’s response to a growing flood of low-cost Chinese imports. Merz told German lawmakers on Wednesday he could envisage an agreement with China in “the longer term” among other trade accords. “We now need strategic partnerships around the world in order to strengthen ourselves, especially our exports,” he said. The comments highlight an emerging split...
Scott Olson/Getty Images News Target ( TGT ) is facing a new boycott call, this time over its inadequate response to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's actions in the retailer's hometown of Minneapolis, CNBC reported. The American Federation of Teachers passed a resolution Thursday, which calls on its 1.8M members and others to shop at local stores for back-to-school supplies instead of Tar...
Scott Olson/Getty Images News Target ( TGT ) is facing a new boycott call, this time over its inadequate response to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's actions in the retailer's hometown of Minneapolis, CNBC reported. The American Federation of Teachers passed a resolution Thursday, which calls on its 1.8M members and others to shop at local stores for back-to-school supplies instead of Target ( TGT ). Target ( TGT ) declined to comment on the AFT's resolution, but told CNBC that it has "a longstanding commitment to strengthening the communities we serve." The AFT, affiliated with the labor union federation AFL-CIO, previously called out Target ( TGT ) for its "refusal to speak out against ICE's abuses, much less call for them to stop the occupation of the Twin Cities." Target ( TGT ) recently favorably settled with Black activists who called for boycotting the retailer last year over its rollback of major diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The AFT said it was heartened by the settlement, but insisted that Target ( TGT ) must address the needs of the state in which it is headquartered and "take a stand against ICE's occupation of the Twin Cities." More on Target Target: Sales Remain Weak, Shares Fairly Valued Target (TGT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Target Looks Cheap, But One Metric Says Otherwise (Earnings Review) Dividend Roundup: Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Merck & Co., Target, and more
Germany’s defence chief has called on the US to honour its security commitments to the Indo-Pacific and signalled that Berlin will keep raising its military presence in the region, while sharing concerns about “dangerous activities” in the South China Sea. During his visit to Australia, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also sounded an alarm over Beijing’s “close” monitoring of Washington an...
Germany’s defence chief has called on the US to honour its security commitments to the Indo-Pacific and signalled that Berlin will keep raising its military presence in the region, while sharing concerns about “dangerous activities” in the South China Sea. During his visit to Australia, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also sounded an alarm over Beijing’s “close” monitoring of Washington and its allies’ management of the Iran and Ukraine conflicts. “To me, one thing is crystal clear....
The havoc unleashed on global shipping by the US-Israel war on Iran has underlined China’s urgent need to fix its lack of a robust maritime insurance industry, a shipping expert has said. “In the maritime shipping sector, China’s industrial chain for ‘hardware’ is very well-established and mature,” said Chen Jihong, director of the Shenzhen International Maritime Research Institute. “However, when...
The havoc unleashed on global shipping by the US-Israel war on Iran has underlined China’s urgent need to fix its lack of a robust maritime insurance industry, a shipping expert has said. “In the maritime shipping sector, China’s industrial chain for ‘hardware’ is very well-established and mature,” said Chen Jihong, director of the Shenzhen International Maritime Research Institute. “However, when it comes to ‘software’, we are still constrained by others, and it will be difficult to change any...
Musician urges public to send clear message at what is expected to be UK’s biggest ever multicultural rally Billy Bragg has encouraged people to send a clear message to those seeking to divide the country by turning out to support what is expected to be the biggest multicultural march in UK history on Saturday. Speaking to the Guardian before the Together Alliance’s march against the far right in ...
Musician urges public to send clear message at what is expected to be UK’s biggest ever multicultural rally Billy Bragg has encouraged people to send a clear message to those seeking to divide the country by turning out to support what is expected to be the biggest multicultural march in UK history on Saturday. Speaking to the Guardian before the Together Alliance’s march against the far right in central London, the musician and political activist said participants hoped to “send out a message to our fellow citizens that we are willing to take a stand against [the politics of hate] being imported into the UK”. Continue reading...
Lots of us aren’t very keen on bats. But the more we find out about them, the more amazing they turn out to be Bats have a bad rep: in a recent survey by the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), 46% of people expressed negative feelings about bats. But just look at them! Bat carer Liz Vinson, a volunteer with the BCT, calls them “little furry humans with huge jazz hands. They have individual characters: ...
Lots of us aren’t very keen on bats. But the more we find out about them, the more amazing they turn out to be Bats have a bad rep: in a recent survey by the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), 46% of people expressed negative feelings about bats. But just look at them! Bat carer Liz Vinson, a volunteer with the BCT, calls them “little furry humans with huge jazz hands. They have individual characters: some are divas; some are bone idle.” Shirley Thompson, BCT’s honorary education officer, has been championing bats since the 1980s. “I still think they’re magic,” she says. “The more you find out about them, the more you realise what amazing creatures they are.” Continue reading...
Stifel Financial ( SF ) published its selected operating results as of February 28, 2026, showcasing significant growth in client assets. The total client assets reached $557.71B, while fee-based client assets amounted to $228.01B. Notably, the company experienced a considerable year-over-year increase of 19% in fee-based client assets and 12% in total client assets, excluding the impacts of the s...
Stifel Financial ( SF ) published its selected operating results as of February 28, 2026, showcasing significant growth in client assets. The total client assets reached $557.71B, while fee-based client assets amounted to $228.01B. Notably, the company experienced a considerable year-over-year increase of 19% in fee-based client assets and 12% in total client assets, excluding the impacts of the sale of Stifel Independent Advisors on February 2, 2026. Additionally, Treasury deposits surged by 73% year-over-year, totaling $9.58B. Conversely, there was a decline of 6% in client money market and insured products. Looking ahead, the firm expects first-quarter 2026 investment banking revenue to rise between 30% and 40% compared to the prior year. More on Stifel Financial AI Is Not My Biggest Concern With Stifel Financial (Rating Downgrade) Stifel Financial: Poised For A Growth Inflection Stifel Financial Corp. (SF) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Wealth management and tax prep stocks sink as Altruist launches new AI tool Stifel Financial outlines $6B–$6.35B revenue target for 2026 as margins improve and recruiting momentum builds
(ECM) Jack DeJohnette and Michel Portal – both of whom died recently – are phenomenal foils for the Weather Report alumnus’s classical-influenced jazz Czech double bass virtuoso and composer Miroslav Vitous must by now have shrugged off any residual irritation about the oft-circulated fact that he was a founding member of the legendary jazz-rock fusion band Weather Report in 1970. Vitous’s dislike...
(ECM) Jack DeJohnette and Michel Portal – both of whom died recently – are phenomenal foils for the Weather Report alumnus’s classical-influenced jazz Czech double bass virtuoso and composer Miroslav Vitous must by now have shrugged off any residual irritation about the oft-circulated fact that he was a founding member of the legendary jazz-rock fusion band Weather Report in 1970. Vitous’s dislike of the band’s drift away from improv toward electric music and popular global funk saw him leave as their star was rising. His CV would turn out just fine: Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Jan Garbarek, John Surman and Jack DeJohnette were among his many classy playing partners. Seven years in the making, with Vitous now 78, Mountain Call reflects a lifetime’s immersion in classical music alongside jazz, and the balance of spontaneity, nuance and cinematic atmospherics that offered him. Across multiple improv dialogues and two suites (all short, Vitous being no fan of loquacity), the set prominently features DeJohnette, who died in October , with Esperanza Spalding, saxophonist Bob Mintzer and the phenomenal French clarinettist Michel Portal, who died in February. Eight duo tracks for Vitous and Portal (mostly all-improvised) are worth the album alone, for their ever-shifting mix of mellow lyricism and challenging curiosity. In four improvisations on a standard clarinet, Portal segues graceful swoops, plaintive queries and staccato punctuation against Vitous’s turbulent undercurrent of muscular plucked runs and percussive accents. On bass clarinet, the Frenchman sweeps from resonant deep sounds to breathtaking glissando ascents hurtling to the upper register. Continue reading...