From 6 April, low-income families can claim universal credit payments for all children living in the household The two-child benefit policy has been described as a “cap on childhood” and as it comes to an end, Claire* hopes to throw a birthday party for her son. It is a celebration most children may take for granted, but Claire and her partner run out of money at the end of every month, skipping m...
From 6 April, low-income families can claim universal credit payments for all children living in the household The two-child benefit policy has been described as a “cap on childhood” and as it comes to an end, Claire* hopes to throw a birthday party for her son. It is a celebration most children may take for granted, but Claire and her partner run out of money at the end of every month, skipping meals so that their three children can eat. Her son, now in his final year at primary school, has never had a party. Continue reading...
From blackjack and knobkerrie to a ‘shivering’ footballer, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz 1 Which 1970s TV hit was based on the writings of Suetonius and Tacitus? 2 Which footballer trademarked his “shivering” goal celebration? 3 Which planet is lashed by winds exceeding 1,200mph? 4 Used to measure chilli peppers, what are SHU? 5 Which poetic couple married on Bloomsday in 1956? 6 Bees...
From blackjack and knobkerrie to a ‘shivering’ footballer, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz 1 Which 1970s TV hit was based on the writings of Suetonius and Tacitus? 2 Which footballer trademarked his “shivering” goal celebration? 3 Which planet is lashed by winds exceeding 1,200mph? 4 Used to measure chilli peppers, what are SHU? 5 Which poetic couple married on Bloomsday in 1956? 6 Bees and wasps have how many eyes? 7 What is the highest peak in the Pennines? 8 Which chemical element is named after a New Zealander? What links: 9 Iquitos, Peru; Juneau, Alaska; Norilsk, Russia? 10 1; 11; 21; 1211; 111221; 312211? 11 Embla; Eve; Lilith; Mashyana; Pandora; Shatarupa? 12 Blackjack; knobkerrie; persuader; shillelagh? 13 Billy Connolly; Alex Ferguson; Peter the Great; Lech Wałęsa? 14 Mamdani; Adams; de Blasio; Bloomberg? 15 Spotlight; 1815 battle; distress signal; Italian exclamation; Kathy Burke sitcom? Dedicated to Laurie Stott Continue reading...
A series of artworks featuring six coats with distinctive features created by an Iranian-American artist for the Art Central festival will allow Hongkongers to reflect on themes of memory and conflict amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Elnaz Javani, who was born in Iran in 1985 and currently lives in the United States, told the South China Morning Post that the work could also serve as a med...
A series of artworks featuring six coats with distinctive features created by an Iranian-American artist for the Art Central festival will allow Hongkongers to reflect on themes of memory and conflict amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Elnaz Javani, who was born in Iran in 1985 and currently lives in the United States, told the South China Morning Post that the work could also serve as a meditative space for Hongkongers amid rising global geopolitical tensions. She said her art also...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Geopolitics keeps markets on edge The conflict in the Middle East remained a key driver of market sentiment this week, with rapidly shifting headlines contributing to heightened volatility. Early in the week, reports of a partial ceasefire and constructive talks between the U.S. and Iran supported a rally in financial markets. However, that optimism faded as conflic...
peshkov/iStock via Getty Images Geopolitics keeps markets on edge The conflict in the Middle East remained a key driver of market sentiment this week, with rapidly shifting headlines contributing to heightened volatility. Early in the week, reports of a partial ceasefire and constructive talks between the U.S. and Iran supported a rally in financial markets. However, that optimism faded as conflicting reports emerged midweek, including denials of negotiations and signs of increased military activity. By Thursday, renewed indications of progress and a potential extension of the ceasefire once again lifted sentiment. Despite these swings, market moves were net flat; through Thursday’s close, both global equity markets and sovereign bond yields were little changed on the week. This pattern underscores how sensitive markets remain to geopolitical developments , particularly around the potential duration and impact of any disruption to energy supply. Growth remains modest but stable Away from geopolitics, incoming economic data pointed to continued, albeit modest, growth across advanced economies. Global purchasing managers’ indices (PMIs) for March remained above 50 across both manufacturing and services sectors, indicating ongoing expansion. In the U.S., additional detail from regional Federal Reserve manufacturing surveys suggests a potential pickup in business investment. Measures of capital expenditure intentions have shown signs of improvement, pointing not only to continued support from AI-related investment, but also to a possible broadening in spending. Policy may be playing a role. Business investment could be benefiting from expensing provisions introduced in last year’s fiscal legislation , which were designed to support capital spending. Consumer resilience holds, for now Another key focus this week has been the U.S. consumer, particularly in light of higher gasoline prices tied to recent energy market volatility. So far, the data points to continued resilie...
Those 12 panels generate over 500W and fold down very small. We don't review many solar panels at The Verge , but the tech inside Bluetti's incredibly portable Sora 500 panel makes it worth a deeper look. The new N-Type panels made by Bluetti and others give you more bang for the buck, pound, and square inch. That's a big deal for vanlifers like me who depend upon these beefy portable solar panels...
Those 12 panels generate over 500W and fold down very small. We don't review many solar panels at The Verge , but the tech inside Bluetti's incredibly portable Sora 500 panel makes it worth a deeper look. The new N-Type panels made by Bluetti and others give you more bang for the buck, pound, and square inch. That's a big deal for vanlifers like me who depend upon these beefy portable solar panels to extend off-grid stays. In real-world testing, I saw Bluetti's 500W panel deliver 509W to my van's power station , allowing me to generate over 800W when combined with the three sad 140W monocrystalline solar panels I have installed on top of my van. That kind of stationary output is fantastic. I typically … Read the full story at The Verge.