As the extraordinary superhero satires comes to an end, a mighty showdown has terrifying parallels with modern America. What a horrifying pleasure it has been to watch The Boys is back in town, for its fifth and final season. There’s too much to recap in full for those who have not yet had the pleasure of the satirical superhero show created by Eric Kripke from the comic books written by Garth Enn...
As the extraordinary superhero satires comes to an end, a mighty showdown has terrifying parallels with modern America. What a horrifying pleasure it has been to watch The Boys is back in town, for its fifth and final season. There’s too much to recap in full for those who have not yet had the pleasure of the satirical superhero show created by Eric Kripke from the comic books written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Or who have not yet been horrified by the gory splatterfest (courtesy of all kinds of body fluids) of the preceding 32 episodes, which have seen orifices and appendages put to extraordinary use, and some of which have rightly entered what we will very carefully spell as the annals of TV history. So, let’s just say that the new season finds us set for a showdown between an increasingly power-mad (“Have you seen the memes about me? Posting them should be a crime”) – or, as the voices of angels start speaking to him, possibly just mad – Homelander (Antony Starr) and the Butcher crew. The former is now overlord of the US, with the president and, apparently, Sage (Susan Heyward) at his beck and call. But the gang has just succeeded in screening – in front of a Maga … I mean, Homelander-loving … rally – the long-buried footage of him leaving the passengers on Flight 37 (as he did all the way back in season one when he was just a little baby villain) to die. Continue reading...
More than 33GW of battery capacity approved for Turkish grid since 2022 compared with 12-13GW in Germany Turkey has given the green light to more batteries to buffer its electricity grid than any EU member state, a report has found, in a further sign of rich countries losing steam in the race to a clean economy. More than 33GW of battery capacity have been approved in Turkey since 2022, according ...
More than 33GW of battery capacity approved for Turkish grid since 2022 compared with 12-13GW in Germany Turkey has given the green light to more batteries to buffer its electricity grid than any EU member state, a report has found, in a further sign of rich countries losing steam in the race to a clean economy. More than 33GW of battery capacity have been approved in Turkey since 2022, according to the climate thinktank Ember, while the total planned and operational capacity in European frontrunners that started deploying them earlier, such as Germany and Italy, is 12-13GW. Continue reading...
Richard Hewett, who was forced to sleep in his car when his relationship broke down, is one of many in the UK hit by rising costs and a lack of social housing When Richard Hewett’s relationship broke down, he was forced to leave his partner’s council house – but found his disability benefits didn’t stretch far enough to get him his own flat in his Essex home town. He resorted to the next best opti...
Richard Hewett, who was forced to sleep in his car when his relationship broke down, is one of many in the UK hit by rising costs and a lack of social housing When Richard Hewett’s relationship broke down, he was forced to leave his partner’s council house – but found his disability benefits didn’t stretch far enough to get him his own flat in his Essex home town. He resorted to the next best option: sleeping in his car. It wasn’t what he had expected, aged 59. At 6ft 2in, he squeezed into a Ford Focus and struggled to sleep. When he broke his ankle, he couldn’t look after it properly, contracted sepsis and had his leg amputated. Continue reading...
The UK and EU countries who abstained when Ghana’s UN resolution was adopted may soon find it harder to sustain the same old script on reparations The most revealing thing about Ghana’s UN resolution was not that it passed. It was who could not bring themselves to stand with it. On 25 March, the UN general assembly adopted the Ghana-led resolution by 123 votes to three, with 52 abstentions. It dec...
The UK and EU countries who abstained when Ghana’s UN resolution was adopted may soon find it harder to sustain the same old script on reparations The most revealing thing about Ghana’s UN resolution was not that it passed. It was who could not bring themselves to stand with it. On 25 March, the UN general assembly adopted the Ghana-led resolution by 123 votes to three, with 52 abstentions. It declared that the trafficking and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans was “the gravest crime against humanity” and urged steps including formal apologies, reparatory justice and the return of looted cultural property. The three states that voted no were the US, Israel and Argentina; the UK and all EU member states abstained. Continue reading...
The former chancellor was the chief architect of Germany’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and cuts to defence spending. Both haunt the country today The former German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, is enjoying a curious political revival. Not so long ago, his reputation seemed in tatters. In light of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many came to regard his longstanding ties to Russia and per...
The former chancellor was the chief architect of Germany’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and cuts to defence spending. Both haunt the country today The former German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, is enjoying a curious political revival. Not so long ago, his reputation seemed in tatters. In light of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many came to regard his longstanding ties to Russia and personal friendship with Vladimir Putin as self-serving. Fellow Social Democrats (SPD) tried to expel him from the party, and as recently as last year the government defunded the ex-chancellor’s office . And yet a veritable Schröder nostalgia is now seeping into German political discourse, a phenomenon that’s less to do with a reappraisal of his chancellorship than with a desperate identity crisis on the centre-left. Katja Hoyer is a German-British historian and journalist. She is the author of Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990 . Her latest book, Weimar: Life on the Edge of Catastrophe, comes out in May Continue reading...
When a friend received a text message from the mainland Chinese tax authorities asking her to ensure that all her declared income – including income from abroad – was accurate, Fan, a finance professional who asked that her full name not be used, was shocked. Her friend was now coordinating with the authorities to settle the outstanding taxes on her overseas trading, she said, adding that “there i...
When a friend received a text message from the mainland Chinese tax authorities asking her to ensure that all her declared income – including income from abroad – was accurate, Fan, a finance professional who asked that her full name not be used, was shocked. Her friend was now coordinating with the authorities to settle the outstanding taxes on her overseas trading, she said, adding that “there is no alternative but to comply” with such texts and that the incident had left her on guard about...
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This is the forum for daily political discussion on Seeking Alpha. A new version is published every market day. Please don't leave political comments on other articles or posts on the site. The comments below are not regulated with the same rigor as the rest of the site, and this is an 'enter at your own risk' area as discussion can get very heated. If you can't stand the heat... you know what they say... More on Today's Markets: Moderation Guidelines: We remove comments under the following categories: Personal attacks on another user account Anti-Vaxxer or covid related misinformation Stereotyping, prejudiced or racist language about individuals or the topic under discussion. Inciting violence messages, encouraging hate groups and political violence. Regardless of which side of the political divide you find yourself, please be courteous and don't direct abuse at other users. For any issue with regards to comments please email us at : moderation@seekingalpha.com. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Many of Europe’s industrial companies are too slow to adopt artificial intelligence, putting faster-moving global rivals in a position to overtake them, according to German-Chinese robotics maker Kuka AG . The burden of legacy systems and a reluctance to change mean many factories remain disconnected and make poor use of their data, said Chief Executive Officer Christoph Schell . Kuka, bought by C...
Many of Europe’s industrial companies are too slow to adopt artificial intelligence, putting faster-moving global rivals in a position to overtake them, according to German-Chinese robotics maker Kuka AG . The burden of legacy systems and a reluctance to change mean many factories remain disconnected and make poor use of their data, said Chief Executive Officer Christoph Schell . Kuka, bought by China’s Midea Group Co. in 2016, supplies the likes of Volkswagen AG and Airbus SE with industrial robots that handle production line tasks. This is particularly the case in Germany, he said, where a strong engineering-led mindset favors incremental over transformational shifts. As a result, Kuka is prioritizing investments in the US and Asia. “In Germany, a lot of companies still believe this is just a temporary thing, we’re going to come back out of this, in particular in automotive,” Schell said in an interview with Bloomberg News, referring to the widening gap in digitization and automation. “The problem is that a lot of the competition products, they’re not just cheaper, they’re better.” Europe’s biggest economy is fighting to emerge from a years-long period of contraction and stagnation. Public spending pledges on defense and infrastructure yielded some promising signs of a recovery before the onset of the Iran war. Germany’s export-focused car- and machinery makers as well as chemical companies like BASF SE remain under pressure from high energy and labor costs. Read More: China Is Ripping Up the Rulebook for the Global Auto Industry Midea’s takeover of Augsburg-based Kuka, one of the world’s largest industrial robotics suppliers with annual revenue of €3.9 billion ($4.5 billion), sparked fierce debate over foreign investment in German industry. The sale to a Chinese entity led Berlin to tighten screening rules for deals involving sensitive technologies such as robotics. Once a traditional machinery maker, Kuka has since expanded into software and artificial intellige...
aabejon/iStock via Getty Images A few weeks ago, Apple ( AAPL ) issued a strange and different news release concerning Cirrus Logic ( CRUS ). For the first time, Apple acknowledged Cirrus has a supplier. Prior to this announcement, Cirrus Logic wasn't formally inside of any its products. Logic's hardware was all stamped with Apple part numbers. Cirrus' management was not allowed to speak openly ab...
aabejon/iStock via Getty Images A few weeks ago, Apple ( AAPL ) issued a strange and different news release concerning Cirrus Logic ( CRUS ). For the first time, Apple acknowledged Cirrus has a supplier. Prior to this announcement, Cirrus Logic wasn't formally inside of any its products. Logic's hardware was all stamped with Apple part numbers. Cirrus' management was not allowed to speak openly about being inside any product such as an iPhone, iPad, or AirPods. Teardowns formerly located Logic's products inside through an x-ray approach. Thus, this is actually an extremely important posture change for both companies. This article continues our coverage of Cirrus Logic, the last, Cirrus Logic's Record Earnings Hide The Real Story . In the article, we highlighted the importance of future growth being more important than the nice-to-see record revenue. Investors need to stop and listen to that paperboy on the street yelling Extraaaa Extraaaaaaaa Read All About It! Shall we head over to grab a paper and read it on the train ride to work? We should have the time this morning to digest the change. Let's go. The Announcement On March 26th, Apple's investors page headlined this: Apple adds new partners to its American Manufacturing Program . Inside the news release was this statement, Apple is also working with Cirrus Logic and GlobalFoundries to establish new semiconductor process technologies at GlobalFoundries’ facility in Malta, New York. GlobalFoundries’ newest silicon process will be available in the U.S. for the first time to enable key technologies for Apple products. This collaboration enables Cirrus Logic to develop mixed-signal solutions for a number of Apple applications, including advanced ICs to power Face ID systems. Two earthshaking changes stand out: first, Cirrus is formally acknowledged, and second, a new win is also introduced. Cirrus will be supplying an advanced IC for powering Face ID systems. The Importance In the past, market pricing for Cirrus carr...
MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images Investment overview I wrote about Braze, Inc. ( BRZE ) previously with a buy rating, as I believed this stock should trade at a higher multiple given its growth potential and it being an AI beneficiary. For Q4 2026, bookings were very strong, enterprise traction continued well, and AI is now starting to show up in reported revenue. As such, I think B...
MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images Investment overview I wrote about Braze, Inc. ( BRZE ) previously with a buy rating, as I believed this stock should trade at a higher multiple given its growth potential and it being an AI beneficiary. For Q4 2026, bookings were very strong, enterprise traction continued well, and AI is now starting to show up in reported revenue. As such, I think BRZE deserves a higher valuation over time. Q4 2026 earnings review BRZE reported Q4 2026 revenue of $205.2 million, up 27.9% y/y from $160.4 million. Revenue included $5.7 million from BrazeAI Decisioning Studio, which implies 24.3% organic revenue growth for the quarter if we adjust for that. By segments, subscription revenue saw $193.5 million, while professional services and other revenue saw $11.7 million. Down the P&L, margins were lower y/y. Non-GAAP gross margin came in at 67.2%, down ~270 bps y/y, driven mainly by higher premium messaging volumes and hosting costs. That said, operating leverage was evident as non-GAAP EBIT grew to $14.5 million, almost double from $7.9 million last year, and non-GAAP EBIT margin expanded by 210 bps y/y to 7.1%. Bookings and enterprise traction make the bull case stronger There are plenty of data points from this past quarter that tell us growth is going to remain strong. I will start with bookings. Management said Q4 bookings were up a whopping >50% y/y and even said the average sales price reached a new high watermark with enterprise demand still especially strong. The pace of up-market penetration was also apparent as BRZE added 81 net new customers sequentially, and customers spending >$500k annually went up 35% y/y to 333. As of Q4 2026, those large customers now account for 64% of ARR, up 200 bps y/y. Also, BRZE ended Q4 with more than $1 billion of remaining performance obligations [RPO], up 30% y/y, with current RPO reaching $642 million, up 27% y/y. You put all these together, and the picture here is BRZE is not just growing...
Pakistan’s PM had said the ceasefire would cover Lebanon; Iran says passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next 2 weeks. Follow the latest news US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of Hormuz Iran war ceasefire announcement – what we know so far Israel supports Donald Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks,...
Pakistan’s PM had said the ceasefire would cover Lebanon; Iran says passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next 2 weeks. Follow the latest news US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of Hormuz Iran war ceasefire announcement – what we know so far Israel supports Donald Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday. The office said Israel backed the US move, provided Tehran immediately opens the strait of Hormuz and stops attacks against the United States, Israel and countries in the region. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it had conditionally accepted a two-week ceasefire if attacks agains Iran are halted. Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait of Hormuz will be allowed for the next 2 weeks under Iranian military management. Iranian state media said negotiations with the US would be held in Islamabad to finalise details of an agreement , with the aim of “confirming Iran’s battlefield achievements”. Talks will begin on Friday 10 April and may be extended, state media reported. State media also reported that talks with the US do not amount to the end of the war. Pakistani prime minister Shebaz Sharif announced that Iran, the US and their allies agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon . Sharif has been a key figure in attempting to reach a diplomatic solution between the two warring parties. In his statement, Sharif invited delegations to Islamabad on “Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes”. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli welcomed the ceasefire but said fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon was not part of it . Trump said Iran had proposed a “workable” 10-point peace plan. According to Iranian state media, the ten-point proposal includes a number of conditions that the US ha...
Two-week ceasefire comes after Trump spoke to Pakistan’s leaders, with China also believed to be exerting influence over Tehran Middle East crisis – live updates US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of Hormuz The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday barely an hour before Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire, wi...
Two-week ceasefire comes after Trump spoke to Pakistan’s leaders, with China also believed to be exerting influence over Tehran Middle East crisis – live updates US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of Hormuz The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday barely an hour before Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire, with Tehran agreeing to temporarily reopen the strait of Hormuz. Israel also agreed to the ceasefire, the White House said. As Trump announced he was suspending his plans to escalate attacks across Iran , the US president said he had received a “workable” ceasefire proposal from Iran. Continue reading...