The world's largest contract chipmaker says it will produce advanced 3-nanometer semiconductors in Japan. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei notified Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae of this plan during their meeting on Thursday in Tokyo. If realized, it would be the first output of 3-nanometer chips in Japan. Wei said: "The 3-nanometer technology tod...
The world's largest contract chipmaker says it will produce advanced 3-nanometer semiconductors in Japan. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei notified Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae of this plan during their meeting on Thursday in Tokyo. If realized, it would be the first output of 3-nanometer chips in Japan. Wei said: "The 3-nanometer technology today is the most advanced process used by AI and smartphone products. We believe this fab will further contribute to local economic growth and, most importantly, form the foundation of Japan's AI business." Takaichi said: "We will promote investments in crisis management and economic growth through public-private collaboration. AI and semiconductors are key sectors and the partnership with TSMC will be a model." The Prime Minister vowed to extend government support for the plan. The Taiwan-based chipmaker's first factory in Japan was put into full operation in 2024 in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto. It makes 12- to 28-nanometer-class chips that are used for automobiles and industrial equipment. The company is now building a second plant on the same premises. The 3-nanometer chips are expected to be used in high-demand applications such as AI data centers and autonomous vehicles.
Earnings Call Insights: Corpay, Inc. (CPAY) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Ronald F. Clarke reported "revenue of $1.248 billion, up 21%, and cash EPS of $6.04, up 13%." Clarke stated that results were "better than our expectations, mostly driven by cross-border and Alpha overperformance." He highlighted that "new sales or bookings up 29% versus prior year," and noted "record cash EPS print of over $6...
Earnings Call Insights: Corpay, Inc. (CPAY) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Ronald F. Clarke reported "revenue of $1.248 billion, up 21%, and cash EPS of $6.04, up 13%." Clarke stated that results were "better than our expectations, mostly driven by cross-border and Alpha overperformance." He highlighted that "new sales or bookings up 29% versus prior year," and noted "record cash EPS print of over $6 a share." Clarke summarized that full-year 2025 revenue reached "$4.5 billion, that's up 14%. Cash EPS of $21.38, up 12%. Organic revenue growth for the full year, 10%." He credited acquisitions—especially Alpha—and strategic investments, including Mastercard's $300 million investment in the cross-border business, for positioning the company for the midterm. Clarke outlined 2026 guidance: "full year 2026 guidance at the midpoint of print revenue, $5.265 billion… up 16%." Cash EPS is guided to "$26 on the button. That's up 22%." Key drivers include strong fundamentals, accretive acquisitions, and a favorable macro environment. Clarke announced ongoing portfolio simplification, divestitures in vehicle payments, and further rotation to Corporate Payments. He stated, "We've hired a new CMO," developed "new Corpay Brand creative ads," and are "growing our Zoom sales teams here in 2026." AI is a new strategic focus, with pilots in conversational AI and merchant matching processes. CFO Peter Walker stated, "Q4 revenue was $1.248 billion, overperforming the midpoint of our guidance driven by strong Corporate Payments performance." He highlighted "GAAP revenue grew 21% year-over-year, driven by 11% organic revenue growth," and that "Q4 adjusted EPS of $6.04 per share overperformed the midpoint of our guidance and grew 13% year-over-year." Outlook The company provided "2026 revenue guidance is $5.265 billion at the midpoint of our range, growing 16% year-over-year. This assumes 10% organic revenue growth." Adjusted EPS for 2026 is guided at "$26 per share at the midpoint, growing 22...
The data mining and AI specialist could benefit from force modernization trends. There's no denying that artificial intelligence (AI) was all the buzz over the past couple of years, and 2026 is shaping up to be another AI-dominated year. It isn't just Wall Street and Main Street that have the AI bug. Just last month, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), which President Trump rebranded the "Depart...
The data mining and AI specialist could benefit from force modernization trends. There's no denying that artificial intelligence (AI) was all the buzz over the past couple of years, and 2026 is shaping up to be another AI-dominated year. It isn't just Wall Street and Main Street that have the AI bug. Just last month, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), which President Trump rebranded the "Department of War," released its outline for rapid AI deployment, dubbed the AI Acceleration Strategy, with the ultimate goal of making the U.S. military an "AI-first" warfighting force. One of the key tenets of this approach is "rewarding AI-first reconceptions of legacy approaches," according to the memo. As one of the leading providers of AI systems to the U.S. government, Palantir (PLTR 11.72%) may well be the best way to play AI spending in 2026. Read on to find out why. AI-first The Pentagon's 2026 budget request included a record $13.4 billion for AI. This marked the first time the DoD included a dedicated line item for AI spending. While certain portions of the budget are allocated to specific war-fighting technologies, there's a great deal of AI-related overlap. The defense contractors best able to capture some of that spending are "those who can prove AI capability objectively -- through validated skills assessments, demonstrated experience with federal AI frameworks, and systematic quality control that addresses agency risk concerns," according to IT consulting firm CCS Global Tech. Given Palantir's extensive experience in providing AI systems to the U.S. government, military, and law enforcement agencies, the company has the requisite background to throw its hat in the ring for this year's spending bonanza. Don't take my word for it. When Palantir reported its fourth-quarter results, revenue climbed 70% year over year to $1.4 billion. Of that, U.S. government revenue rose 66% to $570 million. Moreover, management's forecast for 2026 is telling, guiding for full-year g...
Shell has increased its multibillion-pound debt pile to continue handing investors bumper payouts despite reporting a drop in annual profits on weaker oil prices. The oil company reported a 22% fall in adjusted earnings to $18.5bn (£13.6bn) for 2025, down from $23.7bn in 2024, owing to steadily falling global oil market prices. Its earnings for the last quarter of the year were $3.25bn, missing an...
Shell has increased its multibillion-pound debt pile to continue handing investors bumper payouts despite reporting a drop in annual profits on weaker oil prices. The oil company reported a 22% fall in adjusted earnings to $18.5bn (£13.6bn) for 2025, down from $23.7bn in 2024, owing to steadily falling global oil market prices. Its earnings for the last quarter of the year were $3.25bn, missing analyst expectations of $3.5bn and well below the $5.4bn reported for the previous three months. Shell continued to offer record-breaking shareholder payouts while growing its debt pile. Its net debt climbed to $45.7bn by the end of the year, or almost 21% of its total capital, up from $41.2bn at the end of September, as oil prices continued to slide. The company handed its shareholders a 4% increase in dividends and $3.5bn worth of share buybacks – its 17th consecutive quarter of at least $3bn of buybacks. The international price for crude fell below $60 a barrel for the first time in almost five years at the end of 2025 as political leaders began to inch towards a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, which could increase the glut in the global market if western sanctions were lifted on Russian exports. Overall, oil prices slumped by almost 20% in 2025, marking the biggest annual loss since the Covid pandemic, and the first time that the oil market has recorded three consecutive years of annual losses. Wael Sawan, Shell’s chief executive, said the year showed “accelerated momentum” for the business, with “strong operational and financial performance across Shell”. “We generated free cash flow of $26bn, made significant progress in focusing our portfolio and reached $5bn of cost savings since 2022, with more to come,” Sawan added.
In a basement office in the north of Rome, Riccardo Maggio is unpacking boxes of blue jerseys with “Italia” written on them. He sighs when the landline phone rings again, and then again. Maggio is on his own, multitasking in the headquarters of the Italian Cricket Federation, tucked away in the building that houses the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni), the governing body for national sports. The r...
In a basement office in the north of Rome, Riccardo Maggio is unpacking boxes of blue jerseys with “Italia” written on them. He sighs when the landline phone rings again, and then again. Maggio is on his own, multitasking in the headquarters of the Italian Cricket Federation, tucked away in the building that houses the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni), the governing body for national sports. The room is small and improvised, its shelves cluttered with old trophies, faded photographs of players and souvenir cricket bats. The base for Italian cricket is hardly the nucleus of a global sporting moment. Yet, in a story that has largely flown under the radar in Italy, for the first time in their history the men’s national cricket team have qualified for the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, which begins this weekend. “I would call it an Italian miracle,” Maggio said. He should know. Maggio, who is operations manager for the federation and a former national player, was born in Italy to Italian-British parents. He only discovered cricket during summers spent with his grandparents in England. “I watched it on the television, and then started to play it in the park with friends,” he said. “Then I would return to Italy and play football and basketball – those were the sports that were normal here. But I loved cricket.” The federation was founded in 1980 but Maggio didn’t realise Italy had a cricket team until during another trip to England in 1989, when he read a newspaper story about the squad touring the country for club-level games. “It was in the Guardian,” he said. “I have it at home – the headline was something along the lines of: ‘Italy takes the wicket’.” When he returned to Italy, Maggio, who at the time was about 18, called Coni to find out how he could play cricket. “They laughed at me,” he said. “So then I went to the British embassy in Rome. They put me in touch with a local club, and that’s how I started playing in Italy.” Maggio’s story resembles ...
Vivid dreamscape sold to fans in 2021 is yet to materialise amid layers upon layers of bureaucracy, economics and geopolitics Layer two: Nick Woltemade, signed for £69m in the hot madness of summer, has stopped scoring. Anthony Elanga, a £55m winger, has struggled for game time and goals. Malick Thiaw, a £35m centre-half bought from Milan, keeps making basic errors. Last summer’s transfer window, ...
Vivid dreamscape sold to fans in 2021 is yet to materialise amid layers upon layers of bureaucracy, economics and geopolitics Layer two: Nick Woltemade, signed for £69m in the hot madness of summer, has stopped scoring. Anthony Elanga, a £55m winger, has struggled for game time and goals. Malick Thiaw, a £35m centre-half bought from Milan, keeps making basic errors. Last summer’s transfer window, conducted without a sporting director and with an outgoing chief executive, looks increasingly like a disaster. The football seems a little slower and less urgent these days, St James’ Park a little quieter and more anxious. Eddie Howe is basically holding this thing together with hugs and smiles. Layer three: turns out Alexander Isak lighted the exit path so that others might follow. Sandro Tonali’s agent decided to make a little mischief on transfer deadline day, putting Arsenal on alert. Perhaps Tonali will be the next painful transfer saga, perhaps Bruno Guimarães or Lewis Hall or Tino Livramento. The sporting director, Ross Wilson, is still getting his feet under the table. The chief executive, David Hopkinson, reckons Newcastle can be the best team in the world by 2030 . They sit 11th in the Premier League. No signings arrived in January. Continue reading...
The prosecution: Frida Bikes are a quicker way to get around. We should use them so we can enjoy more of our destination I hate walking anywhere. Whenever we explore Berlin, where we live, I prefer to cycle. It’s easier, it’s more fun, and it saves time. My husband disagrees. Frantz loves walking and I always end up trailing behind him by bike, which is uncomfortable because I have to pedal slowly...
The prosecution: Frida Bikes are a quicker way to get around. We should use them so we can enjoy more of our destination I hate walking anywhere. Whenever we explore Berlin, where we live, I prefer to cycle. It’s easier, it’s more fun, and it saves time. My husband disagrees. Frantz loves walking and I always end up trailing behind him by bike, which is uncomfortable because I have to pedal slowly to keep at his pace. Walking is boring; I find it monotonous. I don’t like how you take the same routes when walking, going up and down the same roads. When you go by bike you often find new trails and parks, and end up discovering new things. Frantz says the opposite, that walking helps you uncover neighbourhood gems, but I guess it depends what you’re looking for. We don’t have a car, and even though cycling can be hard in the snow and wind, it’s better than walking I also prefer cycling because it frees up more time by reducing our commute. Berlin is a very walkable city, but in the winter it’s too cold to dawdle. We don’t have a car, and even though cycling can be hard in the snow and wind, it’s better than walking. Frantz always says I’m late for everything and biking is my attempt to be on time, but that’s not true. Cycling is my attempt to make the most of every moment. I don’t want to waste time pretending that slowness is a virtue. Sometimes at the weekend I can persuade him to join me, but other times he insists on walking, and this attempt at compromise pleases no one. He also still ends up waiting for me to lock up the bike whenever he wants to stop and look at something, or I end up waiting in the cold for him to come out of a shop and think: “I should have just walked.” We moved to our part of Berlin 12 years ago and only got our bikes two years ago, so really I am in the right because the bikes are still a novelty and we have walked around enough of our city as it stands. A walk can turn into a meander; with a bike you have a fun, quicker journey and get mor...
Norwegian crotches All eyes are on the, ah, essentials of the Norwegian men’s ski jump team as they try to recover from one of the great botched crotch stitch switch scandals of 2025. Two of their gold medal-winning athletes from Beijing 2022, including the defending Olympic champion on the long hill, were banned for three months after a whistleblower published a video of their coach tampering wit...
Norwegian crotches All eyes are on the, ah, essentials of the Norwegian men’s ski jump team as they try to recover from one of the great botched crotch stitch switch scandals of 2025. Two of their gold medal-winning athletes from Beijing 2022, including the defending Olympic champion on the long hill, were banned for three months after a whistleblower published a video of their coach tampering with the (strictly regulated) crotch stitching on their jumpsuits at the Nordic world championships last year, in an attempt to make them more aerodynamic by adding padding. Groin-gate led to a national debate about ethics in sport and a complete overhaul of the rules. We’re told doctors are now using “3D measurements” to carefully scrutinise all competing athletes before competition. View image in fullscreen All eyes on Norway’s defending Olympic large hill ski jump gold medalist, Marius Lindvik. Photograph: Tom Weller/Getty Images Frosty US-Canada relations After a 12-year holdout, the National Hockey League has finally agreed to let its players participate in the Olympics again, which means the ice hockey tournament at Milano Cortina is going to be a proper test of the world’s best for the first time since Sochi in 2014. Russia have been banned from the competition, but given the current state of relations between Canada and the US there’s still going to be plenty of geopolitical needle. The opening match between the two during the Four Nations last year started with three fights in the first nine seconds, and any game between them in the knockout rounds is going to be the single hottest ticket of the Olympics. Elbows up. Skeleton sabotage? But before all that, the two countries have things to thrash out on the ice track. The run-up to the Games has been dominated by a row over the women’s skeleton, after the Canadian coach Joe Cecchini gerrymandered the final qualification event by withdrawing several of his own competitors to ensure one of them made it to the Games ahead ...
Robert Kitson What are you most looking forward to? Let’s hope it stops raining at some stage. Because if Matthieu Jalibert, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Henry Arundell, Manny Feyi-Waboso, Louis Rees-Zammit et al have a licence to thrill with a dry ball this could be an eye-catching championship. Who is going to win and why? France. Three home games, the world’s best player fit again, big forwards, highl...
Robert Kitson What are you most looking forward to? Let’s hope it stops raining at some stage. Because if Matthieu Jalibert, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Henry Arundell, Manny Feyi-Waboso, Louis Rees-Zammit et al have a licence to thrill with a dry ball this could be an eye-catching championship. Who is going to win and why? France. Three home games, the world’s best player fit again, big forwards, highly promising youngsters, and England haven’t won the title in the season after a British & Irish Lions tour since 1963. Predicted finishing order France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Wales. Watch out for … Hollie Davidson, who is about to become the first female referee to take charge of a men’s Six Nations game. It should have happened years ago. Top try scorer Now Damian Penaud is not around to steal his thunder the only possible answer is Bielle-Biarrey. When it’s over we’ll all say … “The tournament has flown by.” Having just one fallow week instead of two will also favour bigger nations with deeper squads. View image in fullscreen Hollie Davidson (left), pictured overseeing Bath v Lyon last May, will become the first woman to referee a men’s Six Nations game. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Ugo Monye What are you most looking forward to? The away trips. Spending weekends in different places and soaking up the atmosphere is the best thing about the Six Nations. I cannot wait for Murrayfield next week and Rome is always glorious. Who is going to win and why? I’m backing England because they have the greatest strength in depth and a great level of consistency. It’s a happy squad. It’s rare that everyone is hunting you when you’re not defending the championship, but England can handle that. Predicted finishing order England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy. Watch out for … The return of the king in Antoine Dupont. It was in the championship last year that he sustained his long-term injury but he is back to marshal the troops. He remains the north star for...
The Winter Olympics are back – and this time they’re zigzagging across northern Italy. Milano Cortina 2026 will be the most spread-out Winter Games ever staged, jumping from Milan’s arenas to the Dolomites’ classic Alpine slopes. With returning superstars, brand-new events and Italy leaning hard into its Olympic heritage, these Games may feel like they’ve arrived quietly – but there is a lot going...
The Winter Olympics are back – and this time they’re zigzagging across northern Italy. Milano Cortina 2026 will be the most spread-out Winter Games ever staged, jumping from Milan’s arenas to the Dolomites’ classic Alpine slopes. With returning superstars, brand-new events and Italy leaning hard into its Olympic heritage, these Games may feel like they’ve arrived quietly – but there is a lot going on. From how and when to watch, to who matters and why these Olympics could look very different, here are your most pressing questions answered. Wait – there’s an Olympics happening? Yes. The 2026 Winter Olympics officially start on Friday and run through 22 February. Given where they land in a crowded sports calendar – with Super Bowl LX on Sunday, the Premier League in full swing and the Australian Open having just finished – and considering it’s been less than 18 months since the Paris Summer Games ended, it’s easy to see how the Games might have snuck up on some fans. When do the Winter Olympics start? The Games officially begin on Friday with the opening ceremony, though several competitions will already be under way before then, including curling, ice hockey, luge, ski jumping, snowboarding and figure skating. As the Winter Olympics have grown – with longer schedules, more athletes and heavier broadcast demands – starting certain events early has become the only way to fit everything into the official Games window. Who is hosting the Winter Olympics? Italy is hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Games are officially branded Milano Cortina 2026 and are spread across northern Italy, with Milan serving as the primary city host and Cortina d’Ampezzo anchoring the mountain events. What are the main Winter Olympics venues and locations? These Olympics are spread across northern Italy, with events clustered by geography and sport. Milan will host most of the indoor ice competitions – including ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating – and will also stage the opening c...
Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping were both on a mission when they came to power within months of each other at the tail end of the 1970s. Thatcher wanted to reinvigorate capitalism in Britain, while Deng launched a programme of reform and liberalisation that he called socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since then, the economies of Britain and China have been transformed, but in different w...
Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping were both on a mission when they came to power within months of each other at the tail end of the 1970s. Thatcher wanted to reinvigorate capitalism in Britain, while Deng launched a programme of reform and liberalisation that he called socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since then, the economies of Britain and China have been transformed, but in different ways. China was essentially a peasant economy when Deng took control, but it has since become an industrial powerhouse, while Britain has ceased to be a major manufacturing player and instead became a country dominated by services. As Keir Starmer may have noticed on his visit to China last week, somewhere along the way the two countries have swapped places. In the early days of Deng’s reforms, there was a concentration on mass-produced goods where China’s much lower labour costs gave it a competitive edge. That is no longer the case, with China the dominant producer of electric vehicles and vying with the US in artificial intelligence. To be sure, there are many good things about Britain, just as there are many bad things about China. Yet if the comparison between China’s manufacturing prowess and the service-sector dominated British economy makes Starmer uncomfortable, then so it should. China is what a country that still cares about making stuff looks like. The prime minister’s trip to China has quickly been overshadowed by the latest revelations about Peter Mandelson, yet there are three important lessons from the visit. The first is that manufacturing matters. Britain will not prosper again without rebuilding its productive base. The alternative to a strong and thriving manufacturing sector is not an economy dominated by highly paid “knowledge workers”, but a low-tech service sector in which finance dominates. Services now account for about 80% of the British economy, 10 times the size of manufacturing. Yet it is much harder to improve the efficiency of a labour-intensi...
After experiencing the strangeness of the Academy Awards with her last film The Brutalist, the indie actor has reunited with its creators for period curio The Testament of Ann Lee. But what she’d really like to get her teeth into is a certain dino franchise Stacy Martin is “not a religious person”. Still, the actor insists things have happened in her life that have made her realise there’s “a whol...
After experiencing the strangeness of the Academy Awards with her last film The Brutalist, the indie actor has reunited with its creators for period curio The Testament of Ann Lee. But what she’d really like to get her teeth into is a certain dino franchise Stacy Martin is “not a religious person”. Still, the actor insists things have happened in her life that have made her realise there’s “a whole expanse of things that are unexplainable”. Once, at home in north London, she noticed a lightbulb flickering. She couldn’t solve the mystery: no matter how many times she changed it, the bulb continued to blink. Instead of consulting the internet, Martin went to see her psychic, a tea leaf reader she meets annually, booking in under a fake name. The psychic suggested that someone was trying to communicate with her. “I was like: ‘What if I just start talking to this person that apparently wants to talk to me?’” says Martin. “And so I did. And that light never flickered again.” Martin prefers not to use the word ghost, but she’s aware there are things the mind can’t make sense of; things the body somehow knows. Continue reading...