You may need to brace for higher costs. One of the biggest Medicare myths you'll hear is that your coverage is free. Although most enrollees do not pay a premium for Part A, which covers hospital care, there's a monthly premium associated with Part B, which covers outpatient care. Whether you pay a premium for your Part D drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan depends on your specific coverage, sinc...
You may need to brace for higher costs. One of the biggest Medicare myths you'll hear is that your coverage is free. Although most enrollees do not pay a premium for Part A, which covers hospital care, there's a monthly premium associated with Part B, which covers outpatient care. Whether you pay a premium for your Part D drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan depends on your specific coverage, since $0 premium plans do exist. And also, your Part D or Medicare Advantage plan might change from year to year, so it can be a bit tricky to estimate your costs well in advance. But one thing you should know is that if your income increases a lot in 2026, you could end up paying much more for Medicare in 2028. That's something you absolutely need to plan for. Understand how IRMAAs are calculated Medicare Part B has a standard monthly premium that most enrollees pay. This year, it's $202.90. But higher earners can face surcharges on their premiums for Medicare Part B and Part D known as income-related monthly adjustment amounts, or IRMAAs. Medicare IRMAAs are based on your income from two years prior. This means that your 2026 income will determine how much your Medicare premiums cost you in 2028. So if you expect your income to increase a lot this year, you may want to talk to a financial or tax professional about ways to avoid future IRMAAs, if possible. Why might your income increase in 2026? There are a lot of reasons. It could be that you're still working and are getting a large raise and bonus. It could be that you're starting to collect Social Security benefits on top of other income streams. Or it could be that you're facing your first required minimum distribution (RMD). No matter the reason, it's important to work with a professional if there's a good chance your 2026 income will propel you into IRMAA territory in 2028. There may be steps you can take to reduce your 2026 income, such as delaying Social Security even if you're eligible for benefits or donating your RM...
俄烏戰爭｜澤連斯基訪立陶宛 聯同波蘭舉行三方峰會 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】美俄烏結束三方磋商後，烏克蘭總統澤連斯基到訪立陶宛，聯同波蘭舉行三方峰會，強調烏方致力結束戰爭。 澤連斯基與夫人奧廖...
俄烏戰爭｜澤連斯基訪立陶宛 聯同波蘭舉行三方峰會 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 【有線新聞】美俄烏結束三方磋商後，烏克蘭總統澤連斯基到訪立陶宛，聯同波蘭舉行三方峰會，強調烏方致力結束戰爭。 澤連斯基與夫人奧廖娜到訪維爾紐斯，立陶宛總統瑙塞達由夫人戴安娜陪同歡迎對方到訪。澤連斯基指很感謝立陶宛的支持，雙方的國家和人民是共享安全，又指在俄羅斯每天攻擊下，與瑙塞達主要談及支援烏方能源系統還有加強防空，對方已準備好提供約100組發電機，亦談及軍事合作，他又向對方透露了阿布扎比烏美俄磋商等外交進展。 他們又聯同波蘭總統納夫羅茨基到教堂出席儀式，紀念1863至1864年爭取波蘭獨立的勢力，對抗俄羅斯帝國的一月起義，澤連斯基亦借古鑑今。澤連斯基：「人民重要，國家重要；文化重要，俄羅斯不重要，因為歷史上反民眾的必敗，謝謝，歸榮於烏克蘭。」他又指冷戰後，西方選擇與俄羅斯「重啟」關係，但結果變成大家都「負荷過重」。
Paddy Pimblett suffered the first defeat of his UFC career against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. The lightweight interim title fight was a war that went against Pimblett in the end and the Liverpudlian now faces a spell on the sidelines recovering. Pimblett, 31, was taken to hospital directly after the loss, missing the post-fight news conference, but was praised by Dana White as one of ...
Paddy Pimblett suffered the first defeat of his UFC career against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. The lightweight interim title fight was a war that went against Pimblett in the end and the Liverpudlian now faces a spell on the sidelines recovering. Pimblett, 31, was taken to hospital directly after the loss, missing the post-fight news conference, but was praised by Dana White as one of the division's elite fighters. What happens next for Pimblett? And who could he fight on his return to action?
This semiconductor and networking specialist is increasingly the chip of choice for artificial intelligence (AI) processing in the data center space. The dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) saw Nvidia (NVDA +1.53%) take the pole position, as its graphics processing units (GPUs) provided the computational horsepower necessary to handle the rigors of AI. The stock has risen 1,160% since early 2023,...
This semiconductor and networking specialist is increasingly the chip of choice for artificial intelligence (AI) processing in the data center space. The dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) saw Nvidia (NVDA +1.53%) take the pole position, as its graphics processing units (GPUs) provided the computational horsepower necessary to handle the rigors of AI. The stock has risen 1,160% since early 2023, fueled by unprecedented demand for its AI-centric chips. However, 2025 saw a changing of the guard. Broadcom (AVGO 1.67%) stock outpaced Nvidia, rising 49% compared to 39% gains for Nvidia. Let's take a look at what's driving Broadcom higher and why I predict we could see a repeat performance in 2026. The next big winner The speed and flexibility offered by GPUs made them the go-to for AI training and inference in the early days of the AI boom, but priorities have begun to shift. While Nvidia's chips are still best in class and demand remains high, the sheer magnitude of energy consumption has become a consideration. That's where Broadcom's application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) come in. These specialized AI chips can be customized, making them more energy-efficient for specific, repetitive tasks. As a result, data center and cloud operators are shifting the mix of their AI-capable chips, substituting Broadcom's ASICs for a portion of their GPUs to save energy and, ultimately, money. The trade-off is that these ASICs don't offer the same level of flexibility as GPUs, which can be deployed for a wide variety of high-performance computing tasks. In the fourth quarter, Broadcom generated record revenue that accelerated 28% year over year to $18 billion, driving adjusted earnings per share (EPS) that jumped 37% to $1.95. The company left no doubt that AI was fueling the results, as its AI semiconductor revenue accelerated 74% year over year to $6.5 billion. Management expects its AI-driven growth to continue. Broadcom's first-quarter forecast calls for AI semiconduct...
The arrival of 2026 has brought anything but peace to the Middle East , caught in the gravitational pull of rival ambitions and with the uneasy sense that the next war may already be under way. From Gaza to Syria , conflict hotspots are flaring as the region finds itself at the epicentre of a global order in flux. The result is a landscape in which rivalries are multiplying, former partners are pi...
The arrival of 2026 has brought anything but peace to the Middle East , caught in the gravitational pull of rival ambitions and with the uneasy sense that the next war may already be under way. From Gaza to Syria , conflict hotspots are flaring as the region finds itself at the epicentre of a global order in flux. The result is a landscape in which rivalries are multiplying, former partners are pitted against each other and more violence appears inevitable, analysts say. Advertisement “While it is still early days for the Middle East’s emerging order, the premature outlines of flexible alignments are starting to take shape,” said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Middle East programme. At the heart of this reordering is an intensifying rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates , former close allies now pursuing competing visions of regional leadership. Advertisement According to Yacoubian, one bloc is coalescing around Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan, while another draws together the UAE, Israel and India.
China has recorded a five-year peak in the number of provincial governments raising minimum wages, official data showed, as Beijing pledges to “invest in people” to support economic growth over the course of its latest five-year plan. Twenty-seven of the mainland’s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions have increased monthly minimum wages over the past year, with half introducing double-digit rises – ...
China has recorded a five-year peak in the number of provincial governments raising minimum wages, official data showed, as Beijing pledges to “invest in people” to support economic growth over the course of its latest five-year plan. Twenty-seven of the mainland’s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions have increased monthly minimum wages over the past year, with half introducing double-digit rises – outpacing China’s 5 per cent gross domestic product growth rate in 2025 – according to the Post’s calculations based on data released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security this month. The higher pay – part of a broader effort to spur household spending – would mostly benefit factory workers and those in low-paying service roles, such as cleaners, security guards and supermarket cashiers, analysts said. Advertisement “Consumption capacity is directly related to income distribution. If residents have sufficient income, they will be able to consume,” said the authors of a research note by Yuekai Securities on January 11. “To fundamentally solve the issue of weak consumption, the key still lies in reforming [the] income distribution system.” Advertisement Hebei province in northern China recorded the largest increase, raising its minimum wage to 2,080 yuan (US$299) per month from 1,800 yuan – a 15.6 per cent rise since the start of 2025.
A woman in China who suffers from baldness on the top of her head because of a skin disease has been cruelly divorced by her husband, arousing much sympathy on social media. The 36-year-old, who lives in Shangqiu, central Henan province, said her husband did not care for her at all; instead he has disdained her since she became ill two years ago, Henan TV reported. “I have devoted myself to the fa...
A woman in China who suffers from baldness on the top of her head because of a skin disease has been cruelly divorced by her husband, arousing much sympathy on social media. The 36-year-old, who lives in Shangqiu, central Henan province, said her husband did not care for her at all; instead he has disdained her since she became ill two years ago, Henan TV reported. “I have devoted myself to the family. I take care of our child, wash clothes, prepare food and do other domestic chores,” the wife, surnamed Li, was quoted as saying. Li’s illness-induced bald patch is clearly visible as she is interviewed by a reporter. Photo: Baidu “I have never seen such a ruthless man,” she said. Advertisement Li sought help from the media because she was “despondent and often in a daze” because of the man’s attitude. Two years ago a big patch of her hair suddenly turned grey. Doctors diagnosed it was caused by vitiligo, a chronic skin condition which leads to pigment loss in skin, hair and mucous membranes. Advertisement Since then, her outer appearance has aged dramatically.
English rugby long ago gave up trying to explain the phenomenon that is Harlequins. Quantum physicists would struggle. Two weeks ago here, we watched this same team put 60 past the hitherto unbeaten Stormers from South Africa on the way to qualifying from the Champions Cup, a competition for the best domestic sides in Europe and, as if that were not enough, South Africa, a land of frightening beas...
English rugby long ago gave up trying to explain the phenomenon that is Harlequins. Quantum physicists would struggle. Two weeks ago here, we watched this same team put 60 past the hitherto unbeaten Stormers from South Africa on the way to qualifying from the Champions Cup, a competition for the best domestic sides in Europe and, as if that were not enough, South Africa, a land of frightening beasts and double World Cup-winners. This is the same team that won in La Rochelle only last weekend to clinch that home tie in the last 16. Ridiculously, it was Quins’ win against all odds on the west coast of France that afforded Leicester last-gasp entrance by default into that very same elite of the elite. Well, you would never have guessed it, had you been here to witness the latest capitulation at the Stoop, a 34-7 humiliation on Saturday. Only one team in it, is the cliche that most readily comes to mind. Leicester, who have it all to play for in the Prem, in a way that Harlequins do not, utterly dominated their hosts up front, from which flowed all else. The bonus point takes them into the top four. Cameron Henderson, not required by Scotland, was magnificent again in the engine room; Tommy Reffell, not required by Wales (really?), maddening at the breakdown, and Joe Heyes, very much required by England, squeezed penalty after penalty out of the Harlequins scrum. This was no bad place to be if you were Six Nations-spotting. Indeed, Leicester’s props will probably be facing each other across the road in a fortnight, when England entertain Wales on the opening weekend. Their dominance here at the scrum, against props, it should be said, who were clearly ailing with injuries in the first half, earned the Tigers licence to do what they liked elsewhere, safe in the knowledge a penalty was never far away. All the more remarkable, given Leicester had not trained until Wednesday, 12 of their players and four of their staff having picked up E coli on the trip to Cape Town last w...
EFL regulations mean guests at the Blackpool Football Club Stadium Hotel can’t watch the game – our writer checks in for a trip into the dark It seems perfectly reasonable that anyone booking a “Superior Room with Pitch View” at the Blackpool Football Club Stadium Hotel, located inside the Bloomfield Road Stadium, would expect a hotel room with a view of the pitch. And that is exactly the case exc...
EFL regulations mean guests at the Blackpool Football Club Stadium Hotel can’t watch the game – our writer checks in for a trip into the dark It seems perfectly reasonable that anyone booking a “Superior Room with Pitch View” at the Blackpool Football Club Stadium Hotel, located inside the Bloomfield Road Stadium, would expect a hotel room with a view of the pitch. And that is exactly the case except – bizarrely – when Blackpool are actually playing, with some hotel guests recently scuppered by the smallest of fine print when booking: “Due to the EFL rules and regulations, bedroom curtains have to be kept drawn throughout a match.” Failure to do so could result in a £2,500 fine. Ouch. Across the 14 years that I have worked for the Guardian, there have been a few occasions where I have been tempted, perhaps after a stressful shift, to go and lie down in a dark room. I just didn’t think that this could be an actual assignment. But off I go to Blackpool to investigate this special type of 3pm blackout, and shortly before kick-off between Blackpool and League One relegation rivals Northampton, I find myself pulling a very heavy curtain across a panoramic window facing the Bloomfield Road pitch and the Blackpool Tower beyond. That’s my daylight done for the day. Continue reading...
A generation of overexposed children are being used by their parents for social media clout. What happens when they start to speak out? A child is born. Before they even landed “Earthside”, in the language of Instagram, a scan of them as a foetus in utero was uploaded to a waiting audience. The room in which they will sleep – the pale pastel paintwork, the carefully curated nursery furniture – is ...
A generation of overexposed children are being used by their parents for social media clout. What happens when they start to speak out? A child is born. Before they even landed “Earthside”, in the language of Instagram, a scan of them as a foetus in utero was uploaded to a waiting audience. The room in which they will sleep – the pale pastel paintwork, the carefully curated nursery furniture – is all there, ready, waiting: an advertorial empty of its model. Then comes the photo of the baby being born, held aloft to their audience while still covered in vernix, eyes not yet open, their mother smiling, hair perfect. From now on, their every moment and milestone is documented for the camera and monetised. That first smile, first word, first step, all mediated by a device and sent to an audience of strangers, many of whom have formed a parasocial relationship with that mother, that father, that child. The child comes to know and understand the black mirror that is regularly put in front of them. There will be days when the child happily performs for the camera; others when they push it away, when they don’t want to be filmed. A natural feeling, but one they may well have learned to suppress. Because performing for the camera makes mummy and daddy happy, although they don’t call it performing. They call it authenticity. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...