Two serving British army officers face criminal charges over the handling of a case of sexual assault of the teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later took her own life. Beck, a Royal Artillery Gunner, was assaulted during a training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021, when she was 19, and killed herself five months later. Former sergeant major Michael Webber, who has since left the army, was senten...
Two serving British army officers face criminal charges over the handling of a case of sexual assault of the teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later took her own life. Beck, a Royal Artillery Gunner, was assaulted during a training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021, when she was 19, and killed herself five months later. Former sergeant major Michael Webber, who has since left the army, was sentenced to six months in prison in October for sexually assaulting Beck. On Friday, the Ministry of Defence said the Service Prosecuting Authority – the equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service for military personnel – had charged two officers with offences relating to harming military discipline. It is understood Maj James Hook and Col Samantha Shepherd, both of whom gave evidence at the inquest into Beck’s death, will face court martial for the charges. The MoD said: “Following an investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we can confirm two individuals have been charged with offences under section 19 of the Armed Forces Act (conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline). “It would be inappropriate to comment further as legal proceedings are ongoing.” Webber had engaged Beck in a drinking game before touching her thigh and trying to kiss her. She pushed him away and spent the night locked in her car before making a complaint to her superiors the next morning. However, the incident was not reported to police and Webber wrote a letter of apology to Beck. He was later promoted. Since Beck’s death, the MoD has set up a serious crime command and launched a violence against women and girls taskforce, and more recently has agreed in principle to remove the handling of serious complaints from the individual services.
Earnings Call Insights: Sandisk Corporation (SNDK) Q2 2026 Management View CEO David V. Goeckeler stated revenue was $3 billion, up 31% sequentially, with non-GAAP earnings per share of $6.20. He commented, "Artificial intelligence continues to drive a step change in demand with data center and edge workloads expanding system complexity and storage content requirements." Goeckeler emphasized that ...
Earnings Call Insights: Sandisk Corporation (SNDK) Q2 2026 Management View CEO David V. Goeckeler stated revenue was $3 billion, up 31% sequentially, with non-GAAP earnings per share of $6.20. He commented, "Artificial intelligence continues to drive a step change in demand with data center and edge workloads expanding system complexity and storage content requirements." Goeckeler emphasized that NAND is now indispensable to global storage needs, leading to evolving commercial relationships with customers and a push toward multiyear agreements to secure supply and pricing certainty. Goeckeler indicated major product milestones, including the qualification of PCIe Gen5 high-performance TLC drives at a second hyperscaler and progress toward additional hyperscaler qualifications. He noted, "Our BiCS8 QLC storage class product, codenamed Stargate, continues advancing through qualification with 2 major hyperscalers and is expected to begin shipping for revenue within the next several quarters." In the consumer segment, Goeckeler highlighted the launch of the Sandisk Extreme Fit USB-C flash drive and expanded licensing with Crayola and FIFA. He also mentioned the rebranding of WD_BLACK and WD Blue NVMe SSDs under the Sandisk Optimus lineup. CFO Luis Visoso explained, "We believe that the NAND market is going through structural evolution catalyzed by AI...should reduce cyclicality of our NAND business, creating higher average long-term margins and returns." He reported revenue of $3,025 million, exceeding guidance, and strong sequential growth across all markets. Outlook For Q3, management guided revenue between $4.4 billion and $4.8 billion, forecasting a market "more undersupplied than it was in the second quarter." Non-GAAP gross margin is expected between 65% and 67%. Non-GAAP operating expenses are projected between $450 million and $470 million, with non-GAAP EPS forecast between $12 and $14, assuming 157 million fully diluted shares. "We expect bids to be down mid-s...
Hong Kong authorities have arrested two men and two women in an undercover operation for allegedly working in the city illegally as cleaners and renovation workers, after mainland Chinese firms advertised the services online ahead of Lunar New Year. Immigration Department Task Force Deputy Commander Chan Yan-kit said on Friday that the operation was conducted between January 22 and 29, with office...
Hong Kong authorities have arrested two men and two women in an undercover operation for allegedly working in the city illegally as cleaners and renovation workers, after mainland Chinese firms advertised the services online ahead of Lunar New Year. Immigration Department Task Force Deputy Commander Chan Yan-kit said on Friday that the operation was conducted between January 22 and 29, with officers posing as customers to lure suspects into the city before arresting them. They were located after police found advertisements by the mainland companies on the social media platform RedNote. Advertisement Chan said the four suspects, aged between 32 and 58, were two women offering cleaning services and two men who were renovation workers. A department spokesman told the South China Morning Post that the two cleaners received a sentence of 54 days’ imprisonment, while authorities had laid a charge against the two renovation workers. Advertisement “Investigations showed that these cleaners, capitalising on increased demand for such services at home ahead of Lunar New Year, advertised on social media platforms their availability to provide them in Hong Kong,” Chan said.
European natural gas headed for its biggest monthly gain in at least two years after cold spells and a rapid depletion of fuel inventories upended market sentiment. Benchmark futures edged higher on Friday, putting this month’s advance around 38%. That’s the biggest such rise since summer 2023 and could be the largest since the energy crunch four years ago if daily gains hold. While fears about su...
European natural gas headed for its biggest monthly gain in at least two years after cold spells and a rapid depletion of fuel inventories upended market sentiment. Benchmark futures edged higher on Friday, putting this month’s advance around 38%. That’s the biggest such rise since summer 2023 and could be the largest since the energy crunch four years ago if daily gains hold. While fears about supplies have eased following a rebound in US exports, freezing conditions and higher demand are expected in parts of the region in early February. January was a volatile month for Europe’s gas market, reflecting renewed concerns about the continent’s fragile fuel balance. In addition to increased gas consumption, a winter storm in the US briefly disrupted some production sites and sparked a sharp rally in American prices, adding to a frantic scramble among European traders to cover their earlier bearish positions. Tensions in the Middle East have also added to bullish momentum. “Price risks are still skewed to the upside given unseasonably low inventories,” Energy Aspects analysts led by James Waddell said in a note this week. Weather models have been unstable in recent weeks, accounting for some of the increased volatility in gas prices, they wrote. Traders are also monitoring the situation in Iran, with US President Donald Trump’s escalating threats against the country keeping broader energy markets on edge. At the same time, Trump said Thursday he’s secured an agreement from Russia to halt strikes on Ukraine for a week as the country prepares for an extreme cold snap. Benchmark Dutch gas futures for March delivery edged 0.5% higher at € 38.77 a megawatt-hour by 8:52 a.m. in Amsterdam. Europe Weather Biweekly: Cold North, Stormy South China LNG Imports to Rise for Third Month, Kpler Estimates Show South Korea Nuke Restarts, Renewables to Dampen Gas Role: BNEF
imantsu/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis Investing in midstream feels like being part of an in-the-know inner circle you want to celebrate but are hesitant to share, fearing that crowding the trade might ruin the opportunity. The high yields are unmatched, given the favorable risk profile of midstream companies. Every time I see my midstream positions red or flat share price movement, I f...
imantsu/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis Investing in midstream feels like being part of an in-the-know inner circle you want to celebrate but are hesitant to share, fearing that crowding the trade might ruin the opportunity. The high yields are unmatched, given the favorable risk profile of midstream companies. Every time I see my midstream positions red or flat share price movement, I feel oddly pleased, knowing I can add more and lock in high yields. Williams Companies ( WMB ) is a bit different. They operate in the same mature, heavily regulated market, but they're growth-oriented. Their strategy is to compound cash and reinvest in the business. But that means they don't pay much in dividends. Their yield is 3%, a fraction of peers across both the MLP and Corp spectrums, as shown in the chart below: Data by YCharts In the current environment, WMB's growth-focused strategy gives it an edge, positioning it well to capture the opportunities opened by the easing of environmental regulations and red tape under the Trump administration. This buy rating reflects WMB's earnings momentum, as manifested in Q3'25 EBITDA growth and Q4'25 estimates, and favorable strategic position, as manifested in its high retained earnings and high CapEx. Strategy WMB's emphasis on retaining cash and reinvesting earnings in pipeline expansion and acquisitions has helped the business grow its FFO/share at a faster pace than most of its peers. Data by YCharts Historically, the company relied primarily on cash and then debt to fund its growth, emphasizing its limited dependence on raising equity. Growth CapEx initiatives are cyclical, and periods of high spending have typically been followed by CapEx normalization. This cyclicality is key to understanding recent growth performance. Bringing new assets to service could create lumpiness in growth. Investors should be mindful not to judge the company's long-term growth prospects based on the performance in a certain quarter. Growth rat...
India is touted as the world’s next big consumption engine – but can policy, infrastructure and finance keep up? Shriram Finance Executive Vice Chairman Umesh Revankar, whose firm is one of India’s largest shadow lenders, discusses budget expectations, logistics and road capex, the impact of U.S. tariffs, and why MUFG’s 20% stake could cut funding costs and unlock India’s underbanked market. He jo...
India is touted as the world’s next big consumption engine – but can policy, infrastructure and finance keep up? Shriram Finance Executive Vice Chairman Umesh Revankar, whose firm is one of India’s largest shadow lenders, discusses budget expectations, logistics and road capex, the impact of U.S. tariffs, and why MUFG’s 20% stake could cut funding costs and unlock India’s underbanked market. He joins Yvonne Man on Insight with Haslinda Amin. (Source: Bloomberg)
Hungary’s economy expanded less than expected in the final quarter of last year as a prolonged slump in industrial production persisted, data showed on Friday. Gross domestic product increased 0.2% from the third quarter, the statistics office said. That compared with a median estimate of 0.5% in a Bloomberg survey. The economy expanded just an annual 0.4% in the whole of last year. The data added...
Hungary’s economy expanded less than expected in the final quarter of last year as a prolonged slump in industrial production persisted, data showed on Friday. Gross domestic product increased 0.2% from the third quarter, the statistics office said. That compared with a median estimate of 0.5% in a Bloomberg survey. The economy expanded just an annual 0.4% in the whole of last year. The data added to recent indicators which continue to show Prime Minister Viktor Orban struggling to jumpstart the economy just weeks before April’s pivotal parliamentary elections, even after boosting pre-ballot spending. Read more: Hungary Business Confidence Drops as Orban’s Stimulus Falls Flat In the fourth quarter, there was growth in services, especially in the financial and insurance sectors and commerce, as well as construction. That was offset however by the shrinking industrial activity, the statistics office said. Industrial output has contracted every month for the past three years except for one month of expansion in February of 2024.
Trump says he will announce his Federal Reserve chair nominee on Friday morning toggle caption Allison Robbert/AP President Donald Trump said he plans to announce his choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, a long-awaited decision that could set up a showdown on whether the U.S. central bank preserves its independence from the White House and electoral politics. For the past ...
Trump says he will announce his Federal Reserve chair nominee on Friday morning toggle caption Allison Robbert/AP President Donald Trump said he plans to announce his choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, a long-awaited decision that could set up a showdown on whether the U.S. central bank preserves its independence from the White House and electoral politics. For the past year, the president has aggressively attacked Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term as the head of the U.S. central bank ends in May. Trump maintains that Powell should cut the Fed's benchmark interest rates more drastically to fuel faster economic growth, while the Fed chair has taken a far more judicious approach in the wake of Trump's tariffs because inflation is already elevated. Sponsor Message "I'll be announcing the Fed chair tomorrow morning," Trump told reporters Thursday night as he went into a screening of the documentary "Melania" about his wife. "It's going to be, somebody that is very respected, somebody that's known to everybody in the financial world. And I think it's going to be a very good choice. I hope so." Trump stayed relatively cryptic about his pick. His search was led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with four known finalists: Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor; Christopher Waller, a current Fed governor; Rick Rieder, an executive with the financial firm BlackRock; and Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council. Trump previously suggested Hassett was the frontrunner, only to recently say that he wanted him to remain in his current post. Trump did say on Thursday night that "a lot of people think that this is somebody that could have been there a few years ago," fueling speculation that he had chosen Warsh, who was a finalist in the 2017 search for Fed chair that led to Powell's selection. Tensions between Trump and the central bank had been steadily mounting as the president used the renovation costs of the Fed's headquart...
In this episode of Motley Fool Money, analyst Emily Flippen is joined by analyst Sanmeet Deo and contributor Jason Hall to break down what has caused the rebound in fast-casual restaurant stocks, how consumer tastes have changed, and if fast-casual stocks are set up for continued strong performance in the year ahead. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podc...
In this episode of Motley Fool Money, analyst Emily Flippen is joined by analyst Sanmeet Deo and contributor Jason Hall to break down what has caused the rebound in fast-casual restaurant stocks, how consumer tastes have changed, and if fast-casual stocks are set up for continued strong performance in the year ahead. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. When you're ready to invest, check out this top 10 list of stocks to buy. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » A full transcript is below. Where to invest $1,000 right now When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor’s total average return is 950%* — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 197% for the S&P 500. They just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of January 30, 2026. This podcast was recorded on Jan. 19, 2026. Emily Flippen: Fast casual stocks were smoked in 2025, but things have started to look up in the new year. We're digging into whether or not this is a real turnaround for food today on Motley Fool Money. Today is Tuesday, January 20th. Welcome to Motley Fool Money. I'm your host in Life Flipping, and today I'm joined by Fool analysts Sanmeet Deo and Jason Hall to discuss the rebound in fast casual stocks, what's been driving it, and what consumer trade down behavior means for the category in the year ahead. Now, it's no surprise, but 2025 was a rough year for fast casual stocks Wingstop, Chipotle, Cava, and Sweetgreen, all lost double digit amounts of value in the year 15, 37, 47, and 78% of their value, respectively. Obviously, that's a combination of concerns around valuation, trade downs for budget conscious shoppers, inflation, changing cons...
Hyperscalers are expected to spend $500 billion on AI- related capital expenditures in 2026. According to FactSet Research, artificial intelligence (AI) developers are set to spend $500 billion on infrastructure this year. Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and OpenAI aren't slowing their AI buildouts. This means investors should be prepared to see continued acceleratio...
Hyperscalers are expected to spend $500 billion on AI- related capital expenditures in 2026. According to FactSet Research, artificial intelligence (AI) developers are set to spend $500 billion on infrastructure this year. Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and OpenAI aren't slowing their AI buildouts. This means investors should be prepared to see continued acceleration in data center construction and chip procurement throughout 2026. Below, I'll break down my top two AI semiconductor stocks for 2026 set to benefit from the infrastructure tailwinds. Spoiler alert: Nvidia didn't make the cut. 1. Broadcom When it comes to data centers, Broadcom (AVGO 0.65%) is a name that often gets overshadowed by the pure-play chip designers like Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices. Smart investors understand that discounting Broadcom's role in the AI infrastructure value chain is a big mistake, though. Expand NASDAQ : AVGO Broadcom Today's Change ( -0.65 %) $ -2.17 Current Price $ 331.07 Key Data Points Market Cap $1.6T Day's Range $ 320.28 - $ 335.96 52wk Range $ 138.10 - $ 414.61 Volume 755K Avg Vol 30M Gross Margin 64.71 % Dividend Yield 0.73 % Think of Broadcom as the digital plumbing that keeps AI data centers up and running. While everyone else talks about GPUs, Broadcom supplies the networking gear, switches, and interconnects that keep AI workloads flowing across chip clusters. In addition, many of the hyperscalers are exploring the idea of complementing their GPU stacks with custom architectures of their own. Broadcom helps design these custom silicon solutions with a number of high-profile developers, including Alphabet, Apple, ByteDance, and Meta. Considering nearly 100% of analysts covering the stock rate it a buy, in combination with a steeply discounted valuation based on forward earnings estimates, Broadcom looks like a no-brainer opportunity to buy and hold for the ongoing AI infrastructure boom. 2. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Taiwan...
Key Points Rising infrastructure spend bodes well for the semiconductor industry. While GPUs remain an important cornerstone of AI development, smart investors are looking beyond the obvious opportunities. As more data centers are built, companies will need to complement their GPU clusters with additional products and services. 10 stocks we like better than Broadcom › According to FactSet Research...
Key Points Rising infrastructure spend bodes well for the semiconductor industry. While GPUs remain an important cornerstone of AI development, smart investors are looking beyond the obvious opportunities. As more data centers are built, companies will need to complement their GPU clusters with additional products and services. 10 stocks we like better than Broadcom › According to FactSet Research, artificial intelligence (AI) developers are set to spend $500 billion on infrastructure this year. Hyperscalers like Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and OpenAI aren't slowing their AI buildouts. This means investors should be prepared to see continued acceleration in data center construction and chip procurement throughout 2026. Below, I'll break down my top two AI semiconductor stocks for 2026 set to benefit from the infrastructure tailwinds. Spoiler alert: Nvidia didn't make the cut. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » 1. Broadcom When it comes to data centers, Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) is a name that often gets overshadowed by the pure-play chip designers like Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices. Smart investors understand that discounting Broadcom's role in the AI infrastructure value chain is a big mistake, though. Think of Broadcom as the digital plumbing that keeps AI data centers up and running. While everyone else talks about GPUs, Broadcom supplies the networking gear, switches, and interconnects that keep AI workloads flowing across chip clusters. In addition, many of the hyperscalers are exploring the idea of complementing their GPU stacks with custom architectures of their own. Broadcom helps design these custom silicon solutions with a number of high-profile developers, including Alphabet, Apple, ByteDance, and Meta. Considering nearly 100% of analysts covering the stock rate it a buy, in combination with a steeply discounted valuation based on forward ...