charnsitr/iStock via Getty Images The Pentagon is developing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East, according to a Washington Post report citing U.S. officials speaking anonymously about sensitive military plans. Rather than a full-scale invasion, any potential ground operation would likely involve raids by Special Oper...
charnsitr/iStock via Getty Images The Pentagon is developing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East, according to a Washington Post report citing U.S. officials speaking anonymously about sensitive military plans. Rather than a full-scale invasion, any potential ground operation would likely involve raids by Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops. The missions under consideration include the possible seizure of Kharg Island, a critical Iranian oil export hub in the Persian Gulf, and raids into coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to destroy weapons capable of targeting commercial and military shipping. Officials estimated the objectives could take “weeks, not months” to complete. The Trump administration has sent mixed signals about the conflict’s direction, with President Trump expressing interest in negotiations while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that the president is “prepared to unleash hell” if Iran does not abandon its nuclear ambitions. Trump himself denied plans to deploy ground troops, telling reporters, “I’m not putting troops anywhere.” The human cost of the conflict continues to mount. In the past month, 13 U.S. troops have been killed in action, and more than 300 service members have been wounded by Iranian drones and missiles in retaliatory attacks across at least seven Middle Eastern countries. American public opinion remains firmly against ground operations, with an AP-NORC poll finding 62% of respondents strongly oppose deploying ground troops to Iran, while only 12% support such action. Dear readers: We recognize that politics often intersects with the financial news of the day, so we invite you to click here to join the separate political discussion. More on oil A Perspective On Why The Oil Price Is More Likely To Reach $150 Than $50 Commodities: Oil Steadies As Iran Deadline Pushed Back But Upside Risks Persist Commodities: ...
Forthcoming rules mean debilitating conditions may not meet strict ‘severe and lifelong’ eligibility criteria, say disabled people’s organisations Hundreds of thousands of severely ill and disabled people making new claims will have their benefits cut if the government assesses that their condition might improve, charities have said. In April, the health element of universal credit – an extra paym...
Forthcoming rules mean debilitating conditions may not meet strict ‘severe and lifelong’ eligibility criteria, say disabled people’s organisations Hundreds of thousands of severely ill and disabled people making new claims will have their benefits cut if the government assesses that their condition might improve, charities have said. In April, the health element of universal credit – an extra payment for people assessed as too unwell to work or prepare for work – will be reduced to £50 a week and frozen for new claimants unless their condition is found to be terminal or severe and lifelong with no prospect of improvement. Continue reading...
Mongolia’s ruling party selected a new candidate for prime minister on Sunday after the last head of government, Zandanshatar Gombojav, resigned after only nine months on the job. Uchral Nyam-Osor, the current party chairman who is serving as speaker of the Parliament, was nominated at a meeting of the Mongolian People’s Party, according to state news agency Montsame. Uchral first joined the party...
Mongolia’s ruling party selected a new candidate for prime minister on Sunday after the last head of government, Zandanshatar Gombojav, resigned after only nine months on the job. Uchral Nyam-Osor, the current party chairman who is serving as speaker of the Parliament, was nominated at a meeting of the Mongolian People’s Party, according to state news agency Montsame. Uchral first joined the party in 2009, and is seen as a compromise candidate amid different party factions. Zandanshatar’s...
Barbican Centre, London From Stavros to Wayne Slob, Loadsamoney to DJ Dave Nice, the 64-year-old distilled whole characters and social types To younger audiences, Harry Enfield may be best known for his Prince-turned-King Charles in Channel 4 satirical soap opera The Windsors – and it’s in character as the monarch that he enters the stage for this Audience With … event, reviewing his whole career....
Barbican Centre, London From Stavros to Wayne Slob, Loadsamoney to DJ Dave Nice, the 64-year-old distilled whole characters and social types To younger audiences, Harry Enfield may be best known for his Prince-turned-King Charles in Channel 4 satirical soap opera The Windsors – and it’s in character as the monarch that he enters the stage for this Audience With … event, reviewing his whole career. By the end, he’s staked a strong claim to be considered head of our comedy state, with a show anthologising a formidably comprehensive array of personae, catchphrases and showbiz anecdotes from Enfield’s 40-plus years making funny TV. Not for the first time in career retrospectives like this, I came away marvelling at just how many indelible characters and sketches of Enfield’s have entered common currency; have become totems, indeed, of the times in which we live(d). Not that Enfield makes any such claims for himself; there’s nothing self-congratulatory about this show. Quite the opposite: the 64-year-old wears his iconoclasm like a badge of pride, with material that’s often as indelicate as the best of the jokes with which, back in the 80s and 90s, he made his name. Continue reading...
The Ocean Network Express (ONE) container vessel ONE OWL, originally from Japan, floats under the Talmadge Memorial Bridge on the Savannah River while arriving at the Port of Savannah on February 12, 2026 in Savannah, Georgia. Al Drago | Getty Images News | Getty Images Trade ministers are close to agreeing a reform plan for the World Trade Organization, as wrangling continues over extending a mor...
The Ocean Network Express (ONE) container vessel ONE OWL, originally from Japan, floats under the Talmadge Memorial Bridge on the Savannah River while arriving at the Port of Savannah on February 12, 2026 in Savannah, Georgia. Al Drago | Getty Images News | Getty Images Trade ministers are close to agreeing a reform plan for the World Trade Organization, as wrangling continues over extending a moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions such as digital downloads, two diplomats said. The talks at a WTO meeting in Cameroon include efforts to bridge differences between the U.S. and India over extending the e-commerce moratorium, which is due to expire this month. Extending the moratorium - first adopted in 1998 as part of a declaration to encourage early digital trade growth - is seen as a test for the WTO's relevance, following a year of tariff-fueled trade turmoil and major disruptions due to the Iran war. Draft reform plan takes shape After initial resistance from some WTO members, a new draft of the reform roadmap provides a timeline for progress and sets out the key issues to address, according to a copy of the draft seen by Reuters. Those issues include improving decision-making in a consensus-based system that has long been stymied by a few countries, and the trade benefits extended to developing countries. The reform debate comes amid efforts to rework WTO rules to render subsidy use more transparent and make decision-taking easier. The U.S. and the EU argue China in particular has taken advantage of current rules to their detriment. Bringing into WTO rules an agreement reached by a subset of members aimed at boosting investment in developing countries also remains blocked by India, which said plurilateral accords risk eroding the body's founding principles. E-commerce agreement key for U.S. support Alongside the reform discussions, a senior diplomatic source - speaking on condition of anonymity - said there was a possibility of a four-year extens...
Hong Kong employers could face punitive surcharges for failing to clear outstanding contributions to their staff members’ pension accounts for extended periods, with data showing only one in six bosses settled the arrears within the prescribed two-week deadline. The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), which manages the city’s pension plans, said it was working on a “two-tier surchar...
Hong Kong employers could face punitive surcharges for failing to clear outstanding contributions to their staff members’ pension accounts for extended periods, with data showing only one in six bosses settled the arrears within the prescribed two-week deadline. The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), which manages the city’s pension plans, said it was working on a “two-tier surcharge” mechanism proposal that it hoped to present to the government by the middle of the year. In a...
xenotar/iStock via Getty Images Innovative Aerosystems ( ISSC ), previously known as Innovative Solutions and Support, has gained 78.7% since my last report . The stock price reached as high as $30.94 indicating a 157% gain, before retreating to the current price levels. In this report, I discuss the company’s Q1 2026 earnings and update my price target, explaining why the stock remains a strong b...
xenotar/iStock via Getty Images Innovative Aerosystems ( ISSC ), previously known as Innovative Solutions and Support, has gained 78.7% since my last report . The stock price reached as high as $30.94 indicating a 157% gain, before retreating to the current price levels. In this report, I discuss the company’s Q1 2026 earnings and update my price target, explaining why the stock remains a strong buy in my view even after a 240% return since I initiated coverage . Commercial Aftermarket Drives Earnings Growth Innovative Aerosystems Sales increased by 36.5% to $21.8 million, driven by a $5.5 million increase in commercial aftermarket sales partially offset by a $1.5 million reduction in sales for the F-16 program driven by production transitioning to the company’s Exton facility, which boosted sales last year, and a $0.5 million decrease in business aviation sales driven by transitioning the Pilatus to its new autonomous flight platform UMS-2. Services sales increased $2.3 million to $8.2 million, driven by inorganic growth in IRU and radio product sales partially offset by a decrease in legacy customer service revenues. What we are mindful of is that the company’s growth for roughly half was driven by inorganic growth. One element that is often underappreciated but was a driver of organic growth during the quarter is the developer role that Innovative Aerosystems has. The company saw tailwinds from software upgrades, which are high margin, and there are not many companies that can develop those upgrades and have them certified. Gross profit increased to $11.9 million compared to $6.6 million a year ago, with gross margins hitting 54.5% compared to 41.4% a year ago, driven by volumes, mix within the commercial aftermarket, and the mix of commercial against defense aftermarket and OEM sales. Defense tends to bring long revenue tails but against lower margins. Operating income increased from $1.3 million to $6.3 million as operating expenses increased by roughly $0.3 mi...