Almost 80 per cent of the Chinese companies operating in the European Union plan to expand their investment there, even though most complain about policy uncertainty, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) and the China Economic Information Service. The result stands in sharp contrast to similar reports published by the European Chamber of C...
Almost 80 per cent of the Chinese companies operating in the European Union plan to expand their investment there, even though most complain about policy uncertainty, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) and the China Economic Information Service. The result stands in sharp contrast to similar reports published by the European Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC) – despite companies from both sides complaining about obstacles such as...
Ken Burns’ new three-part documentary shows why it’s not too late for us to learn from the great naturalist Henry David Thoreau is a new PBS documentary in three parts, each an hour long. The project comes with a voiceover cast of heavyweights, with narration from George Clooney , Jeff Goldblum playing the great essayist and additional voices from Ted Danson , Tate Donovan and Meryl Streep . The p...
Ken Burns’ new three-part documentary shows why it’s not too late for us to learn from the great naturalist Henry David Thoreau is a new PBS documentary in three parts, each an hour long. The project comes with a voiceover cast of heavyweights, with narration from George Clooney , Jeff Goldblum playing the great essayist and additional voices from Ted Danson , Tate Donovan and Meryl Streep . The project first began life as a short film by Don Henley, the Eagles frontman having long worked to preserve Walden Pond. Henley wanted to capture Thoreau’s time spent in the woodlands outside Concord, Massachusetts, between 1845 and 1847 and the great book that resulted: Walden; or, Life in the Woods . After enlisting Ken Burns, the legendary documentarian, as executive project, the pair entrusted the project to two collaborators, brothers Erik and Christopher Loren Ewers. Like the ferns and fiddleheads that carpet the forest floor at Walden, the film began to grow. Continue reading...
Galeanu Mihai Stock futures edged higher Wednesday morning while oil prices retreated following reports that the U.S. has given Iran a plan that might resolve the conflict. Here are some of Wednesday's biggest stock movers: Biggest stock gainers Grifols ( GRFS ) +13% - Shares jumped after the company said its board is evaluating a potential U.S. IPO of its biopharma business as part of a broader “...
Galeanu Mihai Stock futures edged higher Wednesday morning while oil prices retreated following reports that the U.S. has given Iran a plan that might resolve the conflict. Here are some of Wednesday's biggest stock movers: Biggest stock gainers Grifols ( GRFS ) +13% - Shares jumped after the company said its board is evaluating a potential U.S. IPO of its biopharma business as part of a broader “self-sufficiency program.” The company noted that the move remains under review and is subject to regulatory approvals, internal clearances, and market conditions, with no assurance that the IPO will be completed. Arm Holdings ( ARM ) +8% - Shares surged after CEO Rene Haas outlined an ambitious long-term outlook, projecting 2031 annual revenue at more than six times 2025 levels. The company also unveiled its first in-house chip, with Meta Platforms as an initial customer. Arm expects the new chip to generate around $15B in annual revenue by 2031, contributing to total revenue of about $25B and EPS of $9, driven by rising demand for CPUs amid the growth of agentic AI. Biggest stock losers DigitalOcean Holdings ( DOCN ) -7% - Shares slid after the company announced an underwritten public offering of $700M in common stock, with an additional 30-day option for underwriters to purchase up to $105M more. The company plans to use the proceeds to expand infrastructure capacity to support demand for its cloud and AI platform, reduce debt by paying down its Term Loan A, and for general corporate purposes. KB Home ( KBH ) -4% - Shares declined after the homebuilder reported weaker-than-expected Q1 results and issued soft guidance amid a challenging housing backdrop and heightened macro uncertainty. For Q2, the company expects 2,250–2,450 deliveries and housing revenue of $1.05B–$1.15B, both below consensus estimates. For FY2026, KB Home guided to 10.0K–11.5K deliveries and $4.80B–$5.50B in housing revenue, also trailing expectations, signaling continued demand pressures. More on rela...
Nigeria has slashed the time it takes to approve applications to revive idle oil wells from weeks to hours as Africa’s top crude producer seeks to take advantage of high energy prices. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission is approving permits within hours of application, according to people familiar with the process, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to...
Nigeria has slashed the time it takes to approve applications to revive idle oil wells from weeks to hours as Africa’s top crude producer seeks to take advantage of high energy prices. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission is approving permits within hours of application, according to people familiar with the process, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media. With oil trading near $100 a barrel, Africa’s top producers are moving to capitalize on demand as buyers turn to suppliers such as Nigeria and Angola, away from the Middle East conflict. The West African nation has also fast-tracked approvals for evacuations and barges at production facilities and export terminals. A spokesman at the regulator said “speedy approvals” were being given “for all activities that could increase production.” The recent surge in applications has come from mostly local oil companies seeking to re-enter old wells. They are being encouraged by the regulator that’s cutting down an approval process that previously took anywhere from two to six weeks. Repairing older or suspended wells for production is cheaper compared with drilling new wells, which can take years of planning, with any potential crude taking an average of four weeks to reach the surface. Angola Sells $2.5 Billion of Eurobonds as Oil Prices Surge Europe Makes a Beeline for Algerian Gas Yet Again: Next Africa Oil at $85 Makes Nigeria a Winner, While Congo Has Most to Lose Nigeria’s production fell to 1.31 million barrels per day in February, the lowest level in 17 months, largely due to maintenance work at a 225,000 barrels a day production facility operated by Shell Plc . Output has yet to recover to peaks above 2 million barrels a day, limiting the country’s ability to capitalize on rising crude prices relative to its peers. The OPEC member averaged 1.34 million barrels a day in 2022, when oil surged to as much as $130 a barrel following Russia’s invasion of Ukrain...
A murky corner of the financial world is now the fastest-growing source of funding for small businesses. One state, Connecticut, had given these lenders unusual power. That may be about to change.
A murky corner of the financial world is now the fastest-growing source of funding for small businesses. One state, Connecticut, had given these lenders unusual power. That may be about to change.
The second Chinese-owned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier has transited the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to industry sources and vessel-tracking data, amid conflicting claims over access to the vital trade corridor. Tehran has largely blocked the strategic waterway in retaliation for Washington and Tel Aviv’s strikes, causing widespread disrup...
The second Chinese-owned liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier has transited the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to industry sources and vessel-tracking data, amid conflicting claims over access to the vital trade corridor. Tehran has largely blocked the strategic waterway in retaliation for Washington and Tel Aviv’s strikes, causing widespread disruption to global shipping – though Iranian officials have recently promised safe passage for vessels...
(Bloomberg) -- Shares of Arm Holdings Plc, which made its name licensing technology to semiconductor makers, rose in premarket trading after it said it will sell its own chips for the first time, in a move forecast to generate about $15 billion annually within five years. Meta Platforms Inc. will be the first major customer for the company’s chip, called an AGI CPU, Arm said Tuesday at an event in...
(Bloomberg) -- Shares of Arm Holdings Plc, which made its name licensing technology to semiconductor makers, rose in premarket trading after it said it will sell its own chips for the first time, in a move forecast to generate about $15 billion annually within five years. Meta Platforms Inc. will be the first major customer for the company’s chip, called an AGI CPU, Arm said Tuesday at an event in San Francisco. The product will have as many as 136 cores — a measure of processing power — and dra
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, encouraged his Iranian counterpart to pursue negotiations with the United States as conflict in the Middle East threatens to enter a second month. “Talking is better than fighting,” Wang told Abbas Araghchi by phone on Tuesday, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “All parties should seize every opportunity to begin the peace process as soon as possible.” Confu...
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, encouraged his Iranian counterpart to pursue negotiations with the United States as conflict in the Middle East threatens to enter a second month. “Talking is better than fighting,” Wang told Abbas Araghchi by phone on Tuesday, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “All parties should seize every opportunity to begin the peace process as soon as possible.” Confusion surrounds the status of peace talks, as Iran has derided a reported US 15-point ceasefire plan...
Bourbon is a multi-billion-dollar market, but the American barrel-aged whiskey also produces a lot of wasted grain at distilleries. Chemists at the University of Kentucky developed a method to transform that stillage into electrodes and used those electrodes to build supercapacitors with energy storage capacity on par with existing commercial devices. They presented their work at a meeting of the ...
Bourbon is a multi-billion-dollar market, but the American barrel-aged whiskey also produces a lot of wasted grain at distilleries. Chemists at the University of Kentucky developed a method to transform that stillage into electrodes and used those electrodes to build supercapacitors with energy storage capacity on par with existing commercial devices. They presented their work at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Atlanta, Georgia. US distillers began making bourbon in the 18th century, particularly in Kentucky, but it really took off commercially, in terms of consumption and exports, after World War II. Legally, a whiskey can only be sold as bourbon if its mash is comprised of at least 51 percent corn, with any other cereal grain (usually rye and barley) making up the remainder. The grain is ground up and mixed with water, and mash from a previous distillation is added to create a sour mash. The addition of yeast launches fermentation, after which the mash is distilled to a clear spirit called "white dog." That spirit is poured into charred new oak barrels for aging of at least two years. It's the caramelized sugars and vanillin in the charred wood that give bourbon its distinctive dark color and flavor. The barrels are never reused for bourbon, typically being recycled for making barrel-aged beer, wine, and even barbecue and hot sauces. Read full article Comments
Two days before the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, Washington asked Sri Lanka to let two armed warplanes use an airport on its southern coast. Colombo said no, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently revealed – a decision analysts said reflected the Indian Ocean island’s desire to avoid being drawn into a foreign conflict from which it had “nothing to gain”. Th...
Two days before the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, Washington asked Sri Lanka to let two armed warplanes use an airport on its southern coast. Colombo said no, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently revealed – a decision analysts said reflected the Indian Ocean island’s desire to avoid being drawn into a foreign conflict from which it had “nothing to gain”. The request, made on February 26, reportedly sought to relocate two aircraft from a US base in...
Swiss startup Pave Space closed a $40 million seed financing round to build hardware that can move satellites or cargo to different orbits, as Europe attempts to reduce its reliance on the US to access space. Investors Visionaries Club GmbH and Creandum AB led the financing, the company said on Wednesday. Lombard Odier Investment Managers , Atlantic Labs and other European investors also participa...
Swiss startup Pave Space closed a $40 million seed financing round to build hardware that can move satellites or cargo to different orbits, as Europe attempts to reduce its reliance on the US to access space. Investors Visionaries Club GmbH and Creandum AB led the financing, the company said on Wednesday. Lombard Odier Investment Managers , Atlantic Labs and other European investors also participated. Pave is trying to build spacecraft capable of hauling satellites from low-Earth orbit to more remote destinations, including lunar flight paths, in less than 24 hours. Such vehicles, known as “space tugs,” are part of a growing transit market emerging as more spacecraft and debris crowd the sky. Formed in 2024, the company of about 40 people aims to finish work on its propulsion system by the third quarter of this year, with a demonstration mission to launch in October aboard a SpaceX rocket, Pave Chief Executive Officer Julie Böhning said in an interview. European officials have pushed for the continent to forge its own space-based intelligence, secure satellite communications and launch capacity as US relations grow tense. That hasn’t always gone smoothly, with the European Space Agency hit by a cyberattack last year and various launches delayed. German rocket company Isar Aerospace, one of Europe’s marquee new entrants, is slated to attempt its second launch later on Wednesday after several postponements. “Space is becoming more and more a warfare domain and it is important for us, as Europeans, to understand what is going on there,” Böhning said. Impulse Space , a US competitor to Pave from a former key SpaceX engineer, raised $300 million in a Series C funding round last year. These newcomers could benefit from the increasing need to reposition, repair and maintain satellites and other spacecraft, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Wayne Sanders . “Pave looks more like a longer-duration infrastructure bet, while Impulse benefits from near-term, defense-dr...
In November 2020, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced that his city had entered into a “ game-changing partnership ” with a little-known aerospace startup called Theia Group Inc. Theia, based in Washington, DC, was planning to build a multibillion-dollar, 80-acre facility in Albuquerque to manufacture observation satellites it would then deploy and manage. The startup envisioned total extraterr...
In November 2020, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced that his city had entered into a “ game-changing partnership ” with a little-known aerospace startup called Theia Group Inc. Theia, based in Washington, DC, was planning to build a multibillion-dollar, 80-acre facility in Albuquerque to manufacture observation satellites it would then deploy and manage. The startup envisioned total extraterrestrial surveillance—a sprawling constellation of satellites capturing detailed shots of the entire Earth at a half-meter resolution on a near-continuous basis. Plenty of companies already sold satellite imaging services, but this promise of functionally real-time digital images set Theia apart. A promotional video made this promise: “Every tree on Earth: digital. Every truck: digital. Every whale: digital.” Theia, named for the Greek goddess of light, was founded in 2015 by a former NASA engineer and successful chipmaker named Erlend Olson . Its headquarters was in the same building as the stately Willard InterContinental hotel , across from the White House. By the time of the New Mexico announcement, it had pulled together more than $250 million in funding and a well-credentialed team, and the Federal Communications Commission had licensed it to deploy 112 satellites in low-Earth orbit. It seemed on its way to world domination. Mayor Keller was thrilled that the company wanted to set up shop in Albuquerque, where Olson was born and raised. “This development could be a massive job creator for our city, providing a boost to our economy and securing our role in the booming space industry,” Keller said at the late 2020 press conference. Pat Davis, a city councillor who represented the district selected for this Orion Center megaproject, was more skeptical. For starters, Theia hadn’t pushed for the usual tax credits or other financial incentives. No building plan had been submitted. “It had an odd feeling to it,” Davis recalls. He was right to be suspicious. Soon after leasing...
The UK chip designer is entering physical silicon for the first time, marking a break from its decades-old licensing model Arm Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:ARM), the UK-based semiconductor company best known for licensing chip designs to the world's biggest technology firms, has unveiled its first...
The UK chip designer is entering physical silicon for the first time, marking a break from its decades-old licensing model Arm Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:ARM), the UK-based semiconductor company best known for licensing chip designs to the world's biggest technology firms, has unveiled its first...
Report by Verdant says rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance would save money that could help improve public services A “Doge of the left,” could save up to £30bn a year for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, according to the first report from a new green thinktank. Launched amid growing interest in the future manifesto of Zack Polanksi’s Green party, the Verdant thinkta...
Report by Verdant says rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance would save money that could help improve public services A “Doge of the left,” could save up to £30bn a year for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, according to the first report from a new green thinktank. Launched amid growing interest in the future manifesto of Zack Polanksi’s Green party, the Verdant thinktank will be co-chaired by James Meadway, a former adviser to Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and civil society campaigner Deborah Doane. Continue reading...
Susie Wiles was on plane and witnessed event, according to files shown to House judiciary committee Federal prosecutors examined whether Donald Trump showed a classified map to people on his plane after his first term, including to his now White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles , according to justice department materials produced to the House judiciary committee. The incident was described in a 1...
Susie Wiles was on plane and witnessed event, according to files shown to House judiciary committee Federal prosecutors examined whether Donald Trump showed a classified map to people on his plane after his first term, including to his now White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles , according to justice department materials produced to the House judiciary committee. The incident was described in a 13 January 2023 briefing memo prepared for the then attorney general, Merrick Garland – roughly six months before special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump with retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club. Continue reading...
Drawing on a real-life 1960s experiment, this story of an out-of-work actor paid to cover himself in a black leather bag fizzes with wit and invention The unnamed narrator of Black Bag, an out-of-work actor living in London, has finally landed himself a role, and it’s a doozy. Advertised on the “admirably candid” website strange-acting-jobs.org, the role demands that he sit silent and unmoving at ...
Drawing on a real-life 1960s experiment, this story of an out-of-work actor paid to cover himself in a black leather bag fizzes with wit and invention The unnamed narrator of Black Bag, an out-of-work actor living in London, has finally landed himself a role, and it’s a doozy. Advertised on the “admirably candid” website strange-acting-jobs.org, the role demands that he sit silent and unmoving at the back of a university lecture theatre for one whole term, dressed in nothing but a black leather bag. He will be paid in cash. He cannot believe his luck. “This is my big chance to do absolutely nothing, as thoroughly as possible.” Black Bag is the hilarious new novel from Luke Kennard, a poet whose second collection made him the youngest ever nominee for the Forward prize in 2007, and whose debut novel was the similarly surreal and equally enjoyable The Transition. Both works operate as Black Mirror-style satires of late-capitalist, technocratic societies, where discontented thirtysomethings find themselves embroiled in bizarre social experiments. Continue reading...
Dayton Webber’s former playing partner says: ‘Dayton has a great family, and I care about that family. Yet obviously, there is somebody [who] died’ The former doubles partner of a professional, championship-winning cornhole player who had his four limbs amputated in his infancy and is now accused of a deadly shooting says he was shocked to learn about the case, calling it an instance of at least t...
Dayton Webber’s former playing partner says: ‘Dayton has a great family, and I care about that family. Yet obviously, there is somebody [who] died’ The former doubles partner of a professional, championship-winning cornhole player who had his four limbs amputated in his infancy and is now accused of a deadly shooting says he was shocked to learn about the case, calling it an instance of at least two families being torn apart in one fell swoop. “I’ve been mad, sad – it sucks,” Mike Hoffman said of his past cornhole teammate Dayton Webber during a telephone interview on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Kenneth Cheung/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Over the past few weeks, the main headlines that have moved stocks without fail are updates on the war. Soaring gas prices are carrying the risk of macroeconomic disruption on top of an already shaky domestic macro picture. So perhaps it's needless to say that travel stocks have also been deeply impacted. Booking Holdings Inc. ( BKNG ), the largest...
Kenneth Cheung/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Over the past few weeks, the main headlines that have moved stocks without fail are updates on the war. Soaring gas prices are carrying the risk of macroeconomic disruption on top of an already shaky domestic macro picture. So perhaps it's needless to say that travel stocks have also been deeply impacted. Booking Holdings Inc. ( BKNG ), the largest OTA (online travel agency) platform, has seen its share price slide nearly ~20% since the start of the year. The question for investors now is, is it an appropriate time to de-risk our portfolios given the possibility for disruption here, or is this a good opportunity to add Booking on the dip? Data by YCharts I last wrote a “Sell” article on Booking in November, when the stock was trading in the low $5,000s. With strong bookings since then and a reduced valuation, I think investors should look past the near-term disruptions and focus on Booking's long-term appeal. That's especially true as the company's bookings growth trends have begun to strengthen relative to peers. As a result, I'm upgrading Booking to a “Buy” rating here. In my view, there are many reasons to “Buy” Booking, especially at newly discounted prices. These are the top drivers of the bull case for the company: The travel industry has a history of catching up after a period of disruption. There is no doubt that the combination of the Iran war, which is cutting off many critical routes between Europe and Asia, plus spiking oil prices that have led to higher airfares, will disrupt travel in the near term. However, the pattern from COVID-19 suggests that travelers still build up a “backlog” and continue to take their trips after conditions return to normal (which was termed “revenge travel” in the post-COVID era). Strongest bookings among peers. Booking Holdings and its group of sites (which includes Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, and others) is the largest OTA and is also the fastest-growing. Despite being ~5...
Data brokers buy up huge amounts of information from cell phones and browsers to sell for targeted advertising. But the government, including ICE, also buys the data. (Image credit: Mandel Ngan)
Data brokers buy up huge amounts of information from cell phones and browsers to sell for targeted advertising. But the government, including ICE, also buys the data. (Image credit: Mandel Ngan)
Shelter villages offer temporary and private places for the unhoused to sleep and store belongings. One of the newest, The Bridge, opened recently in central Illinois. (Image credit: Emily Bollinger)
Shelter villages offer temporary and private places for the unhoused to sleep and store belongings. One of the newest, The Bridge, opened recently in central Illinois. (Image credit: Emily Bollinger)
Therapists say we're overusing the word. Here's what it actually means — and what the Ingrid Bergman film that helped birth the word can teach us about it. (Image credit: Herbert Dorfman)
Therapists say we're overusing the word. Here's what it actually means — and what the Ingrid Bergman film that helped birth the word can teach us about it. (Image credit: Herbert Dorfman)
In the race to build the future of AI, and the shift to inferencing, the industry is at risk of overlooking a critical component: the CPU. Today, Hammer Distribution and AMD are pivoting to a 'CPU-first' strategy not just as a technical choice, but as a survival tactic for UK businesses trapped in the 'time-to-power' crisis. This partnership aims to prove that the secret to unlocking AI isn't more...
In the race to build the future of AI, and the shift to inferencing, the industry is at risk of overlooking a critical component: the CPU. Today, Hammer Distribution and AMD are pivoting to a 'CPU-first' strategy not just as a technical choice, but as a survival tactic for UK businesses trapped in the 'time-to-power' crisis. This partnership aims to prove that the secret to unlocking AI isn't more power, but better management of the power we already have.