The outspoken crime novelist talks his provocative new book, his hatred of technology and why the film adaptation of LA Confidential is a ‘turkey’ James Ellroy does not own a computer, his publicist explains, so will a phone interview be OK? When the self-proclaimed “mad dog of American crime fiction” picks up his landline at the appointed hour, it transpires that he has never owned a mobile phone...
The outspoken crime novelist talks his provocative new book, his hatred of technology and why the film adaptation of LA Confidential is a ‘turkey’ James Ellroy does not own a computer, his publicist explains, so will a phone interview be OK? When the self-proclaimed “mad dog of American crime fiction” picks up his landline at the appointed hour, it transpires that he has never owned a mobile phone either. Nor sent an email. Nor figured out how to turn on his ex-wife Helen Knode’s TV set. “Everything is very complex and it’s satanic to me, the dependency that people have on computers,” Ellroy, 78, says cheerfully in a bass baritone drawl from his pad in Denver, Colorado. “I don’t engage in internet chat and I understand there’s all this crazy shit on the internet and people with the most outlandish beliefs on God’s green Earth.” Continue reading...
Will New York end their long wait for a title? Our contributors pick the winner, key players and dark horses before the season’s grand finale tips off Here’s what New York looked like in 1973, the last time the Knicks won a championship – in pictures Where to even begin? Victor Wembanyama, the brightest young star in the NBA , appears on the biggest stage imaginable (in this galaxy, at least ... I...
Will New York end their long wait for a title? Our contributors pick the winner, key players and dark horses before the season’s grand finale tips off Here’s what New York looked like in 1973, the last time the Knicks won a championship – in pictures Where to even begin? Victor Wembanyama, the brightest young star in the NBA , appears on the biggest stage imaginable (in this galaxy, at least ... I’m not sure how big the stages are where he comes from), while one of the most storied franchises in American sports has its return to relevance cemented. And, maybe most importantly of all, The Garden, baby! CDL Continue reading...
Industria de Diseno Textil Inditex press release ( IDEXY ): Q1 sales grew 5.8% to reach €8.7 billion. Sales in constant currency grew 8.8%. The gross margin reached 61.2% (+67 bps versus 1Q2025). EBITDA increased 7.3% to €2.6 billion. Net income increased 5.4% to €1.4 billion. The net cash position was €10.8 billion at the end of 1Q2026. Inditex’s Board of Directors will propose a dividend of €1.7...
Industria de Diseno Textil Inditex press release ( IDEXY ): Q1 sales grew 5.8% to reach €8.7 billion. Sales in constant currency grew 8.8%. The gross margin reached 61.2% (+67 bps versus 1Q2025). EBITDA increased 7.3% to €2.6 billion. Net income increased 5.4% to €1.4 billion. The net cash position was €10.8 billion at the end of 1Q2026. Inditex’s Board of Directors will propose a dividend of €1.75 per share for FY2025 at the Annual General Meeting. It includes an ordinary dividend of €1.20 and a bonus dividend of €0.55, with two payments of €0.875. Outlook: At current exchange rates, Inditex anticipates a -1% currency impact on sales for 2026. In 2026, Inditex expects a stable gross margin (+/-50 bps). In order to continue underpinning the long-term growth of Inditex, we are executing investments that are increasing the competitive differentiation of the Group. We estimate ordinary capital expenditure of around €2.3 billion in 2026. More on Industria de Diseno Textil Inditex Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. 2027 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Industria De Diseño Textil, S.A. (IDEXY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. 2025 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Heir to Spanish retail empire arrested for father's murder Highest and lowest quant-rated consumer discretionary names above $10B market cap
With rivals racing to market to raise ‘eye-popping sums’, the spotlight is now on the AI sector’s one-time ‘poster child’ A year is a long time in AI. Just 12 months ago, Sam Altman was predicting his company OpenAI would build a super intelligence and fundamentally remake society. Now the boss of the ChatGPT developer is walking back those ideas after failing to make money from ads and erotic cha...
With rivals racing to market to raise ‘eye-popping sums’, the spotlight is now on the AI sector’s one-time ‘poster child’ A year is a long time in AI. Just 12 months ago, Sam Altman was predicting his company OpenAI would build a super intelligence and fundamentally remake society. Now the boss of the ChatGPT developer is walking back those ideas after failing to make money from ads and erotic chatbots. Meanwhile, rivals are storming ahead with plans to expand and go public on the stock market, in what is widely expected to be a season of record-setting initial public offerings (IPOs). Continue reading...
The neurologist Orlando Swayne doesn’t suggest everyone can recover. But he does argue that early, targeted and intense therapy can sometimes bring about life-changing improvements – and we have a moral obligation to provide it Claire was in bad shape. She had been brought to the ward on a stretcher and hoisted on to a bed where she lay curled up in a ball. She was unable to speak, her eyes flat a...
The neurologist Orlando Swayne doesn’t suggest everyone can recover. But he does argue that early, targeted and intense therapy can sometimes bring about life-changing improvements – and we have a moral obligation to provide it Claire was in bad shape. She had been brought to the ward on a stretcher and hoisted on to a bed where she lay curled up in a ball. She was unable to speak, her eyes flat and face expressionless. While she could move her right arm a little, her left arm and both legs were immobile. Life had changed dramatically for Claire, a mother of three in her late 30s, many months earlier, when she collapsed while on a night out with friends. A weakness in an artery at the base of her brain had ruptured, spilling blood around her frontal lobe. She was taken to hospital, where surgeons removed two side plate-sized pieces of bone from her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain. She spent months in intensive care. Continue reading...
Chilling comments by Reform figures can’t be dismissed when you consider the overwhelming power of the UK’s centralised state Britain is much closer to tyranny than you think. Consider a recent social post by Zia Yusuf, one of Reform UK’s leading figures. “Recent events demonstrate why I view the Tory and Labour politicians who created the burning injustice of modern Britain as traitors to their c...
Chilling comments by Reform figures can’t be dismissed when you consider the overwhelming power of the UK’s centralised state Britain is much closer to tyranny than you think. Consider a recent social post by Zia Yusuf, one of Reform UK’s leading figures. “Recent events demonstrate why I view the Tory and Labour politicians who created the burning injustice of modern Britain as traitors to their country,” he wrote. “A reckoning is coming.” He didn’t define those “recent events”, or what his reckoning would entail, but historically speaking, those deemed “traitors to their country” do not fare well. Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Think self-tan is too much effort – or too risky? Not any more. The latest products are so simple to use you can just go with the glow I can’t be without a facial self-tan in spring/summer. Keen to offload heavier coverage foundations that can slip, slide and suffocate in the sunshine, I reach for a subtle tanner as a warmer, lighter and, truly, easier base layer for makeup. People wrongly imagine...
Think self-tan is too much effort – or too risky? Not any more. The latest products are so simple to use you can just go with the glow I can’t be without a facial self-tan in spring/summer. Keen to offload heavier coverage foundations that can slip, slide and suffocate in the sunshine, I reach for a subtle tanner as a warmer, lighter and, truly, easier base layer for makeup. People wrongly imagine self-tan to be too effortful, fiddly and risky, and understandably wonder where to slot it into their skincare routine, but a new crop of facial self-tanners simplifies both these issues. Continue reading...
Even for nonbelievers like me, the pope has become a reassuring – and all too rare – voice of moral clarity Do you remember the early 2000s, when Silicon Valley buzzed with idealism and tech bros told us they were going to save the world? “Don’t be evil” was Google’s unofficial motto; it’s 2004 IPO prospectus declared that doing “good things for the world” was more important than “short term gains...
Even for nonbelievers like me, the pope has become a reassuring – and all too rare – voice of moral clarity Do you remember the early 2000s, when Silicon Valley buzzed with idealism and tech bros told us they were going to save the world? “Don’t be evil” was Google’s unofficial motto; it’s 2004 IPO prospectus declared that doing “good things for the world” was more important than “short term gains”. Mark Zuckerberg similarly wrote in Facebook’s 2012 IPO letter that the social network was “built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected”. As was obvious to anyone paying attention, this was all performative bullshit. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic about that period of time – which came to a definitive end in 2018 , with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. By and large, billionaires and CEOs still cared what the hoi polloi thought of them. They were self-aware enough to realize that, even with all their billions, there’s a lot more of us than there are of them. Continue reading...
Democrats seek to oust Republicans in New Jersey and Iowa, while other major races remain up in the air Voters in Tuesday’s primary elections across the US chose candidates who could flip critical districts in the US House and Senate in November, setting up a series of high-stakes general election contests in a midterm year expected to favor Democrats. Among the most watched races are: a New Jerse...
Democrats seek to oust Republicans in New Jersey and Iowa, while other major races remain up in the air Voters in Tuesday’s primary elections across the US chose candidates who could flip critical districts in the US House and Senate in November, setting up a series of high-stakes general election contests in a midterm year expected to favor Democrats. Among the most watched races are: a New Jersey Democrat who could oust a Republican incumbent absent with a mystery medical issue for months; several Iowa Democrats hoping to flip their red-leaning state; and California’s redrawn maps that have given Democrats an advantage in the heavily blue state. Continue reading...
Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek is finalising its first external fundraising round, securing over 50 billion yuan (US$7.4 billion) at a valuation of just under US$60 billion, according to people familiar with the matter – marking a six-fold leap from its US$10 billion valuation in April. The blockbuster round highlights intensifying global competition and a shifting strategy for ...
Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek is finalising its first external fundraising round, securing over 50 billion yuan (US$7.4 billion) at a valuation of just under US$60 billion, according to people familiar with the matter – marking a six-fold leap from its US$10 billion valuation in April. The blockbuster round highlights intensifying global competition and a shifting strategy for the AI breakout star, which had previously resisted external capital. Market-oriented investors and...
China is one of the world’s largest buyers of gold as central banks shift towards the precious metal, which has overtaken US Treasuries to become the world’s top reserve asset amid higher valuations and its appeal as a geopolitical hedge, the European Central Bank said. The world’s second-largest economy was the fourth-largest per-country buyer of gold in 2025 after Poland, Kazakhstan and Brazil, ...
China is one of the world’s largest buyers of gold as central banks shift towards the precious metal, which has overtaken US Treasuries to become the world’s top reserve asset amid higher valuations and its appeal as a geopolitical hedge, the European Central Bank said. The world’s second-largest economy was the fourth-largest per-country buyer of gold in 2025 after Poland, Kazakhstan and Brazil, purchasing about 25 tonnes, the ECB stated. It estimated that China had bought more than 350 tonnes...
In the face of widespread backlash to the AI data center buildout throughout the US, Google is touting its efforts to minimize the environmental impact by actually increasing water for local communities. The company laid out five commitments around water use in a new blog post published Wednesday, including a goal to replenish more water than it uses at its data centers by 2030. Google also said i...
In the face of widespread backlash to the AI data center buildout throughout the US, Google is touting its efforts to minimize the environmental impact by actually increasing water for local communities. The company laid out five commitments around water use in a new blog post published Wednesday, including a goal to replenish more water than it uses at its data centers by 2030. Google also said it will invest in local water infrastructure, identify alternative water sources to power its facilities, and be transparent about its water use overall. "We're just one of dozens of players in the space," Google's global head of infrastructure a … Read the full story at The Verge.
The value of copper is rising, and thieves can make money by stripping it from phone poles, streetlights and EV chargers. But those thefts cost the rest of us. (Image credit: John Ruwitch/NPR)
The value of copper is rising, and thieves can make money by stripping it from phone poles, streetlights and EV chargers. But those thefts cost the rest of us. (Image credit: John Ruwitch/NPR)
The Allen Institute in Seattle says scientists have now learned enough about how the brain works to start fixing it when it breaks. (Image credit: Erik Dinnel)
The Allen Institute in Seattle says scientists have now learned enough about how the brain works to start fixing it when it breaks. (Image credit: Erik Dinnel)
The site compares undocumented immigrants to extraterrestrials, refers to people as "it," and says "they do not belong here" (Image credit: The White House)
The site compares undocumented immigrants to extraterrestrials, refers to people as "it," and says "they do not belong here" (Image credit: The White House)
Stock market investors are having a great year, particularly those heavily exposed to the technology sector. Cryptocurrency investors, on the other hand, aren't faring so well. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is down 40% from last year's record high, and although its market capitalization of $1.4 trillion still makes it the world's largest cryptocurrency, there appears to be a real lack of conviction in the...
Stock market investors are having a great year, particularly those heavily exposed to the technology sector. Cryptocurrency investors, on the other hand, aren't faring so well. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is down 40% from last year's record high, and although its market capitalization of $1.4 trillion still makes it the world's largest cryptocurrency, there appears to be a real lack of conviction in the bullish case right now. Many investors touted Bitcoin as the digital currency that could transform the financial system, but it still hasn't gained traction as a basic payment mechanism. Other investors believed it was a digital replacement for gold, but in a moment, I'll explain why that thesis completely fell apart last year. Continue reading
Welsh Police Officers Ordered To Log Anti-Islam Comments In Chilling Free Speech Crackdown Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Britain's free speech traditions face fresh erosion as South Wales Police directs officers to record conversations and comments about Islam that stray beyond what the force deems "legitimate" discussion. The policy, exposed in recent social media posts, risks logg...
Welsh Police Officers Ordered To Log Anti-Islam Comments In Chilling Free Speech Crackdown Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Britain's free speech traditions face fresh erosion as South Wales Police directs officers to record conversations and comments about Islam that stray beyond what the force deems "legitimate" discussion. The policy, exposed in recent social media posts, risks logging lawful criticism as hostility incidents that could surface in future employment checks. This move builds directly on the Labour government's March definition of "anti-Muslim hostility" and exposes how public bodies are "gold-plating" safeguards meant to protect open debate. Police force orders officers to keep record of Britons' anti-Islam comments https://t.co/kQIa0v3VGz - GB News (@GBNEWS) June 2, 2026 South Wales Police has told staff to log anything exceeding its view of 'acceptable' talk on Islam. The Free Speech Union immediately challenged the guidance, warning it hands officers unchecked power to decide acceptable speech and creates a chilling effect on expression. The FSU post laid it out plainly, noting "South Wales Police are zealously enforcing their own definition of Islamophobia in a way that threatens free speech." ? South Wales Police are zealously enforcing their own definition of Islamophobia in a way that threatens free speech. The force has instructed staff to log anything that goes beyond what it considers a "legitimate" discussion of Islam. This subjective definition gives... pic.twitter.com/cI6P188WOm - The Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) June 1, 2026 "This subjective definition gives officers the power to decide what constitutes acceptable speech and risks having a chilling effect on free expression," the FSU adds. The FSU has written to South Wales Police calling on them to withdraw the guidance. "If they fail to do so, we have threatened legal action by way of judicial review," it further notes. FSU General Secretary Lord Young said South Wale...