Use of private providers, poor training and inadequate regulation mean obtaining care has become a ‘wild west’ When Leigh White remembers her brother Ryan, she thinks of a boy of extraordinary ability who “won five scholarships at 11” including a coveted place at Bancroft’s, a private school in London. He was, she said, “super bright, witty, personable, generous and kind”. Ryan killed himself on 1...
Use of private providers, poor training and inadequate regulation mean obtaining care has become a ‘wild west’ When Leigh White remembers her brother Ryan, she thinks of a boy of extraordinary ability who “won five scholarships at 11” including a coveted place at Bancroft’s, a private school in London. He was, she said, “super bright, witty, personable, generous and kind”. Ryan killed himself on 12 May 2024. A report written after his death acknowledged significant shortcomings in the support he received while seeking help for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Continue reading...
A light but filling no-bechamel souffle with a zingy citrus salad to add a sharp burst of flavour and colour There is a skill in not wasting food and it’s all about good, old-fashioned housekeeping. If you learn how to store ingredients properly (cool, dark places are handy for spuds, for example) and keep tabs on what’s in your fridge/freezer, you can use everything up before it goes off – and ma...
A light but filling no-bechamel souffle with a zingy citrus salad to add a sharp burst of flavour and colour There is a skill in not wasting food and it’s all about good, old-fashioned housekeeping. If you learn how to store ingredients properly (cool, dark places are handy for spuds, for example) and keep tabs on what’s in your fridge/freezer, you can use everything up before it goes off – and make delicious things in the process. This golden, cheese-crusted souffle uses up the celeriac and spuds left after the festive season, plus any odds and ends of cheeses. It is spectacularly good, especially paired with a sparkling citrus salad. Continue reading...
China’s central bank strengthened the yuan’s daily fixing for a third consecutive session to a nearly 16-month high, as the currency also held firm in offshore markets despite recent US dollar strength. On Tuesday, the People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint rate, also known as the daily fixing rate, at 7.0103 to the US dollar – the strongest showing since the end of September 2024, when th...
China’s central bank strengthened the yuan’s daily fixing for a third consecutive session to a nearly 16-month high, as the currency also held firm in offshore markets despite recent US dollar strength. On Tuesday, the People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint rate, also known as the daily fixing rate, at 7.0103 to the US dollar – the strongest showing since the end of September 2024, when the rate was set at 7.0074. That official midpoint rate, however, was still weaker than that of the...
A heartfelt essay by a 12-year-old girl to the uncle who adopted her after her father died has moved many people online. The essay, titled “My Second Father”, went viral after her uncle, Wei Yi, read it on his social media account. Wei, 33, and his wife, surnamed Lu, adopted Lu’s niece Jia Jia after her father died from liver cancer in 2024. Jia Jia’s mother is disabled and could not look after he...
A heartfelt essay by a 12-year-old girl to the uncle who adopted her after her father died has moved many people online. The essay, titled “My Second Father”, went viral after her uncle, Wei Yi, read it on his social media account. Wei, 33, and his wife, surnamed Lu, adopted Lu’s niece Jia Jia after her father died from liver cancer in 2024. Jia Jia’s mother is disabled and could not look after her well. Lu’s mother, Jia Jia’s grandmother, was also not in good health, prompting the couple to...
Photo: VCG The European Union has issued new guidance that could allow Chinese electric-vehicle makers to replace anti-subsidy tariffs with minimum price commitments, marking a major step toward resolving a trade dispute with Beijing that began in late 2023. On Monday, the European Commission issued guidance on the submission of price undertaking offers by Chinese exporters of battery-electric veh...
Photo: VCG The European Union has issued new guidance that could allow Chinese electric-vehicle makers to replace anti-subsidy tariffs with minimum price commitments, marking a major step toward resolving a trade dispute with Beijing that began in late 2023. On Monday, the European Commission issued guidance on the submission of price undertaking offers by Chinese exporters of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). The offers should include minimum import prices that “must be set at a level appropriate to remove the injurious effects of the subsidisation,” along with annual volume caps and other details, according to the document. If accepted, the undertakings would replace the anti-subsidy duties currently in place.
Investors are piling into a European defense spending "mega-trend," turbo-charged by a mix of EU, national and private capital funding that's set to run well into the next decade. As several of Europe's leading defense stocks surged to near-20% returns in the opening week of 2026, investors now see the sector as a long-term bet, shaped both by current tensions over Venezuela and Greenland , and lo...
Investors are piling into a European defense spending "mega-trend," turbo-charged by a mix of EU, national and private capital funding that's set to run well into the next decade. As several of Europe's leading defense stocks surged to near-20% returns in the opening week of 2026, investors now see the sector as a long-term bet, shaped both by current tensions over Venezuela and Greenland , and longer-term concerns over the continent's defense capabilities and the future of NATO . Raphaël Thuin, head of capital markets strategies at Tikehau Capital , said multiple factors — including the ongoing threat from Russia, and the end of the U.S. defense umbrella in Europe — underpin what he called a "mega-trend in the making." Thuin said the "depleted state" of European security, after decades of underinvestment, now urgently needs to be addressed. "Regardless of Ukraine, regardless of the peace plan — which we hope obviously will be signed soon — this trend should go much beyond. When you think of Russia, and the potential threat that Russia represents for European countries, it's not going away," Thuin told CNBC's "Europe Early Edition" last week . He added that the end of the U.S. defense "umbrella" over Europe is a central pillar of the investment theme. "Whatever administration comes next, it will certainly not pay for European security," he added. RHM-DE YTD mountain Rheinmetall. Defense stocks soar Global defense capabilities have been thrust into the spotlight by the geopolitical turmoil underpinning the first week of 2026. The overthrow of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces on Jan. 3 was followed by renewed tensions over Greenland and potential fissures within NATO. President Donald Trump maintains that the U.S. "needs" Greenland for "national security," raising questions over the future of the Transatlantic alliance and placing long-term European defense capabilities under fresh scrutiny. Separately, France and the U.K. signed a declaration of in...
The global hedge fund industry delivered a 12.6% annual return last year across all strategy types, its biggest since the Global Financial Crisis. The returns were driven mainly by stock-picking strategies that bet long and short on equity markets, as well as macro managers that use stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies to trade big-picture macroeconomic themes. Both these strategies were up ...
The global hedge fund industry delivered a 12.6% annual return last year across all strategy types, its biggest since the Global Financial Crisis. The returns were driven mainly by stock-picking strategies that bet long and short on equity markets, as well as macro managers that use stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies to trade big-picture macroeconomic themes. Both these strategies were up more than 17% for the year, according to new data published by industry tracker Hedge Fund Research (HFR). HFR numbers also showed comprehensive gains across a range of strategies and asset classes, with many in double-digit territory. Its main Fund Weighted Composite Index — a broad snapshot of manager performances across all strategy types — advanced 1.56% in December. That made its full-year gain in 2025 the strongest annual showing since 2009's near-20% rise, when hedge funds capitalized on the subprime mortgage meltdown. Fertile terrain HFR president Kenneth Heinz highlighted 2025's buoyant stock market driven by AI and technology and infrastructure spend, adding that hedge funds successfully traversed "oscillating cycles of risk-on and -off sentiment", such as the "Liberation Day" tariffs announcement volatility, cryptocurrency depreciation and tech stock reversals arising from valuation concerns. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon S&P 500 Health Care Sector. Healthcare, energy and commodities markets also offered fertile terrain for returns, as sector-specialist strategies successfully traded on the drug pricing themes and weight-loss treatments driving pharmaceutical stocks, and the ongoing rally in gold and silver. Healthcare -focused equity hedge funds finished last year up 33.8%, according to HFR data, while stock pickers focused on energy and basic materials rose 23.4%. Only one strategy type finished the year in the red. Quantitative diversified funds — computer-based strategies that use statistical algorithms and models instead of human traders to invest in mar...
UK recruiters face another difficult year as the labor market continues to deteriorate, compounded by growing threats from artificial intelligence. Pagegroup Plc , Hays Plc and Robert Walters Plc will all provide market updates this week in the shadow of recent data showing UK employers cut back hiring again in December because of rising costs and growing uncertainty. “As we head into the New Year...
UK recruiters face another difficult year as the labor market continues to deteriorate, compounded by growing threats from artificial intelligence. Pagegroup Plc , Hays Plc and Robert Walters Plc will all provide market updates this week in the shadow of recent data showing UK employers cut back hiring again in December because of rising costs and growing uncertainty. “As we head into the New Year, this restraint is likely to remain in the near term,” Jon Holt , group chief executive and UK senior partner at KPMG , said in a statement . That doesn’t bode well for recruiters, whose earnings are expected to continue to edge lower in 2026. Both temporary and permanent hiring are expected to remain muted this year, though permanent roles will suffer the most. “Permanent staffing faces a tough 2026 as the segment remains under pressure, with workers showing limited appetite to switch roles amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty,” Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Stuart Gordon and Evgeniy Batchvarov said. Candidates decline interviews or withdraw late in the process, according to the BI analysts, while companies increasingly opt for the flexibility of short-term employees. There are also more counteroffers and hiring decisions are taking longer, complicating the hiring process. “Permanent placement volume is unlikely to recover until macroeconomic indicators improve,” Gordon and Batchvarov said. Pagegroup and Hays are particularly exposed to the permanent side of the market. Net fees in the segment have fallen by double digits since 2019, driving an 85% cut in profit over the period for the two companies, according to Jefferies analyst Simon Lechipre . “We expect gross margin performance to remain subdued, with temp volumes remaining negative across some of the key countries, and the perm business underperformance continuing,” Lechipre said. Meanwhile, AI presents a double threat as it could both disrupt the labor market itself and make recruiters’ services redundant. ...
(RTTNews) - Sika (SIKA.SW) reported that, in Swiss francs, 2025 sales were 11.20 billion Swiss francs, a decline of 4.8% from prior year, including foreign currency impact of 5.4%. In local currencies, sales growth was 0.6%. On an organic basis, sales were down 0.4% for the full
(RTTNews) - Sika (SIKA.SW) reported that, in Swiss francs, 2025 sales were 11.20 billion Swiss francs, a decline of 4.8% from prior year, including foreign currency impact of 5.4%. In local currencies, sales growth was 0.6%. On an organic basis, sales were down 0.4% for the full