A Labour-led committee of MPs has called for Palantir to be stripped of a £330m NHS deal, piling pressure on the Government to cut ties with the US data giant.
A Labour-led committee of MPs has called for Palantir to be stripped of a £330m NHS deal, piling pressure on the Government to cut ties with the US data giant.
Health secretary announces expansion of Transform trial but does not back population-wide testing Thousands more black men will be invited to take part in a prostate cancer screening trial as the health secretary insisted he was “following the science” in not backing population-wide testing. James Murray accepted a recommendation from the UK national screening committee (UKNSC) that will result in...
Health secretary announces expansion of Transform trial but does not back population-wide testing Thousands more black men will be invited to take part in a prostate cancer screening trial as the health secretary insisted he was “following the science” in not backing population-wide testing. James Murray accepted a recommendation from the UK national screening committee (UKNSC) that will result in only a few thousand high-risk men with a gene mutation being screened for the disease. Continue reading...
Files shed light on how the Labour grandee juggled patrons and supplicants using flattery, fury and contempt for three decades Political analysts have been frustrated by the mass redactions in the Mandelson files published on Monday: with so much obscured, many serious questions remain unanswered. But step aside from the vetting debate, and the files do shed light on another matter: how Peter Mand...
Files shed light on how the Labour grandee juggled patrons and supplicants using flattery, fury and contempt for three decades Political analysts have been frustrated by the mass redactions in the Mandelson files published on Monday: with so much obscured, many serious questions remain unanswered. But step aside from the vetting debate, and the files do shed light on another matter: how Peter Mandelson wields power, and how effectively he uses communication as a tool for maintaining it. Over the many years of retirement that lie ahead, the former ambassador might easily reshape them into a manual for his would-be successors. Continue reading...
Crisp chocolate bars that are great to make with children’s help, plus a spicy carrot twist that transforms a traditional blondie When it comes to having fun with the family in the kitchen, my brownie recipes deliver every time. The toffee crisp number brings crunch and nostalgia, while the carrot cake blondie offers a softer, spiced twist that even veg-avoiding kids love. Both are simple crowdple...
Crisp chocolate bars that are great to make with children’s help, plus a spicy carrot twist that transforms a traditional blondie When it comes to having fun with the family in the kitchen, my brownie recipes deliver every time. The toffee crisp number brings crunch and nostalgia, while the carrot cake blondie offers a softer, spiced twist that even veg-avoiding kids love. Both are simple crowdpleasers and perfect for little hands in the kitchen. Best of all, they’re not just for children; grown-ups will happily claim the last square, too. Continue reading...
Testimonies from political prisoners and journalists arrested in crackdowns since the war have started to emerge as regime’s internet blackout lifts Iranian writer Hamid Asefi wasn’t home on the afternoon of 5 March when armed intelligence agents stormed his Tehran apartment, breaking down the door with a sledgehammer and axe. After going unit to unit looking for him, they finally encountered him ...
Testimonies from political prisoners and journalists arrested in crackdowns since the war have started to emerge as regime’s internet blackout lifts Iranian writer Hamid Asefi wasn’t home on the afternoon of 5 March when armed intelligence agents stormed his Tehran apartment, breaking down the door with a sledgehammer and axe. After going unit to unit looking for him, they finally encountered him as he returned to the building. One of the agents “drew his handgun, shouted at me to stop, and before I had time to respond, struck me forcefully on the back of the neck and spine with the butt of his weapon, dragging me into the apartment,” Asefi told the Guardian in a written interview. Continue reading...
It will take more than blokeish affability to reach across the Brexit faultline that scars British politics Andy Burnham’s stint as health secretary in the final year of Gordon Brown’s government was not especially memorable, although one observation from a senior civil servant in the department at the time has stuck in my mind. Working for Burnham, I was told, felt like “revising for exams with a...
It will take more than blokeish affability to reach across the Brexit faultline that scars British politics Andy Burnham’s stint as health secretary in the final year of Gordon Brown’s government was not especially memorable, although one observation from a senior civil servant in the department at the time has stuck in my mind. Working for Burnham, I was told, felt like “revising for exams with a mate who might turn to you and say: ‘shall we sack this off for a bit and play football instead?’” It was meant as a compliment, mostly. The secretary of state didn’t defer government business for kickabouts on Whitehall, he just had the vibe of someone who was tempted. That image confirms everything Burnham’s Labour supporters and critics already think about him. Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Understanding whale sounds could help prevent strikes from ships and even aid in search for extraterrestrial life If you stand on certain shorelines and listen carefully you might just hear deep rumbling noises. Sharp-eared fishers, lighthouse keepers and sea kayakers have been haunted by these late-night sounds for centuries and now, for the first time, scientists have recorded these thrums and p...
Understanding whale sounds could help prevent strikes from ships and even aid in search for extraterrestrial life If you stand on certain shorelines and listen carefully you might just hear deep rumbling noises. Sharp-eared fishers, lighthouse keepers and sea kayakers have been haunted by these late-night sounds for centuries and now, for the first time, scientists have recorded these thrums and pinpointed them to humpback whales, proving that whales have a far larger vocabulary than previously thought. Fred Sharpe from the Alaska Whale Foundation and his colleagues set up land-based microphones to tune in to the mysterious ocean noises. Tip-offs from Alaskan coastal communities helped to narrow down the best recording locations. Along with the previously documented trumpets, blows and shrieks that humpback whales make, the researchers recorded very low frequency rumbles, a bit like distant thunder, and new sounds including pizzle, howl and hooting noises. The night thrums travelled through the air and could be heard up to 6 miles (10km) away. Continue reading...
又见黑石。 6月2日，黑石宣布Blackstone Capital Partners Asia III（BCP Asia III）基金完成最终募资关账，总规模131亿美元（超880亿元人民币），一举创下其历史上规模最大的亚洲私募股权基金。 “亚太地区是全球增长最快的地区，为我们提供了大规模投资于我们高度重视的主题，并为投资者创造回报的绝佳机会。”黑石集团全球私募股权策略主管Joe Baratta表...
又见黑石。 6月2日，黑石宣布Blackstone Capital Partners Asia III（BCP Asia III）基金完成最终募资关账，总规模131亿美元（超880亿元人民币），一举创下其历史上规模最大的亚洲私募股权基金。 “亚太地区是全球增长最快的地区，为我们提供了大规模投资于我们高度重视的主题，并为投资者创造回报的绝佳机会。”黑石集团全球私募股权策略主管Joe Baratta表示。 由此望去，今年以来，贝恩资本、EQT（殷拓集团）、KKR等超级PE纷纷瞄准亚洲。一个新的周期正缓缓开启。 黑石宣布募集880亿，投向亚洲 更多细节浮出水面。 投资界了解到，这期基金超额认购，远远超出100亿美元的初始募资目标，触及了预设的募资上限。共有173位新投资者加入，LP总数达到260位。其中，老LP平均复投了约60%的金额。从地域分布看，LP构成保持了一贯的多元化：约35%来自北美，25%来自亚洲，20%来自中东，15%来自欧洲。 至此，黑石第三期亚洲私募股权基金的最终募资额，是上一期同策略基金的两倍以上。这也成为黑石成立以来体量最大的亚洲私募股权基金。 放在全球私募股权募资环境普遍承压的背景下看，这个数字意义不一般。贝恩的一份报告显示，2025年亚洲基金的筹资额降至12年来的最低点。黑石在这个节点上逆势超额完成募资，某种程度上是一个风向标。 当中一个值得注意的细节是，新基金没有动用黑石全球收购基金的募资渠道，而是由亚洲团队独立完成。 记得今年年初，常驻中国香港的黑石亚太区私人财富主管黄翊（Ed Huang）曾透露，黑石正计划在亚洲招聘更多员工，以抓住私募市场不断增长的机遇。如今回头看，那或许就是在为亚洲募资做准备。 “这是黑石模式演变的必然结果。”黑石私募股权亚洲区主管Amit Dixit解释了这个变化，新基金通常“先与全球旗舰基金共享渠道，但随着一个策略逐渐成熟并取得成功，就会变得更加独立。” 投资者蜂拥而至，归根结底还是因为业绩。公开文件显示，截至2026年3月，黑石第二期亚洲基金的净内部收益率（IRR）达到27%。 如今，黑石在亚洲的管理资产规模已超过500亿美元。过去24个月，这支队伍在亚太地区完成了12笔投资，合计投入超过70亿美元，包括印度AI云平台Neysa、日本专业工程服务提供商TechnoPro、韩国美发沙龙连锁品牌JUNO等等。 同期，黑...
Unitree Robotics humanoids dance on May 31, 2026, in Shanghai, for the opening of Asia's first embodied intelligence experience store. Jade Gao | Afp | Getty Images Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son told CNBC this week that physical AI and robotics were where he saw the next trillion-dollar company emerging from. Humanoid robots, designed to mimic human movement and capabilities, have been hitting headli...
Unitree Robotics humanoids dance on May 31, 2026, in Shanghai, for the opening of Asia's first embodied intelligence experience store. Jade Gao | Afp | Getty Images Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son told CNBC this week that physical AI and robotics were where he saw the next trillion-dollar company emerging from. Humanoid robots, designed to mimic human movement and capabilities, have been hitting headlines in recent years, from their use as baggage handlers at Japanese airports to Tesla's big bet on its Optimus humanoid. Market watchers have predicted that the machines will change the world over the next decade and forecast that the industry will grow 100-fold, as AI's physical capabilities evolve. One investor said consumer stocks were the path to unlocking value from it. Read more Nvidia is betting on a Chinese humanoid robotic startup as physical AI push accelerates Humanoid robots take over CES in Las Vegas as tech industry touts future of AI Elon Musk is pivoting Tesla to AI and robots. Wall Street analysts have their doubts Zornitza Todorova, head of thematic FICC research at Barclays and a co-author of the bank's "AI Gets Physical" report, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Thursday that "it's the decade of the robot." "Humanoid robotics is really on an upward trajectory," she said. "The size of the market today is really small, it's 2 to 3 billion [dollars], but we see it going up to $200 billion in 2035." According to Todorova's report, published earlier this month, humanoids "are automation 3.0." The machines are designed to fill structural labor gaps, the report said, with ageing populations, urbanization and changing job preferences leaving "dirty, dull and dangerous" roles well suited to robots. "They're [already] doing simple, well-defined tasks like lifting boxes or picking things up from the assembly line, helping to fill roles where there are not that many humans that can do the jobs," Todorova told CNBC. watch now VIDEO 6:39 06:39 The next wave of AI: An...
Human resources software startup Factorial has raised $150 million in funding at a valuation of $2.5 billion, making it one of the most highly valued startups in Spain. The Series D funding round was led by venture capital firm General Catalyst , with participation from investors Atomico and Four Rivers, Factorial said in a statement on Wednesday. Bloomberg News earlier reported some details of th...
Human resources software startup Factorial has raised $150 million in funding at a valuation of $2.5 billion, making it one of the most highly valued startups in Spain. The Series D funding round was led by venture capital firm General Catalyst , with participation from investors Atomico and Four Rivers, Factorial said in a statement on Wednesday. Bloomberg News earlier reported some details of the round . Alongside the round, General Catalyst will supply a further $540 million through its Customer Value Fund, a specialist vehicle that finances startups’ sales and marketing costs without taking additional equity. Barcelona-based Factorial was formed in 2016 and offers software to manage HR functions such as employee time off, payroll, training and recruitment. The company said it reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue in September, a metric used by software startups to demonstrate customer growth. Chief Executive Officer Jordi Romero declined to disclose current revenue. The HR software market is competitive, turbocharged during the Covid-19 pandemic when businesses suddenly had to manage large, remote workforces and found their existing tools fell short. Following a rapid rise, the sector is now at risk of disruption from artificial intelligence services that can increasingly take on rote administrative work. The startup is adapting to the rise of AI and has embedded agents that can carry out tasks into its platform, said Romero. For example, Factorial’s AI agents can detect when an employee has called in sick and notify the manager, find a replacement worker where necessary and calculate the cost. The company will use the fresh cash to acquire companies, with a particular focus on its largest and fastest-growing market Germany, said Romero. The company plans to expand in the country, hiring 20 people to its new Munich office and adding more in sales, product and engineering roles. The move will pit the startup against German rival Personio , last valued ...
bedo Astera Labs ( ALAB ) is expanding its Taiwan operations and Cloud-Scale Interop Lab to support growing demand for AI infrastructure and strengthen its presence in a key global semiconductor hub. The company said the expansion is designed to accelerate platform validation, system integration and deployment for hyperscalers and AI infrastructure providers. " Taiwan is where the global AI supply...
bedo Astera Labs ( ALAB ) is expanding its Taiwan operations and Cloud-Scale Interop Lab to support growing demand for AI infrastructure and strengthen its presence in a key global semiconductor hub. The company said the expansion is designed to accelerate platform validation, system integration and deployment for hyperscalers and AI infrastructure providers. " Taiwan is where the global AI supply chain gets built, and the programs driving the most ambitious AI buildouts run through this ecosystem,” said Campbell Kan , vice president of Asia Sales and Taiwan general manager at Astera Labs. “Expanding our footprint here will help customers shorten the path from qualification to deployment, so new training and inference capacity comes online at the speed of the AI race.” The company said that it is working with AI platform providers Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ), Arm Holdings ( ARM ), Intel ( INTC ), and NVIDIA ( NVDA ) along with Taiwan manufacturing partners including GIGABYTE, Ingrasys, Inventec, Quanta Cloud Technology, and Wiwynn to speed AI system validation and deployment. More on Astera Labs Astera Labs, Inc. (ALAB) Presents at TD Cowen's 54th Annual Technology, Media & Telecom Conference Transcript Astera Labs, Inc. (ALAB) Presents at J.P. Morgan 54th Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference Transcript Astera's Next Growth Wave Has Already Started Astera Labs stock rally crushing S&P 500 YTD gains: 'Why' reasons & 3 warnings Astera's 'strong' Q1 results see bullish views from analysts
MikeMareen/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Nebius ( NBIS ) has become one of the most talked-about AI stocks for a reason. Although the sentiment shift occurred after Nvidia’s ( NVDA ) $2 billion investment, Computex was probably the game changer when Jensen Huang emphasized Nebius as one of the fastest-growing cloud partner companies in his opening keynote at the show. Not only has the marke...
MikeMareen/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Nebius ( NBIS ) has become one of the most talked-about AI stocks for a reason. Although the sentiment shift occurred after Nvidia’s ( NVDA ) $2 billion investment, Computex was probably the game changer when Jensen Huang emphasized Nebius as one of the fastest-growing cloud partner companies in his opening keynote at the show. Not only has the market started to see Nebius as much more than a GPU cloud provider, but the recent revenue explosion, margin expansion, large deals signed with Meta and Microsoft, and significant institutional interest make the stock one of the best conviction plays to participate in the AI infrastructure rush. Why Nebius Is Breaking Higher While there are plenty of bullish catalysts for Nebius, including AI enthusiasm and Nvidia validation, there are several reasons why the stock continues to break new highs. Management guided to revenues of $1.9 billion on an annualized run-rate basis for the current quarter. However, more importantly, Q1 sales increased by 684% year-over-year, indicating massive growth. Furthermore, according to the CEO, the company has more customers bidding for GPUs than available hardware. And even better, capacity has been fully booked. Letter to shareholders Q4 2025 The second point is that the sentiment regarding Nebius has definitely changed for the better. Once upon a time not long ago, the predominant view among investors was that Nebius was merely a speculative play on artificial intelligence. But in light of its $27 billion contract with Meta, better ties with Microsoft, a $2 billion capital commitment from Nvidia, and growing institutional backing by companies like Situational Awareness, which owns 5.6% of the company, to consider Nebius as an emerging firm would be utterly wrong. While Nvidia validation is important for a whole host of reasons, it is especially critical from a psychological standpoint. First of all, Jensen Huang praised Nebius in front of thous...
Kioxia Holdings Corp. is closing in on the No. 2 spot among Japan’s most valuable firms as the global artificial intelligence boom remodels the country’s corporate landscape. The memory chipmaker’s market capitalization is rivaling that of Toyota Motor Corp. thanks to a surge of as much as 7.2% in its shares Wednesday. Kioxia’s market value surpassed ¥45 trillion ($281 billion), more than the auto...
Kioxia Holdings Corp. is closing in on the No. 2 spot among Japan’s most valuable firms as the global artificial intelligence boom remodels the country’s corporate landscape. The memory chipmaker’s market capitalization is rivaling that of Toyota Motor Corp. thanks to a surge of as much as 7.2% in its shares Wednesday. Kioxia’s market value surpassed ¥45 trillion ($281 billion), more than the automaker at one point, in a remarkable rally just 18 months after its stock market debut. The reshuffling of the biggest companies may change how overseas investors view Japanese equities, said Jumpei Tanaka , head of investment strategy at Pictet Asset Management Japan Ltd. “The perception of Japan could shift from that of a market dominated by manufacturing-driven, cyclical stocks to one increasingly defined by growth stocks led by AI-driven semiconductors,” he said. “That could prompt global investors to view Japan as a market that deserves a larger weighting in the AI trade, potentially attracting further capital inflows.” Kioxia was 1.7% higher in early afternoon trading in Tokyo, making its market value only slightly below that of Toyota, which gained 2.5%. The move away from more traditional companies in Japan underlines how demand for memory-chips used in AI data centers has fueled investor enthusiasm for semiconductor companies worldwide, boosting Kioxia’s value alongside peers. The Japanese company’s shares have risen more than 660% so far this year, making it the best performer on the MSCI World Index. Memory Prices Fuel Kioxia’s Rise to Japan’s Top-Valued Companies Kioxia Plans Dividend After AI Chip Sales Spur Record Profit Memory Squeeze Lures Day Traders, Hedge Funds to Kioxia Toyota, which long held the title of Japan’s most valuable company, has rapidly slipped from the top. SoftBank Group Corp. overtook the automaker on Monday, driven by investor excitement over news about OpenAI’s listing. Kioxia traces its roots to Toshiba Corp. ’s memory-chip business, whi...
Eduard Figueres/iStock via Getty Images Introduction When I learned the news last weekend that Berkshire Hathaway had agreed to acquire Taylor Morrison Home Corporation ( TMHC ) for $6.8 billion, or at roughly a 24% premium over the prior Friday’s closing price, my immediate emotional reaction was not excitement over Taylor Morrison itself. Instead, I experienced a strange sense of disappointment—...
Eduard Figueres/iStock via Getty Images Introduction When I learned the news last weekend that Berkshire Hathaway had agreed to acquire Taylor Morrison Home Corporation ( TMHC ) for $6.8 billion, or at roughly a 24% premium over the prior Friday’s closing price, my immediate emotional reaction was not excitement over Taylor Morrison itself. Instead, I experienced a strange sense of disappointment—almost the same feeling I had as a child when the teacher picked another student’s essay to read aloud to the entire class instead of mine. That probably sounds both childish and egotistical, especially considering the many gray hairs I now sport. Yet investors who study Warren Buffett seriously understand that Berkshire Hathaway’s investment decisions often carry a form of intellectual validation extending beyond mere dollars and cents. Having been academically driven in my younger days, I suppose I remain psychologically anchored to the notion that if there is an “excellent answer,” mine should probably be the one selected. Over the past year, among publicly traded homebuilders, my own favorites have been Green Brick Partners ( GRBK ) and Smith Douglas Homes ( SDHC ) (see my write-ups on them here , here , and here ). So, when Berkshire Hathaway picked Taylor Morrison instead, I could not help but feel a brief sting of disappointment—followed almost immediately by the curiosity to compare and contrast the three companies and stocks. Taylor Morrison Is A Good Fit for Berkshire Hathaway Why Taylor Morrison? And why now, at a time when prevailing market sentiment toward the homebuilder sector remains deeply negative? The timing itself may actually provide the answer. The market currently fears that the homebuilding industry is approaching a cyclical slowdown driven by elevated mortgage rates and weakening consumer confidence in this K-shaped economy. In this K-shaped stock market, where virtually all of the gains are concentrated on the red-hot AI and related fields such as ...