New version of the sci-fi day-on-repeat sees a perplexed duo repeatedly battle monstrous plants but leaves you feeling as bored as the protagonist appears The second film adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 eponymous novel, this new one is considerably inferior to Edge of Tomorrow from 2014, Tom Cruise’s own Groundhog D1ay with mechs . It’s not a question of budget or aesthetics – simply a gap...
New version of the sci-fi day-on-repeat sees a perplexed duo repeatedly battle monstrous plants but leaves you feeling as bored as the protagonist appears The second film adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 eponymous novel, this new one is considerably inferior to Edge of Tomorrow from 2014, Tom Cruise’s own Groundhog D1ay with mechs . It’s not a question of budget or aesthetics – simply a gaping hole of engaging characterisation and inner spark that makes this time loop a grinding chore, rather than a thrilling jailbreak from eternal recurrence. Directors Ken’ichirô Akimoto and Yukinori Nakamura do, to be fair, switch things up. Instead of the original story’s extraterrestrial “Mimics”, they concoct an entirely new big bad: a dormant alien flower, nattily named Darol, that one day begins spitting out what look like killer nasturtiums. The protagonists have been swapped: the point of view in this version is Rita (voiced by Ai Mikami), the female badass working for the United Defense Force that surveys the colossal plant. Exposure to its quartz spores are what forces her to live her imperfect day over and over. Continue reading...
Two uncannily similar men switch places in an existential farce that playfully explores the precarity of working life In Isabel Waidner’s previous novel, 2023’s Corey Fah Does Social Mobility , a working-class writer wins a literary prize. As the trophy takes the form of an elusive UFO, Corey Fah – an outsider unfamiliar with the baffling inner workings of the system – is unable to collect or even...
Two uncannily similar men switch places in an existential farce that playfully explores the precarity of working life In Isabel Waidner’s previous novel, 2023’s Corey Fah Does Social Mobility , a working-class writer wins a literary prize. As the trophy takes the form of an elusive UFO, Corey Fah – an outsider unfamiliar with the baffling inner workings of the system – is unable to collect or even confirm the award. Waidner has said that the novel was partly inspired by the experience of winning the Goldsmiths prize for their previous work Sterling Karat Gold , and by the ephemeral nature of success, with its “unfamiliar contexts of social power and opportunity”. In Waidner-world the surreal is always lurking, gleefully waiting to trip the reader up. As If uses the acting profession and its inherent themes of performance and doubleness to explore the precarity of work. A Waiting for Godot transported to the housing estates and grotty sublets of Clerkenwell, London, the book opens with a gnomic Vladimir/Estragon-type exchange between two startlingly similar strangers in a flat. They are both in their late 40s, very tall, dark-haired, a mirror image of each other – “my unremarkable eyes, they were looking back at me”, Aubrey Lewis, who is subletting the flat, notices with some alarm. “Were we ever to be seen together, I thought, we would reflect badly on each other.” The other man, dressed in “a novelty T-shirt, the less said of it the better, and pyjama bottoms”, had “walked in through the door as if he owned the place”. He introduces himself as Lindsey Korine and announces he is cold. Rifling, with Pinteresque fuss and deliberation, among the “historic arrangement” of heavy coats left by the previous subtenant, he assumes a new guise for his next role in the narrative. Continue reading...
A nationwide mural contest backed by Philippine government agencies has been launched in Manila, the latest in a string of cultural initiatives aimed at shaping public narratives around the South China Sea dispute. Organised by a Manila-based maritime think tank and supported by state institutions including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the competition invites artists, students...
A nationwide mural contest backed by Philippine government agencies has been launched in Manila, the latest in a string of cultural initiatives aimed at shaping public narratives around the South China Sea dispute. Organised by a Manila-based maritime think tank and supported by state institutions including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the competition invites artists, students and ordinary Filipinos to create large-scale works inspired by the “West Philippine Sea” – Manila’s...
European foreign policy chief says ‘there is not going to be progress’ on sanctions package today Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul also said he was “astonished” by the Hungarian position on sanctions, and hoped to discuss this during today’s meeting of EU foreign ministers. But Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna was more blunt saying that the failure to adopt the new sanctions wou...
European foreign policy chief says ‘there is not going to be progress’ on sanctions package today Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul also said he was “astonished” by the Hungarian position on sanctions, and hoped to discuss this during today’s meeting of EU foreign ministers. But Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna was more blunt saying that the failure to adopt the new sanctions would only benefit Russia. Continue reading...
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter Alison Roman is a cult figure in the world of food media. She's written multiple hit cookbooks and several of her recipes have gone viral. And her newsletter is incredibly popular. Now, she's putting her name on consumer goods, recently launching a new line of high-end jarred to...
Listen to Odd Lots on Apple Podcasts Listen to Odd Lots on Spotify Watch Odd Lots on YouTube Subscribe to the newsletter Alison Roman is a cult figure in the world of food media. She's written multiple hit cookbooks and several of her recipes have gone viral. And her newsletter is incredibly popular. Now, she's putting her name on consumer goods, recently launching a new line of high-end jarred tomato sauce called, appropriately, A Very Good Sauce, which she sells direct online. So what has she learned about the consumer goods industry and its supply chain? On this episode, she explains why she entered the space, how she thinks about carving out a niche, and everything she's learned — from figuring out shipping to co-packing to designing a recipe that can be cooked in high volume. We also talk generally about the world of food and food media and how she thinks about bridging content and commerce.
The U.S. is a winter sport powerhouse, second only to Norway. The wins at the Milan Cortina Games come disproportionately from athletes who emerged in a handful of states from Alaska to Vermont. (Image credit: Robert F. Bukaty)
The U.S. is a winter sport powerhouse, second only to Norway. The wins at the Milan Cortina Games come disproportionately from athletes who emerged in a handful of states from Alaska to Vermont. (Image credit: Robert F. Bukaty)
Alison Roman is a cult figure in the world of food media. She’s written multiple hit cookbooks and several of her recipes have gone viral. And her newsletter is incredibly popular. Now, she’s putting her name on consumer goods, recently launching a new line of high-end jarred tomato sauce called, appropriately, A Very Good Sauce, which she sells direct online. So what has she learned about the con...
Alison Roman is a cult figure in the world of food media. She’s written multiple hit cookbooks and several of her recipes have gone viral. And her newsletter is incredibly popular. Now, she’s putting her name on consumer goods, recently launching a new line of high-end jarred tomato sauce called, appropriately, A Very Good Sauce, which she sells direct online. So what has she learned about the consumer goods industry and its supply chain? On this episode, she explains why she entered the space,
Honor Device Co. will unveil its first humanoid robot later this week, joining a rush by Chinese companies into a burgeoning sector of new technology. The robot, aimed at consumer services such as shopping assistance, will make its debut at the MWC Barcelona tech conference this weekend, the Shenzhen-based smartphone maker said on Monday. Honor, which went independent from Huawei Technologies Co. ...
Honor Device Co. will unveil its first humanoid robot later this week, joining a rush by Chinese companies into a burgeoning sector of new technology. The robot, aimed at consumer services such as shopping assistance, will make its debut at the MWC Barcelona tech conference this weekend, the Shenzhen-based smartphone maker said on Monday. Honor, which went independent from Huawei Technologies Co. in 2020, says it will be first among its peers to enter the humanoid segment, though Huawei is also developing AI models for such tasks. Honor will also show off its latest artificial intelligence advancements, under the banner of what it calls the Honor Robot Phone . The race to build artificial intelligence into physical products is now led by Chinese startups like Unitree, whose machines were featured in a spectacular acrobatic showcase during the country’s Lunar New Year gala broadcast. Honor has set up a multibillion-dollar initiative to expand into new industries, with a focus on AI and novel applications. Like rivals Xiaomi Corp. , Oppo and Vivo , the company is also building its own agentic AI services that will be integrated into its software for smartphones and other devices. Closely held Honor, which has backing from the Shenzhen government’s investment vehicle and an array of state-owned enterprises, has said it’s on track to a public listing, though it hasn’t yet fixed a timeline. Recent debuts by Chinese AI-focused companies, such as large language model developer Zhipu, have been greeted with enthusiasm by investors seeking domestic competitors to the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic PBC. Chinese Firms Dominated Global Humanoid Robot Shipments in 2025 Chinese Startup’s Kung Fu Robots Fire Up Tech-Wary Investors China Warns of Bubble Risks in Booming Humanoid Robots Arena China’s Honor Developing Humanoid Robots in $10 Billion AI Plan
Worries about financing for the artificial intelligence data center investment boom sent shares of lender Blue Owl Capital and borrower CoreWeave reeling on Friday. Business Insider reported Friday that Blue Owl had failed to find outside lenders to take up $4 billion it is investing with a data center developer for a Pennsylvania site. The expectation is that CoreWeave would be the tenant.
Worries about financing for the artificial intelligence data center investment boom sent shares of lender Blue Owl Capital and borrower CoreWeave reeling on Friday. Business Insider reported Friday that Blue Owl had failed to find outside lenders to take up $4 billion it is investing with a data center developer for a Pennsylvania site. The expectation is that CoreWeave would be the tenant.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG managed to keep unit costs stable in the fourth quarter, indicating that Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr ’s cost-cutting push is beginning to pay off. Unit costs — a key airline metric measuring expenses per seat flown — were stable from a year earlier in the final three months of 2025, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. The performance came despite a...
Deutsche Lufthansa AG managed to keep unit costs stable in the fourth quarter, indicating that Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr ’s cost-cutting push is beginning to pay off. Unit costs — a key airline metric measuring expenses per seat flown — were stable from a year earlier in the final three months of 2025, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. The performance came despite an an 10% increase in fees and levies, which the airline attributed to efficiency programs rolled out across the group. In the first two quarters of 2025, unit cost increases were still running at 3% to 4% year-on-year. Spohr is seeking to rein in expenses at Europe’s largest aviation group by consolidating administrative functions and eliminating 4,000 back-office jobs by 2030. He is also shifting more short-haul flying away from Lufthansa’s higher-cost flagship airline to lower-cost units including Discover Airlines and Lufthansa City Airlines. His ambitions are complicated by aircraft delivery delays, forcing Lufthansa to resort to older, less fuel-efficient models, and the risk of more labor disruptions such as the pilot and crew walkouts earlier this month. Lufthansa is set to report full-year earnings on March 6.
Dollar slumps and gold rises as authorities say they will halt levies linked to emergency powers but give no word on refunds Business live – latest updates Donald Trump’s administration has said it will stop collecting tariffs the supreme court ruled were illegal as they were imposed using emergency powers , as investors attempted to digest the US president’s latest volley of replacement levies. T...
Dollar slumps and gold rises as authorities say they will halt levies linked to emergency powers but give no word on refunds Business live – latest updates Donald Trump’s administration has said it will stop collecting tariffs the supreme court ruled were illegal as they were imposed using emergency powers , as investors attempted to digest the US president’s latest volley of replacement levies. The US dollar slumped 0.4% against a basket of other currencies on Monday after the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency said it would deactivate all tariff codes associated with International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) related orders as of Tuesday at midnight (5am UK time). Continue reading...
Senior US officials say President Donald Trump's tariff defeat at the Supreme Court will not unravel trade deals negotiated with key US partners, as the administration moves to defend its assertive trade policies. Agreements reached with China, the European Union, Japan and South Korea remain in place, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on CBS's Face the Nation. However, Trump's pledge to...
Senior US officials say President Donald Trump's tariff defeat at the Supreme Court will not unravel trade deals negotiated with key US partners, as the administration moves to defend its assertive trade policies. Agreements reached with China, the European Union, Japan and South Korea remain in place, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on CBS's Face the Nation. However, Trump's pledge to reimpose tariffs at 15% on all nations could result in the UK facing the largest increase, up from its previous reciprocal tariff rate of 10%. Crawford Falconer, Former UK Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and currently senior advisor to Bradshaw advisory joins Stephen Carroll and Caroline Hepker on Bloomberg Radio to discuss. (Source: Bloomberg)
Investors await quarterly earnings from Nvidia, a bellwether for the broader artificial-intelligence trade. They will also assess consumer-confidence data and earnings from home-improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Investors await quarterly earnings from Nvidia, a bellwether for the broader artificial-intelligence trade. They will also assess consumer-confidence data and earnings from home-improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Small rocket specialist Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) reports fourth-quarter earnings after close of trading on Thursday, Feb. 26. A lot of investors seem afraid of the report, and Rocket Lab stock has sold off nearly 20% in the month before earnings. I disagree. In fact, I think there's a pretty good chance Rocket Lab stock will...well, rocket after the company reports earnings. And now I'll tell you...
Small rocket specialist Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) reports fourth-quarter earnings after close of trading on Thursday, Feb. 26. A lot of investors seem afraid of the report, and Rocket Lab stock has sold off nearly 20% in the month before earnings. I disagree. In fact, I think there's a pretty good chance Rocket Lab stock will...well, rocket after the company reports earnings. And now I'll tell you why. Image source: Rocket Lab. Continue reading
Anna Edwards, Guy Johnson, Tom Mackenzie and Paul Dobson break down today's key themes for analysts and investors on "Bloomberg: The Opening Trade." For up to the minute market intelligence and insight, click MLIV . (Source: Bloomberg)
Anna Edwards, Guy Johnson, Tom Mackenzie and Paul Dobson break down today's key themes for analysts and investors on "Bloomberg: The Opening Trade." For up to the minute market intelligence and insight, click MLIV . (Source: Bloomberg)