A senior Reform UK figure has refused to call on the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, to hand evidence to the UK’s security services to support his claim he was hacked by Russian agents. Farage has come under mounting pressure to substantiate the claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure published by the Guardian last month of a £5m gift he had received from the crypto billi...
A senior Reform UK figure has refused to call on the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, to hand evidence to the UK’s security services to support his claim he was hacked by Russian agents. Farage has come under mounting pressure to substantiate the claim that a state-sponsored Russian hack was behind the disclosure published by the Guardian last month of a £5m gift he had received from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Labour and the Conservatives have both stressed the threat to national security posed by the Russian state. On Monday, Reform’s lead on preparing for government, Danny Kruger, claimed not to know the full details behind the hacking claim. Asked if Farage had reported his concerns to the authorities, Kruger told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I don’t know … I’m not privy to that conversation and I don’t feel I can comment.” Asked if Farage should report any evidence he had, Kruger said: “I really am not the person to discuss the ins and outs of what’s being done in terms of the investigation.” He claimed the matter was private, adding: “There does need to be some kind of investigation into that. I’m not sure how he would want to do it. The whole point of this is that it’s a private matter.” A Reform source quoted by the Mail on Sunday said Farage had privately commissioned “counter-espionage experts” to analyse his phone – and that they had concluded it had almost certainly been compromised by Russian agents. No evidence was provided, and the experts were not named. View image in fullscreen Farage speaking to reporters in Chelmsford after the May election results. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA Farage’s spokesperson has not responded to questions from the Guardian on whom he reported the alleged hack to and whether evidence was handed over, or to requests for details of the analysis of his phone. A Guardian spokesperson described Farage’s claim as “an attempt to deflect attention from legitimate scrutiny of his financial affairs”. They added: “Ni...
Given the benefits associated with health savings accounts (HSAs), it's easy to see why they're so popular. In addition to HSAs being tax-deductible, the funds are yours to keep permanently. They can even be carried into retirement and used as needed. If you're fortunate enough to have access to an HSA, it's important to know that, once you die, the account isn't treated like other assets. Here's ...
Given the benefits associated with health savings accounts (HSAs), it's easy to see why they're so popular. In addition to HSAs being tax-deductible, the funds are yours to keep permanently. They can even be carried into retirement and used as needed. If you're fortunate enough to have access to an HSA, it's important to know that, once you die, the account isn't treated like other assets. Here's what to plan for, depending on who you've named as beneficiary. When your spouse is the beneficiary Spouses receive the most favorable treatment when inheriting an HSA. A spouse can treat the HSA as their own, effectively becoming the owner. Here are three clear benefits: Continued tax benefits: Your spouse can continue to make tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. Your spouse can continue to make tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. Ongoing contributions: If they're eligible, your spouse can continue contributing to the account. If they're eligible, your spouse can continue contributing to the account. Distribution requirements: There are no mandatory withdrawals. The nice thing about a spouse inheriting your HSA is how seamless the transition is. In addition, if part of your estate planning involves minimizing taxes, leaving an HSA to your spouse is definitely the most tax-efficient option. When a non-spouse is the beneficiary If you name anyone other than your spouse as beneficiary -- including children, relatives, or friends -- the account loses its HSA status immediately upon your death, and the tax implications can be significant. Here's what leaving an HSA to someone other than a spouse looks like: No longer treated as an HSA: Rather than receive the special treatment associated with an HSA, the funds are treated like many other assets. Rather than receive the special treatment associated with an HSA, the funds are treated like many other assets. Becomes taxable: Non-spouse beneficiaries must include the account's fair market value as o...
Graeme Souness is one of the toughest footballers of all time, a midfield titan for Liverpool and Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s. He was occasionally outwitted by subtler players such as the Brazilian genius Zico, but no opponent ever got the better of him physically. No human opponent, anyway. During the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Souness lost a stone in weight (6.35kg) against West Germany at Qu...
Graeme Souness is one of the toughest footballers of all time, a midfield titan for Liverpool and Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s. He was occasionally outwitted by subtler players such as the Brazilian genius Zico, but no opponent ever got the better of him physically. No human opponent, anyway. During the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Souness lost a stone in weight (6.35kg) against West Germany at Querétaro in stifling heat and at high altitude. “I can remember going down on my haunches and thinking: ‘God, do I not feel good,’” he said. “It was the worst I ever felt on a football pitch. I couldn’t breathe.” Souness was left out of the decisive final game against Uruguay because the Scotland manager, Alex Ferguson, knew he couldn’t go the distance. To omit Souness from such a huge game was unthinkable, but extreme heat also forces change to the cultural climate. Unwelcome compromise will be an unspoken theme of next month’s men’s World Cup where temperature and humidity will determine teams’ ability to perform on the field. View image in fullscreen Some of the large fans, including the Portacool evaporative cooler, which will be used to combat the extreme heat at the Los Angeles Stadium during the World Cup. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images It might also be the key to victory. Chelsea’s adaptability was central to their win in last year’s Club World Cup in the United States, a tournament that acted as a trailer for this summer’s main event. During the competition, heat forced some teams to stop training, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández had a dizzy spell during the semi-final and Atlético Madrid’s Marcos Llorente complained that even his toenails hurt. Even with five substitutes, intense pressing for 90 minutes was impossible, and some periods of play made Béla Tarr’s films look fast-moving by comparison. “If you turn the game into a basketball match in this heat, it’s not going to help anyone,” said the Chelsea defender Levi Colwill. “You have to control the ball ...
Key Points Too many people don't appreciate that Social Security's surplus is being depleted. If the program isn't strengthened, benefits will shrink -- significantly. The problem can be fixed, if Congress acts. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Commemorating the 90th anniversary of Social Security, a program signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in...
Key Points Too many people don't appreciate that Social Security's surplus is being depleted. If the program isn't strengthened, benefits will shrink -- significantly. The problem can be fixed, if Congress acts. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Commemorating the 90th anniversary of Social Security, a program signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, the folks at AARP commissioned a survey to assess Americans' understanding of this vital program. The survey's findings were both surprising and alarming. Here's a look at some of them. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » The survey says... Let's start with a big problem that the survey exposed: Fully 64% of survey respondents didn't understand the impact of Social Security's surplus running dry. When asked about what will happen once the Social Security Trust Funds are no longer able to pay full benefits, 34% chose the correct answer: Benefits will be paid at a reduced level. But 36% of respondents thought that no benefits would be paid. Another 28% said neither was true, or that they just didn't know. Some 47% thought that benefits would be cut at least in half -- which is wrong. Yikes. Here's the correct answer: The Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, in their latest report, for 2025, have estimated that: The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund will be able to pay 100 percent of total scheduled benefits until 2033, unchanged from last year's report. At that time, the fund's reserves will become depleted and continuing program income will be sufficient to pay 77% of total scheduled benefits. So benefits won't fall to zero, and they won't be slashed in half. But they will drop significantly -- enough to wreak havoc on millions of retirements. Don't g...
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. The trading activity of members of Congress continues to be closely followed by retail investors. A congresswoman made two large sales of a leading technology stock, trading near all-time highs. Here's a look at the trades. Congresswoman Sells Qualcomm Stock Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) disclosed se...
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. The trading activity of members of Congress continues to be closely followed by retail investors. A congresswoman made two large sales of a leading technology stock, trading near all-time highs. Here's a look at the trades. Congresswoman Sells Qualcomm Stock Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) disclosed selling Qualcomm Inc stock in two transactions on May 20, according to data from Benzinga Government Trades page. The transactions each totaled $500,000 to $1,000,000 in size, meaning the congresswoman sold somewhere between $1 million and $2 million in Qualcomm stock. Don't Miss: These mark the first disclosed trades by Jacobs since 2022 and her first stock transaction since July 2021. Grandfather's Qualcomm Ties What makes this trading activity by Jacobs rather unique is her grandfather's role with the company. Irwin Jacobs, the congresswoman's grandfather, is a co-founder and former chairman of Qualcomm. The stock that was sold by the congresswoman belongs to a 1999 Trust. According to data from Quiver Quantitative, Jacobs held millions of dollars in Qualcomm stock in at least one trust at the end of 2024. Jacobs is worth $92.3 million according to Quiver Quantitative. Photo: viewimage / Shutterstock Read Next: Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, professional financial guidance, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry. Rad AI RAD Inte...
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. The trading activity of members of Congress continues to be closely followed by retail investors. A congresswoman made two large sales of a leading technology stock, trading near all-time highs. Here's a look at the trades. Congresswoman Sells Qualcomm Stock Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) disclosed se...
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. The trading activity of members of Congress continues to be closely followed by retail investors. A congresswoman made two large sales of a leading technology stock, trading near all-time highs. Here's a look at the trades. Congresswoman Sells Qualcomm Stock Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) disclosed selling Qualcomm Inc stock in two transactions on May 20, according to data from Benzinga Government Trades page. The transactions each totaled $500,000 to $1,000,000 in size, meaning the congresswoman sold somewhere between $1 million and $2 million in Qualcomm stock. Don't Miss: These mark the first disclosed trades by Jacobs since 2022 and her first stock transaction since July 2021. Grandfather's Qualcomm Ties What makes this trading activity by Jacobs rather unique is her grandfather's role with the company. Irwin Jacobs, the congresswoman's grandfather, is a co-founder and former chairman of Qualcomm. The stock that was sold by the congresswoman belongs to a 1999 Trust. According to data from Quiver Quantitative, Jacobs held millions of dollars in Qualcomm stock in at least one trust at the end of 2024. Jacobs is worth $92.3 million according to Quiver Quantitative. Photo: viewimage / Shutterstock Read Next: Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, professional financial guidance, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry. Rad AI RAD Inte...
(RTTNews) - French stocks rallied on Monday amid rising optimism about Iran and the U.S. striking a peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A sharp drop in crude oil prices helped ease concerns about inflation. Brent crude prices fell nearly to $94.11 a barrel, losing more than 6%. The benchmark CAC 40 was up 123.32 points or 1.52% at 8,239.07 a little over half an hour past noon. Safra...
(RTTNews) - French stocks rallied on Monday amid rising optimism about Iran and the U.S. striking a peace deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A sharp drop in crude oil prices helped ease concerns about inflation. Brent crude prices fell nearly to $94.11 a barrel, losing more than 6%. The benchmark CAC 40 was up 123.32 points or 1.52% at 8,239.07 a little over half an hour past noon. Safran gained 5.2% and Accor moved up 4.5%, while Renault, Societe Generale, Saint Gobain, Vinci and Airbus climbed 3%-4%. Stellantis, Eiffage, BNP Paribas gained 2.6%, while Schneider Electric, Hermes International, Credit Agricole, Bouytues, ArcelorMittal and Kering gained 2%-3%. Capgemini, Veolia Environment, Air Liquide, EssilorLuxottica, Michelin, LVMH, Dassault Systemes, Unibail Rodamco, Pernod Ricard and Publicis Groupe also moved notably higher. TotalEnergies dropped 1.7%. Euronext and STMicroelectronics shed 1.1% and 1%, respectively. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Alphabet (GOOGL 1.19%) (GOOG 1.07%) recently held its annual Google I/O developer conference, introducing new artificial intelligence (AI) models and products. With its new offerings, it is pretty clear that Alphabet's biggest objectives are the consumer market and agentic AI. Given the company's overall positioning, this makes a lot of sense. Google's new Gemini Flash 3.5 model was built with spe...
Alphabet (GOOGL 1.19%) (GOOG 1.07%) recently held its annual Google I/O developer conference, introducing new artificial intelligence (AI) models and products. With its new offerings, it is pretty clear that Alphabet's biggest objectives are the consumer market and agentic AI. Given the company's overall positioning, this makes a lot of sense. Google's new Gemini Flash 3.5 model was built with speed and agentic AI in mind. It was also created to be cost-efficient, with the company saying it can complete tasks at half, or in some instances a third, of the cost of competitors. This is obviously very important in a consumer setting, as it allows it to be cost-effectively scaled to basically everyone with an internet connection. And that is essentially what Alphabet is doing, with Flash 3.5 powering not just its Gemini app, but also Google search. In fact, the company also redesigned its search bar for the first time in 25 years to make it easier for users to type in longer queries. The company also said that Flash 3.5 is designed to handle long-horizon agentic AI tasks. At the event, Alphabet also introduced an agentic AI shopping tool called Universal Cart that will work to find deals and price drops on any items entered into the cart, while suggesting alternative products. Users can check out with Google Pay or move their cart to a merchant's website to complete the purchase. In addition to Flash 3.5, Alphabet also revealed an agentic AI personal assistant called Gemini Spark. Powered by Flash 3.5, the agent will work 24/7 in the background on virtual machines within Google Cloud and integrate with Alphabet's apps, with third-party integrations coming soon. This is a big advantage over the popular OpenClaw solution, which generally needs to run on a computer. Also on the agentic AI front, Alphabet upgraded its Antigravity platform from a simple coding assistant into a full-scale orchestration platform for AI agents. Another interesting reveal was the company's new Ge...
Leaving her family behind is the toughest part for Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying as she blasted off on Sunday for her six-month mission, according to her elder sister. Lai Ka-man recalled that when the 43-year-old Hong Kong police superintendent was selected as a payload specialist in 2024, her three children were still in primary school, and are now being cared for by both sets of grand...
Leaving her family behind is the toughest part for Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying as she blasted off on Sunday for her six-month mission, according to her elder sister. Lai Ka-man recalled that when the 43-year-old Hong Kong police superintendent was selected as a payload specialist in 2024, her three children were still in primary school, and are now being cared for by both sets of grandparents and other family members. “When I saw my sister recently, I felt in her gaze that she was even more determined than before,” the astronaut’s sister told mainland Chinese media. Advertisement She added that the family was worried the astronaut would miss them too much. “We hope she will be careful in everything she does while on the mission,” the elder Lai said. Advertisement Lai Ka-man said that her astronaut sister gave herself the moniker “big bee” because she enjoyed working hard and being part of a team.
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk on Monday hit back against concerns that his political activism has negatively affected the Tesla brand. Product >> Brand Quoting a post by user James Stephenson on X, who hailed the Tesla Model Y’s position as the best-selling EV across multiple markets, Musk seemingly reaffirmed the EV giant’s position in the global market. “Product >> Brand,” Musk said in ...
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk on Monday hit back against concerns that his political activism has negatively affected the Tesla brand. Product >> Brand Quoting a post by user James Stephenson on X, who hailed the Tesla Model Y’s position as the best-selling EV across multiple markets, Musk seemingly reaffirmed the EV giant’s position in the global market. “Product >> Brand,” Musk said in the post. Tesla Brand Damage Concerns about damage to Tesla’s brand have been shared by experts following Musk’s political activism and his close associations with the President Donald Trump administration. Musk was instrumental in Trump’s re-election bid, donating over $250 million to the campaign in the run-up to the 2024 Presidential election. However, he has also received widespread criticism over his ties to right-wing politics. According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, Tesla scores well on the Growth and Quality metric, while also providing a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term. Price Action: Tesla shares were down 0.55% at $423.67 during the after-hours session on Friday. Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link. Image: Tork Mason-Imagn Images