From passionate romantasy novels to premium television dramas, culture is bringing the agency, desires and interior lives of women to the fore. It’s proving good for business, but is this a permanent revolution? Do you voraciously read the pages of steamy romantasy bestsellers by Sarah J Maas or Rebecca Yarros? Or flood your group chat with breathless recaps of the latest goings-on in TV series su...
From passionate romantasy novels to premium television dramas, culture is bringing the agency, desires and interior lives of women to the fore. It’s proving good for business, but is this a permanent revolution? Do you voraciously read the pages of steamy romantasy bestsellers by Sarah J Maas or Rebecca Yarros? Or flood your group chat with breathless recaps of the latest goings-on in TV series such as Heated Rivalry or Bridgerton? Or even immerse yourself in the divisive and challenging cinematic worlds of Emerald Fennell? If so, you surely can’t have failed to notice that in pop culture, the female gaze – storytelling that highlights the meandering, textured, sublimely messy inner worlds and wants of women – is enjoying an explosion. On TV, you can see it everywhere, in the interior lives and desires taken up by Big Little Lies, Sirens or Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington’s Little Fires Everywhere. Romantasy harbours it in the shape of powerful maidens and sex in fae (fairy) realms, while Fennell’s Wuthering Heights and Promising Young Woman are marketed with the promise of converting women’s experiences into dark beauty on the big screen. Continue reading...
All good? Busy day? Small talk is a social good with a bad reputation. We dread it, but it’s vital for human connection Hi there, how’re you? How’s it going? You alright? All good? As any Briton knows, none of these questions is an inquiry into your emotional state, the material conditions of your life or your opinion on anything. Respond positively – “all good so far, touch wood” is nice – then m...
All good? Busy day? Small talk is a social good with a bad reputation. We dread it, but it’s vital for human connection Hi there, how’re you? How’s it going? You alright? All good? As any Briton knows, none of these questions is an inquiry into your emotional state, the material conditions of your life or your opinion on anything. Respond positively – “all good so far, touch wood” is nice – then move on to the purpose of the interaction: “I’m returning an Amazon package?” Bidisha is a broadcaster, critic and journalist for BBC, Channel 4 and Sky News Continue reading...
The economic toll of war is pushing Iran to find a resolution to the hostilities beyond its fragile two-week truce with the US, according to a Middle East-focused think tank leader and businessman who is familiar with the status of the negotiations. However, as the two long-time enemies tried to stare each other down, the Iranian regime believed that their country’s “pain tolerance” was much highe...
The economic toll of war is pushing Iran to find a resolution to the hostilities beyond its fragile two-week truce with the US, according to a Middle East-focused think tank leader and businessman who is familiar with the status of the negotiations. However, as the two long-time enemies tried to stare each other down, the Iranian regime believed that their country’s “pain tolerance” was much higher than the Americans’ and this made it unlikely to blink first, he said. In an interview with the...
Chinese biomedical companies deploying cutting-edge technologies are emerging as serious competitors to Western dominance in the race to treat Parkinson’s disease, in a market that could reach US$16 billion over the next decade. The firms are developing a range of approaches – from autologous cell therapies made from a patient’s own cells and ready-made cell products to gene therapies and non-inva...
Chinese biomedical companies deploying cutting-edge technologies are emerging as serious competitors to Western dominance in the race to treat Parkinson’s disease, in a market that could reach US$16 billion over the next decade. The firms are developing a range of approaches – from autologous cell therapies made from a patient’s own cells and ready-made cell products to gene therapies and non-invasive ultrasounds – although many of these candidates are still in early-stage trials. Many patients...
With school choice programs ascendant not just in Iowa but across the U.S., Cedar Rapids offers a preview of who wins and who loses when education meets the free market. (Image credit: Cliff Jette for NPR)
With school choice programs ascendant not just in Iowa but across the U.S., Cedar Rapids offers a preview of who wins and who loses when education meets the free market. (Image credit: Cliff Jette for NPR)
Deputy leader ran shell companies that reportedly did not pay tax on profits from 2020 to 2022, during which time his firm donated £1.1m to party Richard Tice allegedly failed to pay almost £100,000 in corporation tax to the benefit of his investment company, which in turn made donations to Reform UK, it has been reported. In response to the report in the Sunday Times , the deputy leader of Reform...
Deputy leader ran shell companies that reportedly did not pay tax on profits from 2020 to 2022, during which time his firm donated £1.1m to party Richard Tice allegedly failed to pay almost £100,000 in corporation tax to the benefit of his investment company, which in turn made donations to Reform UK, it has been reported. In response to the report in the Sunday Times , the deputy leader of Reform UK posted a lengthy statement on X, in which he said: “A long career with multiple businesses is bound to feature some errors. Naturally I am always happy to put things right and if numbers need rechecking, of course I will pay what is owed – be that more or less.” Continue reading...
Thawatchai Chawong/iStock via Getty Images This is a follow-up article for Sezzle ( SEZL ), which I last covered in June 2025 . I warned investors in that last article that Sezzle's valuation was stretched and that the technicals looked bearish. The stock did decline by over 50% from when that article was published to November 2025. Sezzle looks much better now from a valuation, growth, and techni...
Thawatchai Chawong/iStock via Getty Images This is a follow-up article for Sezzle ( SEZL ), which I last covered in June 2025 . I warned investors in that last article that Sezzle's valuation was stretched and that the technicals looked bearish. The stock did decline by over 50% from when that article was published to November 2025. Sezzle looks much better now from a valuation, growth, and technical perspective. The company is achieving strong growth through its strategies. All of this should help drive the stock higher. Sezzle's Launch of Virtual Card in Canada Sezzle's recent launch of its virtual card in Canada could be a positive catalyst for the stock. The virtual card allows users to have a buy now, pay later payment option. This is important because 74% of Sezzle users reported being more likely to shop in-store if Sezzle was available, according to a 2025 survey of Sezzle users. This card can help to drive traffic and sales to brick-and-mortar retail stores. Then, consumers benefit by having a convenient payment option. So, it should be a win-win situation for consumers and businesses. Consumers can easily add the Sezzle virtual card to their Apple Pay ( AAPL ) or Google ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) wallets. Businesses can easily benefit as well since over 90% of Canadian retailers already accept contactless payments . Future Growth Outlook Sezzle finished 2025 on a strong note as revenue increased 66% yoy to $450 million for the full year. Net income increased 69.5% yoy to $133 million. Sezzle achieved strong margin expansion for the year, which helped drive the strong gains in net income. The gross margin increased 62% in 2024 up to 73% in 2025. The operating margin increased from 51% to 59%, and the net income margin increased from 29% to 29.6% over the same time. The margin gains were attributed to Sezzle's rigorous cost discipline . The company reduced non-transactional operating expenses from 30.4% in 2024 down to 26.3% in 2025. Of course, SEZL's strong revenue...
Hong Kong police have used drones for the first time to combat illegal street gambling operations, arresting eight suspects over the past two weeks. The eight suspects – seven men and a woman, aged between 53 and 76 – were arrested in Chung On Estate, police said on Sunday. Some HK$420 (US$54) in cash and gambling equipment were seized. The arrests followed a joint operation, codenamed JusticePeak...
Hong Kong police have used drones for the first time to combat illegal street gambling operations, arresting eight suspects over the past two weeks. The eight suspects – seven men and a woman, aged between 53 and 76 – were arrested in Chung On Estate, police said on Sunday. Some HK$420 (US$54) in cash and gambling equipment were seized. The arrests followed a joint operation, codenamed JusticePeak, conducted between April 5 and 18 by officers from the Sha Tin and Ma On Shan police divisions to...
We've seen some exciting new stock listings in the 21st century. However, none of them were as big as SpaceX's IPO expected within the next few months. The space technology company is targeting a valuation of around $2 trillion. Investing in IPO stocks always comes with risks. That will indisputably be the case with SpaceX. But what's the single biggest risk with SpaceX's IPO? It's one that I susp...
We've seen some exciting new stock listings in the 21st century. However, none of them were as big as SpaceX's IPO expected within the next few months. The space technology company is targeting a valuation of around $2 trillion. Investing in IPO stocks always comes with risks. That will indisputably be the case with SpaceX. But what's the single biggest risk with SpaceX's IPO? It's one that I suspect many investors aren't thinking about. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading