The ding of half a million phones, a pause and a collective gasp: in an instant, more than 500,000 people had just been declared homeless. Shooting in the air, panicked phone calls and honking filled the streets of Beirut as people began to flee. Thousands abandoned their cars and began the slow march to the sea, desperate to escape the Israeli bombs which they knew would soon fall on their homes ...
The ding of half a million phones, a pause and a collective gasp: in an instant, more than 500,000 people had just been declared homeless. Shooting in the air, panicked phone calls and honking filled the streets of Beirut as people began to flee. Thousands abandoned their cars and began the slow march to the sea, desperate to escape the Israeli bombs which they knew would soon fall on their homes – whether they were in them or not. The Israeli army issued its largest, most sweeping displacement order yet, ordering the immediate evacuation of the southern suburbs of Beirut – an area the size of lower Manhattan. By Friday, the usually vibrant area was a ghost town, the throngs of people replaced by rubble and fires from Israeli bombing. It was one more chunk of Lebanon declared off-limits by the Israelis. The entire country south of the Litani river, roughly 10% of Lebanon, had already been put under a displacement order the day before. Family WhatsApp chats were filled with the infamous blue maps issued by the Israeli military spokesperson over X, more and more towns and neighbourhoods shaded in red by the hour. View image in fullscreen A family flashes victory signs as they flee Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs. Photograph: Bilal Hussein/AP The Lebanese government told fleeing residents that all shelters in Beirut were full, and instructed them to head at least two hours north where there were available beds. The circle was tightening, safety harder to find. “A person leaving his house can only take a few clothes and maybe a mattress. All of the beautiful memories stay behind in the house, in the neighbourhood,” said Ali Hamdan, a 31-year-old father from the Haret Hreik neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs. War had returned to Lebanon before its residents had had time to rebuild from the last one. Israeli airstrikes pounded border villages and the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, adding to the already heaping mounds of rubble from ...
The good news is, retailer Gap (GAP 13.57%) met its fiscal fourth-quarter sales and earnings expectations. The bad news is, the company didn't actually beat either estimate. It merely matched analysts' revenue and profit projections, which were measurably less than year-ago figures. Given this, the stock was vulnerable to any rhetoric that was less than bullish. All it took was the perception of t...
The good news is, retailer Gap (GAP 13.57%) met its fiscal fourth-quarter sales and earnings expectations. The bad news is, the company didn't actually beat either estimate. It merely matched analysts' revenue and profit projections, which were measurably less than year-ago figures. Given this, the stock was vulnerable to any rhetoric that was less than bullish. All it took was the perception of trouble to send shares 13.5% lower as of 12:40 p.m. ET Friday. Here's what you need to know. "Good" wasn't good enough Gap turned nearly $4.24 billion in revenue into a per-share profit of $0.45 for the three months ending in January, in-line with expectations, but down from the comparable quarter a year earlier when the company reported earnings of $0.54 per share on sales of $4.15 billion. The top-line growth was impressive given January's temporary store closures due to a severe winter storm, which only made the dip in profits resulting from new import tariffs all the more pronounced. Expand NYSE : GAP Gap Today's Change ( -13.57 %) $ -3.69 Current Price $ 23.51 Key Data Points Market Cap $10B Day's Range $ 23.26 - $ 24.70 52wk Range $ 16.99 - $ 29.36 Volume 811K Avg Vol 7.5M Gross Margin 40.93 % Dividend Yield 2.43 % The current quarter and full year are likely to be healthy enough as well. Gap is guiding for revenue growth of between 1% and 2% for the three months ending in April, and sales growth of 2% to 3% for the entire fiscal year. Both are also in-line with analysts' expectations, as is the company's expected 2026 profit of between $2.20 and $2.35 per share versus the consensus estimate of $2.32. When all was said and done, however, there was no room for anything less than a decisive beat of analysts' present and future expectations. Investors interpreted the glass as half-empty rather than half-full, perhaps rattled by apparent plans to simply accept that higher import costs will be pinching profit margins until further notice. The knee-jerk reaction may not real...
The highest human rights court in Latin America condemned Peru on Thursday over the death of its citizen Celia Ramos, who died at the age of 34 in 1997 after undergoing sterilisation “under coercion”. The landmark ruling by the inter-American court of human rights (IACHR) is the first on Peru’s forced sterilisation programme, which operated between 1996 and 2000 and was directed against poor, rura...
The highest human rights court in Latin America condemned Peru on Thursday over the death of its citizen Celia Ramos, who died at the age of 34 in 1997 after undergoing sterilisation “under coercion”. The landmark ruling by the inter-American court of human rights (IACHR) is the first on Peru’s forced sterilisation programme, which operated between 1996 and 2000 and was directed against poor, rural and Indigenous women. The court held the Peruvian state “internationally responsible” for the violation of Ramos’s right to life, health, personal integrity, family, access to information and equality before the law. The court determined that Ramos “was pressured by health personnel to undergo a tubal ligation” on 3 July 1997, in a makeshift facility that “did not have the necessary equipment or medications for proper risk assessment or to deal with emergencies”. Ramos, a mother of three girls, suffered a “severe allergic reaction” during the operation and died 19 days later. View image in fullscreen Celia Ramos with one of her children. Her eldest daughter said of the ruling: ‘We are reliving what we have carried for so many years. It is both difficult and comforting.’ Photograph: Handout The Peruvian state was found responsible for the “lack of due diligence and unjustified delay in investigating what happened” and for the impact Ramos’s death had on her daughters, husband and mother. As a result, the state had “violated the rights to personal integrity [and] family, and the rights of children”. The mass sterilisation of hundreds of thousands of women in the 1990s is regarded as Peru’s most flagrant violation of human rights under the late former president Alberto Fujimori. Neither Fujimori nor his health ministers were ever prosecuted for the campaign, which, according to the court, “resulted in more than 314,000 sterilisations of women and 24,000 of men, many under coercion and without valid consent, mainly affecting Indigenous women and those living in poverty or ext...
UK supermarkets have been hit by a “bacon backlash” as consumers fear that chemicals used to preserve it increase the risk of cancer. Campaigners against the use of nitrites in meat production claimed the fall in sales showed that a “consumer revolt” against the traditional, nitrite-cured form of bacon was gathering pace. At the same time, sales of nitrite-free bacon – made by firms such as M&S, W...
UK supermarkets have been hit by a “bacon backlash” as consumers fear that chemicals used to preserve it increase the risk of cancer. Campaigners against the use of nitrites in meat production claimed the fall in sales showed that a “consumer revolt” against the traditional, nitrite-cured form of bacon was gathering pace. At the same time, sales of nitrite-free bacon – made by firms such as M&S, Waitrose and Finnebrogue – are rising, as bacon-lovers choose potentially safer alternatives. In 2016, the World Health Organization declared that processed meat, including bacon, was a cause of cancer, just like smoking and asbestos. Since then, the vast majority of bacon sold in the UK has still been treated with nitrites, to help maintain its pink colour. But campaigners said “a dramatic market shift” is under way. New data collected by consumer analysts Worldpanel by Numerator and published by the Coalition Against Nitrites showed that the value of nitrite-cured bacon sales fell by 7.3% during the 12 weeks to 25 January compared with the same period the year before. Consumers bought £238.4m of such bacon in the most recent period, down £18.7m from the £257m of rashers bought a year earlier. Conversely, sales of the nitrite-free alternative rose during that quarter to £9.4m, up 21.7% on the £7.8m seen in the same period a year earlier. A campaign spokesperson said: “£18.7m has been wiped off nitrite-cured bacon sales in just three months. That’s not a fluctuation, it’s a consumer revolt. Shoppers … do not want additives in their food.” Prof Chris Elliott, a leading food safety expert who is part of the Coalition Against Nitrites, said: “Consumers are moving first, responding to the overwhelming scientific evidence linking nitrite-cured meats to cancer and the realisation that these chemicals simply don’t need to be used to make the bacon and ham that so many of us love to eat.” Labour, Conservative, Green, Liberal Democrat and Democratic Unionist MPs and peers back the co...
Anthropic CEO Apologizes For 'Dictator Trump' Meltdown Memo, Downplays 'Supply Chain Risk' Designation, And Is Going To Sue As Anthropic attempts to salvage their relationship with the Trump administration, CEO Dario Amodei publicly apologized Thursday for the inflammatory tone of his leaked internal memo that accused the White House of targeting his company because it hadn't offered "dictator-sty...
Anthropic CEO Apologizes For 'Dictator Trump' Meltdown Memo, Downplays 'Supply Chain Risk' Designation, And Is Going To Sue As Anthropic attempts to salvage their relationship with the Trump administration, CEO Dario Amodei publicly apologized Thursday for the inflammatory tone of his leaked internal memo that accused the White House of targeting his company because it hadn't offered "dictator-style praise" to President Trump . The apology came in his first major interview since the Pentagon's Department of War (DoW) formally designated Anthropic a supply chain risk to national security - effective immediately - marking the first time such a label has been applied to a U.S. company. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Photos: Getty Images The March 5 designation, confirmed in a letter to Anthropic leadership, stems from weeks of failed negotiations over Claude AI's military applications. Anthropic refused to drop strict red lines prohibiting the model's use for mass domestic surveillance of Americans or fully autonomous lethal weapons , insisting on meaningful safeguards rather than what Amodei previously called "safety theater" in rival deals like OpenAI's. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had threatened broad restrictions, including barring defense contractors from any commercial activity with Anthropic, but the company clarified the scope appears narrower: it primarily affects direct DoW-related work, with partners like Microsoft confirming continued availability for non-defense uses. Last Friday, the Trump administration 'fired' the company after a bruising dispute with the Pentagon came to a head over ethical concerns surrounding Claude's military use. The Pentagon demanded to use ClaudeAI for "any lawful purpose" with no guardrails - or having to allegedly ask permission in a life-or-death scenario. In the interview with The Economist Amodei described the crisis as one of the most "disorienting" in Anthropic's history . He attributed the leaked memo - written hastily on...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL) drew strong investor attention Friday after the semiconductor company reported fourth-quarter results and guidance that exceeded expectations, sending its shares roughly 10% higher in premarket trading. The upbeat report triggered a wave of analyst reactions pointing to strengthening demand tied to artificial intelligence i...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL) drew strong investor attention Friday after the semiconductor company reported fourth-quarter results and guidance that exceeded expectations, sending its shares roughly 10% higher in premarket trading. The upbeat report triggered a wave of analyst reactions pointing to strengthening demand tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure. BofA upgraded Marvell to Buy from Neutral and lifted its price target to $110 from $90, saying the company's earnings call strengthened confidence in its exposure to AI optical connectivity and highlighted potential opportunities tied to Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) custom chip programs. Analysts also suggested the company could be approaching a turning point in the transition tied to Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) custom chip efforts. J.P. Morgan maintained its Overweight rating while raising its price target to $135 from $130, pointing to stronger growth expectations as AI data center spending continues to accelerate. The firm noted Marvell guided revenue to rise about 8% quarter over quarter to roughly $2.40 billion, above the $2.28 billion consensus estimate, supported primarily by sustained data center demand even as on-premise data center activity declined. Analysts also pointed to gradual improvement across the communications and other segments, while Marvell now expects its data center business to grow around 40% year over year in fiscal 2027, alongside roughly 10% growth from communications and other operations. Several other firms echoed the constructive outlook. Jefferies maintained its Buy rating and $120 price target, highlighting continued confidence in the ramp of custom ASIC programs and stronger growth prospects for interconnect products, particularly optical digital signal processors. Evercore also reiterated its Outperform rating while raising its price target to $155 from $133, pointing to Marvell's updated long-term outlook that signals accelerating dat...
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) today is down -1.68%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI) (DIA) is down -1.93%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is down -1.50%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26) are down -1.60%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQH26) are down -1.48%. Stock indexes are falling sharply today, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sliding to a 3.5-month low amid concern tha...
The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) today is down -1.68%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI) (DIA) is down -1.93%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is down -1.50%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26) are down -1.60%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQH26) are down -1.48%. Stock indexes are falling sharply today, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sliding to a 3.5-month low amid concern that the war in the Middle East will keep pushing energy prices higher, sparking inflation. Qatar’s energy minister told the Financial Times today that the war in the Middle East could “bring down the economies of the world,” and predicted that all Gulf energy exporters would shut down production within weeks, driving crude oil prices to $150 a barrel. Join 200K+ Subscribers: Stocks added to their losses today after US employers unexpectedly cut jobs last month and the unemployment rate rose, raising doubts about the health of the labor market. US Feb nonfarm payrolls unexpectedly fell by -92,000, weaker than expectations of a +55,000 increase and the biggest decline in four months. The Feb unemployment rate unexpectedly rose +0.1 to 4.4%, showing a weaker labor market than expectations of no change at 4.3%. US Feb average hourly earnings rose +0.4% m/m and +3.8% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.3% m/m and +3.7% y/y. US Jan retail sales fell -0.2% m/m, a smaller decline than expectations of -0.3% m/m, Jan retail sales ex-autos were unchanged m/m, right on expectations. WTI crude (CLJ26) is up more than +7% today to a 2.25-year high, adding to this week’s surge, as the war rages on in the Middle East. Iran fired a barrage of missiles and drones targeting a number of Gulf countries overnight, while the US and Israel maintained airstrikes on Iran. Key energy facilities in the Middle East have been struck by Iranian drones or forced to shut as storage tanks have filled up, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has halted energy exports. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed du...
Saturday Formula One 5am (all times GMT) Australian Grand Prix qualifying live Formula One’s new era gets under way at the season-opener in Melbourne, where teams will leap into the unknown and grapple with sweeping technical changes under race conditions for the first time. F1 has simultaneously overhauled chassis and power unit regulations for the first time in decades, posing a challenge for dr...
Saturday Formula One 5am (all times GMT) Australian Grand Prix qualifying live Formula One’s new era gets under way at the season-opener in Melbourne, where teams will leap into the unknown and grapple with sweeping technical changes under race conditions for the first time. F1 has simultaneously overhauled chassis and power unit regulations for the first time in decades, posing a challenge for drivers and engineers alike while raising concerns about the quality of racing. The new rules have raised hopes of a more open championship and the prospect of a disruptor team emerging. But pre-season testing in Bahrain hinted at a familiar top four, with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren all performing well. Joey Lynch buckles up for our qualifying blog, with Giles Richards reporting from Albert Park. Football 8am-12pm Matchday live Emillia Hawkins and Xaymaca Awoyungbo host our gateway to the footballing weekend, bringing all the breaking news and vibes from across the fixture list on a day dominated by three FA Cup ties and the Lionesses taking the next step in their World Cup qualification journey. There’s also a busy EFL programme to consider, plus fallout from Friday night’s fifth-round Cup tie as Wolves met Liverpool for a second time this week. FA Cup fifth round 12.15pm Mansfield v Arsenal live Mansfield were the toast of English football after ejecting Premier League Burnley at Turf Moor in the last round. Now, the Stags prepare to host the league leaders, albeit a second-string Gunners team. Sadly, their League One form is lamentable: winless in nine games, with six draws and three defeats, leaving Nigel Clough’s side only five points above the relegation zone. Still, the Cup is the Cup. Billy Munday hosts the live blog, with David Hytner reporting from the lunchtime kick-off. View image in fullscreen The Mansfield fans had plenty to cheer about at Burnley but less so since then. Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters Women’s World Cup qualifier 12.30pm England v...
The tally of ships able to store oil from the big Middle East producers is dwindling fast, with just nine empty very large crude carriers visible in the Persian Gulf. Once those are loaded, onshore storage tanks will fill rapidly, leading to more production shut-ins. Each tanker can hold about 2 million barrels of crude, equivalent to just five hours of nationwide production from Saudi Arabia. Shi...
The tally of ships able to store oil from the big Middle East producers is dwindling fast, with just nine empty very large crude carriers visible in the Persian Gulf. Once those are loaded, onshore storage tanks will fill rapidly, leading to more production shut-ins. Each tanker can hold about 2 million barrels of crude, equivalent to just five hours of nationwide production from Saudi Arabia. Ships have been unable to enter the Gulf after Iran threatened to attack vessels using the vital Strait of Hormuz. It has followed through on those threats, striking several ships in the waterway with drones and missiles. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the only two regional producers able to divert crude away from the strait with the help of pipelines, have been boosting exports from terminals outside the region , but neither country has the capacity to avoid the waterway entirely. Vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows a total of 74 VLCCs in the region, but two-thirds of them are already full, or part full. Another five are moored at loading terminals, taking on cargoes, and several are either being used as storage off Iraq, or are linked to Iran. The map above shows the latest position signals from the nine empty tankers. While eight are time-stamped March 6, one is from Sunday. Some positions may be inaccurate due to widespread signal spoofing in the region. Ships were identified by searching for all VLCCs that had sent a signal from within the Gulf since Feb. 26, before the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran, and then excluding all those that had left the region. The ships were then tracked to confirm if and where they had loaded. Iran-linked vessels are identified by their ownership, insurers and past movements.