Charles III’s subtle, much needed history lesson delivered the US some tough love. But will Trump get the message? Of the many jokes cracked by King Charles during his visit to Washington, the one recalling the definitive 18th-century Anglo-French contest for dominion over the New World was the most pointed. Speaking at a state banquet in the White House, Charles turned to Donald Trump and said: “...
Charles III’s subtle, much needed history lesson delivered the US some tough love. But will Trump get the message? Of the many jokes cracked by King Charles during his visit to Washington, the one recalling the definitive 18th-century Anglo-French contest for dominion over the New World was the most pointed. Speaking at a state banquet in the White House, Charles turned to Donald Trump and said: “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French !” Did Trump get it? Who knows? Broadly speaking, history, even their own, is not most Americans’ favourite subject. A forward-looking people, they do not dwell on the past, nor hanker after the illusory felicities of former glories. While generations of Britons still wallow in nostalgia for Spitfires, Churchill and Vera Lynn (and beating the French), Americans typically seek new metaphorical mountains to climb. Theirs is a positive outlook, on the whole. Except, under Trump, it has twisted into a revived, ugly version of US “ manifest destiny ” imperialism. Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...
Meryl Streep stars in the long-awaited sequel to the fashion-industry hit, and the comic, actor and bona fide national treasure returns to the stage Continue reading...
Meryl Streep stars in the long-awaited sequel to the fashion-industry hit, and the comic, actor and bona fide national treasure returns to the stage Continue reading...
When DNA test results shattered everything Lavinia and Michelle thought they knew about their family history, they also revealed something never before documented in the UK I like being a twin. It defines who I am,” Lavinia Osbourne tells me on the 49th birthday she shares with her sister, Michelle. “It’s amazing to have a twin and have a built-in friend for ever,” Michelle says. “I’ve been really...
When DNA test results shattered everything Lavinia and Michelle thought they knew about their family history, they also revealed something never before documented in the UK I like being a twin. It defines who I am,” Lavinia Osbourne tells me on the 49th birthday she shares with her sister, Michelle. “It’s amazing to have a twin and have a built-in friend for ever,” Michelle says. “I’ve been really blessed to go through this journey with someone else.” Lavinia and Michelle know that those of us who haven’t shared a womb with a sibling can be fascinated by twins: their similarities, how they differ, whether there’s any kind of mysterious synergy between them. Continue reading...
Thriving punk culture seen as response to frustrations at unemployment, urban violence, police brutality and deprivation As black-clad police combatants charged into the hillside favela and opened fire, a black-clad punk scurried out of the community in the opposite direction, his hands trembling from fright. “Holy shit! All those guns! Things are getting ugly!” spluttered Rodrigo Cilirio, the fou...
Thriving punk culture seen as response to frustrations at unemployment, urban violence, police brutality and deprivation As black-clad police combatants charged into the hillside favela and opened fire, a black-clad punk scurried out of the community in the opposite direction, his hands trembling from fright. “Holy shit! All those guns! Things are getting ugly!” spluttered Rodrigo Cilirio, the founder and bassist of one of Rio’s most enduring punk bands, as he took cover behind a tree. Continue reading...
With a fast-expanding membership and electoral gains in sight, the Israel–Palestine debate is testing party unity A Green party member for more than 30 years, Elise Benjamin admits to bittersweet feelings even as fellow activists anticipate a historic breakthrough in next week’s elections. Benjamin was involved in drawing up the party’s guidance on antisemitism, which she describes as comprehensiv...
With a fast-expanding membership and electoral gains in sight, the Israel–Palestine debate is testing party unity A Green party member for more than 30 years, Elise Benjamin admits to bittersweet feelings even as fellow activists anticipate a historic breakthrough in next week’s elections. Benjamin was involved in drawing up the party’s guidance on antisemitism, which she describes as comprehensive. But the former Green councillor in Oxford now wonders whether further guidance is needed: “Now that we have such a large membership, I think there needs to be an urgent review of how to make our complaints process fit for purpose.” Continue reading...
Basmati rice tossed with sweet onions and chickpeas, then mixed with green herbs and salty feta, and dotted with a spicy, lemony, pine nut sauce Spring has a split personality. The idea of it is nice: frolicking through carpets of bluebells while wearing pastel-coloured trousers, etcetera. But the reality is that it’s often dicey and unreliable: hot one minute, cold and/or tipping down with rain t...
Basmati rice tossed with sweet onions and chickpeas, then mixed with green herbs and salty feta, and dotted with a spicy, lemony, pine nut sauce Spring has a split personality. The idea of it is nice: frolicking through carpets of bluebells while wearing pastel-coloured trousers, etcetera. But the reality is that it’s often dicey and unreliable: hot one minute, cold and/or tipping down with rain the next. This is a recipe that has a foot in both sides of spring. There’s the warm comfort of basmati rice woven through with sweet onions, harissa and chickpeas, as well as the light frivolity of green herbs and the salty freshness of feta. All the flavour and freshness of spring with none of the unpredictability. Continue reading...
Josh, 30, a video game designer, meets Hannah, 31, an architectural lighting designer What were you hoping for? A fun evening and easy chat with an interesting and unique human being. Continue reading...
Josh, 30, a video game designer, meets Hannah, 31, an architectural lighting designer What were you hoping for? A fun evening and easy chat with an interesting and unique human being. Continue reading...
The social and economic impact of people living longer and having fewer babies is hitting countries worldwide. Adaptation is key In Japan, there are now companies that specialise in cleaning the apartments of elderly people who have died alone and gone undiscovered for weeks or months, while adult incontinence pads have outstripped nappy sales for more than a decade. In Italy, depopulating village...
The social and economic impact of people living longer and having fewer babies is hitting countries worldwide. Adaptation is key In Japan, there are now companies that specialise in cleaning the apartments of elderly people who have died alone and gone undiscovered for weeks or months, while adult incontinence pads have outstripped nappy sales for more than a decade. In Italy, depopulating villages are selling homes for €1 to attract new residents and keep services running. In the UK, falling pupil numbers are already closing schools and classrooms in parts of London. These are not isolated curiosities, but signs of a broader shift taking place across much of the developed world. “In the EU in 2024, 21 of 27 countries had more deaths than births,” said Prof Sarah Harper, the director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. Across Asia and the Americas, too – from Japan and South Korea, to Cuba and Uruguay – many countries are seeing the same pattern. Continue reading...
From celebrity cameos to lucrative brand partnerships, The Devil Wears Prada 2’s approach to maximising revenue is worthy of Runway’s finest For a film that serves as a commentary on the perilous economics of today’s media landscape, it’s fitting that promotion for The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been so frank about its finances. Speaking ahead of the New York premiere, Meryl Streep revealed she initi...
From celebrity cameos to lucrative brand partnerships, The Devil Wears Prada 2’s approach to maximising revenue is worthy of Runway’s finest For a film that serves as a commentary on the perilous economics of today’s media landscape, it’s fitting that promotion for The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been so frank about its finances. Speaking ahead of the New York premiere, Meryl Streep revealed she initially turned down the role of withering fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly in the 2006 original in a bid to extract more money from its producers. Continue reading...
None of the audience are laughing at my jokes. Until … The band I’m in is on a spring tour, 16 dates across the UK, from Tavistock in Devon to Edinburgh by way of Birmingham, Norwich and Liverpool. The first gig is in South Petherton, a village in Somerset where we played once 10 years ago . Here’s what I remember about last time: we arrived after dark and loaded our stuff into a chilly village ha...
None of the audience are laughing at my jokes. Until … The band I’m in is on a spring tour, 16 dates across the UK, from Tavistock in Devon to Edinburgh by way of Birmingham, Norwich and Liverpool. The first gig is in South Petherton, a village in Somerset where we played once 10 years ago . Here’s what I remember about last time: we arrived after dark and loaded our stuff into a chilly village hall with a high ceiling and a narrow stage. Normally I set aside time to learn a few local facts in order to ingratiate myself with the audience, but on this occasion there was no phone reception. Continue reading...
Meryl Streep returns as acid-tongued fashion-mag doyen Miranda Priestly, and the Northern Irish agit-rap trio present a new album of polemical electro-rave bangers. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews Continue reading...
Meryl Streep returns as acid-tongued fashion-mag doyen Miranda Priestly, and the Northern Irish agit-rap trio present a new album of polemical electro-rave bangers. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews Continue reading...
Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun is preparing to visit the United States in June, aiming to leverage the political momentum from last month’s meeting with Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Cheng, who heads the main opposition party Kuomintang, will also test her message on the Taiwan Strait in Washington. In recent media interviews Cheng has outlined an agenda that goes beyond ...
Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun is preparing to visit the United States in June, aiming to leverage the political momentum from last month’s meeting with Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Cheng, who heads the main opposition party Kuomintang, will also test her message on the Taiwan Strait in Washington. In recent media interviews Cheng has outlined an agenda that goes beyond traditional party outreach, promoting what she calls “a new road map” for cross-strait stability –...
A pact between India and Russia on reciprocal access to military facilities is expected to boost Moscow’s influence in the Indian Ocean and increase New Delhi’s presence in the Arctic. However, it does not mean the two countries’ bases will be opened to each other’s armed forces as they step up defence cooperation, according to analysts. India and Russia signed the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics...
A pact between India and Russia on reciprocal access to military facilities is expected to boost Moscow’s influence in the Indian Ocean and increase New Delhi’s presence in the Arctic. However, it does not mean the two countries’ bases will be opened to each other’s armed forces as they step up defence cooperation, according to analysts. India and Russia signed the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) covering military exercises, training and humanitarian missions in Moscow in...
Life in government for Nigel Farage ’s insurgent Reform party has been sobering. The group’s first crop of local leaders found that when their campaign rhetoric to ease the cost of living crisis crashed into reality, reality won. And while they have boasted about finding millions of pounds in spending cuts, they raised taxes in the nine councils they won control of last year, and major budget shor...
Life in government for Nigel Farage ’s insurgent Reform party has been sobering. The group’s first crop of local leaders found that when their campaign rhetoric to ease the cost of living crisis crashed into reality, reality won. And while they have boasted about finding millions of pounds in spending cuts, they raised taxes in the nine councils they won control of last year, and major budget shortfalls litter their longer-term financial plans. With Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer lurching from one crisis to the next and the economy barely growing, many more of Reform’s inexperienced local activists are expected to be thrust into power in Thursday’s local elections, hamstrung by the same economic constraints as everyone else. “It was inevitable that councils which were won by Reform last May were going to find it extremely difficult to make spending reductions,” said Tony Travers , professor at London School of Economics. “There was never going to be lots of fat to be trimmed and more than that, Reform made much of stopping spending on wokery and on climate change and all of that kind of thing. But the truth is the amounts being spent on that are absolutely tiny.” Voters on May 7 are due to elect councillors for 4,851 seats in 134 of England’s 317 councils as Scotland and Wales select their national parliaments. Estimates by think tank More In Common point to Reform winning 1,278 seats and Labour losing 1,828; some 66 of the councils facing elections have a Labour majority. In the nitty gritty of managing public services closest to people’s daily routines – from schools to trash collection to maintaining infrastructure - the calls by Farage and his acolytes for mass deportations and scrapping net zero climate policies are largely ineffectual. Read More: Farage Pledges Trump-Style Deportations Despite Blowback in US The nine councils where Reform has a majority are set to increase council tax by an average of 3.9% in the current fiscal year — slightly below the na...
MF3d/iStock via Getty Images Cohu ( COHU ), a supplier of test, automation, inspection, and metrology products and services to the semiconductor industry, released its Q1 FY2026 report on April 30. COHU had rallied into the release, which caused the stock price to more than double in value, with most of the gains coming in the month of April, but the report itself was a mixed bag, including faster...
MF3d/iStock via Getty Images Cohu ( COHU ), a supplier of test, automation, inspection, and metrology products and services to the semiconductor industry, released its Q1 FY2026 report on April 30. COHU had rallied into the release, which caused the stock price to more than double in value, with most of the gains coming in the month of April, but the report itself was a mixed bag, including faster revenue growth offset by lower-than-expected earnings. In fact, earnings have not only come in below expectations but also well below what COHU itself has targeted in its current financial model. Revenue growth has been better, but COHU will need to do better when it comes to earnings growth if long COHU is to be viable at current valuations. COHU soars higher after breaking out of a downtrend In my May 2025 article about COHU, I went over the targets laid out in the recently released and updated financial model from COHU, which in a way was bullish because it held out the prospect of strong gains in revenue and profits. On the other hand, there was pressure on COHU to deliver, especially with the company in a downturn that had already lasted a couple of years, which included three consecutive years of lower revenue after the peak in FY2021. COHU also found itself in a downtrend, which did not bode well for higher stock prices. Accordingly, I opted to rate COHU a hold in the article. A year has passed, and for months it appeared the article was not wrong to have reservations about COHU, even with the bullish growth outlook laid out in the current financial model. This model called for revenue to grow at a CAGR of 14% in the next 3-5 years using FY2024 revenue of $401.78M as the base, which implied revenue of $600-800M in FY2027-2029. Gross margin would improve to 48-50% during this period, which would result in non-GAAP EPS of $1.50-3.25 in FY2027-2029. In the first year, COHU came close to growing the top line as targeted, with FY2025 revenue growing to $452.96M, or a YoY...
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a humanoid robotics startup, for an undisclosed sum on Friday, adding the team to its Superintelligence Labs research division as it advances its humanoid robotics ambitions. The deal positions Meta directly in a rapidly commercializing humanoid robotics sector, where big tech, automakers and well-funded startups are competing to de...
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a humanoid robotics startup, for an undisclosed sum on Friday, adding the team to its Superintelligence Labs research division as it advances its humanoid robotics ambitions. The deal positions Meta directly in a rapidly commercializing humanoid robotics sector, where big tech, automakers and well-funded startups are competing to deploy physical AI at scale. Founders With Deep Robotics Pedigree ARI co-founder Lerrel Pinto previous