Hi, it’s Ott Ummelas in Oslo. On Norway’s Arctic coast, a European space race is heating up as Germany’s Isar Aerospace prepares for a second attempt to reach orbit with its Spectrum rocket. But first ... Three things you need to know today: • Firefly successfully launches rocket after September explosion. • Satellite firm Iceye targets €1 billion revenue next year. • Space Force general leading G...
Hi, it’s Ott Ummelas in Oslo. On Norway’s Arctic coast, a European space race is heating up as Germany’s Isar Aerospace prepares for a second attempt to reach orbit with its Spectrum rocket. But first ... Three things you need to know today: • Firefly successfully launches rocket after September explosion. • Satellite firm Iceye targets €1 billion revenue next year. • Space Force general leading Golden Dome raises price by $10 million. Norway takes the lead The upcoming launch at the Andøya Spaceport, about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from Oslo, highlights the Nordic nation’s lead in the race with neighboring Sweden and the UK to be a European space hub. Andøya has been hosting suborbital launches since 1962, with more than 300 missions for NASA alone. Along with the Svalsat ground station in the Svalbard archipelago, the world’s largest for polar-orbiting satellites, it’s a key asset for the Norwegian space industry. In a testament of its growing importance, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the facility last Friday, as the two nations agreed to establish a working group on issues including space-based intelligence, secure satellite communications and Andøya’s launch capacity. One goal is to reduce reliance on non-European nations, Merz told reporters at the spaceport alongside Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre . “We need autonomy. And to be completely clear: We have leaned far too long on other nations,” Merz said. “From Andøya, we are sending the message that here in Europe, yes, we can do space travel. When we stand together, we make it happen.” With no significant air, land or marine traffic at the location, the spaceport is hoping to grab some of the growing market of launching small satellites and benefit from Europe’s increased focus on strategic autonomy in space. The Norwegian spaceport’s main rivals, Sweden’s Esrange Space Center and Scotland’s SaxaVord , have faced delays in part because they need clearances from the affected neighbors, No...
SlavkoSereda/iStock via Getty Images Crude oil futures jumped Wednesday after Iran said the U.S. and Israel struck its giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, marking the latest escalation in a conflict that has disrupted global oil supply. If confirmed, such an assault would mark the first time the U.S. and Israel have targeted Iran's upstream oil and gas facilities in the war. Front-mont...
SlavkoSereda/iStock via Getty Images Crude oil futures jumped Wednesday after Iran said the U.S. and Israel struck its giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, marking the latest escalation in a conflict that has disrupted global oil supply. If confirmed, such an assault would mark the first time the U.S. and Israel have targeted Iran's upstream oil and gas facilities in the war. Front-month Brent crude ( CO1:COM ) for May delivery up 5.2% to $108.78/bbl after adding more than 3% in the previous session, and front-month Nymex crude ( CL1:COM ) for April delivery up 2.7% to $98.83/bbl. Iranian state TV said part of the South Pars gas field and Asaluyeh refinery facilities were hit in an airstrike, and Iran pledged to strike back and hit enemy sites previously thought to be safe. Saudi Aramco reportedly is evacuating the Samref and Jubail facilities as a precautionary measure after Iran issued a list of potential targets. Some other sites identified in Iran's list, including the Al Hosn gas field in the United Arab Emirates and the Mesaieed complex in Qatar, reportedly are also being evacuated. " These centers have become direct and legitimate targets and will be targeted in the coming hours," Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said. President Trump temporarily waived the Jones Act, authorizing foreign-flagged vessels to transport a range of commodities between U.S. ports for the next 60 days, in an attempt to help lower the cost of transporting oil, gas and other commodities. The oil market could lose 11M-16M bbl/day over the next 4-6 weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, which could push Brent prices to $110-$120/bbl, Citi analysts said. In a more severe scenario, the bank said a prolonged outage or broader attacks on energy infrastructure could drive prices to average $130/bbl in Q2 and Q3, with spikes as high as $200. ETFs: ( USO ), ( BNO ), ( UCO ), ( SCO ), ( USL ), ( DBO ), ( DRIP ), ( GUSH ), ( USOI ), ( XLE ) More on crude oil ...
Welcome to the Brussels Edition. I’m Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg’s Brussels bureau chief, bringing you the latest from the EU each weekday. Make sure you’re signed up . The European Union’s competitiveness issues are returning to the forefront this week as the bloc’s leaders gather for a summit in Brussels tomorrow. While the war in Iran and Hungary’s continuing block on a €90 billion loan for Ukrain...
Welcome to the Brussels Edition. I’m Suzanne Lynch, Bloomberg’s Brussels bureau chief, bringing you the latest from the EU each weekday. Make sure you’re signed up . The European Union’s competitiveness issues are returning to the forefront this week as the bloc’s leaders gather for a summit in Brussels tomorrow. While the war in Iran and Hungary’s continuing block on a €90 billion loan for Ukraine are likely to feature heavily in discussions, competitiveness — and particularly rising energy costs — are also on the agenda. Ahead of tomorrow’s summit, the European Commission unveiled its proposal to allow firms to incorporate under a single EU-wide regime and operate across the 27-member bloc. The proposal, dubbed EU Inc., “will make it drastically easier to start and to grow a business in Europe,” commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said this lunchtime as she announced the package. “Any entrepreneur will be able to create a company within 48 hours, from anywhere in the European Union, and fully online,” she added. The initiative is the latest effort by the EU to up its game when it comes to the investment climate for companies and integrating its single market. Nonetheless, many in the business community worry about the pace of reform. Malte Lohan, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Europe, warned of “simplification fatigue” in Brussels at a transatlantic conference this week. The message coming from businesses is that the EU’s rules and regulations are still too burdensome – one example cited was the bloc’s chemicals omnibus package, which is designed to help the continent’s chemicals makers, but still includes onerous reporting obligations on companies, industry players say. The European Commission refuted claims it was taking its foot off the pedal, highlighting the so-called “omnibus” packages last year that reduced regulatory burdens on business, including relaxing rules around sustainability and supply chain reporting. “That shows our ability to ref...
The home of the world’s highest-flying social media companies is considering a measure to clip their wings. A bipartisan bill in California would establish a minimum age requirement for social media accounts, curtailing the access of minors to platforms such as TikTok, Alphabet Inc. ’s YouTube and Meta Platforms Inc. ’s Instagram. The bill’s author, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, says he’s looking...
The home of the world’s highest-flying social media companies is considering a measure to clip their wings. A bipartisan bill in California would establish a minimum age requirement for social media accounts, curtailing the access of minors to platforms such as TikTok, Alphabet Inc. ’s YouTube and Meta Platforms Inc. ’s Instagram. The bill’s author, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, says he’s looking to bar anyone under 16. The proposed rules — which would rank among the toughest in the world — are setting up a clash between prominent Democrats and some of Silicon Valley’s most powerful companies. Governor Gavin Newsom , a potential presidential contender in 2028, backs the bill. The proposed restrictions have also drawn interest from two of his would-be successors as governor: liberal billionaire Tom Steyer and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan , darling of Silicon Valley’s elite. “The fact that the most moderate and most progressive candidates for governor support delaying social media access proves the policy isn’t ideological,” Lowenthal said. “It’s common sense and long overdue.” The bill’s prospects of passing as is are murky. Meta declined to comment on the legislation, citing a lack of details. Representatives for TikTok, Alphabet, Snap Inc. and Elon Musk ’s X didn’t respond to requests for comment. The California bill is fueling a broader debate with ramifications for politics and privacy. It’s also ramping up pressure just as Meta and Google have been attracting scrutiny during a high-profile trial over social media addiction in Los Angeles. While Meta has a rule to keep children under 13 off Instagram, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg testified last month that enforcing the limit is “very difficult” because children often lie about their ages. In arguing against other bans, social-media companies have pointed to significant technological hurdles. The proposed California restrictions would mirror a policy that was recently implemented in Australia . Similar cu...
NVS/iStock via Getty Images This is my tenth Ligand ( LGND ) article, following my most recent 06/2025's "Ligand Pharmaceuticals: Attractive Royalty Model Powers Forward." In Powers Forward , I rated Ligand as a "Buy". It has since scored an impressive ~58% gain. In this article, I will assess its future investment prospects. Ligand's attractive royalty financing plus business model Overview The e...
NVS/iStock via Getty Images This is my tenth Ligand ( LGND ) article, following my most recent 06/2025's "Ligand Pharmaceuticals: Attractive Royalty Model Powers Forward." In Powers Forward , I rated Ligand as a "Buy". It has since scored an impressive ~58% gain. In this article, I will assess its future investment prospects. Ligand's attractive royalty financing plus business model Overview The excerpt below from Ligand's latest 10-K shows its aggregate revenue profile for the years 2023-2025: Seeking Alpha This excerpt shows its three revenue segments — royalties, captisol and contract revenues. Of these three, its captisol solubilizing agent is the smallest. Back in the bad old pandemic days, captisol was a big deal thanks primarily to a providential contract that Ligand forged with Gilead ( GILD ) to provide captisol for its remdesivir COVID treatment. As the pandemic eased and its remdesivir related revenues began to tail off, Ligand showed admirable ability to recover. As we move into 2026, its royalties are its big kahuna from a revenue standpoint. As shown below these are in a major growth mode. Expected 23% annual growth in core royalties As emphasized by CEO Davis during its Q4/2025 earnings Call, Ligand's expected revenue growth is exceptional. He closed his opening earnings presentation with the following bold prediction: Looking ahead to 2030, I would like to highlight our 5-year royalty receipts outlook, which we shared at our Investor Day in December of 2025. We now expect a 23% compound annual growth rate in royalty receipts from 2025 through 2030. This growth is driven by contributions across the entire portfolio. The commercial programs form the core of the growth profile and contribute to an expected 15% annual growth. These products are already marketed, supported by strong partners and in some cases, have the opportunity for additional label or geographic expansion. Additionally, the Pharm team, which represents significantly risk-adjusted devel...
Fertilizer giant Yara International ASA reduced production in India, a significant importer of gas from the Middle East, as the war curtails supply of the vital feedstock. Yara, which operates a factory at Babrala in the state of Uttar Pradesh, curbed ammonia and urea output, Chief Executive Officer Svein Tore Holsether said by email. Some competitors have also shut plants in the country on a lack...
Fertilizer giant Yara International ASA reduced production in India, a significant importer of gas from the Middle East, as the war curtails supply of the vital feedstock. Yara, which operates a factory at Babrala in the state of Uttar Pradesh, curbed ammonia and urea output, Chief Executive Officer Svein Tore Holsether said by email. Some competitors have also shut plants in the country on a lack of gas. India’s fertilizer sector relies heavily on imports of liquefied natural gas. The war has halted a large chunk of LNG exports from the Persian Gulf, with Qatar — a top three supplier — suspending production of the fuel. Prices for LNG, fertilizers and other commodities have risen sharply since the conflict began. “We are increasingly worried about the stability of global fertilizer supply and farmers’ ability to afford the nutrients they need,” Holsether said. Yara said in a separate statement that its production cuts in India will have only a “minor impact” on financial results and that margins remain stable. The Oslo-based company isn’t yet considering reducing output in Europe, where it has larger operations than in India. Urea price increases on the continent have matched or outpaced the hike in gas costs, the CEO said. Read More: Iran Conflict Sparks Global Rush For Critical Fertilizers Debate has been building in the European Union over how to support the region’s agricultural sector as the war drags on. Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy addressed the issue in a letter to EU commissioners this week, saying imports of Russian and Belarusian fertilizers should be permitted in the bloc, with customs tariffs suspended. The European Commission has said it’s studying the letter. Holsether said such a move would help fund Russia’s war on Ukraine and weaken Europe’s own production capacity at a moment when resilience is essential. The EU has said it will seek views from across the industry before it presents its Fertilizer Action Plan in the next few months....
Key Points EVR Research bought 100,000 shares of Ingevity in the fourth quarter. The quarter-end position value increased by $5.92 million due to the new position in NGVT. The new position in NGVT places it outside the fund's top five holdings by value. 10 stocks we like better than Ingevity › On February 17, 2026, EVR Research disclosed a new position in Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT), acquiring 100,000 sh...
Key Points EVR Research bought 100,000 shares of Ingevity in the fourth quarter. The quarter-end position value increased by $5.92 million due to the new position in NGVT. The new position in NGVT places it outside the fund's top five holdings by value. 10 stocks we like better than Ingevity › On February 17, 2026, EVR Research disclosed a new position in Ingevity (NYSE:NGVT), acquiring 100,000 shares worth $5.92 million. What happened In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated February 17, 2026, EVR Research reported initiating a new position in Ingevity by purchasing 100,000 shares during the fourth quarter. The fund's quarter-end position in NGVT was valued at $5.92 million, reflecting the full size of the new stake. What else to know This was a new position for the fund, representing 3.19% of its $185.31 million in reportable U.S. equity assets as of December 31, 2025. Top holdings after the filing: NYSE:DAN: $17.34 million (9.4% of AUM) NYSE:WKC: $17.34 million (9.4% of AUM) NYSE:CPS: $12.31 million (6.6% of AUM) NYSE:GEF: $11.85 million (6.4% of AUM) NYSE:MEC: $11.33 million (6.1% of AUM) As of Wednesday, Ingevity shares were priced at $68.56, up 56% over the past year and well outperforming the S&P 500’s roughly 19% gain in the same period. Company overview Metric Value Price (as of Monday) $68.56 Market capitalization $2.5 billion Revenue (TTM) $1.17 billion Net income (TTM) ($150.3 million) Company snapshot EVR Research produces specialty chemicals and activated carbon materials, with key products including hardwood-based activated carbon for emissions control and chemicals derived from crude tall oil and lignin. The company operates a dual-segment business model: Performance Materials generates revenue from engineered carbon products for automotive and industrial applications, while Performance Chemicals targets pavement technologies, industrial specialties, and engineered polymers. It serves automotive OEMs, industrial manufacturers, ...
Last week, I spent an hour in a makeshift theatre in the middle of a park, watching Garry Starr’s comedy clown show Classic Penguins. The next day, I spent eight and a half hours in one of Adelaide’s oldest theatres watching Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz – a play where The Great Gatsby is read aloud in full. Both times, there was nowhere I’d rather be. They both adhere to my golden rule: all thea...
Last week, I spent an hour in a makeshift theatre in the middle of a park, watching Garry Starr’s comedy clown show Classic Penguins. The next day, I spent eight and a half hours in one of Adelaide’s oldest theatres watching Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz – a play where The Great Gatsby is read aloud in full. Both times, there was nowhere I’d rather be. They both adhere to my golden rule: all theatre should be less than two hours, or more than five hours. The former is the perfect excursion. If it’s a bad show, you’re not held hostage for long; if it’s a good show, you get to bookend the night with a meal and a drink – or else go home and still have an early night. Is there anything worse than “two hours and 10 minutes including a 20-minute interval”? Just make it 110 minutes and run it straight through. Three and a half hours is the danger zone: the length of many an unabridged classic. The artists, too often, haven’t thought of the way time sits on our bodies and our minds. This is the play you’re most likely to feel restless in, like it has taken up too much of your day, like it has outstayed its welcome. But stretch longer – five hours and beyond – and the entire shape of a work changes. Time is no longer outside of the theatrical space: time becomes an essential artistic element. Our attention spans are confronted; the time exhausts the performers. When the only thing to do with your day is sit in the theatre, you can feel your whole life rearranging itself around the work. Even in intervals or dinner breaks, the play is the most significant thing in your day. An alchemy happens between the audience and the actors in this incredible feat of endurance; between the strangers in the audience who have committed to spend the day together. You are gloriously untethered from time’s demands. View image in fullscreen An onstage timer counts down to the next death in Ivo van Hove’s six-hour Roman Tragedies, a ‘feat of tension’. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian I ...
When I heard the surprise news that BTS are releasing a comeback album, it pulled me back into a past version of myself, one that was all-consuming in its obsession, but equally marked by shame. At the ripe old age of 14, I had mastered the art of lowering my screen brightness and switching tabs to hide my shameful secret from any passerby or seat-sharer. While schoolboys huddled around computer s...
When I heard the surprise news that BTS are releasing a comeback album, it pulled me back into a past version of myself, one that was all-consuming in its obsession, but equally marked by shame. At the ripe old age of 14, I had mastered the art of lowering my screen brightness and switching tabs to hide my shameful secret from any passerby or seat-sharer. While schoolboys huddled around computer screens unashamedly watching live cricket matches on full volume, I don’t recall groups of girls gathering openly to watch the new BTS or One Direction music video. Those viewings happened in private – over late-night Skype calls or on the back bench of a classroom with a shared laptop between my best friend and me. To hide an obsession is so common among teenage girls and an attempt to block a clear avenue to ridicule. I didn’t want to be told I was too obsessed or that I liked something too deeply. For as long as I can remember, I’ve softened and minimised my obsessions around others. Even though I stayed up until 3 am waiting for a new BTS music video to drop, I wouldn’t admit it because it would make me sound “crazy”. Why was obsession a sin only girls could commit? Why is displaying genuine emotion so quickly misconstrued as parasocial attachment or unhealthy dependence? When does interest become obsession? What is the threshold? And why don’t young men get measured on the same scale? Now, a little older and no longer immersed in those fandoms, I look back at that version of myself with so much softness. Rather than cringing (as I usually do when reflecting on anything from my past), I feel protective of the girl who found solace, connection and belonging in something others dismissed or felt entitled to mock. When I moved to Melbourne alone at 17 for university, I didn’t know a single person. There were no familiar reference points or easy friendships to fall into. So I distracted myself. BTS had an entire universe of content: variety shows, live performances, intervie...
You would think primary shades would be the easiest colours to wear. Red, yellow, blue: we can name these before we can tie our shoelaces. They are not sophisticated colours, such as Armani greige or Pantone favourite Mocha Mousse. They are not challenging-to-wear colours, like chartreuse or mustard. They are Mr Men colours. So wearing them must be child’s play, surely. The Guardian’s journalism i...
You would think primary shades would be the easiest colours to wear. Red, yellow, blue: we can name these before we can tie our shoelaces. They are not sophisticated colours, such as Armani greige or Pantone favourite Mocha Mousse. They are not challenging-to-wear colours, like chartreuse or mustard. They are Mr Men colours. So wearing them must be child’s play, surely. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. And yet they are weirdly tricky to wear. They can feel shouty and basic: the getting dressed equivalent of speaking loudly without saying anything particularly interesting, which is – to paint it in primary colours – not what any of us are aiming for. Muted colours have dominated fashion for a decade. Navy, grey, black and denim have been the backbone, with highlights of butter, olive green and soft pink the shade of a freshly plastered wall. But over the past year, uncomplicated shades have made a return to the catwalk. At fashion week, I had got used to trying to figure out the best way to capture an unusual shade in words – is that skirt bramble, or mulberry, or perhaps diluted Ribena? – but I’m now seeing colours that need no introduction. This jumper here is just red, no fancy qualifiers. double quotation mark Adding an in-between colour – in the form of the classic work-shirt blue of the sleeves – serves as a bridge At the Celine show at Paris fashion week, there was a rugby shirt in blue and red with a white collar; also, a blue shirt tucked into a yellow miniskirt. At Alaïa – the home of chic, inky black – there was a red skirt-and-top two-piece and a yellow trench. At Prada, there were practical boxy jackets in cheerful yellow and green, the sort of coat shades that would look more at home hanging on animal-themed pegs outside a nursery classroom than on the Milan catwalk. At Loewe, moulded dresses came in pop art splashes of blue, yellow and red. What works on the ...
California prosecutors have filed nearly 20,000 drug possession felony cases under a tough-on-crime measure passed in 2024. But despite promises to get people into services, the vast majority of those arrested have not received drug treatment, state data reveals. Proposition 36, a state ballot measure, enacted harsher penalties for minor theft and drug offenses, with proponents pledging the crackd...
California prosecutors have filed nearly 20,000 drug possession felony cases under a tough-on-crime measure passed in 2024. But despite promises to get people into services, the vast majority of those arrested have not received drug treatment, state data reveals. Proposition 36, a state ballot measure, enacted harsher penalties for minor theft and drug offenses, with proponents pledging the crackdown would lead to “mass treatment to keep people alive, out of jail, and off our streets”. Case records, however, suggest the state is largely failing to meet the central goal of getting people help and instead conducting mass arrests and incarcerating more people with addiction. In Prop 36’s first year, less than 1% of drug felony charges resulted in defendants completing treatment programs, data shows. Prop 36 was overwhelmingly passed by voters amid concerns about public drug use, shoplifting and other non-violent crimes tied to California’s homelessness crisis. The initiative turned certain misdemeanors into felonies that carry prison time, rolling back parts of a landmark 2014 reform that had kept low-level offenses out of prison and reduced dangerous overcrowding behind bars. The new data has revived concerns of civil rights advocates, who warned Prop 36 would expand incarceration without addressing underlying public health challenges. No mass treatment Prop 36 allowed prosecutors to file felony drug possession cases against people with two or more previous drug convictions. Those charges, called “treatment-mandated felonies”, allow defendants to avoid prison if they complete treatment. In 2025, prosecutors filed a total of 19,104 drug possession felonies under Prop 36, according to data from the Judicial Council of California, the government agency that oversees state courts. But courts reported that defendants entered treatment in only 2,853 of those cases (15%). As of the end of 2025, only 57 of those cases (0.3%) completed treatment and had charges dismissed. The ...
It started in 1998, with a pain in Ken Rideout’s ankle. A podiatrist gave him a prescription for seven Percocet, a drug containing the opioid oxycodone. Rideout was a high-flying commodity trader in New York, outwardly successful but racked with impostor syndrome. The Percocet dulled his foot pain – and also his anxiety. Rideout was used to alcohol and cocaine, but this was different. He felt happ...
It started in 1998, with a pain in Ken Rideout’s ankle. A podiatrist gave him a prescription for seven Percocet, a drug containing the opioid oxycodone. Rideout was a high-flying commodity trader in New York, outwardly successful but racked with impostor syndrome. The Percocet dulled his foot pain – and also his anxiety. Rideout was used to alcohol and cocaine, but this was different. He felt happy, confident and optimistic. He returned to the podiatrist for more pills. Then more. Soon he was altering the prescriptions manually, changing a seven into a two and adding a zero, before targeting smaller pharmacies that wouldn’t run verification checks. A year after starting the pills, Rideout moved to London for work. This was an opportunity, he thought, for a clean break. But within a week he was suffering extreme withdrawal: depression, delirium from days of lost sleep, overwhelming flu-like symptoms. He called his younger brother and asked him to FedEx a batch of a new drug he had read about called OxyContin, which, depending on the dose, can contain a significantly higher amount of oxycodone per pill than Percocet. The OxyContin made Rideout feel amazing again. He found a private doctor who would prescribe the pills. “I wasn’t even happiest when I took the drugs,” says Rideout. “I was happiest knowing that they were coming.” View image in fullscreen Rideout with his future wife Shelby in the early 00s. Photograph: Courtesy of Ken Rideout Rideout flirted with sobriety, attending Narcotics Anonymous while in London. He tried Subutex, a medication used to treat opioid addiction by easing withdrawal symptoms, but when it was time to come off that too, he couldn’t do it. No matter how much he tried to wean himself off Subutex, he would eventually relapse. “I’d gotten myself hooked on a drug that had no high,” he writes of opioids in his recently published memoir, Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard. “They kill joy, too. Not just joy and happiness but any sen...
The 23-year-old who went viral last year has plenty of targets for 2026, starting with the World Indoor Championships in Poland Amy Hunt’s mind is flashing back to the moment she unwittingly went viral last September. As untrammelled joy charged through her body, the BBC asked about her unusual journey from an English degree at Cambridge to a shock 200m world championship silver medal . Hunt’s res...
The 23-year-old who went viral last year has plenty of targets for 2026, starting with the World Indoor Championships in Poland Amy Hunt’s mind is flashing back to the moment she unwittingly went viral last September. As untrammelled joy charged through her body, the BBC asked about her unusual journey from an English degree at Cambridge to a shock 200m world championship silver medal . Hunt’s response quickly became a cri du coeur to young girls everywhere: “You can be an academic badass and a track goddess.” As the 23-year-old prepares for the World Indoor Championships in Poland that starts on Friday, she reveals her remark was entirely spontaneous. “As soon as I said it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m on the BBC, can I even say that? Are they going to bleep that out?’” she says, smiling. “I was so incredibly high with the adrenaline and endorphins that there wasn’t that connection between my brain and my mouth, necessarily, so I didn’t really know what I was saying.” Continue reading...
Nico De Pasquale Photography Wall Street's major averages were lower on Wednesday after two days of gains after the wholesale inflation came in hotter than expected while traders focused on the Federal Reserve’s policy decision later today. The benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) was last -0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) was -0.2%, and the blue-chip Dow ( DJI ) was -0.4%. Over in the bond ma...
Nico De Pasquale Photography Wall Street's major averages were lower on Wednesday after two days of gains after the wholesale inflation came in hotter than expected while traders focused on the Federal Reserve’s policy decision later today. The benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) was last -0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) was -0.2%, and the blue-chip Dow ( DJI ) was -0.4%. Over in the bond market, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield ( US10Y ) was 3 basis points higher at 4.23%, while the 2-year Treasury yield ( US2Y ) rose 4 basis points to 3.72%. The February Producer Price Index came in hotter at +0.7% MoM vs. +0.3% consensus and +0.5% prior. Core PPI (excludes foods and energy) was +0.5% MoM vs. +0.3% consensus and +0.8% prior. “More evidence of hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation ahead of Middle East conflict,” said Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz. “This brings annual headline inflation to 3.4% and core to 3.9%. These figures set a high inflation baseline just as the Middle East war is certain to exert further upward pressure on prices.” The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep rates unchanged. Investors are pricing in more than 98.9% odds of keeping the interest rates the same at 3.50%-3.75%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference will be closely watched. In geopolitical news, Iran launched a new wave of attacks against oil infrastructures in the UAE, and U.S. President Donald Trump's request of several allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz was broadly rejected, sending oil prices higher . In addition, Israeli air forces have struck a natural gas processing facility in the southwest of Iran. Crude oil futures ( CL1:COM ) were higher at $98.8, while Brent futures ( CO1:COM ) were at $108.9 per barrel. More on markets Prudent Investors Should Be Game Planning For Stagflation This Week's Dichotomy/Bifocals Needed - Weekly Blog # 932 Monetary Policy Rules Suggest Fed Should Hold Steady In Marc...
Saudi Arabia is activating its Red Sea “Plan B” to divert crude via the port of Yanbu, allowing tankers – including Chinese very large crude carriers (VLCCs) – to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, though analysts warn the route has limited capacity. The move comes after Iran effectively closed the strait in response to United States and Israeli military strikes , a conflict now in its third week that h...
Saudi Arabia is activating its Red Sea “Plan B” to divert crude via the port of Yanbu, allowing tankers – including Chinese very large crude carriers (VLCCs) – to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, though analysts warn the route has limited capacity. The move comes after Iran effectively closed the strait in response to United States and Israeli military strikes , a conflict now in its third week that has rattled global energy markets New Vista, a VLCC owned by China Merchants Energy Shipping, had departed from Yanbu and was bound for Quanzhou in south China’s Fujian province, where it is expected to arrive on April 3, according to vessel-tracking data platform Myvessel. Advertisement The oil tanker had approached the Strait of Hormuz on March 1 but did not transit the strategic waterway. That same day, at least three tankers near ports in the United Arab Emirates and Oman were struck by projectiles, causing fires and crew casualties. New Vista instead altered course towards the Red Sea, arriving at Yanbu on March 11 and departing on March 13 after loading. More tankers in the Red Sea are now en route to the port for similar crude oil pickups. Advertisement Saudi Aramco , the world’s leading oil producer, announced last week that it was redirecting a larger share of crude flows to the Red Sea through its 7 million-barrel-per-day East-West Pipeline to bypass Persian Gulf export terminals. “The Yanbu route is open to all international buyers, but China-bound cargoes are expected to take a significant share, given that China is a major customer of Saudi Aramco,” said Xu Muyu, a senior crude oil analyst at Kpler.
Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) is a feature of AMD Ryzen processors, allowing you to adjust different parameters controlling the boost behaviour of your CPU. This powerful tool can be leveraged to achieve higher operating frequencies to improve performance or, conversely, lower power limits to reduce power consumption and heat output. Though this can absolutely be done through manual overclocking...
Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) is a feature of AMD Ryzen processors, allowing you to adjust different parameters controlling the boost behaviour of your CPU. This powerful tool can be leveraged to achieve higher operating frequencies to improve performance or, conversely, lower power limits to reduce power consumption and heat output. Though this can absolutely be done through manual overclocking or undervolting, PBO does so while maintaining all the CPU’s intelligent frequency and power-management mechanisms active. Let AMD do the hard work for you. This means that unlike old overclocking methods, now you can push the speed higher without removing the intrinsic efficiency of single-core and idle operation. To achieve this, PBO dynamically adjusts power and frequency based on set parameters while taking into account the CPU’s real-time conditions, such as temperatures and power draw. PBO lets you set exact power limits, a dynamic voltage curve, a scalar multiplier, or an auto overclock. I will review each of these in more detail, including how to enable and configure them, and what performance and efficiency gains you can expect. For this guide, I will focus on changing these settings through the BIOS, but you can also do so via AMD’s Ryzen Master app. Before I begin, you may want to install some of the tools recommended in our monitoring and benchmarking apps explainer, which can help you keep an eye on any performance improvements or, god forbid, regressions. Also, while all the settings listed in this guide should be available on any BIOS version – aside from locked OEM firmwares – updating your BIOS to the latest version is a good call to ensure that the latest safety measures are implemented. Lastly, each manufacturer may name these settings slightly differently, but the underlying controls should be the same across Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, and other brands. If your system becomes too unstable to even each the BIOS, you can always press the Clear CMOS butt...
A mysterious floral artist has taken over the New York Botanical Garden toggle caption New York Botanical Garden Mr. Flower Fantastic has worked with some big names and brands: Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Spike Lee, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Netflix. Recently, when the Chicago Bulls retired point guard Derrick Rose's jersey number, Mr. Flower Fantastic covered an outdoor basketball court in a port...
A mysterious floral artist has taken over the New York Botanical Garden toggle caption New York Botanical Garden Mr. Flower Fantastic has worked with some big names and brands: Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Spike Lee, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Netflix. Recently, when the Chicago Bulls retired point guard Derrick Rose's jersey number, Mr. Flower Fantastic covered an outdoor basketball court in a portrait made of roses and carnations. "It took thousands of flowers to pull this off — in the middle of winter. In Chicago," the artist said, laughing. "It was really special." Hundreds of people lined up in the cold to see it. Sponsor Message The floral artist — who says he often goes by "MFF" or "Flower" — stays anonymous because he wants the focus to be on his work. Usually when he's out in public, he wears a gas mask and gloves, which both hide his identity and protect his health (ironically, he's allergic to flowers). But today, showing a reporter around the New York Botanical Garden's conservatory to see his new show, there's no mask — no gloves — just a warm handshake and a warmer smile. He's a lifelong New Yorker, so when the botanical garden approached him about collaborating on their annual orchid show, he saw it as an opportunity to peek out from behind his secret identity and invite the public to view the city the way he does, finding beauty in the ordinary, everyday structures we often take for granted. What kind of structures? Well — take the maligned dumpster. Here in the many-roomed garden conservatory, it's painted matte black and bursting with white moth orchids and English ivy. toggle caption Jennifer Vanasco/NPR Or the manhole cover, framed with gentle arcs of purple and yellow moth orchids, yellow slipper orchids and pink and white Dancing Lady orchids. toggle caption Jennifer Vanasco/NPR And, more spectacularly, the car wash, which here has a taxi driving through that's made of synthetic and real carnations. toggle caption New York Botanical Garden "My fa...