Key PointsThe Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF allows investors to hold a basket of stocks that includes a majority of publicly traded U.S. companies.

Readers respond to a piece by Priti Ubhayakar about people mispronouncing her name Priti Ubhayakar’s article resonated with me because of my non-English surname ( A moment that changed me: for the first time in my life, a stranger pronounced my name correctly, 1 April ). I grew up in the 1950s on a very English council estate. Most other kids were a Brown, Smith, Jones, etc, but I was an Uszkurat. My lineage is complex on my dad’s side, with a Lithuanian grandfather whose original name was changed to Uszkurat by, I think, German authorities. My dad was born in a part of Europe that was German until the Treaty of Versailles made it part of the new Poland. Like many other Polish ex-servicemen, my dad became a British citizen after the second world war. My first day at junior school is memorable for one thing: the teacher insisting that I was spelling my surname incorrectly. Three times I was given a new workbook on which to write my name, and each time I did not use what I knew to be the incorrect spelling being insisted on by my teacher. Continue reading...

Readers respond to a letter by the GB News co-owner, in which he argued that calling for an end to fossil fuels is impractical Last week I was among 120-plus Christian leaders who, in an open letter covered by the Guardian, challenged Sir Paul Marshall – a professing Christian, hedge fund manager and owner or part-owner of prominent media properties, including GB News – about climate misinformation on his news channel ( Church leaders criticise Christian owner of GB News over channel’s climate attacks, 26 March ). The letter also called for transparency regarding any financial interests in fossil fuels that Sir Paul may have, as well as transparency from GB News presenters and guests. However, rather than address calls for transparency related to any financial interests in fossil fuels, Sir Paul has now written to the Guardian, claiming that the “net zero consensus is crumbling” ( Letters, 30 March ). Continue reading...

Andrew Copson of Humanists UK says we must recognise non-religious people as a community with a positive, ethical worldview that deserves equal standing in the public square The retraction of the Bible Society’s report on Gen Z church attendance ( YouGov withdraws survey said to show rising church attendance in England and Wales, 26 March ) is a welcome moment of clarity, but the “fraudulent” data identified by YouGov only tells half the story. The report’s central premise, that young people are flocking back to the pews, was always an outlier when measured against the gold-standard British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey. Our new analysis of the BSA data shows that six in 10 people aged 16 to 34 identify with no religion. Furthermore, this is not a “phase” of youthful rebellion; 94% of those raised without religion remain non-religious as adults. For this generation, the search for meaning is not found in dogma, but in the humanist values of reason, kindness and personal responsibility. Continue reading...

Dr Mireia Galian argues that paid, protected time off for fertility assessment and treatment should be standard across women’s sports As you report, changes to insurance cover for female athletes following the Carney review are welcome ( Landmark changes to insurance cover for female athletes to be implemented, 30 March ). Addressing contraception, pregnancy, menopause and other health conditions disproportionately affecting women is long overdue. Yet one crucial blind spot remains: fertility. Elite athletes push their bodies to extremes, often with low body fat and intense training, which can disrupt hormones and menstrual cycles. Nearly two-thirds experience irregular or absent periods, which can affect fertility. Continue reading...

Industrial inaction | Conversation adviser | Poppy seed panic | Handbell ringing | Breakfast measurements As a young ward sister and trade union steward, I remember, in the 1980s, when I was on the picket line in front of my hospital, stopping a doctor in his Mercedes. He asked me who I was, and I replied: “One of your colleagues.” He looked at me with contempt and answered: “I don’t think so, my colleagues are intelligent people.” So I wonder where their newfound enthusiasm for industrial action comes from. Has the price of Range Rovers gone up? Hilary Bramley Courbesseaux, France • There seem to be experts for every aspect of life nowadays, but to read that the Woodland Trust has a “conversation adviser” in the form of Dr Ed Pyne surely takes the biscuit ( Contractor that cut back 500-year-old oak in London park identified, 3 April ). I suspect the infamous “Grauniad” typo phantom was at work again and that Dr Pyne is a conservation adviser. Pete Lavender Woodthorpe, Nottinghamshire Continue reading...

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment PepsiCo ( PEP ) withdrew its backing from a major London music festival following backlash over the decision to feature Kanye West as the top-billed performer. West, who now goes by Ye, was recently announced as the headline act for the Wireless Festival, set to take place in July at Finsbury Park. Organizers had promoted the event under the branding “Pepsi Max Presents Wireless,” but the beverage giant confirmed it would no longer be involved. The artist is scheduled to perform across all three days of the festival as part of a broader effort to reestablish his career after years of controversy. His past remarks, including statements about Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust, as well as comments about slavery, have sparked widespread criticism. The booking has also drawn political scrutiny in the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the decision as troubling in comments to a British tabloid, adding to pressure surrounding the event. In recent months, West has taken steps to repair his public image. Earlier this year, he published a full-page apology framed as a letter expressing regret for past behavior, attributing his actions in part to bipolar disorder and outlining efforts to stabilize his health through treatment and lifestyle changes. Despite those efforts, the fallout from earlier controversies continues to linger. Major corporate partners, including Adidas and Gap, severed ties with the artist in 2022, wiping out a significant portion of his business empire. Adidas alone was left holding more than $1 billion in unsold Yeezy inventory after ending the partnership, which was formally settled in 2024 without financial compensation to West. Even so, West retains a sizable audience. He continues to draw tens of millions of monthly listeners on streaming platforms and maintains a strong social media following. His latest album, Bully , was released in late March, supported by a new recording agreement reportedly worth s...

China ready to cooperate with Russia to ease Middle East tension, foreign minister says Reuters

The incident comes a week before the polls, and follow warnings of a potential operations staged to influence voters.

Did This Small Device Help Special Forces Locate Downed F-15 Crew The New York Times confirmed that U.S. Special Forces operators were behind the recovery of the second crew member from the downed F-15E fighter jet, locating and extracting the weapons systems officer in a daring overnight mission deep inside Iranian territory. Confirmed presence of Seal Team 6 in pilot rescue op moved the "US forces entering Iran" market to 100%. Per NYT: "Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos extracted the officer in a massive operation that involved hundreds of special operations troops and other military personnel." https://t.co/szkJUBbP5s pic.twitter.com/W05LYaRDBv — zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 5, 2026 The pilot had been recovered earlier, while the second airman remained hidden from Iranian forces for days as Special Forces operators raced to reach his position before Iranian forces did. Around 200 soldiers from special operations units participated in the operation , Trump told Axios. Trump said the Iranian military shot down the F-15 using a shoulder-fired missile. "They got lucky." Speaking to Axios an hour after confirming the rescue , Trump said that "thousands of these savages were hunting him down," using that loaded term to refer to members of the Iranian military. "Even the population was looking for him. They offered people a bonus if they captured him." The officer hid in a crevice in the mountain, Trump said, and the U.S. managed to spot him with its technology. Trump said that the U.S. military had "beeping information" about the officer's location. But after a radio message, officials suspected he might be in Iranian captivity and the Iranians were "sending false signals" to try to lure U.S. forces into a trap. One of the key devices that appears to have helped the survival and recovery of both pilots was Boeing’s Combat Survivor Evader Locator, or CSEL, a secure communications device that can transmit encrypted location and status bursts without exposing their position to ...

Key PointsA well-constructed portfolio shouldn't just consist of the stocks or funds that have performed well in the past.

Bordeaux 64-14 Leicester Bégles set up Toulouse quarter-final next weekend Even at full-strength, Leicester would have struggled against the most potent attack in Europe. But without a string of first-choice forwards, including Ollie Chessum, Joe Heyes, Tommy Reffell and Nicky Smith, the result at a sun-drenched Stade Chaban-Delmas was never in doubt. So it proved as Bordeaux Bégles tore their English guests to shreds, registering nine tries to underline their status as continental champions with a 64-14 win. A quarter-final against their domestic rivals, Toulouse, will be required viewing next weekend. Continue reading...

Three people, including a 10-month-old girl, were killed on Sunday when high winds toppled a tree in northern Germany during an Easter egg hunt, police said. Around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children were attending the event in woods near the town of Satrupholm at around 11am when a 30-metre (100ft) tree fell on the group, police said in a statement. Four people were pinned under the tree. A 21-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl were...

The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI) provides investors with access to a much larger pool of U.S. stocks than the broader S&P 500 index. While the S&P 500 tracks roughly 500 large-cap U.S. stocks across sectors, the VTI exchange-traded fund (ETF) holds a basket of 3,500 stocks, representing a majority of U.S. publicly traded companies. VTI, which is passively managed, consists of large-, mid-, and small-cap stocks across sectors and categories, including growth and value. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading

Can Nvidia Stock (NVDA) Hit $20 Trillion by 2030? One Investor Thinks It Can TipRanks

A professed desire to protect the country’s Christian identity is cover for a divisive politics which ignores the central message of the gospels In an interview conducted a few days after the beginning of Lent, Reform UK’s Muslim home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, outlined a new policy to prevent churches being converted to mosques. This was an “incendiary” issue relating to Christian heritage, Mr Yusuf claimed, which was causing anxiety across the United Kingdom. Subsequent analysis by the Times – which conducted the interview – concluded that instances of churches becoming mosques were in fact extremely rare, adding up to less than 0.09% of the 47,000 churches active in the 1960s. Mr Yusuf’s solution to this alleged crisis – which involved granting automatic listed status to churches, and changing planning laws to restrict change of use – was also widely questioned. For many churches struggling to fund repairs through the contributions of thinned-out congregations, the onerous bureaucratic obstacles posed by listed status would only be another expensive headache. Continue reading...

Ultra-low rates turned the yen into easy cash for bankers. But the carry trade now binds global markets to decisions in Tokyo In 2015, Clyde Prestowitz’s book Japan Restored imagined a Japanese century emerging from upheavals such as an Israeli attack on Iran. While conflict now grips the Middle East, there are few indications of the revolutionary change the former US national security official foresaw. But in one crucial respect this already is a Japanese century – thanks to the yen’s role as easy money for global finance. The Bank of Japan’s loose monetary policy has turned the yen into the world’s cheapest and most reliable funding currency. By suppressing yields on public debt to keep Japan’s domestic economy afloat, the BoJ effectively created a publicly subsidised funding pipeline for bankers. They can make a quick buck by borrowing cheaply in yen and investing in higher-return assets, such as US equities. The “yen carry trade” surged after the pandemic, with speculators betting $435bn in the two years to 2024 out of the estimated $1.7tn worth of yen supplied. The profits for global investors are reckoned to run into tens of billions of dollars. Continue reading...

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As NASA’s Artemis II astronauts make their way to the moon this weekend, their test flight has gone surprisingly well without any major issues, save for one piece of technology giving the crew some grief: the toilet. The Lockheed Martin -built Orion crew capsule that’s carrying the Artemis II crew to the moon is equipped with what’s known as the Universal Waste Management System for the astronauts to use during the 10-day mission. It’s roughly the same space toilet that’s used on the International Space Station. But getting the complicated piece of equipment to work properly during the flight has become a recurring issue. The UWMS comes equipped with a funnel and hose for urination, and there is a seat with a hole for bowel movements. Since the astronauts are in microgravity, the toilet relies on air flow that pulls waste into the toilet and ensures the capsule stays clean. The astronauts can also use footstraps and handles to stay in position. On Artemis II’s first flight day, the toilet indicated an issue right after the crew got to space. Mission specialist Christina Koch, who proudly declared herself the “space plumber,” was able to get the toilet working again with some help from Mission Control. It turned out to be a problem with the toilet’s pump, which needed extra water to be wet enough and primed for use. “Once we figured out that we didn’t put enough water in, we put more in there, made sure that it was essentially primed – the pump was primed – and then the toilet came right back up,” said Judd Frieling, the ascent flight director for Artemis II. Read More: NASA’s Moon Landing Is Still Years Out and Billions Over Budget Not so fast. The toilet once again started acting up. Unlike on the International Space Station, where wastewater is contained, treated and recycled in a closed loop system, the wastewater on the Artemis II mission is periodically dumped overboard throughout the mission. During these dumps, gleaming particles stream across the window of O...

Key PointsCompanies that were expecting cheaper capital to fund their AI investing efforts might now have to operate with greater efficiency.

Iran has signaled a partial easing of restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Iraqi oil shipments to pass through the vital corridor after weeks of disruption that rattled global energy markets, the Financial Times reported Sunday. An Iraqi tanker, the Ocean Thunder, successfully navigated the strait along Iran’s coastline over the weekend, carrying roughly 1 million barrels of Basrah Heavy crude, according to shipping data cited by the newspaper. The passage marks one of the clearest signs yet that Tehran may be selectively reopening the waterway. An Iranian military spokesperson said the exemption reflects Baghdad’s status as a friendly nation, emphasizing that restrictions remain in place only for countries deemed hostile. However, officials did not clarify whether the policy applies broadly to Iraqi-flagged vessels or specifically to cargo originating from Iraq. Selective access could unlock millions of barrels The move could pave the way for a significant volume of oil, potentially up to 3 million barrels per day, to re-enter global markets. That would help offset supply disruptions triggered by the recent conflict involving the U.S. and Israel and ease pressure on crude prices. Still, the practical impact remains uncertain. Shipping companies may be hesitant to resume operations through the strait without stronger security assurances, and restarting production at scale is expected to take time. Before the conflict escalated in late February, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flowed through the strait. Since then, Iran has effectively restricted access, permitting only a limited number of vessels described as “non-hostile.” Iraq’s economy hit hard by export bottlenecks For Iraq, the disruption has been severe. Oil exports, once around 3.4 million barrels per day, have plunged, forcing production cuts and filling storage facilities to capacity. The country has faced steep revenue losses, with estimates suggesting daily shortfalls in the hundreds...

A lot of people build their portfolios without a real structure or strategy in mind. They often buy what feels right in the moment, usually because it's performing pretty well. What that usually creates is a collection of stocks and funds, not a portfolio that's built to function as a singular unit. Portfolio construction should have an order to it. Generally speaking, you start with a core position or two meant to serve as the tentpole. That could be something like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) or the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI) . Ideally, you wouldn't touch this and instead let the long-term power of compounding do the work for you. From there, you can start building around the edges. Add some dividend stocks , an international fund, or maybe some bonds or gold. This is where you can tilt the portfolio in a particular direction or simply diversify beyond U.S. large-cap stocks. It's the idea that investors should build the foundation first and layer around it, not the other way around. Continue reading

格隆汇4月6日｜据CCTV国际时讯，当地时间4月5日下午，以色列救援部门表示，在伊朗最新一轮导弹袭击中，以色列北部城市海法一处住宅楼严重受损。袭击导致多人受伤，其中一人伤势严重。

格隆汇4月6日｜伊朗议会议长卡利巴夫：特朗普鲁莽的举动正在把美国每个家庭拖入地狱，而我们整个地区也将陷入战火，因为他坚持要听从内塔尼亚胡的命令。 毫无疑问：特朗普不会从战争罪行中获得任何好处。唯一真正的解决办法是尊重伊朗人民的权利，结束这场危险的游戏。