On Wednesday, a fossil-fuel lobbying group called the Washington Coal Club awarded President Trump a trophy that named him the "Undisputed Champion of Clean, Beautiful Coal." Trump took advantage of the opportunity to take his latest shot at reviving the fortunes of the US's most polluting source of electricity: an executive order that would make the military buy it. Coal is the second most expens...
On Wednesday, a fossil-fuel lobbying group called the Washington Coal Club awarded President Trump a trophy that named him the "Undisputed Champion of Clean, Beautiful Coal." Trump took advantage of the opportunity to take his latest shot at reviving the fortunes of the US's most polluting source of electricity: an executive order that would make the military buy it. Coal is the second most expensive source of power for the US grid, eclipsed by gas, wind, solar, hydro—everything other than nuclear power. It also produces the most pollution, including particulates that damage human lungs, chemicals that contribute to acid rain, and coal ash that contains many toxic metals. It also emits the most carbon dioxide per unit of energy produced. Prior to Trump's return to office, the US grid had been rapidly moving away from its use, including during his first term. Despite the long-standing Republican claims to support free markets, the second Trump administration has determined that the only way to keep coal viable is direct government intervention. Its initial attempts involved declaring an energy emergency and then using that to justify forcing coal plants slated for closure to continue operations . The emergency declaration relied on what appears to be a tenuous interpretation of the Federal Power Act, and the administration was already facing a lawsuit challenging these actions. Read full article Comments
Parents whose children are taken into care should receive trauma-informed support to reduce the risk of harm to any further babies they have, according to child protection experts. A national child safeguarding review, launched after the death of baby Victoria Marten, said that if “destructive cycles of harm are to be interrupted” there needed to be more focus on parents, as well as their vulnerab...
Parents whose children are taken into care should receive trauma-informed support to reduce the risk of harm to any further babies they have, according to child protection experts. A national child safeguarding review, launched after the death of baby Victoria Marten, said that if “destructive cycles of harm are to be interrupted” there needed to be more focus on parents, as well as their vulnerable baby or unborn infant. Victoria died in January 2023 after her parents, Constance Marten and her convicted rapist partner, Mark Gordon, took her to live in a tent in wintry conditions to evade social services. The child’s decomposed remains were found by police officers in March that year. The pair, who were jailed last September for 14 years for killing their newborn baby, had fled authorities to prevent Victoria being taken into care, as four older siblings had been previously, their Old Bailey case heard. A review, published by the national child safeguarding practice review panel, said the baby girl’s birth “was the last within her family of a rapid series of pregnancies, births and removals into care that by the time she was conceived had become a repeating pattern with devastating consequences”. Given this family history, the review said the professionals who dealt with the couple “needed to contemplate the prospect of Victoria being conceived and born well in advance, to have a better chance of engaging more productively with her parents”. Sir David Holmes, the chair of the panel, said: “Whereas the death of baby Victoria wasn’t predictable, her conception arguably was.” Holmes said it was difficult to know whether better professional engagement with baby Victoria’s parents would have prevented her death, but added: “There needs to be better engagement with families where there are risks of children being removed, so that we can try and interrupt the repeating cycle of children being removed and then another baby born and then that child being removed.” The review...
One in 14 children who died in England in a four-year period had parents who were close relatives, according to “stark” figures revealed by the first study of its kind. The figures, published by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), based at the University of Bristol, analysed all 13,045 child deaths in England between 2019 and 2023. Of these, 926 (7%) were found to be of children born to ...
One in 14 children who died in England in a four-year period had parents who were close relatives, according to “stark” figures revealed by the first study of its kind. The figures, published by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), based at the University of Bristol, analysed all 13,045 child deaths in England between 2019 and 2023. Of these, 926 (7%) were found to be of children born to consanguineous parents, meaning the mother and father are close blood relatives, such as first cousins. Although the exact number of children with consanguineous parents across England is unclear, the data clearly shows their overrepresentation within mortality statistics and requires “urgent action”, according to researchers. The largest geographical estimate of consanguinity currently available is from a large study following the lives of 13,000 babies born in Bradford. It found that one in six of these children had parents who were first cousins, most of whom come from the city’s Pakistani community. “This is the first analysis of its kind globally looking at consanguinity-related child deaths across a whole country and over a number of years,” said Prof Karen Luyt, the director of the NCMD and lead author of the study. “The NCMD’s dataset is unique: it is timely, complete and comprehensive, and it gives us a clearer insight than we have ever had of the impact of consanguinity on child mortality.” She added: “Seven per cent of child deaths over the period were of children born to consanguineous parents. These children might have died from any cause, but the data shows us very clearly that they are overrepresented in mortality statistics. Action is urgently required to improve outcomes for this group.” The report also revealed stark ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in child mortality and consanguinity. Of the deceased children with parents who were close relatives, four in five (79%) were from an Asian ethnic background, with the most common ethnicity being Pakistani,...
There are “tentative signs” that the housing market in England and Wales is recovering from a months-long slowdown after uncertainty around the autumn budget and economic pressures, estate agents and surveyors have reported. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said its members were feeling more optimistic about the year ahead than at any time since December 2024, as inquiries from ...
There are “tentative signs” that the housing market in England and Wales is recovering from a months-long slowdown after uncertainty around the autumn budget and economic pressures, estate agents and surveyors have reported. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said its members were feeling more optimistic about the year ahead than at any time since December 2024, as inquiries from new buyers, agreed sales and house prices became less negative in January. A monthly survey of chartered surveyors in England and Wales showed a net balance of 35% of Rics members expect an increase in house sales over the next 12 months. The index measures the difference between the share of agents reporting rising and falling optimism. Demand from new buyers was still down, however, with a net balance of -15% of respondents saying they had seen a further decrease in inquiries in January, but Rics said this figure showed “diminished negativity”, after a reading of -21% in December and -29% in November. Similarly, the volume of agreed sales improved, with net balance of -9%, which was the least negative reading since June 2025. House prices have also reached a “potential turning point”, the Rics survey said. Although more agents reported falling rather than rising house prices over the past three months, with the house price gauge standing at -10%, this was up from a low of -19% in October. Simon Rubinsohn, the chief economist at Rics, said: “There are early signs that market conditions may be improving after a challenging period, although activity levels are still subdued, meaning any recovery is likely to be gradual.” Estate agents and surveyors had reported that activity in the housing market slowed considerably in the months leading up to the autumn budget at the end of November, due to uncertainty over what taxes may be applied to property transactions. This included fears of changes of stamp duty and capital gains taxes being paid on some primary residences, although ...
Courtauld Gallery, London This quietly tremendous exhibition gathers more than half of the pointillist painter’s works, all depicting the Channel coast and sea, full of blizzards of light and a quivering sense of import Georges Seurat died young. His two most famous paintings, both extremely large and innovative in their composition and technique, were completed while he was still in his mid-20s. ...
Courtauld Gallery, London This quietly tremendous exhibition gathers more than half of the pointillist painter’s works, all depicting the Channel coast and sea, full of blizzards of light and a quivering sense of import Georges Seurat died young. His two most famous paintings, both extremely large and innovative in their composition and technique, were completed while he was still in his mid-20s. As it was, Seurat painted approximately 45 paintings before his death, probably from diphtheria, in March 1891 when he was 31. More than half these works depict the Channel coast and sea and were completed on his summer trips between 1885 and 1890. Seurat and the Sea at the Courtauld is the first exhibition to be devoted entirely to these images. Twenty-three paintings and smaller oil studies, and three drawings hang in two rooms. It is a quietly tremendous exhibition. Even if one takes on board the artist’s claims to science, objectivity and his adherence to theories about colour and perception which distance him from impressionism, Seurat’s paintings are peculiar and strange. Sometimes his line is very odd and stiff, yet his drawings themselves – tonal studies worked in conté crayon on textured, laid paper, are among the most marvellous I can think of. It is clear Seurat knew what he was doing; who knows what he might have gone on to achieve? Continue reading...
Companies like SoundHound have been on the decline as the artificial intelligence hype has begun to cool, but Palantir has real staying power. Artificial intelligence (AI) is perhaps the biggest story to hit the stock market since the internet 20 years ago. AI stocks have had an incredible bull run collectively over the past few years. But now the hype is beginning to cool, and simply being an AI ...
Companies like SoundHound have been on the decline as the artificial intelligence hype has begun to cool, but Palantir has real staying power. Artificial intelligence (AI) is perhaps the biggest story to hit the stock market since the internet 20 years ago. AI stocks have had an incredible bull run collectively over the past few years. But now the hype is beginning to cool, and simply being an AI company isn't enough to draw in investor dollars anymore. For proof, look no further than SoundHound AI. Since its stock's most recent peak at about $20 in October 2025, it has lost over half its value and is trading at $8.50 at the time of this writing. But not every AI name is struggling. Palantir Technologies (PLTR 2.75%) released some fantastic fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results recently, and over the past 12 months, its shares are up 29%. So we're beginning to see which AI companies are starting to flounder and which have real staying power. Palantir is the second kind, so let's look at its special sauce. The military's crystal ball Palantir gets its name from the seeing stones of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. In his books, they allowed their user to see far-away events or communicate instantaneously across vast distances. That's essentially what the company does for its clients, chief among them the U.S. government. Its Gotham software essentially puts all the information available about a battlefield into a single interface . Its Maven Smart System (MSS) is a platform specifically designed for the U.S. military for intelligence analysis. In August 2025, the Army signed a contract with Palantir that could be worth up to $10 billion over the next decade. Then, in September, the Marine Corps acquired a new enterprise license from the company to deploy the MSS across the branch. There is no disclosed dollar agreement for the Marine Corps contract. But based on a previous $480 million five-year agreement with the Department of Defense for MSS from 2024 (for which t...
Key Points Palantir is a leading AI company with products catering to both government and commercial needs. Its largest customer is the U.S. military, which is spending billions on its software. The company's latest results demonstrated rapid growth, high profitability, and negligible debt. 10 stocks we like better than Palantir Technologies › Artificial intelligence (AI) is perhaps the biggest st...
Key Points Palantir is a leading AI company with products catering to both government and commercial needs. Its largest customer is the U.S. military, which is spending billions on its software. The company's latest results demonstrated rapid growth, high profitability, and negligible debt. 10 stocks we like better than Palantir Technologies › Artificial intelligence (AI) is perhaps the biggest story to hit the stock market since the internet 20 years ago. AI stocks have had an incredible bull run collectively over the past few years. But now the hype is beginning to cool, and simply being an AI company isn't enough to draw in investor dollars anymore. For proof, look no further than SoundHound AI. Since its stock's most recent peak at about $20 in October 2025, it has lost over half its value and is trading at $8.50 at the time of this writing. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » But not every AI name is struggling. Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) released some fantastic fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results recently, and over the past 12 months, its shares are up 29%. So we're beginning to see which AI companies are starting to flounder and which have real staying power. Palantir is the second kind, so let's look at its special sauce. The military's crystal ball Palantir gets its name from the seeing stones of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. In his books, they allowed their user to see far-away events or communicate instantaneously across vast distances. That's essentially what the company does for its clients, chief among them the U.S. government. Its Gotham software essentially puts all the information available about a battlefield into a single interface . Its Maven Smart System (MSS) is a platform specifically designed for the U.S. military for intelligence analysis. In August 2025, the Army signed a contract with Palanti...
For the first time in more than a year, property agents expect house prices to rise in London, a survey revealed Thursday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said price expectations narrowly edged up in the capital at the start of the year, having fallen during every month in 2025. The monthly survey is closely-watched for indications of where the UK property market might be heading. Whi...
For the first time in more than a year, property agents expect house prices to rise in London, a survey revealed Thursday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said price expectations narrowly edged up in the capital at the start of the year, having fallen during every month in 2025. The monthly survey is closely-watched for indications of where the UK property market might be heading. While it measures the views of its members, other surveys have pointed to an extensive downturn in London’s house prices, the Office for National Statistics recording the longest losing run since the financial crisis. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves sent a chill through the property market in the run-up to her Nov. 26 budget, with expectations of a new “mansion tax” on millions of homes. In the end, Reeves imposed a levy on houses worth over £2 million ($2.7 million) — a charge that will particularly hit London, but is not as broad as had been feared. Some agents and surveyors told RICS that demand had become pent up ahead of the budget, and could be unleashed this year. Across the UK as a whole, RICS said new buyer enquiries improved in January, alongside agreed sales. Expectations of near-term sales fell, however, to a positive balance of 4%, down from December’s surprisingly high reading of 22%. “There are early signs that market conditions may be improving after a challenging period, although activity levels are still subdued,” said Simon Rubinsohn , RICS chief economist.
Key Points Generac's data center business is booming. Management expects the company's commercial and industrial sales to double in the coming years. 10 stocks we like better than Generac › Shares of Generac (NYSE: GNRC) popped on Wednesday after the energy solutions provider issued an encouraging, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered growth forecast. By the close of trading, Generac's stock price...
Key Points Generac's data center business is booming. Management expects the company's commercial and industrial sales to double in the coming years. 10 stocks we like better than Generac › Shares of Generac (NYSE: GNRC) popped on Wednesday after the energy solutions provider issued an encouraging, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered growth forecast. By the close of trading, Generac's stock price was up more than 17%. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » A booming new market Generac's fourth-quarter net sales fell 12% year over year to $1.1 billion. Fewer power outages led to lower shipments of portable generators. The energy technology specialist's residential product sales, in turn, declined by 23% to $572 million. However, Generac's commercial and industrial product revenue jumped 10% to $400 million, driven by higher sales to data center customers. "Our momentum in the data center end market has further accelerated as we continue to develop our position as a key supplier to multiple hyperscale customers, which are expected to add significant volumes to our backlog over the next several quarters," CEO Aaron Jagdfeld said in a press release. All told, Generac generated adjusted net income of $95 million, or $1.61 per share. That's down from $168 million, or $2.80 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Profits are set to rebound Generac sees full-year sales growth in the mid-teens percent range in 2026. Normalized power outage activity is projected to drive a 10% increase in residential product sales. Management also expects commercial and industrial sales to grow by a solid 30%, as Generac ramps up its data center business. "We are focused on dramatically increasing our capacity and capabilities for large megawatt generators, including the purchase of an additional manufacturing facil...
Unisplendour Corporation, a subsidiary of state-backed Tsinghua Holdings, has scrapped its Hong Kong listing plan that had been in the works for nearly a year. The Shenzhen-listed company said in an exchange filing on Wednesday that its board had voted to terminate the proposed share issuance on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The termination would not have any “significant impact” on its business o...
Unisplendour Corporation, a subsidiary of state-backed Tsinghua Holdings, has scrapped its Hong Kong listing plan that had been in the works for nearly a year. The Shenzhen-listed company said in an exchange filing on Wednesday that its board had voted to terminate the proposed share issuance on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The termination would not have any “significant impact” on its business operations, the statement added. Advertisement Simultaneously, Unisplendour announced plans to raise up to 5.57 billion yuan (US$800 million) via a private placement of shares on the Shenzhen bourse to fund the acquisition of a further 7 per cent stake in H3C Technologies, buy research and development equipment and repay loans. Unisplendour’s production line in Xiaoshan district in Hangzhou. Photo: Xinhua Its subsidiary H3C, originally a joint venture between 3Com and Huawei, is a provider of digital infrastructure, including AI servers, networking and cloud products. Unisplendour acquired a 51 per cent stake in H3C for US$2.3 billion in 2015.
(RTTNews) - The Singapore stock market has moved lower in three straight sessions, retreating more than 210 points or 6.4 percent along the way. The Straits Times Index now rests just above the 3,240-point plateau and it may extend its losses on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is bleak on continuing concerns about the health of the U.S. economy. The European and U.S. markets wer...
(RTTNews) - The Singapore stock market has moved lower in three straight sessions, retreating more than 210 points or 6.4 percent along the way. The Straits Times Index now rests just above the 3,240-point plateau and it may extend its losses on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is bleak on continuing concerns about the health of the U.S. economy. The European and U.S. markets were sharply lower on Monday and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion again - although this selloff is quite overdone and may fade as the day progresses. The STI finished sharply lower across the board on Monday, spooked by concerns over the health of the U.S. economy. For the day, the index stumbled 137.78 points or 4.07 percent to finish at 3,243.67 after trading between 3,211.78 and 3,315.95. Among the actives, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust dropped 2.82 percent, while CapitaLand Investment surrendered 4.46 percent, City Developments and Comfort DelGro both skidded 2.84 percent, DBS Group plunged 5.78 percent, Genting Singapore stumbled 4.17 percent, Hongkong Land rallied 1.56 percent, Keppel DC REIT was down 0.98 percent, Keppel Ltd declined 3.38 percent, Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust shed 2.31 percent, Mapletree Industrial Trust lost 2.19 percent, Mapletree Logistics Trust weakened 3.01 percent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation tanked 5.27 percent, SATS plummeted 6.48 percent, Seatrium Limited dipped 1.34 percent, SembCorp Industries sank 2.38 percent, Singapore Technologies Engineering retreated 4.09 percent, SingTel slid 1.36 percent, Thai Beverage fell 2.00 percent, Wilmar International slumped 3.13 percent, Yangzijiang Financial tumbled 4.41 percent, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding crashed 8.00 percent and Emperador was unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is brutal as the major averages opened deep in the red on Monday and stayed that way throughout the trading day. The Dow plummeted 1,033 .99 points or 2.60 percent to finish at 38,703....
Japan ’s fledgling opposition alliance is scrambling to regroup after a bruising election defeat that has left its future in doubt, raising broader questions about whether the country can sustain a credible parliamentary counterweight to the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) is set to elect a new leader on Friday, just days after voters delivered a resoundin...
Japan ’s fledgling opposition alliance is scrambling to regroup after a bruising election defeat that has left its future in doubt, raising broader questions about whether the country can sustain a credible parliamentary counterweight to the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) is set to elect a new leader on Friday, just days after voters delivered a resounding blow in Sunday’s House of Representatives poll, prompting the resignation of its joint chairs. Some political insiders argue that, given time, the CRA – a merger between the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, previously the largest opposition force, and Komeito, a religion-backed party that until recently governed alongside the LDP – could still mature into a coherent bloc capable of challenging the ruling party. Advertisement But others already see it as a doomed experiment. Supporters of the Centrist Reform Alliance listen to a speech at a campaign rally on Saturday, the eve of Japan’s election. Photo: AP Internal discussions began on Wednesday about who was best placed to lead the alliance after co-chairs Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito stepped down on Monday as the scale of the defeat became apparent.
"The work-life balance was at the heart of it," adds de Wit, who disagrees with the suggestion that their staff are now doing less work for the same amount of money. Instead he puts it down to "working smarter not harder".
"The work-life balance was at the heart of it," adds de Wit, who disagrees with the suggestion that their staff are now doing less work for the same amount of money. Instead he puts it down to "working smarter not harder".
Microsoft is spending billions on AI while investors panic. Here's why this could be the setup for a powerful long-term rebound. Microsoft (MSFT 2.10%) is facing investor skepticism as AI spending surges, but cloud demand, backlog growth, and Azure's scale suggest long-term upside may be building beneath the surface. Stock prices used were the market prices of Feb. 5, 2026. The video was published...
Microsoft is spending billions on AI while investors panic. Here's why this could be the setup for a powerful long-term rebound. Microsoft (MSFT 2.10%) is facing investor skepticism as AI spending surges, but cloud demand, backlog growth, and Azure's scale suggest long-term upside may be building beneath the surface. Stock prices used were the market prices of Feb. 5, 2026. The video was published on Feb. 11, 2026.
Join us as we dissect Redwire's potential in the space industry. With insights from seasoned analysts, find out if this stock is a hidden gem or a risky bet. Explore the exciting world of Redwire (RDW 3.94%) with our contributing expert analysts in this Motley Fool Scoreboard episode. Check out the video below to gain valuable insights into market trends and potential investment opportunities! *St...
Join us as we dissect Redwire's potential in the space industry. With insights from seasoned analysts, find out if this stock is a hidden gem or a risky bet. Explore the exciting world of Redwire (RDW 3.94%) with our contributing expert analysts in this Motley Fool Scoreboard episode. Check out the video below to gain valuable insights into market trends and potential investment opportunities! *Stock prices used were the prices of Dec. 17, 2025. The video was published on Feb. 11, 2026.