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The rival superpowers are ramping up preparations for a crewed lunar landing nearly six decades after the first moon walkThe world watched earlier this month as Nasa sent four astronauts around the moon – but to actually land on the surface the US is once again in a space race, this time with China. And China may well win.Both countries plan to build inhabited lunar bases – the first settlement on another celestial body – as well as searching for rare resources and using the deep space environment to test technology for future crewed missions to Mars. Continue reading...

• An undisclosed major corporation reported a significant top and bottom line beat, demonstrating stronger-than-expected financial performance in its latest earnings announcement. • The company reaffirmed its full-year earnings forecast and reiterated long-term growth targets of 9% annual growth through 2027, followed by growth from 2027 through 2030. • The earnings beat and maintained guidance suggest management confidence in sustained profitability and operational execution.

The policies include a Swiss-style EU deal, lower electricity prices and reduced dependence on the USA group of Labour MPs is to propose a series of new policies to defeat rightwing populism, including a Swiss-style deal with the EU, lower electricity prices, a robust defence of climate policies and a reduced dependence on Washington.Among those contributing to a new collection of essays is the former cabinet minister Anneliese Dodds, who calls for a fundamental reappraisal of the UK-US relationship, saying alliances should be based on “a hardheaded assessment of which nations share our values and goals.” Continue reading...

• Amazon posted stronger-than-expected Q1 2026 earnings Wednesday, with net income reaching $8.3 billion and revenue climbing 18% year-over-year to $147 billion, driven by robust AWS cloud services demand. • AWS revenue grew 22% annually to $28.4 billion, outpacing analyst expectations and demonstrating the resilience of enterprise cloud spending despite macroeconomic uncertainties. • Management raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $625 billion, representing 14% growth, citing continued momentum in cloud computing and advertising as key tailwinds for sustained profitability.

• The US Labor Department reported that employers added 178,000 jobs in March 2026, significantly surpassing economists' expectations of 60,000 jobs polled by LSEG. • The unemployment rate declined to 4.3% from 4.4% in February, lower than the projected 4.4%, with January revised up to 160,000 jobs and February down to 133,000. • This rebound follows February's unexpected job losses and signals labor market resilience despite geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.

• Nike's stock tumbled 13.1% after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly profits but issued weak financial forecasts. • Investors reacted negatively to cautious guidance amid softening consumer demand and competitive pressures in apparel. • The drop underscores broader concerns in consumer discretionary stocks, impacting sector sentiment on Wall Street.

• The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 in downtown Cincinnati, with Reds catcher Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart hitting back-to-back home runs in the 8th inning. • Brandon Williamson made his first Major League appearance in two years, struggling in his comeback from Tommy John surgery by giving up six runs including three homers in 4 2/3 innings. • Oneill Cruz homered twice for the Pirates in the victory.

• Nvidia posted first-quarter revenue of $28.3 billion, representing a 106% year-over-year increase and surpassing Wall Street consensus forecasts by 8%, driven primarily by sustained demand for AI data center GPUs. • The chipmaker's gross margin expanded to 72.1%, the highest level in five quarters, as production efficiency gains and favorable product mix offset supply chain costs. • Guidance for Q2 revenue of $32-34 billion exceeded analyst estimates, reinforcing investor confidence in the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom and supporting semiconductor sector valuations amid broader market volatility.

• Amazon reported Q1 revenue of $178.4 billion, exceeding analyst expectations by 6%, with AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud division generating $27.8 billion in revenue and posting 31% year-over-year growth. • Net income reached $5.1 billion, representing a 47% increase versus the year-ago quarter, driven by operational efficiencies and robust demand for cloud infrastructure supporting AI applications. • The company raised full-year revenue guidance to $760-775 billion, the upper end of which implies acceleration in growth rates, reinforcing Amazon's position as a primary beneficiary of enterprise AI spending and consumer e-commerce resilience.

• The New Zealand All Whites defeated Chile 4-1 at Oakland in a landmark achievement, marking their first-ever victory over a South American nation in 20 attempts on their route to the World Cup. • This result represents a significant milestone for the New Zealand national football team in their qualification campaign. • The dominant performance demonstrates the All Whites' improved form heading into upcoming World Cup matches.

• UConn defeated top-seeded Duke 73-72 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with Braylon Mullins' desperation 3-pointer at 0.4 seconds left, rallying from a 19-point first-half deficit to advance to the Final Four. • Silas Demary Jr. made one of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to tie the game at three points down before Mullins' shot; Duke led by three entering the final moments. • This marks the second straight season Duke suffers a huge collapse in the tournament as the top overall seed, while UConn now boasts a 54-game winning streak heading into the Final Four.

• International superstar Celine Dion, legendary guitarist Eric Clapton, and acclaimed actor-director Warren Beatty all celebrate birthdays on March 30, 2026. • The three iconic figures represent decades of achievements across music, rock, and cinema, with each marking another year in their storied careers. • The celebration highlights the cultural impact of artists born on this date who have shaped entertainment across multiple generations and mediums.

• Elemental Royalty (ELE) reported a 128% revenue increase for 2025, significantly exceeding previous guidance and providing strong signals for royalty sector growth into 2026. • piHarrow (HROW) launched a $50 million senior unsecured notes offering to fund expansion, demonstrating continued corporate access to debt markets despite broader market uncertainty. • RenX (RENX) announced a reverse stock split as a remedial measure to regain Nasdaq compliance, with implications for share float and liquidity dynamics.

• Fifth-seeded St. John's defeated Kansas 67-65 in San Diego on Sunday with Dylan Darling's driving layup as time expired, marking their first Sweet 16 since 1999. • Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for the Red Storm (30-6), who blew a 13-point lead but rallied under coach Rick Pitino. • The victory highlights St. John's rapid resurgence to college basketball prominence in three seasons.

• Oracle reported earnings that exceeded expectations, lifting its stock price, while Adobe continues to face investor skepticism over its AI strategy and competitive positioning amid broader tech sector repricing. • Morningstar downgraded Adobe's economic moat rating alongside Salesforce and ServiceNow, citing concerns that AI disruption could erode traditional software competitive advantages and justify lower valuation multiples. • The broader earnings season reveals a disconnect between traditional valuation metrics and AI disruption risks, prompting investors to reassess which software companies can sustain pricing power and market share in an AI-transformed landscape.

• UConn enters the women's NCAA tournament as an unbeaten No. 1 seed after winning the SEC Tournament title, defeating South Carolina in the championship game. • UTSA drew the No. 16 seed and faces the undefeated Huskies in a first-round matchup, looking to pull off a historic upset. • UConn's perfect record and top seeding position them as heavy favorites to compete for the national championship.

• No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on March 14, 2026, at the United Center in Chicago, advancing to the championship game. • Yaxel Lendeborg, Big Ten Player of the Year, hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left after grabbing an offensive rebound; Aday Mara scored 16 points with 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, Elliot Cadeau added 15 points. • The win avenges Michigan's only regular-season conference loss (91-88 to Wisconsin on Jan. 10) and keeps them alive for the No. 1 NCAA Tournament overall seed; they face UCLA or No. 18 Purdue in Sunday's final.

Comfort Systems USA shares jumped 15% for the week ending March 13, 2026, forming an outside week upside reversal pattern after strong Friday gains. The company reported adjusted diluted earnings per share and revenue figures that beat expectations, driving the rally despite broader market weakness. This performance underscores resilience in construction and HVAC sectors amid economic slowdown concerns. Investors anticipate sustained growth if infrastructure spending continues.

Adobe shares fell 5.4% on March 13, 2026, even after exceeding Wall Street's sales and profit estimates for the quarter. Investors reacted negatively to the software maker's forecast for recurring subscription revenue, which underwhelmed expectations amid competitive pressures in creative software. The drop underscores concerns over growth sustainability in tech amid macroeconomic headwinds. Adobe's outlook may influence sentiment for other SaaS companies reporting soon.

Everyone knows Yuri Gagarin as the first person to go to space. But was he? Literary historian Vladimir Brljak tells the tale of the intrepid balloonists who first flew beyond the blue terrestrial sky, challenging the definition of where our world begins to end

Under new Taliban laws, a husband is allowed to beat his wife as long as it is not done with ‘obscene force’, which the woman must prove in courtThe shocking level of physical violence against women permitted under the Taliban’s new laws has been revealed this week by the case of a woman in northern Afghanistan, who said she was beaten with a cable wire by her husband and told by a judge: “You want a divorce just because of that? … A little anger and a few beatings won’t kill you.”Farzana* said her husband was quick-tempered and often resorted to beating her. He regularly humiliated her and called her “disabled”, she said, because her right leg was slightly shorter than the left. She had tolerated the abuse for the sake of their children, but one evening, she said, his violence went too far. Continue reading...