Author: Jack Mulligan

The UK’s unemployment rate has fallen unexpectedly, but the headline improvement does not tell the full story. The decline to 4.9% in the three months to February looks encouraging at first glance, especially because economists had expected the rate to remain at 5.2%. Yet a closer look shows the change was driven less by a surge in hiring than by a rise in the number of people stepping back from the labour market altogether. That distinction matters. In unemployment statistics, people are only counted as unemployed if they are actively looking for work. If more people stop searching, the jobless…

Mexico has opened an investigation into whether its constitution and national security laws were breached after two U.S. embassy officials died in a car crash following a drug lab operation in Chihuahua. The case has quickly become politically sensitive because reports that the two Americans were CIA operatives have raised new questions about the real extent of U.S. involvement in anti-cartel operations on Mexican soil. The issue is larger than the accident itself. At the center of the controversy is whether local officials in Chihuahua coordinated with U.S. personnel without the required authorization from Mexico’s federal government. If that happened,…

What looked like a publicity stunt ended up feeling more like a statement of intent. In a half-marathon in Beijing that pitted humans against humanoid robots, one machine did not just win its category or outperform expectations. It outran every human competitor in the field and did so by a huge margin. The winning robot, a bright-red humanoid named Lightning, completed the 13-mile race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, comfortably ahead of the fastest human runner and even faster than the current human world-record pace for the distance. The image is almost absurd on first reading: a robot crashes…

Microsoft is rolling out a new set of Windows 11 Insider changes, and one of the most important focuses on a tool almost every user touches every day: File Explorer. The latest update brings improvements aimed at launch speed, overall performance and reliability, while also addressing visual glitches that have frustrated users in dark mode. The move matters because File Explorer is one of the most frequently used parts of Windows. When it feels slow or unstable, the entire system can feel heavier than it should. By targeting Explorer directly, Microsoft is trying to improve not just one app, but…

The parent company behind QVC and HSN has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, marking another major blow for a legacy television retail model that has struggled to keep pace with changing shopping habits. QVC Group said the filing is intended to significantly reduce its debt and improve its financial footing, allowing the company to keep operating while it restructures. The company framed the move as a financial reset rather than a shutdown. Management said the process is designed to give the business a stronger structure and create better conditions for a return to growth. That message is important because both…

Iran sought to calm markets on Friday by declaring that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial shipping during the ceasefire linked to the fighting between Israel and Lebanon. But the announcement quickly created as many questions as answers, because Tehran also attached conditions that made the practical meaning of “open” far less clear. At first glance, the statement appeared to signal a major step toward easing one of the most disruptive energy shocks in recent history. Any genuine reopening of the strait would matter enormously, given its central role in global oil flows and the strain its closure…

The UK economy delivered a stronger-than-expected performance in February, offering a brief positive signal before the latest surge in energy prices darkened the outlook. Official figures showed that gross domestic product rose by 0.5% during the month, the fastest monthly increase in more than two years and well ahead of forecasts that had pointed to a far weaker reading. The result was made slightly stronger by an upward revision to January, which was changed from flat growth to a modest expansion of 0.1%. Together, those two months suggest the economy had entered 2026 in better shape than previously thought. But…

The International Monetary Fund is warning that the war involving Iran could push public debt even higher across the world, leaving governments trapped between two bad options: help households cope with another cost-of-living shock or protect already fragile public finances. In the fund’s view, this conflict is not arriving in a stable fiscal environment. It is hitting at a time when many countries are still carrying the scars of years of heavy borrowing, weak growth and repeated economic disruption. The danger is clear. Rising energy and food prices are pushing up the pressure on governments to spend more, while weaker…

Alex Ovechkin closed the regular season with another point, another wave of chants from Capitals fans and another reminder that his story may not be finished just yet. Whether Tuesday night was the last NHL game of his career remains uncertain, but if it was, the longtime Washington captain made sure he left his mark on the scoresheet one more time. Ovechkin recorded an assist on Jakob Chychrun’s late go-ahead goal in the Capitals’ 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, helping Washington finish the season on a positive note. After the game, he did not give a definitive answer…

After months of appearing in test versions and limited rollouts, YouTube Music’s redesigned Now Playing screen is finally starting to reach users more broadly. The update has been teased for so long that it almost felt permanent in preview form, but it now appears to be moving into a fuller release across devices. The redesign does not completely reinvent the player, but it changes the balance of what the screen emphasizes. Instead of keeping the queue more hidden in the background, the new layout gives much more attention to what is coming next, making the listening experience feel more focused…