From the moment a contortionist crawls out of a bank vault, the 12-hour hunt for the culprits is a thrilling ride. Just suspend your disbelief a bit and strap in for a fantastic time

A contortionist crawls out of a safety deposit box in the wall of an underground Swiss bank vault, legs wrapped around his waist, feet resting on his lumbar spine, landing on hands and displaced knees on the tiled floor. You know what? SOLD. You have just earned my undivided attention for the next hour of whatever you want to present to me.

Under such highly promising circumstances does the new heist thriller 12 12 12 begin. It stars Anthony Mackie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Jamie Dornan (building a nice career since 2013’s The Fall, if we gloss over the 50 Shades movies and the one where he played a romantic hero who believed he was a bee) as its antagonists locked in an international cat-and-mouse game over eight episodes. One can only imagine the anguish when no one could make it stretch to 12.

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While Spain, Germany and the UK have all introduced laws protecting renters’ rights, Luís Montenegro’s centre-right government is empowering landlords

As Storm Charles reached Portugal’s shores this week, flights were aborted, schools were closed, and the global Web Summit in Lisbon was forced to cancel a whole day of lucrative events. But even the promise of some very bad weather was not enough to deter housing protesters from setting up camp for another night on the streets.

Since 14 October, echoing recent eruptions over housing in Spain, and the fierce student-led protests in France, Lisbon and Porto have become the focus for encampments and daily protests drawing people in their thousands. Almost one month later, they show no sign of disappearing.

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Exclusive: Fossil fuels no longer dominant energy source, IEA leader says, as summit considers electrification pledge

The world has left behind the age of coal, oil and gas and is now firmly in “the age of electricity”, the world’s leading energy economist has said.

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said more than twice as much electricity generation would be added to the global economy in the next decade than in the last, as countries scramble to secure their energy supplies against fossil fuel price volatility and supply shocks, such as the Iran war.

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Property sales that complete on this day have a lower median price. Air fares are cheaper. Weddings are non-existent. And motor collisions increase. How did it become so mired in superstition?

“I have only worked one Friday 13th wedding in my 14 years in business,” says Caroline Smyth, a photographer and celebrant based in Larne, Northern Ireland. “I definitely think it is down to the fact that it’s a date surrounded by superstition. People are maybe afraid it’s a bad omen for their marriage.”

Smyth’s sole Friday 13th wedding, in September 2013, was the first she ever photographed – and it kickstarted her career. But for many businesses, the date is not so auspicious. From weddings to flights, job interviews to elective surgeries, many people avoid booking anything of significance on this date, believing it to be bad luck.

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The teen pop star turned Olivier-winning actor stars as Andrew Scott’s best friend in the acclaimed Ian Charleson biopic. She talks kindred spirits, social media and trying to channel a ‘mad storm of grief’

The late Billie Whitelaw, whom Samuel Beckett considered “a perfect actress”, was on stage in the middle of rehearsals one day when she asked the playwright: “Where should I be looking?” To which Beckett replied: “Inwards.”

Hearing this story, another Billie – the teen pop star turned Doctor Who companion and Olivier award-winning powerhouse Billie Piper – lets out a laugh so raucous and expansive, it is as if a flock of gaily coloured birds has been released into the room, flapping and squawking in every corner. “Fuck, that’s awesome,” she says.

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Backed by MPs from across the political divide, Bavarian Ilse Aigner offers an approachability and warmth the chancellor lacks

Germany has had 12 presidents since the end of the second world war, all of them men. Now, for the first time, the federal republic is on the brink of getting a female head of state. But Ilse Aigner, the lead candidate for the post, is unusual in more ways than one.

“No law degree. No marriage. No penis,” is how the left-leaning Taz newspaper put it this week – a wry, if blunt, assessment of what a break with history the 61-year-old Bavarian represents.

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Defence minister says extent of sexual misconduct found by study is ‘unacceptable’, as military tries to attract more recruits

Germany’s defence minister has promised a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual abuse in the armed forces after a study found soldiers, particularly women, faced extensive harassment within the ranks.

The first comprehensive study of its kind into the Bundeswehr, conducted by the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences in Potsdam and released this week, comes as the military is trying to attract new recruits in response to global threats.

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AMSTERDAM (ANP) - Nederlandse transportbedrijven moeten zich voorbereiden op blijvende verschuivingen in routes, ladingstromen en logistieke kosten. Dat zeggen ING, branchevereniging Transport en Logistiek Nederland (TLN) en transportverzekeraar TVM in een rapport. Oorlogen, handelsbeperkingen, importheffingen en de strijd om kritieke grondstoffen veranderen namelijk goederenstromen van en naar Nederland. Bedrijven moeten vanwege de geopolitieke spanningen snel inspelen op veranderingen en alternatieve routes uitstippelen, vinden de organisaties.

Er ligt een "duidelijke opgave" voor transportorganisaties, zeggen ze. Bedrijven die alternatieve routes ontwikkelen, hun klantenbasis verbreden en flexibel capaciteit kunnen inzetten, zijn beter in staat in te spelen op de veranderingen. "Nu geopolitiek productie en goederenstromen verplaatst, wordt wendbaarheid minstens zo belangrijk. De winnaars van morgen zijn de bedrijven die met die stromen weten mee te bewegen", zegt ING-sectorbankier Erik Slaaf.

Historische vervoerspatronen bieden steeds minder houvast voor Nederlandse transportbedrijven, stellen de drie organisaties in een studie die is uitgevoerd door onderzoeksbureau Panteia. Zo is de productie van basischemicaliën, waaronder grondstoffen voor kunststoffen, in de EU de afgelopen jaren volgens het drietal met zo'n 30 procent gedaald. De productie van personenauto's ligt bijna een kwart lager. Hierdoor zouden bepaalde vervoersstromen uit de Nederlandse havens naar andere Europese bestemmingen afnemen en moeten transporteurs vaker nieuwe ladingstromen en opdrachten op andere plekken in Europa zoeken.

Concurrentiepositie

Daarnaast leiden verstoorde internationale vaarroutes tot langere transittijden, hogere logistieke kosten en grotere schommelingen in de vraag naar transportcapaciteit.

In de chemie zijn de veranderingen volgens de organisaties het duidelijkst te zien. De concurrentiepositie van de chemiesector in Noordwest-Europa staat onder druk door onder meer hoge energiekosten. Traditioneel kwamen veel basisgrondstoffen via Rotterdam en Antwerpen binnen, waarna deze in omliggende chemieclusters werden verwerkt tot chemische halffabricaten die verder over Europa werden verspreid. Maar dit verandert, nu een groter deel van deze halffabricaten buiten Europa wordt geproduceerd. Voor vervoerders die afhankelijk zijn van de traditionele chemische goederenstromen in Noordwest-Europa kan dit betekenen dat volumes verschuiven of afnemen, vrezen ING, TLN en TVM.

Saai van buiten, verbluffend van binnen. Databasesoftware is de meest complexe software die er is. De wetenschap erachter heeft opvallend veel Nederlandse wortels.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Hill: Elon Musk's SpaceX plans to invest more than $74 billion into building two data centers in Texas and Arizona, the company announced Thursday, marketing them as projects that will boost local communities amid backlash surrounding such facilities. "These investments will expand local tax bases, generate substantial new revenue for schools and public services, and create economic opportunities that extend far beyond the facilities themselves," the company said in a release. SpaceX said it will put more than $24 billion into a new project in Texas's Rio Grande Valley, expanding the company's headquarters in Starbase -- a coastal town the tech giant established in 2025 in a previously unincorporated area of Cameron County. In Arizona, SpaceX will invest around $50 billion in Cochise County, a rural area east of Tucson bordering Mexico and New Mexico.

SpaceX pledged the new projects will be created cooperatively with the surrounding communities and will be environmentally conscious. The company said the project in Texas would generate its own power and invest $220 million to expand the water supply in nearby Brownsville. While in Arizona, it vowed to work with local electric cooperatives and "potentially" reduce electric bills, saying the site would use dry cooling without water consumption. "They require strong partnerships with local communities, responsible environmental stewardship, and stable, competitive policies that give companies the confidence to make long-term investments," the company said in a release. Both sites promise hundreds of permanent jobs even once construction is complete.

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