NEW YORK (ANP) - De beurzen in New York zijn vrijdag opnieuw met winst begonnen. Beleggers bleven optimistisch over een spoedig einde aan de oorlog in het Midden-Oosten. De Amerikaanse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Marco Rubio verklaarde enige beweging te zien bij Iran in de vredesbesprekingen, maar gaf niet aan op welke vlakken Iran bereid is tot concessies. De twee landen verschillen nog altijd van mening over de uraniumvoorraad van Iran en de controle van de Straat van Hormuz.

De Dow-Jonesindex noteerde kort na opening van de markt 0,6 procent hoger op 50.572 punten. De graadmeter van de dertig grootste Amerikaanse bedrijven eindigde donderdag op een nieuw slotrecord. De brede S&P 500-index won 0,7 procent tot 7498 punten en techbeurs Nasdaq kreeg er 0,8 procent bij op 26.481 punten. Beleggers maken zich ook op voor een lang weekend. Maandag zijn de beurzen in New York gesloten om Memorial Day.

‘This is a change byelection,’ says Labour mayor as he launches bid for Makerfield seat and lays out policy views

• UK politics live – latest updates

Andy Burnham has formally launched his campaign for the Makerfield byelection with a barely coded pitch for Downing Street, saying a vote for him to become the MP there was “a vote to change Labour”.

While not explicitly saying that he would seek to replace Keir Starmer, the Greater Manchester mayor used a speech to Labour MPs and activists in the constituency, followed by questions from the media , to lay out a series of national policy views, including on economy, immigration and electoral reform.

Continue reading...

London mayor accused of ‘putting politics above public safety’ for rejecting deal to use AI in intelligence analysis

Palantir has accused Sadiq Khan of “putting politics above public safety” after the London mayor blocked its £50m contract with the Metropolitan police in a move that has also led to tensions inside Labour over its involvement with the US tech company.

Louis Mosley, who heads Palantir in the UK and Europe, accused Khan of politicising procurement after he rejected a two-year deal for Scotland Yard to use AI to process intelligence in criminal investigations, as first revealed by the Guardian. Mosley said: “What Londoners value is not being mugged, not being raped by a serving police officer.”

Continue reading...

Cannes film festival: Lukas Dhont’s first world war-set gay romance is a heartfelt examination of cowardice and lives lived in secret amid the brutality of battle

The word of the title is not used at any time in this film, but the relevance is clear. On the western front in the first world war, Belgian soldiers get permission to form a theatrical troupe, often in drag, to entertain their comrades when they are behind the lines and raise their morale (not entirely unlike the now despised 70s BBC TV comedy It Ain’t Half Hot Mum). The director is Lukas Dhont who explored gay and transgender issues in movies such as Girl and Close, and this story of a gay affair in the army is heartfelt and well acted, if rather earnestly researched.

The motley “band of rejects”, evidently excused frontline combat duty for various reasons, is led by Francis (Valentin Campagne), a tailor in civilian life who has now ecstatically flowered in the new role the war has given him. He is exuberant, mischievous, imaginative and genuinely committed to his theatrical art. The resulting entertainments look professionally accomplished. (Did these first world war gang shows really have people playing flute and clarinet?) One stolidly handsome, shy soldier called Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia) is fascinated by these theatrical types and by Francis himself; he deliberately stabs his own hand with a bayonet on the field of battle so he can join their group.

Continue reading...

De wispelturige omgang van de EU met één Chinees bedrijfje (waar u vermoedelijk nooit van gehoord heeft) legt bloot waarom Brussel het zo moeilijk vindt hard op te treden in zijn buitenlandbeleid. Eigen kortetermijnbelangen gaan voor, elke keer weer.

Tom de Swaan was toezichthouder, toen bankier, toen commissaris. Nu is de 80-jarige afgetreden als president-commissaris bij ABN Amro. „Ik ga ervan uit dat toezichthouders zich wel eens aan mij geërgerd hebben.”

Kimi Antonelli admits that trying to sustain his strong run of form at the Canadian Grand Prix and beyond is a big unknown 'even for myself', as the Italian eyes a maiden Formula 1 title.

Gabriel Bortoleto believes that Kimi Antonelli should not be compared to Max Verstappen this early in his career.