All posts tagged: strong

Strong US job growth beats expectations in May, firming recent gains

Strong US job growth beats expectations in May, firming recent gains

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: US job growth surged past expectations in May with the unemployment rate remaining steady, as the labour market in the world’s largest economy showed signs of firming after months of turbulence. Wall Street stocks traded lower on the news, with investors expecting a strong labour market means the Federal Reserve will switch its focus to combating inflation through rate hikes later this year. US President Donald Trump railed at that development, insisting on social media that “stocks should go up, not down,” adding: “Growth does not mean inflation!” Total non-farm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 per cent, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday (Jun 5). US job growth has see-sawed between expansion and contraction from month to month over the last year, but May’s data marked the third straight month of increases. Dan North, senior economist at Allianz Trade, told AFP the new data was “pretty bulletproof” in establishing a job growth trend. “The economy’s on pretty firmer footing than we …

Follower of Hieronymus Bosch Painting Leads Strong Old Masters Week in New York

Follower of Hieronymus Bosch Painting Leads Strong Old Masters Week in New York

Published by Jenni Sidey

A small painting of hell by a follower of Hieronymus Bosch led a string of surprise results during this week’s Old Masters sales in New York, selling for $537,600 at Sotheby’s against an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. (All prices include buyer’s premium unless otherwise noted.) The result came as Christie’s Old Masters and 19th Century Paintings sale brought in nearly $7 million with a sell-though rate of 89 percent, while the similarly titled sale at Sotheby’s sale totaled $6.4 million with a slightly higher sell-through rate of 92 percent. Together, the auctions offered another reminder that collectors will fight for the right picture, especially when it comes with strong scholarship, a fresh attribution, or a good story. Related Articles The Bosch follower panel, titled Hell, was packed with the strange creatures, demons, and punishments that made the artist famous. In the bottom right, a ferociously grotesque “hell mouth” holds a platter in one hand and a pitcher in the other, while human figures writhe and suffer on its wicked tongue. Angels appear to be fleeing in …

Strictly’s Anton and Craig have strong opinions: best podcasts of the week | Television & radio

Strictly’s Anton and Craig have strong opinions: best podcasts of the week | Television & radio

Published by Sam Flores

Pick of the weekJudgemental The freshly announced Strictly Come Dancing hosts have been generating huge online chatter, but this podcast will ensure that (half of) the judging panel isn’t totally overshadowed. Judgemental sees Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood prove they have strong opinions on more than just an ex-soap star’s pasodoble by trading verdicts on everything from pop culture to sartorial dilemmas to listeners’ workplace dramas. Rachel AroestiWidely available, episodes weekly from Tuesday 9 June Manosphere Messiahs Toxic masculinity in the west has been documented extensively over the past couple of years; now this podcast from BBC World Service looks at the manosphere on a global scale. To begin, reporter Jacqui Wakefield investigates the influencers preaching misogyny in Mexico and Kenya, getting insight from their fans as well as the women personally affected. RAWidely available, episodes weekly Who’s With Me? With W Kamau Bell On the spot … W Kamau Bell. Photograph: Erika Goldring/Getty Images In what may be an early example of a new trend, US standup comedian W Kamau Bell is …

Andy Burnham calls for ‘strong public control’ over industry and AI

Andy Burnham calls for ‘strong public control’ over industry and AI

Published by Sam Flores

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 9: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosts the first roundtable of regional English mayors with Andy Burnham (R) Mayor of Greater Manchester, at Downing Street on July 9, 2024 in London, England. Sir Keir Starmer hosted the first roundtable with metro mayors from 11 regions across England. (Photo by Ian Vogler – WPA Pool/Getty Images) Wpa Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images Andy Burnham, the politician who threatens to topple U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership, has called for tighter regulation on AI, Big Tech and key industries if he returns to central government. “Lest we forget: the principal cause of the 2008 crash was a failure of regulation,” the Labour Party politician and Mayor of Greater Manchester said in an article published by U.K. newspaper The Times on Thursday evening. “So how can a new wave of deregulation plausibly be the answer to the problems we have experienced since? This is … the kind of thinking that would doom us to repeat past mistakes and, if we’re …

Michigan expands free gambling blocking program following strong early resident demand

Michigan expands free gambling blocking program following strong early resident demand

Published by skeptic

Michigan gambling regulators are expanding a free program that blocks betting websites and apps after residents quickly claimed most of the first round of licenses. The Michigan Gaming Control Board said Thursday (May 21) it bought 100 additional Gamban licenses after more than 80 of the original 100 were claimed during the program’s first two weeks. The software is available at no cost to Michigan residents and works across Android, iOS, Windows and macOS devices. Gambling ads can be hard to ignore. Stay safe by: Playing only with licensed operators in Michigan Setting limits before you bet Knowing the signs of problem gambling Learn more about how to protect yourself and find resources at https://t.co/Swx2u80pWS pic.twitter.com/Ua8EeF0t5a — Michigan Gaming Control Board (@MichiganGCB) May 22, 2026 Each license can be used on unlimited household devices, giving users the ability to block gambling platforms across phones, tablets and computers with a single account. “The response from Michigan residents in the first two weeks of this program exceeded our expectations and speaks to a genuine need in our …

Rubio Says U.S.-India Ties Are Strong, Despite Fury Over Trump’s Actions

Rubio Says U.S.-India Ties Are Strong, Despite Fury Over Trump’s Actions

Published by Sam Flores

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the Trump administration remained committed to a strategic partnership with India, apparently trying to defuse tensions from President Trump’s aggressive actions in the past year against India and Indians living in the United States. “The U.S.-India relationship has not lost any momentum,” he said in a news conference in New Delhi on the second day of a four-day trip to India. “The relationship continues to be strong.” Mr. Rubio, who has met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials on the trip, said the United States wants to continue working with India on trade and investment in advanced technologies. And he said Mr. Trump’s efforts to impose tariffs on Indian imports to the United States — a 50 percent in initial salvos last summer — were not aimed at India specifically but were part of a global effort to create better balances of trade for the United States. The tariffs are a tax paid by American companies that import goods from India. “There’s a huge …

Queen Camilla can’t hide her honest reaction to ‘very strong’ Irish drink

Queen Camilla can’t hide her honest reaction to ‘very strong’ Irish drink

Published by Daniella Wilson

Queen Camilla, 78, is known to be a fan of red wine and has also been partial to a gin and Dubonnet, but we don’t think the royal will be adding whiskey to her drinks order any time soon. Earlier this week, on a trip to Northern Ireland, Camilla and her husband King Charles visited Titanic Distillers for an exclusive tour. During the look-around, they were both given a tipple to try – and it appeared to take Her Majesty by surprise.  The Queen lifted the glass to her nose to smell it, and her head involuntarily jolted backwards in a very slight but distinct movement. She then smirked to herself at the reaction, but wasn’t deterred and straight away went in for a sip. After tasting, she branded it: “Very strong,” as her husband turned to her to see what she thought of it.  Charles, however, is a big whiskey fan, and he even sells his own Scotch at Highgrove. So it appeared easier to swallow for Charles, who had a try and then enthusiastically …

Phillips Modern & Contemporary Sale Nets  5.2 M., With Strong Results for Women Artists

Phillips Modern & Contemporary Sale Nets  $115.2 M., With Strong Results for Women Artists

Published by José Betancourt

The Phillips team appeared joyous with the results of its modern and contemporary art evening sale, which got underway at the respectable time of 5pm on Tuesday. The auction house achieved $115.2 million against an estimate of $84.2 million—its highest presale estimate since the frothy days of 2022. All 40 lots found buyers, with 2 works, by Richard Prince and Albert Oehlen, withdrawn before the sale. This sale total was almost double November’s $61.2 million for 31 lots (not including the dinosaur fossils it offered), and more than double the $52 million for 36 lots in May 2025. Looking at it another way, the sale’s average lot value, $2.9 million, is more than double the $1.4 million average lot value from last May. Related Articles Only about 19 of the 40 lots had third-party guarantees. Given that several works hammered below their low estimates, it seems that many consignors were willing to accept lower reserves. About 50 percent of the lots recieved priority bids through Phillips’s proprietary system, which gives bidders a 4 percent discount …

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ review: The nostalgia is strong with this one

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ review: The nostalgia is strong with this one

Published by Sam Flores

Nearly 50 years on from “Star Wars” and the launch of a media empire (large or small “e”? You decide), the fandom has become its own galaxy of warring planets. But based on the success of the streaming series “The Mandalorian,” set around the title bounty hunter, we can all agree that his charge Grogu — green, wrinkled, big-eyed Baby You-Know-Who — is still adorable. Of the many “Star Wars” offshoots, this seems to be the sturdiest. The brand is back together for “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which is a movie, a hoped-for franchise revival, a fourth season of sorts and an affable throwback. But it’s never quite riveting enough as canon or fodder to supplant anyone’s memories of [insert favorite “Star Wars” film here]. The expectations game was never going to help series creator Jon Favreau’s big-screen version, written with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor. Granted, this upscaled, agreeably rangy treatment of an adventure storyline that wouldn’t have been out of place on the show could have attempted more. Especially when it puts sci-fi …