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Original title: China’s navy is expanding at breakneck speed - and catching up with the US China’s navy is expanding at breakneck speed - and catching up with the US 11 hours ago Share Save Laura Bicker China correspondent Share Save Getty Images Aircraft carrier Liaoning sets out for a sea trial from China’s Dalian shipyard in early 2024 “Socialism is good…” a pensioner warbles into a portable karaoke mic, slightly off-key and drowned out by her friends’ chatter. But they join her for the chorus: “The Communist Party guides China on the path to power and wealth!” It is not the catchiest karaoke number. But it is an apt one to belt out as they look towards a horizon framed by cranes towering over ships of all sizes. Suoyuwan park in Dalian, which juts out of north-eastern China into the Yellow Sea, has stunning views of one of China’s largest shipyards, and is a place to gather and be merry. But to White House analysts thousands of miles away in Washington, this cradle of Chinese shipbuilding is part of a growing threat. In the last two decades, China has ramped up investmen ...

Original title: More parents to get childcare funding as nurseries struggle with demand More parents to get childcare funding as nurseries struggle with demand 2 hours ago Share Save Vanessa Clarke Education reporter Share Save Vanessa Clarke/BBC The final phase of the largest-ever expansion of publicly funded childcare support has begun in England, as thousands of working parents receive more help with their nursery costs. Those eligible are now able to access 30 hours of childcare per week during term-time, paid for by the government, for their children aged nine months to four years. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a “landmark moment” for working families, and that the scheme would “put money back in working parents’ pockets”. But parents say they are facing long waiting lists for places, with nurseries warning that staff shortages are limiting their availability. How working parents can get 30 hours of free childcare Parents Josh Harper and Chloe Hart say their 18-month-old son Oakley’s name was the first one on the waiting list at his new nursery in Altri ...

Original title: Chris Columbus Says ‘Harry Potter’ Reunion Is “Never Going to Happen” Due to J.K. Rowling’s Transphobia Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies, said a reunion with the original cast is “never going to happen” due to author J.K. Rowling‘s anti-trans stances. The filmmaker has previously expressed interest in a film adaptation of the Broadway play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with the cast of the beloved franchise, but has since scrapped his plans because it’s gotten too “complicated.” “It’s never going to happen,” Columbus recently told The Times U.K. “It’s gotten so complicated with all the political stuff. Everyone in the cast has their own opinion, which is different from her opinion, which makes it impossible.” The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Rowling’s reps for comment. Rowling has been criticized in recent years for her transphobia, as she’s been outspoken on social media against the trans rights movement. Earlier this year, she also celebrated the U.K. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that trans women should not be recognized as women and that “sex” ...

Original title: Randy Boone, Actor on ‘The Virginian,’ Dies at 83 Randy Boone, who rode his own horse and portrayed the singing and guitar-playing ranch hand Randy Benton on the long-running NBC series The Virginian, has died. He was 83. Boone died Thursday, his wife, Lana, told The Hollywood Reporter. She did not want to divulge any other details. The North Carolina native also was a regular on two other 1960s series, but each of those lasted just one season: the 1962-63 NBC comedy-drama It’s a Man’s World and the 1967-68 CBS Western Cimarron Strip, starring Stuart Whitman. And in the 1963 Twilight Zone episode “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms,” Boone starred as one of the National Guardsmen (Warren Oates and Ron Foster are the others) who somehow are sent back in time to take part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. A contract player at Universal, Boone joined The Virginian, which starred James Drury and Doug McClure, midway through its second season in February 1964. He stuck around for 46 episodes through the end of the fourth season in April 196 ...

Original title: Copper Edges Up Toward $10,000 as Demand Drives Month of Gains Copper inched up toward its key threshold of $10,000 a ton, after advancing last month on a weaker dollar and relatively resilient demand. The metal gained 3% in August, and rose as much as 0.5% on Monday on the London Metal Exchange. A softer dollar tends to benefit commodities priced in the greenback by making them cheaper for non-US buyers. ...

Original title: Are Bets on Fed Rate Cuts Overdone? 00:00 Is that too much complacency out there, do you think? I certainly think that is the case. I mean, looking at hedge funds, kind of betting on shorting the VIX, the most we’ve seen in three years really does suggest that they expect this comp to persist. I think we expect greater volatility if we do see some of this economic data materially surprise to the upside of the downside, just given that equities have really been predicated on the Fed easing coming through quite materially. We have about five rate cuts priced in by the July meeting and this is occurring against a backdrop where the inflation uncertainty still remains kind of unknown. Because if we think about, you know, yes, we’re starting to see goods inflation that’s expected to grind higher over the coming months. But last month, the super core inflation measure is actually what surprised to the upside if we start to see signs of services, inflation accelerating or wages accelerating, I think that could put, you know, so ...

Original title: Goldman, JPMorgan Say Europe Stocks Are Attractive Into Year End Some of Wall Street’s top strategists say European stocks are likely to gain in the coming months, as a strong economic outlook helps shares break out of a narrow trading range. Market forecasters at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. expect the Stoxx Europe 600 Index to rise 2% to around 560 points by the end of 2025, boosted by improving growth prospects, low positioning and relatively cheaper valuations. ...

Original title: ‘Nikko’ Cut From New Name of $260 Billion Japan Fund Manager Nikko Asset Management Co. is changing its name to Amova Asset Management Co., removing “Nikko” for the first time since it was founded in 1959 in a sign the company is willing to leave familiar ground to expand globally. The new name of the Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group unit mashes together the words “asset management,” “move” and “nova,” Latin for “new”. The company operated in 13 countries and regions at the end of June and oversaw $260.3 billion in assets. ...

Original title: AI agents are science fiction not yet ready for primetime is The Verge’s senior AI reporter. An AI beat reporter for more than five years, her work has also appeared in CNBC, MIT Technology Review, Wired UK, and other outlets. This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on all things AI, follow Hayden Field. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started It all started with J.A.R.V.I.S. Yes, that J.A.R.V.I.S. The one from the Marvel movies. Well, maybe it didn’t start with Iron Man’s AI assistant, but the fictional system definitely helped the concept of an AI agent along. Whenever I’ve interviewed AI industry folks about agentic AI, they often point to J.A.R.V.I.S. as an example of the ideal AI tool in many ways — one that knows what you need done before you even ask, can analyze and find insights in large swaths of data, and can offer strategic advice or run point on certain aspects of your business. People sometimes disag ...

Original title: Key Pixel Settings to Change on Your Google Phone Google’s Pixel phones are chock-full of helpful, smart features, and they capture some of the best-looking photographs on a mobile device. It’s why they’re among our favorite Android smartphones. But like several of its peers, Google doesn’t have many of its best features turned on by default. For example, Call Screening blocks unwanted phone calls on your behalf, and you need to turn it on yourself. That’s what I’m here for. I test smartphones for a living, and I’m constantly switching to a new device every week or two. I’m an expert at running through the settings of every phone I test and toggling on the features I want. To get the most out of your new Pixel, follow these steps, some of which may even help you turn off things you don’t care for, like a few of the generative AI features on the Pixel 10. Enable Google’s AI Call Features Photograph: Julian Chokkattu The best features on Google’s Pixel phones revolve around the Phone app. No one wants endless robocalls and scams from te ...