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Scandaltown Lyric Hammersmith, London “This part of our literature is a disgrace to our language and our national character,” thundered Victorian politician, historian and writer Thomas Macaulay in a diatribe against Restoration comedy. It was, he continued, thoroughly indecent: “earthy”, “sensual” and “devilish”. That’s precisely what attracted playwright Mike Bartlett to the genre. In his

Individual shareholders might feel that they cannot truly influence what happens in companies in which they own shares. But they can at least hope that if the performance of the company is sufficiently bad, large shareholders may eventually step in. Over the past year several of Europe’s largest companies have faced such interventions as so-called

It’s well known that office temperatures are mostly set at levels that suit men better than women — temperatures are often based on a historic formula that used men’s metabolism as a guide. You can witness the consequence in offices anywhere: women shivering while men stretch out in T-shirts and shirtsleeves. It sounds trivial. Yet,

Goldman Sachs reported rival Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley to Hong Kong’s financial regulator over a series of block trades, according to people familiar with the matter. Goldman alerted the territory’s Securities and Futures Commission three years ago as part of an “informal” discussion about price drops in the stocks of a small number of

Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon met billionaire FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in March to discuss forging closer ties between the Wall Street bank and the barely three-year-old cryptocurrency exchange valued at $32bn. The meeting, which took place in the Caribbean, according to people familiar with the matter, is the latest sign of the growing

In September 2020, a Hong Kong-registered company transferred ownership of a ship, which had disappeared from maritime tracking data bases the previous month, to the Pyongyang-based Su Ryong San Shipping Co Ltd. According to UN monitors, the Chinese-owned company imported up to 200,000 tonnes of sanctioned North Korean coal, which it bartered with a Chinese

The writer is managing director at McLarty Associates, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of ‘Henry Kissinger, l’Européen’  Whoever wins Sunday’s presidential election in France will have to reorient the country’s foreign policy in fundamental ways. This is because two significant and ongoing shifts are in the process of transforming the EU.

Rosenthal, one of Germany’s oldest porcelain manufacturers, has seen plenty of disruption in its 140-year history. But nothing has prepared it for this: the threat of a cut-off of natural gas that would bring production of its bone china plates, bowls and vases to an abrupt halt. “We can’t live without gas,” says Mads Ryder,

My husband and I decided to divorce nearly 12 months ago but we held off launching proceedings until no-fault divorce was introduced. This way we don’t need to cite blame, which is important to us. Now this law has come in, we feel we can go ahead. Will this affect the financial outcome in any

The new political drama Gaslit pulls off a coup: not only does it find a different angle for a story that has been endlessly retold since 1973, it also gives Julia Roberts her most substantial role in two decades. This is the highest profile original offering to appear on the Starzplay streaming platform to date.

Snapchat’s parent company observed a slowdown in advertising growth in response to the war in Ukraine, representing one of several macroeconomic concerns that could weigh on its revenue outlook in the months ahead. Los Angeles-based Snap said that prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, year-over-year revenue growth in the quarter was 44

Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, has accused his far-right rival Marine Le Pen of being beholden to Vladimir Putin and of risking civil war in France with her plans to curb Islamism. But in a combative television debate four days before the final vote of the presidential election, Macron was unable to land the same kind

Investors who struggle to see the connection between real yields, as expressed by the US Treasury market, and the unreal valuation of technology stocks with no earnings should read Eric Platt and Colby Smith’s article (Report, April 20). I would add one rider to the analysis; the valuation of US Treasuries and real yields in

Derek Brower’s Big Read (April 14) correctly details US efforts to increase near-term oil and natural gas supplies to address shortages resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But history shows that high prices and security anxieties generally increase US policy efforts to reduce oil consumption. This suggests the Biden administration can use newly urgent energy

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Huw Price says that “universities should turn their backs on fossil fuel funding” (Opinion, April 12). I admit to being the recipient of such funding — apparently deemed unworthy — for over a decade. The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology-Oxford Centre for Petrochemical Research (KOPRC), established in 2010, seeks out

Robert Shrimsley’s excoriating assessment of Boris Johnson is spot on (“Johnson is dragging his party down”, Opinion, April 14). My concern is the impact his transgressions will have on hundreds of decent, hard working Conservative local councillors who give up their time to serve their communities. (I am not one.) I know some of my

Back in January, Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square Holdings sent this letter to investors: Dear Pershing Square Investor, Beginning on Friday and over the last several days, we acquired more than 3.1 million shares of Netflix, making us a top-20 shareholder in the company. The opportunity to acquire Netflix at an attractive valuation emerged when investors

Peace talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine are doomed, said Boris Johnson, and it is vital the west continues to supply Kyiv with the weapons it needs to rebuff Moscow’s offensive. The UK prime minister’s comments came as the Pentagon said aircraft spare parts transported to Ukraine were allowing its

Novavax has published the first clinical data for a combined Covid-19 and flu vaccine, with promising initial findings that a two-in-one shot could be safe and effective. The trial, conducted in Australia, studied the combined shot in almost 650 people aged 50 to 70. An initial analysis found that their immune responses were similar to

The head of the IMF has said Ukraine will need $5bn a month for the next three months to plug the hole left by the crippling impact of Russia’s invasion on the country’s finances. Kristalina Georgieva, the fund’s managing director, said the IMF would discuss Ukraine’s financing needs with the country’s partner governments. Georgieva suggested