Le Journal

Randy thinks throwing in a line or two lightens the mood. Taylor says it’s an avoidance tactic. You decide who’s out of tune• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a jurorHe will throw in lines from songs during serious conversations – it is an avoidance tacticYes I should tone it down, but a lyric can lighten the mood and there’s one for every occasion Continue reading...

OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Stripe are rumoured to be among ten of the biggest companies considering IPOsYou’ve probably heard of “unicorns” – technology startups valued at more than $1bn – but 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the “hectocorn”, with several US and European companies potentially floating on stock markets at valuations over $100bn (£75bn).OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Stripe are among the big names said to be considering an initial public offering (IPO) this year. Continue reading...

When Stuart Green’s wife, an environmental rights lawyer, was shot dead in a car in front of her children in the Philippines, he found books on grief little help. So he wrote his ownThe dreaded school run is a daily battle for most parents. Even once out of the door and at the school gates, feigned smiles and small talk with other haggard parents can be a mass performance. For Stuart Green, who spent years wrestling his young twins out of car seats and into coats, all the while keeping an eye on his eldest daughter, it was the small talk he dreaded.“Is Mummy at work?” someone might ask. Green’s response would be a half truth: “I’m a single parent.” The full story could not be explained in a 15-second conversation on the street. Continue reading...

Development charity’s new co-chairs signal shift from controversial sponsor a child scheme launched in 1972 to long-term grassroots fundingChild sponsorship schemes that allow donors to handpick children to support in poor countries can carry racialised, paternalistic undertones and need to be transformed, the newly appointed co-chief executives of ActionAid UK said as they set out to “decolonise” the organisation’s work.ActionAid began in 1972 by finding sponsors for schoolchildren in India and Kenya, but Taahra Ghazi and Hannah Bond have launched their co-leadership this month with the goal of shifting narratives around aid from sympathy towards solidarity and partnership with global movements. Continue reading...

Trump’s board of peace includes Putin, Netanyahu and Tony Blair. What on earth will it do? Julian Borger reportsDonald Trump promised to bring peace to Gaza. And part of that promise was the creation of a board of peace. For months it was unclear who would be on it, but now we know: Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside billionaire businessmen and Tony Blair.Apart from how Putin and Netanyahu – who have been accused of war crimes – can bring peace, there are other questions. The charter of the board makes no mention of Gaza. And there is apparently a price tag – if you want to stay on the board for more than three years, you must pay $1bn. Continue reading...