3 d. ago ‘Fear really drives him’: is Alex Karp of Palantir the world’s scariest CEO?

His company is potentially creating the ultimate state surveillance tool, and Karp has recently been on a striking political and philosophical journey. His biographer reveals what makes him tickIn a recent interview, Alex Karp said that his company Palantir was “the most important software company in America and therefore in the world”. He may well be right. To some, Palantir is also the scariest company in the world, what with its involvement in the Trump administration’s authoritarian agenda. The potential end point of Palantir’s tech is an all-powerful government system amalgamating citizens’ tax records, biometric data and other personal information – the ultimate state surveillance tool. No wonder Palantir has been likened to George Orwell’s Big Brother, or Skynet from the Terminator movies.Does this make Karp the scariest CEO in the world? There is some competition from Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Palantir’s co-founder Peter Thiel. But 58-year-old Karp could giv...

Transport

8 d. ago 'Stealth tax' alert: Reeves Budget to make record 10m pay Income Tax higher rate if she freezes thresholds

A further two-year freeze on Income Tax thresholds would drag 790,000 more people into paying the 40% higher rate, according to the IFS

Economics

2 w. ago Brigitte Macron was worried 'her trousers would bulge between her legs in public' in case it further fuelled ludicrous rumours she was born a man, friend claims

Brigitte Macron has expressed fear that her trousers might bulge in public because that may fuel the ludicrous rumours that she was born a man, according to a close friend.

Politics

3 w. ago Meta reports mixed financial results amid spree of AI hiring and spending

Tech company brings in record quarterly revenue but major tax bill dampens earnings per shareMeta reported mixed financial results for the third quarter of 2025. The company brought in record quarterly revenue but reported a major tax bill that dampened earnings per share, the company announced on Wednesday. The financial results come as Meta ends a multibillion-dollar hiring spree focused on artificial intelligence talent.The tech giant earned $51.24bn in quarterly revenue, beating Wall Street expectations and the company’s own projections for third-quarter sales. However, it reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05, far below Wall Street expectations of $6.70 in EPS. The major drop was due to a one-time non-cash income tax charge of $15.93bn. The EPS would have been $7.25 without this one-time charge, the company said. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago False claims online damaged Brigitte Macron’s quality of life, daughter tells court

Tiphaine Auzière spoke at trial of 10 people accused of harassment by posting claims that French first lady was born a manBrigitte Macron’s daughter has told a Paris court that false claims online that the French first lady was born a man had damaged her mother’s quality of life, leaving her worrying every day about the clothes she wears and how she stands.Tiphaine Auzière, 41, a lawyer, was called as a witness at the trial of 10 people accused of online harassment of Brigitte Macron by creating or reposting social media posts falsely claiming she was a man. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron’s life ‘deteriorated’ after alleged cyberbullying, daughter says

Brigitte Macron's daughter told a Paris court about the impact of alleged cyberbullying on her mother and her family

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron's daughter reveals cruel taunt the French first lady's GRANDCHILDREN have to face and describes the toll it has taken on her health

Tiphaine Auziere, 41, said her mother 'cannot ignore the horrible things said about her' at the trial of ten people accused of cyber-harrassment.

Politics

3 w. ago What are the allegations at the heart of the Brigitte Macron online harassment trial?

The French first lady has been the subject of unsubstantiated claims that she was born a man

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron's daughter testifies about alleged cyberbullying of France's first lady

Brigitte Macron's daughter has testified in a Paris court about the impact of alleged cyberbullying on her mother, who is France's first lady

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron's daughter describes how 'constant attacks' claiming the French first lady is a MAN have affected her mother, from her health to the way she dresses

Brigitte Macron, 72, told investigators the rumour had greatly impacted her and her family, especially her grandchildren who were told their grandmother was a man.

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron 'cyberbullies' who spread rumours she was born a man lash out at being 'sent to court for tweets', asking trial 'Do you need a licence to crack a joke now?'

Ten people are facing jail time for allegedly spreading the false claims that the French First lady, 72, is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.

Politics

3 w. ago Ten people go on trial in Paris accused of online harassment of Brigitte Macron

Trial is latest phase in legal battle against false claim that French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel TrogneuxTen people have gone on trial in Paris charged with online harassment of Brigitte Macron – the latest phase of a legal battle on both sides of the Atlantic against the false claim that the French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.The president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit in the US at the end of July, in connection with a rumour amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was born a man. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron gender row trial begins as 10 'trolls' face jail for cyberbullying

Seven of the 10 'trolls' have appeared in a Paris court accused of harassing Brigitte Macron so badly that she suffered 'a serious deterioration in her physical and mental health'

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron 'suffered serious deterioration to her physical and mental health' as a result of cyberbullying that claimed she was born a man and acted like a 'paedophile', court hears

They are accused of claiming the 72-year-old was born a man, and that she was 'a paedophile' who abused her husband, 47-year-old President Emmanuel Macron , when he was a boy.

Politics

3 w. ago Ten people to face trial in Paris for online harassment of Brigitte Macron

Eight men and two women will face court for allegedly harassing the French first lady by falsely claiming she is a man

Politics

3 w. ago Ten people go on trial in Paris for online harassment of Brigitte Macron

Trial is latest phase in legal battle against false claim that French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel TrogneuxTen people are to go on trial in Paris on Monday for online harassment of Brigitte Macron – the latest phase in a legal battle on both sides of the Atlantic against the false claim that the French first lady is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.The French trial comes after the president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit in the US at the end of July, in connection with a rumour amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was born a man. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron is turned into a man on her tax records after hackers changed her legal name

The First Lady of France has long been the subject of rumours questioning her gender, with online trolls falsely claiming that her real name is Jean-Michel Trogneux.

Politics

3 w. ago Brigitte Macron ‘given male name on her tax file by hackers’ as 10 people face trial over cruel claims she’s not a woman

BRIGITTE Macron was given a male name on the official French tax portal by a team of cruel hackers, according to a top governmental official. The glamorous French First Lady, 72, is locked in a bitter yet bizarre legal battle to prove she is a biological woman as 10 people now face trial for "sexist cyberbullying". ...

Politics

4 w. ago Household savings hit record £2.2trillion as sticky inflation and tax hike fears see cash stockpiled

Savers are sitting on a record £2.2trillion in cash savings despite the Chancellor's efforts to persuade more households to invest their wealth, new data shows.

Economics