Private capital group Blackstone plots $500bn expansion in Europe

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Blackstone Group is preparing to significantly increase its investments across Europe as the private capital group bets economic reforms will revive growth after years of US outperformance. Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder of the $1.2tn-in-assets investment group,…

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Could robots really replace human astronauts?

BBC On Christmas Eve, an autonomous spacecraft flew past the Sun, closer than any human-made object before it. Swooping through the atmosphere, Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe was on a mission to discover more about the Sun, including how it affects space weather on Earth. This was a landmark moment for humanity – but one without…

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Electronic tattoo gauges mental strain

Researchers gave participants face tattoos that can track when their brain is working too hard. Published May 29 in the Cell Press journal Device, the study introduces a non-permanent wireless forehead e-tattoo that decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain without bulky headgear. This technology may help track the mental workload of workers like air traffic…

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Fraud culture was ‘pervasive’ at union, auditors say

Joe Pike Political correspondent PA Media There was a “pervasive fraud environment” at one of the UK’s largest trade unions Unite, an auditors’ report obtained by the BBC has concluded. In a highly critical 35-page document, auditors BDO said in the 2021 financial year “dominant personalities and a weak control environment facilitated opportunities to commit…

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