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The Remix of a Classic Words, words, words. Can Hamlet retain its tragic force without using most of them? This hour-long dance-theatre remix by the late South African choreographer Dada Masilo preserves few speeches and its opening is not auspicious, crashing straight into “To be, or not to be” shorn of context and characterisation. The Dance of Ophelia and Hamlet There follows, as is customary, a meeting between the prince and Ophelia, but Masilo replaces the usual cruel encounter with stolen moments amid a ceremony, as if they are meeting anew like Romeo and Juliet at the Capulet ball. Matching each other’s movements, amid clapped hands, thrusting shoulders and rippling chests, they grow closer with a hint of tango footwork. From this flashback, Masilo practically fast-forwards their choreography with a sense of doom. The Emotional Depth of Gertrude Letting the pair share a tender duet reinforces their romance but also heightens the violence of the nunnery scene where they are traditionally first seen together. Masilo adds another new scene to show Gertrude’s despair upon receiving news of Old Hamlet’s death rather than introducing her as sanguinely remarried to his brother. We see her seek strength amid grief, supported by courtiers whose pulsing, grounded movement is a message of persistence. This is dancing felt in the gut. The Impact of Movement and Music Wooed offstage, Gertrude returns for a convivial ceremony where a young couple are ticked off for getting too raunchy on the dancefloor. Movement styles across generations and cultures are blended by Masilo, who drew attention for remoulding ballet’s classics. Her ensemble is often an industrious force, driven by relentless percussion, as each scene breaks like a wave against Thuthuka Sibisi’s compositions. The Tragic Conclusion The latter stages lose focus but the choreography’s omnipresent sense of returning to the earth foreshadows a climax where all are struck down by the kingdom’s collective sickness, stressed by the lighting of Suzette le Sueur (who also provides some of the elegant costumes). It’s a collection of often piercing scenes that never quite establish full collective power – a tragedy out of joint. At Sadler’s Wells, London, until 26 May

The Lead E Jean Carroll, a renowned journalist and author, has come forward with her story of alleged sexual abuse and defamation against former US President Donald Trump in a new documentary titled 'Ask E Jean'. Carroll's Journey to the Courtroom Carroll, 82, alleges that Trump sexually abused her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s. She initially confided in trusted friends but buried the memory deep down. However, when Trump branded her a liar and 'whack job', she decided to take him to court. In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5m. In 2024, a second jury awarded Carroll $83.3m for defamation regarding Trump's continued social media attacks. The Documentary: 'Ask E Jean' The documentary, directed by Ivy Meeropol, explores Carroll's life as a journalist, author, and advice columnist. It also delves into her experiences as a woman of strong character and deep resilience who refused to be cast in the role of victim or bit-part player in the Trump cinematic universe. The Impact Analysis Carroll's story has significant implications for the #MeToo movement and the conversation around sexual abuse and defamation. Her courage in coming forward has inspired many women to share their own stories of abuse. The Prediction As the documentary gains attention, it is likely to spark further conversation and debate about the issues of sexual abuse, defamation, and the role of women in society. Carroll's story serves as a testament to the power of resilience and determination in the face of adversity.

The Lead 'Fairyland' offers a glorious wallow in nostalgia for those familiar with the Bay Area in the 1970s and 80s, with grainy archive footage of San Francisco Gay Freedom parades and sushi at a book launch. But at its core, the film tells the story of a new kind of family. Queer Parenting in 1970s San Francisco The film centers around Steve (Scoot McNairy), a gay father raising his young daughter Alysia (Nessa Dougherty, then Coda's Emilia Jones as a teen) in San Francisco. After his wife, Alysia's mother, is killed in a car accident, Steve is faced with the challenge of parenting alone. He turns down an offer from his ultra-straight mother-in-law (Geena Davis) to raise the little girl. Parenting Techniques and Resilience Steve's parenting techniques are sometimes selfish and neglectful, but he loves Alysia deeply. He encourages her independence, teaching her to navigate the city and take care of herself. The film draws comparisons to Marielle Heller's adaptation of The Diary of a Teenage Girl, but Alysia turns out to be more resilient and independent. The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic The film's second half covers the later 80s, as the AIDS epidemic takes a devastating toll on the community. The cast, including McNairy and Jones, deliver excellent performances. Writer-director Andrew Durham adapts Alysia Abbott's memoir with sensitivity and discretion. The Future of Queer Representation 'Fairyland' is a significant contribution to queer representation in film. With its release in UK cinemas on May 29, it promises to resonate with audiences and spark important conversations about family, love, and identity.

The Erosion of the Quad's Cohesion The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue alliance, or Quad, has been struggling to define its purpose in recent months. The grouping, which consists of India, Japan, Australia, and the US, was formed to counterbalance China's rise in the Asia Pacific region. However, under US President Donald Trump's second term, the coalition has sputtered, say analysts, with Washington pivoting away from the region as its top priority back to the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East. Uneven Alignment and Structural Problems The Quad's cohesion has waxed and waned amid shifting US priorities. A planned leader-level Quad meeting in New Delhi last year failed to materialise amid diplomatic tensions and competing priorities. The grouping has pursued low-risk initiatives such as vaccines, critical technologies, supply chains, and maritime domain awareness, but these are seen as second-order achievements. As US Forces Leave Asia, Fears Grow Within the Quad The redeployment of US forces and warships from the Asia Pacific to the Middle East has further deepened unease within the bloc. When Washington moved troops from Japan to the Middle East, Tokyo saw it as a removal of a direct check on Chinese power at a time when Beijing is conducting large-scale military exercises around Taiwan. Anxiety Over Abandonment Fuels Deeper Asia Pacific Hedging For Japan, the optics of the Trump-Xi summit were alarming. Tokyo has responded by doubling down on ramping up its own security, with a defence budget up 9.4 percent for fiscal 2026, hitting 2 percent of GDP two years ahead of schedule. Beijing sees the same hedging dynamic playing out across other Quad members, with India, Australia, and Japan each recalculating their position.

Tensions Rise in the Taiwan Strait Taiwan has said it is monitoring the second Chinese “joint combat readiness patrol” near the island in a week, accusing Beijing of being the sole source of instability in the Asia Pacific. Details of the Chinese Patrol Taiwan’s National Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it had detected 29 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets, and seven warships operating around the island. The ministry reported that 24 of the aerial sorties had crossed the median line, an unofficial maritime and aerial buffer zone that runs through the middle of the Taiwan Strait. The Impact on Regional Stability Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, accused China of being the sole source of instability in the Asia Pacific region. “For the 2nd time in a week, shortly after the Beijing summit, the PLA conducted a ‘joint combat readiness patrol’ around Taiwan. We also spotted the Liaoning carrier group in the West Pacific. This is unprovoked. The PRC is the sole source of instability in the IndoPacific,” he wrote on X. The US Role in the Region The US is Taiwan’s largest weapons supplier and is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. In December, Trump approved the largest-ever US weapons package for its ally. However, last week, Washington said it was pausing a $14bn arms sale to Taiwan to conserve munitions for the war on Iran. The Future Outlook Earlier this month, President Xi Jinping warned Trump that their two countries could clash over Taiwan if the issue is mishandled. Since then, Trump has cautioned Taipei against formally declaring independence from China, prompting the island to issue a statement saying it was “sovereign and independent” but planned to maintain the status quo.

EU Announces New Sanctions Targeting Extremist Israeli SettlersThe European Union announced on Thursday, 28 May 2026 that it is sanctioning four entities and three individuals it deems “extremist Israeli settlers” for “serious” human‑rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.Specific Entities and Individuals Added to the Sanctions ListThe newly listed parties include:Nachala Settlement Movement and its director Daniella Weiss, accused of encouraging forced displacement of Palestinians.Israeli NGO Regavim and its director Meir Deutsch, cited for lobbying the demolition of Palestinian property and an EU‑funded primary school.NGO Hashomer Yosh and its president Avichai Suissa, linked to at least 28 violent outposts and settlements and the recruitment of armed volunteers.The Amana cooperative of the Gush Emunim settler movement, said to have played a key role in initiating, financing, and facilitating at least 30 violent outposts and settlements.Sanctions Scale: Cumulative Figures and Recent AdditionsWith these additions, the EU now sanctions 136 persons and 41 entities under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, which was created in 2020. The regime covers acts such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations.The latest round brings the total of newly sanctioned settlers to four entities and three individuals, following an earlier package announced earlier in May that also targeted Israeli settlers and Hamas leaders.Implications for the West Bank Conflict and EU Foreign PolicyThe sanctions mark a long‑awaited shift after a previous veto by Hungary’s illiberal government was lifted following the appointment of Prime Minister Peter Magyar. By targeting settler groups, the EU signals a stronger stance on settlement‑related violence, which has escalated since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza.Israel has condemned the measures, asserting a right to settle in the West Bank despite international‑law violations. The West Bank has seen the highest settlement expansion since 2017, and more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed there according to UN figures.What May Follow: Potential Shifts in Regional DynamicsAnalysts expect the EU’s action could pressure the Israeli government to curb settler violence and reconsider expansion policies, especially as international scrutiny intensifies. Future EU steps may include further sanctions or diplomatic initiatives aimed at protecting Palestinian rights and stabilising the region.

Asana's Strategic AI AcquisitionAsana has acquired the workflow automation company StackAI for $75 million, marking a significant step in the company's broader AI pivot. The acquisition aims to position Asana as an "AI-native workplace platform" and integrate StackAI's agent-building capabilities into Asana's existing work management system. The announcement was made Thursday afternoon to coincide with Asana's earnings and investor call.StackAI's Workflow Automation CapabilitiesStackAI, built as an AI workflow-automation system, designs agents to operate within existing business systems, pulling in data from platforms like Salesforce, Slack, and Gsuite. The company, founded by Tony Rosinol and Bernard Aceituno, will join Asana as part of the acquisition. StackAI has faced competition from automation tools like Zapier as well as AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic in the rapidly evolving AI automation space.Financial Terms and Funding BackgroundThe acquisition comes as StackAI had raised just under $20 million, according to PitchBook data, with most of it coming in a recent $16 million Series A round. That round included funding from Gradient, Epakon Capital, Lobby VC, LifeX Ventures, and Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch. While the $75 million acquisition price represents a significant premium over StackAI's funding, it reflects Asana's commitment to accelerating its AI capabilities.Asana's AI-Native TransformationWhile users are most familiar with Asana's work management system, the company has been releasing AI-oriented products in recent years, including the AI Studio agent builder and AI Teammates series of pre-built automations. Asana believes its deep integration into existing corporate workflows provides a key advantage, allowing it to distill context and training data that would otherwise be unavailable. This acquisition specifically aims to "agentify the most complex business processes end-to-end," according to CEO Dan Rogers.Future of Human-Agent Work in EnterpriseAsana has struggled on public markets during the AI era, losing more than half its market cap value since the introduction of ChatGPT. However, revenue has continued to grow steadily, and the new leadership is confident that human-agent products will enable a rebound. With this acquisition, Asana aims to accelerate its roadmap into "the next phase of human-agent work," potentially differentiating itself from both traditional work management platforms and standalone AI automation tools in the competitive enterprise software landscape.

The Upset at Roland Garros Jannik Sinner, the No 1 men’s tennis player in the world, was still leading by two sets and serving for a place in the third round of the French Open when it became clear he was in significant danger on the baking clay in Paris on Thursday afternoon. He was undone in the second round of the only Grand Slam he has yet to win, not by the ingenuity of his opponent or even the immense pressure that comes with being the prohibitive favourite, but rather by his own body. The Impact of Extreme Heat The Italian – who had not lost a match since February – said afterward that he had been struggling with an illness. Despite waving away suggestions he had wilted in the high temperatures, the unprecedented heat wave in the first week of the French Open this year could not have helped his cause. He fell 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo before a stunned, packed audience on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Player Reactions to the Heat His defeat represents one of the most shocking results in recent years. The 24-year-old had entered the court on a 30-match winning streak and earlier this month he became the only man other than Rafael Nadal, the greatest clay court player in history, to win all three clay court ATP Masters 1000 titles in the buildup to the French Open. Most players are used to disruptive weather at Roland Garros coming in the form of rain delays and damp courts, but this year in Paris the heat has changed the state of play and divided the locker room over its intensity. The Tournament's Heat Rules The temperature has consistently ranged between 32 and 35C most afternoons so far. Such conditions are so rare in the second Grand Slam of the year that there was significant confusion about the tournament’s heat rules at the start of the week. When asked about them on Wednesday, Novak Djokovic incorrectly thought that they did not exist: “I really don’t understand why they don’t have the heat rule,” he said. “I actually didn’t know. I thought that there is in every slam, but then someone told me that Roland Garros has no heat rule.” Adapting to the Conditions The actual rules are based around the tournament organisers using wet bulb sensors to monitor the temperature, and a match could be suspended when it crosses 32.2C. To date, however, no match has ever been suspended at Roland Garros due to the heat. The scorching temperatures also make a significant difference to the way matches are played on clay. Wet, damp and colder conditions make balls heavier, leading to longer rallies and a lower bounce, the hot weather hardens the court and allow the ball to fly more quickly.

The Final Private Push: Anthropic Secures $65 BillionAnthropic has closed a monumental Series H funding round, raising $65 billion at a $965 billion post-money valuation. This capital injection represents the startup's largest private fundraising effort to date and signals that the company is likely in its final pre-IPO stage. The round brings the company's total capital raised to a staggering level, positioning it as a heavyweight contender in the generative AI sector just as public markets begin to open up to high-growth technology companies.The Infrastructure and Investor EcosystemThe funding round was co-led by a consortium of elite institutional investors, including Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks, and Sequoia Capital. Notably, the round saw participation from major infrastructure partners such as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, highlighting the critical role hardware manufacturers are playing in the AI supply chain.Strategic Backing: Hyperscalers committed $15 billion, including a significant $5 billion from Amazon.Investor Demand: The round was highly competitive, with one institutional investor reportedly pledging up to $5 billion just to secure a meeting with the CFO.Use of Funds: Proceeds will be directed toward advancing safety research, expanding compute infrastructure, and scaling enterprise products.Valuation Wars and Revenue TrajectoryThis funding round places Anthropic at the epicenter of a fierce valuation war in the AI industry. The company's massive valuation comes as it reports a $47 billion revenue run rate and expects a 130% revenue surge to achieve its first operating profit. This financial performance contrasts sharply with the broader tech sector, illustrating the intense demand for high-performance AI models.Competitive Landscape: Anthropic's valuation rivals OpenAI, which raised $122 billion in March at an $852 billion valuation.Market Positioning: The company is reportedly preparing to launch models comparable to its powerful cybersecurity model, Mythos, which has been limited due to safety concerns.The Strategic Shift Toward Enterprise SafetyThe inclusion of infrastructure partners like Samsung and SK Hynix suggests a strategic pivot toward vertical integration. By securing hardware support, Anthropic ensures a stable supply chain for the compute-intensive models it is developing, such as the newly released Claude Opus 4.8. This model emphasizes agentic tasks, advanced coding, and self-correction capabilities, addressing a critical need for enterprises seeking reliable and safe AI solutions.The IPO Countdown and Market DominanceWith this massive capital raise and the release of advanced models, Anthropic is poised to lead the next phase of AI innovation. The company's ability to attract top-tier institutional investors and secure hardware partnerships positions it uniquely ahead of its IPO. As the race for AI dominance heats up, Anthropic's valuation and growth trajectory suggest it will be a key player in shaping the future of the public AI market.