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Scottish Sun
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
RAF pilots will get NUCLEAR bombers for first time in 30 years as Keir Starmer says UK must prepare for threat of war
The Government said the jets would support Nato's nuclear mission RAF NUKES RAF pilots will get NUCLEAR bombers for first time in 30 years as Keir Starmer says UK must prepare for threat of war Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RAF Top Guns will get nuclear bombers for the first time in 30 years — after PM Sir Keir Starmer said we must prepare for possible war. The F-35As will be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, which housed Britain's air-launched nuclear weapons until 1998. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 RAF Top Guns will get nuclear bombers for the first time in 30 years 4 PM Sir Keir Starmer said Britain must prepare for possible war Credit: PA That was the year then—PM Tony Blair scrapped Britain's air-launched bomb, the WE-177. The new B-61 bombs, made by US-firm Lockheed Martin, can take out small areas — unlike Trident 2 missiles on Britain's submarines which can obliterate whole cities. The F-35As can also carry conventional weapons. The announcement came as a new National Security Strategy warned: 'For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario.' READ MORE ON THE RAF MARCH MAYHEM Moment protest chaos erupts as group behind RAF base raid to be 'BANNED' The Government said the jets would support Nato's nuclear mission. Ahead of today's Nato summit in The Hague, Sir Keir said: 'In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my Government is investing in our national security.' The strategy highlighted Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the most pressing example. And it warned Kremlin-backed cyber attacks and Iranian hostile activity in the UK are also increasing It added: 'Some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and/or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression.' The new plan focuses on three areas — protecting the UK at home, working with allies to strengthen global security, and rebuilding Britain's defence industries and technological capabilities. RAF planes SABOTAGED by protesters in 'grotesque' security breach at UK military base The F-35 deal supports more than 20,000 UK jobs, with British firms making 15 per cent of the supply chain. The UK is expected to buy 138 F-35s in total from the US government, with the A variant offering savings of up to 25 per cent per aircraft compared to the B models already in service. Nato chief Mark Rutte called the announcement 'yet another robust British contribution to Nato'. The UK is also building 12 new nuclear submarines, and investing £15billion in Britain's sovereign nuclear warhead programme. Ministers yesterday also said they will send 350 air defence missiles to Ukraine using £70million from seized Russian assets. The ASRAAMs can be fired from UK- supplied Raven launchers. Sir Keir is facing pressure to explain how we will meet the Nato target of spending five per cent of GDP on national security by 2035. 4 Ahead of today's Nato summit, Keir said: 'In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my Government is investing in our national security' Credit: Getty 4 Nato chief Mark Rutte called the announcement 'yet another robust British contribution to Nato' Credit: Getty
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK to allow foreign states 15% stake in newspapers
Foreign states will be allowed to own up to 15% of British newspapers and news magazines under new laws. The move follows a takeover bid of the Telegraph and the Spectator by RedBird IMI last year, backed by the Abu Dhabi ruling family, which led the then Tory government to ban foreign-state ownership of UK papers, after an outcry from parliamentarians. But under a law change announced on Thursday, State Owned Investors (SOIs) - including sovereign wealth funds, public pension or social security schemes - will be able to take a stake in UK newspapers. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the changes would protect "media plurality" while helping cash-strapped publishers "raise vital funding". Following a consultation on the ban, Labour said that many newspaper groups believed a complete ban was too restrictive for securing financing. Ministers set the threshold for SOIs at 15% of shares or voting rights in a newspaper or news magazine as it was "the most effective, simple and proportionate approach". The ban was introduced after Lloyds Bank seized the Telegraph and its sister magazine the Spectator from the Barclay family in June 2023 in order to claw back £1bn of debts from its former owners. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, best known in the UK for his ownership of Manchester City football club, threw his considerable financial heft behind a £600m bid by US-firm RedBird to take over the titles. But panic over foreign control of two major UK newspapers led Parliament to enact the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 - which prevents foreign states from acquiring ownership, control or influence over UK newspapers and news magazines. The Spectator was then sold last year for £100m to Sir Paul Marshall, the hedge-fund billionaire, who has installed Lord Gove, the former cabinet minister, as its editor. Government intervenes in UAE bid to buy Telegraph How can traditional British TV survive the US streaming giants? In a statement, Nandy said: "Britain's free and independent press is a national asset like no other and it is right that we have strong measures in place to allow scrutiny of UK takeovers that might go against the public interest. "We are fully upholding the need to safeguard our news media from foreign state control whilst recognising that news organisations must be able to raise vital funding. "We are taking a proportionate, balanced approach to a threshold for low-risk investments that will remove a potential chilling effect on press sustainability." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK to allow foreign states 15% stake in newspapers
Foreign states will be allowed to own up to 15% of British newspapers and news magazines under new laws. The move follows a takeover bid of the Telegraph and the Spectator by RedBird IMI last year, backed by the Abu Dhabi ruling family, which led the then Tory government to ban foreign-state ownership of UK papers, after an outcry from parliamentarians. But under a law change announced on Thursday, State Owned Investors (SOIs) - including sovereign wealth funds, public pension or social security schemes - will be able to take a stake in UK newspapers. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the changes would protect "media plurality" while helping cash-strapped publishers "raise vital funding". Following a consultation on the ban, Labour said that many newspaper groups believed a complete ban was too restrictive for securing financing. Ministers set the threshold for SOIs at 15% of shares or voting rights in a newspaper or news magazine as it was "the most effective, simple and proportionate approach". The ban was introduced after Lloyds Bank seized the Telegraph and its sister magazine the Spectator from the Barclay family in June 2023 in order to claw back £1bn of debts from its former owners. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, best known in the UK for his ownership of Manchester City football club, threw his considerable financial heft behind a £600m bid by US-firm RedBird to take over the titles. But panic over foreign control of two major UK newspapers led Parliament to enact the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 - which prevents foreign states from acquiring ownership, control or influence over UK newspapers and news magazines. The Spectator was then sold last year for £100m to Sir Paul Marshall, the hedge-fund billionaire, who has installed Lord Gove, the former cabinet minister, as its editor. Government intervenes in UAE bid to buy Telegraph How can traditional British TV survive the US streaming giants? In a statement, Nandy said: "Britain's free and independent press is a national asset like no other and it is right that we have strong measures in place to allow scrutiny of UK takeovers that might go against the public interest. "We are fully upholding the need to safeguard our news media from foreign state control whilst recognising that news organisations must be able to raise vital funding. "We are taking a proportionate, balanced approach to a threshold for low-risk investments that will remove a potential chilling effect on press sustainability." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel stock pulls back from record rally as analysts note barriers to potential deals with TSMC, Broadcom
Intel (INTC) stock fell 6% Wednesday, ending a massive upswing in which shares notched their biggest five-day gain in its history as a publicly traded company. The decline came as analysts expressed skepticism over recent reports of potential deals with TSMC (TSM) and Broadcom (AVGO) to break up the storied US chipmaker. Shares of Intel had surged 16% Tuesday following a Wall Street Journal report over the weekend that its rival, Taiwan's contract chip manufacturer TSMC, has looked at controlling some or all of Intel's semiconductor factories, potentially as part of an investor consortium. The Journal, citing people familiar with the discussions, also reported that Broadcom (AVGO) is considering making a bid for Intel's product business, which designs semiconductors for computers and servers. A news report the the prior week had indicated that the US was floating proposals to TSMC to support Intel's turnaround. One of the proposals would reportedly establish a joint venture between TSMC and Intel, in which TSMC would send engineers to Intel to ensure its manufacturing business is viable. Investors cheered the reports, with Intel gaining 38.5% over the five days ended Tuesday. But Wall Street analysts have voiced concerns over a potential breakup of Intel. Citi analyst Christopher Danley noted that TSMC and Intel use separate manufacturing processes. Because Intel's chips are specifically designed using its own manufacturing processes, it wouldn't make sense for TSMC to take control of its manufacturing facilities, he said. 'Just because two companies are making the same type of chip, they have completely separate software tools, processes, methodologies, all kinds of stuff,' he told Yahoo Finance in an interview Wednesday. 'These guys that have worked at Intel for 10, 20, 30 years would have to learn completely new processes. It would just be a fiasco.' A TSMC-Intel deal could also face scrutiny from regulators at home and abroad. That's because global regulators, including Chinese authorities would need to approve the deal, and they may have antitrust concerns, Wall Street analysts said. And the Trump administration "could be wary of a foreign entity completely taking over an iconic US-firm," Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya wrote in a note to investors Tuesday. Intel has long designed and manufactured semiconductors for itself, but the company opened up its manufacturing business to external customers — launching what's called a foundry — in 2022. The foundry has failed to take on external customers, analysts say, and its product business has lost market share to rivals. Those struggles have made Intel an acquisition target in recent months. As far as a potential Broadcom bid for that product business goes, Danley said the company would need to buy Intel in its entirety, not just part of it, for such an acquisition to be successful. 'There's a lot of synergies between the manufacturing side and the design side,' Danley said. 'I don't think that breaking up their core business makes sense.' Instead, Danley said, Broadcom could buy the product business and divest Intel's merchant foundry, but keep the company's internal manufacturing division. But Intel isn't likely to favor such deals, Danley, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon and Moor Insights & Strategy's Anshel Sag told Yahoo Finance. That's partly because Intel has insisted that its manufacturing process, which is set to be competitive with TSMC's, is on track for production by the end of 2025. 'I actually don't think it's [Intel's] desperate for cash right now. They've got a few years of runway,' Rasgon said. Analysts also said it wouldn't make competitive sense for TSMC to enter into a joint venture with Intel. 'Why would TSMC help its competitor gain share versus itself? To me that just makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever,' Danley said. Laura Bratton is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Bluesky @ Email her at Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Intel could be worth more than $200 billion if it breaks up
The rumor mill is spinning overtime on struggling Intel (INTC) as the tech icon looks at ways to create shareholder value. Chip rivals Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and Broadcom (AVGO) are each eying deals with Intel that could break up the company, the WSJ reported over the weekend. Broadcom is reportedly looking to gain control of Intel's lucrative chip design and marketing business. Taiwan Semiconductor is reportedly studying controlling some or all of Intel's chipmaking plants. A spokesperson for Intel didn't immediately return Yahoo Finance's request for comment. A breakup could extract a good bit of value for long suffering Intel shareholders, estimates Evercore analyst Mark Lipacis. In an analysis of Intel's business, Lipacis said Intel is conservatively worth $167 billion or $38.24 a share. Intel's stock currently trades at $24.66, down more than 47% over the past year. The stock has crashed 65% in the last five years to a market cap of $102 billion. Using more robust projections of financial performance for each business, Lipacis estimates Intel could be worth $237 billion or $54.18 a share. A path to a deal could be tough, says Lipacis. "Depending on how a deal is structured, it might require regulatory approval from countries around the world, including China. Also, Intel has historically designed its factories to make x86 CPUs, so it is not clear if Intel's factories would be able to make external chips efficiently with its current physical plant. Finally, Intel's foundry business reported a 76% operating loss in 2024, vs Taiwan Semiconductor's 45% operating margin," he explained. Wall Street analysts at Raymond James, Bank of America, and Bernstein echoed concerns over regulatory hurdles and antitrust issues, with Bank of America's Vivek Arya saying 'any potential INTC split could be time-consuming and complicated.' Plus, any deal involving TSMC and Intel's manufacturing business would face tight constraints given the rules of Intel's CHIPS Act funding, which requires Intel to retain ownership of more than 50% of its foundry, Arya wrote in a note to investors Tuesday morning. The Trump administration 'could be wary of a foreign entity completely taking over an iconic US-firm that has deep involvement with US Department of Defense customers,' Arya wrote. Raymond James analyst Srini Pajjuri said in a note that '[A] better outcome for [the] U.S. government would be to work with TSM separately to expand its U.S. manufacturing footprint.' Intel was awarded $3 billion in US government funding in September to manufacture chips for the military. Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said Broadcom would be a good candidate to take over Intel's products business. "Hock [Tan] has shown the ability to take a hatchet to costs, ruthlessly, while still preserving innovation,' Rasgon wrote of Broadcom's CEO in a note Tuesday morning. Intel has endured a challenging few months. The tech icon parted ways with embattled CEO Pat Gelsinger on Dec. 1. Gelsinger led aggressive efforts to turn around the troubled US chipmaker for more than three years. He slashed thousands of jobs, improved costs, secured CHIPS Act funding, built chip foundries, and promised fast AI chips that could compete with Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD). Intel named CFO David Zinsner and former head of client computing Michelle Johnston Holthaus as the interim co-CEOs. Holthaus was also named Intel Products CEO. Intel will likely fill the CEO role by bringing in a top name from outside the company, Wall Street sources have told Yahoo Finance since Gelsinger's departure. Any permanent CEO will have to repair trust with investors after missing financial targets, and make a decision on the foundry business. It also requires immediately stabilizing the financials. That's in addition to likely exploring a breakup of the company to drive shareholder value. Intel's fourth quarter sales fell 7% year over year to $14.3 billion. Net earnings plunged 76%. The company forecasts it will only break even on the profit line this year. Whatever happens to Intel, it will be important for the US. "Well, it'd be great for the United States if their process, technology arm could be a credible alternative to Taiwan Semiconductor and Samsung. They're trying to do that, but that takes time and a lot of capital so that is a very, very hard thing," Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates told me on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid podcast (video above; listen in below). This embedded content is not available in your region. Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email
