rajatk/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Sycamore Partners in talks to sell its Boots chain for $10 billion (£7.5bn) sale with bidders including the billionaire Weston family and Australian pharmacy firm Sigma Healthcare. Private equity firm Sycamore, which took control of Boots last year through a $23.7 billion purchase of Walgreens Boots, started talks with possible purchasers before Easter, according to a Financial Times report o n Tuesday, which cited people familiar with the matter. Talks on a potential sale have progressed with the Canadian Branch of the Weston family, which owns the grocery chain Loblaws and pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart, through its Wittington Investments vehicle, according to the report. The Weston's are vying for Boots with Australia's Sigma Healthcare ( SIGGF ). The talks are said to be at an early stage and no decisions about a transaction have been taken, according to the FT. A sale of Boots likely means the UK health and beauty retailer is abandoning plans for a London initial public offering. Boots and Wittington declined to comment to the FT. Sycamore and Sigma didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Walgreens competes with CVS Healthcare ( CVS ) in the U.S. More on Sigma Healthcare Limited, CVS CVS Health: Still Cheap And Signs Of Improvement CVS Health: Rapidly Improving Metrics And Promising Recovery Deserve Reiterated Buy Rating CVS Health Q1 Earnings: We're (Finally) Back In Buy Territory It’s not just UnitedHealth, its Medicare peers are also rallying These 10 large-cap healthcare companies rank among the market's most attractively valued stocks

Key PointsIts profit margin is down as it accelerates investments in its infrastructure and customer acquisition.

Responding to an article by Polly Toynbee, Patrick Diamond says the party must have courage to think anew. Plus letters from Tom Kelly and Michael Orton Polly Toynbee is right to argue that Labour, and the centre-left more broadly, need the genuine debate about ideas they unwisely avoided before the last general election ( British politics is fractured and chaotic – but at last it’s brimming with ideas for the future, 2 June ). They must have the courage to think anew. The issue is not merely how to face up to the immensely difficult challenges Toynbee cites, of soaring wealth inequality and an inadequate tax base coupled with rising pressures on public services, but how Labour understands its core purpose and ideological mission. In the 1950s and the 1980s, successive defeats compelled the Labour party to reappraise its core principles in the light of the changing nature of capitalism and the role of government and markets. It should be just as thoroughgoing today. Continue reading...

Jane M Card , Tim Wicks and Rev Dr John Caperon respond to an article about the Bayeux tapestry’s journey to the UK Your article on the loan of the Bayeux tapestry to the British Museum states with admirable caution that Harold II is “represented in his final scenes in the embroidery with an arrow in his eye” ( ‘Of course we will give it back’: Bayeux tapestry set for secret journey across Channel, 3 June ). But was this always the case? In 1816 the Society of Antiquaries sent their historical draughtsman Charles Stothard to draw the Bayeux tapestry . Where the threads had worn away, he put in the stitch holes. These plainly show the arrow in Harold’s helmet, not his eye. Continue reading...

Joseph Hanlon and Derrick Cameron respond to an article by Aditya Chakrabortty about a backward-looking government that remains in Tony Blair’s thrall Mozambique knows the importance of the zombie Blairites that Aditya Chakrabortty writes about ( Zombie Blairites still have British politics in their grip – it’s time to break free, 4 June ). In December, the UK trade envoy Calvin Bailey MP was in Mozambique to sign an agreement for £400,000 in UK government funding for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. It will deliver “ specialised technical assistance ” to support the development of the Mphanda Nkuwa dam and hydropower project. The dam is just downstream from the Cahora Bassa dam, one of the largest in Africa, and successfully run by a Mozambican state company. Mozambique already has the technical capacity, but it knows that in an era of decreasing aid, it needs to keep the zombie Blairites on side. Especially when the UK government pays. Joseph Hanlon London Continue reading...

An individual needs to make a risk assessment if they choose to wild swim, just as they do when they ski, climb or ride a bike in traffic, says Nick Hopewell-Smith I’m not among those offended by young people seeking relief in cool local waterways in hot weather ( The row at Hampstead Heath is about far more than a few thoughtless swimmers in a heatwave, 3 June ). Nor do I find the growing trend for wild swimming irritating in any way. The author of Waterlog – my erstwhile English teacher and friend, the late Roger Deakin – did more than most to popularise wild swimming. His view was that if you saw a sign that said “No swimming”, it was as likely as not that locals had been swimming there habitually – and possibly for centuries. He also suggested that in an age of encroaching sanitised living and “health and safety”, river authorities and landowners alike were wont to put up “No swimming” signs to absolve themselves from the burden of responsibility or the expense of providing accessible lifebuoys. Roger once remarked, possibly playfully, that the presence of a prominent lifebuoy post was clear evidence of an attractive swim site, rather than any imminent danger per se. Of course, he wasn’t suggesting that young kids should just ignore official warnings, and as a committed environmentalist he would be among the first to be enraged by casual damage to bird nests and breeding grounds. Continue reading...

Alphabet Inc. Class C stock (US02079K1079): AI investments and ad cycle in focus AD HOC NEWS

The Canadian dollar slid to its lowest level since December on Tuesday, as traders anticipated the Bank of Canada will be slower than its global peers to raise interest rates. The loonie slumped to 1.3969 against the US dollar, marking the lowest level of the year. The declines came as prices for oil — a key Canadian export — slumped below $90 per barrel. Market participants were also wagering that the country’s central bank will keep its key rate on hold when it announces its latest policy decision on Wednesday. “The Bank of Canada decision presents modest dovish risks for the loonie,” said Pat Locke , a currency strategist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. “We are content to run short loonie trades against the US dollar,” he said. Read more: Bank of Canada to Hold After Weak First Quarter: Decision Guide All 27 economists polled by Bloomberg saw Canada’s central bank keeping rates on hold at 2.25%, more than a full percentage point below the Fed’s benchmark. The central bank said its rate “looks appropriate ” after its April 29 meeting. The Canadian dollar has tumbled more than 2% versus the greenback since then, making it the biggest loser among its Group-of-10 peers. Two-year US Treasury yields have climbed about 11 basis points so far in June, out-pacing the rise of 7 basis points in Canadian yields of the same tenor. Speculators have raised their short bets against the Canadian dollar for the past three weeks, according to Commodity Futures Trading Commission data. At Monday’s close, a key options gauge on the currency’s outlook was at its most bearish level since March 30.

Kemi Badenoch has vowed to reform the Equality Act in what is viewed as an attempt to win back support from Reform voters. The Conservative leader, who also served as equalities minister from 2020 to 2022, wants to scrap the public sector equality duty – a legal requirement that forces public institutions to to actively consider how their decisions affect equality. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to community affairs correspondent Aamna Mohdin Continue reading...

The global race for artificial intelligence supremacy is rapidly becoming a race for semiconductor manufacturing capacity. AI models require vast amounts of computing power, data centers are consuming more chips than ever, and governments are increasingly viewing semiconductor production as a matter of national security. Against that backdrop, Elon Musk has unveiled perhaps the most ... One Factory to Rule Them All: How Musk’s Terafab Could Rewrite the Scale of U.S. Chip Production

Intel stock falls amid the broader selloff in chip stocks. However, Intel could benefit from a deal to accelerate its chip-manufacturing revival.

EHang was supposed to report $54 million in sales this quarter. It didn't even make it to $4 million.

Key PointsEHang badly missed sales forecasts in its Q1 earnings report.

美国总统特朗普表示，美国必须对伊朗击落一架美军“阿帕奇”武装直升机作出回应。 责任编辑：李桐

Israel’s military carried out strikes on Southern Lebanon today, it was reported , once again testing the two-month ceasefire. At least eight people were killed in the town of Tyre, the BBC reported. The flare-up comes just a day after Israel and Iran said they were looking to agree on an immediate ceasefire following tit-for-tat airstrikes. Despite the tensions, US President Donald Trump today maintained that momentum towards ending the conflict was being made . “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” Trump told reporters in New York. “We could have at least an idea one or two days from now.” Yet progress toward an agreement was thrown into doubt again as Trump later said on Truth Social that the US must respond to Iran shooting one of its Apache helicopters that was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. Mediation efforts between the US and Iran to strike a deal are continuing, led by Pakistan. The talks remain intense, it is understood, and are expected to continue this week. Trump has repeatedly spoken about an interim agreement to end the conflict that began in February with the US bombing of Iran. While the ceasefire remains in place , sporadic fighting has continuously broken out. It underscores the risk of a return to a full conflict while there is no lasting peace deal. — Jennifer Duggan What You Need to Know Today Intesa Sanpaolo’s CEO Carlo Messina signaled he’s prepared to address any counterbids for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena after unveiling an offer that valued the world’s oldest bank at more than €30 billion ($35 billion). Messina surprised markets with the offer, a deal that would cement Intesa’s dominant role at home and position the bank to play a role in European consolidation, he said. Messina had remained on the sidelines since Italian finance descended into a deals frenzy almost two years ago. But the offer yesterday shows he was just bidding his time . He could now be the biggest driver of Italian bank consolida...

Pixelbizz ASML Holding ( ASML ) has become the first publicly traded company in European history to surpass a $700B market value, driven by a sharp rally as investors continue to reward the chip-equipment giant's central role in the AI-driven semiconductor boom. The stock climbed more than 4% to ~$1.83K on Tuesday, extending their 2026 gain to over 63%, far ahead of the S&P 500's ( SP500 ) 8.18% return. The record valuation has been supported by strong earnings, rising AI spending, and optimism around future semiconductor capacity expansion. ASML's Q1 2026 results reinforced the bullish sentiment. The company reported €8.8B in sales and a 53% gross margin, at the high end of guidance, while raising its full-year sales outlook to €36B-$40B. The company also reaffirmed its long-term 2030 revenue target of €44B-$60B. Institutional interest has also supported the recent price move. Baron Opportunity Fund initiated a position in ASML during the first quarter alongside Alphabet ( GOOG ), Forgent Power Solutions ( FPS ), Lam Research ( LRCX ), and Rubrik ( RBRK ). Another catalyst came after Reuters reported that CEO Christophe Fouquet has held direct talks with Elon Musk regarding the proposed $119B TeraFab semiconductor project in Texas. Fouquet said, "He's very serious about all those projects." Investors see the facility as a potential source of future demand for ASML's EUV machines, which are already used by Nvidia ( NVDA ), Intel Corporation ( INTC ), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company ( TSM ), and Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ). Still, some caution remains. Seeking Alpha analysts maintain a Hold rating, citing delays in High-NA EUV adoption by TSM, China-related export risks , and Taiwan geopolitical concerns. Quant Ratings also stand at 'Hold' with a score of 3.48, while Wall Street analysts remain bullish with a 4.52 'Strong Buy rating.' Technically, ASML stock remains in a long-term uptrend with support levels near $1.65K. The MACD remains above the signal...

At $280.82, IBM (NYSE:IBM) is a Hold, with patient buyers waiting for a pullback toward $245. IBM just committed over $10 billion to quantum computing over the next five years, a bet large enough to reshape both the bull and bear case. IBM operates across four segments: Software (Red Hat, Automation, Data), Consulting, Infrastructure (IBM ... IBM Just Placed a $10 Billion Bet to Become the Nvidia of Quantum Computing

Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has called it "maybe the most important thing we've launched to date."

Amazon Deal: These AMD RX 9070 XT GPUs are very good offers Neowin

Peru election remains on knife edge between Fujimori and Sanchez Reuters

Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images CrowdStrike is the cybersecurity gold standard Cybersecurity is the current zeitgeist that has courageously dodged the forest fire that has engulfed the software industry. Among them all, the biggest names, CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. ( CRWD ) and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. ( PANW ), have obviously earned their reputation as some of the most fearsome consolidators in the largely fragmented cybersecurity space. Back in my previous CRWD article , I reminded investors why it was a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of the pullback in the stock and also the fears that were speculating across the market. That was when its ARR growth still hadn't been upgraded yet. The market has now gone through that Anthropic Mythos moment where adversaries' attack capabilities could be further strengthened (when made generally available). Although this model hasn't been launched into the wild yet, the worry from enterprise companies is that they could be next to be attacked by such capable AI models that could decimate their defenses. What I believe is that organizations are not going to take any chances with their cybersecurity. They arguably want the best defenses that are available in the market, and with CrowdStrike participating in the preview program with Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) and OpenAI ( OPENAI ), I think it showcases very well why they are being recognized as one of the most advanced and leading purveyors of cybersecurity defenses globally. So it's without any surprises that we finally find CRWD having broken above its previous all-time highs back in the third quarter of 2025. That surge took just over four to five weeks and sent the stock flying, almost surpassing the $800 level. While there has been a momentary pullback over the past two weeks as investors took profit, possibly seeing that the elevated valuation multiples now require an even more aggressive forward guidance outlook moving ahead from FY2027 to justify that...

Disorder broke out in Southampton close to where the 18-year-old student was murdered.

Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) speaks during a news conference with House Democratic leadership at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 10, 2023. Sarah Silbiger | Reuters A monthslong stalemate over immigration enforcement could come to an end on Tuesday, as the U.S. House is poised to vote on a $70 billion funding package despite Democrats' vows to fight back. It's a major test for House Speaker Mike Johnson as he tries to cement one of President Donald Trump's top domestic priorities. Rep. Pete Aguilar , D-Calif., chair of the House Democratic Caucus, called the package a "$70 billion blank check for ICE and border patrol, with no strings attached." "This comes after Republicans already cut healthcare, food assistance, and they've a already give ICE $140 billion in their Big Ugly Bill," Aguilar said at a press conference on Tuesday, referring to Republicans' 2025 tax and spending package more commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. "On top of that, this doesn't do a single thing to help Americans with their daily costs of living." Read more CNBC politics coverage Trump family got about $500M from crypto venture — but investors saw steep losses Trump repeats claims that Iran deal is only 'days' away, despite recent strikes USDA Secretary Rollins calls Texas ag chief 'unserious' amid screwworm threat Trump nominates Todd Blanche for attorney general amid controversy over DOJ fund The package, which has broad support among Republican congressional leadership, would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, both of which are Department of Homeland Security subagencies that were left out of an earlier spending bill amid Democratic opposition. The $70 billion would extend through the end of Trump 's presidency. And it could bring to an end a drawn-out debate over immigration enforcement policy that began in January – after federal law enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis as part ...

国际贵金属走低，现货黄金价格跌2.02%，报4242.05美元/盎司；现货白银价格跌5.30%，报64.54美元/盎司。

The fake ads feature the governor of the Bank of England - the Bank has urged people to report them.

Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority will help owners of 40 housing estates undergoing maintenance work to hire temporary reviewers for their projects, after their original consultant came under investigation following the deadly Tai Po fire. The authority announced on Tuesday that it would launch tenders for the 40 estates that had previously engaged Will Power Architects as their consultant and had already begun maintenance work, as the company was “extremely unlikely” to continue its...

A decade ago, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) was still living down its “lost decade.” Satya Nadella had taken the CEO seat in 2014 and was quietly rewiring the company around Azure, subscriptions, and partnerships the old Microsoft would have shunned. Ten years later, Azure is the second-largest cloud platform, Microsoft Cloud cleared $54.5 billion in a single ... Microsoft’s $9K Return on $1K Crushes The Market

Tencent (TCEHY) could produce exceptional returns because of its solid growth attributes.

Experts point to three main reasons for the relatively steady prices but caution that a reckoning is not too far off.

After shares of SpaceX hit the market later this month, investors will finally be able to invest directly in the company that made reusable rockets mainstream and now runs the world's largest satellite internet network. But for years now, retail traders have turned to Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) as the closest publicly available proxy. So, now that they will both be available, which is the better investment? The scrappy challenger? Or the space behemoth ? SpaceX and Rocket Lab have a lot in common: Both are vertically integrated aerospace businesses chasing the same growing market. That being said , they differ in some important ways, including operating at very different scales. Continue reading