Latest news with #Anglo-European
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tank-busting missile factory in Bolton to double in size as Europe rearms
A British factory that makes tank-busting missiles is set to double in size as growing global tensions fuel a push towards rearmament across Europe. MBDA, the Anglo-European defence giant, said on Thursday it was investing £200m to expand its Bolton plant, creating 700 jobs. The site manufactures the Brimstone, Meteor and Sea Venom missiles for the British armed forces as well as other Nato military customers. Brimstone is an advanced 'fire and forget' missile that can locate targets using homing radar technology. The air-to-surface weapon costs £175,000 per shot and is usually fired by Typhoon jets at heavy armour such as tanks – although it can also be laser-guided to the target by friendly troops on the ground. Meanwhile, Meteor is a cutting-edge, long-range missile that can travel at speeds upwards of Mach 4 – around 3,000 miles per hour – to take out airborne targets such as enemy aircraft. Both weapons are made by staff at MBDA's facility in Bolton. MBDA is jointly owned by France-based Airbus, Britain's BAE Systems and Italy's Leonardo, following the merger of their respective missile businesses in 2001. The company is also the manufacturer of the Storm Shadow cruise missile, which has also been supplied to Ukraine and boasts a range of 150 miles. It is made at MBDA's other UK factory, in Stevenage. The company's announcement comes after The Telegraph revealed that Britain is in talks with European allies to create a £100bn 'defence, security and resilience bank', which would allow them to pool purchases of weapons and other equipment. Western countries are scrambling to rearm and replenish munitions stockpiles amid concerns about the threat from Russia and China. Inventories have dwindled following donations of kit to Ukraine. Chris Allam, managing director of MBDA UK, said: 'We are proud and excited to be building a world class engineering and manufacturing campus in the north-west of England, the centre of complex weapons manufacturing for the UK.' He added that a 10-year deal with the Government to supply complex weapons gave the company 'the confidence to invest and better support the UK and its allies'. The expansion was welcomed by Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, who visited the Bolton factory on Thursday. He said: 'This is great news for Bolton and another win for our world-class defence sector, which will create hundreds of good, well-paid jobs and ensure the UK continues to lead the way on the cutting-edge technologies of the future.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Boston Globe
21-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
I don't feel NRE (new relationship energy)
I did the work over the last year. I'm definitely in a better place than I was before. I met a woman I was interested in and we started dating. And this time, everything just feels … different? And I'm not sure if it's in a good way or a bad way. Or just a different way. Previously when I fell for someone, I fell hard . The feelings were intense and often obsessive. I thought about the person all the time. The 'new relationship energy (NRE)' was strong, hot, and compelling. But this time, its less like Old Faithful and more like a pleasantly warm bath. Let me be clear: She is easily the hottest woman I've ever dated. Smart, an athlete, a sexy job — the works. This is definitely not a problem of attraction. Advertisement But the lack of intense NRE is throwing me off. Is this warm-feeling excitement normal? It feels like I skipped right over the emotional honeymoon phase. Which is not bad, just weird for me. Related : There are a few other factors that might be at play: As a culture, generally, marriage and relationships can be more practical than emotional here. Young people try to give love relationships a try, and then sometimes marry for practicality. It's much more about alignment of values and personal goals. Indeed, that was basically her entire reason she asked me to go steady: 'We envision similar futures for ourselves and we get along really well.' After we'd been dating for a month, she asked me to move in. Which leads to the second potential factor: She discovered her sexuality late in life, and has experience with flings but not serious relationships. So when she asked me to move in, I had to be the one to explain the typical North-American dating 'timeline' — how long until people move in, marry, meet families, etc. Despite her being more than five years older, when it comes to navigating healthy emotional relationship practices, I am definitely the partner driving the bus. And to be fair, there's probably a lot of me projecting Anglo-European relationship expectations onto this relationship. Advertisement I love spending time with her. The sex is great, we make each other laugh, we enjoy going out and doing all sorts of activities together, and she's right: We do have similar visions for our future. But it just feels different than my previous relationships. Is it normal to not feel obsessive or compelled to be together? Is this the *actual* normal, and all my previous relationships were driven by unhealthy emotional dynamics? SMITTEN (AND OVERTHINKING IT??) A. There is no 'actual normal' that applies to all relationships. But sure, the feeling of being in love might feel different as you work on yourself. Drama can feel exciting. If your new relationship is stable and happy, it might seem less intense and special. But that's not necessarily the case. Related : My takeaway from your letter? You're learning about this woman while getting to know yourself. You're discovering whether the connection will fizzle or become something stronger and more important in your life. Can you just do that? Instead of trying to ask big questions about whose experience makes them more knowledgeable and whose culture is dictating the pace of the relationship? Your partnership, however it plays out, will be unique. You can do whatever you want at the pace you want. Instead of explaining how others take big steps where you're from, tell her what feels right for you . Ask her what she likes. Advertisement Trust me, in the US, there is no one path or pace. I know people who move in together at three months and others who try at three years. Also, in the US, we might frame everything as love, but rent, expenses, and family values dictate our choices, too. Geography is also key. The timeline for people in Massachusetts is different than for those in Wyoming. Instead of asking yourself 'Is this normal?,' try, 'Do I like this? Am I having a good time? Do I want more of it?' So far, it seems like your answers would be 'yes, yes, and yes.' Sounds great to me. MEREDITH READERS RESPOND: Your prior relationships that had this NRE did not end up panning out, did they? You took time to work on yourself, and now you're in a new relationship that feels different, but maybe that's because it's the right relationship. Feeling different isn't necessarily a bad thing. Also this relationship seems like it is still relatively new, and there are cultural differences you may just have to get used to, so stop overthinking it and continue to get to know your partner and see where the relationship evolves. THEGOODPLACE20 Even without cultural differences, every single person no matter where they're from is an INDIVIDUAL with their own wants/needs. BKLYNMOM Related : Every love is different. What you refer to as NRE may just be an emotional word for obsession. Now that you've worked on some of your issues, you may be obsessing less and enjoying more. Stop worrying about things that are going well. Advertisement WIZEN I'll tell you this as an example: Long ago I would only be interested in women who gave me that 'strong' feeling. That huge crush feeling. In every case the relationships were not healthy or they were never interested in me. Finally I decided I had to do something different. So I decided that I would ask women out who were attractive but also good people, people that aligned with my life, who I enjoyed spending time with. But none of them gave me that 'crush' feeling. This was on purpose. Those relationships ended up being much better relationships. So I called that 'intense crush feeling' my 'bad picker' and I never listened to it again. JSMUS Send your own relationship and dating questions to or Catch new episodes of wherever you listen to podcasts. Column and comments are edited and reprinted from .
