2 h. ago Compare the courage of Greta Thunberg’s Gaza aid mission with the inaction and complicity of western governments | Owen Jones

The Madleen is no ‘selfie yacht’. It is a symbol of human compassion in a world that has decided to look awayImagine this: over the weekend, Britain – shocked by the scale of suffering in Gaza – decided to bypass international norms and institutions, and used its navy to deliver much-needed food, baby formula and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip’s ports.This, of course, did not happen. Instead, it was left to activists on the Madleen, including Greta Thunberg, to make a symbolic attempt to break the blockade of aid and raise awareness of a looming “starvation crisis”. In the early hours of Monday morning, the ship was boarded by Israeli soldiers, allegedly in international waters, and the crew were taken to Israeli ports in anticipation of being repatriated. Lawyers for the activists have claimed that this is overreach by the Israeli armed forces, but the crew should consider their treatment light-touch. In 2010, the Israeli military stormed another aid flotilla and killed 10 acti...

Politics

28 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Poland scrambles planes to secure airspace as Russia targets western Ukraine

The Polish response comes as Russian troops advance on east-central Ukraine. What we know on day 1,202See all our Ukraine war coveragePoland and allied countries scrambled aircraft early on Monday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the Polish border, the operational command of the Polish armed forces said. “The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the areas at risk,” it said on X.All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts in the early hours of Monday after the Ukrainian air force warned of Russian missile and drone attacks.Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv, which Ukraine’s air defence units were trying to repel, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said on the Telegram messaging app early on Monday.Russia says its forces are advancing to the edge of the east-central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk for the first time in the three-year war, raising the prospect of a...

Events

3 d. ago Lebanese army warns Israeli airstrikes might force it to freeze cooperation with ceasefire committee

The Lebanese army has condemned Israel’s airstrikes on suburbs of Beirut, warning that such attacks are weakening the role of Lebanon’s armed forces that might eventually suspend cooperation with the committee monitoring the truce that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war

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5 d. ago Cops admit 'we'll have to ignore some crimes' in bleak future for Brit victims

Police say spending cuts will mean they'll have to 'choose' which cases to solve as senior officers tell Keir Starmer they'll have to 'deprioritise' some crimes

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5 d. ago Keir Starmer 'picks money man RAF chief to head UK Armed Forces' as he launches push to get Britain 'war

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, an RAF engineer, is reportedly in line to be the next Chief of Defence Staff.

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6 d. ago Starmer chooses RAF chief Sir Richard Knighton to lead armed forces

Prime minister is understood to have made chief of the defence staff appointment amid what has been billed as the most transformative period for the MoD in decades

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6 d. ago Robert Jenrick attacks Attorney General Lord Hermer by parading in front of ten easels showing controversial clients in latest stunt video

The former Conservative leadership candidate accused Lord Hermer of choosing to 'defend Britain's enemies', adding: 'Starmer should never have appointed him in the first place'.

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7 d. ago Crucial defence review warns Britain's Armed Forces aren't ready to fight a war against a foe with similar capabilities in stark assessment of UK's military prowess

Britain's Armed Forces aren't ready to fight a war against a military with similar capabilities, the authors of Britain's Strategic Defence Review have warned.

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7 d. ago Growing threats, new weapons, more troops: key points of UK’s defence review

The government says the UK must be ready to ‘fight and win’ a full-scale war. Here is a summary of its recommendationsKeir Starmer vows to make Britain ‘battle-ready’ as he unveils defence spending plansA vision of what war between the UK and another state such as Russia would look like is sketched out briefly but starkly on a page of the strategic defence review.Such a conflict could involve attacks on the armed forces in the UK and overseas, air and missile attacks on critical infrastructure, and sabotage and efforts to manipulate information and undermine social cohesion. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago Defence review plans will make army ‘10 times more lethal’, says John Healey – politics live

Defence secretary says ‘the world is more dangerous’ as he addresses MPs about strategic defence reviewHere is the clip of Keir Starmer in his Today programme interview refusing to say when the government will raise defence spending to 3% of GDP.In an interview with the Times published on Saturday John Healey, the defence secretary, said that he had “no doubt” that Britain would reach the 3% target by 2034 – ie, before the end of the next parliament. Yesterday he described this as an “ambition”. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago AI, drones and missile defence investment part of UK new defence plans

The SDR marks the ‘most profound change for about 150 years in how you think about armies, navies and air force,’ one of the authors suggested.

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7 d. ago Migrant crossings could hit 50k this year as minister voices ‘frustration’ at French police watching boats go

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said the government wants to see ‘French police take more action’

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7 d. ago Migrant crossings could hit 50,000 this year as minister expresses 'frustration' at French police

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said the government wants to see ‘French police take more action’

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7 d. ago Starmer defends not putting date on 3% defence spending target as UK to announce plans to build new submarines – politics live

Prime minister to launch strategic defence review in Glasgow this morningHere is the clip of Keir Starmer in his Today programme interview refusing to say when the government will raise defence spending to 3% of GDP.In an interview with the Times published on Saturday John Healey, the defence secretary, said that he had “no doubt” that Britain would reach the 3% target by 2034 – ie, before the end of the next parliament. Yesterday he described this as an “ambition”. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago 'We must prepare for conflict,' says Starmer with new weapons to down Putin missiles targeting UK 'homeland'

Armed forces minister Luke Polland said Britain is not at war but nor is it at peace

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8 d. ago Keir Starmer to unveil strategic defence review and put UK on ‘war

Prime minister to launch strategic defence review in Glasgow this morningStarmer repeats his claim that he has an ambition to get defence spending up to 3% of GDP in the next parliament.Q: But “ambition” is not a commitment. I can have a commitment to lose weight. That does not mean it will happen.What you can take from this is, yes, that 3% but I am not, as the prime minister of a Labour government, going to make a commitment as to the precise date until I can be sure precisely where the money is coming from, how we can make good on that commitment, because I don’t believe in performative fantasy politics, and certainly not on defence and security.Nato has been the single most effective alliance for keeping the peace for 80 years, and our job is not just to celebrate that as we do, but to ask ourselves the searching question as I ask myself on a daily basis, which is, how do we ensure that Nato preserves the peace for decades to come for this generation? Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Why the spectre of Trump looms over Starmer’s defence review

Analysis: Labour plans to transform UK armed forces with new submarines, nuclear warheads and even munitions factories. But questions remain over whether it will be enough

Politics

8 d. ago Defence review to say UK must be ready to fight a war in Europe or Atlantic

Review will call for ‘war-fighting readiness’ to deal with new threats, though army will not grow before next electionAnalysis: Labour pushes ‘military Keynesianism’ to win support for defence spendingBritain needs to be ready to fight a war in Europe or the Atlantic, a strategic defence review will conclude, though it is not expected to promise immediate increases in the size of the armed forces to deal with the threat.The 130-page document will call for a move to “war-fighting readiness” to deter Russian aggression in Europe and increases in stockpiles of arms and support equipment, some of which may only last days in a crisis. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Keir Starmer to announce huge nuclear submarine expansion as UK told to be ready for war

Keir Starmer will make the announcement as he unveils the Government's new Strategic Defence Review, which is expected to recommend the Armed Forces move to warfighting readiness

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9 d. ago Britain MUST be ready for war: Starmer vows to reverse 'hollowing out' of armed forces with weapons drive

As the government prepares to launch its long-awaited defence review tomorrow, the PM has pledged action to make UK forces 'more lethal than ever'.

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