Germany pressed on tanks for Ukraine; Kyiv airs frustration
Germany faces mounting pressure to supply battle tanks to Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is airing frustration about not obtaining enough weaponry as Western allies confer on how best to support Ukraine nearly 11 months into Russiaโs invasion.
UK government rejects plan to build national flagship
Britainโs government has scrapped a 250 million-pound ($288 million) plan to build a national flagship that was supposed to tour the world as a โfloating embassyโ amid a public spending squeeze and to prioritize funding for boosting U.K. defenses against Russia.
UK leader Sunak faces opposition in Parliament for 1st time
Rishi Sunak faced the opposition in Parliament for the first time as Britain's prime minister Wednesday, seeking to offer assurances that his new government would offer economic stability and continuity after his predecessorโs tax plans triggered market tumult.
Russia's defense chief warns of 'dirty bomb' provocation
Russiaโs defense chief has alleged that Ukraine was preparing a โprovocationโ involving a radioactive device, a stark claim that was strongly rejected by U.S., Ukrainian and British officials amid soaring tensions as Moscow struggles to stem Ukrainian advances.
Ukrainian soldiers train in UK as war with Russia rages on
The U.K. Ministry of Defense says the first cohort of Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom have no previous military experience, have arrived in the U.K. for combat training as the eastern European nation races to replace troops killed and wounded in the war against Russia.
The Latest: US strikes at IS in retaliation for bombing
The United States military has struck back at the Islamic State, bombing an IS member in Afghanistan less than 48 hours after a devastating suicide bombing claimed by the group killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport.
UK struggles for influence as Afghan crisis strains US ties
The messy exit of Western military forces from Afghanistan and the swift takeover of the country by the Taliban has stunned officials in Britain and strained the U.K.'s โspecial relationshipโ with its most important ally, the United States.
UK unveils plan for smaller, more high-tech armed forces
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks, during a visit to BAE Systems at Warton Aerodrome in Lancashire, England, Monday, March 22, 2021 to mark the publication of the Integrated Review and the Defence White Paper. (Christopher Furlong/Pool Photo via AP)LONDON โ Britain plans to cut the size of its army and boost spending on drones, robots and a new โcyber forceโ under defense plans announced by the government on Monday. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the British Army would shrink from 76,500 soldiers to 72,500 by 2025. He said the army hadn't been at its โestablished strengthโ of 82,500 for several years. In November the government announced a 16.5 billion-pound ($23 billion) increase in defense spending over the next four years, focusing on the future battlefields of space and cyber rather than traditional resources such as army troops.
The Latest: Mexico sees near-record daily coronavirus deaths
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)MEXICO CITY โ Mexico reported a near-record 1,707 confirmed coronavirus deaths Wednesday, as the country runs out of vaccines. Ad___THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:Spain surpasses 60,000 confirmed virus deaths. British officials say Oxford study backs up their decision to delay second vaccine shot for up to 12 weeks. Ad___OKLAHOMA CITY -- About 11,500 doses of the coronavirus vaccine will be shipped to pharmacies across Oklahoma next week, state health officials said. ___MANAGUA, Nicaragua โ Nicaraguaโs government says it has approved Russiaโs Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.
UK defense spending boost stokes concerns about overseas aid
Johnson said the armed forces will receive an additional 16.5 billion pounds ($21 billion) over and above the governments earlier plans. Since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, Britain, like many other Western countries, cut defense spending in order to reap a peace dividend. Starmer and others, including members of Johnson's Conservative Party, voiced concerns that the government is about to abandon its commitments on overseas aid to pay for the higher military spending. The government has already rolled the department overseeing overseas aid into the Foreign Office. Some in government have argued for a reduction in the commitment to maintain aid spending at 0.7% of national income to 0.5%, which could free up billions of pounds for use elsewhere.
7 held for suspected tanker hijack after UK commando raid
The Nave Andromeda oil tanker is docked next to the Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal in Southampton, England, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. The U.K. military seized control of the oil tanker that dropped anchor in the English Channel after reporting it had seven stowaways on board who had become violent. (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire via AP)LONDON โ Seven stowaways seized when British naval special forces stormed an oil tanker in the English Channel have been arrested on suspicion of hijacking, police said Monday. Police said the 22 crew members of the Nave Andromeda were โsafe and wellโ after the raid, which unfolded after darkness fell on Sunday. Suspecting a hijacking, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel authorized military action, the U.K. government said.