Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church says Pope Francis was example of Christian humility
DUBAI, April 21 (Reuters) - Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church mourned Pope Francis on Monday, saying he was "a true example of Christian humility".
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Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Five terrifying ways enemies would hit Britain if it goes to war laid bare in official report
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITAIN would get blitzed with long-range drones, ballistic and cruise missiles if it had to fight a war this year. A landmark Strategic Defence Review set out five 'methods of attack' the UK should expect if it was forced into state-on-state conflict. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 11 The test firing of an ICBM belonging to Russia's nuclear deterrence forces Credit: Alamy 11 A drone is seen during a Russian aerial strike in Kyiv Credit: Reuters 11 Everything from oil rigs and subsea cables to satellites and merchant ships would also face cyber attacks Credit: Getty 11 Keir Starmer warned that 'a step change in the threats we face demands a step-change in British defence to meet them' Credit: PA These five methods are: Attacks on the armed forces in the UK and on overseas bases Air and missile attacks from long range drones, cruise and ballistic missiles targeting military infrastructure and vital national infrastructure Increased cyber attacks Attempts to disrupt the UK economy - especially the industry that supports the armed forces - through cyber attacks, intercepting shipping trade and attacks on space-based infrastructure Efforts to manipulate information and undermine social cohesion and political will Bases, ports and airfields in Britain and around the world be the first to get bombarded. And everything from oil rigs and subsea cables to satellites and merchant ships would also face cyber attacks and sabotage. The dossier warned: 'Based on the current way of war, if the UK were to fight a state-on-state war as part of Nato in 2025, it could expect to be subject to some or all of the following methods of attack: 'Attacks on the armed forces in the UK and overseas bases." Major bases would include the Navy's three main ports at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Clyde as well as outposts around the world, such as the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean and RAF Akoritiri in Cyprus. The report also warned of: 'Air and missile attack from long-rage drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, targeting military infrastructure and critical national infrastructure in the UK.' The UK has no land based missile defence systems and relies on its six Royal Navy destroyers to intercept ballistic or hypersonic missile which Russia has used to blitz Ukraine. Strategic Defence Review: Five Key Defence Pledges Up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines to be built under the Aukust pact £15bn investment in the UK's nuclear warhead programme to maintain and modernise the deterrent New Cyber Command to be established, with £1 billion invested in digital warfare capabilities Up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons to be purchased, supporting 800 defence jobs More than £1.5bn in extra funding to repair and renew armed forces housing But the government has pledged to invest £1bn in a new Iron Dome-style defence system to 'protect the homeland'. Other attacks in an all out war would include 'increased sabotage and cyber-attacks affecting on and offshore critical national infrastructure.' 11 A Russian Air Force jet carries a high-precision hypersonic aero-ballistic missile Credit: AP 11 Air and missile attack from long-rage drones are also a risk Credit: Getty 11 Devonport Royal Navy maintenance depot at HMS Drake, Plymouth Credit: Alamy 11 HMS Vanguard, Britain's first Trident submarine, enters its base on the River Clyde, Scotland Credit: PA The report warns Britain is already 'under daily attack' in the so-called grey zone, which includes cyber hacks and sabotage 'beneath the threshold of war'. It also warned the citizens to expect 'attempts to disrupt the UK economy, especially the industry that supports the armed forces, including through cyber attack, the interdiction of maritime trade, and attacks on space-based critical national infrastructure'. Finally, it warned the UK would face a massive propaganda blitz designed 'to manipulate information and undermine social cohesion and political will.' The review sets out plans to grow the Army, renew Britain's nukes and recruit up to 250,000 cadets to get the country ready for 'whole of society approach' to defence and resilience. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned that, 'a step change in the threats we face demands a step-change in British defence to meet them'. He added: 'We need to see the biggest shift in mindset in my lifetime to put security and defence front and centre – to make it the fundamental organising principle of government.' Vital War Chest AFTER years of Whitehall deciding that defending the nation didn't matter, the Government is right to now increase spending as part of today's Strategic Defence Review. Given massive global uncertainty, the UK should be on a war footing. Yet there are concerns that the review doesn't go far enough. There is still doubt over whether or when Labour will spend three per cent of GDP on defence. Planned submarines and weapons factories are also still decades away. Then there's Britain's appalling record on procurement which has wasted billions on dud kit. There is still a great deal more for this Government to do. 11 Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, 2024 Credit: EPA 11 Bases, ports and airfields in Britain and around the world be the first to get bombarded Credit: Neil Hope
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Reuters
Britain facing race to avoid $1 billion in EU carbon tax costs
LONDON/BRUSSELS, June 2 (Reuters) - Britain will struggle to link its carbon market to the EU's in just seven months, to avoid UK companies facing the bloc's carbon border tariff and annual bills around 800 million pounds ($1.08 billion) from next year, market experts have said. Billed as part of a "reset" in relations after Britain's 2016 exit from the European Union, the two sides announced last month they will link their carbon emissions trading systems by the end of the year. But neither side has set a timeframe or detailed the work that must be done to make this happen before January, when Europe's carbon border tax kicks in. "It's probably still likely to take many years before linkage takes effect. The earliest is 2028, but it's more likely to be 2029 or even 2030," said Ben Lee, senior emissions analyst at Energy Aspects. The UK government said a key upside of linking to the EU's carbon market, or emissions trading system (ETS), is to avoid businesses being hit by the EU's carbon border tariff - which, starting next year, will impose fees on the CO2 emissions associated with imports of steel, cement and other goods. The UK government said avoiding these costs would save 800 million pound a year. But EU officials say to get exempted from the carbon border levy, Britain would need to have linked its carbon market to the EU's. "Full linkage will take several years given the complexity of the process, purely from a technical perspective," ClearBlue carbon market analyst Yan Qin said, adding that an "optimistic" scenario could see the link forged in 2027. A spokesperson for the British government said it will seek to agree a carbon market link as soon as is feasible. "We will not provide a running commentary on the progress of negotiations," they said. To make a link happen, the UK needs to adjust its national rules for issuing carbon trading permits, bring its emissions permit auctions in line with EU rules, and change its national cap on how much companies covered by the carbon market can emit. That's not all. The EU and UK schemes are also not yet aligned on how many free CO2 permits they give industries. And the EU carbon market has a special "reserve" which adds or removes permits from the market to help stabilise prices. Britain's scheme currently lacks a "reserve", though it has a cost containment mechanism that can act as a ceiling on prices, something the EU scheme does not have. "Resolving the question of a supply adjustment mechanism will likely be one of the technical calibrations that will need to be in place before the two systems can link," said Veyt senior analyst Ingvild Sorhus. Some businesses argue these issues are technically straightforward to resolve. "With the right political will, an ETS linking agreement between the EU and UK could be signed within 6 months, and operational by 2028," said Alistair McGirr, Head of Policy and Advocacy at British energy firm SSE. Industry group Energy UK said linkage negotiations could conclude within a year - but that Britain should seek an exemption from the EU carbon border levy until the link is sealed, in case talks drag into 2026. "It is a question not of major political roadblocks, but primarily of technical processes ... I'm not saying these are small problems, but they are simply not intractable problems," Energy UK Policy Director Adam Berman said, of the changes needed to allow the link. The UK plans to launch its own carbon border tariff a year later, in 2027. Brussels may be in less of a hurry. Britain's carbon market is less than a tenth of the size of the EU's, so a link would see British businesses gain access to a much more liquid market. The upside for the EU is less clear - although EU officials cite the bloc's aim to expand carbon pricing internationally, to ensure as many countries as possible put a price on greenhouse gas emissions. Companies also say the move would avoiding competitive distortions and reduce costs for both EU and UK consumers. Pascal Canfin, a French lawmaker in the European Parliament, said the upsides for Britain were more obvious than for the EU. "It's a political move," said Canfin, of the EU's motivation. "The UK was within [the EU] ETS before. I mean, it's not such a big deal to have it again." ($1 = 0.7387 pounds)
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Reuters
England win over Spain would be confidence boost ahead of Euros, says Bronze
BARCELONA, June 2 (Reuters) - England defender Lucy Bronze said a positive result from Tuesday's Nations League game against world champions Spain would set her team up nicely for the defence of their European Championship title. While England are coming off a 6-0 Nations League thrashing of Portugal on Friday at Wembley, Spain defeated Belgium 5-1 to remain top of the group with one game remaining. The winners of the four groups advance to the knockout finals starting in October. "(A win would give us) a lot of confidence, but we already have beaten them this year so we've got a lot of confidence from that," Bronze told reporters on Monday, referring to England's 1-0 Nations League win over the Spaniards in February. "That Spain performance from us in Wembley was brilliant. You can find things to gain confidence from. It's not the be-all and end-all (Tuesday)," she said. "In terms of the Nations League it is. (But) we might not even face Spain in the Euros. We get confidence from ourselves and others." Tuesday's match in Barcelona is England's last before manager Sarina Wiegman announces her European Championship squad on Thursday. "We are pretty close (to finalising the squad)," Wiegman said. "Still you want to go to the game tomorrow and then make the final decisions, but we are pretty close." The one big Euros question mark is the fitness of Chelsea striker Lauren James, who has not played since suffering a hamstring injury in April. "We're trying to get her fit. She's trying to get fit with all the support from Chelsea and us. She is doing really well," Wiegman said. "She needs to tick some boxes and progress. We need her to be fit and healthy and perform at her highest level." Wiegman is also without defender Millie Bright, who withdrew from camp for an extended period saying she was "mentally and physically" at her limit. "Millie is a real big personality and big player for England and Chelsea," Bronze said. "She's missed with what she brings on and off the pitch. We want to make sure she's OK both physically and mentally. She's someone who's quite tough and it's brave that she came out and spoke.." England kick off their European Championship campaign in Switzerland against France on July 5.
