Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds praises armed forces
The ceremony, held on Monday, June 23, marked the beginning of a week of national events.
Mr Thomas-Symonds said: "It was a solemn privilege to represent Torfaen at the Armed Forces Flag Raising Ceremony in Parliament.
"We're incredibly proud of our Armed Forces community here in Torfaen, so during Armed Forces Week, it's important to show our support and thank those who protect our nation."
The event was attended by MPs, military personnel, and Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov.
Speeches were given by Air Commodore Philip Wadlow and defence secretary John Healey.
A similar ceremony took place at Pontypool's Civic Centre.
Councillor Gaynor James, Torfaen's Armed Forces champion, said: "It was an honour to speak at Torfaen Council's flag raising ceremony to mark Armed Forces Week.
"Our Armed Forces community – both those currently serving and have served previously – have given so much to our country, and it's incredibly important we provide them the support necessary."
She said she would continue working to ensure the armed forces community is supported across the borough.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hijacked satellites and orbiting space weapons: In the 21st century, space is the new battlefield
As Russia held its Victory Day parade this year, hackers backing the Kremlin hijacked an orbiting satellite that provides television service to Ukraine. Instead of normal programing, Ukrainian viewers saw parade footage beamed in from Moscow: waves of tanks, soldiers and weaponry. The message was meant to intimidate, and it was also an illustration that 21st century war is waged not just on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace and the reaches of outer space. Disabling a satellite could deal a devastating blow without a single bullet, and it can be done by targeting the satellite's security software or disrupting its ability to send or receive signals from Earth. 'If you can impede a satellite's ability to communicate, you can cause a significant disruption,' said Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity firm focused on protecting supply chains. He served in the Marines before working on cyber issues at the Department of Energy. 'Think about GPS,' he said. 'Imagine if a population lost that, and the confusion it would cause.' Satellites are the short-term challenge More than 12,000 operating satellites now orbit the planet, playing a critical role not just in broadcast communications but also in military operations, navigation systems like GPS, intelligence gathering and economic supply chains. They are also key to early launch-detection efforts, which can warn of approaching missiles. That makes them a significant national security vulnerability, and a prime target for anyone looking to undermine an adversary's economy or military readiness — or to deliver a psychological blow like the hackers supporting Russia did when they hijacked television signals to Ukraine. Hackers typically look for the weakest link in the software or hardware that supports a satellite or controls its communications with Earth. The actual orbiting device may be secure, but if it's running on outdated software, it can be easily exploited. As Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, someone targeted Viasat, the U.S.-based satellite company used by Ukraine's government and military. The hack, which Kyiv blamed on Moscow, used malware to infect tens of thousands of modems, creating an outage affecting wide swaths of Europe. National security officials say Russia is developing a nuclear, space-based weapon designed to take out virtually every satellite in low-Earth orbit at once. The weapon would combine a physical attack that would ripple outward, destroying more satellites, while the nuclear component is used to fry their electronics. U.S. officials declassified information about the weapon after Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, issued a public warning about the technology. Turner has pushed for the Department of Defense to provide a classified briefing to lawmakers on the weapon, which, if deployed, would violate an international treaty prohibiting weapons of mass destruction in space. Turner said such a weapon could render low-Earth orbit unusable for satellites for as long as a year. If it were used, the effects would be devastating: potentially leaving the U.S. and its allies vulnerable to economic upheaval and even a nuclear attack. Russia and China also would lose satellites, though they are believed to be less reliant on the same kinds of satellites as the U.S. Turner compared the weapon, which is not yet ready for deployment, to Sputnik, the Russian satellite that launched the space age in 1957. 'If this anti-satellite nuclear weapon would be put in space, it would be the end of the space age,' Turner said. 'It should never be permitted to go into outer space. This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in space.' Mining the moon and beyond Valuable minerals and other materials found on the moon and in asteroids could lead to future conflicts as nations look to exploit new technologies and energy sources. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced plans this month to send a small nuclear reactor to the moon, saying it's important that the U.S. do so before China or Russia. 'We're in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon,' Duffy said. 'To have a base on the moon, we need energy and some of the key locations on the moon. ... We want to get there first and claim that for America.' The moon is rich in a material known as helium 3, which scientists believe could be used in nuclear fusion to generate huge amounts of energy. While that technology is still decades away, control over the moon in the intervening years could determine which countries emerge as superpowers, according to Joseph Rooke, a London-based cybersecurity expert who has worked in the U.K. defense industry and is now director of risk insights at the firm Recorded Future. The end of the Cold War temporarily halted a lot of investments in space, but competition is likely to increase as the promise of mining the moon becomes a reality. 'This isn't sci-fi. It's quickly becoming a reality,' Rooke said. 'If you dominate Earth's energy needs, that's game over.' China and Russia have announced plans for their own nuclear plants on the moon in the coming years, while the U.S. is planning missions to the moon and Mars. Artificial intelligence is likely to speed up the competition, as is the demand for the energy that AI requires. Messages left with Russia's Embassy in Washington were not returned. Despite its steps into outer space, China opposes any extraterrestrial arms race, according to Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for China's Embassy in Washington. He said it is the U.S. that is threatening to militarize the final frontier. 'It has kept expanding military strength in space, created space military alliances, and attempted to turn space into a war zone,' Liu said. 'China urges the U.S. to stop spreading irresponsible rhetoric, stop expanding military build-up in space, and make due contribution to upholding the lasting peace and security in space.' What the US is doing about security in space Nations are scrambling to create their own rocket and space programs to exploit commercial prospects and ensure they aren't dependent on foreign satellites. It's an expensive and difficult proposition, as demonstrated last week when the first Australian-made rocket crashed after 14 seconds of flight. The U.S. Space Force was created in 2019 to protect American interests in space and to defend U.S. satellites from attacks from adversaries. The space service is far smaller than the more well-established services like the Army, Navy or Air Force, but it's growing, and the White House is expected to announce a location for its headquarters soon. Colorado and Alabama are both candidates. The U.S. military operates an unmanned space shuttle used to conduct classified military missions and research. The craft, known as the X-37B, recently returned to Earth after more than a year in orbit. The Space Force called access to space a vital national security interest. 'Space is a warfighting domain, and it is the Space Force's job to contest and control its environment to achieve national security objectives,' it said in the statement. American dominance in space has been largely unquestioned for decades following the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. But the new threats and competition posed by Russia and China show the need for an aggressive response, U.S. officials say. The hope, Turner said, is that the U.S. can take steps to ensure Russia and China can't get the upper hand, and the frightening potential of space weapons is not realized. 'You have to pay attention to these things so they don't happen,' Turner said.
Daily Mirror
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump's outburst over Putin 'defeat' before Zelensky meeting
Donald Trump slammed the "Fake News" media and other politicians in his tirade, also putting the onus on Zelensky to seal a ceasefire deal - it comes after Trump's meeting with Putin on Friday President Donald Trump has vented his frustrations over his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, just a day before he is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Trump's meeting with Putin took place in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where they discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Despite Trump describing the meeting as "productive", the two leaders failed to reach an agreement on a ceasefire. "There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump told journalists during a press conference following the summit. Putin, on the other hand, referred to their discussions merely as a "reference point" for ending the war and a starting point for future diplomatic and economic relations between the U.S. and Russia. "The Fake News has been saying for 3 days that I suffered a 'major defeat' by allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to have a major Summit in the United States," the president wrote, reports the Mirror US. "Actually, he would have loved doing the meeting anywhere else but the U.S., and the Fake News knows this. It was a major point of contention! If we had the Summit elsewhere, the Democrat run and controlled media would have said what a terrible thing THAT was. These people are sick!" he continued. In another post, Trump targeted Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who claimed that Putin "got everything that he wanted" from the three-hour meeting. "Murphy is a lightweight who thinks it made the Russian President look good in coming to America. Actually, it was very hard for President Putin to do so," Trump blasted. "This war can be ended, NOW, but stupid people like Chris Murphy, John Bolton, and others, make it much harder to do so." John Bolton, the former National Security Advisor, commented on CNN that Trump "looked very tired" post-summit. Trump essentially passed the buck to President Zelensky after the summit, stating that Putin had proposed a ceasefire if Kyiv surrendered all of Donetsk - an industrial region that Moscow has its sights set on. Zelensky dismissed the proposal. "President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," he posted on Truth Social. Zelensky, along with leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland, are scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Monday. This marks the first meeting between the Ukrainian and U.S. leaders since February. "Big day at the White House tomorrow. Never had so many European Leaders at one time. My great honour to host them! ! !" Trump tweeted. Minutes later, Trump took a swipe at the media, alleging that reports have labelled his hosting of the European leaders as a "big loss. "Actually, it is a great honour for America! ! !" he retorted. Zelensky's allies have welcomed Trump's efforts to reach a deal with Putin but promised to support Ukraine and tighten sanctions on Russia. Zelensky himself has said he can't concede territory without changes being made to Ukraine's constitution and insisted on security guarantees to stop Russia from invading again. After the summit, Trump told Putin, "We'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon."
The Independent
42 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Russia is desperate to capture eastern Ukraine's industrial heartland
The future of Ukraine's industrial heartland in the east of the country is uncertain, after Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded it be handed to Russia during his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. The Russian leader demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any ceasefire deal, and said he would be prepared to stop fighting on the rest of the frontline if Kyiv gave in to the demand and addressed the 'root causes of the conflict'. The Ukrainian president has said that Putin wants to take the remaining 30 per cent of the eastern region, which has been the location of some of the fiercest battles in the three-and-a-half-year war. But losing Donetsk would give Russia control of almost all of the Donbas, the collective name for Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, which has been long coveted by Putin. Earlier this week, Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would 'never leave' the Donbas and warned that Putin could use it as a springboard for a future invasion. However, sources close to the meeting told The Independent that the dramatic move appears to have been endorsed by Mr Trump as a means to bring an end to the war. As Kyiv fights to keep the Donbas from Trump's so-called 'land swap' deal, here's all you need to know about the region. Where is the Donbas? Situated along Ukraine's eastern border, the Donbas takes its portmanteau name from 'Donets Basin', a further abbreviation of 'Donets Coal Basin', in reference to the coal basin along the Donets Ridge and River. The Donbas stretches across the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, two large regions of Ukraine that have been on the front line of the war that followed Russia's invasion. How long has it been occupied? The Donbas has been partially occupied by Russia since 2014, around the same time that Putin annexed the Crimean peninsula. Russian-backed separatists broke away from the Ukrainian government to proclaim the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk independent 'people's republics' and, as a result, Moscow captured more than a third of Ukraine's eastern territory. Russia classes inhabitants of the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Luhansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, and the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as subjects of the Russian Federation. Ukraine insists these territories are part of Ukraine. It is believed that around 88 per cent of the Donbas is under Russian control. This includes almost all of the Luhansk region and 75 per cent of the Donetsk region, according to Reuters. Approximately 6,600 sq km is still controlled by Ukraine, but Russia has been focusing most of its energy along the front in Donetsk, pushing towards the last remaining major cities such as Pokrovsk. A key strategic region in the war The hyper-industrialised Donbas economy is dominated by coal mining and metallurgy. The region has one of the largest coal reserves in Ukraine. When conflict broke out in 2014, Ukraine's coal-mining enterprises saw a 22.4 per cent decline in the production of raw coal compared with 2013, according to the Kyiv Post, showing the country's reliance on Donbas as an energy powerhouse. But as well as its economic significance, Donbas has been described as a 'fortress belt' by the Institute for the Study of War in terms of its strategic value. Donetsk forms the main fortified defensive line across the front line, stretching through Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka. 'Ukraine is holding a key defensive line across Donetsk,' says Elina Beketova, a fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, describing a 'fortified zone buildup over years because the war began 11 years ago'. She adds that Russia hasn't been able to break through since 2014, and has lost many people there. The entire region is heavily mined, and Ukrainian troops have been preparing it for years. 'It's not just trenches, it's a deep, layered defence with bunkers, anti-tank ditches, minefields, and industrial areas built into the terrain. The area includes dominant heights, rivers, and urban zones that make it extremely hard to capture,' explains Beketova. She says that losing this fortified line would have 'catastrophic consequences' for Ukraine, as it holds back Russia's advancement into central and western parts of the country. 'The front would shift approximately 80km west, and Russia would gain open ground – flat steppe with no natural barriers – giving it a direct path towards Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipro.' What Zelensky has said about the Donbas Zelensky has repeatedly rejected calls from Russia to give up the Donbas. In response to Putin's request that Ukraine withdraw from eastern Donetsk, Zelensky vowed that his people would 'never leave' the Donbas, and warned that Putin's troops could use it as a springboard for a future invasion. 'We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,' he said.
