A defence insider told me last year AUKUS was f****d. Now the final nail was just hammered into the coffin - and the blame game has started: PVO
Defence minister and Deputy PM Richard Marles appears to have accidentally belled the cat this week in Question Time.
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Rhyl Journal
11 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
No 10 declines to say if Palestine to be recognised with Hamas in power
Number 10 also refused to be drawn on whether the release of all Israeli hostages was a condition for recognition, but insisted they must be freed 'unconditionally and immediately'. Concerns have been raised over the UK's plans to recognise a Palestinian state after Hamas member Ghazi Hamad appeared to claim the 'fruits' of October 7 had caused the world to 'open its eyes to the Palestinian issue'. Asked on Monday whether formalising the move without a ceasefire could embolden Hamas to hold onto Israeli captives, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said the Government would assess the situation in September. 'The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that, on October 7, Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre in Israel's history,' he said. 'Every day since then that horror has continued… as the Foreign Secretary said over the weekend, Hamas are rightly pariahs who can have no role in Gaza's future.' Asked whether a Palestinian state could be recognised while Hamas are still holding hostages, the spokesman said that 'we'll make an assessment ahead of the UN General Assembly on how far the parties have met the steps that we've set out'. 'We've been very clear that Hamas can have no role in the future governments of Gaza… We've also been clear that they must disarm, must release all the hostages. On whether the step could be taken while Hamas remain in power, the official said the Government was clear that 'Hamas are not the Palestinian people'. 'It is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to have recognition along the lines and the steps that we've previously set out,' he said. 'We've also been very clear it cannot be in the hands of Hamas, a terrorist group, to have a veto over recognition of Palestine.' Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad last week appeared to show Israeli hostages in a visibly fragile state. Number 10 condemned the images as 'completely abhorrent'. Meanwhile, Mr Hamad reportedly told the Al Jazeera news outlet: 'The initiative by several countries to recognise a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.' About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants in the 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war and another 251 were abducted. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but its figures are seen by the UN and other independent experts as the most reliable count of casualties. The UK and Jordan have been working together to air drop aid amid warnings of widespread malnourishment in Gaza. It comes as Britain seeks to put pressure on Israel to change course with a plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September ahead of the UN General Assembly. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months.
Reuters
36 minutes ago
- Reuters
Swiss government says it's ready to make Trump 'more attractive offer' on tariffs
ZURICH, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Swiss government is ready to make a "more attractive offer" in trade talks with Washington, the cabinet said on Monday, after a crisis meeting aimed at averting a 39% U.S. tariff on Swiss imports that could hammer the export-driven economy. The Federal Council it was determined to pursue discussions with the United States, if necessary beyond the August 7 deadline that U.S. President Donald Trump has set for the tariff to come into effect. "Switzerland enters this new phase ready to present a more attractive offer, taking U.S. concerns into account and seeking to ease the current tariff situation," it said in a statement. The statement did not give any details on what the Swiss government may offer. Switzerland was left stunned on Friday after Trump hit the country with one of the highest tariffs in his global trade reset, with industry associations warning that tens of thousands of jobs were at risk. The duties are scheduled to go into effect on Thursday, giving the country, which counts the U.S. as its top export market for pharmaceuticals, watches, machinery and chocolates, a small window to strike a better deal. The White House said on Friday it had made the move because of what it called Switzerland's refusal to make "meaningful concessions" by dropping trade barriers, calling the two nations' current trade relationship "one-sided". Swiss industry leaders and politicians, however, have struggled to understand why the country was singled out. Trump has stated that he is seeking to rebalance global trade, claiming that current trade relations are stacked against the United States. And Switzerland had a 38.5 billion Swiss franc ($48 billion) trade surplus with the U.S. last year. But Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter told Reuters on Friday that Switzerland had given U.S. goods virtually duty-free access to its market, and Swiss companies had made very important direct investments in the United States. "The president (Trump) is really focused on the trade deficit, because he thinks that this is a loss for the United States," she told Reuters. The EU, Japan and South Korea, which have negotiated 15% tariff rates with Washington, all have larger trade surpluses with the U.S. - around $235 billion for the EU, $70 billion for Japan, and a nearly $56 billion surplus for South Korea. The cabinet said in its statement that it was committed to securing fair treatment compared with its key competitors and that it was not currently considering any countermeasures. Swiss Business Minister Guy Parmelin had said over the weekend the government was open to revising its offer to the U.S. in response to the tariff rate. He said options included Switzerland buying U.S. liquefied natural gas or further investments by Swiss companies in the United States. The new tariff rate - up from an originally proposed 31% tariff that Swiss officials had already described as "incomprehensible" - would deal a major blow to Switzerland's export-focused economy. Swiss economic output would be reduced by 0.3% to 0.6% if the 39% tariff was imposed, said Hans Gersbach, an economist at ETH, a university in Zurich. That figure could rise above 0.7% if pharmaceuticals, which are currently not covered by the U.S. import duties, are included. Prolonged disruptions could shrink Swiss GDP by more than 1%, Gersbach said. The tariffs could also see the Swiss National Bank cut interest rates in September, according to Nomura. An index of Swiss blue-chip stocks (.SSMI), opens new tab briefly hit its lowest since mid-April, as shares in banks, luxury retailers and pharma companies tumbled. The SMI index was last down 0.6% on the day, compared with a 0.6% rise in the regional STOXX 600 index (.STOXX), opens new tab. In Zurich, shares in high-end watchmakers such as Richemont (CFR.S), opens new tab and Swatch (UHR.S), opens new tab fell in volatile trading. ($1 = 0.8088 Swiss francs)
The Herald Scotland
36 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Kate Forbes quits: what it means for the SNP
"I'm going to be held to account for what we deliver,' she added. Well, not any more. READ MORE The news that she will not stand at next year's election has properly stunned the SNP group at [[Holyrood]] and the wider party. The timing of the announcement that she wants to spend more time with her young family is not coincidental. Today is her daughter Naomi's third birthday. There is something a bit jarring about some of the tributes paid to Ms Forbes, especially those by people who had attacked and briefed against her during 2023's bitter SNP leadership campaign. But that's politics, I suppose. John Swinney recently claimed to have 'healed' his party, but the scars from that lengthy battle between Ms Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan are still fresh. And while his deputy's decision to stand down means the race to replace John Swinney is now likely to be between Stephen Flynn and Mairi McAllan, could it also signal a change in the party's politics? 'Kate was holding back some of the wilder current obsessions,' one MSP told me. 'As we approach the election, watch the party stance on so-called conversion therapy' they added. Plans for a ban were shelved after [[John Swinney]] succeeded Mr Yousaf as First Minister, with the Scottish Government instead working with UK ministers on Westminster-led legislation. There is, of course, an election looming, one where, thanks to Nigel Farage, the result is still widely unpredictable. It may be that the SNP needs to look, once again, at the Greens for help in forming a government. No Kate Forbes, and a move on conversion therapy could make those Bute House Mk2 conversations a little easier. Another senior SNP source said they thought Ms Forbes' resignation was a damning indictment of the party's chances next year. 'We're losing parts left right and centre' they said. 'It doesn't bode well for John's plan to win a majority next year - if there was even a glimmer of that happening I doubt she'd have thrown in the towel.' Another thing about the timing of the announcement is that it comes just days before the Deputy First Minister is due to sit down with The Herald at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a long form interview in front of a live audience. The chat will take place in the Dissection Room at Summerhall, the capital's old vet school. There is plenty to dissect.
