An end to deep sea dredging
Prince William backed this up in a speech in Monaco, calling the devastation 'heartbreaking'.
The destruction of the deep ocean by dredging has been known for decades but it never becomes a major political issue because the impact is unseen. In a new documentary, Ocean, Sir David highlights the potential damage to marine life from some fishing practices, like bottom trawling.
Were the same desecration to be inflicted on, say, the Maasai Mara or some other visible and valued eco-system the world reaction would stop it. As Sir David said: 'If you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms.'
The UN treaty was signed two years ago and needs to be ratified by 60 countries to take legal effect. It would offer marine protected area (MPA) status to 30 per cent of the world's oceans to let them recover. So far just 32 have done so, including France and Spain – but not the UK, which still allows bottom dredging in MPAs around our shores.
In a bid to 'reset' relationships with the EU, French and Spanish trawlers will be allowed access to UK waters for a longer post-Brexit period, a decision that has been denounced in fishing communities as a 'betrayal'. But why should French and Spanish boats be allowed to carry out trawling practices in British waters that their own governments do not want to see in their own? The UK Government has dragged its feet over ratifying this treaty. It needs to get on with it.
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The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
King Charles and Queen Camilla to honour veterans on 80th anniversary of VJ Day
The King and Queen will honour Second World War veterans on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Royal British Legion (RBL) will be guests of honour at a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on Friday. Among them will be 33 veterans aged from 96 to 105 who served in the Far East and Pacific. Charles, patron of the RBL, Camilla, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend the event which honours British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war including Myanmar and the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories. , will vow that the sacrifice of heroes who fought and died in the campaigns 'shall never be forgotten'. He will reflect on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region 'whose suffering reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life'. Charles will describe how the collaboration of countries demonstrated 'in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link'. Around 1,500 guests at the national commemoration will hear first-hand testimony from veterans who experienced conflict in the Far East before the war ended when atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan 's surrender and VJ Day on August 15 1945. The service will begin with a national two-minute silence and include flypasts by the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster – with military bagpipers playing at dawn in the Far East section of the Arboretum. The Prime Minister held a special reception at Downing Street for veterans on Thursday, at which he described the Government as one of 'service'. He added: 'I sat on this terrace this very morning with President Zelensky, who is fighting for the same values as we were fighting for. 'And so when we say never forget, we must pass on the stories of those who have gone before us.' During Thursday's garden party, veteran Stanley Elliss, aged 103, and his daughter, could be seen showing the Prime Minister pictures he had taken during the war. Starmer said: 'Eighty years since our victory in the Second World War, we pay our respects to the many who fought, were captured, and made the ultimate sacrifice in the Far East. 'Our country owes a great debt to those who fought for a better future, so we could have the freedoms and the life we enjoy today. We must honour that sacrifice with every new generation.' Many of the veterans at the Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, have never told their story before registering with the RBL to be part of commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Over Japan. Veterans attending the event on Friday served in the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, with roles ranging from those deployed on submarines, minesweepers and destroyers, to a Spitfire pilot and a combat cameraman. The oldest veterans are Yavar Abbas and Owen Filer, aged 105, and other attendees include two of the last surviving Chindits – Charlie Richards, 104, and Sid Machin, 101 – who served in the elite Special Forces unit known for their deep jungle warfare tactics as part of Operation Thursday. Mr Richards, from Northamptonshire – who served in the 7th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment, spent months behind enemy lines ambushing Japanese supplies and communications, all while pulling along reluctant mules and heavy equipment. The 104-year-old said: 'I am so proud to attend the RBL's national event, and I think it will be a really poignant moment for those of us left. 'I want to represent all those who saw action in the Far East and remember those who never made it home, including my best friend and comrade, Son Johnson, who was killed in action in Burma. It will be such a special day for me and my family.' Joseph Hammond, 100, whose testimony will be shared during the service, will be watching the live broadcast from his home in Ghana 3,000 miles away. Mr Hammond fought in Burma in the 82nd Division in brutal conditions near the Irrawaddy River and suffered a serious eye injury and remained in hospital until the war ended. In 2020, he walked 14 miles over seven days to raise £500,000 for frontline workers and veterans during the Covid pandemic. Mr Hammond said: 'Why should such a thing happen? Man killing his fellow man. Humanity, destroying humanity. Never allow your country to go that way. It's no good. I know how it feels, so I have to advise everybody to keep away from war. Let us continue to enjoy our peace.' The service will be broadcast live on BBC One from 11.30am and will be hosted by actress and author Celia Imrie. Ms Imrie said: 'It is an honour to be hosting this momentous occasion with The Royal British Legion, to pay tribute to these courageous and inspiring veterans who are able to join us at the National Memorial Arboretum on VJ Day, and to remember those who never made it home.' Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said: 'It is an enormous privilege for the RBL to be leading the nation on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with our service of remembrance at National Memorial Arboretum broadcast live on BBC One. 'Victory over Japan would not have been possible without the diverse contribution of Allied Forces from Britain, the Commonwealth and beyond, and this is one of our last chances to thank veterans who fought in the Far East and Pacific for their service and sacrifice. 'Their contribution brought an end to the Second World War and this is a moment for the country to come together and commemorate this momentous anniversary and pay tribute to their courage and bravery.' Around five million men and women served in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War, with millions more mobilised from countries including pre-partition India, Australia, Canada, and across the Commonwealth including African and Caribbean nations. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'We must never forget this vital part of our national story. By coming together to hear the stories of our brave VJ Day veterans first-hand, we can ensure that the legacy of our British Armed Forces and those from across the Commonwealth is passed on to future generations.' From 9pm on Friday evening, hundreds of buildings across the country will be lit up to mark VJ 80, including Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, Tower42, The Shard, Blackpool Tower, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Durham Cathedral, Cardiff Castle, the Cenotaph, the Kranji War Memorial in Singapore and the White Cliffs of Dover.
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
King and Queen to honour veterans on 80th anniversary of VJ Day
The King and Queen will honour Second World War veterans on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Royal British Legion (RBL) guests of honour at a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on Friday include 33 veterans aged from 96 to 105 who served in the Far East and Pacific. Charles, patron of the RBL, Camilla, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will attend the event which honours British, Commonwealth and Allied veterans who served in the Far East theatres of war including Myanmar and the Pacific and Indian Ocean territories. Ahead of the service, the King, in an pre-recorded audio address to the nation, will vow that the sacrifice of heroes who fought and died in the campaigns 'shall never be forgotten'. He will reflect on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region 'whose suffering reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life'. Charles will describe how the collaboration of countries demonstrated 'in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link'. Around 1,500 guests at the national commemoration will hear first-hand testimony from veterans who experienced conflict in the Far East before the war ended when atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender and VJ Day on August 15 1945. The service will begin with a national two-minute silence and include flypasts by the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster – with military bagpipers playing at dawn in the Far East section of the Arboretum. The Prime Minister held a special reception at Downing Street for veterans on Thursday, at which he described the Government as one of 'service'. He added: 'I sat on this terrace this very morning with President Zelensky, who is fighting for the same values as we were fighting for. 'And so when we say never forget, we must pass on the stories of those who have gone before us.' During Thursday's garden party, veteran Stanley Elliss, aged 103, and his daughter, could be seen showing the Prime Minister pictures he had taken during the war. Sir Keir said: 'Eighty years since our victory in the Second World War, we pay our respects to the many who fought, were captured, and made the ultimate sacrifice in the Far East. 'Our country owes a great debt to those who fought for a better future, so we could have the freedoms and the life we enjoy today. We must honour that sacrifice with every new generation.' Many of the veterans at the Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, have never told their story before registering with the RBL to be part of commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Over Japan. Veterans attending the event on Friday served in the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, with roles ranging from those deployed on submarines, minesweepers and destroyers, to a Spitfire pilot and a combat cameraman. The oldest veterans are Yavar Abbas and Owen Filer, aged 105, and other attendees include two of the last surviving Chindits – Charlie Richards, 104, and Sid Machin, 101 – who served in the elite Special Forces unit known for their deep jungle warfare tactics as part of Operation Thursday. Mr Richards, from Northamptonshire – who served in the 7th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment, spent months behind enemy lines ambushing Japanese supplies and communications, all while pulling along reluctant mules and heavy equipment. The 104-year-old said: 'I am so proud to attend the RBL's national event, and I think it will be a really poignant moment for those of us left. 'I want to represent all those who saw action in the Far East and remember those who never made it home, including my best friend and comrade, Son Johnson, who was killed in action in Burma. It will be such a special day for me and my family.' Joseph Hammond, 100, whose testimony will be shared during the service, will be watching the live broadcast from his home in Ghana 3,000 miles away. Mr Hammond fought in Burma in the 82nd Division in brutal conditions near the Irrawaddy River and suffered a serious eye injury and remained in hospital until the war ended. In 2020, he walked 14 miles over seven days to raise £500,000 for frontline workers and veterans during the Covid pandemic. Mr Hammond said: 'Why should such a thing happen? Man killing his fellow man. Humanity, destroying humanity. Never allow your country to go that way. It's no good. I know how it feels, so I have to advise everybody to keep away from war. Let us continue to enjoy our peace.' The service will be broadcast live on BBC One from 11.30am and will be hosted by actress and author Celia Imrie. Ms Imrie said: 'It is an honour to be hosting this momentous occasion with The Royal British Legion, to pay tribute to these courageous and inspiring veterans who are able to join us at the National Memorial Arboretum on VJ Day, and to remember those who never made it home.' Mark Atkinson, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said: 'It is an enormous privilege for the RBL to be leading the nation on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day with our service of remembrance at National Memorial Arboretum broadcast live on BBC One. 'Victory over Japan would not have been possible without the diverse contribution of Allied Forces from Britain, the Commonwealth and beyond, and this is one of our last chances to thank veterans who fought in the Far East and Pacific for their service and sacrifice. 'Their contribution brought an end to the Second World War and this is a moment for the country to come together and commemorate this momentous anniversary and pay tribute to their courage and bravery.' Around five million men and women served in the British Armed Forces during the Second World War, with millions more mobilised from countries including pre-partition India, Australia, Canada, and across the Commonwealth including African and Caribbean nations. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'We must never forget this vital part of our national story. By coming together to hear the stories of our brave VJ Day veterans first-hand, we can ensure that the legacy of our British Armed Forces and those from across the Commonwealth is passed on to future generations.' From 9pm on Friday evening, hundreds of buildings across the country will be lit up to mark VJ 80, including Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, Tower42, The Shard, Blackpool Tower, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Durham Cathedral, Cardiff Castle, the Cenotaph, the Kranji War Memorial in Singapore and the White Cliffs of Dover.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Minority Report-style map of Britain that aims to stop criminals before they strike by identifying local areas most at risk is being developed by experts
Experts are creating an AI-driven crime map of England and Wales that aims to stop criminals before they strike. The Government today announced a £4million investment in the futuristic project, which will use official data to identify local areas that are likely to see criminal activity, such as knife offences and anti-social behaviour. Police will then target these locations with extra resources, including patrols and visits to the homes of convicted criminals, in the hope of intervening before any offences take place. Peter Kyle, Science and Technology Secretary, said the project would draw on data from police, councils and social services, including criminal records, previous offence reports and the behavioural patterns of known offenders. The Concentrations of Crime Data Challenge will see experts from universities and businesses tasked with creating the model with the aim of making it operational across England and Wales by 2030. 'We want to identify areas that have a higher probability of experiencing crime,' Mr Kyle told the Daily Mail during a visit to the Met's central communications command centre. 'That means police can ensure officers are in the area and are able to prevent these crimes happening in the first place or respond before they escalate. 'The Met and other forces have an enormous amount of data on historic and emerging crime. By using that - and incorporating data from other authorities such as local councils - the model can become more accurate as time passes.' AI can identify patterns and links in evidence and sift through data more quickly than humans. Civil liberties campaigners have previously raised ethical concerns about the use of algorithms to try to predict crimes in advance. But Mr Kyle said the government's crime map would only use official data and not information from private sources, such as social media. He insisted any interventions police make based on the map's findings would be subject to 'human oversight' and insisted the system was merely an extension of traditional policing methods. 'Police forces throughout history have always looked at individuals who are committing crime and patterns of behaviour that indicate they will commit crime again - this is not new,' he said. 'But in an era where we are able to use digital technology and data to assist in that process we can't ignore the power of that technology to keep us all safe. 'This will be one tool alongside many others that crime fighters use. Human oversight and respect for the experience of senior officers will always remain at the forefront. 'We will not be using digital technology to blindly identify individuals on a vague probability. That is not what we are talking about.' The initial £4m investment aims to deliver a series of initial prototypes by April 2026. My Kyle spoke to the Daily Mail on a visit to the Met's Central Command Communications Centre in Lambeth, where he also viewed other tech innovations including 'first responder' drones. The gadgets, which will be deployed in London in October, can be sent to the scene of emergency incidents in minutes to give officers an overview of the situation and gather evidence. The Mail also saw a demonstration of a smaller device that can be used to search buildings for hazards, such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), before they are raided by armed police. Mr Kyle also viewed a van fitted with facial recognition cameras, which are already used in London and are now being rolled out across seven police forces – Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire. According to officials, the technology has already been used to make 580 arrests in London over the last year, including 52 registered sex offenders. Campaign group Big Brother Watch claimed the move 'represents a significant expansion of the surveillance state.' But the government maintains the technology will only be used to catch 'high–harm' offenders with rules to ensure 'safeguards and oversight'. 'What we are doing is ensuring that those people who are known perpetrators of crime are found, identified and brought to justice so they can't commit more crimes,' said Mr Kyle. 'People should be reassured that we keep people's digital information safe and secure and always act appropriately. Anyone who is not identified by these cameras has their data immediately and permanently deleted. 'There are criminals out there using data and digital technology to commit crimes. It would be absurd to suggest we don't use this technology to keep people safe.' This week, the Home Office said every community across England and Wales had now been assigned a 'named, contactable' officer to handle reports of crimes such as anti-social behaviour. Their details will be made available for residents on their local force's website, it is understood. The pledge was made as part of the Government's previously announced Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, under which forces have committed to respond to neighbourhood queries within 72 hours.
