Latest news with #SPD
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
It's time to arm Germany again
For generations of self-respecting Europeans, any talk of 'German rearmament' would once have caused their blood to run cold, particularly if they happened to be Germans. The popular attitude of the post-War era was summarised by the French Nobel Laureate, Francois Mauriac, who wrote: 'I love Germany so much that I am glad there are two of them.' Many Germans doubted whether their country could be trusted with military firepower. In 1955 the Social Democratic Party (SPD) passionately opposed the creation of their country's new armed forces, the Bundeswehr. But in today's Europe, menaced by the twin threats of Russian aggression and American isolationism, everything is different. When Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, to London on Thursday, the two leaders signed the first Anglo-German treaty since the Second World War. I can sum up the Kensington Treaty very simply. Britain is completely in favour of German rearmament and hopes that it will happen as rapidly as possible. We look forward to the day when new panzer divisions are deployed on as many European frontiers as possible. We are extremely glad that Germany possesses an air force capable of dropping nuclear bombs and we will help to make them even better at this task. 'The Parties,' reads the treaty, 'shall pursue deep exchanges on strategic aspects of security policy' including 'nuclear issues'. What would some of Sir Keir's predecessors have made of this remarkable text? During the Berlin Crisis in 1958, Harold Macmillan said that Britain would not risk coming to blows with the Soviet Union 'for two million of the people we twice fought wars against and who almost destroyed us'. Never mind Nato's obligation to defend West Berlin, Macmillan was still troubled by what Germany had done to Britain, and perhaps by the pain of the three wounds he had suffered in the trenches of the First World War. Margaret Thatcher spent her last year in office trying to delay German reunification, occasionally encouraged by a cynical French president, Francois Mitterrand, himself a former inmate of a German prison camp. So there is a certain irony in Mr Merz saying that he was 'surprised' that Thursday's treaty was the first since 1945. He seems not to realise that, until quite recently, British Prime Ministers would have been deeply ambivalent about signing any such agreement. Today there is a strategic imperative to set all of this aside. Europe will never be able to defend itself against Vladimir Putin's Russia unless Germany, the continent's biggest economy and industrial powerhouse, sets about rearming. At the Nato summit in The Hague last month, Mr Merz and every other ally agreed to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence and another 1.5 per cent on security by 2035. Even if you doubt whether those targets will be achieved, Germany is still on a path to building Europe's most formidable army and becoming, once again, the continent's foremost land power. So there is every reason for Britain to strengthen its alliance with Germany, just as we have with France. If America is unreliable, then Europe's big three are going to have to stand together. But I wonder if Sir Keir and his advisers have grasped the full significance of Germany's impending re-emergence as a great military power? Britain's privileged influence in Nato has rested on our possession of Europe's biggest defence budget. Yet, last year, Germany overtook Britain to spend €90.6 billion (£78 billion) on defence, fully 20 per cent more than the UK's £64.6 billion, according to Nato figures. Given that Germany's economy is 40 per cent bigger than Britain's, that gap will almost certainly grow wider. If Germany keeps the deal to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on core defence, then Britain would have to invest 4.9 per cent just to keep pace - more than double the current level – which is surely unrealistic. German rearmament means that Britain has already lost its place as Europe's biggest defence spender, probably permanently. In time, that must inevitably lead to a reduction in our relative weight inside Nato. So by all means cheer the rebirth of German military power, but remember that despite all the bonhomie between them, Sir Keir is conceding influence to Mr Merz.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
1 dead, 1 injured in double-shooting in Stockton
( — A 35-year-old man is dead and a 54-year-old man was hospitalized after a shooting in Stockton early Thursday morning, according to the Stockton Police Department. Video Above: What to do if you witness a crime SPD said officers responded to reports of a person who was shot around 7:58 a.m. on 800 W Eight Mile Road. Officers found the two men suffering from gunshot wounds. SPD confirmed that the man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition. Police recovered a gun at the scene. Police said that preliminary information is that the shooting is an apparent murder-suicide incident. Homicide detectives are not looking for a suspect and are investigating. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Drugs and guns found after weeks-long West Seattle RV bust
A person was arrested after the Seattle Police Department (SPD) investigated reports of drugs being sold out of an RV in West Seattle. SPD says drugs, guns, and other evidence were found while serving a warrant for the RV on Wednesday. Police said that they began receiving reports of drugs being purchased from an RV parked in the 2600 block of Southwest Cambridge Street. They also said that suspects were allegedly trading stolen items for drugs or cash out of the RV. SPD narcotics detectives, along with officers from the Southwest Precinct, spent weeks investigating the RV. During their investigation, they said they saw several people going in and out of the RV. Police found in the RV: 159.9g of Fentanyl 38.8g of Methamphetamine Two shotguns Two handguns Ammunition Scale, phone, cash Officers arrested one person and later had the RV cleaned and removed. No word on charges in connection with the arrest. Solve the daily Crossword
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
SOE Act and MoF reporting: CCoSOEs grants SPD entities full exemptions
ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises (CCoSOEs) approved the exclusion of Strategic Plans Division (SPD) entities from the consolidated reporting requirements of the Ministry of Finance and granted them complete exemption from the State-Owned Enterprises Act and Policy of 2023, in recognition of the sensitive and security-related nature of their operations. A meeting of CCoSOEs was held on Tuesday at the Finance Division under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb. The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Hussain Magsi, as well as secretaries and senior officials from the relevant ministries, divisions, and organisations. 1H: loss-making SOEs incur Rs343bn loss The committee considered and approved a proposal from the SPD for the exclusion of SPD entities from the consolidated reporting requirements of the Ministry of Finance and granted them complete exemption from the State-Owned Enterprises Act and Policy of 2023, in recognition of the sensitive and security-related nature of their operations. The committee considered and approved a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the appointment of independent directors to the Boards of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC). Following a rigorous shortlisting process, six independent directors were approved for each of the two boards. For the PTVC Board, the approved names included Ishtiaq Baig, Yasir S Qureshi, Dr. Asghar Nadeem Syed, Tasneem Rehman, Leyla Zuberi, and Khalid Mehmood Khan. For the PBC Board, the selected directors included Sadia Khan, Jehangir Khan, Sadiqa Sultan, Nasira Azim Khan, Khan Bibi, and Nadeem Haider Kiyani. Finance Division stated that during the first six months of fiscal year 2025, PBC's financial performance revealed a mixed picture when benchmarked against its business plan. Revenue collections have improved compared to the previous period; however, significant shortfalls are evident against the targets. For instance, while operational adjustments in sales processes and station-specific revenue targets were designed to drive rapid growth, the actual collections remain below the anticipated pace. The actual performance indicates that despite initiating measures for enhanced advertising sales and property leasing, there is a notable backlog in receivables and cash collections. This under-performance is particularly critical in high-potential segments such as air-time advertisement revenues, where the collections lag the targeted monthly milestones - an area that threatens to undermine the expected annual revenue inflows. The persistent outstanding balances suggest that the execution in revenue mobilisation is not on track with the strategised timelines, raising concerns about the overall efficacy of the commercial drive set forth by the business plan. The committee also deliberated on a proposal from the Ministry of Industries and Production regarding the constitution of the Board of Directors of Agro Food Processing Facilities. The committee approved the nomination of four independent directors: Hasnain Nawaz Khan, Shahid Mehmood Sahu, Ahsan Mustafa Bajwa, and Ghulam Jaffar Junejo. In addition, three ex-officio members will serve on the board. The committee further endorsed the proposal to appoint Hasnain Nawaz Khan as the chairman of the board. The cabinet body reviewed and approved, with directions for further refinement, the Procurement Policy of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) as presented by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. It was appreciated that the PNSC is the first state-owned enterprise to formulate and adopt a comprehensive procurement policy tailored to its operational needs. The committee also approved a summary from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research for accepting the resignation of the Vice President of the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), effective March 25, 2025, on personal grounds. The official had been appointed to the position by the Federal Cabinet in May 2024. Another item approved by the committee related to the appointment of directors and members to the Board of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF), as proposed by the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives. During the meeting, the committee expressed concern over the failure of certain SOEs to complete their financial audits for several years. Finance Division in its latest report noted that audit committees in most SOEs are either non-functional or symbolic, lacking the technical competence to challenge management or oversee financial integrity. It directed the concerned entities to initiate their audit processes without further delay and instructed the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to examine such cases and present its findings and recommendations to the CCoSOEs in due course. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Geek Wire
4 days ago
- Politics
- Geek Wire
‘It's a game-changer': Seattle touts high-tech Real Time Crime Center amid privacy concerns
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes speaks at a media event Tuesday for the city's new Real Time Crime Center. Back row, from left: Mayor Bruce Harrell (white shirt); Councilmember Bob Kettle, Councilmember Sara Nelson, and Councilmember Maritza Rivera. (GeekWire Photos / Taylor Soper) The Seattle Police Department has formally launched a new high-tech operations center designed to help officers fight crime in real time — and is already seeing results, according to city officials. Mayor Bruce Harrell, SPD Chief Shon Barnes, and city councilmembers hosted a media event Tuesday touting the new Real Time Crime Center, located inside the police headquarters in downtown Seattle. The center pulls live footage and data from surveillance cameras and other sources into a centralized command room staffed by analysts nearly 20 hours a day. It supports ongoing investigations by pushing video and incident data directly to patrol units and detectives. Analysts can provide live updates and still images of suspects, a capability SPD says helps support its 'precision policing' model. In just under two months, the system has been used in 600 incidents and is actively aiding 90 investigations, according to city officials. Harrell called the system a 'game changer.' 'This is not a panacea, but it does mean we are fulfilling our promise to use every tool available to improve public safety,' he said. Not everyone is on board with the new effort, which takes advantage of new police-owned CCTV cameras in the downtown core, along Aurora Ave., and in the Chinatown-International District. ACLU of Washington last year cited 'evidence that these technologies do not reduce violent crime and disproportionately harm communities of color.' 'SPD's use of RTCC software would make it possible for ICE and out-of-state agencies to access data to arrest immigrants and prosecute people coming to Seattle for reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare while bypassing state protections,' ACLU said in a statement in September. Captain James Britt said data requests from outside agencies — including federal law enforcement — are screened and must comply with state and local laws. 'We control where all of our data goes,' he said. Captain James Britt shows live camera feeds as part of SPD's new Real Time Crime Center. The center, part of a broader crime prevention technology pilot launched under Harrell, uses software called Fusus built by Axon, the police body cam and taser giant that has an engineering office in Seattle. Axon last year acquired Fusus, a leader in real-time crime center technology. Britt said the software does not use facial recognition, gait analysis, or other biometric tools — but it can search video using keywords like 'red shirt' or 'black Toyota,' and it flags potential matches for human review. The city says it completed required Surveillance Impact Reports and has launched a third-party academic evaluation led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. In a follow-up interview with GeekWire, Britt emphasized that the system is not about replacing people — but rather enhancing staff capabilities. SPD has been increasing staffing after losing officers in recent years. 'All this technology has an incredible capability to change the way we do policing — to make us better, faster, and more precise at what we do,' Britt said. 'That's really what those of us in the uniform really want. 'We want to be able to do our jobs better — not more aggressively, not more broadly. We want to do what we do, but we want to do it better, and this helps us do that.' The center actually launched a decade ago but the initial version wasn't as integrated into real-time policing. A new legislative proposal would expand CCTV surveillance to Capitol Hill's nightlife area, SODO near the stadiums, and neighborhoods around Garfield and Nova High Schools. Harrell has supported a controversial gunshot detection technology system but said last year that the city would not allocate money to the initiative.
