Fall of Afghanistan: Britain must learn to make itself independent from the US on foreign policy decisions August 18, 2021 It will be a sight etched into the public imagination forever: a US Air Force transport aircraft taking off with scores of Afghans clinging to the wheels. Some reached a significant altitude before falling off, presumably to their deaths, as the aircraft soared into the air. So ended the Allied intervention in Afghanistan, with the [...]
Fall of Afghanistan: Britain must learn to make itself independent from the US on foreign policy decisions – CityAM : CityAM August 18, 2021 It will be a sight etched into the public imagination forever: a US Air Force transport aircraft taking off with scores of Afghans clinging to the wheels. Some reached a significant altitude before falling off, presumably to their deaths, as the aircraft soared into the air. So ended the Allied intervention in Afghanistan, with the [...]
French Riviera on fire: Thousands evacuated as crews battle wildfires near Saint-Tropez August 17, 2021 Thousands of people were evacuated from homes and vacation spots near the French Riviera as firefighters battled a fire racing through surrounding forests, the latest of several wildfires that have swept the Mediterranean region. At least 22 people have suffered smoke inhalation or minor fire-related injuries in the blaze that started on Monday evening about [...]
Dominic Raab: Speed of Taliban takeover of Afghanistan took UK by surprise August 16, 2021 Dominic Raab has said the Taliban’s lightning quick takeover of Afghanistan took the UK by surprise as 150 UK nationals are set to arrive home early tomorrow morning. Raab, speaking after a Cobra meeting chaired by Boris Johnson, said a further 350 British nationals and Afghani visa holders would be evacuated to the UK in [...]
The spy case in Berlin is a reminder that money will always be the greatest temptation and weapon August 16, 2021 Spying almost always makes headlines whenever it hoves into public view. There is something inherently fascinating about the idea of nations engaged in cloak and dagger operations against one another, trying to find a weak point they can exploit for their own advantage. All the more so when an intelligence service employs dramatic tactics like [...]
Boris Johnson to chair Cobra meeting today as UK tries to get nationals out of Afghanistan August 16, 2021 Boris Johnson will hold a Cobra meeting at 12.30pm today as the government tries to get thousands of UK nationals and foreign visa holders out of Afghanistan. Number 10 said the current focus was on getting hundreds of people out of Kabul each day as the security situation becomes more dangerous in the Afghani capital. [...]
The spy case in Berlin is a reminder that money will always be the greatest temptation and weapon – CityAM : CityAM August 16, 2021 Spying almost always makes headlines whenever it hoves into public view. There is something inherently fascinating about the idea of nations engaged in cloak and dagger operations against one another, trying to find a weak point they can exploit for their own advantage. All the more so when an intelligence service employs dramatic tactics like [...]
Russia planning 2036 Olympic bid as St Petersburg emerges as rival to London August 16, 2021 London will face opposition from Russia if it pursues a bid to host the Olympic Games in 2036. Russia has confirmed it is preparing a bid for the Games, with St Petersburg its leading candidate. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan pledged to explore staging the Olympics again, following the success of London 2012, in the [...]
The fall of Afghanistan: Western governments got bored and Taliban rule has been resurrected August 16, 2021 We are watching a strategic and humanitarian calamity unfold. We are watching it live on TV and social media and yet, despite its immediacy, despite information from the scene of unparalleled detail and accuracy, we are doing nothing. Nothing except, perhaps, trying to evacuate the last few thousand of our troops who are still in [...]
Russia to expel BBC journalist in ‘symbolic deportation’ August 13, 2021 Russia has told a BBC journalist working in Russia to leave the country by the end of the month in what it described as a “symbolic deportation”. In a sign of further tensions between the two nations, Russian state media reported that Sarah Rainsford, one of the broadcaster’s two English-language Moscow correspondents, will be expelled [...]