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Sunak, Scholz vow support for Ukraine for ‘as long as it takes’

Sunak embarked on a two-day trip to Europe designed to get the spotlight back on Ukraine after months of world attention on Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza…reports Asian Lite News

The leaders of Britain and Germany pledged Wednesday to back Ukraine in its war with Russia for “as long as it takes,” but the German chancellor doubled down on his refusal to deliver long-range Taurus missiles to Kyiv.

Rishi Sunak was on his first trip to the German capital since becoming prime minister 18 months ago, after visiting Poland on Tuesday where he pledged additional money for Kyiv and announced plans to boost UK defense spending.

“We’re united on wanting to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Sunak told reporters, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression must “end in failure.”

“We’re defending the values that are incredibly important to us,” the UK leader added, standing alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a press conference at Germany’s chancellery.

Sunak embarked on a two-day trip to Europe designed to get the spotlight back on Ukraine after months of world attention on Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

In Poland, he pledged an additional £500 million ($617 million) for Ukraine, taking the amount of money the UK has contributed to Ukraine’s war effort to £12 billion.

Kyiv has been pleading with allies to ramp up supplies of ammunition and air defenses desperately needed to repel relentless Russian attacks.

US lawmakers eased the pressure last weekend by unblocking a $61-billion military aid package for Kyiv following six months of political wrangling.

But EU defense and foreign ministers insist that Europe must still speed up its deliveries of arms to Ukraine.

Germany has answered Kyiv’s call in recent days by saying it would send an extra Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.

But Scholz again resisted calls to send long-range Taurus missiles, which Ukraine desperately wants but which Germany fears would escalate the conflict.

“My decision is very clear” on not sending the Taurus, said Scholz.

“But my decision is also very clear that we will continue to be the biggest supporter of Ukraine in Europe,” he added.

Sunak hailed “a new chapter” in relations between Britain and Germany as they announced plans for a joint endeavour to develop remote-controlled Howitzer artillery systems that will be fitted to Boxer armored vehicles.

“At this dangerous moment for the world, the UK and Germany are standing side by side to preserve security and prosperity at home and across our continent,” Sunak said before landing in Berlin.

In Warsaw, the UK PM pledged to gradually increase UK defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030 as NATO countries face pressure to raise defense expenditure in the face of these global threats.

Sunak said that the West was facing its most dangerous period since the end of the Cold War, with Russia’s assault on Ukraine in its third year, but also the threat of escalation in the Middle East.

More of NATO’s European members — including heavyweights France and Germany — have increased their defense spending recently to meet the alliance’s two percent of GDP target.

Sunak refused to say that NATO should increase its target to 2.5 percent but added: “We recognize we need to do more,” adding: “I do believe we are in a world where defense spending is rising.”

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen recently warned that European countries need to boost defense budgets and Brussels is set to come up with further proposals by a summit of EU leaders in June.

It has put forward a 1.5-billion-euro ($1.6-billion) strategy to step up defense production, but officials say this is nowhere near sufficient.

The UK, which quit the European Union in early 2020, is among some 20 countries to have signed up to Germany’s air defense project called the European Sky Shield Initiative.

The project would involve joint procurement for short-, medium- and long-range systems, including the German-made Iris-T, the American Patriot system and the US-Israeli Arrow 3.

France has so far declined to sign up to the pact, with officials there arguing instead for an air defense system using European equipment.

ALSO READ-Sunak set for week-long blitz of announcements  

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Economy UK News

UK to boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP

Last month, Sunak faced calls from three former defence secretaries to pledge an increase to 3% of GDP on the armed forces in the Tory election manifesto…reports Asian Lite News

Britain will boost its defence spending to 2.5% of national output by the end of the decade, Rishi Sunak has announced on a visit to Poland, as he warned the UK had to be equipped to meet the challenges of an increasingly dangerous world.

The prime minister’s plan, under which the UK would steadily increase defence spending to £87bn a year by 2030, comes after months of pressure from Tory MPs, including the defence secretary, Grant Shapps, to increase military spending to help counter the threat from Russia.

The military commitment, described by Sunak as the “biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation”, means the UK would spend a cumulative extra £75bn on core defence funding over the next six years.

In a speech alongside the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, in Warsaw, Sunak said Europe was at a turning point as he urged allies to step up to match the commitment of the UK, which will become the second largest contributor to Nato after the United States.

“In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the cold war, we cannot be complacent. As our adversaries align, we must do more to defend our country, our interests, and our values,” he said.

“Today is a turning point for European security and a landmark moment in the defence of the United Kingdom. It is a generational investment in British security and British prosperity, which makes us safer at home and stronger abroad.”

Downing Street said the plan was fully funded, moving from an aspiration to spend 2.5% by an unspecified date, when the economic circumstances allowed, to a costed commitment to do so in 2030. The UK currently spends 2.32% of gross domestic product on defence.

It is unclear whether an incoming Labour government would stick to Sunak’s commitment. Keir Starmer said last week that Labour would aim to raise the UK’s defence spending to 2.5% of GDP “as soon as resources allow” if it won the election.

Boris Johnson pledged at a Nato summit in June 2022 to increase UK military spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by the end of the decade as part of a strengthening of Nato defences in response to the threat from Russia.

Last month, Sunak faced calls from three former defence secretaries – Michael Fallon, Gavin Williamson and Ben Wallace – to pledge an increase to 3% of GDP on the armed forces in the Tory election manifesto.

Government sources said the funding would be used to put the UK’s defence industry on “a war footing” and deliver cutting-edge technology to equip the west to stand up to autocratic states such as Russia, Iran and China, which were working together to undermine democracies.

It includes an additional £10bn over the next decade on munitions production, further pledges to reform defence procurement and the creation of a new defence innovation agency with at least 5% of the defence budget to be committed to R&D.

It would also cover an additional £500m in military funding for Ukraine from Treasury reserves, which was announced by Sunak before the trip and takes the total to £3bn this financial year.

Earlier, the prime minister appointed Gen Gwyn Jenkins, a former special forces commander who is vice-chief of the defence staff, as his new national security adviser.

He will be the first armed forces veteran to serve in the role and replaces Tim Barrow, who is expected to become the next UK ambassador to Washington at the end of this year.

Labour, however, has warned it could reverse Barrow’s appointment if it wins the election, arguing that the next UK government should make decision over who takes on Britain’s most senior diplomatic posting.

The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, also on the trip with Sunak and Shapps, said: “It speaks to Britain’s global role that, with an improving economy, we are able to make this commitment to peace and security in Europe.

“It also sends the clearest possible message to Putin that as other Nato European countries match this commitment, which they will, he will never be able to outspend countries that believe in freedom and democracy.”

Earlier, on the flight to Poland, Sunak said: “It’s important that we continue to support Ukraine and the UK has always led in that. Again we’re stepping up because that is what the situation demands and requires.

The prime minister welcomed the decision by the US House of Representatives, after months of stalling, to finally approve a US $61bn package of new military aid for Ukraine.

But he added: “That doesn’t take away from the need for Europeans to invest in their security. I am very proud that the UK has always led in that regard.”

Sunak, who will visit Germany later on his first visit as prime minister, is expected to be asked for assurances on British defence spending from the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, after decades of real-terms cuts.

Berlin is expected to finally meet its Nato target to spend 2% of GDP on defence after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Germany’s weapons commitments to the war now almost twice the size of Britain’s, and Scholz regularly urging European states to ramp up their military spending.

ALSO READ-Antisemitism row: Met police chief praises officer’s conduct

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Antisemitism row: Met police chief praises officer’s conduct

A 13-minute video of the exchange shows the officer offering to escort Falter away from the demonstration, and saying he was being disingenuous about his motives for wanting to cross the road at that point…reports Asian Lite News

The commissioner of the Metropolitan police has praised the “professional” conduct of the sergeant who stopped an antisemitism campaigner at a pro-Palestinian march and warned that officers at other protests had been “set up” by activists using “fakery” to undermine the force.

Mark Rowley said the sergeant involved in the incident with Gideon Falter would not be disciplined and vigorously defended the Met’s handling of the six months of protests since the 7 October attacks on Israel.

Defying calls for his resignation, Rowley faced a series of crisis meetings on Monday with the two people who could oust him – the home secretary, James Cleverly, and the London mayor, Sadiq Khan – as well as British Jewish groups.

It followed footage emerging of a Met officer telling Falter, of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, that because he was “openly Jewish” he would not be allowed to walk across a pro-Palestinian protest march through central London on 13 April.

A 13-minute video of the exchange shows the officer offering to escort Falter away from the demonstration, and saying he was being disingenuous about his motives for wanting to cross the road at that point.

Speaking just before he went to see the home secretary, Rowley, Britain’s top police officer, said: “The sergeant at the scene clearly assessed that there was a risk of confrontation and was trying to help Mr Falter find a different route. I completely understand why the sergeant made this assessment. A couple of turns of phrase were clumsy and offensive … and we’ve apologised for that.

“The wider actions and intent of the officer were professional and in the best tradition of British police trying to prevent disorder.”

The commissioner said the officer feared there was a danger of violence or disorder if Falter and those with him came into direct contact with the Palestinian marchers, and thus was correct to stop the antisemitism campaigner.

Rowley said: “The public would be horrified if we said: well, it’s obvious if those two groups come together, there’s going to be a massive fight. We’ll stand back and wait till it happens and we’ll pick up the pieces afterwards.”

Rowley said the officer would not be sanctioned and would be allowed to police protests again. The crisis worsened for the Met after a statement from an assistant commissioner, Matt Twist, had to be withdrawn after the force was accused of victim-blaming by Falter and his supporters.

Rowley described as illogical claims it was too dangerous for Jewish people to walk the streets when pro-Palestinian marches were taking place.

He dismissed much of the criticism faced by the Met over the handling of protests as ill-informed and said no one – by implication in government – had pointed to laws they could use more vigorously.

ALSO READ-Tory Councillor Expelled For Alleged Antisemitic Comments

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Council of Europe slams UK asylum pact with Rwanda

In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which is part of the Council of Europe, prevented the UK from sending asylum seekers of different nationalities by plane to Rwanda…reports Asian Lite News

The Council of Europe, a European rights body, has sharply criticised the UK for its controversial asylum pact with Rwanda.

“The UK government should refrain from removing people under the Rwanda policy and reverse the Bill’s effective infringement of judicial independence,” said the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The law raises questions about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law in general, he said.

The Council of Europe is independent of the EU and was founded in 1949 to protect democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe.

The British bill, which was approved by the House of Lords on Tuesday night after lengthy opposition, declares Rwanda a safe third country by law. In doing so, the government wants to prevent appeals against deportations before British courts.

The asylum pact with Rwanda stipulates that irregular migrants will no longer be given the opportunity to apply for asylum in the UK. Instead, they are to be taken to Rwanda and apply for asylum there.

The regulation is intended to deter people from making the dangerous crossing across the English Channel in small boats. However, opponents doubt that the law will deter migrants.

“Managing asylum and migration is undoubtedly a complex endeavour for states, but it must always be done in full compliance with international standards,” O’Flaherty said.

The British law “is another representation of an ongoing trend towards externalization of asylum and migration policy in Europe, which is a matter of concern for the global system of protection of the rights of refugees,” he said.

In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which is part of the Council of Europe, prevented the UK from sending asylum seekers of different nationalities by plane to Rwanda.

Earlier, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said, “Settling questions of disputed fact — questions with enormous human rights consequences — is what the courts do … It should be for the courts to decide whether the measures taken by the government since the Supreme Court’s ruling on risks in Rwanda are enough. You cannot legislate facts out of existence. It is deeply concerning to carve out one group of people, or people in one particular situation, from the equal protection of the law. This is antithetical to even-handed justice, available and accessible to all, without discrimination.”

The UN human rights office has reiterated the concerns expressed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) that the scheme is not compatible with international refugee law, the statement said.

“The combined effects of this Bill, attempting to shield government action from standard legal scrutiny, directly undercut basic human rights principles,” Turk added.

“Such a stance is today more vital than ever.”

ALSO READ-UK Parliament passes Rwanda asylum law

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Girl, 7, among five dead on Channel migrant boat

The prefect of Pas-de-Calais, where Wimereux is located, said the boat set sail from the Plage des Allemands with “an unprecedented 112 people on board”…reports Asian Lite News

Five people, including a seven-year-old girl, have died while trying to cross the English Channel in the early hours of Tuesday, French officials have said. They said the victims were trying to get to the UK on an overloaded boat carrying 112 migrants.

Authorities said the boat ran aground on a sandbank after leaving Wimereux, near Boulogne, before continuing on. One local volunteer told reporters that the deceased child’s father had seen “his little girl die before his eyes”.

Dany Patoux, a volunteer with the Boulogne-based migrant charity Osmose 62, told French radio network Franceinfo the child was a young girl who he “knew well”. “We have photos with her, with a big smile in the hope of a better life,” she said.

Patoux added that she had seen the father of the child crying after the tragedy, noting that he “fell into our arms” once he reached the shore. Several search-and-rescue operations are under way to find other survivors who may have fallen into the water, officials said.

The prefect of Pas-de-Calais, where Wimereux is located, said the boat set sail from the Plage des Allemands with “an unprecedented 112 people on board”.

The “heavily laden boat” then “appeared to be in difficulty a few hundred metres from the beach after passing a sandbank”, the French maritime prefecture said in a statement. “Its engine stopped and two people fell into the water near the boat.”

Upon seeing the boat in distress, prefect Jacques Billant said the Abeille Normandie patrol boat was immediately deployed to rescue those who had set off on the boat. When they arrived, several people were “unconscious and in great difficulty”. Six people were taken aboard the patrol boat, before being taken to the beach to be treated by emergency services.

“Despite resuscitation attempts, five of them died,” Billant said. Another 47 people were rescued from the boat by French authorities, according to Billant, but a further 57 remained on board as they did not wish to be rescued.

“They managed to get the engine running again and decided to continue their journey to the UK under naval supervision.”

The UK’s Border Force said it had brought about 70 migrants to shore on Tuesday. It added that more people were on board a vessel heading for Dover.

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UK News

Wet wipes containing plastic to be banned from sale

According to DEFRA’s Beach Litter Monitoring Data for 2015-2020, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 metres of beach surveyed across the U.K…reports Asian Lite News

Wet wipes containing plastic will be banned from being sold in the U.K. following legislation to be tabled in Parliament soon, the British government announced on April 22, as the world marked as Earth Day.

U.K. Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) will table the legislation for England before Parliament’s summer recess in July.

The devolved regions of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are expected to follow on with their legislation later in the year to make it a U.K.-wide ban as part of an aligned approach.

“Wet wipes containing plastic are polluting our waterways and causing microplastics to enter the environment,” said Barclay.

“DEFRA will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution, following our successful single-use carrier bag charge and ban on microbeads in personal care products… Plastic-free wet wipes are readily available, and several retailers have already stopped selling wet wipes containing plastic,” he said.

The Minister said it was part of a “step change” needed to protect the country’s waterways from pollution.

“The ban builds on a raft of actions already taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies accountable — including accelerating investment, putting water company fines back into the environment and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites,” he added.

According to DEFRA’s Beach Litter Monitoring Data for 2015-2020, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 metres of beach surveyed across the U.K.

Once in the water environment, wet wipes containing plastic can accumulate biological and chemical pollutants, increasing the risk of harm to the animals and humans who encounter them.

Banning them is expected to reduce plastic and microplastic pollution and reduce the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment sites when wrongly flushed.

The ban follows a public consultation on the issue, which showed overwhelming support for such a move.

The law will be introduced via secondary legislation under the U.K.’s Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), with 95% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing with the proposals.

An 18-month transition period will start from when legislation is passed to allow businesses time to prepare. Following consultation with industry, the ban will not include the manufacture of these products, in line with other recent single-use plastic bans.

“Boots removed all wet wipes containing plastic from sale in stores and online last year as part of our long-standing commitment to sustainability and working with suppliers and customers to reduce the use of plastic,” said Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots, one of the U.K.’s largest retailers of such products.

ALSO READ-Single-Use Plastic Cut by 18 Million in 2 Years

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UK Parliament passes Rwanda asylum law

The home secretary, James Cleverly, says it was a “landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats”…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill will become law after peers eventually backed down on amending it, opening the way for legal battles over the potential removal of dozens of people seeking asylum.

After a marathon battle of “ping pong” over the key legislation between the Commons and the Lords, the bill finally passed when opposition and crossbench peers gave way on Monday night.

The bill is expected to be granted royal assent on Tuesday. Home Office sources said they have already identified a group of asylum seekers with weak legal claims to remain in the UK who will be part of the first tranche to be sent to east Africa in July.

Sunak has put the bill, which would deport asylum seekers who arrive in the UK by irregular means to Kigali, at the centre of his attempts to stop small boats crossing the Channel.

The home secretary, James Cleverly, said it was a “landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats”.

In a video posted to social media, he said: “The safety of Rwanda bill has passed in parliament and it will become law within days.

“The act will prevent people from abusing the law by using false human rights claims to block removals. And it makes clear that the UK parliament is sovereign, giving government the power to reject interim blocking measures imposed by European courts. I promised to do what was necessary to clear the path for the first flight. That’s what we have done. Now we’re working day in and day out to get flights off the ground.”

Denisa Delić, director of advocacy at International Rescue Committee UK, said on Monday: “Irrespective of today’s passage of the safety of Rwanda bill, sending refugees to Rwanda is an ineffective, unnecessarily cruel and costly approach.

“Rather than outsourcing its responsibilities under international law, we urge the government to abandon this misguided plan and instead focus on delivering a more humane and orderly immigration system at home. This includes scaling up safe routes, such as resettlement and family reunion, and upholding the right to seek asylum.”

The Home Office has whittled the list down to 350 migrants who are deemed to pose the least risk of submitting successful legal challenges blocking their deportation.

Lawyers said that they will prepare legal challenges on behalf of individual asylum seekers. They can challenge their removal on a case-by-case basis, which could lead to their being taken off a flight list.

The bill allows challenges if a detainee faces a “real, imminent and foreseeable risk of serious irreversible harm if removed to Rwanda”.

They must lodge an appeal within eight days of receiving a deportation letter. The Home Office would then be given several days to respond. If their appeal is rejected, the person claiming asylum will then be given seven days to lodge a final appeal to an upper tribunal court, which will decide their claim within a further 23 days.

The deal will cost £1.8m for each of the first 300 deportees, the National Audit Office has confirmed.

Matthew Rycroft, the most senior civil servant in the Home Office who has overseen the scheme for two years, previously told MPs he did not have evidence to show that it had a deterrent effect that would make it value for money.

Home Office staff have privately warned that there is a risk of thousands of asylum seekers disappearing once removals begin, keen to avoid receiving notification that they are being sent to Kigali.

Earlier, MPs stripped out amendments to the bill inserted by the Lords. Crossbench and Labour peers said they would reinsert similar changes in a battle of wills.

The government will not send those who are eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) to Rwanda, a Home Office minister told peers during one of the many debates held on Monday evening.

Lord Sharpe said: “Once this review of Arap decisions for those with credible links to Afghan specialist units has concluded, the government will not remove to Rwanda those who received a positive eligibility decision as a result of this review where they are already in the UK as of today.”

Lord Browne, a Labour former defence secretary who had been leading calls for such an assurance, said: “The minister does not believe this to be a concession, it is to him a restatement of what he has been telling us for some time, but in a different form.”

Meanwhile, leading lawyer and independent crossbencher Lord Anderson of Ipswich said of the Rwanda scheme: “Its benefits remain to be seen. Its costs will be measured, not only in money, but in principles debased: disregard for our international commitments, avoiding statutory protections for the vulnerable, and the removal of judicial scrutiny over the core issue of the safety of Rwanda.”

The prime minister also disclosed that the first flights removing asylum seekers to Rwanda were planned to depart in 10 to 12 weeks, missing his original spring target.

ALSO READ-Fresh trouble for Sunak over Rwanda bill

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Former parliamentary aide charged with spying for China

Beijing has previously hit back at claims of an orchestrated overseas espionage campaign…reports Asian Lite News

London’s Metropolitan Police on Monday said it had charged two men with allegedly spying for China in a move that could stoke new tensions with Beijing.

The charges came as German prosecutors announced the arrest of three German nationals suspected of spying for China and providing access to secret maritime technology. The British pair are accused of breaking the Official Secrets Act 1911 and will appear in a London court on Friday.

Police named the men as Christopher Berry, 32, and Christoper Cash, 29, who previously worked at the UK parliament as a researcher. They are accused of having given “articles, notes, documents or information” to a foreign state. The alleged offenses are said to have taken place between 2021 and last year.

Beijing has previously hit back at claims of an orchestrated overseas espionage campaign.

The Met Police said in September they had arrested a man in his 20s on spying allegations, with the Sunday Times reporting he was a researcher in Britain’s parliament. The newspaper named him as Cash and said he had had contacts with MPs from the ruling Conservative Party.

They included security minister Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, the chairman of the influential House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. Tugendhat was reported to have only had limited contact with the suspect, and none when he was security minister.

Domestic intelligence service MI5 last year warned that a Chinese government agent called Christine Lee had been “engaged in political interference activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, engaging with members here at parliament.”

In July 2023, the Commons intelligence and security committee claimed China was targeting the UK “prolifically and aggressively” and that the government did not have the “resources, expertise or knowledge” to deal with it.

Meanwhile, German authorities said they have arrested three people on suspicion of spying for China.

The main suspect, named as Thomas R, is accused of spying for the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS). Prosecutors allege his network operated a front company which co-operated with German research organisations.

The accused are said to have collected sensitive information, including designs for an engine suitable for use on combat ships, to pass on to China.

In a separate development, two men in the UK were charged with spying for China after being accused of providing information which could be “useful to an enemy”, according to police.

In the German case, prosecutors allege Thomas R obtained “innovative technologies for military use” on behalf of an MSS employee. They also allege he used a company – run by the two other suspects, named as Herwig F and Ina F – which contacted people working in science and research.

A first project regarding the operation of high-performance marine engines for use on combat ships is alleged to have already been completed.

At the time of their arrest, the accused were allegedly in further negotiations on other projects that could be of use for China’s navy, prosecutors said.

They added that the arrests took place in the western German states of Hesse and North-Rhine-Westphalia. The three suspects are also accused of exporting a laser to China, which is banned under EU “dual use” regulations. The rules prohibit sending goods which can be used for military and civilian purposes to certain countries.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the arrests of the three suspects in Germany were a “great success for our counterintelligence”. “The area affected in the current case – innovative technologies from Germany that can be used for military purposes – is particularly sensitive,” she added.

The arrests come a week after Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Beijing, where he raised issues including China’s support for Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

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Sunak discusses Gaza developments with Jordan’s king

Sunak told the king that the UK’s ultimate goal is to achieve a workable two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday made a phone call to Jordan’s King Abdullah to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip, 10 Downing Street announced.

During the call, Sunak renewed the UK’s support for Jordan’s security and that of the region, saying a significant escalation is “not in anyone’s interests.”

He added that the UK’s focus remains on finding a solution to the conflict in Gaza.

The UK continues to work toward an immediate humanitarian truce to bring in much larger amounts of aid and return the Israeli hostages held by Hamas safely to their families, “leading to a longer-term sustainable ceasefire,” Sunak said.

The two leaders “discussed joint efforts to significantly step up aid to Gaza, with the UK taking part in Jordanian-led aid drops and a humanitarian land corridor to Gaza, as well as the maritime aid corridor from Cyprus,” Downing Street said.

Sunak told the king that the UK’s ultimate goal is to achieve a workable two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

The two leaders “agreed on the importance of supporting a reformed Palestinian authority to deliver stability and prosperity across the Palestinian territories,” Downing Street said.

King Abdullah warned of the danger of regional escalation, which he said threatens international peace and security, Jordan’s official Petra news agency reported.

He renewed his call for the international community to intensify efforts to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza to alleviate the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Palestinian territory, and warned of the dangerous consequences of an Israeli assault on Rafah.

The king stressed the need to protect civilians in Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He pointed to the importance of continuing to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to enable it to provide its humanitarian services in accordance with its UN mandate.

ALSO READ-Sunak set for week-long blitz of announcements  

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War, fear of war spur global military spending to new record

The increased spending exactly matched the global rate of inflation of 6.8 percent, so it doesn’t necessarily translate into greater military efficacy everywhere…reports Asian Lite News

The world spent $2.4 trillion on military forces last year, the highest amount ever recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

SIPRI has been monitoring military expenditures since 1949 and found in its annual report released on Monday that in 2023 they rose to 2.3 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) from 2.2 percent the year before.

It meant that every man, woman and child on the planet was taxed an average of $306 for military spending last year – the highest rate since the Cold War.

The increased spending exactly matched the global rate of inflation of 6.8 percent, so it doesn’t necessarily translate into greater military efficacy everywhere.

But as SIPRI said, spending was not evenly spread out because “world military expenditure is highly concentrated among a very small group of states”.

The United States remained the biggest spender at $916bn, representing 37 percent of the world’s military outlays. China came second with an estimated $296bn.

Russia was third at $109bn although SIPRI considers this an underestimation “due to the increasing opaqueness of Russian financial authorities since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022”. India came fourth at $83.6bn.

The rate of increase in military spending was also uneven with European budgets ballooning due to the war in Ukraine.

The belligerents

Ukraine increased its defence spending by 51 percent to $64.8bn – not including $35bn in military donations from allies. That meant it was devoting 37 percent of its GDP and nearly 60 percent of all government spending to defence, SIPRI said.

Despite financial aid from Europe, the US and the International Monetary Fund, this was a remarkable feat given that Ukraine lost seven million taxpayers and, according to World Bank figures, a fifth of its economic output in 2022, the first year of the war.

The toll on Russian society was far lower.

Last year, Russia increased military spending by 24 percent to 6.9 percent of its GDP and 16 percent of all government spending. Even though this was the largest defence budget since the Soviet Union was dissolved three decades ago, Russia’s economy also grew by almost 22 percent, thanks to high energy export revenues, lending resilience to its economy.

Russia had already increased its military spending by 9 percent in 2022. The fact that it then budgeted a 21 percent increase in 2023 and actually increased spending by 24 percent suggests that it was continually surprised by the length of the war and the toll of Ukrainian resistance on its armed forces.

Its 2024 budget plans an even bigger increase – 70 percent on defence and security spending – to $157bn, the Reuters news agency reported

Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel on October 7 and Israel’s war in Gaza led to a massive 24 percent defence budget increase in Israel last year to $27.5bn, or 5.3 percent of its GDP.

Saudi Arabia also significantly increased spending.

The two countries contributed to a 9 percent defence budget increase in the Middle East last year, the biggest annual increase in a decade. The Middle East also bears the biggest military burden in the world as a percentage of GDP. At 4.2 percent, it is nearly double the world average.

A transformation in Europe

Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine led Europe’s NATO members to increase military budgets by 16 percent last year to $588bn. This meant they were spending an average of 2.8 percent of GDP on defence, SIPRI said, surpassing the 2 percent threshold NATO set in 2014, although that level of spending wasn’t shared by all members.

This has led to some spectacular increases on the continent.

Poland led the pack with a 75 percent increase last year, pouring 3.9 percent of its GDP into defence. This was partly to pay for a comprehensive $2bn defence modernisation programme of its armed forces under US guidance but also to massively overhaul and increase its arsenal.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Poland has ordered 500 HIMARS rocket launchers from Lockheed Martin, 250 Abrams tanks from General Dynamics as well as rocket launchers, tanks, howitzers and fighter jets from South Korea. In 2020, it signed a $4.6bn deal for F-35 multirole fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.

Finland, which shares NATO’s longest border with Russia, also massively upped defence spending by 54 percent, to 2.4 percent of its GDP. It, too, bought the F-35 as its next generation jet as well as air defence systems, tripling procurement spending in a year.

Other Northern European and Baltic Sea states have massively increased spending in the past year with the United Kingdom leading the region with a 7.9 percent increase last year.

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