Today’s broadcast news continues to focus on newly appointed Cabinet ministers. Elsewhere news has broken that Nepal has been hit by another earthquake of 7.4 magnitude broke this morning.
Nepal
The Times reports that the three RAF Chinook helicopters sent to Nepal to assist with the relief efforts following the earthquake are continuing to wait in Delhi for clearance from the Nepalese government to operate in the country. The article quotes a source saying that he thought the reason for the refusal was to do with reluctance by the Indian and Chinese authorities to allow foreign aircraft to hover around Nepalese airspace. It is noted that the RAF denied this was the case. A quote is included from the Nepal foreign ministry saying they have told British authorities they cannot fly Chinook helicopters here because their technical team believes they are likely to cause damage to houses and buildings.
A Government spokesperson said:
The UK is doing everything it can to help Nepal recover from this disaster and is the largest donor to the relief effort, contributing £23M. We responded quickly to the most pressing needs and funded two Airbus 350 helicopters and additional UN helicopters to reach remote areas. UK Chinook helicopters and crews are also in the region and stand ready to provide extra support. It is disappointing they are not yet operational and discussions with the Nepalese authorities are ongoing. We will continue to do all we can to deliver much needed aid to the people of Nepal.
Libya
The Daily Telegraph reports that Europe’s foreign policy chief has urged the UN Security Council to pass a resolution being drafted by British diplomats authorising a raft of EU measures, including military action to defeat Libyan-based people-smuggling gangs. Reference is made to EU plans to request that member states take tens of thousands of refugees to redistribute the migrants throughout Europe. The article also reports that a Turkish freighter ship came under artillery and aerial fire from unidentified attackers near the Libyan coast, leaving one crew member dead and several injured.
British Defence Power
Reports that David Cameron wants to re-establish Britain’s place as an activist internationally in Defence are carried in the Wall Street Journal. The piece includes reference to a Chatham House poll before the election which showed that 63% of respondents aspire for Britain to be a “great power” yet only 16% also believe the country has a moral obligation to support uprisings against dictators.
The UK remains a global military power with more than 90,000 servicemen and women deployed last year on over 300 commitments in 50 countries. We are currently making the second biggest contribution to the air strike campaign against ISIL, have hundreds of military personnel in Sierra Leone to help fight Ebola and in Nepal playing a leading role in response to the Nepal earthquake.
Ukraine
The Wall Street Journal reports that the cease-fire agreement in Eastern Ukraine is being routinely violated and that NATO foreign ministers are preparing to meeting in Turkey this week. The Independent and Radio 4 Today Programme note that John Kerry will meet with Vladimir Putin today in Sochi to discuss Ukraine and other issues.
The UK is helping the Ukrainian government by providing £10 million in technical assistance to support economic and governance reforms in Ukraine, as well as humanitarian assistance. The UK is also providing £9 million in support to Ukraine through the Conflict Pool programme, with projects including the provision of monitors and equipment to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, and the provision of non-lethal equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces such as body armour, helmets and medical kits.
On 6 March, the UK government announced a new non-lethal equipment package for the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF) including night vision goggles, protective helmets, medical kits, laptops and GPS’. This is currently being delivered to Ukraine, while up to 75 UK military personnel are deploying on advisory and short-term training teams to build the capacity and resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and prevent further casualties.
A400M
The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times report that €2bn has been wiped off the Airbus share value in the wake of last weekend’s A400M crash. The articles note that both British A400M aircraft have been grounded as a precaution and that the MoD has a £306m investment into the A400M programme, with £226m of that going towards a training facility at Brize Norton. Airbus has resumed test flights of the aircraft.
Image of the Day
Pictured is HMS VIGILANT returning to HMNB Clyde after her extended deployment, escorted home by HMS TRACKER.
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