There is further coverage of former Army Air Corps Major Tim Peake’s mission to the International Space Station as HMS Defender meets up with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on operations against Daesh.
Daesh
The Telegraph splash looks at yesterday’s news that a Saudi-led coalition of 34 nations has been formed to tackle Daesh. In the report, followed up by The Sun a No10 spokesperson is quoted as welcoming all efforts to tackle Daesh. Read more about the UK’s military efforts against Daesh here, as well as HMS Defender’s work with Charles de Gaulle.
Separately, The Sun reports that RAF strikes killed at least 26 Daesh fighters over the weekend, and The FT looks at Daesh funding.
Veterans
An article in The Sun says military veterans and widows stand to be financially disadvantaged if their war pensions do not increase in 2016-17.
An MOD spokesperson said:
Armed Forces personnel benefit from our ‘triple lock’ commitment when receiving their state pension. The War Pension is a compensation payment and, like other public service schemes, is annually uprated in line with inflation.
Marine A
The Times reports on the continuing coverage about Sgt Blackman (Marine A), saying he believed that the man was already dead before firing the fatal shot. The article says lawyers plan to challenge his conviction.
An MOD spokesperson said:
The MOD followed and supported the legal process throughout. This involved a full criminal investigation and a court martial where witnesses were called by both the independent Service Prosecution Authority and defence counsel.
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