In broadcast news, the UN Security Council says it will begin work immediately on measures against North Korea, after Pyongyang said it had tested a hydrogen bomb.
North Korea
There is further reporting today after North Korea claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb. The Guardian and The Times write that the United Nations security council has threatened new punitive measures against North Korea but, according to the papers, the international community are struggling to agree on a means to contain the regime’s nuclear weapon programme. Many papers also carry opinions from the White House, that even a miniaturised device would be expected to have created a blast far bigger than the more rudimentary atomic bombs North Korea has tested previously, and the seismic data this time suggests it was blast was no powerful than the last test in 2013.
Armed Forces Bill
An article in The Times reports that the legal ban on gay men and women serving in the Armed Forces will be removed from the statute books within weeks, 15 years after the ban was lifted allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military. The paper writes that Ministers will today publish their plans to scrap a 1994 law, which set out a provision that homosexuality is incompatible with service. It says that the rules were changed in 2000 to prevent gay men and women being made to leave theirservice after a judgement by the European Court of Human Rights in a case brought by Stonewall, the charity. A new code of conduct was introduced and the practice effectively ended, even though the legislation remained on the statute books.
Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans said:
I am extremely proud of our achievements since changes were made in 2000 allowing homosexual men, lesbians and transgender personnel to serve openly in the Armed Forces.
We have since taken huge strides forward on the issue, recognised by the fact that all three services now feature in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list. And I was delighted to see the rainbow flag flying over MOD Main Building while more than 200 service personnel and civil servants marched together in London for the Pride celebrations last year.
It is clear that this redundant legislation in no way reflects the position of today’s modern Armed Forces and I am glad to be able to remove this from the statute books.
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