Cold War Moving Ever Closer

June 25, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Nato defence ministers are meeting in Brussels to agree their next steps in dealing with the renewed threat from Russia. The US Defence Secretary, Ash Carter, arrived in Europe saying he was not looking to start a new Cold War. But, in reality, both Nato and Russia are stepping up their rhetoric and strengthening their military posture. Last week President Vladimir Putin announced he was adding another 40 long-range ballistic missiles to his nuclear arsenal. In return, Nato accused Moscow of "sabre rattling". The 28-member alliance is doing a bit of that too. On a barren plain in northern Poland, Nato has been testing its new rapid-reaction, or spearhead, force for the very first time. Its proper title is the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VHRJTF) - it is meant to be more nimble than its name. It is a direct response to the crises in Ukraine, with the aim to have boots on the ground within 48 hours. In the past, it would have taken the best part of a month to mobilise Nato forces to defend its own borders.

Greek PM Tsipras Faces Difficult Choices

June 25, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Red lines - everyone has them, including Greece and its creditors. Lines they can't cross. Commitments they say they can't break. But suddenly the red lines are everywhere. A counter-proposal put forward by the creditor institutions, in response to Greece's offer of budget reforms, is full of them. Put simply, Greece has offered to meet its budget targets mainly by raising taxes rather than cutting spending. But the creditors - and the IMF in particular - say that is unacceptable. They see it as a squeeze of a different kind, snuffing out any hope of economic growth. So there is still pressure for more cuts in the pension system, and the abolition of a larger number of subsidies. The Greek government may think it has given significant ground in its latest proposal. The creditors appear to be saying think again. So the mood goes from bad to good and back again. In terms of absolute numbers, the distance between the two sides isn't huge. But the political gulf is significant. And Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is caught between a rock and a hard place - between the promises he made to his voters back home, and the commitments the creditors insist he must respect.

Azelle Rodney Case Hears Police Officer Testimony

June 25, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A former police marksman accused of killing a man during a surveillance operation was convinced the suspect had picked up a gun and was about to start shooting, a court has heard. Anthony Long told the Old Bailey Azelle Rodney had "made a totally unnatural movement" which firearms officers were taught signalled an intent to open fire. Mr Rodney was killed in Mill Hill, north London, in April 2005. Mr Long, 58, denies murder.

Most Difficult Decision

US Assures Francois Hollande They No Longer Are Spying On France

June 25, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

President Obama has assured his French counterpart Francois Hollande that the US is no longer spying on France. Mr Obama spoke to Mr Hollande following reports on the Wikileaks website that the US National Security Agency (NSA) spied on successive French presidents. The White House said after the two leaders' phone call "we are not targeting and will not target" Mr Hollande's communications. French intelligence officials are due to travel to Washington for more talks. Wikileaks reported that the NSA had intercepted communications from President Francois Hollande and former leaders Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac between 2006-12.

Buckingham Palace Maintenance May See Queen Move Out

June 25, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The Queen may have to move out of Buckingham Palace to allow maintenance work costing £150m to be carried out. It is one option being considered by the royal household, which says the palace needs new plumbing and wiring, with some rooms last decorated in 1952. It comes as the Crown Estate, which owns property on behalf of the Queen, returned record profits of £285m to the taxpayer last year - up 6.7%. Public funding of the Queen is expected to rise by £2m next year - to £42.8m. Meanwhile, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has strongly denied reports the Scottish Parliament could cut its contribution to the monarchy by between £1m and £1.5m when further powers are devolved. The monarch is paid 15% of the Crown Estate's profits by the UK government - including from the Crown Estate in Scotland - under the Sovereign Grant formula launched in 2011. The latest accounts show the Queen last year received £37.9m from the grant - of which she spent £35.7m. That figure will increase to £40.05m this year, and is expected to rise to £42.8m next year.

Greek Prime Minister In Talks With International Creditors

June 25, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras has held intense talks with international creditors in efforts to find a solution to Greece's debt crisis. Mr Tsipras has criticised lenders for rejecting his latest reform proposals, which they say are not viable. Late night talks with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ended without agreement. Greece must pay the IMF €1.6bn (£1.1bn) within days or face default. Talks in Brussels between Mr Tsipras and Greece's creditors are expected to resume at 09:00 (07:00 GMT) ahead of a Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers scheduled for 13:00 (11:00 GMT). They hope to cut a deal that would release further loans to Greece before it runs out of money. On Wednesday, finance ministers cut short a meeting that had been meant to finalise a deal. Mr Tsipras held several hours of talks but officials said there was little sign of a breakthrough, with differences over whether the reform plan should have an emphasis on tax rises or pension and spending cuts. The negotiations reconvened in the evening but again ended without a deal.

David Cameron comments Calais scenes "totally unacceptable"

June 25, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Scenes of hundreds of migrants in Calais trying to board lorries to the UK during a strike were "totally unacceptable", PM David Cameron says. Ministers said a "significant number" of would-be migrants had been stopped during the French ferry worker strike. Mr Cameron told MPs it was important to work with France to tackle the problem and warned against "either side trying to point the finger of blame". Cross-Channel transport is returning to normal although there are delays. Ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar services are running mostly to schedule, but those delayed on Tuesday face waits to rebook trains. The M20 in Kent is closed between junctions 8 and 9 as parts of the motorway are used to create a queue for lorries heading to the continent. The operation will last for the rest of Wednesday, Kent Police said.

Met Police Training Facility:Asbestos Concern

June 1, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Up to 30,000 police officers might have come into contact with asbestos at training facilities, the Metropolitan Police have said.

The force confirmed it was examining a number of buildings used for firearms training between 1980 and 2007. It also said it was in the process of contacting "a large number of officers" who might have been affected. At one time asbestos was frequently used as a building material.

5,000 Deaths

Aer Lingus Takeover Bid A 'compelling' Offer

June 1, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The head of airline group IAG has called his company's takeover offer for Aer Lingus "compelling" as it seeks support for the bid from Ryanair. The Irish government, which owns 25% of the airline, has accepted IAG's €1.36bn (£961m) bid, after receiving promises over jobs and key traffic routes. However, Ryanair, which owns 29.8% of Aer Lingus, has yet to reveal whether it will accept the offer. IAG boss Willie Walsh said he was "hopeful" Ryanair would accept. Although Aer Lingus' shares rose 2.6% on Wednesday, at €2.44 they are below the €2.55 a share offer value. Shares in IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia, were up 1.4%.

US Court Issues Temporary Hold On Deporting Immigrants

June 1, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A US court has backed a temporary hold on President Barack Obama's plans to shield almost five million illegal immigrants from deportation. The hold was imposed after 26 states launched a legal challenge against the executive action, alleging it was unconstitutional. An appeals court has now denied a government request to overturn it. The White House said the action was essential to fix a "broken immigration system". Under the plans, announced last year, people who entered the US illegally as children and parents of children who are US citizens would be offered temporary protection from deportation.