UK Column News - 19th February 2025

Source:  ukcolumn

Mike Robinson, Charles Malet, Vanessa Beeley and Sandi Adams with today’s UK Column News.

 

War with Russia? Arms Sales Brings Bankers Billions for Bullets

00:23 Institute for Government (YouTube): In conversation with John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence (Timestamp 13:44)

The Telegraph: Potentially putting Britons in harm’s way is a huge responsibility – but we must be ready to do our bit for Europe by Keir Starmer (Archived)

GOV.UK: Authored article: Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s article in the Telegraph: 17 February 2025 

GOV.UK: Peacekeeping is one of the UN’s most valuable tools to support global peace and security: UK statement on Peacekeeping Operations

The Kyiv Independent: Russia’s Lavrov rules out territorial concessions as part of Ukraine peace talks

BBC: ‘Zelensky could fall’, as US and Russia agree more talks

 

Abraham Shield Plan: “With Crisis Comes Opportunity – A New Regional Order in the Middle East”

11:13 Coalition for Regional Security: The Abraham Shield

With Crisis, Comes Opportunity – A New Regional Order in the Middle East

The Cradle: UAE envoy to Washington claims ‘no alternative’ to ethnic cleansing of Gaza

Middle East Eye: Saudi crown prince said he personally ‘doesn’t care’ about Palestinian issue

Reuters: Yemen’s Houthis say they will attack if US, Israel try to displace Gazans (Archived)

Brunella C (on X): Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud says the Middle East will be the new Europe. 5 years and Saudi Arabia will be completely different

This is the Saudis’ war. This is my war! And I’m not going to die until I see the Middle East at the forefront of the world! […] There are no accidents in politics

 

Businesses Warned: Align with Net Zero or Face Shutdown – People Power Push-Back Growing

24:23 Plymouth Live: Plymouth elected mayor’s bumper pay packet revealed

World Economic Forum: Annual Meeting 2023 - Nature and Climate Programme (PDF)

United Nations: Secretary-General’s briefing to the General Assembly on Priorities for 2023 

If you cannot set a credible course for net-zero, with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business.

United Nations: The Summit of the Future (22-23 September, 2024)

United Nations: Secretary-General’s opening remarks at press conference to launch the Global Principles for Information Integrity

The spread of hatred and lies online is causing grave harm to our world.

 

Stigmatising Homeschooling: Attacks on Parental Choice and Education Freedom

32:44 GOV.UK blogs: Government Digital Service: Launching the Artificial Intelligence Playbook for the UK Government

UK Parliament: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - Parliamentary Bills

Education Otherwise: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is “conflating home education with safeguarding risk despite there being no evidence that home education represents a risk to children”.

BBC: Call for more safeguards for home schooled

The Conservative Woman: Lost in the digital world – children deprived of family ties, identity and values

 

UK Column On Location Event Tickets On Sale—UK Column Is Member Funded, Please Join Us

40:26 Support Independent Journalism from the UK Column with only £5 a month

Access UK Column News Extra Today—UK Column Community

UK Column shop: UK Column On Location — Cheltenham — 5 April 2025

PCPW Event: Public Child Protection Wales Conference 2025 - 22nd February 2025, Cwmbran

UK Column interview: Forest of the Fallen: Remembering Those Damaged by COVID Vaccines – With Rosie Marshall

Billetto: Supporting Farmers for Food Security (16th March at 09:15 – Shurdington Community Centre, Bishop Rd, GL51 4TB Cheltenham)

 

Lebanon: Ongoing Occupation, Airstrikes, and Regional Tensions Escalate

43:40 The Cradle: Israel maintains occupation in five key areas after withdrawal from south Lebanon

The Cradle: Israeli airstrike kills several in south Lebanon as ‘ceasefire’ nears end date

L’Orient Today: Air France and Emirates suspend their flights to Beirut on Feb. 23

Myriam (on X): Lebanese MP Elias Jradi, who is an Eye Doctor given the title ‘Resistance Doctor’, had been attending the injured from the pagers attack

 

Bird Flu Latest: What’s Really Behind the Panic? It’s Not the Flu, It’s the Culling

50:02 BBC: Poultry farmers in bird flu ‘panic’ call for UK vaccination plan

BBC: Farmers call for new rules amid bird flu risk

Zoetis: Zoetis Receives Conditional License from USDA for Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus, for Chickens

APHA Vet Gateway: Vaccine Development Brochure by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (PDF)

World Bank (2010): People, pathogens, and our planet: Volume one: towards a one health approach for controlling zoonotic diseases (PDF)

The Sun: Wetherspoons pulls key breakfast item from the menu due to shortage as fans rage ‘what’s happening to the world?’

The Grocer: Egg prices up by almost 20% since start of year

BASC: Government’s decision is an erosion of civil liberties, says BASC

GOV.UK blogs: The Education Hub: Everything we are doing in education to tackle climate change

National Education Union: NEU statement on Climate and Nature Bill

 

Will Tony Blair’s Dream Come True? Digital ID Policy Advances

58:01 GOV.UK: Electoral Commission’s reports on the 2024 elections

Politics Home: MPs Across Labour Urge Ministers To Back Digital ID In Fight Against Farage

Thales: Mobile ID: Trusted Digital ID for Governments - From eID to Mobile ID

Gemalto Mobile ID Smart App is a cutting-edge application that enables governments to offer strong authentication and identity validation services to their citizens by transforming the device in all our pockets into a mobile TRUSTED digital ID built on the highest level of Common Criteria certification for software security ever reached on the market.

Anthropic: Anthropic signs MOU with UK Government to explore how AI can transform UK public services

GOV.UK: Memorandum of Understanding between UK and Anthropic on AI opportunities

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (on X): The UK has signed an agreement to deepen collaboration with leading AI company AnthropicAI

We’ll work closely together to realise the opportunities of AI, including transforming public services, driving new scientific breakthroughs & improving lives.