In a world that has become “less American” and more unpredictable, Britain and Europe have been forced to seek a new alliance to strengthen their defences.
That will be outlined on Monday, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosting a major conference with a new UK-EU security pact as its centrepiece.
Diehard Brexiteers are ready to condemn moves to draw Britain closer to the EU once again. The government's response is that hard-power rules of the new world order have heightened the importance of collective European defence.
“It's going to be a historical moment because this deal will redefine the relationship between the EU and UK, leading to UK participation in EU sponsored initiatives,” said Ester Sabatino, defence analyst at the IISS think tank.
The deal was more about “adapting to a world in which relying on long-term US military support is no longer a viable strategy”, said Olivia O’Sullivan, director of Chatham House’s UK in the World Programme. It was now a question of how Britain and the EU can “defend themselves better in a less American world”.
Who gains?
The deal should benefit both sides. Mr Starmer is expected to declare Britain and Europe face the “greatest threat in a generation” and the defence pact marks a “decisive moment”. On offer for the EU is the back-up of a military that brings experience, professionalism and power, albeit in far fewer numbers than the US can offer.
For the UK, aside from the Brexit politics that concern people increasingly less, it provides an opportunity to access the EU’s €150 million ($168 million) military build-up funds, Security Action for Europe (Safe).
That will give UK companies, such as defence giant BAE Systems, the chance to bid for contracts, although limits will be put on what countries outside the EU can get.
At the meeting of European leaders in London, negotiations will focus on greater fishing rights for the EU in British waters, as well as a potential “youth mobility” agreement for EU and British citizens.
While the defence element was important, said Ms O’Sullivan, the more enduring question was working together on “broader foreign policy goals” as the US changes its position while the power of the international rules-based order declines.
British military power
But what does Europe need if it is to defend itself against a Russian military that could well reconstitute its army within two years of ending hostilities in Ukraine?
Britain would bring the “ability to project power, to do things overseas of any duration”, said Ed Arnold, European security specialist at the Rusi think tank.
“The UK would really help, particularly in terms of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, which is a big weakness of EU militaries, as well as strategic airlift.”
This would almost certainly include allowing Britain’s well-regarded GCHQ security and cyber agency to share its intelligence.
Britain's role in Nato will remain the same despite the deal and the alliance will continue to be the primary defence pact.
Mass production
The EU’s main aim is to standardise its equipment as the continent’s armies currently have a wide variety of tanks, aircraft and artillery making for inefficiencies and unnecessary complications.
Europe is looking to develop two main armoured vehicles and two types of artillery pieces, then mass-produce them as quickly as possible, said Mr Arnold.
If these could be agreed and mass-produced it would significantly enhance defences and allow for vast export opportunities.
Big defence companies such as BAE could help, as well as providing extra 155mm artillery rounds that the EU needs for itself and for Ukraine for long-range precision weapons.
European investment is already coming to Britain, with German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall investing £400 million ($530.8 million) in a new artillery barrel-making factory.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey ecently raised the potential for German cyber security company Helsing investing £350 million to “drive development of AI in the UK, not in Germany”.
The deal will also allow for British armed forces equipment and troops to move swiftly across Europe without bureaucratic delays.
Polls show the agreement is popular in Britain and the EU, which could signal the first steps for much greater co-operation, after Brexit has produced few tangible positives.
“It’s recognition of what the UK has always said, that ‘yes, we are out of the EU, but we are not out of Europe’, and it’s going to continue to be part of the security and defence apparatus,” said Ms Sabatino.
Nuclear umbrella
One key element to European security is the protection the continent’s two nuclear powers can provide in America’s absence.
Britain has a stockpile of 225 nuclear warheads, with 40 continuously carried on board one of its four permanently deployed “bomber” submarines. France has about 300 warheads that it carries on submarines as well as aircraft.
Collectively, without the US, the two countries could provide a nuclear deterrence shield for its neighbours, with the UK’s Trident missiles having a range of more than 7,000km.
A future deal could be struck with Germany and other states for them to help finance the highly expensive deterrence programmes in return for protection.
However, the EU is already protected by nuclear weapons under Nato, although US vacillating has undermined this.
Exiting the EU?
Detractors of the deal, mainly Brexiteers, argue the EU’s command and control structures are much smaller and less experienced than Nato headquarters.
Also, Britain could be drawn into EU military missions over which it has no influence and the pact could further weaken the Nato alliance.
While Nato would take priority in any combat operations, the EU military has provided training missions in places such as the Sahel and the Balkans.
It has also deployed warships patrolling the Red Sea and elsewhere to fend off piracy and Houthi attacks. After Monday’s deal, there will be a strong likelihood of UK troop involvement in those operations.
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
