Classified British defence documents have been discovered “in a soggy heap” by a member of the public at a bus stop in England.
The Ministry of Defence documents include discussions on a possible British military presence in Afghanistan after the US and Nato withdraws troops later this year.
They also address the passage of Royal Navy warship HMS Defender through Ukrainian waters off the Crimea coast last week and likely Russian reactions.
The sensitive papers were discovered in the south-eastern county of Kent and handed to the BBC, which reported the finding on Sunday.
It said most of the nearly 50 pages of documents were stamped "official sensitive" and included emails and PowerPoint presentations.
At least one page was labelled “secret UK Eyes Only” and addressed to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, outlining sensitive recommendations for the UK military’s presence in Afghanistan.
It concerned a US request for British assistance in the country and whether any British special forces will remain once the American withdrawal is complete.
The documents issued a warning regarding the deteriorating situation in the country and the risk of further destabilisation and violence.
"Any UK footprint in Afghanistan that persists … is assessed to be vulnerable to targeting by a complex network of actors," the report says, noting that "the option to withdraw completely remains".
The reduced presence of Nato forces "is already impairing the situational awareness that we [and the US] used to enjoy across the country", it says.
The BBC said it would not publish details which would put military personnel at risk in Afghanistan.
The ministry said it was investigating the recovery of the documents, which it said had been reported missing by one of its employees.
“The Ministry of Defence was informed last week of an incident in which sensitive defence papers were recovered by a member of the public,” it said.
“The department takes the security of information extremely seriously and an investigation has been launched.”
The person who found the documents gave them to the BBC once they realised their sensitive nature, but asked to remain anonymous.
Black Sea preparations
The papers on HMS Defender showed officials preparing for Russia's reaction when the warship sailed close to Crimea in the Black Sea.
Russia considers the waters off Crimea as its own, but its annexation of the peninsula in 2014 was not recognised by most of the international community which regards it as Ukraine’s territory.
HMS Defender sailed through the waters on Wednesday, leading to a diplomatic spat after Russia claimed it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of the warship to force it away.
Britain rejected Moscow’s account of the incident and said any warning shots were part of a routine gunnery exercise by the Russians.
It said it did not recognise the claim of bombs being dropped.
The lost documents showed defence officials speculating that interaction with the Russian military would become “more frequent and assertive”.
They showed that Britain took a calculated risk by deploying the warship in order to demonstrate support for the government of Ukraine, the BBC said.
The UK ministry said the ship “conducted innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law”.
“As the public would expect, the Ministry of Defence plans carefully,” it said, referring to the documents.
Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War after clashes on Crimea and other issues.
Russia warned Britain and the US on Friday against “tempting fate” by deploying military vessels to the area.
“We call on the Pentagon and the British Navy, which are sending their warships into the Black Sea, not to tempt fate in vain,” said Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov, chief spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Defence.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more about the coronavirus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
GROUPS
Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
