British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Tuesday set out his vision of Global Britain and called on the UK to see through its support for Ukraine, lauding the bravery of the country as it resists the Russian invasion.
He told Conservative Party members that the UK would support Ukraine until the last Russian tank was towed away by tractor.
"[Their] bravery and passion has been amplified by the arms and the training that the UK has supplied and we will support them, and until this war is won, we will support them until their territorial integrity is restored," he said.
The UK foreign secretary told party members that, ever since his first days on the job, the Indo-Pacific has been a big focus of his diplomacy.
"The Indo-Pacific is a part of the world which is growing fast through trade agreements, co-operation agreements and our Asean dialogue partner status," he said. "We are shrinking the distance between us."
Addressing the Conservative Party critics of foreign aid, he said development spending was the right thing to do and added it was in the UK's interest to have more co-operation with Europe.
There was awkward laughter as Mr Cleverly took the podium when a stream of people left the auditorium following Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s speech.
“A little bit of reshuffling going on there,” he said, as people got up and left from the front row of seats, where Prime Minister Liz Truss sat smiling.
Her smile became more forced as Mr Cleverly reminded the Conservative Party conference that she was there in place of Boris Johnson who had won an 80-seat majority, “got Brexit done” and “led the world on Ukraine”.
He declared that, as foreign secretary, “I’m the UK’s sales guy”. Again there was muted laughter.
The post of foreign secretary is regarded as one of the highest offices of state.
“The greatest salesperson was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,” he added. “Our greatest diplomat.”
Despite Mr Johnson’s departure, Britain will remain resolute in its support of Ukraine, Mr Cleverly declared.
“We will continue to support them until the last Russian tank is dragged away by a Ukrainian tractor,” he said to genuine applause.
To even greater applause and a partial standing ovation, he vowed Britain would never recognise the annexation of the four Ukrainian territories that Russia claimed earlier this week.
He added that the UK government was ready to join any western response should nuclear weapons be used on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Pointing to what he saw as Russian President Vladimir Putin's sequence of strategic errors, Mr Cleverly said that any use of nuclear weapons would lead to consequences.
"We need to make it very clear that his sequence of strategic errors has got to stop," he said on a panel.
"We will continue to support Ukrainians in the defence of their homeland and stand up for the international rules and norms."
In recent weeks, Russia ordered a partial military mobilisation and warned of using "all means we have" in the conflict - which many interpreted as a threat to use nuclear weapons.
Asked how Britain would respond to the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia, Mr Cleverly told the Conservative Party conference that he could not go into detail but there would be a response.
"It would inevitably be the case that the use of nuclear weapons by any country anywhere in the world would not go without a response," he said. "I'm not going to discuss the nature or the threshold."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not want to take part in "nuclear rhetoric" spread by the West, while Mr Cleverly said the country had been left increasingly isolated globally.
One effect of the conflict has been a scramble to find new ways of bridging differences between European nations, with London seeking new opportunities for a reset in ties with Paris.
“I have no doubt that we will find ways of working brilliantly closely with France, and I have no doubt we’ll find ways of having blazing rows with France, because that’s what the Brits and the French do, it’s our thing,” observed Mr Cleverly.
Asked about French President Emmanuel Macron’s European Political Community, Mr Cleverly said he agreed with “recognising there is more to Europe than the EU”.
“I think having European countries finding ways to work together, whether on mutual security, economic security etc, etc, that’s certainly something we’ll go into with open eyes," he said.
“We want to find ways of working well with our neighbours and partners and friends in Europe, and we’re willing to explore what this can do and how it can add value to our relationships.”
Ms Truss’s move to attend the meeting in Prague in the Czech Republic, which comes after days of weighing up whether to go, will raise eyebrows given her explicit scepticism about the project only a few months ago as Mr Cleverly’s predecessor at the Foreign Office.
Mr Cleverly said it had struck him how much the international community has pulled together since Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the Russian president has failed in his aim to fracture the allies’ relations.
He said Russia’s veto on the UN Security Council is “problematic”, but that it still serves an “important function” as it “allows the world to see that they are isolated”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The five pillars of Islam
Paris%20Agreement
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Indika
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SPECS
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20750hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20800Nm%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%207%20Speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20332kph%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012.2L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYear%20end%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1%2C430%2C000%20(coupe)%3B%20From%20Dh1%2C566%2C000%20(Spider)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where%20the%20Crawdads%20Sing
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOlivia%20Newman%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Daisy%20Edgar-Jones%2C%20Taylor%20John%20Smith%2C%20Harris%20Dickinson%2C%20David%20Strathairn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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