Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Britain's armed forces chief Admiral Sir Tony Radakin warned the Gaza war could spread across the Middle East as he revealed the "pace and intensity" of global instability was moving far faster than officials had estimated.
Speaking at the Chatham House think tank in central London, Adm Radakin said the UK's role in the Middle East was a vital pillar of its defence strategy with the conflicts in Ukraine and the Red Sea now shaping future plans.
"We have a war in the Middle East with attendant risks to implode across the region and impact on the globe," he said. "We add in an extra frigate and destroyer in the region, our operations in the Red Sea are getting seriously up [to the] threat, to protect our merchant ships."
Under the US and UK-led coalition to protect Red Sea vessels, successive rounds of strikes have been launched targeting the Houthis militias, which since late last year have been attacking shipping lanes of the region in a strategy the Yemeni faction says is in retaliation for Israel's war in Gaza.
The air force and naval deployments since the UK joined the US in strikes in January are already feeding into the future needs of Britain's arsenal.
"There are lessons we must learn from Ukraine and the Red Sea in terms of future investment choices," Adm Radakin said. "Integrated air and missile defence for the UK; long-range missiles for the army; land attack for our surface fleet; strengthening nuclear deterrence; and hundreds of thousands more drones across all three services."
Maintaining the British position as the second-largest foreign power with a Middle East presence was important to the defence, not least to ensure the country's trade ties with the rest of the world were not disrupted.
"Look at what we're doing in the Middle East and how we compare to other nations and again, I think it's clear that we're stronger than any other nation, other than America."
The war in Ukraine has triggered speculation that the UK could end up having to draft conscripts as its armed forces expand to counter future Russian threats, Adm Radakin said
"We are not on the cusp of war with Russia, we are not about to invaded, no one in the Ministry of Defence is talking about conscription in any traditional sense," he said. "I am not saying that Russia is not dangerous. It has demonstrated that with the aggression it employs both domestically and internationally.
"But at the same time, it is also significantly less capable than we anticipated following its disastrous illegal invasion into Ukraine."
After the recent failure of the missile system that carries the country's nuclear deterrent in a test off the Florida coast, Adm Radakin stressed its nuclear force was a key part of its ultimate guarantee.
"These are dangerous and uncertain times," he said. "But Britain has what it needs to succeed. A G7 economy. An extensive science and technological base. Our island geography.
"Our membership of the world’s strongest alliance. Our status as a nuclear power and our seat in the UN Security Council.
Other near-term issues that could cause the UK problems included "random attacks in space [and] on our underwater cables".
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Palestine and Israel - live updates
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
Squads
Australia: Finch (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Carey, Coulter-Nile, Lynn, McDermott, Maxwell, Short, Stanlake, Stoinis, Tye, Zampa
India: Kohli (c), Khaleel, Bumrah, Chahal, Dhawan, Shreyas, Karthik, Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar, Pandey, Krunal, Pant, Rahul, Sundar, Umesh
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
