September 2024 – Page 29 – The NEN

UK to provide £162 million package of air defence missiles for Ukraine

DEFENCE SECRETARY MEETS INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

The UK will supply 650 Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) systems to Ukraine to boost the country’s air defence capabilities, as part of the new government’s commitment to Ukraine.

The air defence package will be announced by Defence Secretary John Healey MP today at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at US Air Force Base in Ramstein – his first as Defence Secretary. At the 24th meeting of the group, the Defence Secretary will set out the UK’s ironclad commitment to Ukraine and urge allies to continue to supply Ukraine with vital equipment.

It comes following a bilateral meeting between John Healey and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in London earlier this week, where the pair discussed how the UK will continue to ramp-up support over the coming months. At that meeting, the Defence Secretary confirmed that £300 million worth of artillery ammunition will start to be delivered by the end of this year to support Ukraine’s war effort.

In keeping with the new government’s commitment to speed up deliveries of aid, the first batch of LMM missiles announced today are also expected to be delivered by the end of this year.

Today’s package is part of the UK’s work to help step up UK and European defence production – with today’s £162 million order helping to energise the supply chain for the future. Built by Thales at their Belfast factory, the missiles are highly versatile and can be fired from a variety of platforms on land, sea, and air.

The package is primarily funded through the UK’s £3 billion a year financial package for Ukraine, and contributions from Norway through the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) and follows the Prime Minister and Defence Secretary’s commitment to stand by Ukraine will continue for as long as it takes.

It comes after the Defence Secretary signed a new Defence Export Support Treaty with his counterpart Umerov in July, during President Zelesnkyy’s visit to Downing Street. The agreement will fire up both the UK’s and Ukraine’s defence industrial bases and increase military hardware and weaponry production. The treaty will enable Ukraine to draw on £3.5 billion of export finance to support its war effort.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: “This new commitment will give an important boost to Ukraine’s air defences and demonstrates our new government’s commitment to stepping up support for Ukraine.

“In recent days we have seen the tragic cost of Russia’s indiscriminate strikes on Poltava and Lviv. These new UK-made missiles will support Ukraine to defend its people, infrastructure, and territory from Putin’s brutal attacks.

“With our international partners today, we will show that we are united for Ukraine. And we will discuss how best we can work together to improve support. Because the security of the UK and Europe starts in Ukraine.”

Ahead of the meeting with international partners, the Defence Secretary visited the Joint Intelligence Coordination Centre (JICC) at the Ramstein Air Base. UK Armed Forces personnel deployed at the JICC work alongside allies to analyse intelligence.

Since Russia’s illegal invasion, the UK has provided hundreds of LMM missiles to Ukraine for air defence, destroying hundreds of Russian drones and other air threats.

Travelling at Mach 1.5 with a range of more than 6km, the LMM is highly versatile against a wide range of threats, including Armoured Personnel Carriers, fast in-shore attack craft and Unmanned drones.

This contract with Thales in the UK will further prime the world leading British defence industry to increase production rates, enabling future production to be ramped up.

Addressing allies at the UCDG, the Defence Secretary will reiterate the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukraine and ramping up the production and delivery of vital equipment.

A Thales spokesperson said: “As a strategic partner of UK Government, Thales is proud to be working with MoD to support defending democracy in Ukraine through the provision of our Lightweight Multi-role Missile, delivered from our Belfast site.

“Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, UK MoD and Thales have worked in close collaboration to support the Ukrainian effort by delivering key air defence systems at pace. We are pleased that this contract is the first to be signed under Task Force Hirst, which has been established to deliver a deeper defence industrial partnership between the UK and Ukraine.

“Earlier this week, the Government confirmed a milestone moment in international support for Ukraine, with eight countries from across the world having now joined the UK to provide more than £1 billion to the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), in a significant show of unity from Ukraine’s allies.”

The IFU was first launched by the UK and Denmark in 2022 to provide an efficient way for countries to pool resources to buy equipment and weapons to support Ukraine’s most urgent capability needs. The UK has donated £500 million to the Fund to date.

This is also the first contract approved under Task Force Hirst, a MOD initiative created to ramp up defence industrial capacity and capability, laying the foundation for larger sustained supply of missiles and other key capabilities to Ukraine and, in the longer term, enable industrial cooperation between our two countries.

Charity urges Secondary Schools to use new resource to inspire pupils’ confidence to live tobacco-free lives

ASH Scotland is encouraging secondary school teachers in Edinburgh to use a new resource pack as part of cross-curricular learning to inspire young people to make confident, informed decisions to protect their long-term health by not taking up smoking or vaping.

The Tobacco-free Schools pack, which features 28 engaging activities that can be used in group lessons, is being launched by the charity at a time when the major public health issues of youth smoking and, increasingly, vaping are causing great concern for teachers and other school staff working with children.

The pack provides up-to-date facts and statistics covering a range of topics such as ‘Understanding addiction’, ‘Smoking and mental health’, ‘Are e-cigarettes safe?’, ‘Being confidently nicotine-free’ and ‘Cigarette butts and e-cigarette waste’ to support the delivery of personal and social education classes or for classwork across various subjects.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive for ASH Scotland, said: “With concerned teachers across Scotland regularly contacting us for information and advice about tobacco and vapes, it is important that those working with young people in Edinburgh can access robust, evidence-based tailored resources to engage and empower youngsters to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

“We are pleased to launch our new Tobacco-free Schools resource pack which is specially designed to be an effective learning aid to enable teachers to facilitate classwork to help equip pupils to increase their knowledge about the risks associated with both smoking and vaping.

“The pack’s interactive resources offer opportunities for teachers to promote a smoke and vape-free culture on school campuses through building the confidence of students to prevent peer pressure from steering them in a harmful direction and, instead, make positive choices to protect their physical and mental health by not smoking or vaping.”

To download the pack, visit www.ashscotland.org.uk/schoolspack

The Force reawakens at Vue this September as the Star Wars saga returns to the big screen

Film fans are invited to revisit a galaxy far, far away this September as every main Star Wars film brings some of cinema’s most iconic heroes and villains back to the big screen.

Spanning over 46 years of epic moments and ground-breaking action launched from the mind of George Lucas, every episode of the iconic science fiction franchise will be screening at Vue sites in Edinburgh this Autumn as part of the Back on the Big Screen offering, telling the tale of the rises and falls of the mystical Jedi across ten films.

Blasting off with the original trilogy of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (September 7), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (September 14) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (September 21), heroes such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and the two loveable droids R2-D2 & C3PO must protect the universe from the nefarious Empire – led by legendary big screen villain Darth Vadar and Sith mastermind Emperor Palpatine.

Marking its 25^th anniversary since its release, Star Wars Episode I : The Phantom Menace kicks off the prequel trilogy on September 28, which retells the story behind Darth Vader and how the big bad got their origin from humble beginnings learning about the Force as a young boy. Alongside Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, revisit fantastical sci-fi worlds and take part in epic battles on September 28.

The third and final ‘sequel’ trilogy will bring the most recent Star Wars films to the big screen with Episode VII: The Force Awakens (October 1), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (October 5) & Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (October 5) retuning to Vue as well. Following the events of the original films, a new threat emerges in the galaxy and it’s up to characters such as Ray, Finn and BB-8 to take on this new threat – led by the shadowy Kylo Ren.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.

Alongside these mainline films, Vue will also be bringing the prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to the big screen again on September 29.

This gripping crowd-pleaser tells the story behind the ragtag group of heroes who helped kickstart the original adventures by claiming top secret information for the Rebels about the Empire’s ultimate weapon – The Death Star.

Ian Chester, General Manager at Vue Edinburgh Ocean, said: ‘Generations of film fans have fallen in love with the Star Wars story on the big screen over the years, so we’re hugely excited to bring this sci-fi saga back to Vue – offering a way for families and fans to enjoy their favourite Jedi and Sith moments on the big screen.

“Whether you’re a fan of the originals, the prequels or the newer titles, we welcome fans to enjoy these films as they’re meant to be seen on the big screen so they can enjoy every lightsaber duel, every spaceship battle and every loveable character at home at Vue.’

Tickets for the Star Wars Back on the Big Screen releases start from £6.99 when booked online. To find out more visit www.myvue.com

Programme for Government: Crisis point for voluntary sector

‘We’re not a nice-to-have sector. We’re an essential sector‘

It all feels a bit grim (writes SCVO Chief Exec ANNA FOWLIE).

A few weeks ago, the Chancellor revealed a “black hole” in public finances across the UK and announced the end to the universal winter fuel allowance. This week the Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced significant cuts to programmes this year to enable the Scottish Government to fund public sector pay deals.

On Wednesday, John Swinney took to the lectern in the Scottish Parliament to present his first Programme for Government, having watched them being delivered from different seats across the Scottish Parliament in the previous 24 years.

I’m sure that was a novel experience for him, but I’m left with a sense of déjà vu.

There is no doubt that parts of our public sector need reform. It’s been more than 13 years since the Christie Commission said that reform must empower individuals, integrate service provision, prioritise expenditure on prevention and increase shared services. But have we seen significant shifts, or have the deckchairs just been rearranged and repainted while pointing towards little ‘pilots’ as evidence of progress?

The voluntary sector is often closest to the most vulnerable people in our society and best placed to support them, including helping them to navigate the baffling complexity of some public services.

Hundreds of organisations are rooted in communities, supporting families to help address the First Minister’s top priority of tackling child poverty. Indeed, the sector will be key to achieving all four of the First Minister’s priorities.

However, with resources increasingly being pulled into the public sector, much of the voluntary sector is resigned to getting scraps from the table.

With years of static funding, an inability to keep pace with public sector pay and constant inability to plan because of a lack of Fair Funding, it does feel like we’ve reached a crisis point.

There is no doubt Government sometimes needs to make difficult choices, but they’re avoiding the hard ones. If we are to turn the rhetoric on addressing poverty and public service reform into reality, we can’t expect current systems and structures to deliver the radical change we need, and we can’t imagine that the public sector can do it all alone.

Public sector staff deserve to be paid fairly, but the voluntary sector deserves to be treated fairly. We deserve more than warm words.

We need to channel the limited resources we have to the experts. People are the experts in their own lives – and most know what they need.

Those at the front-line know how best to support them, but we need to challenge the practice that the public sector is prioritised without truly thinking about how ‘public services’ are best delivered, and by whom.

We’re not a nice-to-have sector. We’re an essential sector.

Care Home celebrates International Day of Charity

Residents and staff at Strachan House in Edinburgh got together and collected food items, toiletries and treats for the local community charity L.I.F.T at Muirhouse Millennium Centre.

Staff and residents at Strachan House have given back to the local community today by donating these wonderful hampers to the local community charity L.I.F.T.

The local charity L.I.F.T supports the local community in a holistic way and ensures that children get the very best start to reach their full potential.

Frances Fisher, General Manager at Strachan House said: “We love to fundraise for charities throughout the year. We pick different causes to support that have been selected by staff, residents and friends of the home.

“Our staff and residents donated food items, treats and toiletries to the charity and our wonderful residents supported putting together the hamper!

“Everyone was overjoyed with the end product, and we hope that it brings comfort and joy to those who need it! Thank you to everyone who donated!”

Strachan House Care Home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides dementia, residential care, and respite care.

Scottish Ministerial Code to be strengthened

Advisers to investigate potential breaches

Independent Advisers will be able to launch investigations into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code under new powers being given to them by the First Minister.

Currently, investigations can only begin following a referral from the First Minister. Now, the Scottish Ministerial Code will be strengthened to enable independent advisers to investigate potential breaches whenever they feel it is warranted.

In a further reform, where a breach is established, advisers will be able to provide advice to the First Minister on appropriate sanctions.

The independent advisers will also be given a role in scrutinizing Ministers’ declarations of interests so they can offer advice on avoiding actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

First Minister John Swinney said: “The people of Scotland rightly expect Ministers, including myself, to be held to the highest standards.

“The 2023 Ministerial Code already set an extremely high bar in terms of standards in public life and these updates to the Scottish Ministerial Code, which are, collectively, the most significant since independent advisers were introduced in 2008, will further increase transparency and scrutiny.

“These changes, and others which will be confirmed when the new Code is published, will ensure we keep the public trust and continue to deliver for the people of Scotland.”

Background

Scottish Ministerial Code 2023 edition

Khasha Smith investigation: Man arrested

Detectives investigating the disappearance of Khasha Smith have arrested a man as they continue to appeal for information.

Khasha, of Edinburgh, was last seen to be safe and well on a FaceTime call on Tuesday, 10 October, 2023, aged 35.

Following extensive enquiries, Khasha is believed to be dead. However, her body is yet to be found.

A 39-year-old man has today, Friday, 6 September, 2024, been arrested in connection with her death and enquiries are ongoing.

Khasha’s family have been made aware and have asked that their privacy is respected.

Detective Chief Inspector Bob Williamson, of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, is appealing to the public for information.

He said: “Our thoughts are very much with Khasha’s family at this extremely difficult time and they continue to be supported by specialist officers.

“They are understandably devastated and it is vital we get answers for them.

“Extensive enquiries remain ongoing to trace Khasha and I would again encourage anyone with any information regarding her disappearance to contact police, as a matter of urgency.

“Any piece of information, no matter how small or insignificant you think it is, could prove vital, so please get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 3915 of 5 January 2024.

Alternatively information can be passed anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Spartans FC marks youth players’ long service with special medals

Long-serving Spartans youth players have been presented with medals to mark 10 years of service to the club.

The group belong to the current Under-17s set-up, having first joined not long after starting primary school.

Les Atkinson is chairman of the youth section and said: “We want to make people feel welcome and create a safe place for them to play their football and enjoy themselves here. It’s the ethos of the club which we work on and testimony to that is the length of time people stay at the club.

“There is a real family feel to the club, a community spirit to it, and that helps keep players with us as they want to be part of something special.

“We are always pleased to develop players so they can move to bigger clubs but often they come back to us if things don’t work out for whatever reason.”

Spartans take on Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the quarter-final of the League Cup later this month and Les, who is also manager of the Under-20 Development Squad, added: “We have a visible pathway now which the youngsters can see. At least half a dozen of the first team players have come through the youth section to the U20 development squad and into the top team.

“Now we are in the SPFL, the players have a real target to aim for. The success of the first team filters down to the development team and then through the youth section and creates a real feel-good factor.

“But we have always been about more than just football and winning trophies. A key part of our success is doing a lot outwith the football, helping the local community.”

The youngsters were presented with the medals at half-time of a recent league match at Ainslie Park.

Photo shows back row (l-r): Les Atkinson (Spartans FC Youth Chairman), Stuart Gray (coach development officer), Daniel Weir, Cameron Findlay, Joe Barry, Josh Smith, Ola Benson, Michael Kiddie, Ford Mills, Tony Lewis (U17s coach), Paul Woods (U17s coach).Front row (l-r): Hugo Boyle, Charlie Cusiter, Preston Kennedy, Joe Woods, Ben Lewis, Finlay McNally, Chris Mill.

Home Secretary sets out ‘moral imperative’ to stop smuggling gangs

The Home Secretary convenes ministers and law enforcement partners to destroy the gangs that undermine border security and risk lives on small boats

The Home Secretary will convene a landmark operational summit of cabinet ministers and law enforcement partners today (Friday 6 September), as she sets out the moral imperative to destroy the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings.

Her comments come after the horrific tragedy in the Channel this week that saw the deaths of at least 12 people, with others reported to be still in a critical condition.

The Home Secretary will be joined at the NCA headquarters in London by ministers including the Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Attorney General Lord Hermer, as well as representatives from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) is deploying formidable covert capability to support the NCA to penetrate and dismantle the gangs at every level of operation – from facilitators to financiers.

UKIC will also attend this landmark meeting, which will set out the progress being made on intensifying the enforcement activity aimed at disrupting, intercepting and destroying the criminal network moving people, boats and engines into Europe and across the continent to the French coastline.

Ministers and law enforcement partners will examine the findings from the analysis commissioned by the Home Secretary on the operational capabilities of the criminal smuggling gangs. Discussion will also be focused on collaboration with European enforcement agencies, including Europol, and plans will be put forward to rapidly enhance this through the government’s new Border Security Command in the coming months.

NCA Director General Graeme Biggar will highlight how close co-operation with the Bulgarian authorities and an established NCA presence in that critical transit country has led to more than 40 small boats and engines being intercepted in recent weeks. This material, now removed from the smuggling supply chain, could have enabled up to 2,400 people to attempt the deadly crossing.  

He will also set details of around 70 further live investigations, including:  

working with the Libyan police to target gangs trafficking migrants through Libya, with raids on warehouses where migrants are housed, often in appalling conditions, before making their onward journey to Europe
collaboration with French authorities to investigate the death of a woman killed in an overloaded boat on 28 July

This meeting led by the Home Secretary comes as she spoke to her French counterpart, Gérald Darmanin, this week to discuss increased co-operation to dismantle the gangs.

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “Exploiting vulnerable people is at the heart of the business model of these despicable criminal smuggling gangs. Women and children were packed into an unsafe boat which literally collapsed in the water this week.

“At least 12 people were killed as part of this evil trade. We will not rest until these networks have been dismantled and brought to justice. 

“The last two months has seen encouraging progress, with significant seizures of boats and equipment in Europe. But there is work to do, and the Border Security Command will bring all the relevant bodies together to investigate, arrest and prosecute these networks, as well as deepen our ties with key international partners. 

“At the same time, we are swiftly removing those with no right to be in the UK, which will ensure we have a fair, firm and functioning asylum system where the rules are respected and enforced.”

NCA Director General Graeme Biggar said: “People smuggling puts lives in mortal danger.

“As well as arresting suspects and seeing our investigations lead to convictions and sentences, we’re operating around the world to disrupt the perpetrators. This includes helping seize more than 410 small boats and engines since last spring, preventing thousands of crossings. 

“Tackling the callous criminals behind organised immigration crime is one of the NCA’s highest priorities. We continue to expand our activity to deliver ever greater impact against the threat.”

In recent weeks, the Prime Minister has led a ‘reset’ in the relationship with Europe, with work to increase security co-operation and tackle illegal migration at the heart. This has already led to a 50 per cent uplift in the number of NCA officers stationed in Europol, working on organised immigration crime.  

Last week, the Home Secretary announced an additional 100 specialist investigators to disrupt people smuggling globally. In addition to the Europol presence, the NCA has enhanced its international liaison officer network, responsible for cracking down on criminal networks in specific areas.  

A new post is open in Austria and officers are being permanently deployed to Romania. Headcount is also increasing in South East Asia, in key countries where gangs are advertising Channel crossings. These are just the first steps of an intensification of the UK’s international law enforcement and bilateral partnership arrangements and serves as a platform for Border Security Command operations. 

The tragedy off the French coast on Tuesday 3 September highlights the increasingly extreme measures the gangs are willing to contemplate, as more people are crammed into less seaworthy vessels. It has been reported that most of those who died were women and children.

Intelligence reveals smugglers have also increased the price they charge for migrants to cross the Channel, including charging for children to get into boats, as the business model comes under pressure from UK and partner law enforcement.

Hastings family ‘heartbroken’ as mum Jenny lost in Wardie Bay

Former Scotland rugby star Scott Hastings has confirmed his wife Jenny has been missing since disappearing while wild swimming at Wardie Bay on Tuesday afternoon.

HM Coastguard was alerted to Jenny Hastings’ disappearance shortly before 3pm but despite a swift and thorough response by emergency services she could not be found. The search was stood down on Tuesday evening.

Jenny Hastings has struggled with her mental health for a number of years and police are treating the incident as a ‘high risk missing person case’.

A statement issued on behalf of the family says:

The Hastings family are absolutely heart broken.

Jenny and Scott have a huge following of friends from all walks of life including those that work in the media and we ask that at this moment in time we are allowed to grieve privately with family members.

For the time being we request that you hold off from messaging us directly and/or posting on any social media until further news.

We know that you all care for us deeply and as soon as we hear any update from the police we will advise you accordingly.

We miss our Jenny. She leaves a gaping hole in all our hearts and hope that she is returned to us safely so that we can celebrate her remarkable life.

Scott, Corey, Daniel, Kerry-Anne & Ian