Global Britain to use ‘hard power’

May seeks compromise with Labour in EU divorce deal

LONDON, Feb 11, (RTRS): Britain should be ready to use military force to support its global interests after Brexit, defence minister Gavin Williamson will say on Monday, adding that the boundaries between peace and war are becoming blurred.

Williamson will outline plans to send its new aircraft carrier to the Pacific, invest in offensive cyber capabilities and adopt a harder military stance after Brexit than it has done in recent years.

“Brexit has brought us to a great moment in our history. A moment when we must strengthen our global presence, enhance our lethality, and increase our mass,” Williamson will say in a speech in London.

He will describe the boundaries between peace and war as becoming “blurred” and say that Britain and its allies had to be ready “to use hard power to support our interests”.

Britain is in the midst of its most severe political crisis since World War Two as Prime Minister Theresa May scrambles to find a last-minute agreement on leaving the European Union with only weeks until it is due to end over four decades of political and economic integration in Europe.

Brexit has been seen as a blow to the West, already struggling to assimilate Russian and Chinese power as well as Donald Trump’s unpredictable US presidency. Brexit supporters hail it as a chance for Britain to take on a new global role.

“We can build new alliances, rekindle old ones and most importantly make it clear that we are the country that will act when required. And, a nation that people can turn to when the world needs leadership,” Williamson will say.

He will announce that the first mission of the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will include work in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Pacific regions, and the vessel would carry two squadrons of British and US F-35 jets.

Williamson will highlight close US-UK military links and echo Trump’s call for NATO countries to increase their spending, citing a need to better handle what Williamson called Russian provocation.

Moscow’s relations with the West are strained over issues including Russia’s annexation

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who rose to fame as Mexico’s most feared drug kingpin and now faces life in prison if found guilty.

The 12 jurors began deliberating in federal court in Brooklyn last Monday, and were dismissed for the week on Thursday afternoon. The lack of a verdict in the of Crimea from Ukraine, allegations of meddling in the last US presidential election and being behind a nerve agent attack in Britain.

“Such action from Russia must come at a cost,” Williamson will say in the speech, extracts of which were seen by Reuters.

Without citing specific examples he will warn that the cost of non-interventions has often been “unacceptably high” and say that Western powers cannot ignore those in need.

“To talk but fail to act risks our nation being seen as little more than a paper tiger,” he will say.

Theresa May’s “Global Britain” slogan is more than a pithy phrase because the United Kingdom will be ready to flex its military muscles after it leaves the European Union, defence minister Williamson said on Monday.

“Since the new global great game will be played on a global playing field, we must be prepared to compete for our interests and our values far, far from home,” Williamson said.

Represent

“That is why ‘Global Britain’ needs to be much more than a pithy phrase: it has to be about action, and our armed forces represent the best of ‘Global Britain’ in action,” he said.

May will make a statement on Tuesday to update lawmakers on her talks to win changes to the Brexit deal, her spokesman said on Monday, before parliament votes on her next steps.

“The PM will be making a statement to the House (of Commons) tomorrow and that will be an update on Brexit talks and is in advance of the debate taking place on Thursday,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Theresa May sought a compromise Monday with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn in hopes of securing his backing for a divorce deal with the European Union.

The political maneuvering comes amid strong signs that uncertainty over Brexit is already clamping down on Britain’s economic growth.

Taking a cordial tone, May suggested

first week seemed to please Guzman, who grinned and hugged one of his lawyers before he was led out of the courtroom.

Guzman, 61, is accused of trafficking tons of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine into the United States as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, named for

The flag of the United States is lowered to half-staff at the White House in Washington on Feb 8, in honor of former Michigan Rep John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in American history, who died on Feb 7. (AP)

further talks with the Labour Party leadership even as she said she did not see the advantage of permanent membership in the EU’s customs union, a key demand Corbyn is seeking in exchange for backing her troubled Brexit bill in Parliament.

Justice Minister Rory Stewart told the BBC that differences between the two parties aren’t as great as some suggest, but said the Conservative government can’t accept Corbyn’s customs union demand because it would prevent Britain from negotiating trade deals with other countries. He said May’s agreement would achieve most of Corbyn’s goals without preventing independent trade deals.

“I agree that the longer this goes on, the more risky it gets, obviously,” Stewart said. “But, the solution to this has to be to get Jeremy Corbyn, or the Labour Party, or indeed Parliament as a whole, to come behind a deal.”

Time pressure is mounting. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but lawmakers in Parliament have emphatically rejected May’s divorce deal, raising the prospect of a no-deal exit from the bloc unless more parliamentary support is found.

EU leaders have turned down May’s plea to renegotiate parts of the legally binding Brexit withdrawal bill, making the no-deal outcome more likely even though both sides believe it would harm their economies.

May is to give a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, a day earlier than planned. Downing Street said that would give Parliament a few days to consider her remarks.

Lawmakers may be unnerved by the latest round of financial data, which showed Monday that Britain’s economy slowed last year to its weakest growth rate since the global financial crisis.

The Office for National Statistics said the British economy grew by a quarterly rate of only 0.2 percent during the fourth quarter, down from the 0.6 percent uptick recorded in the previous three-month period.

In the fourth quarter, British business investment fell 1.4 percent for the fourth straight quarterly decline – the first time that has happened since the 2008 financial crisis.

his home state in northwestern Mexico. (RTRS)

Suspect to appear in court:

The man accused of a Pittsburgh synagogue shooting rampage that killed 11 people during Sabbath prayers was due to be arraigned in federal court on Monday, charged with dozens of offenses including murder and hate crimes.

Robert Bowers, who had frequently posted anti-Semitic slurs and conspiracy theories online, is accused of bursting into the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct 27 armed with three handguns and a semi-automatic rifle, then firing on congregants as he shouted “All Jews must die.”

The shooting in the heart of the city’s heavily Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood marked the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history. (RTRS)

Car driven into lobby:

Police are trying to determine why a woman crashed through the lobby of a police station with an infant in her car.

It happened around 4:45 am

Saturday at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Harbor Division station in San Pedro.

LAPD video shows the woman maneuvering around barriers, crashing through the glass doors and pulling into the lobby. The woman then backs out, nearly knocking over an officer who had to dodge out of the way from her open car door.. (AP)

Strong storm brings damage:

A strong storm hitting Hawaii has knocked out power, brought down tree branches, flooded coastal roads – and even brought snow.

Snow is not unheard of in mountainous parts of the tropical island chain, but officials say the coating at 6,200 feet (1,900 meters) at a state park on Maui could mark the lowest-elevation snowfall ever recorded in the state.

The National Weather Service says gusts hit nearly 70 mph (110 kph) in some areas, and the agency is warning of coastal flooding. A high-surf advisory was in effect for north- and west-facing shores of several islands. (AP