French minister CANCELS meeting with defence secretary Ben Wallace - Daily Mail

Furious French minister CANCELS meeting with defence secretary Ben Wallace in wake of nuclear submarine row when Australia ditched deal with Paris in favour of pact with UK and US

• Florence Parly has cancelled a meeting with defence secretary Ben Wallace 
• It comes after UK's new nuclear submarine deal with the Australia and the US
• AUKUS deal to see three nations create first nuclear-powered fleet for Australia

By Bhvishya Patel For Mailonline

Published: 20:55 BST, 19 September 2021 | Updated: 23:00 BST, 19 September 2021

France's armed forces minister has cancelled a meeting with defence secretary Ben Wallace following the announcement of the UK's new nuclear submarine deal with the US and Australia.  

Florence Parly took the decision to drop the bilateral meeting with Mr Wallace after the UK, US and Australia agreed to co-operate on the development of the first nuclear-powered fleet for the Australian navy, sources said.  

The AUKUS deal will also see the three nations share other military technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyber defence, quantum computing and long-range strike capabilities 

But the deal has seen Canberra rip up a deal worth around £30billion that was struck with Paris in 2016 for France to provide 12 diesel-electric submarines.                 

The scrapping of the submarine contract has triggered a diplomatic storm, with President Emmanuel Macron recalling his ambassadors to the US and Australia over the deal - dubbed by the French media as an 'Indo-Pacific Trafalgar'. 

And sources have now confirmed that the meeting between Ms Parly and Mr Wallace has been cancelled. 

France's armed forces minister Florence Parly took the decision to drop the bilateral meeting with defence secretary Ben Wallace

This week Ben Wallace insisted Britain did not 'go fishing' for the pact to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia with the US

France claims not to have been consulted by its allies, while Australia says it had made clear to Paris for months its concerns over the contract.

The new pact - called AUKUS - will see America and Britain cooperate to build Australia's first ever nuclear submarine fleet, comprising at least eight vessels. 

Mr Johnson, Joe Biden and Scott Morrison were careful not to mention Beijing as they announced the new deal but it is understood that the alliance's purpose is to counter China's growing aggression - particularly in the South China Sea.

China wasted little time responding to the deal, with foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denouncing the 'exclusionary bloc' which he said 'seriously undermines regional peace and stability and intensifies the arms race.' 

Paris was also quick to react, with foreign minister Yves Le-Drian complaining it is a 'stab in the back' after a $90bn deal for France supply Australia with 12 conventionally-powered submarines was torn up.

Mr Le Drian told France-Info radio: 'It was really a stab in the back.

'We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed.'  

Meanwhile Mr Borrell, ex-President of the European Parliament, said: 'This alliance we have only just been made aware and we weren’t even consulted.

'As high representative for security, I was not aware and I assume that an agreement of such a nature wasn’t just brought together over night. I think it would have been worked on for quite a while.'

He added: 'We regret not having been informed – not having been part of these talks. We weren’t included, we weren’t part and parcel of this.'

But Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insisted Britain did not 'go fishing' for the pact to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia with the US. 

He told BBC Breakfast: 'I understand France's disappointment.

'They had a contract with the Australians for diesel-electrics from 2016 and the Australians have taken this decision that they want to make a change.

'We didn't go fishing for that, but as a close ally when the Australians approached us of course we would consider it.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accused the Australians of a betrayal because the alliance meant they scrapped a multi-billion deal for France to provide subs

Scott Morrison meeting with Boris Johnson and Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Cornwall back in June, where the trio put pen to paper on a new military alliance that will give Australia its first nuclear-powered submarines

Britain and America are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as AUKUS. Pictured: a British Astute-class nuclear sub which is likely to mirror the Australian design

'I understand France's frustration about it.'

And Boris Johnson told MPs that the UK's military relationship with France is 'rock solid' and insisted 'we stand shoulder to shoulder with the French' despite the row. 

The Prime Minister told the Commons that the new security partnership between London, Washington and Canberra is expected to deliver a much-needed jobs boost to British manufacturers in poorer seaside towns such as Barrow.

Once regarded as 'England's Chicago', Barrow became a Victorian powerhouse as it evolved in the 19th Century from a hamlet into the biggest iron and steel producer in the world.

Nearly 9,000 people are employed at the massive shipyard now owned by BAE Systems, where Britain's four Vanguard class submarines - which carry the nation's nuclear deterrent - were built, and where the new Dreadnought class submarine to replace Vanguard is being constructed. 

Mr Johnson suggested that Barrow and Derby, where Rolls Royce has an engineering hub, could benefit from the security deal and it could generate work for 'decades and decades' - although final decision are not expected for years. 

A cross-section of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack subs, which is likely to mirror the new vessels

The Prime Minister met with his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, and US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Cornwall in June.

Downing Street confirmed that the three leaders discussed the subs at the meeting.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman added: 'I wouldn't say there was one single meeting that did it, this has been something that has been an undertaking of several months, it's a culmination of that work.' 

President Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden will speak by telephone in the coming days to discuss the crisis, the French government's spokesman said on Sunday. 

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2021-09-19 22:00:37Z
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Residents flee and lava destroys houses after volcano erupts on Spanish Canary Island - ITV News

Footage of the volcanic eruption in La Palma filmed by a local resident

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A volcano has erupted on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma, prompting authorities to speed up evacuations for more than 1,000 people as lava flows destroyed isolated houses and threatened to reach the coast.

A huge plume of smoke rose up after the eruption at 3.15 pm local time in the Cumbre Vieja national park, the Canary Islands government said.

Massive red plumes topped with black-and-white smoke shot out along the volcanic ridge, which scientists had been closely watching following the accumulation of molten lava below the surface and days of small earthquakes.

Lava flows from an eruption of a volcano at the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. Credit: AP

Authorities immediately evacuated over 1,000 people, but Spain’s Civil Guard said it may need to evacuate up to 10,000 residents.

La Palma, with a population of 85,000, is one of eight volcanic islands in Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off Africa’s western coast.

At their nearest point, the islands are 60 miles from Morocco.

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A 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded before the volcanic eruption, which took place in an area known as Cabeza de Vaca on the western slope as the ridge descends to the coast.

As the eruptions continued, at least two open mouths launched bright red magma into the air that then flowed in tight streams down the mountain slope.

A volcano on Spain's Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma erupted on Sunday. Credit: AP

Shortly after the initial explosion hit the area, one black lava flow with a burning tip immediately slid toward houses in the village of El Paso.

Mayor Sergio Rodríguez said 300 people in immediate danger were evacuated, roads were closed and authorities urged the curious not to approach the area. The lava eventually reached some homes, causing at least one chalet with a tower to crumble. Authorities warned that the lava flows could also threaten the municipalities of El Paraíso, Alcalá and surrounding areas.

The volcano on Spain’s Atlantic Ocean island of La Palma erupted Sunday after a week-long buildup of seismic activity. Credit: AP

The Scientific Committee of the Volcano Risk Prevention Plan said stronger earthquakes “are likely to be felt and may cause damage to buildings”.

The committee of experts also noted that a stretch of the island’s southwest coast was at risk for landslides and rock falls.

The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported the eruption, which last erupted in 1971.

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2021-09-19 21:13:41Z
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Armed Taliban fighters ride PEDALOS on lake in Afghanistan national park - Daily Mail

Taliban fighters ride swan PEDALOS on Afghanistan lake as nationwide protests break out over ban on girls returning to schools - with boys refusing to attend classes in solidarity

• Images appear to show militants riding swan-themed vessels on the water at Band-e Amir National Par
• Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers are now facing protests over the treatment of women and girls
• They had excluded girls from returning to secondary school in but ordered boys back to the classroom
• Boys are refusing to attend class in solidarity as Taliban bring back repressive rule of 1990s predecessors

By Henry Martin For Mailonline

Published: 11:58 BST, 19 September 2021 | Updated: 16:21 BST, 19 September 2021

Taliban fighters have been pictured brandishing RPGs and assault rifles while riding pedalos - as protests take place across Afghanistan over the ban on girls returning to school. 

Images appear to show militants riding swan-themed vessels on the water at Band-e Amir National Park - once a hotspot for international travellers and domestic tourists - in central Afghanistan yesterday. 

The park contains a series of six deep blue lakes situated in the Hindu Kush mountains, roughly 45 miles from Bamiyan - formerly the home of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which the Taliban destroyed in 2001. 

Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, who set up a ministry for the 'propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice' in the building that once housed the Women's Affairs Ministry, are now facing protests over the treatment of women and girls, just one month after overtaking the country's capital Kabul. 

Female employees in the Kabul city government have been told to stay home, with work only allowed for those who cannot be replaced by men, the interim mayor of Afghanistan's capital said, detailing the latest restrictions on women by the new Taliban rulers.

The decision to prevent most female city workers from returning to their jobs is another sign that the Taliban, who overran Kabul last month, are enforcing their harsh interpretation of Islam despite initial promises by some that they would be tolerant and inclusive. 

On Saturday the Taliban excluded girls from returning to secondary school in but ordered boys and male teachers back to the classroom, again breaking their promise to bring about a less severe brand of rule than their 1990s predecessors.

During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

A statement from the education ministry last Friday demanded: 'All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions.' It made no mention of female teachers or pupils.

Some Afghan women are now protesting the return to repression, with boys also refusing to attend class in solidarity. One boy was pictured in a Twitter post holding a sign that says: 'We don't go to school without our sisters'. 

Afghans voiced their support for the child in the post's replies, with one saying: 'Education is the right of every Afghan. We hope that the Taliban will allow our sisters to open schools as well.' 

Militants are seen riding swan-themed pedalos on the water at Band-e Amir National Park - once a hotspot for international travellers and domestic tourists - in central Afghanistan in the images uploaded by journalist and filmmaker Jake Hanrahan

 The park contains a series of six deep blue lakes situated in the Hindu Kush mountains, roughly 45 miles from Bamiyan - formerly the home of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which the Taliban destroyed in 2001

Afghan women march to demand their rights under the Taliban rule during a demonstration near the former Women's Affairs Ministry building in Kabul today 

Afghan boys have been refusing to go to school, in solidarity with girls who have been prohibited. The boy here is holding a sign that says 'We don't go to school without our sisters', according to the BBC's Yalda Hakim, who uploaded the picture to Twitter

Afghan women converse with a Taliban fighter while they hold placards during a demonstration demanding better rights for women in front of the former Ministry of Women Affairs in Kabul

 Workers in the Afghan capital covered the women's ministry signs for a replacement in a mixture of Dari and Arabic, reading 'Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice'

Women march to demand their rights under the Taliban rule during a demonstration near the former Women's Affairs Ministry building in Kabul, Afghanistan today 

Secondary schools, typically teaching teenage pupils and often segregated by sex in Afghanistan, had to close repeatedly during the coronavirus pandemic and have remained closed since the Taliban took over. 

Primary schools have reopened, with boys and girls mostly attending separate classes and some female teachers going back to work, and the regime has also allowed women to attend private universities - but with harsh restrictions on their clothes and movement. 

In Kabul on Friday, workers raised a sign for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice at the old Women's Affairs building in the capital.

Videos posted to social media showed female ministry workers protesting outside after losing their jobs.  

Officials in the new ministry said they had not been informed whether a new women's ministry was being planned.  

Now the United Nations says it is 'deeply worried' for the future of girls' schooling in Afghanistan.

Girls were excluded from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan on Saturday, after the country's new Taliban rulers ordered only boys and male teachers back to the classroom

A Taliban fighter watches as Afghan women hold placards during a demonstration demanding better rights for women in front of the former Ministry of Women Affairs in Kabul on September 19

A view of closed office of a musical company in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 19 September 2021. Dozens of Afghan singers and musicians have fled the country to neighboring Pakistan, in fear of retaliation by Taliban

'All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions,' a statement said ahead of classes resuming Saturday. The statement, issued late Friday, made no mention of women teachers or girl pupils

'It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays. 

'For that, we need female teachers to resume teaching,' the UN's children's agency UNICEF said.

It comes as three explosions targeted Taliban vehicles in the eastern provincial capital of Jalalabad on Saturday, killing three people and wounding 20, witnesses said. 

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State group's militants, headquartered in the area, are enemies of the Taliban.

The Taliban are facing major economic and security problems as they attempt to govern, and a growing challenge by IS militants would further stretch their resources.

In Kabul, a new sign was up outside the women's affairs ministry, announcing it was now the 'Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.'

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2021-09-19 10:58:18Z
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Australia and France intensify war of words over cancelled submarine deal - Financial Times

Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison defended his decision to renege on a submarine deal with the French government as acrimony intensified over Canberra’s decision to sign a new security pact with the US and UK.

Morrison said he did “not regret the decision to put Australia’s national interest first” in comments that came just hours after France, which is fuming over being left out of the pact, derided the UK’s role.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s foreign minister, said Paris had recalled its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra on Friday but deemed it unnecessary to do the same in London because “we know about [the UK’s] permanent opportunism.”

“Great Britain is in this case a bit like the fifth wheel on the coach,” Le Drian said on France 2.

In a sign that Washington is keen to de-escalate the worsening crisis, it emerged on Sunday that US President Joe Biden has asked for a call with President Emmanuel Macron of France to discuss the submarine deal. 

Australia said on Wednesday that it had cancelled a A$50bn Franco-Australian deal for 12 conventional submarines that had been five years in the making and would instead develop at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with the US and UK in a trilateral deal that excluded France.

The so-called Aukus pact — which is designed to confront growing Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific — prompted fury in Paris, where a French diplomat said France was only informed of it on Wednesday morning despite attempts to glean information from US officials in previous days.

Morrison denied that he had been dishonest with the French government in the run-up to the signing of the so-called Aukus deal, saying that he had raised concerns about the France-Australian submarine programme “some months ago”.

“They would have had every reason to know that we have deep and grave concerns that the capability being delivered by the Attack-class submarine was not going to meet our strategic interests,” he said at a press conference on Sunday. “We had made very clear that we would be making a decision based on our strategic national interest.”

Le Drian said: “There has been a lie, there has been duplicity, there has been a major breach of trust, there has been contempt, so it’s not OK between us, it’s not OK at all. That means that there is a crisis.”

Clement Beaune, France’s Europe minister, said: “I do not see how we can trust our Australian partner . . . The word, the signing of a contract is worth something. If we no longer have confidence, we can no longer move forward.”

On Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit “Global Britain” ambitions, Beaune told a state television station: “As you can see, it is a return to the American fold and accepting a form of vassal status.”

Liz Truss, Britain’s new foreign secretary, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that the Aukus pact showed Britain’s willingness “to be hard-headed in defending our interests and challenging unfair practices and malign acts”.

The article did not mention either France or China, but Johnson’s foreign policy is about to be tested as he prepares to meet US president Joe Biden at the White House next week.

British officials insist the Aukus pact was driven by security issues and that the UK was “fundamental” to the whole plan, but it was not intended as a snub to Paris. “We didn’t want to annoy the French,” said one.

Tensions with Macron are already running high after Brexit — particularly over the Northern Ireland protocol — and UK officials are braced for more “turbulence up to and beyond” next year’s presidential elections.

The ratcheting up of tensions with China could also complicate Johnson’s attempts to persuade Chinese president Xi Jinping to back ambitious plans to tackle climate change at November’s UN COP26 summit in Glasgow.

Alok Sharma, the British president of the summit, admitted on Sunday that it was “not yet confirmed” that President Xi would attend. Xi has not travelled outside his country since January 2020. But Sharma told the BBC: “I certainly expect China will send a negotiating team to Glasgow.”

From as far back as June, French officials said they had asked their Australian counterparts multiple times whether they wanted to change the contract from conventional to nuclear-powered submarines, which France also makes, but these questions were met with silence.

A French diplomat conceded that at a meeting on June 24, Australian officials did ask whether the Attack-class submarines being developed were still adapted to “an evolving and worsening threat environment”. 

However, he stressed that there was no mention of a “request to move from conventional to nuclear powered [submarines] and the question was never mentioned to move from a bilat[eral] discussion with us to a trilat[eral] with the US and UK.” 

Australian defence minister Peter Dutton has previously said that it was motivated to take the submarine deal in a different direction, with new partners, because the “French have a version which was not superior to that operated by the United States [and] the United Kingdom”. 

There had also been concern brewing for some time over cost rises and delays to the Franco-Australian programme.

French officials and corporate executives have pushed back strongly against the view that operational problems underpinned Australia’s decision, saying that these had been resolved early in the year.

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2021-09-19 13:25:49Z
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'Freedoms need to be defended': Liz Truss slaps down France in row over Aussie sub deal - Daily Mail

'Freedoms need to be defended': New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss slaps down France in row over 'treason' nuclear submarine deal with Australia as Paris calls Britain America's 'vassal state'

• French minister Jean-Yves Le Drian slammed opportunist Boris Johnson as 'fifth wheel' between America and Australia in security pact between the countries
• He said France was justified in forcing ambassadors to leave US and Australia 
• Europe Minister Clement Beaune gave a series of bitter interviews  on French TV
• Discussed move to recall US and Australian envoys in virtually unheard of news
• Resentful politician suggested UK's was not recalled because it was a 'vassal' 
• Comes as Liz Truss defended deal as 'hard-headed' move to defend UK interests 

By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent For Mailonline and Glen Owen, Political Editor For The Mail On Sunday and Peter Allen For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 08:06 BST, 19 September 2021 | Updated: 11:46 BST, 19 September 2021

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has waded into the growing row with France over a nuclear submarine deal with Australia, telling Paris bluntly that 'freedoms need to be defended'.

She lashed out amid an astonishing diplomatic spat triggered by the Aukus deal that will see the US and UK supply Canberra with atomic subs, replacing an agreement to acquire French diesel-electric underwater vessels.

The new arrangement is seen as a marker by the Western allies against Chinese aggression towards its Indo-Pacific neighbours, upgrading Australia's defensive capabilities.

France last night intensified the diplomatic war by dismissing Boris Johnson as an opportunist and a mere 'vassal' of the United States. It also accused Australia of 'treason' by backing out of a deal worth 56 billion euros.

Europe Minister Clement Beaune suggested that Brexit had seen the UK swap Europe for 'a return into the American lap'.

But Ms Truss, who only replaced Dominic Raab as the UK's top diplomat last week, defended the agreement.

Writing in the Telegraph she said it showed Britain's readiness to be 'hard-headed' in defence of its interests.

She said Britain would always be a 'fierce champion' of freedom and free enterprise around the world.

'But freedoms need to be defended, so we are also building strong security ties around the world,' she wrote.

'That is why last week the Prime Minister announced, alongside our friends President Biden and Prime Minister Morrison, the creation of a new security partnership called Aukus.

'It shows our readiness to be hard-headed in defending our interests and challenging unfair practices and malign acts.'

Meanwhile, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison today defended the Aukus  deal. He said the deal with Paris for 12 Attack Class submarines had been superseded by events. 

Writing in the Telegraph Ms Truss said it showed Britain's readiness to be 'hard-headed' in defence of its interests.

he lashed out amid an astonishing diplomatic spat triggered by the Aukus deal, that will see the US and UK supply Canberra with atomic subs, replacing a deal to acquire French diesel-electric underwater vessels.

France last night intensified the diplomatic war by dismissing Boris Johnson as an opportunist and a mere 'vassal' of the United States.

The pact does not make the design of Australia's new submarines clear, but they will be based on previous US and UK designs. Pictured above is a cross-section of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack subs, which is likely to mirror the new vessels

'The capability that the Attack Class submarines were going to provide was not what Australia needed to protect our sovereign interests,' he said.

'They would have had every reason to know that we have deep and grave concerns that the capability being delivered by the Attack class submarine was not going to meet our strategic interests and we have made very clear that we would be making a decision based on our strategic national interest.' 

President Emmanuel Macron triggered a diplomatic storm by recalling his ambassadors to the US and Australia over the deal, dubbed by the French media as an 'Indo-Pacific Trafalgar'.

Mr Macron was outraged by the announcement last week of the Aukus alliance, which will see Australia given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines to counter China's influence in the contested South China Sea.

The deal – which the French were told about only a few hours in advance – scuppered a separate multibillion-dollar agreement over submarines that Paris had signed with Canberra. 

Cabinet minister Alok Sharma rejected the French 'vassal' allegation today, telling Times Radio: 'Well, I don't see us having vassal status to anyone. What we have here is a deal amongst three close allies. 

'This is about the Indo Pacific and indeed, when it comes to France we have other alliances which link us very closely with them in terms of security.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was dubbed the opportunist 'fifth wheel on the carriage' by a furious Paris who are still reeling at the new submarine pact between the UK, US and Australia

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the 'exceptional decision' to recall France's ambassadors had been made by Mr Macron because of the 'exceptional gravity' of the situation.

Mr Le Drian aid his country was fully justified in recalling its Ambassadors from Washington and Canberra. But when asked on the France 2 radio station why the ambassador to London had not been recalled, Mr Le Drian suggested there was no need.

France was familiar with Britain's 'permanent opportunism' said Mr Le Drian and said Mr Johnson was a 'fifth wheel on the carriage' – meaning he was a 'spare wheel' in the deal.

Such language will put huge strain on relations between Britain and France – which are already under severe stress over such issues as migrant boats arriving in England from the Calais area.

In his furious attack on all three members of the new AUKUS pact – America, Australia and Britain – French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) said all had acted disgracefully. French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne (right) has been recalled amid a diplomatic row over a new US-UK-Australia alliance

Mr Le Drian said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had told him about the ripping up of the submarines contract just an hour before the new Aukus deal was announced on live TV in Australia on Wednesday.

'That's why I say there has been duplicity, contempt and lies and when you have an ally of the stature of France, you don't treat them like this,' said Mr Le Drian.

Asked if there had been a failure of French intelligence in failing to find out about the Aukus deal in advance, Mr Le Drian said: 'The project initiated by the US and Australia was decided by a small group and I'm not sure US and Australian ministers knew about it.

'When we see the US president with the Australian prime minister announcing a new agreement, along with Boris Johnson, the breach of trust is profound. In a real alliance you talk to each other, you don't hide things, you respect the other party and that is why this is a real crisis.'

Europe Minister Clement Beaune suggested it was because the UK was the 'junior partner' which had accepted the 'vassalisation' of the US

Lord Peter Ricketts, Britain's former Ambassador to France, said the country sees Britain as 'accomplices' in the deal but that may not stop further repercussions.

In the French media, US President Joe Biden took most of the blame. 'Submarines: Biden torpedoes the Contract of the Century between France and Australia,' ran the headline in Le Figaro, adding that it was the equivalent of an 'Indo-Pacific Trafalgar'.

Aides to Mr Le Drian later said he had meant that Britain was the 'fifth wheel' in the new Aukus security pact, and not Mr Johnson in particular.

Mr Le Drian also used the live broadcast to say that the row had turned into a full-blown 'crisis'.

America and the UK are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as the AUKUS pact to combat China's naval dominance and will likely be the similar design as this Astute class submarine HMS Ambush (pictured)

Australia will acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines and a host of other advanced military technology from the UK and US after singing an historic deal aimed at countering China's growing power

Australia's defence minister has today admitted that war with China is possible in the South China Sea (pictured) with Taiwan (top) as the likely flashpoint. China claims control over the whole of the sea, which other nations dispute 

He said: 'The fact that, for the first time in the history of relations between the United States and France, we are recalling our ambassador for consultations is a grave political act that shows the intensity of the crisis today between our two countries and also with Australia.'

Mr Le Drian said his boss, Emmanuel Macron, had not yet confronted President Biden about the submarine issue.

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2021-09-19 10:46:34Z
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Police outnumber protesters at right-wing Capitol rally - BBC News

EPA

A few hundred protesters gathered around the US Capitol on Saturday, for a rally in support of the pro-Trump rioters who ransacked the building on 6 January.

But the group were easily outnumbered by the police and journalists present.

Ahead of the event, police said they had detected "threats of violence" and security was tightened in Washington.

Organisers had a permit for 700 to attend, but only about 100 to 200 protesters turned up, Reuters reports.

Capitol Police said 400 to 450 people were inside the protest area - but that figure included the heavy media presence.

Washington police officials had been expressing concern about the "Justice for J6" event for weeks.

Its organisers - Look Ahead America - were led by Matt Braynard, the former director of data and strategy for Donald Trump's successful 2016 campaign.

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Hundreds of officers patrolled the Capitol grounds and 100 National Guard troops were on standby.

A fence was erected around the Capitol, and lawmakers were advised to avoid the area.

Reuters

Speakers at the rally insisted that hundreds of rioters arrested for their actions on 6 January were "political prisoners" who had committed no violence.

About 600 people have been charged in the federal investigation into the Capitol riot, where a pro-Trump mob tried to stop the US Congress from certifying the 2020 election result.

At least 185 are accused of assaulting, resisting, or impeding police officers or employees. More than 70 were charged with destroying or stealing government property.

Most of those charged have been released ahead of their trials. The Associated Press news agency reports that about 63 are still in custody, citing court and jail records.

In July, officers who defended the Capitol during the riot told a Congressional committee they had been beaten and suffered racial abuse. One testified that he was knocked unconscious and suffered a heart attack. Another, an Iraq War veteran, compared the scene to a "medieval battlefield".

Tony Smith, 40, from Maryland, told Reuters news agency he had come to Saturday's rally to support a fair judicial process for those charged.

"If we don't honour that, we don't honour America," said Mr Smith, who carried a poster board reading: "We Want Trump!"

Some counter-protesters also gathered around the Capitol, carrying anti-Trump signs. One was removed by police after confronting the pro-Trump attendees.

EPA

Rally organiser Mr Braynard had repeatedly urged his protesters to remain peaceful. Earlier this week he also asked them to avoid wearing pro-Trump clothing or paraphernalia.

Mr Trump, for his part, said in an interview that he believed the rally would be "a setup".

"If people don't show up they'll say 'oh, it's a lack of spirit'," he told The Federalist, a conservative news outlet. "If people do show up, they'll be harassed."

Capitol Police said four arrests were made, including a person in the crowd who was carrying a knife, and a man reported to be carrying a handgun.

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2021-09-19 04:05:39Z
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China 'edges closer' to war with US as Xi Jinping loses patience, former MI6 deputy warns - Daily Express

China is close to concluding that its attempts to take over Taiwan will only work "through military efforts". The ex-deputy director of MI6 Nigel Inkster told LBC this morning that the likelihood of military confrontation between China and the US was "as high as eight, on a scale of one to ten". On Friday, Taiwan’s air force scrambled to warn away 10 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone.

The day before, Taiwan had announced an unprecedented $9bn boost to military spending to counter the threat from China.

There is also concern that the newly signed Aukus defence pact between the UK, US and Australia could lead to Britain being dragged into a war with China over Taiwan.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian branded the AUKUS pact an example of an “obsolete cold war zero-sum mentality”.

LBC host Matt Frei asked Mr Inkster: "On a scale of one to ten, how likely is it that we'll get a military confrontation between America and China over this issue?"

JUST IN: China ready to annex Taiwan by 'any means possible'

Mr Inkster responded: "We are as high as eight right now.

"The best-case scenario is that both China and the US realise that they are on a par militarily and neither has a massive advantage.

"That recognition could ensure continued if fractured peace. That is the best hope we have got."

Mr Frei followed up: "Xi Jinping is in a hurry. He wants to get Taiwan under his belt before he leaves office, which would be for some time. But the momentum is picking up isn't it?"

China has been adopting an increasingly aggressive stance towards Taipei, which has long received military support from the US.

Taiwan has reccently faced repeated incursions from China’s air force.

Speaking on Friday, Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang said the government had to take the threat from China seriously.

He said: “The Chinese Communists plot against us constantly."

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2021-09-19 00:00:00Z
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