Latest news with #Forces
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
'Disgraceful': UK PM Slams RAF Jets Vandalisation By Pro-Palestinian Activists
Last Updated: A statement by Palestine Action said that the activists exited the Oxfordshire base without being apprehended. Meanwhile, UK Defence Ministry condemned the incident. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the 'vandalisation" of two planes by the pro-Palestinian activists on Friday. This comes as the UK police have begun searching for suspects after pro-Palestinian activists claimed to have broken into a Royal Air Force Base and damaged two planes with red paint. The group Palestine Action said two members entered RAF Brize Norton on Wednesday and used electric scooters to approach the Voyager jets, which are used for air-to-air refuelling. Referring to the 'act of vandalism" as 'disgraceful", PM Keir Starmer wrote on X, 'The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful. Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us." The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 20, 2025 A video shared online by Palestine Action on Friday captured two individuals inside an airbase in Oxfordshire at night. One of them was seen riding a scooter toward an Airbus Voyager aircraft and spraying paint into one of its jet engines. Pro-Palestinian activists from the group Palestine Action broke into RAF Brize Norton, the largest Royal Air Force base in the UK, located in they vandalized two Airbus Voyager refueling aircraft. Using electric scooters, the activists approached the planes… — T_CAS videos (@tecas2000) June 20, 2025 According to Palestine Action, the activists exited the Oxfordshire base without being apprehended. In a statement, the group said, 'despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets." It went on to describe the UK as 'an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East." Meanwhile, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident and stated, 'We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets." Aircraft from RAF Brize Norton, located around 70 miles (112 kilometres) northwest of London, frequently operate flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which serves as Britain's primary base for military operations in the Middle East. Following the escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict a week ago, the UK has deployed additional Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager refuelling aircraft to Cyprus. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described this move as 'contingency support." Meanwhile, Iran has warned it will target military bases belonging to the US, France, and the UK in the region if they assist Israel in defending against Iranian attacks. First Published: June 20, 2025, 16:44 IST
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
MLC 2025 Squad, Stars and Fixtures
Diljit Dosanjh Joins Forces with Sunny Deol for BORDER 2 | Behind-the-Scenes Fire at NDA The third schedule of 'Border 2' kicks off at the prestigious National Defence Academy in Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty join Sunny Deol and Varun Dhawan in this high-stakes war drama that pays tribute to the bravery and unity of the Indian Armed Forces. Directed by Anurag Singh and backed by producers Bhushan Kumar, Nidhi Dutta, and J.P. Dutta, 'Border 2' is the sequel to the iconic 1997 action-packed saga of patriotism and sacrifice is set to release on January 23, up for a cinematic salute to real heroes. 939 views | 2 hours ago
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel-Iran tensions: 'Will bring ruin to Zionist regime', vows Ayatollah Khamenei; Israel says Tehran 'never been weaker'
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Photo: AP) Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Saturday to retaliate against Israel's strikes at the country's nuclear and military sites, even as Tehran launched a barrage of deadly missiles overnight at Israel. In a recorded address to Iranians, Khamenei said: "We will not permit them to evade consequences for this significant wrongdoing they have perpetrated". Assuring that Iran's military was ready to respond, Khamenei said, "Do not assume that they attacked and it's finished. No, they initiated the actions and began the conflict". Earlier, in the post of X, the Iranian supreme leader said that the "Zionist regime" made a big mistake and a grave error. Khamenei said the consequences of Israel's strike will bring ruin to the Israeli regime. "The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, a grave error, and committed a reckless act. By God's grace, the consequences of this will bring that regime to ruin. The Iranian nation won't permit the blood of its valued martyrs to go unavenged, nor will it ignore the violation of its airspace. Our Armed Forces are ready, and the country's officials and all the people are behind the Armed Forces," Khamenei wrote. Khamenei, who is Iran's most powerful person, said Tehran will show no mercy to Israel. "Today, we must give a strong response to the evil, despicable, terrorist Zionist identity. God willing, we will respond with strength, and will show no mercy to them. Life will definitely become bitter for the Zionists. The Zionist regime will not escape safely from the heinous crime they've committed," he further wrote. Khamenei said: "This is a certainty that the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces will deal heavy blows to this evil Zionist enemy. The Iranian people are with us. They support the Armed Forces, and the Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime, by the will of God. Let the dear Iranian nation know this, be certain and assured that every effort will be made in this regard." Tensions in the Middle East spiralled overnight as Iran fired missile strikes toward Israel late on Friday and into early Saturday. The attacks came in retaliation for what Iran claimed were earlier Israeli assaults on its soil. The confrontation was triggered by what Israeli officials described as the nation's "greatest military operations in history" against Iran. On Thursday night, Israel launched a massive, carefully coordinated offensive using warplanes and drones, some of which were reportedly pre-positioned inside Iran. The strikes penetrated deep into Iranian territory, hitting crucial sites including nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and key command hubs. Several high-ranking Iranian military officers and nuclear scientists were also killed in the operation. In the aftermath, Iran retaliated by launching a volley of ballistic missiles aimed at the heart of Tel Aviv, after its military issued a chilling warning that "everyone will feel it." "In the past 24 hours, we have taken out top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime's most significant enrichment facility, and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address. "The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker," the Israeli PM added. He also directed a message to the Iranian people: "To the proud people of Iran, we are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Lion. The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy our country, the State of Israel. More is on the way." Both nations quickly made good on their promises of escalation. Late Friday, Iran fired a fresh wave of ballistic missiles and drones toward Israeli cities. Loud explosions rocked Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as air raid sirens wailed, with Israeli authorities urging residents to find shelter immediately. Buildings trembled as near-simultaneous blasts echoed across the cities, some of which were believed to be the result of Israeli air defences intercepting incoming projectiles. The bombardment continued even after Netanyahu's powerful video address. Just moments after his speech, Iran unleashed more missile attacks, triggering fresh detonations across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The atmosphere in Israel remained tense, with people still sheltering as authorities confirmed the continued onslaught. Israeli officials acknowledged that Iran had fired yet another missile barrage from the country led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Speaking to CNN, a top Iranian official issued a stark warning: 'Iran will intensify its attacks on Israel and target the regional bases of any country that tries to defend it.'
NDTV
14-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Iran's Armed Forces Are Ready", Says Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei
Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said that Iran's armed forces were ready to face Israel. Khamenei said that all the officials in the country are on the side of the armed forces In a series of posts on X, he said, "The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, a grave error, and committed a reckless act. By God's grace, the consequences of this will bring that regime to ruin. The Iranian nation won't permit the blood of its valued martyrs to go unavenged, nor will it ignore the violation of its airspace. Our Armed Forces are ready, and the country's officials and all the people are behind the Armed Forces." The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, a grave error, and committed a reckless act. By God's grace, the consequences of this will bring that regime to ruin. — (@khamenei_ir) June 13, 2025 The Iranian nation won't permit the blood of its valued martyrs to go unavenged, nor will it ignore the violation of its airspace. — (@khamenei_ir) June 13, 2025 Our Armed Forces are ready, and the country's officials and all the people are behind the Armed Forces. — (@khamenei_ir) June 13, 2025 He said that Iran will show no mercy to Israel. "Today, we must give a strong response to the evil, despicable, terrorist Zionist identity. God willing, we will respond with strength, and will show no mercy to them. Life will definitely become bitter for the Zionists. The Zionist regime will not escape safely from the heinous crime they've committed," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on X. Khamenei said that their armed forces will act fiercely against Israel. "This is a certainty that the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces will deal heavy blows to this evil Zionist enemy. The Iranian people are with us. They support the Armed Forces, and the Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime, by the will of God. Let the dear Iranian nation know this, be certain and assured that every effort will be made in this regard," he stated in a series of posts. This is a certainty that the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces will deal heavy blows to this evil Zionist enemy. This is a certainty that the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces will deal heavy blows to this evil Zionist enemy. — (@khamenei_ir) June 13, 2025 The Iranian people are with us. They support the Armed Forces, and the Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime, by the will of God. The Iranian people are with us. They support the Armed Forces, and the Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime, by the will of God. — (@khamenei_ir) June 13, 2025 In a video address, he said, "The Zionist regime will not escape safely from the heinous crime they've committed." 🔴 The Zionist regime will not escape safely from the heinous crime they've committed 📹 Imam Khamenei's televised message following the Zionist regime's attacks on various parts of Iran and the martyrdom of a group of commanders, scientists, and civilians on June 13, 2025 — Khamenei Media (@Khamenei_m) June 13, 2025 The statements follow Israel's airstrikes in Iran and Iran's retaliation on Friday. As per the Times of Israel, a woman died and five were injured in the latest Iranian missile barrage.
Euronews
08-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
French companies to manufacture drones in Ukraine
In the campaign of attrition and position that the war in Ukraine has become, FPV drones have quickly become ubiquitous and vitally essential. Russia, initially relying mainly on Iranian Shaheds, soon put all the power of its war economy into manufacturing them itself. Ukraine, although not able to rely on the same production capacity, is not to be outdone and can rely on its inventiveness, both in the construction and development of its own models and the effectiveness of their use - as demonstrated by the recent 'Spider's Web' operation- but also in the 're-use' of swarms launched by its adversaries. Now Kyiv can count on some major support in this war at a distance: French automotive and defence companies are going to produce drones on Ukrainian soil. Announcing the initiative on LCI, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu spoke of a "win-win" partnership with Ukraine. "We're going to embark on a completely unprecedented partnership where a major company producing French cars - I'm not giving the name because it's up to it to announce it - is going to join forces with a French defence SME to arm production lines in Ukraine to be able to produce drones", the minister announced. These drones, the type of which he did not specify, will be intended for the Ukrainians, " but we are also going to make them available to our own French armies so that we can have permanent tactical and operational training that reflects the reality " of the conflict. As far as expertise and manpower are concerned, production will rest on the Ukrainians' shoulders: they "are better than we are at devising drones and, above all, developing the doctrine that goes with them", Lecornu admitted. " There's also no need to ask French citizens" to go and work on the production line in Ukraine. The announcement follows the discussions that took place on 5 June in Brussels between the Ukrainian and French defence ministers on the joint production of weapons for Ukrainian defence needs. "We are ready to offer this opportunity to the best manufacturers. Ukraine has combat experience and France has a solid industrial base. This is a strategic and mutually beneficial partnership", Ukrainian Miniser of Defence Rustem Umarierov emphasised, thanking Lecornu for his support. At the 28th Ramstein meeting at NATO headquarters, Ukraine and its partners also decided to set up an armaments production mechanism. Several European partners have recently invested in drone production in Ukraine Finland has set up a drone manufacturing plant in cooperation with Ukrainian partners to produce drones for Ukraine and the EU, with mass production scheduled to begin in 2025. The Netherlands has announced a €700m ($798m) investment to advance drone technology and support Ukraine's defence industry. The UK is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars to increase drone production for Ukraine in 2025. Norway has redirected its funds to support Ukrainian drone production. According to Jean-Paul Perruche, Lieutenant General and former Director General of the European Union Military Staff, quoted by LCI, France was until then "insufficiently prepared" for this upheaval in warfare practices: "I worked in the research department of the army staff, and we were already talking about drones at the end of the 1980s. But the context at the time was far from high-intensity. I think we fell behind on drones at a time when countries like the United States and others like China were forging ahead. While the French army has a few thousand drones (3,000 for the army), Ukraine intends to use more than 4.5 million drones by 2025, which are responsible for 70% of the destruction of enemy equipment on the front line. Both Poland and Portugal marked the beginning of pride month with parades held on Saturday afternoon. The month of June is celebrated as pride month across the world, with festivals, demonstrations, parades, and other events bringing light to LGBTQ+ issues. In Poland, Pride marches were held in the cities of Gdańsk and Wrocław, just one week after the election of conservative-nationalist Karol Nawrocki, who was endorsed by the Law and Justice party. This was the 17th Pride Parade in Wrocław, and the 10th to take place in Gdańsk. In Wrocław, demonstrators set of from Freedom Square at 14:00, while the "Tri-City Equality March" encompassing the coastal cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot took off at 16:00. Both marches aimed to showcase the cities as inclusive towards all of their residents. Several political leaders confirmed their participation in the marches, including Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Minister of Equality Katarzyna Kotula, Mayor of Gdańsk Agnieszka Dulkiewicz and Mayor of Sopot Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim. City councilor and president of the Tolerado Association for LGBTQ+ rights, Marta Magott said in an interview with the official website of Gdańsk that the annual march is a "reminder of freedom, solidarity, and equality". The event was significant in Poland, which still ranks as the second-worst country in the EU for LGBTQ+ people, after Romania, according to the advocacy group ILGA-Europe, which publishes an annual "Rainbow Map" ranking the countries based on political and social factors. Poland had occupied the top spot in the rankings for six years, and made marginal progress since the election of the coalition government in 2023, according to the organization. Portugal, on the other hand, is in 11th place. A Pride March will also take place on June 14 in Warsaw. At the 26th LGBTQI+ Pride March in Lisbon on Saturday, thousands of people lined the avenues of the capital's downtown to defend human rights, equality and non-discrimination. The march left Praça do Marquês de Pombal at 16:30 with one of this year's mottoes being "Resist and not just Exist", according to a joint manifesto published by one of the organising movements on social media. At a time when the far-right is closer to political power and institutions in Portugal and Europe, hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQ+ minorities are resurfacing in national society, after more than 50 years of achievements in Portugal for equality and non-discrimination rights. "The political forces that deny our rights are gaining institutional space, marching is reaffirming that we don't back down, that we exist, that we resist," says the Associação ILGA Portugal - Intervenção Lésbica, Gay, Bissexual, Trans e Intersexo (ILGA) on its Facebook account. "Hate speech is trying to become normalised," adds ILGA, and "we cannot ignore the fact that freedom and democracy are under attack," warns. The group recalled that during the 48 years of dictatorship, the fascist regime denied the existence of homosexuals and lesbians, who were persecuted. Portugal lived under a dictatorship for almost 48 years. Founded in 1995, ILGA Portugal is the oldest association defending LGBTQ+ people and their families against discrimination. It is part of ILGA World and the Platform for Fundamental Rights of the European Union Agency. "We are marching for the right to live with dignity, for all the people who came before us, for those who are here and for those who are yet to come." "This is a right that has been won over the years in Portugal, and today it is under threat," said Mariana Mortágua, coordinator of the Left Bloc party, participating in the parade. 'Nowadays, it's difficult to demonstrate for human rights without being threatened by extreme right-wing forces and without the government doing something about it', Mortágua added in statements to Portuguese national television, RTP. "We have to keep fighting for rights," said Hélder Bértolo of the March's organising committee, "it's important to be here, to raise our voices," he added regarding the threat of acquired rights being broken in the face of the rise of the radical right. Bértolo said these rights "have faded", especially in countries like Hungary. "Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and other European countries are also moving in this direction", the spokesperson told reporters. The 2025 edition also saw the participation of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), which joined the 18 associations and groups with political intervention in defence of the LGBTQ+ community.
