Britain’s intelligence and security services occupy a pre-eminent position among their European counterparts thanks, in large part, to their liaison with the US. Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP
Britain’s intelligence and security services occupy a pre-eminent position among their European counterparts thanks, in large part, to their liaison with the US. Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP
Britain’s intelligence and security services occupy a pre-eminent position among their European counterparts thanks, in large part, to their liaison with the US. Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP
Britain’s intelligence and security services occupy a pre-eminent position among their European counterparts thanks, in large part, to their liaison with the US. Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP

Europe should liaise with the UK on security, not ramp up defence to punish it for Brexit


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With Britain's impending withdrawal from the European Union gathering pace, questions are inevitably being raised about the likely implications this will have on the continent's security arrangements.

Britain is not only Europe's largest military power, it is also home to Europe's most highly-regarded intelligence-gathering agencies. Apart from spending around £37 billion (Dh185 billion) a year on defence, the UK is also investing around £178 billion over the course of the next decade in state-of-the-art equipment, such as the new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers, the first of which, HMS Queen Elizabeth, arrived at its home port of Portsmouth last month. Once the carriers enter service towards the end of the decade with their fleet of F-35B stealth fighters, one of their key tasks will be to patrol the vital shipping lanes of the Arabian Gulf.

Britain’s intelligence and security services, meanwhile, occupy a pre-eminent position among their European rivals, not least because of the close relationship they enjoy with their American counterparts, as well as their membership of the elite Five Eyes intelligence-gathering network set up at the end of the Second World War involving the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

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This means that the UK is uniquely placed to tackle Islamist terror groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIL. Indeed, information acquired by British agencies has helped to foil a number of significant terror plots, both in the UK and Europe.

But concerns that the existing edifice of Europe's defence and security infrastructure will be weakened as a result of Brexit have now become a key issue of the negotiations over Britain's future with the EU, with both sides seeking to make political capital out of the subject.

The security issue first became something of a political football during last year's referendum campaign, with "remainers" arguing that Britain's ability to defend herself against threats like Islamist-inspired terrorism and Russian aggression would be fatally compromised by leaving the EU. Brexiteers such as myself, on the other hand, adopted an entirely different position, namely that the UK's relationship with the EU had little, if anything, to do with national security considerations.

My own reasons for voting Brexit were more to do with the fact that I wanted Britain’s democratically-elected parliament, and not some bunch of unelected, patronising European technocrats, to govern my country.

About the only argument, though, that tempted me to vote "remain" was that made by Field Marshal Lord Bramall, the former head of Britain’s Armed Forces, who is also a veteran of the D-Day landings that launched the campaign to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany in June 1944.

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The Bramall argument goes something along the lines of: after all the blood and sacrifice Britain and her allies had made to save Europe from tyranny and end the enmity between long-standing foes, such as Germany and France, retaining the UK's membership of the EU was, for all the irkesome meddling of EU bureaucrats, a price worth paying in order to maintain peace and security on the continent.

In the end, I concluded this would be a valid argument were it not for the fact that, by leaving the EU, Britain is turning its back on Brussels, not Europe. On the contrary, after Brexit, the UK will continue to trade and work with our European counterparts in much the same way we do today – including in the realms of defence and security.

The key point to understand about Britain's military and security engagement with its European allies is that it is managed on the basis of arrangements that, with a few minor exceptions, are with bodies that have nothing to do with the EU.

Britain’s primary military engagement with Europe, for example, is undertaken through the Nato alliance, not Brussels.

Thus, Britain’s current military contribution to defending eastern Europe from further acts of military aggression by Russia operates under Nato command, not EU diktat.

Similarly, cooperation between Britain's MI6 intelligence-gathering agency and the rest of Europe is conducted on the basis of bilateral agreements with its European counterparts, with the secret service's long standing ties with France's DGSE intelligence agency and Germany's BND regarded being the most valuable.

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But British intelligence officers rarely, if ever, share any of their top secret intelligence material with the EU as it is regarded as being incapable of keeping such sensitive material secure from enemy agents.

Moreover, Britain's attitude towards the EU's existing security structures has always been lukewarm. London, for example, has long resisted the EU's attempts to establish its own defence force on the grounds it would undermine the Nato alliance. Thus, if the EU, as now seems likely, uses Brexit to revive its plans for an EU defence force, it will be doing more harm to undermine Europe's future security requirements than Britain's decision to leave.

Rather than seeking to build a new Euro-centric defence infrastructure to punish Britain for voting for Brexit, the EU would be better advised to take seriously British prime minister Theresa May’s offer this week for Britain to forge a “deep security partnership” with the EU after Brexit.

For if the EU decides to turn its back on the significant contribution Britain’s military and intelligence-gathering services have to offer, then it will be Europe, not Britain, that will ultimately be the loser.

Con Coughlin is the Telegraph’s Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor

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While you're here
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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Profile of RentSher

Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE

Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi

Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE

Sector: Online rental marketplace

Size: 40 employees

Investment: $2 million

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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
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  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

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Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat

Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain

Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain

Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines

Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals

Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final

UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia

All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

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What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

Abu Dhabi race card

5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | ​​​​​​​Dh80,000 | 1,400m
6pm: Liwa Oasis (PA) Group 2 |​​​​​​​ Dh300,000 | 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 (PA) Group 3 | Dh300,000 | 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) |​​​​​​​ Dh80,000 | 2,200m

Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B