In recent weeks, the British public, increasingly alarmed at the behaviour of Vladimir Putin, has learnt that the army stands at its lowest strength since the Napoleonic wars, that both of our otherwise magnificent aircraft carriers have trouble getting seaborne, that one of our warships crashed into another because of “faulty wiring”, and that Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw the US commitment to Nato.
Even the special forces, the finest of their kind in the world, are now being accused of war crimes in Afghanistan. It’s not inspiring confidence...
Why are our missiles misfiring?
Something to do with telemetrics, maybe. If anyone does know, then it’s a secret. The MoD says “an anomaly occurred” – a refreshingly novel euphemism for failure – and that the incident was “event specific”. Even so, a similar thing apparently happened in 2016. The government assures us that “there are no implications for the reliability of the wider Trident missile systems and stockpile”. Phew.
Is our independent nuclear deterrent still a deterrent?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 22, 2024-Ausgabe von The Independent.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 22, 2024-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Springboks reveal insights into secrets of their success
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Hall could solve England's specialist left-back problem
In their last 13 matches, England have only once started with a specialist left-back. Now a specialist left-back has emerged who debuted under Thomas Tuchel and who, even before the German takes charge, can benefit from the coaching of England's most-capped full-back.
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Watchdog fines Metro Bank £16m for failing customers
A major bank has been fined millions for errors that left customers at risk. Metro Bank has been fined 16.6m by regulators for failings over money laundering controls from 2016 to 2020.
Inconvenient truth about this year's Booker winner
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'Male actors do get paid, more than us - that's a fact'
Sarah Greene has reunited with her 'Bad Sisters' for a second series. She tells Ellie Harrison about misogyny, donning an eyepatch, and looks back on the success of 'Normal People'
KATHMANDU CHAOS
The Nepalese capital's shambolic main airport is a perfect case study in how to deter visitors, writes Simon Calder
Fox on the box: 25 years of Lineker's Match of the Day
Gary Lineker is leaving 'MOTD' at the end of this season, after a glittering tenure as the host of the BBC's flagship football show. Nick Hilton looks back on his highs and lows
Dumping Lineker is a move the BBC will live to regret
Watching the flagship BBC News at 10 programme on Monday night, you might have been forgiven for thinking all was well in the world - that Gaza was no longer a killing field, that Ukraine was safe from Putin, that the planet had started to cool down.
