The UK is investing in F-35 fighter jets, part of a massive £160 billion program to re-equip the British military. It comes in the midst of painful austerity when there is no money for anything else, says political analyst Dan Glazebrook. The UK's plan to purchase F-35 fighter jets has MPs debating the increasing costs.   [...]

The discovery of toxic agents manufactured by US and UK companies in the territories liberated from terrorists has once again revealed the hypocrisy of the US-led coalition, Ammar Waqqaf, a Middle East expert told Radio Sputnik, adding that it is not the first time jihadists have been spotted using poisonous substances in Syria. [...]

Previously obedient European allies of Washington have openly criticized Donald Trump's policy toward North Korea, political commentator Rostislav Ishchenko writes, adding that for the first time since the Second World War "the West" is split over the issue of war and peace. Washington's ramping up of the war of words with Pyongyang hasn't got the backing of the EU, RIA Novosti contributor [...]

The UK government saw Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait as an "unparalleled opportunity” to hawk military wares to international customers, particularly the Gulf states, declassified documents reveal. An arms trade researcher has told Sputnik their efforts created strong bonds between the UK and repressive regional powers that endure to this day. [...]

You are a man-of-the-people left-wing politician riding the crest of a wave of popularity. Members of the public regularly ask you to pose for photographs with them. Do you: (a) Tell them to "Bugger Off!" (b) Say, "Of course, no problems, comrade," and pose for the snap, (c) Hand the person a long questionnaire to fill in detailing their political views on foreign policy issues — includ [...]

The UK, which recently said it could launch a preemptive nuclear strike “in the most extreme circumstances,” runs the risk of being “wiped off the face of the Earth,” the deputy head of a Russian upper house committee said. [...]

Theresa May would fire Britain’s nuclear weapons as a ‘first strike’ if necessary, the Defence Secretary has said. Michael Fallon said the Prime Minister was prepared to launch Trident in “the most extreme circumstances”, even if Britain itself was not under nuclear attack. The statement came as the Conservatives continued to exploit Labour divisions on the retention of the Trident deter [...]

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has criticized his ally US President Donald Trump for ordering a missile strike against an airbase in Syria in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack. The MEP warned that many Trump voters will be confused by his retaliation. [...]

Exact motivations behind the vehicle and knife attacks outside Parliament in London remain unclear, but observers have noted that the incident occurred on the anniversary of the multiple Islamist attacks on the Belgian capital on March 22, 2016. [...]

Any third-rate politician who fails anywhere to explain away his failures now has a very convenient scapegoat, says George Szamuely, from the Global Policy Institute at London Metropolitan University. The UK has no evidence Moscow is trying to undermine the democratic process in Britain, according to the UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. [...]

Britain's sale of arms to Saudi Arabia is facing its greatest legal challenge to date, with the UK High Court hearing a judicial review against the exports as campaigners accuse London of being complicit in civilian deaths inflicted as part of Riyadh's military campaign in Yemen. [...]

An online petition to prevent US President Donald Trump making an official state visit to the UK has generated enough signatures to warrant it being considered for debate in parliament. [...]

An expert UN panel investigating ten separate airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen - in which at least 292 civilians died - has found that most were the result of an ‘ineffective targeting process’ or deliberate attacks on peaceful targets.   [...]

Russia’s Defense Ministry has said UK defense officials were putting on a show by escorting the Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, while pointing at their own issues in the Royal Navy, such as the infamous Trident situation. [...]

Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled Parliament has the right to vote on Article 50 before it is triggered by the prime minister. The decision marks a serious blow for the Conservative government, which had sought to bypass the legislature. [...]

Royal Navy whistleblower William McNeilly leaked details about a number of serious test fire issues aboard Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine fleet a whole year before the June 2016 misfire that sent a missile careening towards the US. [...]

Post-Brexit government won't confirm or deny failed 2016 test of nuclear missile, which MPs did not know about when they voted to renew system. The confirmation comes after the British newspaper Sunday Times reported that the British government had covered up the failed launch, briefing Prime Minister Theresa May on the incident but keeping Parliament in the dark before ministers voted to renew [...]

Slovakia’s prime minister says the EU will make it very “painful” for the UK to leave, setting an example for other countries, reports Ameera David. RT’s Peter Oliver on the latest round of German regional elections, where the right-wing AFD party made more gains. Bianca Facchinei on research showing that Volkswagen may not actually be the worst polluter in Europe. Alex Mihailovich has the [...]

Social media users are in a panic after WikiLeaks said an unknown man had climbed the Ecuadorian embassy in London where Julian Assange has been staying for four years. Users suggested that it was probably an assassination attempt, “ordered by Clinton.” [...]

Britain’s new multibillion-pound Trident nuclear submarine fleet may be in jeopardy after the government’s own watchdog warned the project faces “major risks.” The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has cast doubt on the Trident renewal plan. [...]

Britain will have to pay the European Union a hefty sum if it is to follow through with Brexit, with claims that an estimated €25 billion is owed to the bloc in unpaid bills. An outstanding total of €200 billion (£170 billion, $221 billion) has been shifted around by the EU for years, under what Brussels’ mandarins call the “reste à liquider.” [...]

The crisis of confidence in EU institutions and calls across the continent for referendums on membership in the bloc are the demonstration of a boomerang effect – a result of Western politicians' push to destabilize sovereign states from North Africa and the Middle East to Eastern Europe. That's according to Russian philosopher Vladimir Lepekhin. [...]