Hackers from Iran and Russia have ‘ruthlessly’ hit British journalists and politicians, GCHQ’s cyber centre warns January 26, 2023 Officials warn Iranian and Russian hackers have been “ruthlessly” trying to steal sensitive information from British journalists and politicians. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, issued a fresh alert on increased hacking attempts directed at individuals and groups, though not at members of the public. “The Russia-based SEABORGIUM (Callisto Group/TA446/COLDRIVER/TAG-53) and Iran-based [...]
Tanks, but no tanks! Biden likely to approve Abrams batch for Ukraine – but it could take months or even years for delivery January 25, 2023 The Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, US officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode. The decision could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months or years for the tanks to be delivered. US [...]
Ukraine’s other war: Deputy head of Zelensky’s office QUITS as Kyiv roots out corruption while army fights Putin January 25, 2023 A high-level shake-up in the Ukrainian government has cost nearly a dozen senior officials their jobs as the president sought to root out entrenched corruption while conducting the fight against Russia’s invasion. The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office quit after President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to address high-level corruption allegations, including some related to specific [...]
PMQs: Sunak to come under fresh scrutiny today amid Zahawi tax row and calls to fire Tory chair January 25, 2023 Rishi Sunak will come under fresh pressure over Nadhim Zahawi as he resists firing the Tory party chairman despite him being under investigation over his tax affairs. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is likely to seize on the fallout from Mr Zahawi’s multi-million pound settlement at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. The Prime Minister ordered [...]
Briton arrested and facing extradition to US for allegedly helping Russian oligarch with ties to Putin evade sanctions January 25, 2023 A British man has been arrested in Spain for extradition to the US for allegedly helping an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin evade sanctions. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a statement that Richard Masters, 52, was arrested by the Spanish Guardia Civil last Friday, though his Russian-Swiss co-accused [...]
Royal Mail boss called back to parliament after allegations of giving ‘not wholly correct’ answers January 24, 2023 Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, has been recalled to parliament after facing allegations that he gave innaccurate information to MPs during a Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee last week. The Committee, which took place last Tuesday to discuss Royal Mail’s operations, prompted a “significant amount” of Royal Mail employees across the [...]
We need closer ties to EU to protect our national security, Labour says January 24, 2023 Britain should have closer ties to the European Union in order to project our national security, the Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary has said. At a speech at Chatham House, David Lammy said yesterday Labour’s first priority on foreign policy will be strengthening its ties with Europe on national security if it wins the next election. [...]
Fire and rehire: New government rules will not stop another P&O scandal, claim unions January 24, 2023 New rules against so-called “fire and rehire” practices in wake of the P&O scandal will not stop it from being repeated, trade unions have warned. Ministers have launched a consultation for a new code of practice for all employers, which would set out companies’ responsibilities when they seek to change contractual terms. The government is [...]
Former Labour MP Jared O’Mara ‘tried to claim up to £30,000 to fund extensive cocaine habit’ January 23, 2023 A former MP tried to fraudulently claim up to £30,000 in taxpayers’ money to fund an “extensive cocaine habit”, prosecutors have said. Jared O’Mara, 41, who represented the constituency of Sheffield Hallam from 2017 to 2019, is on trial for submitting “dishonest” invoices to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa). Jurors at Leeds Crown Court [...]
Rishi Sunak: PM orders probe over Nadhim Zahawi’s tax dispute January 23, 2023 Rishi Sunak has ordered an investigation into Nadhim Zahawi as the Tory party chairman faced growing calls to quit after paying a penalty to resolve a multimillion-pound tax dispute. The Prime Minister asked new ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus on Monday to assess whether the former chancellor breached the ministerial code with the HC settlement. [...]