Russian threat is ‘real and active’, head of GCHQ warns September 7, 2018 The threat from Russia is “real and active” but will be countered by Britain and its allies, the head of GCHQ has said. Jeremy Fleming, director of the government's cyber intelligence agency, said an international partnership of allies was ready to reject the Kremlin's “brazen” determination to undermine international law. His comments came after France, [...]
Editor’s notes: Jeff Bezos should look closer to home for ideas on where to spend his fortune, new peer Bethell is a Lord to applaud, and the Economist shows how to stand up to social media bullies September 7, 2018 Amazon has joined Apple in the ranks of $1 trillion companies based on market capitalisation. Shortly before his company hit this massive (but meaningless) valuation, founder Jeff Bezos was pondering how to spend his vast wealth. Bezos is estimated to be sitting on a $130bn (£100bn) fortune – and earlier this summer he was asked [...]
Salisbury poisoning: US, France, Germany and Canada back UK on Novichok assessment September 6, 2018 US, France, Germany and Canada have issued a joint statement, saying they agree with UK that Russian government "almost certainly" approved Salisbury poisoning. The statement, issued via the UK government, said leaders of some of the closest allies had "full confidence in the British assessment" that the two suspects were officers of the Russian military unit [...]
‘No place’ for illegal Russian activity in City vows minister after Skripal attackers are revealed September 6, 2018 THE CITY minister and MP for Salisbury, John Glen, vowed last night to ramp up efforts against Russian dirty money channeled through the UK’s financial system. Glen’s pledge came after Prime Minister Theresa May said that the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March this year was carried out [...]
Facebook and Twitter grilled under the Senate spotlight over social media abuse September 5, 2018 Silicon Valley heavyweights Facebook and Twitter faced a grilling from US senators in an Intelligence Committee hearing earlier today, pushing tech stocks down on Wall Street. Twitter's share price tanked more than five per cent, while Facebook's dropped 2.3 per cent. Meanwhile, Netflix and Snapchat shares both fell by more than four per cent. In [...]
Foreign exchange trading volumes rise as global currencies remain volatile September 5, 2018 Foreign exchange trading volumes have risen more than 7 per cent, NEX Group said, as global currencies remain volatile. NEX, which runs one of the largest FX trading platforms, said average daily trading volumes rose to $84.7bn in August from $83bn in the same month last year. For the year ending 31 August average daily [...]
Prime Minister: Skripal attack carried out by Russian military officers and ‘approved at senior level of Russian state’ September 5, 2018 The attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal was carried out by Russian military officers and "almost certainly approved at a senior level of the Russian state", the Prime Minister has confirmed today. Speaking shortly after police said it had charged two suspects – Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – with multiple counts, [...]
Russian Skripal suspects charged and named as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov September 5, 2018 British authorities have named two suspects they believe are behind the Novichok attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury earlier this year as Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. The two men have been charged in absentia with offences including conspiracy to murder over the Salisbury nerve agent attack, Scotland Yard and the Crown [...]
PM to make mystery statement to MPs today September 5, 2018 Update: The statement will be an update on the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury earlier this year, after British authorities revealed they have charged two suspects with multiple counts including conspiracy to murder and attempted murder. Theresa May is expected to make a mystery statement to members of parliament today, following her [...]
Russian bank boss apologises for calling Boris Johnson a ‘prat’ September 4, 2018 The boss of one of Russia’s largest banks has apologised for calling former foreign secretary Boris Johnson a “prat”. Andrei Kostin, chief executive of VTB, made the comments at Moscow State Institute of International Relations University, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov also in attendance. “Look at, excuse me, the prats in the West, say at [...]