Russian spies plotting to cause ‘mayhem’ on streets of UK and Europe October 8, 2024 The Russian intelligence service is on “a sustained mission to generate mayhem” on UK streets, the head of MI5 has warned. Ken Mccallum said GRU agents have carried out “arson, sabotage and more dangerous actions” in Britain amid the UK’s support for Ukraine in the war between the two nations. Speaking at the counter-terrorism operations [...]
Why Georgia’s capital Tbilisi is the most fascinating city in Europe October 7, 2024 Towering over the Georgian capital of Tbilisi is Mtatsminda Park, a Soviet-era fairground and gardens set atop a craggy hill. Accessed by a funicular railway, you will find a host of terrifying, creaky old amusement rides, including the 65-metre-high Giant Wheel, which seems to bow outwards over the edge of a sheer cliff. Dotted around [...]
World’s largest insurers head to court for high-stakes clash October 2, 2024 A multi-billion pound trial over stranded aircraft in Russia kicked off this morning in a jam-packed courtroom
Shop prices fall further into deflation as battle to ‘entice’ consumers continues October 1, 2024 According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), shop prices fell 0.6 per cent in the year-to-September, down from 0.3 per cent the previous month.
Bank of England’s Bailey doubts interest rates will fall back to near zero September 24, 2024 With inflationary pressures easing, rate-setters cut rates for the first time since the pandemic in August. However, they subsequently voted 8-1 to keep rates steady last week.
Ed Warner: Seb Coe, Gary Glitter and the most powerful job in sport September 19, 2024 Seb Coe, newly confirmed as one of seven candidates for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is regarded as a serial vote winner. It wasn’t always thus. Witness his single term in office as the MP for Falmouth and Camborne in Cornwall, ousted by Candy Atherton as Labour swept to power in 1997. [...]
UK cracks down on London entity belonging to Iranian oil tycoon September 16, 2024 The British government has targeted a London-based entity of Iranian oil trading empire led by Hossein Shamkhani, as it steps up efforts to stop those sidestepping oil-trading restrictions. Bloomberg revealed last month the role Shamkhani plays in Iranian and Russian oil trading. Shamkhani’s father, Ali, served as a naval commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard [...]
Lammy: West won’t be bullied by Putin over Ukraine missile talks September 15, 2024 The West will not be bullied by Vladimir Putin’s threat of all-out war with Nato if Ukraine is given permission to use Western weapons to strike inside Russia, David Lammy has said. The foreign secretary said talks were continuing with the US and allies about giving Kyiv permission to use UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to [...]
Best London spa: Hoxton’s Banya No.1 is unlike anywhere else September 12, 2024 When was the last time you were laid out naked in an enclosed space, whipped with hot leaves and then dropped into a tub of freezing water?
What happens now that the Paris 2024 show is over? September 12, 2024 The Paris 2024 show’s over. What next? The small subset of Olympians in sports with lucrative circuits have already returned to action: US Open tennis, club and international football, golf’s Tour Championship, La Vuelta cycling and Diamond League athletics to the fore. The significance of the Games for these athletes will differ from sport to [...]