All posts tagged: issues

MI5 chief issues chilling warning on 25th anniversary of 9/11 | Politics | News

MI5 chief issues chilling warning on 25th anniversary of 9/11 | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Director General of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum warned of the threats facing the UK (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire) Britain is facing more danger than it was before 9/11, the head of MI5 has warned. Sir Ken McCallum admitted intelligence officers are detecting more conspiracies orchestrated by states such as Russia, China and Iran. And terrorists – noticeably Islamist fanatics – are still plotting mass casualty attacks in the UK, Britain’s top intelligence officer admitted. Sir Ken said on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks: “The MI5 I lead in 2026 contends with a threat landscape markedly different to 2001’s. “Sadly, mass-casualty terrorist ambition endures, as in the recent conviction of an Islamist extremist who sought automatic weaponry for an assault on Manchester’s Jewish community. “But the terrorist threat now sits alongside strategic national security threats posed by capable states.” Referencing James Woolsey, the former CIA director who spoke in 1993 of the West slaying “a large dragon” after the Cold War, Sir Ken added: “We now face the worst of both worlds: dragons are …

Head of MI5 issues ‘call to arms’ in rare public intervention | UK News

Head of MI5 issues ‘call to arms’ in rare public intervention | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

The head of MI5 has issued a “call to arms” for the whole of society to treat national security as a shared challenge. In a rare public intervention, released to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US, Sir Ken McCallum wrote that his officers must confront a “markedly different” threat landscape today than back in 2001. Image: Sir Ken McCallum pictured in October 2025. Pic: AP “Sadly, mass-casualty terrorist ambition endures… but the terrorist threat now sits alongside strategic national security threats posed by capable states,” the director general of the Security Service wrote in an article for The Independent newspaper. Follow latest: 9/11 25 years on Citing former CIA director James Woolsey, who spoke of the West slaying “a large dragon” after the Cold War, Sir Ken said: “We now face the worst of both worlds: dragons are back, but snakes persist.” Image: He discussed ‘taking down’ al Qaeda in the wake of 9/11. Pic: AP The “dragons” are thought to refer to state-based threats from Russia and China, …

ISIS issues chilling statement on 9/11 eve that battle with US ‘far from over’ | World | News

ISIS issues chilling statement on 9/11 eve that battle with US ‘far from over’ | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

9/11 (Image: Getty) ISIS has issued a chilling warning to the US as the country prepares to mark 25 years since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001. The terror group has issued a statement in the ISIS propaganda al-Naba publication warning Americans that their war against the country is “far from over.” The article, published in Arabic, carries the headline “And America Lost” and presents a lengthy argument about the perceived decline of the United States since September 11, 2001. It claims America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan exposed the limits of its military power, arguing that Washington entered the conflicts believing it could impose its will and reshape the Middle East. The article claims the US has suffered not only military setbacks but also economic, political and “moral” losses. It repeatedly contrasts American power with what it describes as the fight against US military intervention by extremists. It claims America has increasingly been forced to rely on air power, drones, special forces and allied forces rather than conventional military occupations. …

Labour issues ‘hammer blow’ to tourism in beautiful UK region | UK | News

Labour issues ‘hammer blow’ to tourism in beautiful UK region | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Ms Cooper, whose business has featured in an episode of Gordon Ramsey’s Uncharted: UK Showdown series, in which she cooked alongside the TV chef, said attracting visitors was already “challenging”. She told the Press Association: “We’ve been through so many different things and recently it’s been to with the business rates going up. During Covid-19 we had a terrible time and then it’s one thing after another. Just as we felt like we are coming through it and tourism’s back, this is like a hammer blow really.” Mayors across England will be handed greater economic power in their region to impose taxes on overnight stays under the new Government plans. Local leaders will set the fee as a percentage of the accommodation cost, rather than a flat rate, but the tax is not expected to have any upper limit. Hotels and tourism firms have warned the uncapped proposals will be “hugely damaging” and see costs passed onto British holidaymakers. Ms Cooper said she would have preferred a flate rate levy, such as an extra £1 …

Asus’ new Zenbook 14 looks the part, but it has a couple of issues holding it back

Asus’ new Zenbook 14 looks the part, but it has a couple of issues holding it back

Published by skeptic

Asus’ long-running Zenbook lineup moves from strength to strength, but the newest model, the Zenbook 14 UX3480QA, is lacking the same strong identity that keeps me coming back to these devices. This Zenbook 14 UX3480QA is a little different to the Zenbook 14 S14 UX5406 I daily drive, pushing into the upper-budget, lower-midrange laptop band, and a little beyond. The result is a wonderfully lightweight build packed with powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware, decent battery life, and a tidy 14-inch screen, tied together with a really superb keyboard that I’ve enjoyed working on the past few weeks. And as someone who really loves his keyboards, that’s saying something. But as much as I like the fun colors, it begs the question: Who is this laptop built for? 7/10 Operating System Windows 11 CPU Snapdragon X (X1-26-100) GPU Adreno X1-45 RAM Up to 16GB The ASUS Zenbook 14 UX3480QA is an ultra-light, premium 14-inch Copilot+ PC featuring a scratch-resistant Ceraluminum™ lid and a vivid OLED display. Powered by an ARM-based Snapdragon X processor with a 45 TOPS …

Russia issues horror threat to nuke America – ‘Destroy them’ | World | News

Russia issues horror threat to nuke America – ‘Destroy them’ | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

A Russian propagandist and top ally of Vladimir Putin has issued a horrifying threat to America, warning of nuclear strikes. TV and radio presenter Vladimir Solovyov reacted to a video of US Senator John Kennedy saying the US must “choke” the Russian President “to death”. Mr Kennedy told NBC News on Sunday: “We got Putin down. We’re choking him to death. We’re choking him. We’ve got to choke him to death. That’s what he understands. I’m not putting down any of the talk, and I think talk is good and it can be helpful. But I won’t faint with surprise if our guys don’t come out of there without a deal.” Solovyov responded to the senator’s comments during an episode of his radio show Full Contact, warning that Russia could retaliate with a “nuclear strike that will destroy” the US. He said: “What is the point for Americans to fight against us? What can they get? A nuclear strike that will destroy them? … “If America takes Ukraine’s side and gets involved in direct military …

Jeremy Clarkson issues heartbreaking cancer update in new message to fans | UK | News

Jeremy Clarkson issues heartbreaking cancer update in new message to fans | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Jeremy Clarkson has issued a heartbreaking admission about his cancer journey as he won big at the National Television Awards on Tuesday. The Clarkson’s Farm star beat off competition from Tyson Fury and Stacey Solomon to take home the first ever Reality Docuseries prize for his Amazon Prime series. Speaking to the media following the win, the 66-year-old shared an update on his cancer journey after revealing his diagnosis in the show’s most recent season. “I had a heart thing and a bit of cancer, but we live in a time when doctors can fix things very easily,” he said. “It was annoying rather than emotional – I missed a lot of the harvest, which I love.” Clarkson’s Farm defeated hits including At Home With The Furys, Stacey & Joe and Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing to win in the new category. After collecting the prize on stage, he said: “Crikey. Some lovely programmes in that category. “I’ve just discovered Paris Fury is from Doncaster like I am. I don’t want to drone on forever, …

Prince Harry pictured in London after King issues Megxit statement | Royal | News

Prince Harry pictured in London after King issues Megxit statement | Royal | News

Published by Sam Flores

A caption alongside the images read: “Thank you Prince Harry for choosing Tower Bridge Studios! It was an absolute pleasure to have you in our studios and signing our wall we look forward to welcoming your back again.” No further details of Harry’s visit have been released. Earlier on Monday, Buckingham Palace revealed that the King had issued clarification on the Sussex’s role following their move back to the UK. He instructed his most senior official, the Lord Chamberlain, to write to government departments and the military stating that the former working royals are private citizens. The strongly-worded letter, a copy of which was sent to the Duke and Duchess, confirmed that their HRH titles remain in abeyance – which means that they will not be used in any official capacity. It also asks that any security queries should be directed to individual police forces, rather than to Buckingham Palace. The letter states: “Following the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to relocate to the UK, we have received a number of requests …

US issues ‘censorship’ warning over UK plan to boost ‘public service’ news on social media

US issues ‘censorship’ warning over UK plan to boost ‘public service’ news on social media

Published by Sam Flores

Social media app folder on a phone, featuring icons for X, Instagram, Tiktok, Threads, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, Google and Linkedin. Picture: Shutterstock/Lonelyguy09 The US Government has intervened in the UK’s proposals to force tech platforms to put “trustworthy” news providers at the top of social and video feeds. The UK Government has proposed to “explore legislative options to require social media to make news content from PSM [public service media] providers, and potentially also national and local news publishers, prominent and easily discoverable”. It said: “This is crucial for countering misinformation, especially during times of social unrest or crisis.” The US Government raised “serious concerns” over free speech in relation to how the UK Government, or a body empowered by it, would designate what outlets are “trustworthy” and said it could be a “mechanism for viewpoint-based censorship”. A statement issued on the US Embassy website said: “If the UK compels platforms to boost government-preferred media in algorithmic feeds, the effect on a government-disfavoured speaker or media source’s reach is not meaningfully different than outright removal.  The …

Fuel Prices at Record Labor Day High in US Thanks to Iran War and Refinery Issues

Fuel Prices at Record Labor Day High in US Thanks to Iran War and Refinery Issues

Published by Sam Flores

It’s never been more expensive in the U.S. to fill up the tank and take one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend. The average price of regular gas was $4.14 a gallon heading into the holiday, nearly a dollar higher than last year and well above the Labor Day weekend record of $3.82 from 2012, according to AAA motor club. Nicole Collins planned to head from Philadelphia to South Carolina to visit friends, but she said her family has spent most of the summer close to home and not taking their typical weekend trips because driving has gotten so expensive. “Gas is pretty high right now. It doesn’t help that we also have a baby, so we also have to pay for that,” Collins said outside a gas station in Claymont, Delaware, where regular gas was $4.199 a gallon. Prices shot up after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February and have not settled down since. Crude oil traffic through the key Strait of Hormuz has plunged, and Iran has refused to …