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Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer is set to meet other European leaders after the opening ceremony of the Olympics as he continues his bid to reset Britain’s relationship with the continent after Brexit.The prime minister will be in Paris on Friday as the Games get underway in the French capital and is expected to meet members of the Team GB squad on Saturday. But it is understood there is also the opportunity for meetings with other leaders after the event. Last week the Labour leader, who has said he wants a “reset” with the European Union, promised to fix Britain’s damaged relations with the bloc for the benefit of “generations to come”.And less than two weeks into his premiership, he scored his first major success as European leaders hailed his plan for a new era. Paris Olympics More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRachel Reeves is set to unveil a £20 billion ‘black hole’ in public finances on Monday, sparking rumours that Labour’s first autumn statement will bring new tax raising measures.The chancellor is expected to reveal her findings when she releases a Treasury spending audit, setting out the strained state of government finances amid issues with cash-strapped public services.A Labour source said that the update will reveal “the true scale of the damage the Conservatives have done to the public finances.”It is the latest indication from the new government of its position that previous Conservative administrations have left them in a difficult position. Speaking at PMQs this week, the prime minister said that his party has found “crisis and failure everywhere.”But Insitute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) director Paul Johnson said: “There should not be a sense of surprise there is a big issue here.”Speaking about Ms Reeves upcoming statement, he said: “The manifesto words ‘no new taxes on working people’, means that there can be no tax rises at all.”Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to explain the financial challenges the country faces More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorDavid Lammy is being pushed to urgently review Britain’s foreign policy towards a potential key ally in the Red Sea conflict with the Houthis and officially recognise Somaliland.The former UK protectorate on the Horn of Africa has functioned as an independent state since 1991 after breaking away from Somalia following a civil war but has not received official recognition by the international community. The two countries had unified within days of the UK giving Somaliland independence in 1960 but broke up again after a civil war.The renewed calls came this week after Labour run Liverpool City Council unanimously backed a motion recognising Somaliland in what has been hailed as a significant move in the country’s relations with the rest of the world.Foreign secretary David Lammy is being encouraged to review UK policy towards Somaliland (PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRachel Reeves is set to unveil a black hole in the public finances of around £20 billion, signalling that tax rises could be on the way.The chancellor will on Monday set out the results of the spending audit she ordered Treasury officials to produce.The findings appear to confirm concerns raised during the election campaign by the influential Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) who accused the main parties of a “conspiracy of silence” in not addressing the reality of public finances.Asked by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning whether the black hole is a surprise, IFS director Paul Johnson said: “I don’t think that is really credible at all. There should not be a sense of surprise there is a big issue here.”He pointed out that cuts in recent years and the way public sector pay has lagged behind the private sector meant that it was clear that public services would need investment.Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (Justin Tallis/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorRightwing Tory MP Suella Braverman’s bid to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader may come to an end before it even begins despite growing supprt among ordinary party members.The Independent understands that the former home secretary is struggling to get the 10 MPs needed to put her on the ballot paper to become the next Conservative leader as rightwing Brexiteers look at Robert Jenrick as an alternative candidate.Ms Braverman has attracted negative headlines with her support for the Rwanda deportation scheme as “her dream”, description of pro-Gaza supporters as “hate marchers”, call to takeaway homeless people’s tents, claim LGBTQ+ flag “represented child mutilation which left her physically repulsed” and claiming imigrants arriving on small boats was “an invasion”.Who are the runners and riders in the Tory leadership contest Former home secretary Suella Braverman is hoping to get on the leadership ballot paper (James Manning/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorA North Korea-backed cyber group has been accused by the UK, US and South Korea of carrying out an online espionage campaign to steal military and nuclear secrets.The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said the Andariel group has been compromising organisations around the world to steal sensitive and classified technical information and intellectual property data.NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said: “The global cyber espionage operation that we have exposed today shows the lengths that DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) state-sponsored actors are willing to go to pursue their military and nuclear programmes.”The NCSC believes that Andariel is a part of DPRK’s reconnaissance general bureau (RGB) 3rd bureau, and the group’s malicious cyber activities pose an ongoing threat to critical infrastructure organisations globally.Andariel primarily targeted defence, aerospace, nuclear and engineering organisations, but also acted against the medical and energy sectors.The group has attempted to obtain information such as contract specification, design drawings and project details.It also launched ransomware attacks against US healthcare organisations in order to extort payments and fund further espionage activity, the NCSC said.The NCSC, alongside our US and Korean partners, strongly encourage network defenders to follow the guidance set out in this advisory to ensure they have strong protections in place to prevent this malicious activityPaul Chichester, NCSCThe NCSC, part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, issued the joint warning and advisory note about Andariel’s actions with organisations including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and South Korea’s national intelligence service.Mr Chichester said: “It should remind critical infrastructure operators of the importance of protecting the sensitive information and intellectual property they hold on their systems to prevent theft and misuse.“The NCSC, alongside our US and Korean partners, strongly encourage network defenders to follow the guidance set out in this advisory to ensure they have strong protections in place to prevent this malicious activity.”The advisory outlines how Andariel has evolved from destructive hacks against US and South Korea organisations to carrying out specialised cyber espionage and ransomware attacks.In some cases, the hackers carried out both ransomware attacks and cyber espionage operations on the same day against the same victim.The US State Department offered a reward of up to 10 million US dollars (£7.76 million) for information on Rim Jong Hyok, who it said was associated with Andariel.The department said Rim and others conspired to carry out ransomware attacks on US hospitals and other healthcare providers to fund its operations against government bodies and defence firms.US law enforcement agencies believe Andariel targeted five healthcare providers, four US-based defence contractors, two US Air Force bases and Nasa’s office of inspector general.In one operation that began in November 2022, the hackers accessed a US defence contractor from which they extracted more than 30 gigabytes of data, including unclassified technical information regarding material used in military aircraft and satellites. More