Britain faces the “worst of both worlds” as hostile states pose a growing security threat while terrorism persists, the head of MI5 has warned on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Sir Ken McCallum, director general of the Security Service, said the threat landscape had changed significantly since 2001 and called for Britain to continually adapt its national security defences. Writing in The Independent on the anniversary of the attacks, McCallum described the threats facing the UK today as “markedly different” and called for “relentless adaptation”. He said security should be treated as a “shared national endeavour”. “Sadly,…

Iran-backed rebels capture Mocha as missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia raise prospect of Pakistan and Turkey being drawn into widening conflict. Iran-backed Houthi forces have seized the strategic Yemeni port of Mocha as fighting with Saudi Arabia intensifies, strengthening the group’s position near the Bab al-Mandeb strait and one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Yemeni military sources said on Thursday that Houthi forces had taken control of the Red Sea port city following a major offensive across Hodeidah and Taiz provinces. Pro-government forces withdrew south towards Dhubab, about 46km from Mocha, following several days of fighting.…

Britain will spend more than £3 billion strengthening its military capabilities in space amid growing concern that Russia and China could target Western satellites in a future conflict. The government is investing in technology designed to detect hostile activity in orbit and protect satellites that provide British forces with communications, intelligence and navigation. Under a new UK Space Strategy, £880 million will be spent on space control and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, while £2.8 billion will strengthen satellite communications, including the military’s SKYNET network. The investment reflects growing concern within NATO over the vulnerability of satellites on which modern…

New evidence surrounding alleged Saudi links to the September 11 hijackers has intensified calls for the US government to release further classified material as families prepare to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Previously unseen video footage, court documents and evidence seized by British counter-terrorism officers have raised fresh questions about Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who assisted two of the hijackers after they arrived in California. Bayoumi is a central figure in a $1 trillion (£733 billion) civil lawsuit brought by families of 9/11 victims against Saudi Arabia, which alleges the kingdom provided support to the men responsible…

The United States has destroyed Iranian oil tankers after missile attacks on American warships, as fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia threatened to widen the Middle East war. American forces said they destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on Tuesday after Tehran targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice in two days. The strikes followed attacks over the weekend on three Iranian tankers after Iran fired ballistic missiles at an American aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer. None of the US warships was damaged and no American personnel were injured, but the attacks mark a significant escalation…

A response to the Financial Times By André Pienaar The Financial Times has published a careful and well-sourced case against Golden Dome, President Trump’s comprehensive space-based air defence system designed to protect the US homeland. In making its case against the feasibility and merits of Golden Dome, the FT marshals the standard objections: the engineering is formidable, the price is understated and the politics will not hold. Although these are serious points for consideration, the FT’s analysis is focused on the wrong question. The implicit test the article applies is the one inherited from President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)…

The United States is seeking to restart direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine after Donald Trump’s envoys held separate meetings with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, said they believed a fresh three-way meeting between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv could be arranged soon after a weekend of shuttle diplomacy between the two capitals. The pair travelled to Kyiv after holding more than three hours of talks with Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday, part of a renewed American attempt to end a war now in its fifth year.…

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has won a landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt, bringing the party within reach of governing a German state and raising concerns over what its growing influence could mean for Germany’s policy towards Russia and Ukraine. The AfD won 43.8 per cent of the vote and secured 39 seats in the 83-member state parliament. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) finished second on 17.2 per cent. The AfD fell three seats short of an absolute majority. Mainstream German parties have maintained a political “firewall” against entering coalitions with the party. The result has prompted concern among…

Tensions over the Falkland Islands have escalated after Argentine President Javier Milei announced tougher measures against companies involved in oil development around the territory, as Donald Trump raised the prospect of Washington reconsidering its position on the sovereignty dispute. Milei used a televised national address to renew Argentina’s claim to the British Overseas Territory, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, and announced plans to strengthen his country’s military presence in the South Atlantic. Milei said: “Our role and relevance as a country in the world has changed dramatically. The Falklands are our future – we need to recover these islands,…

By André Pienaar This week, two of the most consequential names in offensive cybersecurity — NetSPI and Synack — announced a merger to form what will be the industry’s leading offensive security platform, backed by KKR, C5 Capital and other investors. As a growth investor, C5 has supported Synack’s growth since 2020. This merger is not simply a consolidation story. This deal indicates where effective cyber defence is heading in the age of AI. The question is: as AI systems become capable of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities on their own, does the human hacker still matter? Some vendors have bet…

Iranian hackers have threatened attacks against US energy, water and telecommunications systems as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate following renewed fighting around the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian hacking group APT IRAN has warned that American critical infrastructure could soon face attacks, following a series of reported attempts to penetrate US infrastructure networks. The group said on Telegram on Sunday: “Soon the United States will witness unexpected and critical events in the energy, water and telecommunications industries.” The FBI said last month that it was investigating cyberattacks targeting municipal water systems in at least seven states. More than 30…

The EU and NATO have vowed to increase pressure on Russia after Germany accused Moscow of carrying out an explosive drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting threats of retaliation from the Kremlin and former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. European leaders rallied behind Berlin after German intelligence concluded that Russia was responsible for the attempted attack on August 04, when a drone carrying explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the incident as a serious escalation and pledged to keep Europe united in its response. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Germany…