National Security News

Reporting the facts on national security

National Security News

Month: March 2024

China’s UK election hack – how and why the Electoral Commission was targeted

Soraya Harding, University of Portsmouth via The Conversation The UK government has accused China of hacking the UK Electoral Commission, gaining access to information about millions of voters. In the aftermath of the incident, the UK and US governments have…

NSN Exclusive: Perfect storm created for Somali pirates to return but strong resurgence unlikely – Denys Reva ISS

Somalian pirates are exploiting the crisis in the Red Sea, seeing it as an opportunity to target ships off Somalia’s coast. The World Bank has estimated that pirates operating off the Horn of Africa amassed between $18 billion annually during…

MI5 Is Reviewing the UK Threat Level in the Wake of the Moscow Concert Terror Attack   

British intelligence chiefs may raise the United Kingdom threat level in the wake of the Moscow terrorist attacks.   A rise in the level from Substantial to Severe, the second highest category, is being considered by the Joint Terrorist Analysis Centre…

German Security at Stake as French-Russian Nuclear Partnership Expands

Nestled in the tranquil landscapes of Lower Saxony lies a Lingen factory, now entangled in controversy: 40 uranium shipments approved for transit from Russia’s nuclear giant, Rosatom. The collaboration between Rosatom and France’s state-run Framatome to fuel reactors serving over…

South African President Ramaphosa Denies Taking Sides in Gaza War, As His Foreign Minister Accuses Israel of Defying ICJ ruling 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has refuted claims that South Africa is taking sides in the Gaza war and that relations with the United States have soured due to the International Court of Justice case against Israel. The South African…

Disinformation, governance and the South African election

By Phumzile van Damme – republished from ISS African Futures How can we safeguard South Africa’s hard-won free and fair elections in the age of disinformation online? Phumzile Van Damme weighs in. On 9 March 2024, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter…

Thomas-Greenfield Slams China and Russia’s Decision to Block US-Led Resolution on the War in The Middle East 

On Friday, the UN Security Council dismissed a new US draft resolution, calling for an “immediate and sustained cease-fire” in Gaza contingent on the release of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas. The failed resolution comes after China and…

Ukraine war: Russia’s Baltic neighbours to create massive border defences as Trump continues undermining Nato

Natasha Lindstaedt, University of Essex via The Conversation With Donald Trump leading in many of the polls for the upcoming US presidential election, his comments about global security and foreign policy have to be taken seriously. In February, Trump flippantly…

Deepfakin’ Democracy – Identifying Deepfakes 

In the wild world of digital content, we’re facing a serious reality check – turns out, we’re pretty terrible at spotting deepfake videos and dodgy audio. Recent research shows that we can only identify deepfakes in videos about half the…

Wagner’s Facebook Scheme: Exploiting Global Desperation for Ukraine’s Warfront

Wagner Group, the infamous Russian private military company, has reignited its recruitment campaign on Facebook, preying on unsuspecting individuals worldwide, to lure them into joining the conflict in Ukraine. The targeted nature of this recruitment drive is clear as the…