The Queen has given Royal Assent to the Brexit bill, clearing the way for Theresa May to start talks to leave the European Union.
The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was passed by MPs and peers on Monday.
It allows the prime minister to notify Brussels that the UK is leaving the EU, with a two year process of exit negotiations to follow.
Mrs May says she will trigger the process by the end of the month.
It is unlikely to happen next week to avoid a clash with an informal summit of EU countries.
The meeting will mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, and in turn became the European Union.
Brexit Secretary David Davis said: "By the end of the month we will invoke Article 50, allowing us to start our negotiations to build a positive new partnership with our friends and neighbours in the European Union, as well as taking a step out into the world as a truly Global Britain."
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Kim Jong-Nam's killing a 'US plot', North Korea claims
North Korea says the recent "incident" involving the death of leader Kim Jong-Un's half-brother was a plot by South Korea and the US to bring the regime down.
Kim Jong-Nam was poisoned with the lethal nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur airport on 13 February.
Police are trying to trace seven North Korean suspects, four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder.
Referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK), diplomat Pak Myong Ho told reporters: "The recent incident that occurred in Malaysia was clearly a political scheme by the US and South Korea aimed at hurting the DPRK's reputation and overthrowing the DPRK regime.
"The only parties that will benefit from this incident are the enemy countries."
Investigators in Malaysia have put out a wanted notice through Interpol for four diplomats sought in connection with the killing.
Police believe the four fled to Pyongyang, while the other three suspects are thought to be hiding in the North Korea embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The Interpol red notice alerts police in countries that are members of Interpol to share information and intelligence on suspects with a view to arresting and then extraditing them. North Korea is not a member.
The Interpol notice names four North Korean men aged between 32 to 56 years old: Hong Song Hak, Ri Ji Hyon, O Jong Gil and Ri Jae Nam.
Two women - Vietnamese Doan Thi Huang and Indonesian Siti Aisyah - have been arrested and charged with the murder.
CCTV footage at the airport shows them approaching the victim and apparently smearing his face with a piece of cloth.
:: How can the world deal with North Korea nuclear threat
Mr Kim's family have now given consent to Malaysia to decide what to do with his body, police in Kuala Lumpur said.
Police confirmed his identity using the DNA of one of his children after he was found to be holding a diplomatic passport in the name of Kim Chol when he was killed.
Deputy national police Chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim said: "I was made to understand that they are leaving it to our government to deal with it (the body) ... yes, they have given their consent."
Pyongyang has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear the secretive regime, insisting that the most likely cause of the 45-year-old's death was a heart attack.
The killing sparked a massive row between Malaysia and North Korea, which have expelled each other's ambassadors.
Kim Jong-Nam was poisoned with the lethal nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur airport on 13 February.
Police are trying to trace seven North Korean suspects, four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder.
Referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK), diplomat Pak Myong Ho told reporters: "The recent incident that occurred in Malaysia was clearly a political scheme by the US and South Korea aimed at hurting the DPRK's reputation and overthrowing the DPRK regime.
"The only parties that will benefit from this incident are the enemy countries."
Investigators in Malaysia have put out a wanted notice through Interpol for four diplomats sought in connection with the killing.
Police believe the four fled to Pyongyang, while the other three suspects are thought to be hiding in the North Korea embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The Interpol red notice alerts police in countries that are members of Interpol to share information and intelligence on suspects with a view to arresting and then extraditing them. North Korea is not a member.
The Interpol notice names four North Korean men aged between 32 to 56 years old: Hong Song Hak, Ri Ji Hyon, O Jong Gil and Ri Jae Nam.
Two women - Vietnamese Doan Thi Huang and Indonesian Siti Aisyah - have been arrested and charged with the murder.
CCTV footage at the airport shows them approaching the victim and apparently smearing his face with a piece of cloth.
:: How can the world deal with North Korea nuclear threat
Mr Kim's family have now given consent to Malaysia to decide what to do with his body, police in Kuala Lumpur said.
Police confirmed his identity using the DNA of one of his children after he was found to be holding a diplomatic passport in the name of Kim Chol when he was killed.
Deputy national police Chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim said: "I was made to understand that they are leaving it to our government to deal with it (the body) ... yes, they have given their consent."
Pyongyang has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear the secretive regime, insisting that the most likely cause of the 45-year-old's death was a heart attack.
The killing sparked a massive row between Malaysia and North Korea, which have expelled each other's ambassadors.
Oil tanker hijacking: Somali pirates release ship and crew after gunfight
Somali pirates who hijacked an oil tanker on Monday have released the ship and its eight Sri Lankan crew, officials say.
It came after a gunfight between naval forces from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland and the gang, followed by negotiations involving local elders.
An unnamed former British army officer said: "The Puntland maritime police force freed the ship. They made (the pirates) an offer they couldn't refuse and the pirates have left."
The reported offer was not disclosed but a pirate confirmed the Comoros-flagged Aris 13 was released without a ransom being paid.
The gang said they agreed to forego a ransom after finding out that Somali businessmen had hired the tanker.
Pirates have traditionally been wary of getting caught up with the country's powerful businessmen.
Aris 13 had been anchored a few miles off the Somali coast near the town of Alula.
Naval forces have now boarded it and were escorting the ship to Bossaso port, the region's commercial hub.
The pirates were not arrested and were allowed to leave.
On Thursday, there were clashes between maritime forces and the hijackers who started shooting at each other. Local residents said four civilians were injured by stray bullets.
Three days earlier, the ship was taken over by the gang who arrived in two small boats. Most of the crew were held captive in a locked room.
It was the first hijacking in the region for five years, and maritime experts have accused ship owners of becoming complacent after a long period of calm.
The tanker, which was making its way from Djibouti to the Somali capital Mogadishu, had changed its course, heading towards the coastline of the northeastern tip of Somalia.
The cost and time saving route, paired with the ship's slow speed and lack of armed escort, left it vulnerable to attack.
It came after a gunfight between naval forces from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland and the gang, followed by negotiations involving local elders.
An unnamed former British army officer said: "The Puntland maritime police force freed the ship. They made (the pirates) an offer they couldn't refuse and the pirates have left."
The reported offer was not disclosed but a pirate confirmed the Comoros-flagged Aris 13 was released without a ransom being paid.
The gang said they agreed to forego a ransom after finding out that Somali businessmen had hired the tanker.
Pirates have traditionally been wary of getting caught up with the country's powerful businessmen.
Aris 13 had been anchored a few miles off the Somali coast near the town of Alula.
Naval forces have now boarded it and were escorting the ship to Bossaso port, the region's commercial hub.
The pirates were not arrested and were allowed to leave.
On Thursday, there were clashes between maritime forces and the hijackers who started shooting at each other. Local residents said four civilians were injured by stray bullets.
Three days earlier, the ship was taken over by the gang who arrived in two small boats. Most of the crew were held captive in a locked room.
It was the first hijacking in the region for five years, and maritime experts have accused ship owners of becoming complacent after a long period of calm.
The tanker, which was making its way from Djibouti to the Somali capital Mogadishu, had changed its course, heading towards the coastline of the northeastern tip of Somalia.
The cost and time saving route, paired with the ship's slow speed and lack of armed escort, left it vulnerable to attack.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
US charges two Russian spies and two 'criminal hackers' over Yahoo hack
Two Russian spies and two "criminal hackers" have been charged in the US over a massive Yahoo data breach in 2014.
Acting assistant attorney general Mary McCord announced that the four people had been indicted at a news conference in Washington DC.
She said: "Two FSB officers, protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the US and elsewhere."
The FSB agents were identified as Dmitry Dokuchaev, 33, and Igor Sushchin, 43.
Dokuchaev was an officer in the FSB's Centre for Information Security, which is supposed to investigate hacking crimes and is the FBI's point of contact in Moscow.
According to AFP, he was arrested earlier this year in Moscow on treason charges.
He is accused of running the Yahoo hack, along with his superior Sushchin.
Ms McCord said they had "protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the United States and elsewhere".
They are accused of hiring Alexsey Belan and Karim Baratov to carry out the attack.
Belan, 29, was born in Latvia but has Russian citizenship, a Russian passport and speaks Russian.
The FBI said he may travel within Russia, Greece, Latvia, the Maldives, Thailand and has been on the FBI's most wanted list for three years.
Baratov is a Canadian/Kazakh national and was arrested on Tuesday in Canada. There were no further details given about him.
:: Yahoo cyberattack trial would shine a light on Russian hacking
Ms McCord said the targets of the hack included security, diplomatic, journalists and military personnel, and that the attack was used for espionage and financial gain.
Officials revealed the Yahoo hack began as early as 2014 and, even though the hackers lost access last September, they continued to use the information acquired until as late as December 2016.
Details of 500 million users were stolen during the hack - one of the largest in history.
Yahoo's chief executive Marissa Mayer tweeted: "Very grateful to the FBI and DOJ for bringing to justice the Russian officials and hackers who led the attack on Yahoo."
Earlier, Chris Madsen, the tech company's senior legal director, said: "The indictment unequivocally shows the attacks on Yahoo were state-sponsored.
"We are deeply grateful to the FBI for investigating these crimes and the DOJ for bringing charges against those responsible."
Sky News Technology Correspondent Tom Cheshire said the indictments would be "a massive relief" for Yahoo, which had been criticised for poor security.
Britain's spy agency MI5 had also been described as having been "very helpful in the investigation", he added.
The US is not alleging any connection between the Yahoo hacking and the attack on the Democratic National Convention.
Russia has not commented but the country's news agencies cited a "highly placed" source in Moscow as saying that they have not heard from Washington about the charges.
The source also said that the topic was part of an internal political struggle in the US.
Acting assistant attorney general Mary McCord announced that the four people had been indicted at a news conference in Washington DC.
She said: "Two FSB officers, protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the US and elsewhere."
The FSB agents were identified as Dmitry Dokuchaev, 33, and Igor Sushchin, 43.
Dokuchaev was an officer in the FSB's Centre for Information Security, which is supposed to investigate hacking crimes and is the FBI's point of contact in Moscow.
According to AFP, he was arrested earlier this year in Moscow on treason charges.
He is accused of running the Yahoo hack, along with his superior Sushchin.
Ms McCord said they had "protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the United States and elsewhere".
They are accused of hiring Alexsey Belan and Karim Baratov to carry out the attack.
Belan, 29, was born in Latvia but has Russian citizenship, a Russian passport and speaks Russian.
The FBI said he may travel within Russia, Greece, Latvia, the Maldives, Thailand and has been on the FBI's most wanted list for three years.
Baratov is a Canadian/Kazakh national and was arrested on Tuesday in Canada. There were no further details given about him.
:: Yahoo cyberattack trial would shine a light on Russian hacking
Ms McCord said the targets of the hack included security, diplomatic, journalists and military personnel, and that the attack was used for espionage and financial gain.
Officials revealed the Yahoo hack began as early as 2014 and, even though the hackers lost access last September, they continued to use the information acquired until as late as December 2016.
Details of 500 million users were stolen during the hack - one of the largest in history.
Yahoo's chief executive Marissa Mayer tweeted: "Very grateful to the FBI and DOJ for bringing to justice the Russian officials and hackers who led the attack on Yahoo."
Earlier, Chris Madsen, the tech company's senior legal director, said: "The indictment unequivocally shows the attacks on Yahoo were state-sponsored.
"We are deeply grateful to the FBI for investigating these crimes and the DOJ for bringing charges against those responsible."
Sky News Technology Correspondent Tom Cheshire said the indictments would be "a massive relief" for Yahoo, which had been criticised for poor security.
Britain's spy agency MI5 had also been described as having been "very helpful in the investigation", he added.
The US is not alleging any connection between the Yahoo hacking and the attack on the Democratic National Convention.
Russia has not commented but the country's news agencies cited a "highly placed" source in Moscow as saying that they have not heard from Washington about the charges.
The source also said that the topic was part of an internal political struggle in the US.
Tory election expenses row: How bad could it get?
How many MPs are under the spotlight?
Two dozen are believed to be under investigation by their local police forces, who have until later this year to decide whether charges should be brought.
They include Craig Mackinlay, who beat Nigel Farage in South Thanet after a big operation by Tory campaigners. He was understood to have been interviewed by police last weekend for six hours.
Previous investigations by Channel 4 News and the Daily Mirror have highlighted others.
Sky News has seen a list of more than 30 Tory MPs who are implicated, although at least two are believed to have been cleared by local police forces.
Some of the MPs are much more concerned than others. Some had a visit by the campaign "battle bus" for just one morning and say they had enough money in local spending that they could have covered it - if they had known it should be registered locally. Others are said to be "scared" about the investigation.
What has Sky News found out?
That recriminations are flying within the party about who is to blame, as an official investigation looms.
A leaked email from Tory MP Karl McCartney, who narrowly beat Labour in Lincoln, refers to the situation as a "mess" which he predicts will result in a "media s***storm".
He blames "clever dicks" at Conservative central office for the spending row, and says MPs are being hung out to dry while Tory officials who masterminded the campaign are "covering their backsides".
Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin has been in touch with Tories affected, and held his first showdown meeting with them on Tuesday. The party has also paid for a lawyer for them.
Mr McCartney claims central office has seen a draft report from the Electoral Commission into the affair ahead of publication and refused to reveal its contents but Conservative sources deny this.
What happens next?
The Electoral Commission is investigating the Conservative party's national spending, and spending on three by-elections in 2014, and is due to report in the coming weeks.
It emerged last year that some £38,000 of spending had not been declared to the watchdog, which the Conservatives put down to an "administrative error". A £20,000 fine could be imposed.
There are also more than 20 separate police investigations into MPs and their election agents and whether they knowingly made a false declaration.
Election agents who filed the campaign return - how much was spent in their local area - face jail. Some MPs have told Sky they expect to be cleared because they closely followed guidance from headquarters which they believed was correct.
How bad could this get for the Conservatives?
The one the Tories are particularly worried about is South Thanet, where Mr Mackinlay beat Mr Farage by 2,000 votes in a contest the Tories were desperate to win.
The campaign return came in at under the £15,000 local limit, imposed to ensure a level playing field. But it has been claimed another £18,000 was spent at nearby hotels.
If any police forces decide there is a case to answer, they will pass a file to the Crown Prosecution Service and the case will go to court.
This could result, eventually, in contests being rerun and the prospect of a raft of by-elections for a Prime Minister with a 12-seat majority and tricky Brexit negotiations to navigate.
Other Tory MPs are simply worried it has dragged on for so long, and hope they will be able to clear their names well ahead of the next general election. Whenever it comes.
Two dozen are believed to be under investigation by their local police forces, who have until later this year to decide whether charges should be brought.
They include Craig Mackinlay, who beat Nigel Farage in South Thanet after a big operation by Tory campaigners. He was understood to have been interviewed by police last weekend for six hours.
Previous investigations by Channel 4 News and the Daily Mirror have highlighted others.
Sky News has seen a list of more than 30 Tory MPs who are implicated, although at least two are believed to have been cleared by local police forces.
Some of the MPs are much more concerned than others. Some had a visit by the campaign "battle bus" for just one morning and say they had enough money in local spending that they could have covered it - if they had known it should be registered locally. Others are said to be "scared" about the investigation.
What has Sky News found out?
That recriminations are flying within the party about who is to blame, as an official investigation looms.
A leaked email from Tory MP Karl McCartney, who narrowly beat Labour in Lincoln, refers to the situation as a "mess" which he predicts will result in a "media s***storm".
He blames "clever dicks" at Conservative central office for the spending row, and says MPs are being hung out to dry while Tory officials who masterminded the campaign are "covering their backsides".
Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin has been in touch with Tories affected, and held his first showdown meeting with them on Tuesday. The party has also paid for a lawyer for them.
Mr McCartney claims central office has seen a draft report from the Electoral Commission into the affair ahead of publication and refused to reveal its contents but Conservative sources deny this.
What happens next?
The Electoral Commission is investigating the Conservative party's national spending, and spending on three by-elections in 2014, and is due to report in the coming weeks.
It emerged last year that some £38,000 of spending had not been declared to the watchdog, which the Conservatives put down to an "administrative error". A £20,000 fine could be imposed.
There are also more than 20 separate police investigations into MPs and their election agents and whether they knowingly made a false declaration.
Election agents who filed the campaign return - how much was spent in their local area - face jail. Some MPs have told Sky they expect to be cleared because they closely followed guidance from headquarters which they believed was correct.
How bad could this get for the Conservatives?
The one the Tories are particularly worried about is South Thanet, where Mr Mackinlay beat Mr Farage by 2,000 votes in a contest the Tories were desperate to win.
The campaign return came in at under the £15,000 local limit, imposed to ensure a level playing field. But it has been claimed another £18,000 was spent at nearby hotels.
If any police forces decide there is a case to answer, they will pass a file to the Crown Prosecution Service and the case will go to court.
This could result, eventually, in contests being rerun and the prospect of a raft of by-elections for a Prime Minister with a 12-seat majority and tricky Brexit negotiations to navigate.
Other Tory MPs are simply worried it has dragged on for so long, and hope they will be able to clear their names well ahead of the next general election. Whenever it comes.
Suicide bomber kills 30 at Justice Palace in Damascus
A suicide bomber has killed at least 30 people after detonating an explosive vest inside the main judicial building in Damascus, state media has said.
Official state news agency SANA said a second suicide blast struck a restaurant in the Rabweh district of the Syrian capital, leaving an unknown number of casualties.
The bombing inside the historic Justice Palace - near the crowded Hamidiyeh market - is the latest in a spate of deadly explosions and suicide attacks targeting government-controlled areas in Syria.
Damascus police chief Mohammad Kheir Ismail said the Justice Palace attacker was wearing a military uniform and carrying a shotgun and grenades and arrived at the entrance to the building at around 1.20pm.
He was stopped by guards, who removed his weapon and asked to search him.
At that point, the man hurled himself inside the building and detonated the explosives, the police chief told state TV.
Another 45 people were wounded in the blast, which is believed to have been timed to kill lawyers, judges and other people going into the building.
In the second attack, a suicide bomber killed several people inside a restaurant in Rabweh district.
Ikhbariyeh TV said the attacker was chased by security guards, before rushing inside the restaurant and detonating an explosive vest.
It comes as airstrikes killed 20 people, at least 14 of them children, in Idlib on Wednesday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The group said the aircraft behind the attack, believed to be Russian, struck the city and the town of Maarrat Misrin.
More than 400,000 people have been killed and millions more displaced since the conflict began in Syria in March 2011, when a popular uprising against President Bashar al Assad descended into a civil war.
:: Red Cross: Syria war destruction 'on World War Two scale'
The recent attacks have targeted highly symbolic sites, and could herald the start of a new insurgency campaign by al Qaeda-linked militants.
On Saturday, twin attacks near holy shrines frequented by Shia Muslims in Damascus killed at least 40 people. They were claimed by the al Qaeda-linked group known as the Levant Liberation Committee - formerly the Nusra Front.
Peace talks have been taking place in the Kazakhstan capital Astana, but Syria's armed opposition has boycotted the most recent round over what it claims is ongoing government military offensives in the country.
The talks, brokered by Russia and Turkey, centre on reaching a ceasefire in Syria and getting humanitarian aid to millions of civilians.
Official state news agency SANA said a second suicide blast struck a restaurant in the Rabweh district of the Syrian capital, leaving an unknown number of casualties.
The bombing inside the historic Justice Palace - near the crowded Hamidiyeh market - is the latest in a spate of deadly explosions and suicide attacks targeting government-controlled areas in Syria.
Damascus police chief Mohammad Kheir Ismail said the Justice Palace attacker was wearing a military uniform and carrying a shotgun and grenades and arrived at the entrance to the building at around 1.20pm.
He was stopped by guards, who removed his weapon and asked to search him.
At that point, the man hurled himself inside the building and detonated the explosives, the police chief told state TV.
Another 45 people were wounded in the blast, which is believed to have been timed to kill lawyers, judges and other people going into the building.
In the second attack, a suicide bomber killed several people inside a restaurant in Rabweh district.
Ikhbariyeh TV said the attacker was chased by security guards, before rushing inside the restaurant and detonating an explosive vest.
It comes as airstrikes killed 20 people, at least 14 of them children, in Idlib on Wednesday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The group said the aircraft behind the attack, believed to be Russian, struck the city and the town of Maarrat Misrin.
More than 400,000 people have been killed and millions more displaced since the conflict began in Syria in March 2011, when a popular uprising against President Bashar al Assad descended into a civil war.
:: Red Cross: Syria war destruction 'on World War Two scale'
The recent attacks have targeted highly symbolic sites, and could herald the start of a new insurgency campaign by al Qaeda-linked militants.
On Saturday, twin attacks near holy shrines frequented by Shia Muslims in Damascus killed at least 40 people. They were claimed by the al Qaeda-linked group known as the Levant Liberation Committee - formerly the Nusra Front.
Peace talks have been taking place in the Kazakhstan capital Astana, but Syria's armed opposition has boycotted the most recent round over what it claims is ongoing government military offensives in the country.
The talks, brokered by Russia and Turkey, centre on reaching a ceasefire in Syria and getting humanitarian aid to millions of civilians.
US charges Russian spies over Yahoo hack
Two Russian spies and two "criminal hackers" have been charged in the US over a massive Yahoo data breach in 2014.
Acting assistant attorney general Mary McCord announced that the four people had been indicted at a news conference in Washington DC.
She said: "Two FSB officers, protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the US and elsewhere."
The FSB agents were identified as Dmitry Dokuchaev, 33, and Igor Sushchin, 43.
Dokuchaev was an officer in the FSB's Centre for Information Security, which is supposed to investigate hacking crimes and is the FBI's point of contact in Moscow.
According to AFP, he was arrested earlier this year in Moscow on treason charges.
He is accused of running the Yahoo hack, along with his superior Sushchin.
Ms McCord said they had "protected, directed, facilitated and paid criminal hackers to collect information through computer intrusions in the United States and elsewhere".
They are accused of hiring Alexsey Belan and Karim Baratov to carry out the attacks.
Belan, 29, was born in Latvia but has Russian citizenship, a Russian passport and speaks Russian.
The FBI said he may travel within Russia, Greece, Latvia, the Maldives, Thailand and has been on the FBI's most wanted list for three years.
Baratov is a Canadian national and was arrested this week in Canada.
There were no further details given about him.
:: Yahoo cyberattack trial would shine light on Russian hacking
Ms McCord said the targets of the hack included security, diplomatic, journalists and military personnel and the cyberattack was used for espionage and financial gain.
Officials revealed the Yahoo hack began as early as 2014 and, even though the hackers lost access last September, they continued to use the information acquired until as late as December 2016.
Details of 500 million users were stolen during the hack - one of the largest in history.
Yahoo's chief executive Marissa Mayer tweeted: "Very grateful to the FBI and DOJ for bringing to justice the Russian officials and hackers who led the attack on Yahoo."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)