United Kingdom

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MPs and peers have launched an inquiry into the UK’s ability to protect undersea internet cables that link the country with the rest of the world, following heightened threats of sabotage from Russia, China and other hostile states.

The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, which scrutinises government decision-making on national security, aims to assess the UK’s readiness for potential attacks on critical underseas communication cables.

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According to the parliamentary committee’s chairman, Matt Western, 99% of the country’s data passes through underseas internet cables, making them a soft target for action by foreign states seeking to covertly damage the UK.

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The UK relies on about 60 cables to connect it with the rest of the world that provide resilience if one or two are deliberately or accidentally damaged. However, MPs and peers have raised concerns that a simultaneous attack on multiple cables, particularly during times of heightened tension or conflict, could cause significant disruption.

According to the UK’s 2025 National Risk Register, in a reasonable worst-case scenario, the loss of transatlantic subsea cables linking to the UK would cause “considerable disruption” to essential services, including financial services, that rely on offshore datacentres and offshore service providers.

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cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/95793

Sneaky paywall workaround: https://archive.is/yZow0

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/31610867

The world's largest iceberg is on a collision course with the British territory of South Georgia - potentially putting millions of penguins and seals in danger.

The trillion-tonne slab of ice, named A23a, broke free from its position last month and started drifting northwards.

The "megaberg" - which is twice the size of Greater London and 130 feet tall - is expected to approach the remote island off Antarctica in the next two to four weeks.

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New polling commissioned by Common Wealth shows strong and widespread public support for community-owned energy projects, and a good level of interest in participating in them through volunteering time, investing money, and reducing energy use. The Labour government’s Local Power Plan (LPP) aims to support local authorities and community groups to develop thousands of such projects, contributing to the UK’s pathway to net zero and building community wealth. Along with partner organisations (Power to Change, Locality and Ashden), Common Wealth is undertaking research on how the Local Power Plan (LPP) can be designed and implemented to maximise its effectiveness in enabling a widespread expansion of the sector in a way that works for communities. As part of this, our new polling with YouGov shows:

• 62 per cent of the public would support a community-owned renewable energy project in their area, compared to 40 per cent support for a privately-owned project.
• 53 per cent of the public say they would be likely to reduce their energy consumption in support of a community energy project, with 24 per cent and 14 per cent likely to volunteer their time and invest money respectively.

Lack of funds and lack of time were major reasons raised by those who said they were unlikely to participate, and there are differences in likelihood to participate across age, gender, education levels and social grade.

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Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was under the care of an NHS mental health service for about four years before he "stopped engaging", a hospital trust has said.

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust confirmed he had been under its care between 2019 and 2023.

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A spokesperson for Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust said it "welco)med an independent public inquiry" into the failures to identify the risk posed by the teenager.

The statement added that Rudakubana, from Banks in west Lancashire, had stopped engaging with the service in February 20

I have considered this drug in the past but I thought the expense and the side effects would make it not worth it. Looks like maybe it is indeed not worth it, given how bad the side effects can be.

Times are desperate. And the only way out is to come up with more ways to exploit ourselves.

UK pay growth rose in November despite evidence of employers cutting jobs after Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising budget, underlining a dilemma for the Bank of England as it considers cutting interest rates next month.

With the government under pressure on the economy, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said annual growth in average weekly earnings rose by 5.6% in the three months to the end of November, up from 5.2% in the three months to October.

City economists had forecast total annual pay growth would accelerate. The reading matched estimates for total pay, but was marginally higher than expected for regular pay, excluding bonuses.

At the same time, the figures showed the UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over rose to 4.4% in the three months to November, up from 4.3% in the three months to October, highlighting some evidence of a cooling jobs market since the autumn budget.

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The UK’s Labour Party is caught in the crosshairs of another controversy, as high-ranking politicians have come in support of Chinese “super embassy” plans, defying warnings from intelligence agencies and protests from residents.

In a recent development, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have indicated that they support China’s plan for building Europe’s largest-ever embassy in Tower Hamlets, east of London City in the UK. The embassy is planned to be built at the former Royal Mint, which was bought by China seven years ago.

The local authorities have repeatedly rejected the plan based on various concerns. For instance, the residents have been protesting the Chinese ‘super embassy’ plans based on concerns that it could lead to security risks and spying attempts.

Moreover, the British intelligence agency, M15, has also warned that the building would be extremely close to crucial communication cables, which could be compromised or attacked by the Chinese in a potential espionage attempt.

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Downing Street has refused to say whether new City Minister Emma Reynolds is able to make decisions about the UK's dealings with China.

Reynolds was appointed by Sir Keir Starmer after the resignation of Tulip Siddiq amid growing pressure over an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh.

Questions have been raised about whether Reynolds has a conflict of interest, because she was a director of public affairs at a banking trade group involved in lobbying for fewer restrictions on Chinese businesses.

The prime minister's official spokesman repeatedly declined to say whether Reynolds' background meant she had to recuse herself, or step back, from decisions about China.