Official tournament chess set

TV spooks…Keri and Matthew (Image: Craig Blankenhorn) Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info MI6 is establishing new urban safe-houses complete with fake married couples. Traditionally, defectors spirited away from hostile climes to the UK have found themselves in remote rural idylls or salubrious homes surrounded by manicured lawns - as depicted in the 1987 Bond The Living Daylights when Stonor Park in Oxfordshire was used to debrief defecting Soviet spy Georgi Koskov. Related articles UK edges closer to full-blown Russia war as expert issues warning Warning after child 'abduction' attempts at nearby primary schools But an increasing threat … [Read more...] about Spies living next door! MI6 set up urban safe houses with fake married couples

By Thom Poole Published 4 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Russia-Ukraine war Nato's secretary general says Russia's war in Ukraine is not going to plan and that its attempt to capture the eastern Donbas region has "stalled". Jens Stoltenberg also said Ukraine could win the conflict. Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) estimates Russia has lost about a third of its ground combat force since the war began in February. The Russian invasion has been hampered by stiff Ukrainian resistance and logistical issues. Its initial goal appeared to be to sweep across the country and topple the Ukrainian government. Instead, Russia has withdrawn from areas around the capital Kyiv after failing to capture it and since mid-April has been focusing its efforts on two eastern provinces. In Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv, officials say … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Russia’s invasion not going to plan, Nato says

Footballers' wives Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney are set to face off in the High Court in a £1million libel battle over claims stories were sold to the tabloids. Mrs Rooney - wife of former England captain Wayne Rooney - claimed that she had deliberately been posting fake stories on her personal Instagram account to find out who was leaking information to The Sun newspaper. After a five-month investigation, she sensationally alleged that the culprit was the account belonging to Rebekah Vardy - wife of England striker Jamie Vardy. A social media tit-for-tat during which Mrs Vardy protested her innocence did not settle the dispute. Now, according to court papers, Mrs Vardy, 38, is suing Mrs Rooney, 34 for libel for the claims she made about her on social media. Court records indicate that Vardy filed her claim with the High Court on June 12. No further details are available at this stage, and no date has been set for a court hearing, but the case will proceed to a trial … [Read more...] about Rebekah Vardy suing Coleen Rooney over leaked Instagram stories saga

Liz Truss stands firm as EU threatens trade war Starmer will not resign if he broke rules but isn’t fined Crackdown on espionage unveiled in Queen’s Speech Telegraph Politics WhatsApp group: Sign up for latest news here Russia-Ukraine latest: PM signs historic deals with Sweden and Finland B oris Johnson has ordered his Cabinet ministers to “go faster” as they try to come up with policies to tackle the cost of living crisis. The Prime Minister convened a committee meeting of senior figures last night to discuss the ways Whitehall departments can alleviate the growing pressure on household finances. Ministers were instructed weeks ago to develop low-cost ideas which could be rolled out to take the sting out of rising energy bills and soaring inflation. But no new measures have yet been announced and Downing Street said Mr Johnson yesterday told his ministers to speed up their efforts. The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: “The Prime … [Read more...] about ‘Go faster’ to tackle cost-of-living crisis, Boris Johnson orders ministers

More than 100 'partygate' fines now issued, Met announces Civil servants revolt against back-to-office directive We're not budging on Northern Ireland Protocol, EU tells UK Nadhim Zahawi: Going to school ‘non-negotiable’ Comment: Patel channels her inner Professor Snape Russia-Ukraine latest: Kremlin blasts Nato expansion B oris Johnson has said a windfall tax on oil and gas giants to help tackle the cost of living crisis is not the "right way forward". The Prime Minister did not rule out introducing a levy on the excess profits of energy firms but he made clear his opposition to the policy. He told LBC Radio: “I don’t like them [windfall taxes]. I don’t think they are the right way forward. I want those companies to make big, big investment.” The Government has argued that imposing an additional tax on the companies would damage their ability to invest in crucial new energy sources for the UK. But there is increasing evidence of a split … [Read more...] about Split between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak emerging over tax on energy firms’ excess profits

Ben Affleck and his fiancee Jennifer Lopez looked happier than ever as they held hands while arriving to lunch at Soho House in Malibu on Saturday. The lovebirds were joined by the 52-year-old superstar's mother Guadalupe Rodríguez, who is reportedly 'thrilled that they are back together' a source told People . While still basking in their recent engagement, which they confirmed last month, 19 years after the couple first called off their wedding, the Gone Girl actor, 49, appeared eager to catch up with his future mother-in-law. Ben Affleck and his fiancee Jennifer Lopez looked happier than ever as they held hands while arriving to lunch at Soho House in Malibu on Saturday For the occasion, he cut a dapper figure in a dark black suit with a slightly-unbuttoned white dress shirt and no tie. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Jennifer Lopez cuts a fashionable figure in free flowing... Ben Affleck gets in some bonding time with … [Read more...] about Ben Affleck looks dapper in a black suit on a lunch date with fiancee Jennifer Lopez and her mother in Malibu

Warning, this story has references to suicide. Vicky White had talked for months about retiring, according to her boss, the sheriff. Her 16-year career at an Alabama county jail was supposed to end with one last accolade: Her colleagues had voted her corrections employee of the year. Then, on her final day last month, White ran off with a man awaiting trial on murder charges . Authorities soon surmised that 56-year-old Vicky White and 38-year-old Casey White were not related but had a “jailhouse romance”. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said inmates recounted favouritism and “extra food” on Casey White's trays. “I've learned that you just don't know people sometimes,” Singleton said at a news conference on Monday, as an 11-day search came to an end with a car crash, Casey White's capture and Vicky White's death, which was eventually ruled a suicide. READ MORE: Fugitive US inmate and jailer were prepared for a shootout, sheriff says Escaped US inmate … [Read more...] about A prison guard ran off with a murder suspect, then her death deepened the mystery

"It takes courage to talk about what happened, because it hurts so much," says Sheikh Ahmed al-Muhairi. And yet, the 27-year-old leader believes it is important to have forgiveness and not rage influence his life. Four years after his father and four uncles were killed by the terror group "Islamic State," he now welcomes tribal members in his refurnished reception room in the Iraqi town of Hawija. His house, like many others in his neighborhood in Hawija, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, was destroyed in an IS attack. And yet, the young sheikh has set a landmark by welcoming families of IS members back into the community. This is rare in Iraq, where houses of IS members are rather destroyed to prevent their families from returning. Sheikh Ahmed, however, considers these women and children his responsibility. "I forgave the families who were connected with Daesh," he says, using the local term for the extremist group. "The women and children pose no danger," he … [Read more...] about Iraq: IS returnees met with tolerance and distrust

The funeral of slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh began in chaos on Friday, as Israeli police set off stun grenades and beat mourners with batons, after a group of them tried to carry her coffin on their shoulders rather than let it be loaded in a hearse. By day's end, the crowds had swelled into the largest Palestinian gathering in Jerusalem in recent memory. Mourners called it a stunning display of national unity, prompted by the death of a journalist who was being hailed as an icon, with a face familiar across the Arab world, and was the latest victim, they said, of Israel's decades-long occupation. Abu Akleh, a correspondent for the Al Jazeera news channel, was shot dead on Wednesday while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank. The network and Palestinian authorities said she was shot by Israeli troops. Israel has said she was caught in crossfire. After saying Palestinian gunmen were most likely responsible, the military said on Thursday … [Read more...] about Massive crowds, police beatings as Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral is held in Jerusalem

Published 22 April comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing UK retail sales dropped in March as the rising cost of living hit consumer spending, according to official data. Online sales fell sharply as people cut down on non-essential spending, the Office for National Statistics said . Fuel sales also dropped as people cut travel amid record petrol and diesel prices. However, overall retail sales were still above pre-Covid levels, the ONS said. Retail sales fell by an unexpected 1.4% in the month, and February's sales figures were also revised down. Darren Morgan, ONS director of economic statistics, said "Online sales were hit particularly hard due to lower levels of discretionary spending. "Fuel sales also fell substantially, with evidence suggesting some people reduced non-essential journeys, following record high petrol prices, … [Read more...] about Retail sales fall as rising cost of living bites