Swedish security chief resigns over ‘sensitive' photos on Grindr
Tobias Thyberg, a former ambassador to Ukraine and Afghanistan, stepped down after being asked about a 'sensitive image' by the newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
He said in an interview: 'These are old pictures from an account I previously had on the dating site Grindr. I should have informed [the government] about this but I didn't. I have therefore said I do not intend to take up the position as national security adviser.'
The images are seen as problematic because they could make him vulnerable to blackmail.
Thyberg's departure comes after his predecessor in the recently created
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The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
‘Appeasing bullies never works': Readers split over Trump's push for Putin-Zelensky peace talks
It comes after the US president used last night's White House talks with European leaders to float the idea of a three-way summit with the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, which he said he hoped to arrange within the next two weeks. He later confirmed on Truth Social that he had spoken to the Russian president to begin making arrangements, raising the prospect of the first meeting between Zelensky and Putin since 2019. Reacting to the news, our community were united in the view that peace is urgent, but many worried Trump's involvement could destabilise efforts. 'Appeasing bullies never works,' one reader warned, while another concluded grimly: 'Both Trump and Putin use war for their own ends – small countries do not count.' Some feared the US president would concede too much in pursuit of a Nobel Prize and while many argued Ukraine cannot defeat Russia outright, there were warnings that ceding land would only embolden Putin. Others felt Macron and other European leaders must play a central role in negotiations to balance Trump's unpredictability. Another recurring theme was scepticism about security guarantees, with many doubting promises from either Trump or Putin would be 'worth the paper they are written on'. Here's what you had to say: There needs to be a strong European voice In February Trump chewed Zelensky in his mouth and spat him out. Yesterday all changed – why? Because Zelensky was backed by seven European leaders. Of course, Ukraine will have to cede territory because there is no chance of Ukraine defeating Russia, as in bringing it to its knees. But Putin can't keep losing fighting men forever, so there could be a compromise. If Zelensky meets Putin and Trump, Trump will give too much away so he gets his peace prize. Macron is smart – there needs to be a strong European voice in quadripartite negotiations. Truthfirstwarcasualty Trump could never negotiate peace Art of the Deal my foot! Trump couldn't negotiate his way out of a paper bag. If he had been the President of Ukraine instead of Zelensky, he would be taking orders from the Kremlin by now. Pomerol95 Where should talks be held? Where and how will any talks between Presidents of Ukraine and Russia occur? In my opinion, the "where" cannot be in USA, Russia, NATO nations, EU nations, or even the 46 Council of Europe nations. It is also likely that the host should not be a member of the ICC, and also be seen as neutral. That perhaps leaves Qatar as a front runner. Fair enough, as the ruler Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is a diplomatically pragmatic and highly educated individual. His presence/oversight would solve the issue of such talks being not only neutral as possible, but being seen as such; obviously no member of NATO or EU can attend, let alone mediate. To keep the dialogue on path, there has to be a ceasefire, if only for a limited period, say seven days before, during, and after such a meeting. This to include no military actions, movements, supply, or any combat-related action. All else is solely between the two parties and their translators. Understandably, there will be facilities for private communication between parties and their governments or allies. We are not in the past era of "Great Powers" deciding things for others. The role of external parties is to facilitate the end of the conflict in a manner equitable to all parties. Jonathan Mills Appeasing bullies never works Trump isn't wrong – that is what Putin will demand to 'end' the war. But the big question for Ukraine, and for the rest of the world, is if he gets what he wants for being an aggressor, how long will his version of peace last? When will he decide to grab more land and make more demands on neighbours? The simple fact is appeasing bullies never works. Putin is the 'artful dodger' Given there's no ceasefire, and Trump knowingly put the onus back on Zelensky – by caving to Putin on territorial claims and Ukraine being prevented from joining NATO – Zelensky needs to stand his ground. Whilst Crimea is likely lost, he must oppose any further unlawful territorial gains from Putin. With respect to security guarantees from the US akin to NATO Article 5 stipulations, of course Putin has indicated his willingness to that, but I doubt they would be worth the paper they are written on. Putin will make claims Ukraine has been attempting to seize back Crimea or other parts of its territory, and all bets will be off. I reckon it's a ploy unwittingly agreed to by Trump – but would you trust either of these Presidents to keep their word? Trump regularly flip-flops and changes position all the time, and Putin is the 'artful dodger' when it comes to manipulating Trump and breaking peace agreements at will. StigStag The parallels with the 1930s are deeply worrying The parallels between now and the late 1930s are uncanny and deeply worrying, and the response of 'the leader of the free world' would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic, predictable, and serious. The continental Europeans know, or should remember, what it was like to have a war rage across their lands – something the Americans and British have never experienced. Surely we can learn and realise that the precautionary principle is key and take action to prevent another invasion. That means being appropriately armed and ensuring the territorial integrity of sovereign states is respected – and where military action has attempted to change that, then territorial integrity is restored by whatever means is necessary, hopefully by robust diplomacy. That means we need to cut Trump out of it and deal with this ourselves. Geejay Get serious in arming Ukraine This war has shown that agreements and opinions mean nothing. All that matters is capabilities. Ukraine already had a commitment from NATO to defend it in the Bucharest agreement. But Russia attacked anyway. However, this war has shown that Russia is no longer a first-class military power. The front has barely moved in three years – and that's despite Ukraine being severely outnumbered, having no tanks, aircraft, or long-range missiles, and being supplied with mostly old, outdated NATO weapons. If Europe got serious in arming Ukraine, how long would Russia last? So Ukraine definitely does have a hand at the table – especially considering how unpopular Trump and Putin are in Europe (and elsewhere) at the moment. Ajames Trump dividing Europe The truly scary thing is that Trump, via his tariffs and deals, has already succeeded to a large extent in dividing and thus dominating Europe. People are afraid to upset him – apparently Zelensky is wearing a suit to the meeting! Will they get tariffed, or lose their special deals? Or even be thrown out of the White House? A year ago, Europe would firmly have rejected the idea of Ukraine ceding territory – now it seems they may be putting pressure on Ukraine to do so, even though it isn't spoken out loud. Hungubwe Trump rambles, Putin manipulates Trump rambles, and clearly harbours grudges – not least against Joe Biden, who beat him in 2020. What all this has to do with the actual point of the meeting yesterday is difficult to fathom. It looks like just another Trump rant. There is plenty of precedent for postponing elections during wartime. Britain should have had one in 1940, but by cross-party agreement suspended them for the duration. Trying to get full and fair coverage when a war is raging is almost impossible. It seems to me both Trump and Putin are using war for different ends but with the same basic outcome – small countries do not count. Despite the bluster and accusations Trump threw at Biden yesterday, it was Putin who unleashed his forces against Ukraine on 24/2/2022. If that is not a blatant act of aggression then I do not know what is. Good thing European leaders were there yesterday. There is much more at stake in terms of our security in this war. Allowing Russia to keep its ill-gotten gains is not something we could support. Did they manage to pull Trump back from his favourable opinion of Putin? Who knows with Trump? We live in dangerous times. 49niner
BreakingNews.ie
2 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Contest for nomination within Fine Gael 'good for the party and democracy' — Sean Kelly
Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly has announced that he intends to seek the party's nomination to contest the presidential election. Speaking on RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland, Mr Kelly said that his previous announcement that he would not contest the election had been 'the most difficult decision' of his career. Advertisement Mr Kelly said he believed the "time is right" to put himself forward, after discussing it with family and supporters, in light of the changed circumstances following Mairead McGuinness' decision to withdraw from the race. ' I'll certainly seek the Fine Gael nomination now, unfortunately, that Mairead McGuinness had to withdraw. And there is a process now by which we can seek nominations over the next five days. So I would be looking for the nomination and after that, and if I'm nominated, I would greatly honoured to represent the party and stand for election for president.' When asked what made him change his mind, Mr Kelly said that obviously circumstances had changed with the withdrawal of Mairead McGuinness. 'That changed the position. We needed a new candidate. I was the last man standing the last time. So as I said, it was a very hard decision, the hardest decision I ever made. Not to contest, but now that it is open again. I'm delighted and enthusiastic about the prospect of running for President of Ireland.' Mr Kelly, who is a former President of the GAA, said he believed he had grassroots support and he had been convinced by the response from the public that he had the support and the momentum to get the nomination. Advertisement Ireland Fine Gael reopens nominations to find candidate fo... Read More Being president of Ireland would be the 'highest honour', he said. 'I think actually there's a huge potential in the job, it's the highest honour in Ireland. And if you look at what the last number of presidents have done, they've done tremendous work. There's huge flexibility there.' 'There's massive potential there and I will be reflecting on that and looking at ways to make the Árás relevant to people even more than ever before. And also to work hard and to reflect, particularly abroad, the experience I've gained in Europe and to be able to promote it abroad, to benefit tourism and trade, etc. So there's massive potential there.' Mr Kelly said that he will now start looking for support within the parliamentary party. It was important that there be a contest, it would be good for the party and good for democracy
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Government must stop children using VPNs to dodge age checks on porn sites, commissioner demands
England's children's commissioner has demanded that the government stop children from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around age verification on porn sites. Calling for change, Dame Rachel de Souza warned it is "absolutely a loophole that needs closing" as she released a new report, which found the proportion of children saying they have seen pornography online has risen in the past two years, with most likely to have stumbled upon it accidentally. VPNs are tools that connect internet users to websites via remote servers, enabling them to hide their real IP address and location, which includes allowing them to look as if they are online but in another country. This means the Online Safety Act, which now forces platforms to check users' ages if attempting to access some adult content, can be dodged. After sites such as PornHub, Reddit and X introduced age verifcation requirements last month, VPNs became the most downloaded apps, according to the BBC. A government spokesperson told the broadcaster that there are no plans to ban VPNs as they are legal tools for adults. Dame Rachel told Newsnight: "Of course, we need age verification on VPNs – it's absolutely a loophole that needs closing and that's one of my major recommendations." She called on ministers to look at requiring VPNs 'to implement highly effective age assurances to stop underage users from accessing pornography'. More than half (58 per cent) of respondents to the commissioner's survey said that, as children, they had seen pornography involving strangulation, while 44 per cent reported seeing a depiction of rape – specifically someone who was asleep. Made up of responses from 1,020 people aged between 16 and 21 years old, the report also found that while children were on average aged 13 when they first saw pornography, more than a quarter (27 per cent) said they were 11, and some reported being aged 'six or younger'. The research suggested four in 10 respondents felt girls can be 'persuaded' to have sex even if they say no at first, and that young people who had watched pornography were more likely to think this way. The report, a follow-on from research by the Children's Commissioner's office in 2023, found a higher proportion (70 per cent) of people saying they had seen online pornography before turning 18, up from 64 per cent of respondents two years ago. Boys (73 per cent) were more likely than girls (65 per cent) to report seeing online pornography. A majority (59 per cent) of children and young people said they had seen pornography online by accident – a rise from 38 per cent in 2023. Dame Rachel said her research is evidence that harmful content is being presented to children through dangerous algorithms, rather than them seeking it out. She described the content young people are seeing as 'violent, extreme and degrading' and often illegal, and said her office's findings must be seen as a 'snapshot of what rock bottom looks like'. Dame Rachel said: 'This report must act as a line in the sand. The findings set out the extent to which the technology industry will need to change for their platforms to ever keep children safe. 'Take, for example, the vast number of children seeing pornography by accident. This tells us how much of the problem is about the design of platforms, algorithms and recommendation systems that put harmful content in front of children who never sought it out.' The research was done in May, ahead of new online safety measures coming into effect last month, including age checks to prevent children accessing pornography and other harmful content. A Department of Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson told the BBC that "children have been left to grow up in a lawless online world for too long" and "the Online Safety Act is changing that'. However, responding to Dame Rachel's remarks on VPNs, they added that there are no plans to ban them, "but if platforms deliberately push workarounds like VPNs to children, they face tough enforcement and heavy fines'.
