Latest news with #FiveEyes
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tax number reveals whistleblower Snowden to be resident near Moscow
Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who leaked classified material from the US National Security Agency (NSA) more than a decade ago, has been located in or near the city of Lyubertsy near Moscow, the Sistema research project announced on Friday. Sistema based its information on Snowden's tax number, which reveals him to be registered in the city. The Lyubertsy tax office is responsible for three other cities in the Moscow area. Snowden's location in Russia has to date been kept secret. In 2013, Snowden funnelled thousands of confidential documents from the NSA and the Five Eyes intelligence agencies of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, along with the US. At the time, he said he aimed to seek asylum in Ecuador, but was stranded in Moscow, after the US authorities revoked his passport. Under pressure from the US, various countries refused to take him in until Russia under President Vladimir Putin offered him asylum. He has since taken Russian citizenship.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NZ defence minister pledges more deployments, co-operation
By Greg Torode SINGAPORE (Reuters) -New Zealand is seeking to expand Asia-Pacific military deployments in its quest to show it was now "pulling our weight" with increased spending on its armed forces, the South Pacific nation's defence minister said in Singapore on Friday. Defence minister Judith Collins raised the prospect of welcoming increased warship visits to the country, deepening joint training and other cooperative efforts with its traditional defence partners including ally Australia, the United States, Singapore, Japan, Britain and the Philippines. "So we're open for business, we're back in the world and we're pulling our weight," Collins told Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore. The New Zealand government announced in April that it would boost defence spending by NZ$9 billion ($5 billion) over the next four years, with the aim of nearly doubling spending to 2% as a share of gross domestic product in the next eight years amid growing international tensions. The new spending is a significant boost to the defence budget of just under NZ$5 billion in 2024/25, and follows its first national security review in 2023. The review called for more military spending and stronger ties with Indo-Pacific nations to tackle issues of climate change and strategic competition between the West, and China and Russia. The USS Blue Ridge, the command ship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited Wellington earlier this month and further visits from partners could be expected, Collins said. The ship was just the third U.S. warship to visit in 40 years. When asked about Chinese concerns at New Zealand's more assertive military posture, she said Beijing realised Wellington had "actually got a spine", but "I don't think China stays awake at night worrying about us." "I don't think we're any threat to China, or anyone else really," Collins said, describing relations with China, an important trading partner, as "very mature". Regional military attaches and analysts say that after years of relative neglect, New Zealand still had to improve its ability to sustainably project power given its small, ageing navy and air force but supporting its traditional relationships were key. Nuclear-free since the 1980s, New Zealand maintains an independent foreign policy but remains part of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network with the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada. Deployments of its four new Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are being closely watched, given how they can help other countries plug gaps in the hunt for Chinese submarines, analysts say. Collins said New Zealand and Australian pilots now had the ability to fly each other's P-8 and transport planes - a sign of growing "interoperability" in action. Collins said the P-8s had already flown up towards Canada and she expected further patrols in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. "I think you'll see quite a lot of that," she said. "We go everywhere. Everywhere where we're wanted we go, if we can."
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
London lets the sun go down on the British Empire
The decision by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to transfer the Chagos Islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius is a pragmatic response to a changing world, but one heavy with symbolism as the light goes out on the saying that the sun never sets on the British Empire. With the Chagos gone, when dawn breaks on Pitcairn Island in future it will still be night in Akrotiri and Dhekelia on Cyprus, the nearest British outposts far to the west. The Chagos – British since 1814 – include Diego Garcia, a remote atoll hosting a military base operated by the US and the UK since the 1970s and a linchpin in their Five Eyes Anglosphere intelligence alliance with Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Starmer secured a $7.1 billion 99-year lease from Mauritius to keep Diego Garcia. Back home, UK conservatives and media complained the deal was dangerous thanks to Mauritius' friendship with China, but all Five Eyes members had signed off on it. Britain was forced by international law to return the archipelago, and departs leaving the usual colonial shambles with locals expelled for the military base and descendants demanding compensation. The British Empire reached its zenith between the World Wars, when it controlled 25 per cent of the world's surface and population. But England nearly bankrupted itself fighting the Second World War and, either by choice or under duress, started divesting colonies. With the Chagos archipelago about to go, only a few handfuls of islands and military bases such as Gibraltar remain scattered across the North and South Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific. Australia too backed away after the Second World War, when the fall of the British base at Singapore forced us to defend ourselves at Kokoda, and we gratefully turned to the US for protection. Loading But our Empire heart beat strongly for years. Many older Australians may remember the almost national ecstasy that greeted the first visit by Queen Elizabeth I in 1954. That loyalty was further fanned by the Empire (later Commonwealth) Games, but the UK's decision to join the European Common Market removed stars from some Australian eyes, and the 1975 dismissal of the Whitlam government by the Queen's man shattered the reality for many – but not enough to vote for a republic. However, the turmoil assisted the 1986 passing of the Australia Act, removing legal recourse to the Privy Council in London. Nevertheless, British institutions still course through our daily lives. Aside from the language, there are parliaments, the law and the King of Australia. The royals are lead acts on social media and tabloids, especially Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. But monarchy's power is on full display this week in Canada after new Prime Minister Mark Carney invited King Charles III to open parliament as a bulwark against US President Donald Trump's 51st state rantings.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Robots could fight on the front line for Navy and RAF
The Royal Navy and RAF will soon be ready to put robots 'on the front line' after a successful battlefield test of the technology, the Government has said. The Ministry of Defence has spoken of 'rapid progress' in developing combat uses for artificial intelligence-powered assistance for pilots and sailors following a five-day trial, the largest of its kind ever conducted. One of the main uses of AI in the field will be automatic detection of targets and assistance commanding military vehicles. The MoD has also said that using AI on the battlefield will also reduce 'cognitive load' for service men and women. Cognitive load refers to the multiple systems that, for example, a pilot needs to pay attention. A pilot in control of a plane is expected to fly, analyse potential threats and manage communication systems. The Government claims the AI-powered battlefield tech that was successfully tested will be able to do much of this, reducing the pilot's 'cognitive load'. The trial, which took place in early March in Portland Harbour, Dorset, involved relying on AI in several 'mission-based scenarios' and testing its effectiveness compared to human combatants. It raises the prospect of robotic combatants eventually replacing human roles in parts of the Armed Forces, though sources said the possibility was still 'a little way away'. The trial came under the remit of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership between Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. American and Australian military experts were also present during the practice missions, though no representatives from Canada or New Zealand attended. Maria Eagle, the Defence Minister, suggested that after the successful trial the new technology could soon be deployed 'on the front line'. Defence experts in government have also said the rollout of AI on the battlefield will give British forces 'operational advantage' and improve 'mission success'. AI and drone technology are expected to feature prominently in this year's Strategic Defence Review, which will set out equipment and manpower priorities for the Armed Forces. In November the Government warned that Britain was in an 'AI arms race' with Vladimir Putin's Russia. In a speech on defence Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said of AI 'as we develop this technology there's a danger it could be weaponised against us. Because our adversaries are also looking at how to use AI on the physical and cyber battlefield'. The Government recently announced that a fleet of AI-powered battlefield robots would be built in a new plant in south-west England. Ms Eagle said: 'We can all see how AI has the potential to impact our lives and enhance our war-fighting ability, and UK defence is embracing this leap forward in technology to better support our personnel on the front line. 'Significant trials like this, working with international and industry partners, demonstrate the rapid progress we're making to utilise new technology for keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad.' Dr Paul Hollinshead, the head of the MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), said: 'This innovative trial represents a significant advancement in how we develop and test defence technologies. By bringing together multiple domains and partners, we're not just collecting data – we're creating the foundation for mission success and operational advantage that will protect our forces for decades to come.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Telegraph
Robots could fight on the front line for Navy and RAF
The Royal Navy and RAF will soon be ready to put robots 'on the front line' after a successful battlefield test of the technology, the Government has said. The Ministry of Defence has spoken of 'rapid progress' in developing combat uses for artificial intelligence-powered assistance for pilots and sailors following a five-day trial, the largest of its kind ever conducted. One of the main uses of AI in the field will be automatic detection of targets and assistance commanding military vehicles. The MoD has also said that using AI on the battlefield will also reduce 'cognitive load' for service men and women. Cognitive load refers to the multiple systems that, for example, a pilot needs to pay attention. A pilot in control of a plane is expected to fly, analyse potential threats and manage communication systems. The Government claims the AI-powered battlefield tech that was successfully tested will be able to do much of this, reducing the pilot's 'cognitive load'. The trial, which took place in early March in Portland Harbour, Dorset, involved relying on AI in several 'mission-based scenarios' and testing its effectiveness compared to human combatants. It raises the prospect of robotic combatants eventually replacing human roles in parts of the Armed Forces, though sources said the possibility was still 'a little way away'. The trial came under the remit of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership between Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. American and Australian military experts were also present during the practice missions, though no representatives from Canada or New Zealand attended. 'Operational advantage of AI' Maria Eagle, the defence minister, suggested that after the successful trial the new technology could soon be deployed 'on the front line'. Defence experts in government have also said the rollout of AI on the battlefield will give British forces 'operational advantage' and improve 'mission success'. AI and drone technology are expected to feature prominently in this year's Strategic Defence Review, which will set out equipment and manpower priorities for the Armed Forces. In November the Government warned that Britain was in an 'AI arms race' with Vladimir Putin's Russia. In a speech on defence Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said of AI 'as we develop this technology there's a danger it could be weaponised against us. Because our adversaries are also looking at how to use AI on the physical and cyber battlefield'. The Government recently announced that a fleet of AI-powered battlefield robots would be built in a new plant in south-west England. Ms Eagle said: 'We can all see how AI has the potential to impact our lives and enhance our war-fighting ability, and UK defence is embracing this leap forward in technology to better support our personnel on the front line. 'Significant trials like this, working with international and industry partners, demonstrate the rapid progress we're making to utilise new technology for keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad.' Dr Paul Hollinshead, the head of the MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), said: 'This innovative trial represents a significant advancement in how we develop and test defence technologies. By bringing together multiple domains and partners, we're not just collecting data – we're creating the foundation for mission success and operational advantage that will protect our forces for decades to come.'
