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☆ Britain to Expel Russian Defense Attaché and Close Some Diplomatic Sites
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Britain’s diplomatic feud with Russia escalated on Wednesday after the British government announced it would expel a senior Russian diplomat who officials claim is an “undeclared” military intelligence officer, and also shut down several Russian diplomatic facilities in the country. The government accused Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the Federal Security Service, or F.S.B., of a pattern of “malign activity” in Britain and Europe, including hacking and leaking trade documents relating to the United States, and targeting of British lawmakers through malicious email campaigns. James Cleverly, the British home secretary, told Parliament that the government was announcing the retaliatory measures “to make clear to Russia that we will not tolerate such apparent escalations.”Britain’s action came two days after the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the British ambassador to Moscow to lodge a “strong protest” over remarks the British foreign secretary, David Cameron, had made about Ukraine’s using weapons supplied by Britain to strike Russian territory.

Persons: James, ”, David Cameron Organizations: Federal Security Service, Russian Foreign Ministry Locations: Russia, British, Russian, Britain, Europe, United States, Moscow

☆ Garrick Club of London Votes to Accept Female Members for First Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of London’s oldest, most celebrated men’s clubs, the Garrick, voted on Tuesday to admit women as members, according to two members. The vote ended a decades-long dispute that had divided the club, generated multiple conflicting legal arguments and made life acutely awkward for some of its most prominent members. Some members had said they planned to swiftly nominate a slate of prominent women, including the actress Judi Dench and the classics scholar Mary Beard. The club did not comment on the meeting, which lasted almost two hours, or the results of the vote, and the members asked not to be identified because they had been asked not to discuss it. They said the debate had been civil, and the vote, which was conducted electronically, had been conducted briskly.

Persons: Garrick, —, Judi Dench, Mary Beard

☆ Markets worry Treasury yields could jump back to levels that sparked chaos last October
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield is hovering below levels that caused a massive crash last fall. Yet, persistent inflation and weak Treasury auctions could boost yields past the 5% mark. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. That's why Treasury auctions have become attention-grabbers for markets, as investors watch to see if there are enough willing buyers. The dangers of 5%When 10-year yields broke through the 5% mark last fall, traders panicked and the S&P 500 nosedived nearly 6% from October's peak-to-trough.

Persons: —, That's, Treasurys, Bill Gross, Ed Yardeni, Eric Sterner, Yardeni, hasn't, they're, Goldman Sachs, Sterner Organizations: Service, Treasury, Business, Treasury Department, Federal, Yardeni Research, Investment, SEI, Apollon Wealth Management

☆ Rishi Sunak’s Dismal Task: Leading U.K. Conservatives to Likely Defeat
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A few days before Britain’s Conservative Party suffered a stinging setback in local elections on Thursday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recorded a short video to promote some good news from his government. In the eight-second clip, Mr. Sunak poured milk from a pint bottle into a tall glass, filled with a steaming dark beverage and bearing the scribbled figure of 900 pounds on the side. “Pay day is coming,” Mr. Sunak posted, referring to the savings that an average wage earner would supposedly reap from a cut in mandatory contributions to Britain’s national insurance system. However partisan her jab, loser is a label that Mr. Sunak is finding increasingly hard to shake, even among his members of his own party. In the 18 months since he replaced his failed predecessor, Liz Truss, Mr. Sunak, 43, has lost seven special parliamentary elections and back-to-back local elections.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, ” Mr, Sunak, He’d, Angela Rayner, Liz Truss Organizations: Britain’s Conservative Party, Labour

☆ Kenya floods: Anger mounts as people left homeless and searching for loved ones swept away in floods
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Larry Madowo | Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —When Julia Wanjiku put her son Isaac to bed last Sunday after a day celebrating his third birthday, she didn’t realize she was also saying goodbye. She was among the survivors gathering at Ngeya Girls High School in Mai Mahiu on Tuesday. A damaged car buried in mud in an area heavily affected by torrential rains and flash floods in the village of Kamuchiri, near Mai Mahiu, on April 29. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople removing mud and water from their house in Mai Mahiu, Kenya, on April 29. Rescuers carry the body of a young man recovered in the debris following flooding, in Mai Mahiu, Kenya.

Persons: Mai Mahiu, Kenya CNN —, Julia Wanjiku, Isaac, Wanjiku, — Isaac, “, ” Wanjiku, Isaac’s, Mai Mahui, It’s, Luis Tato, El, William Ruto, Kithure Kindiki, Isaac Mwaura, ” Ruto, Mark Laichena, ”, Simon Maina, Mwaura, Nyagoah Tut, James Wakibia, Joyce Kimutai, herder, Makau, “ I’m, ” Larry Madowo, Laura Paddison, CNN’s Louis Mian, Allison Chinchar, Mary Gilbert Organizations: Kenya CNN, CNN, Girls High School, Getty, Getty Images, “, Kenyan, Space Agency European Space Agency, European Space Agency, Isaac Mwaura ., Communities, United Arab Emirates, Rights Watch, Kenya Meteorological Department, Human Rights Watch, Rescuers, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute Locations: Kenya, Mai, Kenya’s, Nairobi, Mai Mahiu, Kamuchiri, AFP, Getty Images Kenya, Garissa, Tanzania, Tana, Mathare, New York, El, Nyagoah Tut Pur, Africa, East Africa, London

☆ Trump’s bombardment of dishonesty: Fact-checking 32 of his false claims to Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +43 min

We’re paying for close to 100% of NATO.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. They don’t pay their bills.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. (It rose to about $314 billion in 2020, Trump’s last full year in office.) Facts First: Trump’s claim is false. Facts First: Trump’s claim that “nobody died other than Ashli” is false.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, William Barr, Bill Barr, Barr, Bill, I’m, ”, it’s, Biden, Joe Biden, Tamar Hermann, Hermann, Bill Clinton, “ Trump, ” Trump, …, National Guard Trump, I’ve, George Floyd, Tim Walz, Walz, Paul —, –, Erwan, George Washington, “ don’t, they’re, Stoltenberg, Trump’s, Lagadec, Marc Lipsitch, Barack Obama, European Union won’t, Cortellessa, “ Moody’s, Moody’s, Mark Zandi, Zandi, ’ ” Zandi, Joe Biden’s, rioter Ashli Babbitt, Brian Sicknick, Sicknick, Trump’s ‘, patriotically, ‘, patriotically ’, ” Nancy Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, “ Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi, Christopher Miller, Miller, Eric Cortellessa, Alvin Bragg’s, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, Alvin Bragg, ” Cortellessa, Hillary Clinton, —, Roe, Wade, Kimberly Mutcherson, “ Donald Trump’s, Maya Manian, Mary Ziegler, Davis, Ziegler, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Roe should’ve, ’, Crime Biden, don’t, “ Biden, he’s, James Biden, Jeff Asher, Asher, It’s, ” “, ” Asher Organizations: Washington CNN, Time, Trump, NATO, Capitol, Trump’s, Trade Center, didn’t, World Trade Center, Department, ISIS, CNN, Democratic, White House, White, South Korea Trump, Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data, Biden Administration, Congressional Research Service, Israel, Israeli Democracy Institute, National Guard, Minnesota Democratic Gov, Minnesota National Guard, Guard, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Transatlantic, for Disease Control, World Bank, Washington Post, Harvard, Harvard’s, National, Trump -, of Health, Human Services, Strategic, Biden, U.S . International Trade Commission, European, Benz, Volkswagen, BMW, European Union, US, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, Bloomberg Economics, US Capitol Police, Capitol Police, “, Republican, Democratic Rep, National Guardsmen, District of Columbia National Guard, Army, Capitol Police Board, Senate, Justice Department, Pulitzer Foundation, Pulitzer, New York Times, Electoral, Democrat, ” Rutgers Law, American University, university’s Health, University of California, ”, Customs, Border Protection, Crime, Manchurian, Republicans, FBI Locations: “, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Mexico, South Korea, Trump , South Korea, South, Korea, Israel, Washington, Trump , Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Trump, Minnesota, St, United States, Germany, Brussels, Belgium, Harvard University, China, EU, DC, Trump’s, ”, York, Manhattan, York’s, Russia, That’s

Britain’s Conservative Party suffered striking early setbacks on Friday in local elections that are viewed as a barometer for how the party will perform in a coming general election and a key test for the embattled prime minister, Rishi Sunak. Only a minority of the results had been announced by early Friday, but already the signs were ominous, if not unexpected, for Mr. Sunak’s Conservatives, who have trailed the opposition Labour Party by double digits in national polls for 18 months. The Conservatives have lost more than 120 seats so far, including six in Hartlepool, in northeast England, where the Conservatives had made inroads after Brexit but have more recently lost ground to the resurgent Labour Party. Labour also won a special election for a parliamentary seat in Blackpool South, a seaside district, in a huge swing of votes away from the Conservatives, who had held the seat but narrowly missed finishing third, behind Reform U.K., a small right-wing party. The previous Tory member of Parliament, Scott Benton, resigned in March after becoming embroiled in a lobbying scandal.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Scott Benton Organizations: Britain’s Conservative Party, Sunak’s Conservatives, Labour Party, Conservatives, Labour, Blackpool, Reform Locations: Hartlepool, England

☆ A Portrait Artist Fit for a King (but Not a President)
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Few famous Britons, it seems, can resist the chance to be painted by Jonathan Yeo. Yet when it came to painting his latest portrait, of King Charles III, the artist had to go to the subject. Mr. Yeo rented a truck to transport his 7.5-by-5.5-foot canvas to the king’s London residence, Clarence House. There, he erected a platform so he could apply the final brushstrokes to the strikingly contemporary portrait, which depicts a uniformed Charles against an ethereal background. The painting, which will be unveiled at Buckingham Palace in mid-May, is the first large-scale rendering of Charles since he became king.

Persons: Jonathan Yeo, David Attenborough, Yeo, King Charles III, Clarence House, Charles Locations: West London, Buckingham

☆ U.K. Conservatives Hold Their Breath: How Bad Will Local Elections Be?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When voters in England and Wales go to the polls on Thursday to elect mayors and local council members, the outcome will inevitably be seen as a barometer for Britain’s coming general election. Given the sour public mood and the Conservative Party’s dire poll ratings, the storm clouds are already forming. The big question is not whether the governing Conservatives will lose seats — that is a foregone conclusion among pollsters — but whether the losses will exceed or fall short of expectations after 18 months in which the Tories have consistently trailed the opposition Labour Party by yawning margins. “If a party has been 20 points behind the opposition for 18 months, how much worse can it get?” said Tony Travers, a professor of politics at the London School of Economics. “The losses would have to be very, very bad for it to be viewed as a negative result for the Conservatives, and they are unlikely to be good enough for Labour for it to be viewed as a success.”

Persons: pollsters, ”, Tony Travers Organizations: Wales, Conservative, Conservatives, Tories, Labour Party, London School of Economics, Labour Locations: England

In this article JPY= Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTThe Japanese yen has weakened significantly against the dollar in 2022. Stanislav Kogiku | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty ImagesThe Japanese yen weakened to 160 against the U.S. dollar in Monday morning trading in Asia. The yen briefly touched 160.03 against the dollar, the weakest level since April 1990 when it touched 160.15, according to FactSet data. The yen has traded around 150 or weaker against the dollar since the Bank of Japan ended its negative interest rate regime in March. Japanese authorities have repeatedly warned against "excessive" moves in the yen, but have made no official announcements about bolstering the currency.

Persons: Stanislav Kogiku, Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Vincent Chung, Rowe Price's, Chung Organizations: U.S, greenback, Bank of Japan Locations: Asia

☆ As the U.K. Tries Moving Asylum Seekers Offshore, Ireland Pushes Back
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Britain’s newly ratified plan to put asylum seekers on one-way flights to Rwanda has drawn objections from human rights groups, British and European courts, the House of Lords and even some members of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party. The Irish government said last week that asylum seekers in Britain who fear being deported to Rwanda are instead traveling to Ireland. Irish officials estimate that 80 percent of recent applicants for asylum crossed into the country via Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and with which the Republic of Ireland has an open border. That suggests that Britain’s vow to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is already having something of a deterrent effect, which was Mr. Sunak’s sales pitch for the policy. On Sunday, Ireland’s prime minister, Simon Harris, said, “This country will not in any way, shape or form provide a loophole for anybody else’s migration challenges.”

Persons: Rishi, Simon Harris, ” Organizations: Conservative Party, Northern Ireland Locations: Rwanda, Ireland, Britain, Northern, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ukraine

☆ King Charles to Return to Public Duties, Reassuring Anxious Royal Watchers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

King Charles III will return to public duties next week, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday, an encouraging sign of his recovery, nearly three months after he disclosed that he had cancer, and a palpable relief to a country anxious about another wrenching change in the British monarchy. Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, will mark his return with a visit to a cancer center on Tuesday, where they will meet with patients and staff, the palace said. Yet in the opaque world of the royal family, the busyness of a monarch’s calendar is often the best clue to his well-being. The news offers a ray of hope for a royal family that has been shadowed by health concerns since the beginning of the year. She has been out of the public eye since she was hospitalized in January, igniting a storm of often spurious rumors about her condition.

Persons: King Charles III, Charles, Queen Camilla, Emperor Naruhito, Masako, Catherine, Princess, Wales Organizations: Buckingham Locations: British, Japan

☆ A group of WWII-era scientists used themselves as guinea pigs to learn to breathe underwater. Their experiments helped make D-Day possible.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The scientists conducted over 600 experiments on themselves, breathing CO2, oxygen, and more gases. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe seizures were bad enough in a dry hyperbaric chamber, but one of the researchers nearly drowned breathing oxygen while submerged in water. AdvertisementOne of the British X-Craft submarines that required special calculations about how long it could be under the water without resurfacing for fresh air. Their dangerous experiments not only contributed to the D-Day invasion, but also contributed to the science behind modern-day scuba diving.

Persons: —, Rachel Lance, Bettmann, John Burdon Sanderson Haldane, Haldane, Thetis, John Haldane, Hulton, Martin Case Organizations: British Admiralty, Service, Channel, British Army, intel, Royal Navy, British Royal Navy, Getty, University College London, Deutsch Locations: Normandy

☆ Art dealing can be a tricky business. Insiders share the ins and outs of their 'unusual' world
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Lucy Handley | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

After a degree in fine art, Lambert imagined he would become an art teacher, but a chance meeting with an art dealer who hired him as an assistant set him on a different path. Then, after a stint at another dealership, he opened his own gallery in September — Lambert Fine Art — in the British town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Dealing in art is a trade Lambert described as "unusual," because art is often a purchase driven by emotion rather than need. 'The business needs new blood'The world of art dealing can be intimidating to new entrants, according to Olya Johnson, an interior architect and co-founder of art and interiors business Relic, which she set up in 2023. Risks of dealing artThe occupation can also be risky, because dealers often own multiple pieces of art without knowing when they will be sold, according to the dealers CNBC spoke to.

Persons: —, Mark Lambert, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Lambert, …, — Lambert, " Lambert, Olya Johnson, Johnson, Rasid, Relic, Colefax, Fowler, Natalie Vosloo, it's, Tom Rooth, Jack Roberts, I've, Roberts, David Hockney, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Banksy, Shannon Finney Organizations: Art, CNBC, — Lambert Fine Art, Fair, Anadolu, Getty, Washington , DC Locations: Stratford, Avon, London, Battersea Park, Washington ,

☆ For Israel’s Allies, Iranian Missile Strike Scrambles Debate Over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain was facing a chorus of calls to cut off arms shipments to Israel because of its devastating war in Gaza. On Monday, Mr. Sunak saluted the British warplanes that had shot down several Iranian drones as part of a successful campaign to thwart Iran’s attack on Israel. Faced with a barrage of Iranian missiles, Britain, the United States, France and others rushed to Israel’s aid. They set aside their anger over Gaza to defend it from a country they view as an archnemesis, even as they pleaded for restraint in Israel’s response to the Iranian assault. But it could prove to be a fleeting change, they said, if Mr. Netanyahu orders a counterstrike damaging enough to pitch the region into wider war.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mr, Biden, Iran’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iran, Britain, United States, France, Damascus

☆ Cameron, on U.S. Trip, Takes a Risk and Meets With Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Britain’s foreign secretary, David Cameron, went to Washington on Tuesday, he made all the usual stops, from the State Department to Capitol Hill. But it was his pilgrimage to Palm Beach, Fla., where he met former President Donald J. Trump for dinner on Monday evening at Mar-a-Lago, that grabbed most of the attention. Mr. Cameron is the first top British government official to meet with Mr. Trump since he left the White House. His visit — ostensibly to cajole Mr. Trump into backing additional American military aid to Ukraine — attests to Mr. Trump’s influence over a far-right faction of House Republicans who have been holding up a vote. Mr. Cameron, a onetime prime minister, has emerged as almost a shadow British leader abroad, standing in for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is busy with a looming general election at home.

Persons: David Cameron, Donald J, Trump, Cameron, —, Ukraine —, Rishi Sunak Organizations: State Department, Capitol, British, Mr, White, House Republicans Locations: Washington, Palm Beach, Fla, Ukraine

☆ Three booming businesses that make Denver stand out
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Chris Dilella | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Two cities in Colorado are experiencing tech-fueled economic booms, with Denver's skyline transforming and Boulder's gross domestic product surging. However, the influx of people and businesses has brought challenges like a growing homeless population, affordability issues and infrastructure strain. A recent report shows a 24% drop in Denver's cannabis revenue compared with 2021. Major league moneymakersCameron Fleming #73 of the Denver Broncos runs onto the field before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on January 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. A stage for economic successA concert at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre outside Denver.

Persons: Amy Sparwasser, Matthew Staver, Jared Polis, Polis, Mike Johnston, moneymakers Cameron Fleming, Dustin Bradford, Deion Sanders, Prime's, John P Kelly Organizations: Denver &, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Denver Department of Excise, Licenses, trailblazer, Industry, State Planning, Denver, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies, Avalanche, Analysts, University of Colorado Boulder's, NFL, University of Colorado, Boulder, Rocks Locations: Denver, CNBC's, Colorado, Success, Denver & Boulder, Denver , Colorado, Chicago , New York, Los Angeles, University of Colorado Boulder

☆ Back-to-Back Strikes by Israel Show Strengths and Limits of Accuracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Mark Landler | Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

About 5 p.m. on Monday, Israeli warplanes streaked across the Syrian border, striking an embassy building in Damascus and killing a cadre of senior Iranian military commanders with the kind of pinpoint accuracy that has earned Israel’s military fear and respect across the Middle East. Several hours later, the same Israeli military rained missiles on an aid convoy on a coastal road in the Gaza Strip, a botched operation that left seven foreign aid workers dead and Israel’s reputation in tatters. Its leaders were forced to admit to a string of lethal mistakes and misjudgments. How one of the world’s best-equipped, best-trained militaries could pull off a dangerous strike on foreign soil and then stumble with such tragic consequences in Gaza raises a raft of hard questions — not least how the Israeli military enforces the rules of engagement in its war against Hamas.

Locations: Damascus, Gaza

☆ Ruben Gallego, Democratic Senate Candidate in Arizona, Raises $7.5 Million
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In November, Mr. Gallego, who has no major primary challengers, is likely to face Kari Lake, a former television anchor and close ally of former President Donald J. Trump. Ms. Lake faces a primary challenger, Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County, but leads him by a wide margin in polls. So far, Mr. Gallego has raised more money than Ms. Lake, who has not yet released her most recent quarterly fund-raising numbers. Ms. Lake is a more recent entrant to the race than Mr. Gallego, who announced his run in January 2023. In the last quarter of 2023, his campaign raised $3.3 million, while hers netted $2.1 million.

Persons: Ruben Gallego, Gallego, Kari Lake, Donald J, Kyrsten Sinema, Sheriff Mark Lamb Organizations: Democratic, Mr, Marine, Trump, Sheriff Locations: Arizona, Pinal County

☆ King Charles, Hoping to Reassure Public, Attends Easter Service
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

King Charles III walked into the Easter church service on Sunday at Windsor Castle with Queen Camilla, pausing to wave to well-wishers in his first significant public appearance since disclosing last month that he has cancer. Charles, 75, has continued to work while undergoing treatment, greeting visitors and holding his weekly meetings with the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak. Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced just over a week ago that she, too, had been diagnosed with cancer. As planned, neither Catherine nor her husband, Prince William, appeared with the family at the service. She has not made an official public appearance since Christmas Day, before she entered a hospital for abdominal surgery in January.

Persons: King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Charles, Rishi Sunak, George’s, Catherine , Princess of Wales, Catherine, Prince William Organizations: Windsor Castle Locations: St, Windsor

☆ A 500-Year Old Chapel, 438 Solar Panels and an Architectural Squabble
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Clambering across the sloped roof of King’s College Chapel with the agility of an undergraduate, Toby Lucas, 56, pointed to where his craftsmen had welded solar panels to an expanse of newly installed lead. It was the scariest part of the project, he said, because an errant spark could have ignited the 500-year-old timbers underneath, which hold up the roof of this English Gothic masterpiece. “It’s an iconic landmark in Cambridge, and it’s part and parcel of where I live,” said Mr. Lucas, whose firm, Barnes Construction, did the restoration. “You don’t want to be the person who is responsible for burning part of it down.”The chapel came through the project unscorched and now stands at the heart of Cambridge University, no longer just a glorious relic of the late-medieval period but also a cutting-edge symbol of the green-energy future. Its 438 photovoltaic panels, along with solar panels on the roofs of two nearby buildings, will supply a shade over five percent of the college’s electricity.

Persons: Toby Lucas, ”, Lucas Organizations: Barnes, Cambridge University Locations: Cambridge

☆ Inside the Garrick, the Elite Men-Only London Club Rocked by Criticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a side street in Covent Garden stands an imposing palazzo-style building, strangely out of place amid the burger joints and neon marquees of London’s theater district. It houses the Garrick Club, one of Britain’s oldest men’s clubs, and on any given weekday, a lunch table in its baronial dining room is one of the hottest tickets in town. A visitor lucky enough to cadge an invitation from a member might end up in the company of a Supreme Court justice, the master of an Oxford college or the editor of a London newspaper. Women are excluded from membership in the Garrick and permitted only as guests, a long-simmering source of tension that has recently erupted into a full-blown furor. Mr. Moore’s membership seemed at odds with his efforts to bring more racial and gender diversity to the British spy agency, known as MI6.

Persons: Garrick, Richard Moore, Simon Case, Case, derisory Organizations: Garrick Club, Oxford, Guardian, Secret Intelligence Service Locations: Covent, London, British, ”

☆ Russian Group Spread Disinformation About Princess of Wales, Experts Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Mark Landler | Adam Satariano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The whirl of conspiracy theories that enveloped Catherine, Princess of Wales, before she disclosed her cancer diagnosis last week probably didn’t need help from a foreign state. But researchers in Britain said Wednesday that a notorious Russian disinformation operation helped stir the pot. As in those cases, Professor Innes said, the influence campaign appeared calculated to inflame divisions, deepen a sense of chaos in society, and erode trust in institutions — in this case, the British royal family and the news media. “The story was already being framed in conspiracy terms, so you can appeal to those people. And people who support the royal family get angry.”

Persons: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Martin Innes, Volodymyr Zelensky, Innes, ” Organizations: Cardiff University, Ukraine Locations: Britain, Wales, —

☆ U.S. and Britain Accuse China of Cyberespionage Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( David E. Sanger | Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States and Britain imposed sanctions on China’s elite hacking units on Monday, accusing Beijing’s top spy agency of a yearslong effort to place malware in America’s electrical grids, defense systems and other critical infrastructure, and of stealing the voting rolls for 40 million British citizens. Taken together, the actions on both sides of the Atlantic underscored the escalation of cyberconflict between the Western allies and Beijing, in vastly different spheres. American intelligence agencies have warned that the malware found in U.S. infrastructure appeared to be intended for use if the United States were coming to the aid of Taiwan. The theory is that Americans would be too tied up worrying about their own supplies of electricity, food and water to help a distant island that Beijing claims as its own. Separately, the Justice Department indicted individual Chinese hackers for what Attorney General Merrick B. Garland called a 14-year effort “to target and intimidate” Beijing’s critics around the world.

Persons: Beijing’s, Merrick B, Garland, ” Organizations: Justice Department Locations: States, Britain, Beijing, U.S, United States, Taiwan

☆ U.K. to Accuse China of Cyberattacks Targeting Voter Data and Lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Mark Landler | Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The British government is expected to publicly link China to cyberattacks that compromised the voting records of tens of millions of people, another notable hardening of Britain’s stance toward China since its leaders heralded a “golden era” in British-Chinese relations nearly a decade ago. The deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, will make a statement about the matter in Parliament on Monday afternoon, and is expected to announce sanctions against state-affiliated individuals and entities implicated in the attacks. The government disclosed the attack on the Electoral Commission last year but did not identify those behind it. It is believed to have begun in 2021 and lasted several months, with the personal details of 40 million voters being hacked. The Electoral Commission, which oversees elections in the United Kingdom, said that the names and addresses of anyone registered to vote in Britain and Northern Ireland between 2014 and 2022 had been accessed, as well as those of overseas voters.

Persons: Oliver Dowden Organizations: Electoral Commission Locations: China, United Kingdom, Britain, Northern Ireland

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