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Stella Rimington, Britain’s first female spy chief, dies at 90

Stella Rimington, Britain’s first female spy chief, dies at 90

LONDON : Stella Rimington, the first female director general of Britain’s MI5 security and counter-intelligence service who ushered in an era of greater transparency at the agency, has died aged 90. Rimington, who ran the domestic security agency between 1992 and 1996, was its first head to be publicly named and later wrote a memoir “Open Secret” about her career at the formerly secretive organisation. She went on to write a series of espionage novels and is also widely thought to have inspired actor Judy Dench’s tough but playful characterisation of the fictional spymaster ‘M’ in several James Bond movies. “She died surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath,“ a family statement quoted by local media said. Rimington was given one of the British state’s highest honours when she was made a dame in 1996. She joined MI5 in 1969 and worked in roles including counter-subversion and counter-terrorism. Under her leadership MI5 took a more prominent role in Britain’s fight against Irish republican militants, according to a profile on the MI5 website. “As the first avowed female head of any intelligence agency in the world, Dame Stella broke through long-standing barriers and was a visible example of the importance of diversity in leadership,“ current MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said in a statement. She committed the agency to a more transparent approach to its work, softening its post-Cold War image. “We are, of course, obliged to keep information secret in order to be effective, this is not to say that we should necessarily be a wholly secret organisation,“ she said in a publicly broadcast 1994 lecture. “Secrecy is not imposed for its own sake. It is not an end in itself.” Foreshadowing her later literary career, Rimington opened that same speech with a nod to the British spy novel tradition and the fascination with the security services it had inspired among the general public. “It is exciting stuff and has led to the creation of many myths - and some lurid speculation - about our work. I must admit that it is with some hesitation that I set out tonight to shed some daylight,“ she said. “I have a sneaking feeling that the fiction may turn out to be more fun than the reality.” - Reuters

Netherlands first to fund US arms for Ukraine via NATO channel

Netherlands first to fund US arms for Ukraine via NATO channel

AMSTERDAM/BRUSSELS : The Netherlands said on Monday it will contribute 500 million euros ($578 million) to purchase U.S. military equipment for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO country to contribute to a new mechanism to supply Kyiv with American weapons. President Donald Trump said last month the U.S. would provide weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but he did not provide details on how this would work. “As the first NATO ally, the Netherlands will deliver a €500 million package of US weapon systems (including Patriot parts and missiles),“ Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in a post on X. NATO chief Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, welcomed the announcement and said he has encouraged other alliance members to participate in the new mechanism, called the NATO Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative. “This is about getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs now to defend itself against Russian aggression,“ Rutte said in a statement. “I have written to all NATO Allies, urging them to contribute towards this burden sharing initiative, and I expect further significant announcements from other Allies soon,“ he added. The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, told Reuters on Monday that he expected many more countries to announce over the coming weeks that they will participate. “We’re moving as fast as possible,“ Whitaker said in an interview at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Asked about a timeline for getting U.S. deliveries to Ukraine under the new mechanism, he said, “I think we’ll see it moving very quickly, certainly in the coming weeks, but some even sooner than that. “The Dutch are just the first of many. You’re going to see a series of announcements in the coming weeks,“ he added. NATO said it would coordinate the new initiative, which is funded by European members of the alliance and Canada and will be divided into packages worth approximately $500 million. In a statement, the alliance said, “Working closely with Ukraine and the United States, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich will validate packages that correspond to Ukraine’s needs, such as air defence, ammunition and other critical equipment for rapid delivery from U.S. stockpiles”. Kyiv welcomed the Dutch decision. “Ukraine, and thus the whole of Europe, will be better protected from Russian terror,“ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on X. “I am sincerely grateful to the Netherlands for their substantial contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s air shield,“ he added. ($1 = 0.8649 euros) - Reuters

Dutch players’ group files billion-dollar class action against FIFA

Dutch players’ group files billion-dollar class action against FIFA

AMSTERDAM : A Dutch football players’ group has announced plans for a Europe-wide class action lawsuit against FIFA, seeking billions in compensation for alleged income losses due to restrictive transfer regulations. The Dutch Foundation for Justice stated that FIFA’s rules have impacted roughly 100,000 players across European member states and the UK since 2002. Consultancy firm Compass Lexecon estimates damages could total billions of euros, with foundation board member Dolf Segaar calling it a “billion-dollar claim.” The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) is among the defendants named in the lawsuit. The case is being filed under the Dutch Act on the Settlement of Mass Damages in Collective Action (WAMCA), allowing the foundation to represent a large group of professional players. FIFA and the KNVB have not yet responded to requests for comment. A preliminary analysis suggests players collectively earned 8% less over their careers due to FIFA’s regulations. “All professional football players have lost a significant amount of earnings due to the unlawful FIFA Regulations,“ said foundation chair Lucia Melcherts. The lawsuit follows a 2024 EU court ruling involving former player Lassana Diarra, which found some FIFA transfer rules violated EU laws. FIFA later adopted interim regulations modifying compensation calculations for contract breaches. The foundation is being advised by law firm Dupont-Hissel, founded by Jean-Louis Dupont, who previously handled the landmark Bosman ruling in 1995. Dupont represented Diarra in his case, calling a favorable judgment a milestone for modernizing football governance. - Reuters

‘Aku tak mahu datang lagi sampai bila-bila’

‘Aku tak mahu datang lagi sampai bila-bila’

GEORGE TOWN – “Pada malam terakhir kami di Betong, kami semua tidur lewat dan bersembang sampai pukul 4 pagi. Waktu itu arwah ada cakap yang dia tak mahu mai (datang) ke sini lagi sampai bila-bila.” Itu kata rakan konvoi kepada seorang penunggang motosikal berkuasa tinggi, Mohd. Shahrizal Kamal, 47, yang maut ketika dalam perjalanan ke ... Read more The post ‘Aku tak mahu datang lagi sampai bila-bila’ appeared first on Kosmo Digital .

RMK13: Lonjakan produktiviti perlu pendekatan bersepadu – MPC

RMK13: Lonjakan produktiviti perlu pendekatan bersepadu – MPC

PETALING JAYA: Sasaran pertumbuhan produktiviti buruh sebanyak 3.6 peratus setahun serta usaha menempatkan Malaysia dalam kelompok 12 teratas Indeks Daya Saing Dunia (IMD) menjelang 2030 adalah realistik dan memerlukan pelaksanaan yang bersepadu, kata Perbadanan Produktiviti Malaysia (MPC).  Ketua Pengarah MPC, Datuk Zahid Ismail berkata, MPC menyambut baik kesungguhan kerajaan dalam Rancangan Malaysia Ke-13 (RMK13) yang ... Read more The post RMK13: Lonjakan produktiviti perlu pendekatan bersepadu – MPC appeared first on Utusan Malaysia .

Florida raw milk linked to 21 E.coli infections, 6 kids affected

Florida raw milk linked to 21 E.coli infections, 6 kids affected

THE Florida Department of Health said on Monday that there have been 21 cases of Campylobacter and E. coli infections linked to drinking raw milk in the state, including six children under 10. The state health department reported seven hospitalizations linked to the consumption of raw milk containing disease-causing bacteria from a particular farm in Northeast/Central Florida. “Sanitation practices in this farm are of particular concern due to the number of cases,“ the health department said. The Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Campylobacter infections can cause diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. In severe cases, they can cause kidney failure, which is of particular concern for children, the health department said. In Florida, raw milk is sold only for non-human consumption as pet or animal food, which limits sanitary regulation efforts. Containers must be clearly labeled that the raw milk is for animal consumption only. Federal health officials have warned against consuming raw milk due to the bird flu outbreak in the United States. U.S. Health Secretary Kennedy has been a proponent of raw milk. - Reuters

McLaren faces dual challenge of success and potential disappointment in F1

McLaren faces dual challenge of success and potential disappointment in F1

MCLAREN boss Zak Brown is preparing to deal with disappointment at the end of the Formula One season, even as the team enjoy one of their most dominant years and a 200th grand prix win at the weekend. As the title battle between Oscar Piastri and teammate Lando Norris heats up, the McLaren pair separated by just nine points after Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the American conceded he was thinking also about how to handle the aftermath. Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen, the McLaren drivers’ closest rival, is now 97 points off the pace and told reporters at the weekend that he may not win again this year given his car’s issues. Even before the weekend, both Piastri and Norris cast caution aside and called it a two-horse race. One of them will surely end the year celebrating a dream come true. The other will rue what might have been, with a new engine era next season shaking everything up again and chances potentially disappearing. Losing always hurts, doubly so when it is to a teammate with the same car, and Brown said McLaren would have to deal with the situation sensitively when -- although he still insisted on saying if -- the time came. “Eventually... we’ll just sit down and actually have a conversation and go ‘right, one of you is going to win and it’s going to be the best day of your life. One of you is going to lose. How do you want us to handle that?’,“ he told a select group of reporters. “We’ll actually sit down and go ‘Right, you want us to jump up and down and celebrate? This guy won’. So we’re fully aware and sensitive to ‘how do you celebrate that situation?’.” Australian Piastri has won six races to Norris’s five but the Briton has momentum going into the August break, with three wins from his last four starts. The pair have had seven one-two finishes from 14 races, including the last four, and have left rivals trailing. McLaren are so far ahead in the constructors’ standings -- 299 points over Ferrari -- that the crown is a given. Much has been made of the potential for a falling out between friends, for clashes on track given what is at stake, but Brown was sanguine and said the relationship was only growing stronger. When Norris ran into the back of Piastri as he challenged for the lead in Canada in June, the Briton defused the situation by immediately taking responsibility. Piastri locked up behind Norris in Hungary on Sunday, in what could have been a repeat of that Montreal accident, but no contact was made. Brown said there was no ‘elephant in the room’ at McLaren, with the drivers having complete transparency on strategy and how the team go about racing, and he expected more close calls in future. “There’s competitiveness brewing... as the championship builds, I’m sure that tension will grow,“ said the boss. “We’re fully anticipating them ‘swapping paint’ again at some point, I’m very confident it won’t be deliberate, which is where you then get into the problems. “They will have racing incidents in their further time here at McLaren, we know that and they know that, so we’re not afraid of that. “I’m positive they’re never going to run each other off the track, and that’s where you get into bad blood. So they’re free to race... there are rules around our racing, which is respect your teammate, they know that.” - Reuters

Aplikasi Prihatin mudahkan urusan dengan Perkeso

Aplikasi Prihatin mudahkan urusan dengan Perkeso

ERA digital yang kian berkembang serta gaya hidup semakin sibuk, Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (Perkeso) mengambil langkah ke hadapan dengan memperkenalkan aplikasi Prihatin. Kehadiran aplikasi tersebut secara tidak langsung membolehkan pengguna mengakses perkhidmatan keselamatan sosial dengan lebih mudah, selain menjadi ‘jalan pintas’ tanpa memerlukan kehadiran fizikal di kaunter. Dilancarkan secara rasmi pada September tahun lalu, Prihatin ... Read more The post Aplikasi Prihatin mudahkan urusan dengan Perkeso appeared first on Kosmo Digital .