Which plan was much like the articles of confederation

NATO on brink of WW3 amid Russia’s cyber warfare on West

Amid intense military fighting on the battlefield, Russia and Ukraine are also waging cyber-warfare. In the early hours of Vladimir Putin’ s invasion, Russian hackers tried to cripple tens of thousands of satellite internet modems in Ukraine in a bid to shut down the Internet and leave Ukrainians in an information vacuum. According to Microsoft, Russian hackers also targeted Ukrainian organisations such as nuclear power companies, media firms and government entities. The cyber-attacks took down several major Ukrainian governmental and banking websites.

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According to Max Smeets, director of the European Cyber Conflict Research initiative, some Western countries targeted by cyber-attacks could interpret them as acts of war. As a result, a NATO member could trigger article 5 and a full-blown Third World War.

Mr Smeets told Times Radio: “A cyber operation can in fact lead to trigger, in the case of NATO, Article 5. And you can call it an act of war in case the disruption or destruction is highly significant.

“What is a bit trickier and what we wouldn’t call warfare for sure is indeed when you’re just kind of probing these systems when you’re getting access to them.

“But the open question, though, is, well, okay, maybe what see is sometimes operations that individually are not very, very significant but cumulatively can have great effects.”

NATO could enter a war with Russia over cyber warfare, a cyber expert warns (Image: GETTY)

Max Smeets warned NATO could trigger article 5 over a Russian cyber attack (Image: TWITTER/@TimesRadio)

“And the question is to what degree you can look at them as a whole and then still say, well, this meets the threshold of seeing this as an armed conflict,” said Mr Smeets.

“And increasingly, countries are veering in this direction, that we should think this not individually, but we should look at these operations sometimes in campaign sets up where we link them together.”

Times Radio’s host Hugo Rifkind then said: “So, look, on some levels, it’s a little surprising to think of nations like, well, North Korea and Iran, particularly having very impressive cyber forces, because we don’t necessarily think of them as being, you know, certainly in a civil sense, IT powerhouses.”

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A NATO targeted by Russian cyberattack could trigger article 5, Max Smeets says (Image: EXPRESS)

The whole NATO alliance could enter in direct conflict with Russia over cyber warfare (Image: GETTY)

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“What’s the link there? I mean, basically, do we develop fantastic military cyber forces by having a civilian infrastructure sort of there first to provide the manpower and the expertise? Or are they quite separate?” Times Radio’s Hugo Rifkind asked.

Mr Smeets said: “Well, what is really interesting here in this space is that it’s an uneven playing field. And what I mean with that is countries don’t abide by the same exact rules to operate in this space.

“Some countries care a lot more about collateral effects, about hitting maybe other targets that you don’t want to hit that other countries do. Now, when you think about the number of constraints, so if you want to be a responsible power in this space, then suddenly the requirements to conduct operations disproportionately go up.”

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Article 5 would plunge the world into a new world war (Image: EXPRESS)

Times Radio’s Hugo Rifkind clarified: “Clearly, basically, you mean, like, for example, if Britain is to probe the defence of Russia, we would be very, very concerned about for example, taking down a hospital infrastructure by mistake whereas in return Russia might be less concerned about doing that.”

“Exactly, exactly,” said Mr Smeets. “And that’s what we have seen in this space. So, we’ve seen, for instance, Russia deploying a worm that affected also many systems in the UK. It started in Ukraine in an accounting firm, but then it had implications for even shipping companies and many other companies across Europe. Because it wasn’t really the well-developed capability.”

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The pound to euro exchange rate gained some ground yesterday after a fairly stagnant week. As in recent weeks, opinion polls suggesting a Tory victory have allowed the pound to regain some of its strength against the European currency. It’s a positive outcome for the GBP, which saw a minor slump yesterday following a bleak outlook from experts regarding the manufacturing industry.

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Pound to euro exchange rate: Opinion polls suggest a Tory majority could be likely (Image: Getty Images)

Pound to euro exchange rate: Political developments could affect the exchange rate for Britons (Image: Getty Images)

With the general election due to go ahead on 12 December, political parties have been hard at work campaigning for the election.

While the outcome of the election can not be certainly predicted, at present YouGov 2019 election MRP model result suggest a Conservative bid.

The MPR poll is a newly developed polling method which is based on more than 100,000 interviews over seven days.

In 2017, a MPR poll was the only survey conducted ahead of the election which accurately predicted a hung parliament.

With that said, the latest MPR poll is pointing towards the Tories taking home 359 seats, followed by Labour with 211 and Lib Dems in third with 13 seats.

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However, polling expert Sir Jon Curtice warned that Labour could still regain some strength in the coming days.

He said: “We do have to bear in mind that probably Boris Johnson needs a bit more than a six point lead before we say yeah he’s clearly all home and dry.”

He added: “Then there is a high probability that we will get a minority Labour administration charged with the task of applying for an extension and going for a second referendum.”

How this will affect the pound is yet to be seen, though in recent weeks unpredictability has resulted in dramatic fluctuations for the currency.

Pound to euro exchange rate: The exchange rate has seen a small boost in the last day (Image: Getty Images)

Pound to euro exchange rate: A map of currencies across Europe (Image: Getty Images)

Ian Strafford-Taylor, CEO of international money specialist, Equals (previously known as FairFX) shared his top tips.

He said: “If you’re heading abroad for a winter break or even if you have a trip planned in the new year you should consider buying your travel money while the pound is doing well or you could risk getting a lot less for your money by waiting.

“The run-up to a general election has always been a volatile time for the pound, and this election is proving to be no different. But with the outcome of the election set to have a huge impact on how Brexit plays out, there’s even more at stake for the pound which means it’s more vulnerable than ever.”

Meanwhile Rob Stross, CMO of WeSwap emphasises the importance of planning ahead.

He said: “In light of this uncertainty, it is always best to exchange money as early as possible.

“Last minute travel money purchases, in locations such as at airport bureaux, are always likely to lead to less bang for your buck as merchants are able to offer whatever exchange rate they like, knowing holidaymakers have no choice but to accept.

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Keir Starmer ‘will not win election’ says Len McCluskey

Sir Keir Starmer has been hesitant to discuss Brexit in the past over concerns Labour could further alienate Eurosceptic voters. The Leader of the Opposition is set to give a behind-closed-doors speech on Monday at the Centre for European Reform think tank during which he will use the ailing economy to criticise Boris Johnson.

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According to the Financial Times, Starmer will vow to “invest in our people and our places, and deliver on the promise our country has”.

He will also pledge to “deliver on the opportunities Britain has, sort out the poor deal Boris Johnson signed, and end the Brexit divisions once and for all”.

However, the Remain-supporting former Shadow Brexit Secretary will also take aim at the Prime Minister over the Northern Ireland Protocol and the poor relationship between the UK and the European Union.

The Labour leader will say: “We will get the Protocol working and we will make it the springboard to securing a better deal for the British people.”

Keir Starmer is set to layout his plan for Brexit (Image: Getty)

It is thought the Prime Minister will criticise Starmer for unpicking Brexit (Image: Getty)

He is also poised to promise to “tear down unnecessary barriers”.

Mr Starmer has been bolstered by emerging information that the majority of the public believe Brexit has negatively impacted the economy.

In his speech, the Labour leader is due to say that the Conservatives “have created a hulking ‘fatberg’ of red tape” and will compare Johnson’s Brexit deal to “wet wipe island” in the River Thames.

He will add: “It is hampering the flow of British business – we will break that barrier down.”

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Labour will target anti-Brexit campaigners but want to gain pro-Brexit voters as well (Image: Getty)

The Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations will fuel Starmer’s speech (Image: Getty)

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Sir Keir’s approach to ‘fixing’ Brexit will not involve dragging the UK back into the single market or reinstating the freedom of movement.

He is expected to argue: “There are some who say ‘we don’t need to make Brexit work. We need to reverse it’. I couldn’t disagree more.

“Because you cannot move forward or grow the country or deliver change or win back the trust of those who have lost faith in politics if you are constantly focused on the arguments of the past.

“So let me be very clear: with Labour, Britain will not go back into the EU.

“We will not be joining the single market we will not be joining a customs union.”

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More Brits feel that Brexit has negatively impacted the economy and their day to day lives (Image: Getty)

The Holborn & St Pancras MP will add: “The reason I say this is simple. Nothing about revising those rows will help stimulate growth or bring down food prices or help British business thrive in the modern world.”

New data has emerged which has separated the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy and the impact of Brexit which shows that the UK has faltered in trade and investment compared to other G7 nations.

A UK study conducted by Ipsos showed that there has been a steady increase in the number of Brits who believe Brexit has negatively impacted their daily life since June 2021

This recently increased to 45 percent, with only 17 percent saying their lives have improved.

The Conservatives are due to accuse Starmer and his five-point plan of attempting to undo the work undertaken by them and of reversing elements of Britain’s departure from the Brussels bloc.

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Fred and Rose West became national news when police discovered they were responsible for murdering at least 12 women and girls throughout their marriage. Mrs West is still alive and was convicted of ten murders in 1995 – although she still maintains her innocence. She is reportedly serving the rest of her life sentence in New Hall jail in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Mr West admitted to some murders and provided gruesome details about his victims’ deaths – including how he killed his own daughter Heather. He took his own life before he could be convicted.

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In 2019 podcast series, ‘Unheard: The Fred & Rose West Tapes’, journalist Howard Sounes revisited the story and interviewed one of the Wests’ lodgers to find out more about Heather.

Mr Sounes discovered from former lodger Chris Davis that Heather “said she was going to run away”.

Mr Davis was dating Annamarie, one of the West children, at the time and Heather came to him for advice.

Mr Sounes said: “Her plan was to live in the nearby Forest of Dean, bed and breakfast. Mr Davis gave her some survival tips ‘how to survive off the land’.

“He told her how to hunt rabbits and catch fish.

Rose, Fred and Heather West (Image: GETTY)

Court sketch of Rose West (Image: South West News)

“But he didn’t ask her why she wanted to run away from home.

“Perhaps Chris should have understood that this was more than a child’s daydream.

“Heather never brought it up again.”

This “drastic plan”, as Mr Sounes describes it, was Heather’s attempt to escape her “sex-mad” abusive parents, but she never actually went through with it.

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Rose West when she was convicted (right), with her husband Fred (left) (Image: GETTY)

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She and her siblings were often subject to sexual and physical attacks by their parents.

In June 1987, she tried to get a job at a holiday camp in Devon for the summer, but the job fell through.

Mr Sounes explained: “Heather was coming up to 17. She had given up on running away to the forest but she was still anxious to get away from home.”

It was not long before she fell victim to her parents’ abuse again, after taking some of her mother’s pornographic magazines.

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Police collecting evidence from 25 Cromwell Street (Image: GETTY)

One day Mrs West noticed some magazines was missing and blamed her son Steve.

He ran all the way home from school, and was then beaten severely by his mother for 15 minutes – but Mrs West later discovered it was Heather who had stolen the magazines.

Mr Sounes said: “The following morning Heather stayed home while the children went to school.

“When they returned, she was gone. Her parents pretended she had gone to her summer job at a Devon holiday camp.

25 Cromwell Street (Image: GETTY)

“The children never saw Heather again. Steve thought she was working at the holiday camp. Friends thought she had gone away with her boyfriend.

“Fred told the other kids he had seen her, that he received phone calls from her. That she was living abroad and was doing fine.”

Seven years later, on February 26, 1994, her remains were excavated from the Wests’ back garden.

Mr West confessed and said he strangled her and cut her head off using a serrated knife – all explained in detail “with a remarkably casual attitude”.

After that discovery, the police unearthed the rest of the victims buried at 25 Cromwell Street.

However, the exact number of victims is still unknown.

Unheard: The Fred & Rose West Tapes is available weekly on Apple , Spotify and all podcast providers.