The UK is preparing a 2,000-strong force designed to wage offensive cyber operations against terrorist groups, according to media reports.
Plans for the £250 million unit follow previously successful efforts to target the ISIS media machine and tamper with the communications of senior commanders, said Sky News.
Experts were expected to be recruited from the military, security services and industry for the joint initiative by the UK’s defence ministry and GCHQ, the government’s secret intelligence centre, in the face of a growing threat from Russia.
“The MOD [Ministry of Defence] and GCHQ have a long and proud history of working together, including on the national offensive cyber programme,” said a government spokesman. “We are both committed to continuing to invest in this area, given the real threats the UK faces from a range of hostile actors.”
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Read more:
White House pledges to step up cyber measures against hackers
Iranian hackers behind stolen research from British universities
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The unit would represent a four-fold increase in personnel dedicated to offensive cyber operations, said Sky. It is also expected to target criminal gangs and will be announced soon, reported the Times citing unidentified sources.
The reports said that the UK was part of a secret global operation led by the US from 2016 to sabotage online ISIS videos in an operation known as Glowing Symphony. The operation say Western officials obtain the passwords to ISIS administrator accounts and use them to delete content including battlefield videos.
The UK has committed to spending £1.9 billion over the next five years to “transform significantly” the UK’s cyber security, including an offensive cyber capability, according to its five-year strategy to 2021.
The reports of the new unit – not denied by the government - comes despite concerns over the lack of cyber security skills within the government and private sector.
A report by MPs earlier this year said that the use of nerve agent to target the Russian former spy Sergei Skripal had heightened concerns about Britain’s ability to respond to international threats.
Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, warned in January that Russia could thousands of deaths with an attack on the UK’s infrastructure, seen as an attempt to recalibrate the potential threat to the UK.
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THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
