Security News

Boris Berezovsky died by hanging, police say

mars 27, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A post-mortem examination has found Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky’s death was « consistent with hanging », police have said.

Mr Berezovsky, 67, was found dead by an employee on Saturday on a bathroom floor at his home in Berkshire.

The examination found nothing to indicate a violent struggle. More tests are to be carried out on the body.

Thames Valley Police said investigations at the property would continue for several days.

They had earlier said there was no evidence so far that a « third party » was involved.

Mr Berezovsky’s body was removed from the property in Mill Lane, Ascot overnight on Sunday.

Bristow Group to take over UK search and rescue from RAF

mars 27, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A private company will take over the UK’s helicopter search and rescue operations, the Department for Transport has announced.

The Bristow Group has won a 10-year contract to run the service from 2015.

The £1.6bn deal ends 70 years of search and rescue from the RAF and Royal Navy.

Bristow will replace ageing RAF and Royal Navy Sea King helicopters with modern Sikorsky S-92s and AgustaWestland 189s.

Under the new contract, 22 helicopters will operate from 10 locations around the UK.

Ten S-92s will be based, two per site, at Stornoway and Sumburgh, and at new bases at Newquay, Caernarfon and Humberside airports.

Yahoo spends millions on UK teen Nick D’Aloisio’s Summly app

mars 27, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

An app created by a UK teenager has been acquired by web giant Yahoo in a deal the BBC understands to be worth « dozens of millions » of pounds.

Seventeen-year-old Nick D’Aloisio’s Summly app summarises news stories from popular media companies.

Neither company would disclose the terms of the deal publicly.

The app itself will now close, but its features will be used in mobile products at Yahoo, where Mr D’Aloisio has been given a job.

He will be joined by several of Summly’s « top staff » in new roles at Yahoo in the next few weeks.

The app launched when Mr D’Aloisio was aged just 15, and soon attracted more than £1m of investment. He is now likely to be one of the world’s youngest self-made multi-millionaires.

DR Congo Bosco Ntaganda appears before ICC

mars 27, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Congolese war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda has appeared before the International Criminal Court at The Hague for the first time, following his surprise surrender last week.

Gen Ntaganda, a key figure in the conflict in eastern DR Congo, denies war crimes and crimes against humanity.

He said he pleaded not guilty, before the judge interrupted him and said he should not enter a plea at this stage.

He faces 10 counts, including rape, murder and using child soldiers.

Gen Ntaganda handed himself in at the US embassy in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, on 17 March and was flown to the Netherlands, where the war crimes court is based.

He has fought for a number of rebel groups as well as the Congolese army.

North Korea Combat Posture To Hit US

mars 27, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

North Korea says it has ordered artillery and rocket units into « combat posture » to prepare to target US bases in Hawaii, Guam and the US mainland.

The announcement, carried by KCNA news agency, follows days of strong rhetoric from Pyongyang.

The Pentagon condemned the threats, saying the US was ready to respond to « any contingency ».

South Korea on Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan ship, in which 46 sailors died.

It said there was no unusual activity in the North.

Tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test on 12 February. The test led to new UN sanctions which Pyongyang strongly opposes.