MI6 Reveals Real-Life Q Equivalent Is A Woman

January 26, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The real-life equivalent of Q in the James Bond films is a woman, the head of MI6 has said.

Alex Younger, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, made the revelation as he encouraged more females to join the service. He said there is a stereotype that MI6 spies were posh and he wanted recruits from diverse backgrounds.

The character of Q, a technology expert, has always been played by a man in the Bond films.

Speaking at the Women in IT awards on Wednesday, Mr Younger said: "The real-life Q is looking forward to meeting you and I'm pleased to report that the real-life Q is a woman."

Kuwait Carries Out Seven Executions

January 25, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Kuwait has executed seven prisoners for the first time since 2013, including a member of the ruling royal family.

They were hanged at the central prison, according to a statement carried by state news agency Kuna.

The royal family member was named as Faisal Abudallah Al Jaber Al Sabah, who was convicted of premeditated murder and illegal possession of a firearm.

The other executed prisoners included nationals from the Philippines, Egypt, Ethiopia and Bangladesh. They were convicted of a variety of capital offences including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and rape.

Somali Hotel Attack Leaves Many Dead & Wounded

January 25, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Ten people have died and more than 50 are wounded after a car bomb and gun attack at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a senior minister has said.

The attack took place at the Dayah hotel, where some members of parliament were thought to be staying, police said on Wednesday.

Somali security minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed said the four attackers had been killed by security forces. The Islamist militant group al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack.

Tunisia Attack Inquest Hears Victim's Statement

January 24, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A holidaymaker "played dead" next to her husband's body while a gunman killed 38 people at a Tunisian beach resort in 2015, an inquest has heard.

Allison Heathcote, 50, survived five gunshot wounds but husband Philip, then 53, died in the attack near Sousse. The pair, from Suffolk, had been on their 30th wedding anniversary holiday.

Mrs Heathcote's statement was being read at the inquest into the deaths of 30 Britons killed by Islamist gunman Seifeddine Rezgui on 26 June.

The couple, who have a son, had arrived at the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel the day before the attack.

Russia, Turkey & Iran To Enforce Cessation Of Hostilities In Syria

January 24, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Iran, Russia and Turkey say they will jointly enforce a fragile three-week cessation of hostilities in Syria.

The announcement came after two days of peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

In a joint statement, the three countries said there was no military solution to the Syrian conflict. It was not clear whether the Syrian government or the opposition backed the communique. Earlier, a rebel spokesman said "no agreements" would be signed.

Trident Test Questioned By MPs

January 23, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Labour and the Scottish National Party are urging the government to give a full explanation to MPs on how a test firing of a Trident missile went wrong.

The unarmed missile reportedly veered off course a few weeks before MPs voted to renew the nuclear weapons system. The Ministry of Defence says submarine HMS Vengeance and its crew were "successfully tested".

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said it was "extremely worrying" Parliament had not been told of June's incident.

Five Men & Two Women Arrested After Amsterdam Diamond Heist

January 23, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Five men and two women have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a €75m ($80m, £64m) diamond heist in 2005 at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, police in the Netherlands say.

The seven Dutch nationals were arrested in Amsterdam and Valencia in Spain. The armed gang, disguised as airport workers, stole the diamonds as they were about to be put onto a plane.

Trump Becomes President

January 20, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Power belongs to the American people again, President Donald Trump said after he was sworn in as US president.

He took the oath of office on the steps of the US Capitol in Washington to become the country's 45th president.

Thousands of Trump supporters travelled across the country to witness the occasion from the National Mall. The moment marks the end of an improbable journey for the property tycoon after a campaign marked by controversy.

WWII Bomb Found In The Thames Safely Detonated

January 20, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

An unexploded 50kg World War Two bomb found in the River Thames has been removed and exploded.

The operation by the Royal Navy and Metropolitan Police forced Waterloo Bridge, Westminster Bridge and Victoria Embankment in central London to shut.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the WW2 device had been towed along the river to Tilbury, Essex, where it was safely detonated.

Police had been called to the river at 17:15 GMT on Thursday. The device has been identified as a German SD 50kg bomb, a small armour-piercing ordnance dropped from an aircraft.

Aleppo Air Strikes Kill Forty Jihadists

January 20, 2017 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least 40 jihadists have been killed in air strikes on a training camp in western Aleppo, reports say.

Most of those killed are said to have belonged to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which is excluded from the current ceasefire.

It is not clear whether US-led coalition, Syrian or Russian planes carried out the attack. Meanwhile the UN Security Council is to discuss preparations for peace talks between the Syrian government and rebels due in Kazakhstan on Monday.