Latest news with #BlaiseMetreweli
CNN
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
5 things to know for June 17: Israel-Iran, G7, Spending bill, NIH grants, Mike Lindell
Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6, will be led by a woman for the first time in its history. Blaise Metreweli, who is currently head of the technology and innovation teams, will become chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in the fall. For fans of the James Bond movies, that means Q just became M. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. As Israel and Iran trade strikes for a fifth day, civilians in both countries are paying the price. At least 224 people in Iran and 24 people in Israel have been killed. Schools in Tehran have been turned into bomb shelters and emergency bases, while citizens seeking to evacuate the capital ahead of Israeli strikes have been stymied by fuel shortages. People in Israel are trying to avoid Iran's missiles by gathering in bomb shelters where they sit, glued to their phones and TVs, waiting for the latest updates. Amid the escalating conflict, Israel has publicly justified its unprecedented attack as an effort to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb. However, US intelligence assessments show Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon and was up to three years away from being able to produce and deliver one to a target. President Donald Trump abruptly left the Group of 7 summit in Canada due to 'what's going on in the Middle East,' and directed his national security staff in Washington to meet in the Situation Room. How Trump intends to handle the situation is unclear as he has been sending mixed signals. He posted 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' on his social media platform, but did not explain why. On Monday, he initially signaled his intention not to sign a joint statement calling for de-escalation between Israel and Iran. However, when the G7 leaders released the statement later in the day, an official said it had Trump's blessing. Trump also told European leaders that discussions were underway to obtain a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Overnight, he took to Truth Social to deny ever saying that. The GOP-led Senate Finance Committee released its proposal for President Trump's agenda bill on Monday and it includes some notable changes. While the committee wants to keep many of the provisions contained in the legislation that the House approved last month, it is also calling for: * Deeper cuts to Medicaid* Raising the debt limit by $5 trillion* Lowering the cap on state and local tax deductions* Slowing the elimination of some clean energy tax cuts* Lowering the child tax credit from $2,500 to $2,200 but making it permanent* Limiting tax relief on tips and overtime* Making some business tax breaks permanent Senate Republicans hope to pass their package by next week so the two chambers can work out a final deal to send to President Trump by July 4. A federal judge ruled on Monday that it was illegal for the Trump administration to cut certain research grants at the National Institutes of Health because they focused on gender identity, diversity, equity or inclusion. US District Judge William Young called the administration's process for terminating these grants 'arbitrary and capricious.' He also said it was clear that what was behind the government's actions was 'racial discrimination and discrimination against America's LGBTQ community.' The ruling is expected to be appealed. A federal jury in Colorado has found Mike Lindell guilty of defaming a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems. Eric Coomer, who was the security and product strategy director at the voting equipment company, sued the MyPillow founder and conspiracy theorist for calling him a traitor and accusing him of stealing the 2020 election. Lindell and other allies of President Trump continue to falsely claim that his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden was due to widespread fraud and blamed Dominion's voting machines. The jury awarded Coomer $2.3 million in damages. Perry's doc takes plea One of the physicians accused of providing ketamine to actor Matthew Perry ('Friends') has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution. Perry died in 2023 of 'acute effects' of ketamine and subsequent drowning. Trouble At HomeThe popular home goods chain filed for bankruptcy and may close some locations. Record-breakerTwo-time Olympic gold medalist Mondo Duplantis has broken the pole vault world record for the 12th time. Stand up guysActor Al Pacino and film producer Andrea Iervolino ('Maserati: The Brothers') recently met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. Iervolino described the meeting as 'a moment of profound spiritual and cultural inspiration.' Good eatsThe 2025 James Beard Awards were announced on Monday night. Outstanding restaurant honors went to eateries in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Boulder, Colorado. $50 millionThat's how much Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has donated to launch an autism research institute. 'This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.' — Sophie and Colin Hortman, in a statement following the murder of their parents, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. Check your local forecast here>>> BustedA tourist sat on a crystal-covered chair in Verona's Palazzo Maffei and broke it. The piece by Italian artist Nicola Bolla has since been restored.
Economist
3 days ago
- General
- Economist
Blighty newsletter: The migration theory of everything
Blaise Metreweli is the first female head of Britain's spy service, too A lottery decides where they will work Blame James Joyce. And 'fashion' English wine is changing the landscape Cash for everywhere outside the M25 Answer: hospitals and tanks
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Who is Blaise Metreweli, first female head of Britain's MI6?
The British government on Sunday appointed Blaise Metreweli as the country's first woman to serve as chief of the UK's foreign spy service MI6. But though she will be the first woman to lead the agency, Britain – and the world – have long had women play leading roles in espionage. So who is Metreweli, what does the boss of MI6 – also known as 'C' – do, and who are some of the other female spies that have left a mark on the field? Metreweli, 47, is a career intelligence officer. Until her appointment as head of MI6, she was the director general of technology and innovation at MI6, also known as 'Q'. She joined MI6 as a case officer in 1999, and has held a range of roles since then. She has worked in Europe and the Middle East for the agency, and speaks Arabic, according to United Kingdom media. In the past, she has also worked at MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency. She studied anthropology at Cambridge University's Pembroke College. The chief is the only publicly named member of MI6 staff and reports directly to the British foreign secretary, a position currently held by David Lammy. M16 was formed in 1909 and collects overseas intelligence to understand threats to, and opportunities for, the UK and its overseas interests. The agency also works in tandem with other British intelligence services, including MI5 and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which focuses on intercepting and analysing electronic signals and also works on cybersecurity. MI6 also works on key partnerships such as the Five Eyes which comprise Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the United States. Metreweli will be MI6's 18th C. She will replace Richard Moore, who led the agency for the past five years. Reacting to Metreweli's appointment, Moore said: 'I am absolutely delighted by this historic appointment of my colleague, Blaise Metreweli to succeed me as 'C'. Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader, and one of our foremost thinkers on technology.' In 2021, Moore said that China was the single greatest priority for M16. Recently, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted that Russia poses a threat to Europe. While announcing a boost in defence infrastructure earlier this month, Starmer said: 'The threat we face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War.' A common misconception is that C stands for chief. The chief is actually called C because Naval Officer Mansfield Smith-Cumming, the first to become chief in 1909 signed his name as C. The practice has stuck since, Moore, the outgoing C, told BBC Radio 4 in 2021. Another immortalised practice in the spy service is that C only writes in green ink, physically and digitally, because Cumming would tend to do so, according to Moore. 'Anyone getting a note in green ink knows it comes from me, and the same is true of the typescript on my computer,' Moore said in 2021. Three years before Judi Dench played the first female boss of MI6 in the James Bond film, GoldenEye, Stella Rimington became the first woman director general of the real MI5 after working in different roles in the service since 1969. In 2002, Eliza Manningham-Buller became the director general of MI5 after working for the service since 1974. Anne Keast-Butler currently leads GCHQ. She was previously the deputy director general of M15. In the US, Tulsi Gabbard currently serves as the director of national intelligence for President Donald Trump. Her predecessor under former US President Joe Biden was also a woman, Avril Haines. Gina Haspel was the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2018 to 2021. In Australia, Kerri Hartland leads the foreign intelligence collection agency, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS). During World War II in particular, women played an important role in espionage. Prominent spies for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) included Noor Inayat Khan, Violette Szabo and Krystyna Skarbek. Szabo, who spent time in France during her childhood and could speak French fluently, was on a mission in France when she was captured by the Nazis and executed in a concentration camp. Inayat Khan was a radio operator sent to Nazi-occupied France, where she was arrested and executed by the Gestapo, the secret police service of Nazi Germany. Skarbek, also known by her codename Christine Granville was a Polish SOE agent, carrying out missions across Nazi-occupied Europe and escaping German capture twice. During World War II, American spy Virginia Hall evaded the Gestapo, organising groups of agents, recruiting French residents for safe houses and helping escaped prisoners of war. Melita Norwood, a British citizen, was one of the longest-serving spies for the Soviet Union, serving for nearly four decades from World War II through the Cold War. She provided the Soviet Union with information about the British atomic weapons programme. British intelligence was only able to confirm she was a spy in the late 1990s, long after she had retired. She died in 2005, aged 93.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
The World Tonight Iran launches new wave of missiles at Israel
For a fourth day running, Israel and Iran have struck targets inside each other's countries. As G7 leaders call for restraint, we ask what it would take for the US to become involved. Also on the programme: A landmark report on child sexual abuse says the authorities "shied away from" the ethnicity of grooming gangs for fear of being branded racist. We speak to a journalist who has followed the scandal for 20 years. And as MI6 appoints its first ever female leader, we'll hear about the women of the secret service who blazed a trail for Blaise Metreweli.
NHK
4 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Britain appoints first female chief of MI6 spy agency
The British government has appointed Blaise Metreweli as the first female chief of the country's foreign intelligence service, known as MI6. The government announced on Sunday that Metreweli will become the 18th head of the Secret Intelligence Service, which was founded in 1909. She is scheduled to assume the role in the autumn. The 47-year-old Metreweli joined the organization in 1999. She has spent most of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe. Metreweli said she is proud and honored to be asked to lead the service. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the "historic appointment" comes at a time "when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital." Starmer said he knows Metreweli will "continue to provide the excellent leadership needed to defend our country and keep our people safe." Metreweli's appointment comes after an actress first played the fictional head of MI6 in a James Bond film three decades ago. A local media outlet said Britain's real-life spies have finally caught up with James Bond.
