MI5 is warning British universities to sever funding links with a Beijing-based company which it says has very strong ties to China’s Ministry of State Security.
The rare warning is the first time the domestic spy agency has independently published an alert publicly, and its first alert since a joint bulletin by the UK and its intelligence allies in June.
The agency warns that British universities are the targets of Chinese espionage designed to boost its military.
Israel-bound flight diverted after ‘fight between pilots’
A Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv had to be diverted this morning after a physical fight between the plane’s two pilots, Israeli officials have told local media.
Emergency code triggered
Two hours after taking off from Dubai, the flight signalled an emergency code, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The plane, carrying around 150 people, mostly Israelis, was diverted to land in Saudi Arabia instead of Ben-Guiron airport.
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Air force responds
- Israel dispatched fighter jets to the incident site
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations
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Flydubai issues statement
A Flydubai spokesperson confirmed the flight “experienced an incident while en route”, and that updates will be issued as further details become available. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” it added.
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Energy bills to soar by 16% in January – what it means for your money
The typical household bill is set to jump by £276 in January, according to an industry forecaster, with others warning of a “second energy crisis” on the horizon.
Second price rise predicted in the New Year
Bills are set to go up tomorrow by 4 per cent in line with the energy regulator Ofgem’s price cap increase. Energy consultancy firm, Cornwall Insights, has warned the next price cap increase in January could be even more, bringing a typical annual bill to £1,999.
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Government promises ‘breathing space’
Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the this morning that rising energy costs were “very difficult indeed”, and the Government would be looking at “any measure that can give people breathing space”.
This came as the CEO of energy supplier EDF, Simone Rossi, warned the UK is “walking into a second energy crisis”.
Bleak winter ahead
“I’m doing what I can, removing say VAT off bills. But it is very difficult indeed, and it’s why the Middle East situation needs to command a lot of our attention.”
Andy Burnham
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What we know as three teenagers die after car plunges into River Wear
Three people have died and a 17-year-old arrested after a car plunged into a river in Sunderland.
Car broke through barrier
- A black Audi A3 smashed through a roadside barrier at 1.30pm on Tuesday near Wearmouth Bridge
- Two boys and a girl were killed
- A 17-year-old who was in the car has been arrested
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Surviving boy arrested
The boy who reached safety has subsequently been arrested in connection with the incident. He remains in police custody at this time. He is currently in hospital with what have been described as non-serious injuries.”
NOrthumbria police spokesperson
Three things to know as economy grows by 0.5%
The economy has grown by slightly more than initially expected, as figures for growth from April to June this year increased from 0.4 per cent to 0.5 per cent by the Office for National Statistics.
Industries performing well
- The boost came from the services sector growing 0.6 per cent.
- The construction industry also grew by 0.8 per cent.
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Last year revised down
Growth for 2025 as a whole was a little lower than previously estimated.
Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics, explained that the figures initially given for last year were too high.
Growth for 2025 was revised from 1.3 per cent to 1.2 per cent.
What’s driving growth?
The average UK household’s disposable income increased by 1 per cent, contributing to economic growth overall.
The rise was down to increased income from benefits, which at £5.3bn outstripped the increase in salaries at £2.8bn. The annual increase of state pensions and working age benefits in April contributed to this jump.
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Fat Bear Week has a winner and his story will melt your icy heart
The final of the competition, which asks viewers of live feeds to name the bear that has put on the most weight in Alaska, came down to a battle of the nepo-bears, and the victor triumphed over adversity.
What is Fat Bear Week?
The competition is run by Katmai National Park and Reserve in Alaska, one of the most chilly and remote (yet deliciously salmon-rich) places on Earth. There were 2,200 brown bears up for the title. Among them was Chunk (or Bear 32, they all have numbers), who weighed in at an estimated 1,200lbs (544kg) to take the 2025 crown.
Top two contenders
After a week of voting, it came down to a battle of the sexes. Representing the ladies: Bear 910. Born in 2016, she is the daughter of former Fat Bear Week champion, Beadnose.
In the men’s corner: Bear 89. His name is “Backpack”, because in his first year as a cub (pictured), back in 2006, he would often climb onto the back of his mum, also a former winner, when she swam in the river.
A hard start in life
Naturalist Mike Fitz, the creator of Fat Bear Week, said the winning bear “knew hardship at an early age”. He got a bad injury as a cub, which made him vulnerable as he struggled to keep up with his mother.
Backpack won by 103,344 votes to 98,253.
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MI5 says more than 100 UK-linked academics have contributed to Beijing-funded projects via the company, called China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI).
This includes work involving AI, cyber security, covert communications and steganography, the practice of hiding a secret message, file or image inside another ordinary, non-secret file or physical object to avoid detection.
Some academics may not have known the ultimate source of the funding.
“This alert exposes attempts by Chinese intelligence to covertly benefit from the expertise and research of our academics, undermining our national security and that of our allies,” security minister Dan Jarvis said.
“I have written to all university vice chancellors to ensure they support their staff to end all arrangements with this company, preventing further benefit to the Chinese intelligence services and ensuring compliance with the National Security Act,” he added.
Frustration at universities’ ‘naivety’
The fresh warning came amid frustration from the intelligence community that university vice chancellors are not taking the threat from hostile foreign states seriously enough.
Sources said some vice chancellors had demonstrated naivety in their research partnerships amid complaints that government security requirements interrupt their funding streams.
Earlier this year, the government launched a new “academic interference reporting route” allowing universities to send their concerns about foreign influence straight to UK intelligence agencies.
It is up to vice chancellors to pass on their suspicions, with complaints then assessed based on their severity.
In February, Sir Ken McCallum, MI5’s director general, told 70 universities that hostile states are using sophisticated methods to target academics and “shape research and teaching content”, including the use of professional networking sites and financial bungs to cultivate relationships with academic staff and students.
The National Security Act, which came into force in 2023, created new offences for covert influence, espionage and undeclared collaboration with foreign-linked entities.
It also expanded powers to investigate and restrict activities that could enable foreign states to improperly access sensitive research or technology.
The i Paper reported earlier this year how Chinese students at British universities are being offered cash rewards for political loyalty to Beijing, including attending events organised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).