A home cook says coating it in a simple ingredient before cooking transforms the fish into a sweet, savoury, umami dish that even salmon sceptics will enjoy.

Salmon makes an ideal weekday dinner option, being tasty, satisfying, and requiring minimal cooking effort. It’s wonderful served simply with vegetables or incorporated into a traybake or fish pie.

Yet, some people steer clear of salmon, finding the smell and taste somewhat unappealing. When not prepared properly, salmon can turn out bland and even dry, given it is considerably more delicate than most meats.

Bearing this in mind, home cook and recipe developer Ayeh Manfre from food blog Cooking with Ayeh has revealed her “favourite way” to make salmon “delicious” – and it hinges on one key ingredient.

She said, “I’m always looking at new ways of making it [salmon] taste not so ‘fishy’ – well, this miso-glazed salmon definitely ticks all the boxes. “It’s crazy easy to make with a simple same-day marinade and then pop in the oven until perfection. The star is the miso paste, which gives the salmon a delicious, savoury, and sweet umami flavour.”

Advertisement

What is miso paste?

Miso paste is a classic Japanese ingredient crafted from fermented soybeans, salt, and koji (a specific type of mould), sometimes including grains.

The fermentation process results in a rich and delightful flavour that balances saltiness with sweetness, packed with umami goodness.

There are three distinct varieties of miso: white miso, yellow miso, and red miso. Ayeh pointed out that she prefers white miso paste, which has a milder taste, compared to yellow or red miso; they have been fermented longer, so they have a stronger taste.

Miso is not only “tasty” but also “good for your gut health”, as it contains probiotics. The home cook said, “I love using miso in many of my recipes. If you haven’t experimented with it yet, now’s the time.”

How to make salmon tastier with miso paste

Ingredients (two servings)

• Two salmon fillets
• Two tablespoons of white miso paste
• One tablespoon of salt-reduced soy sauce, or half a tablespoon of regular soy
• One tablespoon of rice vinegar
• Two teaspoons of honey
• One teaspoon of sesame oil

Method

In a deep bowl, combine the miso marinade components, including the miso paste, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Whisk together until smooth and lump-free.

Position the fish in the bowl with the salmon flesh facing downwards, ensuring it’s thoroughly coated. Allow to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to two hours for optimal flavour. If marinating for two hours or during warmer weather, refrigerate.

Set the oven grill to 240C/220C Fan/Gas Mark 9 and remove the salmon from the refrigerator. Prepare a baking tray with tinfoil and lightly oil the surface to prevent sticking.

Arrange the salmon fillet with the skin facing down on the baking tray, reserving any remaining marinade from the bowl. Position the tray on the middle shelf of the oven and grill for six to nine minutes – timing depends on your preferred level of doneness.

Carefully take out from the oven and brush with some of the reserved marinade. Return the tray to the oven on an upper shelf nearer to the grill, and cook for an additional three minutes to achieve a golden caramelised finish. Monitor closely, as the miso marinade can char rapidly.

Ayeh suggests topping the salmon with sliced spring onions and sesame seeds and accompanying with rice and fresh or prepared vegetables.

Train drivers are set to receive an above-inflation pay rise as agreed by Burnham who frequently travels up from the capital to work at No 10 North

Andy Burnham has agreed on a pay rise for train drivers including those operating the London-Manchester line used by the Prime Minister.

Train drivers are set to receive an above-inflation pay rise of 3.6%, following threats of strikes.

The wage deal between Avanti West Coast and the Aslef union is the first to be approved under the Prime Minister, who frequently travels up from the capital to work at No 10 North.

The company runs services from London to destinations including Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool.

Aslef has secured time-and-a-half pay on Sundays, a single-year wage rise of 3.6% – 0.7% higher than the latest inflation rate – and up to £720 for turning up to work on a fifth day of the working week, as first reported by the Sunday Times.

It comes after the union announced plans at the end of June to ballot members in the following weeks on whether to launch strikes in a dispute over pay.

An Aslef spokesperson said on Saturday: “Our job is to enhance our members’ terms and conditions and this deal, struck with Avanti West Coast and approved by the DFTO (Department for Transport Operator), has been accepted.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “This Government has prioritised resolving the rail union disputes, improving services for passengers and saving hundreds of millions in lost revenue to ease the burden on taxpayers.

“We are pleased to see Avanti West Coast work with Aslef to enable a fair and affordable settlement to keep Britain’s railways moving and prevent disruption for passengers.”

The Mirror has contacted Avanti West Coast.

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese university student Fleming Cheng found the political books he had only glimpsed online in a Hong Kong bookstore last year.

Before visiting Greenfield Book Store, Cheng had only managed to see the books’ covers online after bypassing Beijing’s internet censorship using a VPN. At the store, he picked up a title offering a critical account of China. He stood there devouring dozens of pages from another, about a pro-reform Chinese leader who fell from power for sympathizing with the protesters during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement in 1989.

Cheng said he saw perspectives diverging from the mainland’s official narrative.

“A space of freedom,” he said.

Hong Kong’s independent bookstores, many of them tucked away from busy streets inside buildings, have long offered a refuge and a window to a freer world for some mainland Chinese readers seeking ideas suppressed at home.

But these spaces now are under threat following a wave of bookseller arrests over alleged sedition under a 2024 national security law. Critics say their plight reflected the city’s broader crackdown on dissent that began after Beijing imposed a separate 2020 security law. Authorities say the two laws are vital to stability.

Greenfield was one of four bookstores targeted by police in just four months. Although bail was granted, the 50-year-old shop in July announced it would close at the end of its lease. Another bookstore, Have A Nice Stay, set up by former journalists, had announced plans to shut down Sunday, citing “elusive red lines” and financial challenges, even before its booksellers were arrested on the same day as Greenfield’s.

“If the Hong Kong government desperately tries to bring every aspect of the city into close alignment with the mainland, or even to the point where the two become indistinguishable, that would be a tremendous loss for us mainlanders too,” Cheng said.

Booksellers under pressure

Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to China in 1997, was once known for its freedoms of publication and expression.

But in 2015, bookseller Lam Wing-kee and four others affiliated with Causeway Bay Books disappeared. The store was known for selling politically sensitive titles. Lam later told reporters he was held by Chinese authorities, providing explosive details that contradicted official Chinese accounts. Gossipy books about Chinese politics soon dwindled on Hong Kong’s shelves.

After the 2020 security law, leading activists were arrested and civil society groups disbanded. Titles about the Tiananmen crackdown and works by pro-democracy politicians were pulled from public libraries. At the city’s annual book fair, some smaller book businesses were barred from exhibiting, and a pro-Beijing newspaper labeled an independent book fair a form of “soft resistance.”

Despite the pressure and increased official inspections, many pressed on, with some continuing to organize activities alongside selling books.

But the arrests hit Book Punch in March, Hunter Bookstore in June, and Greenfield and Have A Nice Stay in July. The authorities accused the booksellers of selling seditious publications, according to government statements and media reports.

Cautious booksellers say they struggle to interpret the rules

Authorities say statements with “seditious intention” to incite hatred against or the overthrow of the governments of China and Hong Kong are prohibited. But they have not specified the books they consider as “seditious,” leaving observers to find clues in news reports quoting anonymous sources.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the law is clear about what constitutes seditious intent and reiterated there would be no banned book list. He said booksellers should ensure the titles they sell do not harm national security, just as those selling food need to ensure the food won’t cause a stomach ache or be poisonous.

A bookseller, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government retribution, said they struggled to judge what was seditious. Still, they became more cautious about whether to sell certain books on China’s modern politics. Their landlord was also reviewing whether to continue to rent the space to them after being harassed.

As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our
articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local
services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local
community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need
as much support as possible during these challenging times.

As a former senior intelligence officer, I have learned to pay attention to the oddities, the small, unexplained details that make the hairs rise on the back of your neck. So when a US C-17 Globemaster was spotted flying from Latvia into Moscow last week, my curiosity was immediately piqued. When it emerged that the passenger was no routine diplomat but John Ratcliffe, the director of the CIA, I sat up properly.

CIA chiefs do not drop into Moscow for a fireside chat. The last comparable visit was by William Burns in November 2021, sent in a last-ditch attempt to warn Vladimir Putin off invading Ukraine. He failed.

That is why Ratcliffe’s sudden journey matters. In intelligence, unusual movement is rarely meaningless, and this one had ‘warning’ written all over it.

Ratcliffe’s chilling message to Putin? Keep your hands off the West, especially the Baltic states. US intelligence has been hinting at Russia possibly planning a ‘limited incursion,’ or at least plotting to test the West’s red line of land invasion.

At the same time, Russia is raging at the UK, warning that Britain is ‘playing with fire’ after Andy Burnham travelled to Kyiv to allow Ukraine to produce long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles from British blueprints. Moscow talks of ‘catastrophic consequences’ and says it will strike our military installations – with a drone factory near RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk firmly in its crosshairs, as The Mail on Sunday reports today.

Finland has raised the alarm, warning that Putin is unleashing ‘hybrid attacks’ across Europe – explosive drone strikes, arson at European munitions plants and sabotaging critical infrastructure to cripple military aid to Ukraine. Poland is going a step further by training 400,000 Poles in the art of conflict survival.

Putin is getting increasingly desperate, and it is widely reported that he is planning to feed a staggering 600,000 new recruits into his frontline meat-grinder. Concern is growing that he may strike out at the West to deflect attention from his failures in Ukraine and the growing impact of Ukrainian strikes in Russia on the Russian people.

My concern has grown with the lack of any substantive commentary from the Americans on Ratcliffe’s visit and the casual way in which Donald Trump downplayed its significance, calling it ‘semi-routine’ and ‘nothing unusual’.

Russia has been equally dismissive. The Kremlin says invasion warnings are ‘scare stories’.

Simple fact: This is not routine and it is highly unusual. Something is happening, we just don’t know what… yet. So does it mean British troops in Estonia could find themselves staring down the barrels of Russian tanks? No.

Putin may be reckless, brutal and desperate, but he is not yet suicidal. He does not have the troops, armoured vehicles or equipment to take on Nato in a war while his army is being chewed up in eastern Ukraine. No intelligence points to a Russian build-up on the Baltic frontier. No massing of armour. No field hospitals. No logistics surge.

So what are we likely to see? Russia is already at war with Europe, just not in a way most people recognise. Over the past year the Kremlin’s campaign has been ramping up, testing reactions, seeing how far it can push but not attacking in a conventional military way, rather in the grey zone – cut cables, jammed GPS, drones over military bases and critical infrastructure, railway sabotage, warehouse fires, cyber strikes and disinformation.

It is war by nuisance, intimidation and deniability: Cheap enough for Moscow to repeat, ambiguous enough to avoid a Nato military response, and serious enough to force European governments to divert troops, police, intelligence officers and money away from Ukraine and back into their own streets, ports, railways and skies.

Instead of relying solely on professional intelligence officers, Moscow is increasingly using proxies, criminals, extremists, migrants or disposable agents recruited online to set fires, photograph military logistics, damage railways, or plant devices.

Its attacks in Europe nearly tripled between 2023 and 2024. Putin likely feels he has got away with it and is emboldened to do more.

If he lacks troops for a conventional assault, could desperation drive him to the nuclear button? That question keeps intelligence chiefs awake. Western agencies monitor Russia’s nuclear forces with obsessive attention. Moscow’s Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, already used against Ukraine, could be fitted with a nuclear payload. The usual doomsday chorus insists Putin may reach for a tactical nuclear weapon on the Ukrainian front. I do not believe he will.

Moscow talks of ‘catastrophic consequences’ and says it will strike our military installations – with a drone factory near RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk firmly in its crosshairs, writes Philip Ingram

He understands the one thing nuclear theorists sometimes forget: Once you put a nuclear warhead on a battlefield missile, you are no longer playing at intimidation – you are gambling with Armageddon, and the political consequences would be enormous.

His allies China and India would recoil. The wavering states of the global south would edge away. He would look reckless and isolated.

Nato’s response would almost certainly be conventional, not nuclear – closing the skies over occupied Ukraine, smashing Russian forces in occupied territory and making clear that Moscow had crossed the ultimate red line. For Putin, this is not escalation dominance. It is lose-lose.

But Putin does have one nuclear card to play, and almost no one is talking about it. He could launch a tactical nuclear-armed missile at a remote part of Russia and call it a ‘test’. The message would be unmistakable: Kyiv could be next. Or Poland. Or Estonia.

It would be theatre, not war, but white-hot radioactive theatre designed to terrify Western capitals into doing exactly what he wants: Turning support for Ukraine into pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept peace at any price.

There would be next to no military reprisal from the West for a device detonated over Russia. More sanctions may follow, but Putin may calculate that they are worth the political mayhem a nuclear explosion would cause.

If it moves the dial on Ukraine in Putin’s favour, that would be sold as victory. For the West, it would be surrender dressed up as diplomacy. Let us hope that this was not the reason for Ratcliffe’s mercy dash to Moscow.

 Philip Ingram is a former colonel of the British Army.

Chinese university student Fleming Cheng found the political books he had only glimpsed online in a Hong Kong bookstore last year.

Before visiting Greenfield Book Store, Cheng had only managed to see the books’ covers online after bypassing Beijing‘s internet censorship using a VPN. At the store, he picked up a title offering a critical account of China. He stood there devouring dozens of pages from another, about a pro-reform Chinese leader who fell from power for sympathizing with the protesters during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement in 1989.

Cheng said he saw perspectives diverging from the mainland’s official narrative.

“A space of freedom,” he said.

Hong Kong’s independent bookstores, many of them tucked away from busy streets inside buildings, have long offered a refuge and a window to a freer world for some mainland Chinese readers seeking ideas suppressed at home.

But these spaces now are under threat following a wave of bookseller arrests over alleged sedition under a 2024 national security law. Critics say their plight reflected the city’s broader crackdown on dissent that began after Beijing imposed a separate 2020 security law. Authorities say the two laws are vital to stability.

Greenfield was one of four bookstores targeted by police in just four months. Although bail was granted, the 50-year-old shop in July announced it would close at the end of its lease. Another bookstore, Have A Nice Stay, set up by former journalists, had announced plans to shut down Sunday, citing “elusive red lines” and financial challenges, even before its booksellers were arrested on the same day as Greenfield’s.

“If the Hong Kong government desperately tries to bring every aspect of the city into close alignment with the mainland, or even to the point where the two become indistinguishable, that would be a tremendous loss for us mainlanders too,” Cheng said.

Booksellers under pressure

Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to China in 1997, was once known for its freedoms of publication and expression.

But in 2015, bookseller Lam Wing-kee and four others affiliated with Causeway Bay Books disappeared. The store was known for selling politically sensitive titles. Lam later told reporters he was held by Chinese authorities, providing explosive details that contradicted official Chinese accounts. Gossipy books about Chinese politics soon dwindled on Hong Kong’s shelves.

After the 2020 security law, leading activists were arrested and civil society groups disbanded. Titles about the Tiananmen crackdown and works by pro-democracy politicians were pulled from public libraries. At the city’s annual book fair, some smaller book businesses were barred from exhibiting, and a pro-Beijing newspaper labeled an independent book fair a form of “soft resistance.”

Despite the pressure and increased official inspections, many pressed on, with some continuing to organize activities alongside selling books.

But the arrests hit Book Punch in March, Hunter Bookstore in June, and Greenfield and Have A Nice Stay in July. The authorities accused the booksellers of selling seditious publications, according to government statements and media reports.

Cautious booksellers say they struggle to interpret the rules

Authorities say statements with “seditious intention” to incite hatred against or the overthrow of the governments of China and Hong Kong are prohibited. But they have not specified the books they consider as “seditious,” leaving observers to find clues in news reports quoting anonymous sources.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the law is clear about what constitutes seditious intent and reiterated there would be no banned book list. He said booksellers should ensure the titles they sell do not harm national security, just as those selling food need to ensure the food won’t cause a stomach ache or be poisonous.

A bookseller, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government retribution, said they struggled to judge what was seditious. Still, they became more cautious about whether to sell certain books on China’s modern politics. Their landlord was also reviewing whether to continue to rent the space to them after being harassed.

In an emailed reply, the government condemned any “smearing” and false remarks regarding the work in safeguarding national security. It said the security laws clearly stipulate that human rights, freedoms of speech and publication should be protected.

The offenses linked to seditious intention expressly protect expression of opinions or even criticism against government policies, it said.

Spaces for refuge and companionship

University student Iris Wang from neighboring Guangdong sensed tighter control over Hong Kong. To her, Hunter encouraged people to think, instead of just selling books like its mainland peers. She bought a postcard about being courageous and a manga there.

Some mainland readers also visit the stores for non-political reasons, such as for their niche books or simply for their calmness.

Hong Konger Brian Leung found companionship in independent bookstores, saying each had its own character. When arrests happened at the shops he visited, he said he felt something he cherished and that Hong Kong deserved was being rejected.

“Part of what I have grown used to in Hong Kong is lost again,” he said, adding that the bookshops have not “incited” him because readers can judge for themselves.

Concerns over Hong Kong’s access to Taiwanese books

In Taiwan, widely seen as the freest publishing hub for Chinese-language books, some publishers have filled the gap as restrictions deepened in Hong Kong after the 2020 security law took effect. Some readers fear one day Taiwan cannot send books to Hong Kong as freely as before.

Taiwan’s publishers released six times as many books about Hong Kong between 2020 and 2024 as in the previous five years, according to Cheng Tsu-Bang, a sociology professor at Tunghai University in Taiwan.

“The publication of books seems to have become a very important medium of communication between Taiwan and Hong Kong, or a medium of mutual support,” he said.

In July, Taiwan’s broadcaster FTV reported that a logistics firm stopped taking orders to ship books from Taiwan to Hong Kong bookstores under investigation. It also demanded a full book list before delivering to other Hong Kong premises, the report added.

One Hong Kong author who moved to Taiwan and has published books there is Lee, who spoke on condition of not using their full name out of fear of government retribution.

Lee has written about Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, saying the independent bookstores served as a bridge to bring works about Hong Kong to the city and connect diaspora writers to their home.

The writer compared the collapse of civil society to a boulder rolling downhill, crushing things in its path. Lee said bookstores were a small flower field where people could breathe and try to safeguard what remained.

“It’s now like being told very directly and cruelly that perhaps this borrowed time is coming to an end,” Lee said.

Russia is poised to attack Britain – and has singled out a drone factory and a missile company as ‘legal targets’, it was claimed last night.

A senior adviser to Vladimir Putin warned that the ‘highest levels of the Russian government’ were considering a ‘hybrid attack’, such as sabotage or arson, rather than an ‘outright military strike’ that would unleash a response from Nato.

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Andrei Fedorov, a former deputy foreign minister of Russia, described the UK as ‘evil number one’. 

Among the Kremlin’s targets is a drone factory owned by a British-Ukrainian firm, Ukrspecsystems.

Details of the company’s premises next to RAF Mildenhall, in West Suffolk, were made public in April alongside five other European firms that make weapons and drones for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

On Saturday night, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘The reckless rhetoric and attempts at intimidation we have seen from the Kremlin in recent weeks reflects the weakness of Putin’s position and we will not be intimidated.

‘This has been a bad year for Putin. The front line has barely moved. Russian casualties continue to mount. The Russian people are paying a heavy price for Putin’s war.

‘It is also in our national interest that Putin’s aggression must not be rewarded. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and I are working together to mobilise support for Ukraine ahead of winter.’

Details of Ukrspecsystems’s premises next to RAF Mildenhall, in West Suffolk, were made public in April alongside five other European firms that make weapons and drones for Ukraine 

It is understood Putin is angry with Prime Minister Andy Burnham for giving Ukraine blueprints for long-range Storm Shadow missiles

Advertisement

The threat comes as: 

• Bosses of British defence companies have been warned they could be targets of Russian hybrid attacks;
• A pro-Kremlin war channel suggested that a Nato base in Estonia with at least 900 British troops should be attacked;
• One of the assassins of Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko plans to hold an anti-UK exhibition opposite the British embassy in Moscow;
• Britain’s ambassador to Russia told officials not to confirm if British weapons are going to Ukraine to prevent an escalation by Putin.

On Saturday, Elisabeth Braw, an expert on the Atlantic Council thinktank, said that the point of hybrid attacks is that they put a country like the UK in a dilemma about how to respond.

She said: ‘I call hybrid threats the defender’s dilemma because it really is the defender’s dilemma.

‘How exactly are you supposed to hit back because if you were to use military means, then you would really cause World War Three.’

Fedorov, 71, said that the Kremlin would not launch an outright military strike against Britain, a Nato member, because it could lead to the Western alliance launching a collective military response against Russia.

But he added: ‘The UK is evil number one. After the information that UK-made drones were used against Russian oil refineries, this has become a big anger [sic] in Russian society.

‘Various experts are calling to punish by strike [sic] the UK, and it will be supported by the majority of Russian citizens.’

He said that Putin and his cronies were angry Andy Burnham had handed Ukraine blueprints for long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which have been used previously to strike inside Russia.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv

Advertisement

Andrei Fedorov said the Kremlin would not launch an outright military strike against Britain because it could lead to Nato launching a collective military response against Russia

The missiles – which have a range of 350 miles – are manufactured by the British arms company MBDA, which employs 4,000 people and has its headquarters in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

Fedorov said of MBDA: ‘Many experts in Moscow are saying yes, it’s a legal target. Absolutely.’ 

Throughout last week, Russian officials, including the Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, threatened Britain with attacks, in response to Mr Burnham’s visit to Ukraine.

The warnings came despite an unannounced visit to Moscow by the head of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, last Tuesday, where he reportedly warned Russia not to attack a Nato country.

Ms Zakharova said: ‘Andy Burnham’s government understands where this will lead. They should understand this is playing with fire and that the consequences could be unpredictable.’

The MoS has also been shown an official memo by Nigel Casey, Britain’s ambassador to Moscow, which he sent to Foreign Office staff after Mr Burnham’s visit.

In the memo, he says Russia is losing its ‘narrative’ on the Ukraine war, which is leading it to ‘step up’ hybrid warfare across Europe.

He adds: ‘In this period of escalation in the war, UK officials, whether speaking on or off the record, [should] stick firmly to our policy of neither confirming nor denying whether UK-supplied weapons are used by Kyiv inside Russia. 

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Britain will ‘not be intimidated’ by the Kremlin. (Pictured: Mr Streeting Streeting in front of a building damaged by Russian strikes in Ukraine)

‘Any comments which appear to confirm Russian accusations risk unnecessarily elevating already substantial risks to UK national security.’

At a briefing in London last week, Western officials warned that Russia is poised to launch more hybrid attacks across Europe as Ukraine gains the upper hand in the war.

One said: ‘The Russian appetite to conduct hybrid operations is very clear. Our assessment is that Putin wants to avoid a direct confrontation with Nato.

‘We need to remain vigilant around hybrid threats. Relations are at a very low ebb between us and them.’

Former Tory security minister Tom Tugendhat said: ‘These are the desperate words of a regime that is losing the war it started. We will not be bullied. The UK will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.’

Nick Timothy, the Tory MP for West Suffolk, whose constituency hosts Ukrspecsystems, said: ‘People in Suffolk, like the British people as a whole, will never be intimidated by Russian threats.

‘Our support for Ukraine – which is the victim of unprovoked Russian aggression – will remain as strong as it has always been.’

Last night, it also emerged that a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel, ATO Donetsk – a favourite of Russian troops – called for attacks on the Tapa Nato base in Estonia, where 900 British soldiers are stationed. 

In a broadcast, the channel said: ‘We won’t fly over Britain, but the Tapa military base houses about 900 British troops, equipment and ammunition depots.

‘It’s only 150km [93 miles] from Russia. The Baltics are a very convenient target for a show trial.’

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Russia has launched several hybrid attacks against the UK. 

In March 2024, a warehouse in Leyton, East London, storing aid for Ukraine, was burned down. The culprits were hired by Russian mercenary group Wagner.

And in June, two men were jailed for a number of arson attacks of homes and a car linked to former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Ukrspecsystems declined to comment and MBDA could not be reached.

Additional reporting: Mark Nicol

Litvinenko assassin’s anti-Britain campaign ‘Poison killer’ heads UK hate campaign

A Kremlin assassin who poisoned defector Alexander Litvinenko with a radioactive chemical in London is now spearheading an anti-British campaign in Russia.

Andrey Lugovoy was one of two spies sent to Britain in 2006 to kill Mr Litvinenko – a former Russian Federal Security Service officer who became a fierce Putin critic.

Lugovoy, 56, who denies the poisoning and is now an ultra-loyalist Putin MP, is leading the campaign against Britain. He last week told Russian TV his aim is to portray the country as a ‘truly terrifying… enemy’.

Lugovoy will hold an anti-British exhibition later this year in a building opposite the UK’s embassy in Moscow highlighting ‘colonial crimes’.

It will be titled ‘Britlag’ to pun with the Russian word gulag.

The assassin who poisoned defector Alexander Litvinenko (pictured) is now spearheading an anti-British campaign in Russia

Salmonella can cause unpleasant symptoms but there are ways you can avoid the infection.

Ian Budd, lead prescribing pharmacist at Chemist4U, said: “Salmonella is a group of bacteria comprising more than 2,500 different strains, although only some are responsible for causing food poisoning in humans.

“While most infections are relatively mild, they can sometimes lead to serious illness, particularly in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

“In recent days and weeks, the UKHSA has announced that an outbreak affecting seven countries has led to one death and 34 hospitalisations in the UK.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed 207 cases between August 11 last year and August 1 this year, with 199 in England, six in Scotland, one in Wales, and one in Northern Ireland.

It said the outbreak “may be linked to eggs imported from outside of the UK.”

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said there is “no evidence that UK-produced eggs are affected”.

While eggs could be the issue in this case, the pharmacist reminds Brits that salmonella can be found in a number of other food products, including chicken, pork and even fruit.

Budd added: “Similarly, if any fresh fruit or vegetables have come into contact with the bacteria, they can also present a risk to you.”

What are the symptoms of salmonella?

You can expect salmonella symptoms to typically develop between a few hours and a few days after exposure.

They can include diarrhoea, cramps in the stomach, nausea, vomiting and a fever.

Ian Budd adds: “While these symptoms usually only last from 4-7 days, it is vital that you seek medical advice if diarrhoea or vomiting lasts for more than two to three days without improving, you have blood in your stool or have a prolonged high fever.”

The NHS explains that symptoms can sometimes start after “a few weeks.”

You can read more about salmonella and when you need to call 111 or 999 via the NHS website.

How do you get salmonella?

Contaminated food that hasn’t been cooked correctly can cause salmonella, but you can also get it by drinking contaminated water or by being in close contact with infected animals.

How you can avoid salmonella

If you want to avoid salmonella, there are a few things you can do.

Budd suggests: “As salmonella bacteria is most commonly spread through contaminated food products, one of the best ways to avoid contracting it is through proper food preparation and hygiene.

“When cooking food, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands before preparing food and after handling raw meat or eggs.

“Make sure to cook foods all the way through and always avoid cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods.

We have published a news story on the latest investigations into an outbreak of #Salmonella Enteritidis.

Full story: https://t.co/5xG7Tnl6gj pic.twitter.com/ZFriCC3bWb

— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) August 27, 2026

“Similarly, regularly washing food, utensils and chopping boards with hot water will minimise the possibility of contracting salmonella.

“As well as practising good hygiene, remember to check the temperature of your fridge and ensure you are following the sell by dates on your produce.”

What to do if you think you have salmonella

Make sure you’re staying hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids.

The pharmacist also advises adding oral rehydration sachets or solutions to replace electrolytes you may have lost through vomiting and diarrhoea.

He added: “Avoid any spicy or fatty foods as these can increase feelings of nausea and make sure not to drink fizzy drinks or fruit juice as these can worsen diarrhoea symptoms.

Recommended reading:

“If the symptoms of salmonella are causing you pain and discomfort, you can also take paracetamol, making sure to check the information leaflet first before taking.

“If you are at higher risk of complications, such as if you are pregnant, elderly or have a weakened immune system, you should seek medical advice if you begin to feel unwell.

“As mentioned, if you are experiencing blood in your stools, persistent symptoms, prolonged high fever or signs of dehydration such as dizziness, dry mouth, or passing very little dark urine, please seek medical advice.”

What do you do to reduce your risk of getting salmonella? Let us know in the comments.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

If you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Saturday.

Irish gang looting wealthy Asian families

An Irish crime clan are targeting wealthy Scots in sophisticated gold heists using metal detectors to find the loot and wipes to remove any forensic trail.

The gang are behind a spate of robberies which have netted them hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gold and jewellery from Asian families in Glasgow’s south side.

The masked and gloved criminals carry out break-ins, often lasting less than 10 minutes, using metal detectors to find the valuables and then cleaning fluids and wipes to scrub surfaces of fingerprints or DNA.

In the most recent raids the gang targeted 10 luxury homes in the affluent Glasgow suburb of ­Whitecraigs, where properties can sell for £1million and more.

A retired businessman, who asked not to be named, spoke of his shock at falling victim to the gang and released CCTV of their terrifying raid. He said: “My wife went out at 1.15pm and they must have been watching the house.

READ MORE: Irish crime gang loot Scotland’s wealthiest Asian families in gold and jewellery heists

Revenge porn fiend sends pics of pal’s ex to neighbours

Advertisement

A vile fiend posted revenge porn pictures of his friend’s ex to her neighbours. Arkadiusz Lis sent letters which included a snap of the victim showing full frontal nudity and her phone number in the wake of a split with his pal.

Lanark Sheriff Court heard the victim was “horrified” when she opened the letter and discovered several neighbours had been sent the same image by post.

Lis, 42, from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, also admitted sending the woman a text threatening to disclose “intimate images” of her. The sicko was ordered to carry out community service as a “direct alternative” to prison.

Fiscal depute Jack Muir told the court: “It is a picture she had taken. She was horrified to open the letter. The telephone number associated with the text message was associated with the accused. He was arrested at Glasgow Airport.”

READ MORE: Cruel revenge porn fiend sent nude pictures of pal’s ex to her neighbours

Woman’s face left ‘like something from horror movie’

A woman mauled by a dog she had known since it was a puppy says she faces years of surgery after the “terrifying” attack left her with devastating injuries.

Samantha Redding, 20, had been around the Spanish mastiff crossed with a bear-headed Akita, which belonged to her friend’s father, since it was young and says she had never known it to be aggressive.

But during a brief visit to the house in January, the huge dog suddenly latched onto her face. Samantha remembers little of the attack beyond seeing the animal coming towards her, hearing it growl and feeling excruciating pain.

“I went to my friend’s dad’s house to get her but she’d already left to meet me at my house,” Samantha, from Falkirk, said. “I was only in the house for about 10 minutes and I was getting ready to leave.

“I went to pick up my bag and the dog latched onto my face… My face looked like something from a horror movie.”

READ MORE: ” My face was like something from a horror movie” Scots woman opens up on dog attack hell

Rangers legend’s daughter slams abusive husband

The Daughter of Rangers legend Gordon Smith has spoken out after her tarot reader husband was convicted of abusing her and blocking her from seeing her family.

Libby Smith married ‘psychic entrepreneur ’ Colin Stevenson in a ‘secret’ wedding ceremony in 2023 before holding a lavish reception with her famous dad by her side and Corrie star Helen Flanagan as a bridesmaid.

But Stevenson was sentenced to community service this week after admitting abusing the 37-year-old mum-of-three over a period of almost three years – starting just weeks before their marriage.

The 43-year-old was banned from contacting Libby after admitting behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards his ex at Lanark Sheriff Court – including preventing her family from visiting her and their newborn child.

READ MORE HERE: Rangers legend’s daughter hits out after abusive tarot reader husband convicted

Cops seize drugs and cash in dawn raid

Drugs and cash were seized by police following a dawn raid at a number of properties in Perth. Warrants were executed at properties on New Row in the city centre on Thursday morning, August 27.

Following a search of the properties by police, a quantity of drugs, cash and other items were seized. No further details as to the value or type of drugs seized was released by police.

In a video shared on social media, police can be seen preparing for the raid around the corner from one of the properties. Some officers are wearing protective clothing and can be seen with tools to break in if necessary.

Once ready, the group of nine officers cross the road and make their way down the street towards their intended target. Enquiries into the find are ongoing.

READ MORE: Drugs and cash seized in dawn raid at Perth properties as video shows police presence

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

The Met Office warns of showers across the country on Monday as the downpours continue to fall this bank holiday weekend

Showers are set to continue on Monday, with chances of potential hail and thunder to persist this bank holiday weekend.

According to maps by the forecaster 107 areas will be hit by showers as scattered patches of blue cover much of the nation throughout the day.

The wet conditions follow a soggy Sunday, as showers could turn heavy and thundery impacting festivalgoers according to the Met Office.

Monday will be drier and brighter, but still with some showers.

Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “On Sunday there will be some scattered showers around to start, mostly across Scotland, Northern Ireland might see some.

“The South East could remain dry, but by the evening they will probably start to see some showers, they also could be heavy and thundery.”

The Monday is expected to be drier, however there is still high chance of rain across the UK.

According to the Met office weather maps showers will start at around 8am in the South West, with much of Wales also seeing downpours.

As the day continues there are scattered spells of rain across different areas of the country.

By midday the majority of the rain is concentrated in the North West and North East of England, having slightly dispersed from the South.

Areas including Lancaster and Darlington are set to be soaked.

In the afternoon as far north as Yorkshire will also see some showers, with Scarborough forecast rain at 4pm.

Then as the evening comes in, the rain appears to hit the Midlands with Birmingham, Nottingham and Loughborough experiencing showers at 10pm.

Honor Criswick added: “It will probably be quite dry first thing on Monday, some showers across western areas, some heavy showers mostly across north Scotland.

“For many areas it’s going to be turning drier and brighter, a better end to the day compared to the start.

“On Monday there will be some showers around but probably less heavy thundery ones and a few more brighter spells, it’s still probably worth taking a waterproof if you’re at a festival.

“Monday will also see maximum temperatures in the early 20s.”

Areas forecast rain on Monday:

1. Looe
2. Tavistock
3. Chulmleigh
4. Dulverton
5. Minehead
6. Weymouth
7. Blandford Forum
8. Tenterden
9. Dover
10. Canterbury
11. Margate
12. Bath
13. Cirencester
14. Swindon
15. Didcot
16. Oxford
17. High Wycombe
18. Aylesbury
19. Chepstow
20. Llantwit Major
21. Maesteg
22. Merthyr Tydfil
23. Ystradgynlais
24. Llandeilo
25. Llandovery
26. Lampeter
27. Aberystwyth
28. Llanidloes
29. Newtown
30. Barmouth
31. Llanwddyn
32. Welshpool
33. Church Stretton
34. Ludlow
35. Worcester
36. Wellingborough
37. Stamford
38. Peterborough
39. Norwich
40. Hunstanton
41. Skegness
42. Horncastle
43. Louth
44. Caistor
45. Gainsborough
46. Mablethorpe
47. Grimsby
48. Hull
49. Hornsea
50. Driffield
51. Malton
52. Bridlington
53. Pickering
54. Scarborough
55. Ripon
56. Skipton
57. Burnley
58. Preston
59. Settle
60. Lancaster
61. High Bentham
62. Blackpool
63. Whitby
64. Ambleside
65. Broughton In Furness
66. Brough
67. Moffat
68. Langholm
69. Jedburgh
70. Hawick
71. Peebles
72. Cumnock
73. Lauder
74. Biggar
75. Edinburgh
76. Cumbernauld
77. Stirling
78. Kinross
79. Perth
80. Brechin
81. Glasgow
82. Aberdeen
83. Hartlepool
84. Bradford
85. Cambridge
86. Colchester
87. Brighton
88. Ipswich
89. Manchester
90. Liverpool
91. Warrington
92. Leek
93. Macclesfield
94. Buxton
95. Stoke-on-Trent
96. Uttoxeter
97. Birmingham
98. Northampton
99. Exeter
100. Milton Keynes
101. Bournemouth
102. Nottingham
103. Grantham
104. Loughborough
105. Wolverhampton
106. Bolton
107. Wigan

Nine areas were covered by Environment Agency flood alerts, meaning floods are possible, as of Saturday night.

The wet weather comes after continued hot weather across the UK, which coincided with extremely dry conditions.

The Met Office has previously said the UK is on course for its hottest summer on record after five heatwaves, with temperatures of up to 38.1C recorded in London.