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Alleged Iranian spy contacted MI6 to become double agent, court hears

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Alleged Iranian spy contacted MI6 to become double agent, court hears
Met Police Daniel Khalife, a young man with dark hair and wearing a green-collared polo shirtMet Police

A former British soldier accused of being a spy for Iran twice contacted MI6 to offer his services as a double agent, a court has heard.

Daniel Khalife, now 23, denies gathering information for Iran, compiling a list of special forces soldiers, perpetrating a bomb hoax and escaping prison.

Woolwich Crown Court heard Mr Khalife sent two emails to MI6, saying he wanted to work as a double agent for them.

The court also heard that Mr Khalife, who allegedly escaped from HMP Wandsworth last year, won a cup for Best Junior Solider in his squadron, and was recommended for promotion to Lance Corporal aged just 20.

Giving evidence, Captain Lewis Fox, of 16 Signal Regiment, confirmed that in December 2020 Mr Khalife was awarded the trophy, which was “rare” for a signaller.

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Mr Khalife, who joined the Army aged 16, was also described as a “master of Falcon” – a sophisticated military communication system.

He was recommended for promotion in September 2021 at an unusually early stage of his career.

Handout The base of a trophy with the names of soldiers who had won it including Daniel KhalifeHandout

The trophy with winners including Daniel Khalife

But the prosecution says that from the age of 17, Mr Khalife had contacts with and was passing information to Iran.

In August 2019 he collected a small plastic bag from Mill Hill Park in North London which he later told police contained $2,000 (£1,534) in cash.

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He twice contacted MI6 through a form on the agency’s website, disclosing the cash collection and stating: “I want to work as a double agent for the security service”.

There is no evidence that he received a reply.

‘They thought I had access to valuable information’

On 23 August 2019 Mr Khalife left this message on the MI6 web page form:

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“Hello about 5 months ago a man from the new horizon organisation contacted my in relation to providing the Iranian government with information. They said that they first needed me to create trust, so I made a fake document and sent it to them. After 1 week they payed me 2,000 dollars in a drop off point in Barnet. The reason why I agreed to do this is because I want to work as a double agent for the security service.”

A second message was left on 10 October 2019:

“I contacted the security service about 1 month ago, however I deleted the gmail account that I gave you because I didn’t feel as though I took the relevant precautionary measures to keep my identity hidden. 7 months ago I was contacted by an individual from the new horizon organisation in Iran, they new my job and they thought I had access to information that would be valuable to them, This in fact was not true, I believed I could use this new contact in Iran from the revolutionary guard corp to present myself as a double agent for the UK security services, I gathered already leaked info from wiki leaks and made it look like it was new information to be sent to them. After 2 weeks they said that I had gained they full trust and sent be $2K in a drop off location in Barnet, There is more stuff to add however I don’t have the time to write it all here.”

‘Manage expectations’

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Gul Nawaz Hussain KC said his client Mr Khalife wanted to join the special forces, but was told not to apply “because of where his parents are from”.

Asked about Mr Khalife, Capt Fox said he would have “advised against going for special forces” as it was “a very long process and the vetting is in the last two weeks”.

He added it was important to “manage expectations for some soldiers”.

In an electronic note to himself, previously read to the court, Mr Khalife wrote that after being told he would be unlikely to pass the vetting process he “decided to start my own intel operation to prove that I was able to do this”.

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In the note he added that he decided to use his connection to Iran to his advantage.

The jury has heard the Mr Khalife was first arrested in January 2022, and charged in January 2023.

He is alleged to have escaped from Wandsworth prison eight months later by strapping himself underneath a food delivery van before being recaptured after three days.

The trial continues.

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Archaeologists Discover Ancient "Pub" at Multi-Million Dollar Building Site

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Archaeologists Discover Ancient "Pub" at Multi-Million Dollar Building Site


The discovery adds to the rich historical finds in the area, shedding light on past social life in Kent.

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Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and the GLP-1 economy

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Eli Lilly’s shares have surged 750 per cent over five years. Novo Nordisk’s are up about 360 per cent in the same period. It’s been an awesome run for these companies. But how much longer can it last? Today on the show, Rob Armstrong and Aiden Reiter talk to the FT’s US pharmaceutical and biotech correspondent Oliver Barnes about the astonishing growth in weight-loss drugs, and their future. Also we short inflation and running clubs.

For a free 30-day trial to the Unhedged newsletter go to: https://www.ft.com/unhedgedoffer

You can email Robert Armstrong at robert.armstrong@ft.com and Katie Martin at katie.martin@ft.com.

Unhedged has been nominated for a Signal Award! You can vote for us here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/shows/general/money-finance

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England suffer their first defeat of Lee Carsley’s reign against Greece

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England's Cole Palmer (left) and Greece's Dimitrios Giannoulis battle for the ball during the UEFA Nations League Group B2 match at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Thursday October 10, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER England. Photo credit should read: John Walton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to FA restrictions. Editorial use only. Commercial use only with prior written consent of the FA. No editing except cropping.

England 1-2 Greece (Bellingham 87′ | Pavlidis 49′, 90+4′)

WEMBLEY — Welcome to England. If the shirt did not weigh heavily in his opening two games, Lee Carsley understands better now the demands of the job. His attempt to flood Wembley with an England all-star XI ran into a disciplined Greek opponent who observed the ancient principle of team play.

While England dribbled themselves dizzy, the Greeks kept it simple, maintaining their shape, running hard for each other and passing to team-mates. They scored two, had three disallowed and might have had half a dozen.

England, for the most part a rag-tag of shredded reputations, barely created a clear-cut opening before Jude Bellingham jumped on to a loose ball with five minutes remaining to blast England level. But that wasn’t enough.

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Carsley’s third England team sheet read like a fantasy football selection, shot through with a kind of not-Gareth Southgate imperative. Assimilating the likes of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Bellingham was a tactical conundrum Southgate’s innate caution could never contemplate. Throw in the old enigma that is Trent Alexander-Arnold and you can see why Southgate has given himself a year to recover.

Carsley is supposedly about combinations and ridding the structure of awkward compromises. Alexander-Arnold is a right-back or nothing under Carsley. Foden is a central fix not a winger. Palmer is the team’s playmaker and Bellingham is good enough to play anywhere, which in the absence of Harry Kane meant centre-forward.

In the event, none distinguished themselves. What England lacked in the array of ballers was a leader, someone to organise and inject discipline. Southgate’s fear that too many creatives spoil the eco-system looked justified.

Greece had a shot kicked off the line and a goal disallowed in the first half. And another chalked by VAR in the second. Perhaps the shape of the England team was itself a distorting influence, the players overelaborating in their desire to be Brazil.

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Balls went astray, the final pass was too ambitious and players attempted one touch too many. When Bellingham and Palmer did combine for the first time Palmer blazed over, striking the ball unnecessarily hard. At least Palmer was in an advanced position. For the most part he was too deep, taking the instruction to get on the ball too literally.

Southgate would have loved Greece. Compact without the ball, they were a flower bursting into petal with it. The ball fizzed about in a blur of one-touch combinations, releasing players at pace into the gaps, particularly those left by Alexander-Arnold, who had a game to forget defensively.

Each Greek break was a micro-victory and a warning to England to drop the hauteur. Carsley had serious concerns with England goalless at the break for the second successive home game. The consequences of that missing ingredient was felt five minutes into the second half when Vangelis Pavlidis waltzed through the England defence to score. Alexander-Arnold was the wrong side of the ball, John Stones was not quick enough to close down and the ball was gleefully dispatched.

Carsley responded by ditching the false nine theory. Off came Anthony Gordon for Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, who replaced Bukayo Saka at half-time, switched to the left with Palmer on the right, where he occasionally plays for Chelsea. Yet it was Greece who continued to look the more plausible until Bellingham struck.

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Carsley has spent his short reign as interim boss denying his interest in the full-time post without convincing any. After Pavlidis hit a second in added time, he might be advised to hold course. Greece were his masters here, leaving England with lessons to learn. Namely that football is a team game after all.

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Former UBS chief Ralph Hamers joins AI wealth management start-up

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Former UBS chief executive Ralph Hamers has taken a position at an AI wealth management start-up in his first significant role since leaving the Swiss financial behemoth 18 months ago.

Hamers was Europe’s highest-paid bank boss when he was at UBS, but left shortly after it agreed to take over its former rival Credit Suisse last spring. He was most recently in the running to become chief executive at UK asset manager Schroders, but lost out to chief financial officer Richard Oldfield.

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Hamers has agreed to become an external senior adviser to Arta Financial, a wealth management start-up founded by several former Google employees. Based in Silicon Valley and Singapore, it aims to use artificial intelligence to offer high-end wealth management services to mid-market clients.

The company initially offered services to US customers, but has recently rolled out its offering to Singapore and plans to attract business in India, where chief executive Caesar Sengupta is from.

Hamers has also taken a stake in Arta Financial, which focuses on working with clients with assets over $1mn.

While UBS chief executive, the 58-year-old Dutchman attempted to acquire a similar business, striking a deal to buy robo-adviser Wealthfront for $1.4bn in early 2022. But UBS later aborted the deal.

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Hamers was hired by UBS for his digital expertise and set about trying to improve its technology and he stated his ambition was to turn the storied Swiss institution into a “Netflix for wealth”.

But his time at UBS was dogged by an investigation in the Netherlands into his involvement in a money-laundering case at ING, the Dutch bank he used to run.

Prosecutors are due to decide by the end of the year whether he will be forced to appear in court over the matter or if they will drop the case.

Hamers declined to comment on the case.

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Full list of firms who will offer mortgages to over-60s – and the best rates you can apply for

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Full list of firms who will offer mortgages to over-60s - and the best rates you can apply for

GETTING a mortgage past retirement age used to be a hurdle that was hard to jump over, but older home buyers and borrowers have more options than ever before.

Lenders have become more flexible in their criteria and deals for homeowners heading into their later years.

The best rates start at just 3.7%

1

The best rates start at just 3.7%

Some providers now have no maximum age limit at all, giving older borrowers the chance to get the home they want.

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It comes as first-time buyer ages have gradually increased over the past few years, as higher house prices mean it is more difficult than it used to be to get on to the property ladder.

At the same time, people are living for longer and working past the traditional State Pension age in many cases.

In some cases, this may be out of financial necessity but it can also be for enjoyment and to keep mentally or physically active in later life.

As a result, lenders have adapted to changing patterns.

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Chris Sykes, at financial firm Private Finance, said: “Lenders have indeed become more flexible in this space in recent years.

“It might sound like some people’s worst nightmare to have finance into later life, but for some it’s a lifeline as they can’t pay for food with bricks.

“Others haven’t been able to get on the property ladder as early in life as they would have liked, and some would rather pay monthly but raise capital for children or even grandchildren to buy.”

Whatever the reason for wanting to borrow, the chances are that there will be lenders willing to look at your case.

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Chris added: “Mainstream lenders are taking employed and self employed income later and later in life, often to 75 now, some to 80 even.

“But the lenders who really specialise in this space is specialist building societies.”

Unveiling the Hidden Costs of New Home Mortgages

Big lenders usually have set criteria for mortgage applicants which will specify things such as the age you will need to be by the time your mortgage ends.

However, specialist lenders such as building societies are more likely to look at applicants on a case-by-case basis.

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As long as these lenders think you will still be able to afford to make the mortgage repayment at a later age, you could find that you are accepted at almost any age.

In some cases, pension payments will even be an accepted form of income whereas in the past it wasn’t.

Mr Sykes said: “Building societies are having to innovate in their criteria in order to win business so can be flexible.

“Often as you get into your 70s, lenders are looking at incomes guaranteed into later life, such as pensions. investments and buy to lets.

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“But also if you own a business that pays you and is family-run, for example.”

Lenders typically assess whether you can qualify for a mortgage based on your income through your job.

The best mortgage rates for over-60s

 A borrower who is 60 and looking for a five-year fixed-rate mortgage today has plenty of choice and can get sub 4% rates.

The scenario assumes the borrower has an income of £50,000 and wants the mortgage for a 25-year term on a loan to value of 60%, according to data supplied by broker John Charcol,

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The lowest rate is with Barclays with a competitive offering of 3.7%, it’s the only high street lender in the top five.

The rest of the leading rates are from building societies with Newbury offering 4.39%, Darlington 4.49%, Cambridge 4.69% and Family 4.74%.

Some building societies have specialist conditions such as requiring you to live within a particular region of the country.

The mortgages also come with different product fees which need to be taken into account when looking at the overall value of the deal.

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An independent mortgage broker can help you understand the best deals available to you in your specific circumstances.

SPECIALIST LENDING

As well as traditional mortgage products there are also specialist products available to older borrowers.

Retirement interest only mortgages, for example, have increased in popularity.

These loans are available to borrowers over 55 and allow borrowers to pay a fixed amount of interest on a loan with the underlying sum paid off from the property when the owner dies or moves into long term care.

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There are currently 181 retirement interest-only mortgages available, according to data site Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, compared to 104 products in 2021.

Caitlyn Eastell from the site, said: “Many people may have existing mortgage debt as they approach retirement age or are simply choosing to continue working past typical retirement age.

“S0, it is positive news to see a rise in the number of Retirement Interest Only products available to later-life borrowers despite only being a niche sector of the market.

“RIO mortgages are a way for older homeowners to continue borrowing into retirement and may well help with monthly repayments as it removes the need to repay the capital sum, which could appeal to those who are indeed relying on their pension to make payments.

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“In any case, it is important borrowers seek advice before committing and ensure they are making the correct decision to suit their needs.”

Equity release is another product that may suit older homeowners looking to borrow cash.

You’ll need to get professional advice before you take out specialist lending products.

Later life advisers can help you to navigate the options available to you whether it’s a mainstream mortgage or a specialist product is best for your particular circumstances.

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How to get the best deal on your mortgage

IF you’re looking for a traditional type of mortgage, getting the best rates depends entirely on what’s available at any given time.

There are several ways to land the best deal.

Usually the larger the deposit you have the lower the rate you can get.

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If you’re remortgaging and your loan-to-value ratio (LTV) has changed, you’ll get access to better rates than before.

Your LTV will go down if your outstanding mortgage is lower and/or your home’s value is higher.

A change to your credit score or a better salary could also help you access better rates.

And if you’re nearing the end of a fixed deal soon it’s worth looking for new deals now.

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You can lock in current deals sometimes up to six months before your current deal ends.

Leaving a fixed deal early will usually come with an early exit fee, so you want to avoid this extra cost.

But depending on the cost and how much you could save by switching versus sticking, it could be worth paying to leave the deal – but compare the costs first.

To find the best deal use a mortgage comparison tool to see what’s available.

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You can also go to a mortgage broker who can compare a much larger range of deals for you.

Some will charge an extra fee but there are plenty who give advice for free and get paid only on commission from the lender.

You’ll also need to factor in fees for the mortgage, though some have no fees at all.

You can add the fee – sometimes more than £1,000 – to the cost of the mortgage, but be aware that means you’ll pay interest on it and so will cost more in the long term.

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You can use a mortgage calculator to see how much you could borrow.

Remember you’ll have to pass the lender’s strict eligibility criteria too, which will include affordability checks and looking at your credit file.

You may also need to provide documents such as utility bills, proof of benefits, your last three month’s payslips, passports and bank statements.

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Northern Lights tonight in pictures as UK skies light up

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Northern Lights tonight in pictures as UK skies light up


Northern Lights could be seen across Yorkshire

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