British officials have warned that Ireland's liberal visa policy and the open internal borders of the UK-Ireland Common Travel Area could let Russian intelligence operatives reach Britain undetected, The Telegraph reported. Ireland has issued 14,000 visas to Russian citizens since the full-scale invasion, with a 90 percent approval rate, and a Russian national who enters Ireland legally can cross to the UK. MEP Barry Andrews, a former Irish minister, said Dublin's intelligence services are less sophisticated than Britain's and urged tighter screening of Russian and Belarusian applicants as Ireland takes the EU Council presidency in July.

A police officer in Downpatrick, County Down, was seriously injured early Sunday after being hit by a stolen police car and discharging his firearm during a foot chase. The 27-year-old suspect has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has been informed and is investigating.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's former first minister, said she feels like she is "serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit" after her estranged husband Peter Murrell admitted embezzling £400,000 from the SNP. In her first media interview since Murrell's guilty plea, Sturgeon told the BBC she had no knowledge of his crimes and refused to apologise for the scandal. The interview, broadcast on Sunday, saw Sturgeon become visibly emotional while discussing gifts from Murrell that were purchased with stolen party funds.

Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has suggested cutting employers' National Insurance to incentivise hiring young people and backed new North Sea drilling, in a bid to differentiate himself from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer ahead of a potential Labour leadership contest. Streeting, who quit the cabinet two weeks ago, told the Sunday Times he favours a targeted NI reduction and expects Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to approve drilling licences for the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden responded that any tax break must be paid for, while the government points to existing exemptions for under-21s and a £3,000 youth jobs grant.

A new study by the Safety Nets project reveals that devolved welfare policies across the UK have led to significant disparities in benefit entitlements. A low-income family in Scotland can receive up to £15,000 more per year than an identical household in England, driven by more generous Scottish child payments and exemptions from the benefit cap. The report highlights growing 'welfare nationalism' and raises questions about fairness and affordability, with Scotland accounting for most of the additional £1bn annual spending.

Arm Holdings has proposed a pay scheme for CEO Rene Haas that could award him up to $800 million in shares if the company's market capitalization reaches $1 trillion by 2029 and higher targets by 2031. The plan, which requires shareholder approval, is designed to align executive compensation with US standards and reflects Arm's ambition to become the UK's first trillion-dollar company. Haas already earned over $60 million in the last fiscal year.

A YouGov survey commissioned by property consultancy Cluttons found that over 40% of UK mobile users struggle to access 4G or 5G for at least half the time they are on the move, highlighting persistent gaps in the country's digital infrastructure. The UK has slipped to 59th place globally for mobile download speeds. The report estimates that improving mobile coverage along railways could unlock nearly £3bn in productivity gains over the next decade.

An Indian citizen who moved to the UK under the post-Brexit visa scheme to work as a care worker was awarded nearly £30,000 by an employment tribunal after his employer, Swan Care Solutions Ltd, failed to provide him with any work for a year. The worker, Shabin Shaji, paid £17,000 to agents and was sponsored by the company, but was left destitute and unable to work elsewhere due to visa restrictions. The tribunal found the company made unauthorized deductions from wages and ordered it to pay wages, holiday pay, and costs. The case highlights exploitation of migrant care workers and calls for reform of the skilled worker visa system.