World Briefs

British parliamentarians warned against China-linked spying activity

london: Britain’s parliamentarians were on Tuesday warned against activities by China-linked agents to spy on them, specifically naming two recruitment headhunters for them to watch out for as they are working for the Chinese government. The MI5 domestic security service missive was circulated as an “espionage alert” by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle in the House of Commons for MPs and his House of Lords counterpart, Lord John McFall, for peers. The alert identifies the LinkedIn profiles for Amanda Qiu of BR-YR Executive Search and Shirly Shen of the Internship Union, whose activities are being carried out on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).

US’ former treasury secretary Larry Summers steps down

boston: Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University who once served as US treasury secretary, issued a statement saying he would step back from public commitments after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008. The statement sent to The Harvard Crimson and other media on Monday said Summers would step back to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me”. “I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognise the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr Epstein,” it said.