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Today — 19 December 2025News

What We Know About the Shootings at Brown and M.I.T.

19 December 2025 at 15:07
A single suspect carried out the shooting at Brown University and the killing of an M.I.T. professor, and was later found dead in New Hampshire, authorities said.

© Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times

A memorial at the Barus and Holley building on the campus of Brown University, in Providence, R.I. on Tuesday.

How the Army Caused Alarm in the Washington Skies Years Before a Fatal Crash

19 December 2025 at 18:00
An aged helicopter fleet and inexperienced pilots from nearby Fort Belvoir had raised “widespread concern” among local pilots before a midair collision killed 67 people.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Helicopter helmets and a model of a Black Hawk helicopter on display in the home of Austin Roth, who served two decades in the Army, including as an instructor at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. The helmet on the top left is one Mr. Roth used while assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion.

Trump’s Attacks on Rob Reiner and Others Characterize an Uninhibited 2nd Term

19 December 2025 at 13:00
Many of President Trump’s supporters love his professional-wrestling style of leadership. But some of his recent attacks have sickened even some of his own political allies.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

Mr. Trump’s brash personality has been an element of his appeal to supporters, who find it bracingly authentic in contrast to cookie-cutter politicians.

F.D.A. Turmoil Keeps Spotlight on Its Commissioner

19 December 2025 at 18:01
The agency’s high-level turnover and conflicting policy decisions on drug oversight have fueled concerns about the leadership of Dr. Marty Makary.

© Al Drago for The New York Times

Dr. Marty Makary, the F.D.A. commissioner, has faced intense criticism as the agency undergoes top-level turnover in critical areas like drug approvals.

Trump-Appointed Judge Flays ICE Over Conditions in Long Island Lockup

19 December 2025 at 16:00
A detainee and eight others were held in a tiny room with an open toilet in freezing, filthy conditions.

© Bryan R. Smith/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Erron Anthony Clarke was detained by ICE in November, and held in detention at the Alphonse M. D’Amato U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y.

Falling Enrollment, Money Woes: The New School Seeks a Path to Survival

19 December 2025 at 16:00
The New York City university has embarked on an overhaul that some professors and students say imperils its standing as a bastion of the liberal arts.

© Mimi d’Autremont for The New York Times

Students and faculty members at the New School, including Danielle Twiss, a doctoral student studying Marxist political economy, rallied over budget cuts prompted by the university’s budget woes.

After the Louvre Heist, Museums Look for Lessons to Help Stop Thieves

19 December 2025 at 18:00
Museums and the consultants who advise them have been busy reviewing their own precautions in the aftermath of the brazen daylight break-in at the Louvre.

© Kena Betancur/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A member of the security staff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Experts say U.S. institutions are reviewing the Louvre heist to ensure they do not share similar vulnerabilities.

U.S. Will Pay $450,000 to Wildfire Fighters With Cancer

19 December 2025 at 18:03
They will be eligible for a one-time payment as well as college tuition for their children. The effort is part of a legislative push to address the dangers of working in toxic smoke.

© Loren Elliott for The New York Times

Members of a wildfire crew last August in San Luis Obispo County, Calif.

NASA Webb Telescope Discovers Lemon-Shaped Planet, the ‘Stretchiest’ Ever Seen

19 December 2025 at 10:32
An unusual object orbiting a rapidly spinning star might be a new phenomenon in the universe.

© NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

An artist’s impression of the lemon-shaped world, which astronomers say would be red because of dust and soot from the carbon in its atmosphere.

Florida Executed A Record 19 People in 2025. He Witnessed Them All.

19 December 2025 at 18:00
John Koch, a radio reporter, witnesses every execution in Florida to keep close tabs on what he considers one of the most consequential actions the state takes.

© Zack Wittman for The New York Times

For John Koch, the rapid pace has meant watching an execution by lethal injection roughly once every two weeks over the past several months.

US suspends green card lottery scheme after Brown shooting

19 December 2025 at 15:56
Reuters Kristi Noem attends a House Homeland Security hearing, she stares above the camera in a serious expression.Reuters
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect "should never have been allowed in our country"

President Donald Trump has suspended the US green card lottery scheme in the wake of a mass shooting at Brown University last week in which two people were killed.

The suspect, a Portuguese man who was found dead on Thursday, entered the country through the diversity lottery immigrant visa programme (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she has paused the visa scheme under Trump's direction to "ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme".

US officials said they believe the suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, also killed Portuguese Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro earlier this week.

The programme makes up to 50,000 visas available each year through a random selection process among entries from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.

Writing on social media, Noem said Trump had previously "fought to end" the scheme in 2017 after eight people were killed in a truck-ramming attack in New York City.

Uzbekistan national Sayfullo Saipov, an Islamic State supporter who is serving multiple life sentences for the attack, entered the US through the DV1 scheme, according to Noem.

Her comments come just hours after Neves Valente was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, from what police believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said video evidence and tips from the public led investigators to a car rental location where they found the suspect's name and matched him to their person of interest, following a six-day multi-state manhunt.

He was found dead with a satchel and two firearms. Evidence in a car nearby matched to the scene of the shooting at Brown University in Providence, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Reuters Green and purple images of the shooter at Brown University, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, are displayed during a press conference in Providence, Rhode Island.Reuters
Claudio Neves Valente was matched as the main suspect in last week's mass shooting

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at the Ivy League school from the autumn of 2000 to the following spring, and was studying for a PhD in physics.

He had "no current active affiliation" to Brown, she said.

Officials said they believe Neves Valente shot and killed MIT professor Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, on Monday at his home in Brookline, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.

Both men had studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s, police said.

Officials said the cases were linked when the suspect's vehicle was identified via CCTV footage and a witness at Brown University.

The same car was spotted near the scene of the professor's shooting, which happened just two days later.

Authorities have not provided any suspected motive for either of the attacks.

Two students were killed and nine others were injured as a gunman burst into Brown University's engineering building on 13 December and opened fire during final exams.

They have been identified as Ella Cook, 19, a second-year student from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, an Uzbek-American who had just started at the university.

Parents in India devastated as children with thalassemia test HIV positive

19 December 2025 at 15:11
Getty Images A woman dressed in red salwar-kameez shows her palms, with "STOP AIDS" painted on them. The Thalassemia and AIDS Prevention Society organised an awareness demonstration on World AIDS Day in Kolkata, India, on 1 December 2025, to raise awareness about prevention and cure against AIDS in the countryGetty Images
In India, HIV still carries strong social stigma, often leading to discrimination

Parents of children with thalassemia in India say they are devastated after life-saving blood transfusions left their children HIV-positive, confronting them with illness, social stigma, and uncertainty.

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that requires regular transfusions to manage severe anaemia and sustain life.

On Wednesday, authorities in central state of Madhya Pradesh said five children with thalassemia, aged three to 15, have tested positive for HIV, prompting concerns over blood transfusion practices. A committee has been set up to investigate the cases.

The families are from Satna district. Although the infections were detected during routine screening between January and May 2025, they drew wider attention after local media reports earlier this week.

The cases follow a similar incident in the eastern state of Jharkhand weeks earlier, where five children with thalassemia, all under eight, were found to have contracted HIV after blood transfusions at a state-run hospital.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, spreads through unprotected sex, unsafe medical practices, infected blood transfusions, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

While no longer a death sentence, it requires lifelong management. In India, more than 2.5 million people live with HIV, with about 66,400 new infections each year. Over 1.6 million are on lifelong treatment at antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres, government data shows.

Pradeep Kashyap/BBC A group of men stand near a white ambulance car parked outside the entrance of the district hospital building in Madhya Pradesh's SatnaPradeep Kashyap/BBC
The state-run hospital in Madhya Pradesh where the five children are undergoing treatment

Satna district collector Satish Kumar S said the five children had received blood transfusions at different locations, involving multiple donors.

Health officials said these included government hospitals and private clinics, and that all the children are now receiving treatment.

In one case, officials said both parents of a three-year-old were HIV positive. In the other cases, the parents tested negative, ruling out mother-to-child transmission.

Satna's chief medical and health officer Manoj Shukla said children with multiple transfusions are considered high-risk and are routinely screened for HIV.

"Once detected, treatment was started immediately and is continuing. At present, the children are stable," he said.

Every unit of blood issued by the district hospital's blood bank is tested according to government protocol and released only after a negative report, Dr Shukla says.

However, in rare cases, blood donors who are in the early stages of HIV infection may go undetected during initial screenings but test positive later, he adds.

Cases of thalassemia patients contracting HIV during treatment are not new in India.

In October, after similar incidents in Jharkhand, authorities suspended a lab assistant, the doctor in charge of the HIV unit and the chief surgeon of the state-run hospital involved.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren also announced an assistance of 200,000 rupees ($2,212; £1,655) for each affected family.

In 2011, authorities in Gujarat launched an investigation after 23 children with thalassemia tested positive for HIV following regular blood transfusions at a public hospital.

Last week, thalassemia patients urged India's parliament to pass the National Blood Transfusion Bill 2025, saying it would strengthen regulation of blood collection, testing and transfusion.

Campaigners, including patients who contracted HIV through unsafe transfusions, called the bill a long-awaited step towards safer, quality-assured blood for those reliant on frequent transfusions.

Getty Images Nurses, patients and attendants walking outside the building of the state-run hospital in India's eastern state of Jharkhand where five children suffering from thalassemia were infected with HIV after receiving blood transfusions in October 2025Getty Images
The Jharkhand hospital where five children contracted HIV from blood transfusions in October

In India, where healthcare access can be limited, especially in rural areas and small towns, families of the HIV-infected children in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand are deeply concerned.

"My daughter was already suffering from thalassemia. Now she has got HIV, all thanks to the pathetic medical facilities of Madhya Pradesh," said one father, whose child is among those affected.

Another parent said their child was struggling with side-effects of HIV medication, including vomiting and constant fatigue.

In India, HIV still carries strong social stigma, often leading to discrimination. In Jharkhand, the family of a seven-year-old boy was forced to leave their rented home after the landlord learned of the child's HIV status, the father told the BBC.

"I tried to convince them a lot, but they remained adamant on getting the house vacated. So, I had to return to my village, about 27km [17 miles] away," said the father, who is a farmer.

"In the village, it is not only a challenge for my son to get better health facilities, but he is also deprived of a good education."

Additional reporting by Mohammad Sartaj Alam in Jharkhand

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

台民调:赞成停砍公教年金民众少于反对者

19 December 2025 at 18:09

台湾民调机构的调查结果显示,赞成停砍公教年金的台湾民众少于不赞成者。至于行政院长卓荣泰不副署立法院通过的财划法,赞成不副署的人士也少于不赞成者。

综合台湾ETtoday新闻云、中时新闻网和《自由时报》报道,民调机构台湾民意基金会星期五(12月19日)公布的民调显示,36%赞成停砍公教年金,48%反对。

在军公教人员方面,赞成者占41%,44%不赞成。在蓝白阵营支持者方面,不赞成停砍公教年金的人士分别为30%和32%。

台湾民意基金会董事长游盈隆认为,这对大力推动这项修法的蓝白两党而言,是一个坏消息。

在不副署财划法的做法方面,39%民众支持卓荣泰不副署,43%反对。

游盈隆说,对于卓荣泰不副署、不执行立法院所通过在野党版本财划法修正案,社会各界态度严重分歧,明显循着绿蓝白政党支持倾向展开。这也显示大罢免政治风暴平息四个月之后,风云再起,传统朝野支持者的全面对抗再次浮现,再度引爆。

台湾朝野近期因《财划法》修法、公教人员年金改革,以及明年度政府总预算案审议等议题陷入僵局。

国民党与民众党立委星期四(18日)在立法院司法及法制委员会通过谴责赖清德与卓荣泰,并移请监察院弹劾卓荣泰。立法院蓝白阵营也在星期五宣布弹劾总统赖清德,将他比作曾经称帝的袁世凯。

杭州立法管理居民体重

19 December 2025 at 17:36

浙江省杭州市通过地方立法推动全民健康,相关条例聚焦体重管理,通过营养状况监测、营养干预计划,以及建设全民健身场所和设施、建立健康积分奖励制度等,规范居民“管住嘴,迈开腿”。

综合澎湃新闻、杭州网等报道,杭州市人大常委会星期四(12月18日)通报,《杭州市全民健康促进条例》(《条例》)已经浙江省人大常委会批准,将于明年1月1日起正式施行。杭州成为中国首个就全民健康实现地方立法的城市。

杭州市卫健委党委书记、主任方健国引述调查指出,杭州成年居民年龄别标化超重率和肥胖率分别为30.54%和8.77%,都处于需要系统干预、持续改善的区间。因此,《条例》专门突出居民的体重管理,主要从“管住嘴、迈开腿”两个方面规定了相关举措。

在“管住嘴”上,《条例》规定,相关部门应定期组织开展居民营养状况监测,根据监测结果制定重点人群营养干预计划,组织开展未成年人和老年人营养改善行动。

托幼机构、学校、养老机构、医院、学生餐配送企业应配备营养师或者营养指导员。有关部门应当定期组织营养师或者营养指导员参加培训。《条例》也鼓励全社会参与减盐、减脂、减糖等健康饮食行动。

在“迈开腿”上,《条例》明确地方政府及其有关部门应制定并组织实施全民健身计划,按照相关规划建设全民健身场所和设施。

中小学校体育场地设施应免费向公众开放,并对开放学校予以补助。高等院校应当创造条件,利用寒暑假等非教学时间,向公众开放体育场地设施。

《条例》规定,体育主管部门应开展国民体质测试评估,建立针对不同年龄和性别、不同身体状况、不同环境下人群的运动处方库,指导居民科学健身和运动康复,推行体育与医疗相结合的疾病管理与健康服务模式。

《条例》并提出激励制度,要求有关部门探索建立健康积分奖励机制,对居民参与健康教育、体育健身和健康管理等活动予以积分奖励,并鼓励医疗卫生机构、体育健身场馆、健康科普场馆等提供健康积分兑换服务。

中国宪法自2000年起赋予设区的市(即地级市)人大及其常委会制定地方性法规的职权。据中国人大网介绍,地方性法规可以设定除限制人身自由、吊销企业营业执照以外的行政处罚。

日本高官称东京应拥核武 北京促停止试探国际底线红线

19 December 2025 at 17:15

东亚安全局势紧张之际,日本高级政府官员表态认为东京应拥有核武器。中国外交部星期五(12月19日)指这反映出日本右翼保守势力复活军国主义、摆脱国际秩序约束、加速“再军事化”的野心膨胀,敦促东京停止为扩军强武寻找借口,停止在拥核问题上试探国际的底线红线。

共同社、NHK、《朝日新闻》等多家日本媒体引述日本高级政府官员星期四(18日)向记者表达个人观点,认为日本应该拥有核武器。据报道,这名不具名官员在安全事务上,为首相高市早苗提供建议。

不过,上述日本高官也补充说,政府内部未讨论过这种可能性,并承认这在现实中很难实现。

此番言论的出现,正值日本处于敏感时刻,中日关系因日本首相高市早苗11月7日发表“台湾有事论”已持续紧张月余。

《朝日新闻》引述上述日本高官提到东京的安全环境日益严峻,并指这源于中国核能力不断增强、俄罗斯的核威胁,以及朝鲜发展核武器等问题。共同社引述该官员称,最终还是要靠日本来保卫自己。

日本内阁官房长官木原稔星期五在例行新闻发布会上,被问到这些报道时表示,政府将继续坚持不拥有、不制造、不运进核武器的长期承诺,“我们不会对个别新闻报道发表评论。政府将继续坚持无核三原则。”

木原稔续称:“我们持续为全球的和平与繁荣做出贡献,这一立场没有改变。”

他并补充说:“作为唯一遭受过核攻击的国家,我们将采取切实可行的措施,维护和加强《不扩散核武器条约》的框架,朝着无核武的世界迈进。”

中国外交部发言人郭嘉昆星期五则批评,一段时间以来,日本在军事安全问题上错误言行不断。他说,现在日本一些势力又放风要拥有核武器,反映出日本右翼保守势力复活军国主义、摆脱国际秩序约束、加速“再军事化”的野心膨胀。

郭嘉昆指出,今年是中国抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年,日本必须深刻反省历史罪责,恪守国际法和自身宪法,停止为扩军强武寻找借口,停止在拥核问题上试探国际的底线红线。

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics

19 December 2025 at 18:00
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.

欧盟未用俄罗斯资产,通过900亿欧元援助乌克兰计划 3个国家不参加 - RFI - 法国国际广播电台

19 December 2025 at 18:15
19/12/2025 - 10:52

欧洲领导人在布鲁塞尔经过17个小时的谈判,终于在今天周五凌晨达成协议,通过共同举债900亿欧元贷款,为乌克兰的战争努力提供至少两年的资金支持。因未能达成一致,欧盟最终放弃了动用俄冻结资产的援乌计划。

法新社说,欧盟领导人必须不惜一切代价为基辅找到一个可持续的财务解决方案,因为基辅可能在2026年第一季度就面临资金短缺。在特朗普总统决定关闭美国资金来源后,欧盟承诺向乌克兰提供大部分财政和军事支持。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基对此作出回应称:“这是重要的支持,真正增强了我们的韧性。”他专程前往布鲁塞尔传达这一信息,并对欧洲领导人表示了感谢。他在社交媒体X上写道:“重要的是,俄罗斯的资产仍然被冻结,乌克兰在未来几年获得了金融安全保障。”

据Politico说,这对支持动用俄罗斯资产计划的德国总理默茨和其他一些“节俭国家”领导人来说是一个失败。他们坚持认为,动用存放在布鲁塞尔证券托管机构欧洲清算银行(Euroclear)的1千850亿欧元资产是维持乌克兰财政运转的最佳途径。

匈牙利、斯洛伐克和捷克

Politico透露,欧盟 27 个成员国中有 24 个参加推进共同筹集 900 亿欧元的无息贷款计划,以维持乌克兰未来两年的运转。3个不参加的国家是:匈牙利、斯洛伐克和捷克。



台湾蓝白两党联合宣告:反帝制、反专制、反独裁,推动弹劾违宪总统赖清德 - RFI - 法国国际广播电台

19 December 2025 at 17:45
19/12/2025 - 10:40

台湾财划法纷争已一年多且越分越乱,近来行政院未副署立法院三读通过的才画法修正案。蓝白两党联手宣告弹劾总统赖清德,并要求总统到立法院说明。台湾财划法纷争已一年多且越分越乱,近来行政院未副署立法院三读通过的《财政收支划分法》修正案,更引发在野党强烈反弹。

国民党、民众党立法院党团19日早上宣布,为维护台湾宪政体制,反帝制、反独裁、反专制扩权,根据《中华民国宪法增修条文》第四条第七项,对赖清德总统提出弹劾案。除了要求总统到立法院说明,也将在全台举办弹劾公听会,向民众说明弹劾理由,诉求「阻止赖清德变成袁世凯」。

国民党发言人牛煦庭指出,行政院做出不副署的决定是「毁宪乱政」,在宪法精神中属于行政权内战,行政院长既然不副署就应自请下台,而非叫国会倒阁。

民众党表示,因为《财政收支划分法》,台湾陷入前所未有的宪政灾难,从来没有一个民主国家的首长可以恣意宣称不执行国会通过的法律,这不是民主、这是帝制。

针对在野党提出的弹劾程序,总统府发言人郭雅慧表示,这恰恰足以证明在宪法上立法院是有手段可以对行政院长和总统进行制衡,没有所谓行政滥权,只要合乎宪政体制,都会给予尊重。

她强调,更何况行政院长卓荣泰在不予副署时,已向人民和媒体清楚说明,他是依照宪法37条赋予的权力不进行副署。面对的问题,实在是因为在野党提出太多滥权与违法的法案,他是基于希望能够保护国家安全,才不予副署。

根据台湾宪法增修条文规定,立法院对总统、副总统提弹劾案,须经全体立法委员二分之一提议、三分之二以上决议,声请司法院大法官审理。进入宪法法庭审理,经大法官现有总额三分之二以上同意后,弹劾案成立,被弹劾人即解职。

法国债务规模爆新高,公共债务率居欧盟前三 - RFI - 法国国际广播电台

19 December 2025 at 17:45
19/12/2025 - 10:37

法国公共财政状况持续承压。法国国家统计与经济研究所于12月19日公布的数据显示,截至2025年第三季度末,法国公共债务总额已升至3482.2亿欧元,占国内生产总值的117.4%。这一百分比创下除战争或疫情时期之外的历史新高,在欧盟成员国中位列第三,仅次于希腊和意大利。

与上一季度相比,法国公共债务占国内生产总值的比例由115.7%进一步上升至117.4%。仅在7月至9月的三个月内,债务规模就增加了659亿欧元。此前第二季度的增幅更高,达到709亿欧元。按结构来看,本季度的债务增长主要来自国家层面,增加额为581亿欧元,低于第二季度的643亿欧元。目前,国家债务总规模为2845.7亿欧元。

纵向来看,第三季度,法国“中央政府其他行政机构”的债务小幅下降3亿欧元,降至684亿欧元,社会保障管理机构的债务继续上升,单季度增加76亿欧元,总额达到3052亿欧元。地方公共管理机构的债务则在第二季度小幅下降后再次回升,增加5亿欧元,达到2629亿欧元。

上述数据采用的是欧盟马斯特里赫特条约定义下的公共债务口径。法国国家统计与经济研究所同时公布了净债务数据,即在扣除公共部门所持有金融资产后的债务规模。2025年第三季度,法国净公共债务为3232.3亿欧元,占国内生产总值的109%,而第二季度这一比例为107.4%。

与此同时,法国政界正面临预算谈判的关键节点。由7名国民议会议员和7名参议员组成的联合委员会于同一天召开会议,试图就2026年国家预算草案达成妥协。谈判的核心目标之一,是在2025年公共赤字预计为国内生产总值的5.4%之后,将2026年的赤字水平至少控制在5%。

如果无法达成一致,法国政府倾向启用一项被称为“预算特别法”的方案。这一技术性法律将允许在2026年初暂时沿用2025年的预算框架,主要用于继续征税,并在随后数周内重新制定正式预算。

法国央行行长德·加洛表示,若通过特别法实施预算,将使法国的公共赤字水平明显高于理想状态。他同时警告,赤字一旦超过国内生产总值的5%,法国将进入风险区间。

法国央行同日上调了增长预期,预计2025年经济增长率为0.9%,高于此前预测的0.7%;2026年和2027年增速为1%,2028年为1.1%。法国央行指出,这一增长主要由家庭消费和私人投资的恢复所支撑。

失业率方面,2025年第三季度为7.7%。法国央行预计,该指标将在2026年小幅上升,随后于2027年回落至7.6%,并在2028年进一步降至7.4%。

Government data stolen in hack, minister confirms

19 December 2025 at 17:17
Getty Images Whitehall street in London a cloudy day with cenotaph war memorial and Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeGetty Images

Government data has been stolen in a hack though officials believe the risk to individuals is "low", a minister has said.

Trade Minister Chris Bryant told BBC Breakfast "an investigation is ongoing" into the hack, adding that the security gap was "closed pretty quickly".

A Chinese affiliated group is suspected of being behind the attack, but Bryant said investigators "simply don't know as yet" who is responsible.

"We think that it's a fairly low-risk that individuals will have been compromised or affected," Bryant said.

It comes after the Sun newspaper reported that the hack took place in October with information possibly including visa details targeted.

It said in its report that hackers affiliated to the Chinese state were thought to be involved.

The incident has been referred to the Information Commissioners Office.

UK intelligence agencies have warned about increasing, large-scale espionage from China, using cyber and other means, and targeting commercial and political information.

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