Richard Smith

Interview from the Titan submarine investigation. The witness name is blacked out. The first line is "Well, I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic."

Great moments in redaction history.

Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing? 2? Questions I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends or family without looking anything up. Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?

If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.

Among other things the reason is apparently "time spent looking at the CCTV footage", indicating that BTP have *still* not understood the binary chop algorithm despite having it explained to them by numerous angry computer science professors.

BBC Radio 4 - File on 4 Investigates, Taxing Situations COVID workers targeted with tax avoidance schemes that HMRC warns against signing up to.

With Michelle Mone and Doug Barrowman in the news this week, I thought some of you might be interested in my 2020 investigation into Mr Barrowman’s involvement in the loan charge tax scandal.
Produced by one of the BBC’s best investigative journalists Anna Meisel.

That's me in the pram.

Important to emphasize that the actual victims of Javice's fraud, who didn't even get mentioned in court, are the founders of honest fintech companies who didn't get an investment because of this fiasco. The cost of fraud is the legitimate business that doesn't get done.

Peter Kyle has spent this week wibbling about university graduates being too lazy to start AI businesses, rather than working on a response to a cyber disaster affecting a whole manufacturing ecosystem

Very much enjoying Microsoft fucking-up previously rock-solid stable apps in new and exciting ways! For example: why is this dialogue so fucking huge!?!?

Boosting the UK’s status as an AI maker, NVIDIA will join forces with companies across the UK to deploy 120,000 advanced GPUs across the UK, representing its biggest ever rollout in Europe to date. This infrastructure is the building block of AI technology, able to carry out a huge number of calculations in a split second.

This is a novel way of describing the process whereby a company sells your their product.
www.gov.uk/government/n...

I mean when you think of killer apps of the past, I don't remember Excel or Mosaic needing to hijack the off switch in order to persuade people to try them.

HMRC charges Bennett Verby as first company under tax evasion powers Stockport accountancy firm becomes first to be charged under law brought in eight years ago

8 years ago the govt gave HMRC new powers to tackle corporate tax evasion...

They've just been used for the first time!

Unless HMRC is properly resourced, they'll continue to underutilise their powers & letting greedy corps rob the public of £billions.
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...

Oof. Well hopefully it is under new management now...

Yes, it's a great spot, latest menu looks fine, bad reviews sound like vindictive nutters...

Old Marston, some traffic for sure, but not far, so maybe not too bad maybe this link works www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R...

Victoria Arms has parking and outside eating, riverside. No idea what the food is like at the mo, but unlikely to be terrible.

This is the fuckin' way.

Give 'em hell, Newgrounds.

London Judge Rules: Ukrainian Tycoons Stole $2 Billion from PrivatBank A London judge ruled in favor of Ukraine’s largest state-owned bank, calling the misappropriation of funds a “fraud of Byzantine complexity.” Parallel criminal proceedings continue in Ukraine.

A London judge ruled in favor of Ukraine’s largest state-owned bank, calling the misappropriation of funds a “fraud of Byzantine complexity.” Parallel criminal proceedings continue in Ukraine.

www.occrp.org/en/news/lond...

11,500 UK companies struck off Companies House register after crackdown National crime agency news Desk Published July 17, 2025 Thousands of UK companies have been removed from the Companies House register over the last year, following a crackdown coordinated by the National Economic Crime Centre. These companies were not compliant with Registered Office requirements under the Companies Act 2006. The project was designed to identify and enable enforcement action against high-risk company incorporation locations and corporate entities believed to be enabling criminality in the UK and overseas.

11,500 UK companies struck off Companies House register after crackdown

National crime agency news Desk Published July 17, 2025 Thousands of UK companies have been removed from the Companies House register over the last year, following a crackdown coordinated by the National Economic Crime Centre.…

Our letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer: Investor visas risk rolling out the red carpet to kleptocrats, criminals, and spies — UK Anti-Corruption Coalition Friday, 4 July 2025 Dear Chancellor, We are writing to express our concerns about reports that the UK Government is planning a new investment visa, or ‘Golden Visa’, scheme. Past experience suggest...

✍️ We’re proud to be signatories to this letter, alongside our friends @transparencyuk.bsky.social, @taxjusticeuk.bsky.social, @patmillsuk.bsky.social, @cfs-rusi.bsky.social and @oliverbullough.bsky.social.
You can read the full letter below 👇:

Proper “crime is legal now” stuff here, just this time for serious and organised crime worth hundreds of thousands that no-one seems to think is worth their time to investigate

After outpacing EU naval mission, cargo ship remains stranded in Libya Less than a year after it was abandoned off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the Med Sea Eagle delivered military equipment to a Libyan strongman, leaked documents reveal.

Thousands of seafarers are abandoned at sea each year, often stuck aboard deteriorating vessels without pay, provisions or medical care. Sanctions enforcement is also sporadic. Increasingly, maritime shipping lanes are becoming crime zones.

Read more: www.icij.org/news/2025/06...

How Foreign Scammers Use U.S. Banks to Fleece Americans Asian crime syndicates’ online scams have reached industrial proportions, cheating victims around the world out of more than $44 billion a year. U.S. banks have been unable to stop them.

Chinese forums on Telegram feature ads for “cars” or “fleets” — slang for bank accounts that can be used to collect stolen funds.

One ad offered accounts at PNC, Chase, Citi and Bank of America and boasted of “firsthand” control of the accounts.

New data reveals that 40% of corporation tax due from small businesses isn’t being paid.

It’s a hidden crisis that costs the UK £15 billion a year — and HMRC has quietly lost control.

buff.ly/5Ah4fP4

Happy Wirecard Collapse Day to those who celebrate !

Excellent thread in progress, which I hope will get onto a subject that's always interested me - you would have thought this industry were an absolutely natural use case for crypto, but by and large they cannot be bothered with it for the most part.

Builder.ai owes money to corporate spies and defamation lawyers [FREE TO READ] Microsoft-backed UK tech unicorn hired reputational management specialists after FT reported on founder’s legal issues

🚨CORPORATE SPOOKS KLAXON🚨

Builder.ai collapsed owing money to an Israeli private intelligence outfit, a high-profile crisis PR specialist and one of the world’s most feared litigation law firms, US bankruptcy filings reveal

The trio were hired after probing FT reporting last year
on.ft.com/3ZhLIPM

no they haven't

Fraud Costs UK Banks $1.6B Amid Record Scam Surge With fraud accounting for 41percent of all crimes and remaining the U.K.’s most common offence, the government is set to launch a new strategy to tackle online fraud.

The U.K. banking industry lost £1.17 billion to fraud last year as criminals carried out more than 3.3 million scams, according to trade association @UKFtweets.

Fraud now accounts for 41% of all reported crime in the country.

“Without widespread theft, my industry can’t survive” is an argument against your industry surviving, and is not an argument for allowing widespread theft