Alex Blair

2 days ago | news.com.au | Alex Blair

Ukraine has struck another major blow to Russia’s internal operations, days after pulling off one of the most devastating covert attacks deep inside Vladimir Putin’s territory. Ukraine military intelligence agency (HUR) has gained access to sensitive data of Russia’s strategic aircraft manufacturer Tupolev, a source in HUR told The Kyiv Independent. Tupolev is a Soviet-era aerospace firm that has been fully integrated into Russia’s gargantuan defence-industrial complex.

2 days ago | news.com.au | Alex Blair

Australia’s under pressure building industry could be set for another round of setbacks following comments from Energy Minister Chris Bowen this week. As construction companies go broke at alarming rates across the country, new environmental measures slated for the near future could drive up operating costs even further.

4 days ago | news.com.au | Megan Palin |Samuel Clench |Alex Blair

Ukrainian officials and President Volodomyr Zelenksy have questioned if Russia is “serious” about peace after talks in Istanbul concluded after little more than an hour. But there are moves to swap prisoners and schedule in more talks. The peace summit came just hours after Kyiv’s brazen attack deep inside Russia which was followed by both nations launching large-scale drone barrages at each other.

5 days ago | news.com.au | Alex Blair

One of Charles Manson’s accomplices has been recommended for parole after serving decades in prison for her role in the 1969 murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others in California. A state parole board has again recommended the release of Patricia Krenwinkel, who is the longest-serving female inmate in the state. At 77, Krenwinkel is still serving a life sentence at the California Institution for Women for her role in one of America’s most notorious killing sprees.

1 week ago | news.com.au | Alex Blair

Commonwealth Bank customers have been left frustrated this afternoon after a system issue disrupted transfers via NetBank and the CommBank app. Commbank confirmed the problem in a statement released on Friday, reassuring customers it was working to fix an issue affecting outgoing payments. “You may be unable to make transfers between your accounts or pay someone using PayID or BSB and account number in NetBank and the CommBank app,” the statement read. “Thanks for your patience.