What happened
British defence forces are secretly deploying specialist teams overseas to track down hackers before they can launch attacks against UK military networks. The operations, which involve soldiers, sailors and air personnel, are to take place in countries across Europe and Asia with the host government’s permission. The Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force has more than 700 personnel and combines cyber defence with electronic warfare.

Who said what
“Whereas historically we have defended on our territory, we are now defending ourselves forward of our own networks,” said Major General Mike Fayers, who commands the force.

Trained soldiers, sailors and aviators are “increasingly being sent to countries across Europe and Asia” to disrupt the rising threat of hacking plots, said Larisa Brown in The Times. “Neutralising plots early” is becoming “increasingly crucial as AI makes cyberattacks harder to stop once they are under way.”

What next?
The military plans to expand the force as government ministers move to increase defence spending. With the threats becoming more sophisticated and persistent, Fayers warned that Britain must be prepared for cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure.

What happened
A boxing event in Ireland featuring online personalities descended into a 20-minute riot after far-right activist Tommy Robinson appeared ringside and was involved in an altercation with a Muslim influencer. Robinson had been invited to the fight night in Kilkenny by organisers HSTikkyTokky (whose real name is Harrison Sullivan) and Ed Matthews, with the event streamed to about 1.8 million viewers.

After Robinson made inflammatory remarks about Muslims, fighter Mo Deen (whose real name is Mohammad Kubba) climbed from the ring and confronted him. Organisers then brought Deen back into the venue for an apparent unscheduled fight, triggering a wider brawl involving members of Robinson’s entourage that saw chairs thrown and barriers overturned.

Who said what
Robinson (whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) told the crowd that “Muslims have been raping our country for 100 years”, while Sullivan repeatedly called for Robinson to fight Deen.

Robinson “was met with a hostile reception from sections of the crowd” before “appearing to taunt Deen” with a copy of his book “The Grooming Gang Cover-Up”, said Bruna Reis in The Mirror.

Sullivan admitted afterwards that he should have hired more security, but described the event as “a great night of entertainment”.

What next?
Gardaí arrested two people, including a teenager who was charged with violent disorder. One man was taken to hospital after being assaulted. Robinson, who is currently on bail following his conviction for harassing journalists, is due back in court next month for sentencing.

Uganda has started withdrawing its forces from Somalia as part of a “phased drawdown that ​will end an almost two-decade deployment” in the country, according to Reuters.

The first 109 soldiers left at the end of last month and all 4,500 that are currently deployed will permanently return to Uganda by the end of next year.

“Things are not dire now,” said Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Omar​. But in a country facing the threat of Al Shabab, an Al Qaeda-linked insurgency, a sudden withdrawal could “create problems”.

Uganda was the first African country to deploy forces to Somalia in 2007 under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) to protect the transitional government from “attacks by Islamist militants”, said the BBC. Since then these Ugandan troops have been key players in the fight – alongside the Somali National Army – to “recapture strategic territory and secure key government installations”.

From the start of last year they have been part of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom), which has “focused on strengthening Somalia’s security institutions and preparing its forces to take full responsibility for the country’s security”.

But the future of Aussom has been “thrown into doubt” after US authorities decided to cancel funding for a UN logistics office, which is integral to the operation, said Deutsche Welle. This has prompted mounting fears that Al Shabab could exploit the “security vacuum” left behind, said The Associated Press.

It also comes at a “politically sensitive juncture” for Somalia, according to the Somali Guardian. Political divisions and differing priorities among groups within the government “risk diverting attention and resources from military operations and the broader campaign against insurgency”. This is not a “routine change of command”, it is a “test” of the Somali National Army’s “preparedness to assume a greater share of the country’s security responsibilities”.