Congress has been warned to be on high alert for Chinese spies after a suspected Beijing espionage plot was uncovered in British parliament.

Earlier this week, a parliamentary researcher with links to MPs with classified information was arrested for ‘spying for China.’ 

The suspect is thought to be linked to numerous Conservative members of Parliament – including Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns.

According to reports, several of the members with links to the suspected spy are ‘privy to classified or highly sensitive information’, however none have been accused of wrongdoing.

The suspect, who was arrested under the Official Secrets Act, has not been charged, and has said he is ‘completely innocent.’ He has not been named by police. 

The suspected breach sparked a Metropolitan Police investigation and led to MI5 warning more operatives could be working in the highest levels of British democracy. Now the United States has been warned it could be a target.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Communist Party, told DailyMail.com that educating members of Congress about the threat of infiltration is critical – especially in light of the recent UK incident.

‘One thing we’re trying to do here on the Select Committee is to educate people -members and staff- about the nature of not only traditional CCP espionage but United Front work,’ he said. 

‘I think United Front work is a poorly understood phenomenon. I don’t think your average member understands what it is. The more we can educate members about this phenomenon, the better they can defend themselves.’

The United Front is the political strategy utilized by the CCP to advance China’s influence and power globally through a variety of methods, including by deploying spies to try to change policies of foreign nations to be more pro-China or gain sensitive information. 

Congress has be infiltrated by Chinese spies attempting to get access to classified information in recent years. 

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s ties to a suspected Chinese spy Christine Fang, known as ‘Fang Fang,’ sparked an Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct.

The committee ended up not taking any disciplinary action against Swalwell, but issued a letter warning lawmakers about the threat of foreign infiltration.

‘Members should be conscious of the possibility that foreign governments may attempt to secure improper influence through gifts and other interactions,’ the letter stated.

Fang Fang left China to go to college in the U.S. in 2011, and then worked on developing relationships with key lawmakers, including Swalwell, in order to get access to sensitive information. 

She reportedly raised money for his 2014 campaign and attended a number of events that the congressman attended.

The FBI, who was investigating Fang Fang, first brought their concerns to the congressman in 2015. At that point, Swalwell said he broke off any contact with the suspected spy.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy kicked Swalwell off of the House Intelligence Committee earlier this year due to his Fang Fang connection.

But Swalwell isn’t the only lawmaker who has fallen for the ploy.

A former aide to Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., who worked as her driver in California for 20 years was found to have ties to the CCP.

Feinstein was chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee at the time. 

She insisted that the spy ‘never had access to classified or sensitive information or legislative matters’ and was let go after the FBI informed her that her office was infiltrated.

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., put the two Democrats on blast for falling for China’s ‘sophisticated’ spy network.

‘Communist China has a sophisticated and enormous global spy network that has already breached the highest levels of government like in the cases of Senator Feinstein’s aide or the targeting of Congressman Swalwell,’ said Waltz.

Waltz said he met with Canadian member of Parliament Michael Chong who has also been targeted by the Chinese. 

‘We’ll continue to press the intelligence community on their operations to combat these espionage efforts and safeguard members of Congress.’

Waltz sits on the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees. 

Experts say that it is easier for Chinese spies to get access to American secrets through U.S. lawmakers than most think.

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank in the UK, told Dailymail.com that Chinese spy infiltration in Congress ‘could easily happen in the U.S.’ because ‘nobody had really understood it could happen in such a spectacular way here.

‘Who’s to say there aren’t people the U.S. and other Western democracies who have been turned, and who may well be involved in Chinese influence operations or spying for China.’

‘It’s similar to what the Russians used to do, sending proper spies who were not obviously connected to the regime,’ Mendoza continued.

‘It seems unlikely China isn’t going to do that.’

He urged Congress to be ‘more alert’ to the ‘dangers’ of Chinese efforts and treat it on the same level as Russia.

‘It’s difficult to stop someone completely disconnected and able to cover their tracks.’

Mendoza said politicians should look closely at the backgrounds of people they are hiring.

‘If you have spent a considerable amount of time in China that should be a red flag that should mean you dig into someone’s background.

‘An incident like tis reminds us to be vigilant and double down on our processes.

‘We don’t want to be alarmist and have a reds under the beds McCarthyite position (but) sometimes we are not alert to obvious signs.’

German police officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann were warned that they could ruin their investigation by relying on a ‘flaky’ witnessed who was nicknamed Helge Bulls***ter, it has been claimed. 

Christian Brueckner, 45, was named last year by prosecutors as the key suspect in the disappearance and murder of the three-year-old in 2007.  

The police’s case is largely centred around his former friend Helge Busching’s testimony that Brueckner chillingly told him when they were discussing Madeleine’s disappearance that ‘she didn’t scream’. 

But Mr Busching is now ‘wobbling’ and is on the verge of withdrawing his evidence, according to sources close to the German investigation. 

And sources have today claimed German officers were warned of Mr Busching’s ‘flakiness’, with one revealing he had even earned the nickname ‘Helge Bulls***ter’ amongst Portuguese officers, according to the Sun. 

The source said: ‘Helge B is someone the Portuguese officers have known about for a long, long time. But he was discounted as a credible witness ages ago. 

‘He was always seen as a Walter Mitty character who would talk ‘bulls**t’ all the time hence the nickname.

‘They warned the Germans he was a bit of a fantasist and that he was ‘flakey’ and how he’d say what you wanted to hear. But, for some reason the German detectives latched on to him.

‘They’ve pinned pretty much their entire case on his evidence, despite being warned he wasn’t to be trusted. Now, with him looking to back out, their credibility has been totally shot to bits.’

Mr Busching gave Brueckner’s name to British police in 2017, around the 10th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance.

Busching claims that Brueckner told him at a Spanish kite festival in 2008 that he was involved in Madeleine’s abduction from Praia da Luz a year earlier.

When asked in 2020 what he thought of Brueckner, Busching said: ‘One word. Guilty.’

Busching, who now lives on the French island of Corsica, added: ‘He is in the right place at the moment and hopefully he will stay there a long time’.

After German prosecutors announced they were investigating Brueckner in June, the Metropolitan Police revealed they had received a tip-off about him in 2017.

‘Following the ten-year anniversary, the Met received information about a German man who was known to have been in and around Praia da Luz,’ detective chief inspector Mark Cranwell said at the time.

But now it’s feared that Mr Busching is not a reliable witness, as it emerged Portuguese officers gave him the nickname ‘Helge Bulls***ter’. 

A source told the Sun Mr Busching is ‘wobbling’ and is on the verge of withdrawing his evidence. 

‘He was paid a huge sum to repeat his statement in a German newspaper and now he’s pulling the plug,’ a German source said. 

‘It just goes to show you what type of people you are dealing with — and their credibility as witnesses.’

Convicted rapist and paedophile Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year jail sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2005.

Yesterday, it was claimed that Brueckner has written begging letters to his former friends asking them to talk about what a ‘good guy’ he is in court in a bid to clear his name. 

Brueckner moaned in one letter to a friend that prosecutors were making him out to be a ‘monster’.

Brueckner, who prosecutors say is responsible for Madeleine’s 2007 kidnap and murder, begged two of his friends to support him in court if he has to stand trial on separate rape and child sex charges.

‘I know of two people who got the messages from Chris,’ Brueckner’s former friend who is still in touch with those who knew Brueckner in the Algarve told the Mirror. 

‘It really freaked them out. They hadn’t heard from him in years and then these letters suddenly arrived in the post from Germany.’

The source added: ‘He was asking them to speak in his defence, about what a good guy he is. He said the German police and prosecutors have it in for him, that they are saying he is a monster.

‘It’s outrageous for Chris to ask for help because now we all know about his past. Back when we were hanging with him in the early 2000s it was all a secret. We didn’t know he was a paedophile. But now he doesn’t stand a chance of anybody speaking up for him in court.’

Brueckner is currently languishing in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal just 18 months before Madeleine was abducted. 

His trial heard he planned the sex attack having broken into the victim’s house with a rope to tie her up. She was blindfolded and gagged before being raped and robbed.

Last year, he was named as the key suspect in the disappearance and murder of Madeleine, who vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007 – just a few days before her fourth birthday. But he has still not been charged regarding her abduction and he denies his involvement.

In June, Brueckner attacked the police investigation against him as groundless in a handwritten letter, seen by the MailOnline. 

In the letter he attacked informant Mr Busching. The two men had been pals in Portugal in the early 2000s but as Brueckner explained in his latest missive he says they fell out after a drugs deal went wrong the year Madeleine went missing and never spoke again.

Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve coast in May 2007 – where Brueckner was living at the time – and has never been seen since.

In May, parents Kate and Gerry McCann gathered with friends and family in Rothley, Leicestershire, to poignantly marked the 16th anniversary of her disappearance.

They hold onto a glimmer of hope that Madeleine could still be alive.

She would now be aged 20.

A charity has warned Manchester United to respond appropriately to the allegations of domestic violence made against their 23-year-old winger Antony.

End Violence Against Women, a UK organisation made up of 143 specialist women’s support services, warned the football club that ‘the world is watching’ in an exclusive statement to Mail Sport on Tuesday.

Antony was dropped from Brazil’s international squad on Tuesday morning for ‘safeguarding reasons’ after his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin alleged that he threatened her while she was pregnant, damaged her breast implant, cut her finger with a glass and threatened to throw her out of a speeding car.

Manchester United sparked controversy earlier this summer having initially planned to reintegrate Mason Greenwood into the Red Devils squad following a six-month internal investigation into his dropped charges of attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour.

Greenwood, whose case was dropped in February after ‘key witnesses’ withdrew from the case, joined Getafe on loan on deadline day after Manchester United reportedly reversed their initial decision and revealed that the forward would never play for the club again.

The Red Devils, who now have more domestic violence and abuse allegations to respond to, have yet to comment on the claims made against Antony.

End Violence Against Women Coalition director Andrea Simon has urged the Premier League and FA to take ‘meaningful action’ in a statement to Mail Sport.

‘The world is watching Manchester United to see how one of the biggest clubs responds to these latest reports of domestic abuse,’ she said.

‘We once again call on the Premier League and FA to take meaningful action as it is clear that these are not incidents they can take in isolation, but part of a pattern of behaviour within a culture that enables footballers to perpetrate violence against women with impunity.’

A spokesperson for Women’s Aid also told Mail Sport in a statement on Tuesday: ‘Domestic abuse is prevalent in our society and all employers, including football clubs, need clear policies and procedures about what to do when allegations are made against an employee. 

‘When the alleged perpetrator is a high profile footballer, we know from survivors of domestic abuse that has an impact on both football fans and wider society, who see them playing and celebrated on the pitch as a sign that the allegations are not being taken seriously by the club. 

‘Safeguarding is vital in these cases, to ensure the safety of everyone involved while proceedings are ongoing.’

Countdown cohost and avid Red Devils fan Rachel Riley has called for domestic abuse experts to be involved in Manchester United’s ‘club processes’ in the wake of the allegations made against Antony.

Riley last month claimed that the Old Trafford chiefs were ‘green-lighting abuse’ after Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold reportedly planned to welcome Greenwood back into Erik ten Hag‘s squad.

She has since taken to social media in reaction to the allegations against Antony, writing: ‘Is anyone doing any due diligence on these players? Heinous stuff described in these accusations.

‘This time domestic abuse experts need to be involved in the club’s processes.’

Antony responded to previous claims of domestic violence in June, denying the allegations, but has now been dropped by the Brazil national team this week in order to ‘safeguard the alleged victim’. 

Unlike Greenwood, who was suspended for 18-months by Manchester United, the Brazilian forward remains currently unsanctioned.

Cavallin followed Antony to Manchester when he joined from Ajax for £85million and, after claiming an initial attack occurred in June last year, alleges that a second took place in January 2023, which left her with a dislodged breast implant and cut head. 

When he went to play for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar last December, she tried to end the relationship for good but was unable to do so. 

Cavallin accused Antony of putting her in a car while she was pregnant and threatening to push her out of the vehicle at high speed when they were on holiday in Brazil in June 2022. 

A later attack allegedly took place in May 2023, which left Cavallin with a cut finger after she claims to have defended herself amid threats from Antony with a glass. 

Cavallin has filed a complaint against Antony to Greater Manchester Police having originally alleged four incidents of domestic violence, bodily injury and threat to authorities in Sao Paulo in June.

She went into further detail with Brazilian website UOL on Monday, revealing WhatsApp screenshots and pictures of her injuries.

‘Antony locked the door of the house and wouldn’t let me go out, and I had my finger open, all hurt,’ Cavallin told UOL Esporte.

‘He broke my things, took my passport. His mother and stepfather even trapped him inside the football court, he had a football court inside his living room, surrounded by a fence. 

Antony, 23, issued a statement on Monday night denying the allegations.

‘I can say with confidence that the accusations are false,’ he wrote on social media. 

‘My relationship with Ms Gabriela was tumultuous, with verbal offences from both sides, but I never practised any physical aggression. I trust the ongoing police investigations will reveal the truth about my innocence.’

A new Covid variant that could spark a fresh wave of infections has been detected in the US, health officials say — as they begin to monitor the mutant strain.

Researchers tracking the variant — dubbed BA.X, or BA.2.86 — say a case has been detected in a Covid sample in Michigan. 

The discovery comes less than a day after experts told DailyMail.com the virus was ‘probably’ already on American soil and likely spreading quickly worldwide.

A total of six cases in four countries — the US, Israel, Denmark and the UK — have been detected to date, with more cases likely to be detected in the coming days.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday it was now tracking the mutant strain, while the World Health Organization (WHO) classified BA.2.86 as a ‘variant under monitoring’ due to the large number of mutations it carries.

Announcing the case in the US, the CDC said it was ‘tracking’ a new lineage of the virus that causes Covid.

‘This lineage is named BA.2.86 and has been detected in the United States, Denmark and Israel. 

‘CDC is gathering more information and will share more about this lineage as we learn it.’

It added: ‘As we learn more about BA.2.86, CDC’s advice on protecting yourself from Covid remains the same.’

Alarm bells over the strain were first rung earlier this week because of the 30 mutations it was carrying.

Its detection quickly prompted calls from some for face masks to return, while others said it was ‘reminiscent’ of the early days of the Omicron outbreak in 2021.

However, some experts sought to calm fears saying they did not believe lockdown-era restrictions would be needed.

While several cases of BA.X. were detected in four countries, because of delays in testing and reporting, it is likely a flurry of more cases will be reported in the coming days.

The new lineage ‘harkens back to an earlier branch’ of the virus, explained Dr S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist.

He said it remains to be seen whether BA.X will be able to out-compete other strains of the virus or has any advantage in escaping immune responses from prior infection or vaccination.

Early analysis indicates the new variant ‘will have equal or greater escape from antibodies elicited by pre-Omicron and first-generation Omicron variants,’ Jesse Bloom, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center said in a report Thursday.

Bloom’s report notes the most likely scenario is that BA.2.86 is less transmissible than current dominant variants, so it may not spread widely, but more sequencing data is needed.  

‘My biggest concern would be that it could cause a bigger spike in cases than what we have seen in recent waves,’ Dr. Long said. ‘The boosters will still help you fight off Covid in general.’ 

On Thursday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and lead for the Covid response at the WHO, cautioned there is very limited information available on the strain and says it needs monitoring due to its large number of mutations.

Surveillance and sequencing is ‘critical’ to detect new variants and track known ones, she added.

The new detection in Michigan comes as Covid hospital admissions in the US rise 15 percent in a week, although they are increasing from record lows, to 10,000 admissions every seven days.

Deaths remain low, however, with about 480 now being recorded every seven days.

Earlier this week, former FDA commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb warned Covid cases were tracking upwards in the US. He said he was particularly concerned about the South, which was seeing the fastest rise in admissions.

This comes amid the emergence of another Covid variant — EG.5 — which is already dominant in the US and spreading quickly.

Scientists highlight, however, that there is no sign EG.5 is more likely to cause severe disease and death than previous strains.

Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Dr Gottlieb said: ‘There’s nothing to suggest that this particular strain [EG.5] circulating in the United States right now is more pathogenic than prior variants.’

Monitoring shows the variant is currently behind nearly one in five cases in the US, but Dr Gottlieb says the true number is likely nearer half. 

Last week the WHO labeled the strain a ‘variant of interest’ because it was spreading so rapidly.

But it added that a more comprehensive analysis of this strain was also needed in order to evaluate the risk it posed. 

The bikini ban: Brits warned they could be fined hundreds or sent to JAIL for daring to bare in these holiday hotspots

• Tourists may want to pay attention to local laws to avoid eyewatering fines
• Italy is just one of the many places to issue hefty fines to tourists in bikinis
• Some Muslim countries have even arrested tourists for ‘indecent exposure’ 

By Jessica Hamilton

Updated: 08:11 EDT, 1 July 2023

When it’s hot – like it has been this week – all many want to do is sunbathe.

But aside from regular flies, and now mosquitos, there is flying horror Brits should be worried about this summer. 

Experts have warned of a rise in ‘Dracula’ horseflies, which are immune to most insect repellents.

Seen generally in Mediterranean countries, the mix of hot weather and sudden downpours in Britain so far this summer has proved the perfect breeding ground for these silent bloodsuckers. 

They can spread dangerous infections and cause painful bites, and posing a potentially serious threat to public safety.

Female vampire horseflies feed off blood, leading to infections and painful swelling that may not be fully treatable with current antibiotics. 

Vampire horsefly bites generally take longer to heal compared to most other insect bites too, and have a high risk of becoming infected, particularly if scratched. 

Other effects of vampire horsefly bites include the swelling of limbs, dizziness, shortage of breath and a painful, itchy rash. 

Speaking to the DailyStar, Alice Duvall, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, revealed she suffered an ‘excruciating’ bite that left a ‘huge red blotch that began swelling right away.’

She added: ‘They’re really sneaky too – I never felt it land on me, I only knew when it bit me. It didn’t buzz or anything, like a wasp or bee would.’

Another victim, Dean Collins, from Brighton, said: ‘I was with my girlfriend in the park and was bitten on the leg by a horse fly.

‘Man, it’s so painful, far worse than a wasp sting.’

Another victim said: ‘I’m destroyed with horsefly bites. One got infected. Horrific’.

If bite victims go into anaphylactic shock they may find their throat swelling, meaning they could choke and potentially die without emergency medical treatment.

According to Antibiotic Research UK, the rapid rise in their population only magnifies the importance of developing new antibiotic medicine as soon as possible.   

Meanwhile, the British Pest Control Association has put the horsefly on its top ‘Bites to Avoid’ list – along with those from the black widow spider and mosquitoes.

It warns: ‘Literally designed to eat a horse, their bite is both impressive and painful.

‘The horsefly is a sanguivorous insect and therefore wants to bite you.

‘They can persistently chase you at a flying speed of around 15mph, and it’ll bite right through clothes.

‘It has mandibles that can rip and tear flesh apart.’

The BPCA advises removing standing water close to homes and paddling pools and hot tubs to help fend off horseflies.

The NHS says horsefly bites can be ‘very painful and leave the bitten area of skin red and raised’.

It’s important to know that symptoms include a rash, dizziness, weakness and wheezing, short of breath and swollen limbs.

And if you are bitten, it has been advised to dab the bite with antiseptic and cover the wound with an ice pack to avoid infection and swelling.

If scratched, the bites can take longer to heal as they are very itchy. 

What to do if bitten or stung by an insect 

According to the NHS, there are a number of steps to take if bitten by a horsefly or stung or bitten by another insect: 

• Remove the stinger or tick if still in skin if possible 
• Wash the affected area of the skin carefully with soapy water 
• Apply an ice pack or other form of cold compress for ten minutes at a minimum
• Elevate the bitten or stung area of the body if at all possible to reduce swelling 
• Avoid scratching the bitten or stung area 
• Avoid using any traditional home treatment remedies such as vinegar 
• Visit a doctor immediately if the stung or bitten area appears painful, swollen, red or filled with pus, as any of those symptoms may indicate an infection 

The NHS adds: ‘Bites can take a while to heal and can become infected.

‘See your GP if you have symptoms of an infection, such as pus or increasing pain, redness and swelling.’