At one minute past midnight on 1 October in Washington DC, the shutdown of the US federal government began.

The smart border will roll out gradually from Sunday, 12 October, connecting every crossing point in the Schengen Area.

Passport control in Europe is about to look a whole lot different.

The change rolls out on October 12.

MI6 has launched a new recruitment drive for spies – using the dark web.

The UK’s intelligence agency has set up a new secure messaging platform which will make it easier for spies to submit information and for MI6 to recruit.

The Foreign Office says the UK aims to recruit more foreign agents, based in Russia and around the world.

Potential spies can submit information through the new Silent Courier secure messaging platform, which was launched on Friday.

It will use the anonymity of the dark web to allow anyone in the world to contact MI6 securely.

MI6 has even posted a handy instruction video on how to use the portal on their YouTube channel.

They also helpfully suggest that potential spies access the Silent Courier platform through a VPN on devices which aren’t linked to themselves.

Sir Richard Moore, outgoing chief of MI6, will announce the new platform in a speech later this morning.

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He’s expected to say: ‘Today we’re asking those with sensitive information on global instability, international terrorism or hostile state intelligence activity to contact MI6 securely online.

‘Our virtual door is open to you.’

It’s not long since the US tried a similar approach, with the CIA sharing videos on social media trying to target potential Russian spies in 2023.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘National security is the first duty of any government and the bedrock of the prime minister’s plan for change.

‘As the world changes, and the threats we’re facing multiply, we must ensure the UK is always one step ahead of our adversaries.

‘Our world-class intelligence agencies are at the coalface of this challenge, working behind the scenes to keep British people safe.

‘Now we’re bolstering their efforts with cutting-edge tech so MI6 can recruit new spies for the UK – in Russia and around the world.’

MI6 was set up in the early 1900s but wasn’t officially acknowledged by the UK government until the 1990s.

It has operated from the SIS Building on the bank of the River Thames in Vauxhall, central London, since 1994.

The agency’s head – only known as ‘C’ – is the only publicly named member.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

A gigantic Labubu, life-sized statues of Iron Man, Louis Vuitton bags, TV screens and a piano – these are some of the items looted from the home of an Indonesian politician who branded the ongoing protests ‘stupid’.

The Southeast Asia country has descended into chaos over an increase of lawmakers’ salaries, with demonstrations boiling over after the killing of a taxi driver who was hit by a police armored vehicle in the capital, Jakarta.

At least three people have been killed in a fire blamed on protesters at a regional parliament building in Makassar, the capital of the South Sulawesi province.

Rescuers retrieved three bodies on Saturday morning, and five people were hospitalized with burns or with multiple broken bones after jumping from the building, said Fadli Tahar, a local disaster official.

Parliamentary offices have been looted, as well as the mansion of Ahmad Sahroni, a member of the NasDem Party, Detik News reported.

Why are there protests in Indonesia?

Nationwide protests began in Jakarta on Monday after lawmakers backed a hike to their allowances.

In addition to their salaries, members of parliament will now benefit from a monthly housing stipend of 50 million rupiah (£2,263) – nearly 10 times the minimum wage in the capital and about 20 times the onein poor areas of the country.

A video from the parliament hearing showed them dancing in celebration, all the while Indonesia’s poverty rate stands at nearly 10%.

Critics argue the new allowance is not only excessive but also insensitive at a time when most Indonesians are grappling with soaring living costs and taxes, as well as rising unemployment.

The protests grew wider and more violent following the death of 21-year-old ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan in Jakarta on Thursday.

A video on social media, apparently showing his death, shocked the nation and spurred an outcry against the country’s security forces.

Kurniawan was reportedly completing a food delivery order when he was caught in the clash.

Witnesses told local television that the armored car from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade unit suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators and hit Kurniawan, causing him to fall.

Instead of stopping, the vehicle ran over him.

On Saturday, hundreds of ride-hailing drivers and students in Bali staged a solidarity demonstration over Kurniawan’s death in a rare protest on the tourist island.

They called for police reform and the release of those arrested during the demonstrations.

Protesters marched to Bali’s regional police headquarters and riot police fired rounds of tear gas at them to push back those who tried to reach the heavily guarded compound.

Clashes between riot police and protesters erupted in multiple cities across Indonesia on Friday, including in Medan, Solo, Yogyakarta, Magelang, Malang, Bengkulu, Pekanbaru and Manokwari in easternmost Papua region.

TikTok suspends live video feeds

In the light of the protests, the app, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, confirmed that it had suspended its live feature in Indonesia for several days.

The government had this week summoned representatives of social media platforms, including Meta Platforms Inc and TikTok, and told them to boost content moderation alleging that disinformation had spread online.

The government says that this has spurred the demonstrations against it – not the issues with the economy or the killing the the taxi driver.

What has Indonesia’s president done so far?

The protests are the first major test to president Prabowo Subianto nearly year-old government.

As the demonstrations spread outside Jakarta, he cancelled a planned trip to China.

The president had been due to attend a ‘Victory Day’ on Wednesday for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II following Japan’s surrender.

Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said in a video statement: ‘The president wants to continue monitoring the protests directly…and seek the best solutions.

‘Therefore, the president apologizes to the Chinese government that he could not attend the invitation.’

Is it safe to travel to Indonesia right now?

The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to parts of Indonesia – but most are area where there is volcanic activity, rather than connected to the protests.

Foreign embassies in Jakarta, including the US and Australia, have advised their citizens in Indonesia to avoid demonstration areas or large public gatherings.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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‘Biblical’ wildfires have forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people on the Greek holiday island of Crete.

On Sunday, the UK Foreign Office advised against all travel to Israel. Now, travellers are looking at the map of the wider region with concern over whether it is safe to travel to Turkey.

Spain is sweltering through temperatures of more than 40°C as a heatwave sweeps across southern Europe just as the summer holiday season begins.

The massacre on the beach at Sousse was the biggest loss of British life to terrorism since the 7/7 bombings in London in July 2005. For Tunisians and the tourism they rely on, it was devastating.

Conflict between Egypt’s regional neighbours threatens the tourism it relies on.

Abu Dhabi, UAE. has been dubbed the ‘Orlando of the Middle East’. (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The UK Foreign Office has issued a warning to travellers considering a trip to Abu Dhabi amid rising tensions in the Middle E…

The conflict in the Middle East has taken on a new shape after Donald Trump ordered a US attack on three nuclear sites in Iran.

On Sunday, the UK Foreign Office advised against all travel to Israel. Now, travellers are looking at the map of the wider region with concern over whether it is safe to travel to Turkey.

The Foreign Office has asked British nationals in Israel to register their interest.

Travellers are now looking at the map of the Mediterranean with concern over whether it is safe to travel to Cyprus.

RAF Akrotiri is the UK’s most important airbase for operations in the Middle East.

Travellers are now looking at the map of the Mediterranean with concern over whether it is safe to travel to Cyprus.

Travellers are now looking at the map of the Mediterranean with concern over whether it is safe to travel to Cyprus.

Conflict between Egypt’s regional neighbours threatens the tourism it relies on.