📰 Special Projects Editor at @TheiPaper.com, based in London ✍️ I write long reads, investigations and interviews 🏆 Legal Reporting Award winner ⚽️ Spurs fan 💻 https://robhastings.co.uk 💻 https://inews.co.uk/author/rob-hastingshttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mkmywpcpt22cAttempts to assassinate the US President dominate the news, but former Secret Service agents Jeffrey James and Paul Eckloff warn that political violence is spreading more widely across America, which could leave authorities "overwhelmed" My article for @theipaper.com: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/guarded-trump-secret-service-harder-to-protect-him-438406029 Apr 2026 11:33 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkmywpcpt22chttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3miy3nyek5s26📰 An encouraging read about the value of good journalism: https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/times-fewer-better-stories-strategy-leads-to-run-of-audience-growth https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/times-fewer-better-stories-strategy-leads-to-run-of-audience-growth/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email08 Apr 2026 10:31 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3miy3nyek5s26https://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mirg6yywik2h@philwisden.bsky.social Loved your piece on my boyhood hero's 207 - so well told, great job05 Apr 2026 18:51 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mirg6yywik2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mienrlofuk2b🚨 I have interviewed Igor Salikov, a senior Russian officer who defected after being horrified by the invasion of Ukraine He has provided evidence to the International Criminal Court about war crimes he witnessed or learnt about His story, shared with @theipaper.com, is astonishing... (🧵 1/13)31 Mar 2026 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mienrlofuk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mguefu5os22zAn Epstein survivor calls on British police to question her alleged groomer about any victims potentially trafficked through UK Teresa Helm, who was abused in the US in 2002, said authorities must contact Sarah Kellen, one of the convicted paedophile’s closest associates https://inews.co.uk/news/world/jeffrey-epstein-abused-me-office-who-uk-police-should-speak-424993112 Mar 2026 12:07 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mguefu5os22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mgqduj7enk2oAt least Kinsky lasted 17 minutes tonight, one poor Peruvian lad in here was taken off after 13 https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/nov/01/theknowledge.sport10 Mar 2026 21:46 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgqduj7enk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mght752hjs2iIf anyone should welcome Trump's war on Iran's regime, it's ex-US embassy hostages - yet two tell me it's "insane", "moronic", "a huge screw-up" It was an honour to interview Barry Rosen & John Limbert, among 52 held in awful conditions for 444 days, for @theipaper.com https://inews.co.uk/news/world/american-hostage-iran-444-days-trumps-war-moronic-427498407 Mar 2026 12:27 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mght752hjs2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mexs473xys22🥸 For nearly three years, Joe Augustyn ran the CIA unit that arranges new identities for defectors escaping from Russia, to shield them from attacks. He spoke to me for @theipaper.com about protecting some of the world's bravest - and most unusual - people: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/cia-unit-protecting-defectors-why-spies-turn-russia-422348816 Feb 2026 09:59 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mexs473xys22https://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3meg75i75u22oAnnie Farmer, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse, spoke to me for @theipaper.com - the phrase that stood out was "ubiquitous misogyny” https://inews.co.uk/news/crime/epstein-abused-aged-16-disgusted-millionaires-flocked-421586109 Feb 2026 10:05 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3meg75i75u22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mccz46vpdc2cIranian dissidents in the UK are often afraid to reveal their names and faces because of regime threats, but now they're coming out of the shadows Three of them spoke with me for @theipaper.com: https://inews.co.uk/news/iranians-like-us-faced-deadly-threats-on-uk-streets-not-afraid-416457213 Jan 2026 16:48 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mccz46vpdc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mbolvlnbg22b"I certainly keep open the possibility that Putin could suddenly disappear" Bit late in posting but was great to interview the UK's last ambassador to the USSR, Sir Rodric Braithwaite, about the risks facing the Kremlin and the chances of peace, for @theipaper.com: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/uk-last-soviet-union-ambassador-how-putin-can-lose-408023805 Jan 2026 13:59 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbolvlnbg22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mbj3xui5dc2m🇷🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦 “Putin looks at Trump and sees a weak guy, vain, with huge ego” I interviewed the CIA's former Moscow chief of station, Rob Dannenberg, for @theipaper.com about how he believes the Russian dictator is manipulating Trump, and risks this poses for Ukraine and the West https://inews.co.uk/news/world/i-was-cia-top-agent-moscow-putin-manipulate-men-trump-413245503 Jan 2026 09:30 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbj3xui5dc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mbbutxgwm22yIt was so interesting to visit the old Cornish clay pit set to become the UK's first lithium mine, reducing reliance on China for the mineral - which is vital to the production of batteries for EVs and tech products You can read my feature for @theipaper.com here: https://inews.co.uk/news/business/inside-old-cornish-mine-reopen-boost-uk-electric-car-production-409122231 Dec 2025 12:34 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbbutxgwm22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mb4o4xws5c24🚨 My splash for @theipaper.com today 🧑‍🔬 Based on my interview with Novichok scientist Dr Vil Mirzayanov 🥼 Plus contributions from former UK chemical response chief Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, leading toxicologist Professor Alastair Hay, and SDR co-author General Sir Richard Barrons Link below... [contains quote post or other embedded content]29 Dec 2025 10:51 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb4o4xws5c24https://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mb2jcuabgk2d☠️ The extraordinary story of the scientist who helped develop Novichok 🧪 Dr Vil Mirzayanov blew the whistle on Russia's secret chemical weapons programme in the 90s and fled to US 🧑‍🔬 Amazed he's not been poisoned himself, he spoke to me for @theipaper.com: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/helped-create-novichok-never-thought-putin-use-409610228 Dec 2025 14:19 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb2jcuabgk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3mb2cebrznc2b🧪 Russia may be developing more chemical weapons, experts fear I spoke to Dr Vil Mirzayanov, a Russian scientist who developed Novichok but became a whistleblower - he thinks a new nerve agent may have killed Alexei Navalny My exclusive for @theipaper.com: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/tear-gas-novichok-putins-chemical-war-ukraine-escalating-413244828 Dec 2025 12:15 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb2cebrznc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3makypdylhk26My exclusive splash today for @theipaper.com Thousands of elderly and vulnerable people are being forced to move out of their care homes every year with just 28 days' notice, often in distressing circumstances, following a big post-pandemic rise, FoI data shows https://inews.co.uk/news/health/care-homes-evicting-thousands-vulnerable-older-people-each-year-412021822 Dec 2025 10:12 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3makypdylhk26https://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3m65s5g4r5s2p🔦 The laser used by Russian spy ship Yantar on an RAF P-8 patrol aircraft was probably just a cheap handheld device, an expert in military lasers told me for @theipaper.com 😵 But even those can have big impacts on pilots - and bigger laser weapons are being developed: https://inews.co.uk/news/laser-weapons-developed-russia-blind-sniper-kill-drone-405242521 Nov 2025 17:20 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3m65s5g4r5s2phttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3m5kbovvtvs2bWell done to Michael Palin and #Newsnight for covering the importance of hospices and their funding crisis I visited Marie Curie's site in Bradford earlier this year for @theipaper.com - the care of the staff and volunteers there was so moving: https://inews.co.uk/news/health/truth-about-how-we-die-many-miss-out-end-of-life-care-3576445 [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Nov 2025 23:05 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5kbovvtvs2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3m5jo5iljdc2x👮 We R Blighty has been convicted - for a second time - of "shameless" illegal street fundraising Ben Mills and Danielle Vidler pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates' Court The group was caught while it was awaiting its first trial this year https://inews.co.uk/news/crime/we-r-blighty-convicted-illegally-collecting-money-second-time-404051613 Nov 2025 17:15 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5jo5iljdc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3m5bhrbepns2xJana Bakunina is Russian but has lived in the UK since 1999. She couldn't understand why so many friends and family support Putin - so she went back to find out What she learnt about people's attitudes was deeply worrying My interview with her for @theipaper.com: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/russian-living-london-what-people-home-think-putin-401222810 Nov 2025 10:59 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5bhrbepns2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3m5bghy5l222v“There is no way back" 😾 My interview with Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina for @theipaper.com on: - Life after escaping Russia, supporting Ukraine - Tough conditions for Putin's political prisoners - Her worries for poet Artyom Kamardin, jailed for seven years https://inews.co.uk/news/world/pussy-riot-activist-life-russian-prison-402641710 Nov 2025 10:36 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5bghy5l222vhttps://bsky.app/profile/robhastings.bsky.social/post/3m5bf3i5u2c2n🚨 The Charities Aid Foundation strengthened security at its HQ to protect employees following alleged “threatening behaviour” by Ben Mills, the founder of We R Blighty, the controversial CIC raising money for homeless military veterans My exclusive for @theipaper.com: https://inews.co.uk/news/business/threatening-behaviour-we-r-blighty-charity-boost-security-402165310 Nov 2025 10:11 +0000at://did:plc:ueivecetg7pzhashe2b7utng/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5bf3i5u2c2n