Sign in

Rob Hastings

@robhastings.bsky.social
2.1K followers 614 following 271 posts

📰 Special Projects Editor at @TheiPaper.com, based in London ✍️ I write long reads, investigations and interviews 🏆 Legal Reporting Award winner ⚽️ Spurs fan 💻 robhastings.co.uk 💻 inews.co.uk/author/rob-hastings

PostsRepliesMedia
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
🕵️ I hope you find this tale as engrossing as I did: my interview with Frank Storey, the FBI agent who led the investigation into the New York Mafia's Five Families - resulting in their bosses finally going on trial 40 years ago Here's my article for @theipaper.com: inews.co.uk/news/crime/i...
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
🔥 Russia may hire gangs to launch covert terrorist-style attacks on the UK, in retaliation for British supplies of missiles and drones to Ukraine, warns the former CIA Director General David Petraeus My interview for @theipaper.com: inews.co.uk/news/cia-put...
inews.co.uk
I ran the CIA - Putin is prepared to use terrorist gangs to attack the UK
Former US general David Petraeus thinks Russia's President will want to hide links to attacks on Britain – and is under severe pressure over his war in Ukraine
020
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
✈️ Merle Meyers worked at Boeing for 31 years, but refuses to fly on a 787 Dreamliner or a 737 Max He claims to have seen factory staff “raiding the scrap area” and installing faulty parts on airliners to save time and money My interview with him for @theipaper.com: inews.co.uk/news/worked-...
inews.co.uk
I worked at Boeing for 30 years - I would never travel on these two planes
Merle Meyers blew the whistle after seeing scrap parts used on airliners. He hopes a new documentary will finally force the manufacturer to address safety concerns
000
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Well, this is extremely not ideal. Suggests we may currently be heading for 3.25°C warming by 2100, not 2.6°C (which itself is still very bad) www.newscientist.com/article/2585...
newscientist.com
World may warm by 25 per cent more than current projections suggest | New Scientist
Official projections for how much the world will warm are already catastrophic, and now it appears they significantly underestimate future warming
1119
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
⛈️ Philip and Elaine Marco died tragically in their car on a journey home in Liverpool. Their vehicle didn’t crash. They drowned in it. 🧵1/8
100
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Ilya Yashin survived awful solitary confinement in Moscow If Putin's regime collapses, he aims to end the Ukraine war and create a democratic Russia The late Alexei Navalny's ally spoke to me about "psychopath" Putin's threat to Nato and challenges for opposition exiles inews.co.uk/news/world/j...
inews.co.uk
I was jailed for criticising Putin, now I'm preparing for his downfall
After surviving months in solitary confinement, exiled Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin is making plans to take power – reluctantly – if 'psychopath' Putin is ousted
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
📹 Here's how my investigation into abuse of workers making clothes for Under Armour led to US import bans Our thoughts are with the families of three women whose tragic suicides we uncovered and their Needle Craft factory colleagues Read my full story for @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/under-a...
031
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
True story: I have a family friend who hates football. A few years ago, she mentioned off the cuff to my dad that she'd only been to one football match in her life and she didn't get what all the fuss was all about. My dad asked her which match it was, but she couldn't remember at first. (1/5)
112
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
🧵 Imagine you're in your eighties or nineties, you have dementia and you're in a care home. Then your life savings, which have been covering the cost of your bed at £1,000 per week or more, start to run out. It could be the most vulnerable moment of your life. (1/13)
53427
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
When Ed Miliband stopped the UK from bombing Syria's Assad regime in 2013, did it change history for better or worse? I interviewed the man who was US Ambassador to Syria at the time, Robert Ford, for @theipaper.com: inews.co.uk/news/miliban...
inews.co.uk
I was US ambassador when Miliband blocked Syria strikes. He must handle Trump better
Robert Ford explains why the Foreign Secretary made a 'bad decision' on Assad and how he must deal with a President who 'has no f**king idea what he's doing'
011
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Miguel Maduro joined Fifa hoping to clean up the organisation - yet was sacked just months later for standing up to Gianni Infantino Describing his experiences, Maduro tells me why he is "deeply skeptical of any likelihood of any reform" My interview for @theipaper.com: inews.co.uk/news/chaired...
inews.co.uk
I chaired Fifa's top committee - Infantino will do anything to keep power
After being sacked, Miguel Maduro has become 'deeply frustrated' to see Gianni Infantino consolidate power and fears no one will be able to unseat him
011
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Ahead of England v Argentina, two sport psychologists tell me how players prepare mentally - after years of training their minds to cope in big matches So interesting to hear how visualisation techniques work and their takes on Tuchel My article for @theipaper.com: inews.co.uk/news/tuchel-...
inews.co.uk
How Tuchel's brutal honesty gives England the psychological power to win World Cup
The manager's criticism didn't seem to go down well with Jude Bellingham, but sports psychologists say it could build the 'resilience' the team needs
010
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Ohhh OF COURSE even the man behind Count Binface studied Classics at Oxford www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
The surprisingly moving story behind Count Binface, the man taking on Farage
As the main political parties refuse to take part in the Clacton by-election, only one candidate has stepped forward to challenge Farage – and he’s dressed as an alien and dons a tin bin. Katie Rossei...
062
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Under Armour clothes made by abusive factories expected to be seized by US authorities in response to my investigation for @theipaper.com Details about the story in thread and link below... 🧵1
187
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Labour Behind the Label @labourlabel.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
This took far too long! We are grateful that there are still dogged journalists like @robhastings.bsky.social who follow stories and are committed to bring the abuse we're conditioned to see as intrinsic to the sector to light.
042
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Under Armour clothes made by abusive factories expected to be seized by US authorities in response to my investigation for @theipaper.com Details about the story in thread and link below... 🧵1
187
Reposted by Rob Hastings
FairSquare @fairsqprojects.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"Things will never change if people don’t chip away.” @bonitamersiades.bsky.social speaks to @robhastings.bsky.social about FIFA, Infantino, whistleblowing and much more. inews.co.uk/sport/footba...
inews.co.uk
I'm a Fifa whistleblower - here's how Infantino keeps his grip on football
Football's world governing body remains unethical a decade into Gianni Infantino's reign, argues Bonita Mersiades, who exposed corruption in World Cup hosting bids
041
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Bonita Mersiades @bonitamersiades.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
We *love* football and #WorldCup2026 is delivering in spades (Cape Verde anyone?!) but there's still plenty wrong with the way it is run. Article from @robhastings.bsky.social inews.co.uk/sport/footba... #RebootFIFA
inews.co.uk
I'm a Fifa whistleblower - here's how Infantino keeps his grip on football
Football's world governing body remains unethical a decade into Gianni Infantino's reign, argues Bonita Mersiades, who exposed corruption in World Cup hosting bids
1155
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
After raising concerns about Fifa World Cup bid corruption, @bonitamersiades.bsky.social lost her job and was threatened Ten years into Gianni Infantino's leadership of Fifa, Mersiades is angry at continued ethical failings My interview for @theipaper.com: inews.co.uk/sport/footba...
inews.co.uk
I'm a Fifa whistleblower - here's how Infantino keeps his grip on football
Football's world governing body remains unethical a decade into Gianni Infantino's reign, argues Bonita Mersiades, who exposed corruption in World Cup hosting bids
001
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Jules Boykoff @julesboykoff.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Great piece on the courageous FIFA whistleblower @bonitamersiades.bsky.social who explains exactly how Gianni Infantino keeps his iron grip on football & what @fairsq.bsky.social's "Reboot FIFA" campaign is doing about it. By @robhastings.bsky.social inews.co.uk/sport/footba...
inews.co.uk
I'm a Fifa whistleblower - here's how Infantino keeps his grip on football
Football's world governing body remains unethical a decade into Gianni Infantino's reign, argues Bonita Mersiades, who exposed corruption in World Cup hosting bids
2289
Reposted by Rob Hastings
The i Paper @theipaper.com · 13/05/2026
Our reporter @joeduggan1.bsky.social has been shortlisted for the Paul Foot Award for his life-saving reporting on young stonemasons contracting silicosis from cutting kitchen worktops.
175
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Attempts 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: inews.co.uk/news/world/g...
inews.co.uk
I've guarded Trump for the Secret Service. It's harder than ever to protect him from assassins
Operations to guard the President and other political figures risk being swamped by the growing menace of political violence, warns former agent Jeffrey James
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
📰 An encouraging read about the value of good journalism: pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...
pressgazette.co.uk
Times 'fewer, better stories' strategy leads to run of audience growth
The Times says its “fewer, better stories” strategy has led to three consecutive months of record-breaking global audience growth.
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
@philwisden.bsky.social Loved your piece on my boyhood hero's 207 - so well told, great job
110
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
🚨 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)
11310
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Richard Vaughan @richardvaughan.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Scoop 🛳️: The Royal Navy will have to lead a NATO task force from a German frigate next month because it doesn’t have enough destroyers to fulfil its commitment Read here in @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/politic...
inews.co.uk
UK ‘runs out’ of warships - leaving Germany to take over key Nato mission
The failure of the UK to provide a military presence in the Atlantic will reignite criticism of the decline of British defence capabilities
002
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
An 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 inews.co.uk/news/world/j...
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
At least Kinsky lasted 17 minutes tonight, one poor Peruvian lad in here was taken off after 13 www.theguardian.com/football/200...
theguardian.com
The Knowledge: Rubbish goalkeepers substituted before half-time
The Knowledge: Plus: John Sitton's legendary outbursts; the longest-distance European fixture (2); and why German hat-tricks are different to English ones.
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
If 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 inews.co.uk/news/world/a...
inews.co.uk
I was an American hostage in Iran for 444 days. Trump's war is absolutely moronic
Barry Rosen and John Limbert were among 52 people held at the US embassy in Tehran from November 1979 to January 1981
010
Reposted by Rob Hastings
The i Paper @theipaper.com · 06/03/2026
Inside the nuclear prison where Putin tortures Ukrainians trib.al/0VtReue
inews.co.uk
Inside the nuclear prison where Putin tortures Ukrainians
This is the brutal reality of what is happening at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant
023
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
🥸 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: inews.co.uk/news/world/c...
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Annie Farmer, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse, spoke to me for @theipaper.com - the phrase that stood out was "ubiquitous misogyny” inews.co.uk/news/crime/e...
inews.co.uk
Epstein abused me aged 16 - I'm disgusted by millionaires who flocked to him
Annie Farmer, who gave key evidence at Ghislaine Maxwell's sex-trafficking trial, says survivors have been warning of Jeffrey Epstein's web of power for years
011
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Iranian 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: inews.co.uk/news/iranian...
inews.co.uk
Iranians like us have faced deadly threats on UK streets - but we're not afraid
After years of plots by Tehran's regime against the British Iranian community, protesters now feel emboldened by demonstrations back home
010
Reposted by Rob Hastings
The i Paper @theipaper.com · 12/01/2026
In a 2024 interview with The i Paper, the former chancellor spoke about his concerns over immigration After he announced his defection to the Reform Party, take a look back over that interview trib.al/ncCcMzE
011
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
"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: inews.co.uk/news/world/u...
inews.co.uk
I was the UK's last Soviet Union ambassador - here's how Putin can lose
These are dangerous times for Putin, according to Sir Rodric Braithwaite, a former British diplomat who has seen firsthand how Russia can unexpectedly turn on apparently powerful leaders
031
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
🇷🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦 “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 inews.co.uk/news/world/i...
inews.co.uk
I was CIA's top agent in Moscow - Putin has trained to manipulate men like Trump
Rob Dannenberg was the US spy chief in Russia early in Vladimir Putin's rule - and believes he understands the dictator better than most
010
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
It 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: inews.co.uk/news/busines...
050
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
🚨 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...
100
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
☠️ 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: inews.co.uk/news/world/h...
inews.co.uk
I helped create Novichok – but I never thought Putin would use it
Dr Vil Mirzayanov feels guilty about developing the nerve agent used in Salisbury – but is proud he blew the whistle on Russia's secret chemical weapons
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
🧪 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: inews.co.uk/news/world/t...
inews.co.uk
Putin creating chemical weapons ‘worse than Novichok’, experts fear
A former Novichok scientist worries Russia may be trying to develop nerve agents that are harder to detect
000
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
My 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 inews.co.uk/news/health/...
052
Reposted by Rob Hastings
The i Paper @theipaper.com · 16/12/2025
🔴 At least 45 cases of silicosis among workers cutting engineered stone have been recorded in the UK - the average age of those diagnosed just 31 We are launching our Killer Kitchens campaign to force the Government to clamp down on deadly dust: trib.al/0c0I5fe
003
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Alison Killing @alisonkilling.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites. He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him. www.wsj.com/world/china/...
wsj.com
ICE Holding Chinese Man Who Documented Uyghur Camps
Heng Guan is awaiting an immigration hearing on Monday that could lead to his removal from the U.S. and ultimately land him back in China, according to his lawyer and a New York-based activist group.
4124581489
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
🔦 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: inews.co.uk/news/laser-w...
inews.co.uk
The laser weapons developed by Russia that could blind a sniper or kill a drone
The laser aimed at an RAF aircraft by a Russian ship may have been a simple handheld pen, but far more advanced devices are in the works
040
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Well 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: inews.co.uk/news/health/...
inews.co.uk
The truth about how we die - and why many miss out on end-of-life care
A hospice in Bradford shows how palliative care can help people in their final days, but a funding crisis means services are being cut around the UK
030
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
👮 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 inews.co.uk/news/crime/w...
inews.co.uk
We R Blighty convicted of illegally collecting money - for second time
Armed Forces veteran condemns the 'shameless way' that the Kent-based organisation appeals for donations on high streets without permission
010
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Jana 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: inews.co.uk/news/world/r...
inews.co.uk
I'm a Russian living in London - this is what people back home think of Putin
Jana Bakunina reveals what pro-Putin friends and family told her when she visited her home city of Yekaterinburg - and how opponents are burying their heads in the sand to survive
110
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
“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 inews.co.uk/news/world/p...
inews.co.uk
I'm a Pussy Riot activist. This is what life is like in a Russian prison
Maria Alyokhina reveals the conditions she endured in one of the remote penal colonies where opponents of Vladimir Putin face potential torture
152
Rob Hastings @robhastings.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
🚨 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: inews.co.uk/news/busines...
inews.co.uk
'Threatening' behaviour of We R Blighty founder forces charity to boost security
The controversial group, whose directors have been convicted of illegal fundraising, faces more criticism in run-up to Remembrance Day
000
Reposted by Rob Hastings
Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Shocking article in the Sheffield Tribune. A solicitor, Andrew Milne, buying up freeholds of houses and then making (false) threats to the leaseholders to bully them into buying the freehold at a huge premium.
12358162