THIS time it’s not the White House that’s embroiled in a sexual scandal, it’s the Elysée Palace. Location apart, there’s nothing to beat a full-dress political scandal except, that is, a full-undress one.

SECURITY concerns prompted the Government to consider a recall of more than two million Irish passports earlier this year – the same version of passport linked to an alleged Russian spy facing charges in the US.

US AGENTS shattered an alleged Russian spy ring after a decade-long probe, announcing the arrest of 10 “deep-cover” suspects accused of infiltrating policymaking and reporting back to Moscow.

The FBI arrested 10 people for allegedly serving for years as secret agents of Russia’s intelligence service, the SVR, with the goal of penetrating US government policymaking circles.

TEN alleged Russian spies have been arrested in the United States, the result of a multi-year investigation in four states, the FBI has said.