United Kingdom

    The UK’s slowest motorway has been officially named, with the M25 circling London clocking a miserable average speed of just 25.05 miles per hour last year. The M4 between London and South Wales was found to be the second slowest stretch of motorway in the UK with drivers reaching just 30.46 mph on average, according to the figures by vehicle tracking company Satrak. Analysing data from 527,000 cars for over a year, the firm also found that the average speed on the 10 slowest motorways in the UK was a measly 41.17mph. While London and its surrounding boroughs are the usual suspects for congestion, three of the top five most congested motorways were located further north. Drivers on the M606 in West Yorkshire averaged just 40.68mph over the year, while those driving near Le...

    Foreign governments such as Russia and China may have been involved in the collapse of a voter registration website in the run-up to the EU referendum, a committee of MPs has claimed. A report by the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee (PACAC) said MPs were deeply concerned about the allegations of foreign interference in last year’s Brexit vote. The committee does not identify who may have been responsible, but has noted that both Russia and China use an approach to cyber-attacks based on an understanding of mass psychology and of how to exploit individuals. The findings follow repeated claims that Russia has been involved in trying to influence the US and French presidential elections. Related video: Brexit vote 3 months on: How do EU natio...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday disclosed that the government has decided to redesign its Ganges barrage construction project. “If we will implement the project with the existing plan this would be suicidal for us, so we scrapped it,” Sheikh Hasina said while replying to a question during a press conference at her official residence Ganabhaban. The press conference was arranged to brief the media on the outcome of her four-day state visit to India. She also said, “I‟ve talked to the Chief Minister of West Bengal. If we can make a reservoir, both countries can use it during dry seasons. “She affirmed that 11 agreements and 24 MoUs were signed during her 4 day visit to Delhi and the contents of those agreement would be made public. The prime minister made it clear that she would not d...

    Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation/Handout Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jet takes off from the Hmeymim air base near Latakia, Syria, in this handout photograph released by Russia's Defence Ministry on October 22, 2015. Russia and Iran has threatened military retaliation against the US, 
accusing Donald Trump of crossing red lines by ordering a cruise missile attack on a Syrian air base. The two military allies of Syria said the US bombardment had violated international law and, in a statement, added: From now on we will respond with force. The warning came after the Russian embassy in the UK suggested that British and American attempts to deliver an ultimatum to the Kremlin this week could result in a real war. Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, is understood to be ...

    Self-described paedophile hunters have welcomed a court ruling that will allow them to continue to pose as children online to catch sexual predators. Legal teams acting for two men who were caught by the organisation Dark Justice allegedly attempting to sexually abuse minors had argued that the use of evidence gathered by such operations diminished the integrity of the court process and that the groups should be regulated. But in a detailed judgment given at Newcastle crown court on Thursday, Mr Justice Langstaff ruled that there was no legal requirement for the activities of Dark Justice to be subject to controls. Cases relying on evidence gathered by such groups had been put on hold until the outcome of the test case was known. Dark Justice  two men in their 20s who keep...

    This is the face of the woman behind one of Northern Ireland's most shocking sex abuse cases. Caroline Baker was unmasked yesterday after a legal challenge by media organisations in Ireland and the UK. Earlier this week the 54-year-old was handed a three-year sentence for her part in subjecting a disabled woman to horrific sexual assaults. Baker and her husband Keith abused their victim, who had severe learning difficulties, keeping her prisoner in a filthy room for years. Until yesterday a court order banned the media from publishing Caroline Baker's face. But reporting restrictions were lifted after a joint challenge by the Belfast Telegraph, the BBC, UTV and the Sunday World. Olivia O'Kane from Carson McDowell solicitors, who led the challenge, welcomed the ruling. The ...

    The Stad Ship Tunnel will be the world's first sea tunnel to pass through a mountain Norway on Wednesday unveiled plans to build the world's first sea tunnel to pass through a mountain, avoiding dangerous waters that intimidated even the Vikings. Built to bypass the Stad peninsula, a storm-swept area in western Norway, the Stad ship tunnel will be 1.7 kilometres (one mile) long and 36 meters wide, making journeys safer. The Stad tunnel for boats will finally be built, said Norwegian Transport Minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen, presenting a comprehensive transport plan for the period 2018-2029. The government is now ensuring a safer and more reliable passage of the most dangerous and harsh waters for the transport of goods along the Norwegian coasts, he said in a statement. The N...

    Drivers of diesel cars are to be given financial help by the Government, Theresa May has hinted, as cities across the UK prepare to introduce new taxes on the vehicles. The Prime Minister said that drivers who were encouraged to buy diesel cars by previous governments, only to see the policy reversed, must now be taken into account. Mrs May said she is very conscious of the fact that there was a push towards diesel under Labour more than a decade ago because of concerns over carbon emissions . Her comments are the clearest indication yet that the Government is considering introducing a scrappage scheme to incentivise drivers to trade-in older diesel vehicles. Alternatives could include dropping plans to tax diesels entering cities and preventing councils from making diesel...

    Theresa May is travelling to the frontline of the war on terror for talks on stepping up the fight against Islamic State, known as Daesh, and tackling the Syrian refugee crisis. The Prime Minister is visiting Jordan and Saudi Arabia and will pledge more UK support for airstrikes, new counter-terrorism measures and humanitarian efforts. First, in Jordan, she will announce a joint anti-terror initiative, with new moves "to strike at the heart of Daesh", and promise to improve cooperation on countering violent extremism in the region.  Then, in Saudi Arabia, the UK's largest trading partner in the Middle East, as well as talks on boosting trade between the two countries she will attempt to step up co-operation on counter-terrorism. During her visit, the Prime Minister is expe...

    The Sun placed a reporter at the NHS 111 call centre at St Charles Hospital in Ladbroke Grove, west London, which provides 24-hour support for callers from 11 boroughs in north, west and central London. A Department of Health spokesman said: The NHS is now urgently investigating and if any wrongdoing whatsoever is found, including criminal actions, we will want to see the police and relevant NHS regulators alerted as necessary. He described the claims as clearly completely unacceptable if found to be true. The newspaper said it found call handlers asleep at their desks or describing themselves on busy on the internal computer system to avoid new calls and new patients. Technical glitches reportedly ended with one handler hanging up on at least three patients, including one...