Tag: Featured

    The proposals, echoing a plan put forward this week by France and Germany, are part of a broader attempt to rally EU nations after Britain's vote to leave the bloc. The European Union’s chief executive called on Wednesday for a joint command headquarters for EU military missions and greater defence cooperation, reviving long-running efforts to reduce reliance on the United States. In his annual speech to the European Parliament, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said no single EU government had a military big enough to deal with security challenges on Europe’s doorstep, from Islamic militants to a more hostile Russia. The proposals, echoing a plan put forward this week by France and Germany, are part of a broader attempt to rally EU nations after Britain’s ...

    Ambitious new plans are being drawn up by GCHQ to create a Great British Firewall to block malicious websites countrywide and combat a doubling of serious cyber attacks threatening national security over the past year. Though still in its infancy, the scheme is intended to be a flagship project for the new National Cyber Security Centre a public-facing arm of GCHQ which will open next month to better co-ordinate the UK’s digital defence efforts. The NCSC plan envisions private-sector internet service providers, such as BT, Sky or Virgin Media, voluntarily complying with its proposals, circumventing any need for legislation. Consumers will be able to opt out of the censorship should they wish in order to allay concerns over civil liberties. Malicious websites which automati...

  Jeremy Corbyn, George Osborne and Boris Johnson are among high-profile politicians who will see their seats redrawn in a dramatic shakeup of the country’s electoral map that will alter the constituencies of more than 500 MPs. Overall, Labour is worst hit by the shifting boundaries, which are part of an effort to cut the number of politicians in parliament from 650 to 600, with significant changes for MPs including Yvette Cooper, Tristram Hunt and Owen Smith. Many opposition politicians will fear that local members will take the opportunity of a shakeup to try to deselect them if Corbyn retains the leadership later this month. Some of the party’s MPs described the plans – which analysts said could result in the opposition losing 23 sitting MPs – as a “barefaced gerrymander” and a “...

    Plastic five pound notes that can survive a soaking in liquid and will last longer than paper fivers are available in cash machines from today - but shoppers have been warned they may stick together. The historic move marks the gradual death of paper notes as the Bank of England phases in polymer cash. Modern £5 notes featuring wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill will be available at hole-in-the-wall machines in major cities and over the counter at many banks from 9am today. Armoured vehicles have delivered about £2billion worth of plastic £5 notes from the central bank’s cash centres in Debden, Essex, and Leeds to more than 30 top secret, high-security vaults across the country. The first batch of 440 million new fivers – which are 15% smaller than the existing o...

    Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron is to stand down as a Conservative MP, two months after resigning in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Cameron, who came to power in 2010, said he had told Prime Minister Theresa May of his decision to stop representing his constituency in Oxfordshire to make way for someone who could concentrate on the area in central England. "I've thought about this long and hard over the summer and I've decided the right thing to do is to stand down as the member of parliament for Witney," he told BBC TV. "In my view with modern politics, with the circumstances of my resignation, it isn't really possible to be a proper back bench MP (lawmaker) as a former prime minister. I think everything you do will become a big distraction...