The company that makes the current EU-style British passport is to take the Government to court over its decision to award the post-Brexit contract to a Franco-Dutch firm. Passports issued after the UK leaves the European Union will be blue and gold rather than the EU burgundy colour.Basingstoke-based manufacturer De La Rue, which makes the current document, admits its bid is higher than its continental rival, but insists its product is the "highest quality and technically most secure" option.Ministers say awarding the contract to Gemalto will save taxpayers around £120 million.:: UK passport firm demands an explanationA De La Rue spokesman said: "We confirm that we are taking the first steps towards initiating appeal proceedings against the provisional decision to award the British passport contract to a part state-owned Franco-Dutch company."Based on our knowledge of the market, it's our view that ours was the highest quality and technically most secure bid.We can accept that … [Read more...] about Legal challenge to decision to award British passport contract to continental firm
British
Two British IS members say hostage beheadings were a ‘mistake’
KOBANI, Syria — Two British militants believed to have been part of an Islamic State group cell notorious for beheading hostages in Syria were unapologetic in their first interview since their capture, denouncing the U.S. and Britain as “hypocrites” who will not give them a fair trial.The men, along with two other British jihadis, allegedly made up the IS cell nicknamed “The Beatles” by surviving captives because of their English accents.The nickname belied the cell’s brutality. In 2014 and 2015, it held more than 20 Western hostages in Syria and tortured many of them. It beheaded seven American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers and a group of Syrian soldiers, boasting of the butchery in videos released to the world.Speaking to The Associated Press at a Kurdish security center, the two men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey, repeatedly refused to address allegations they were part of the cell — clearly having a future … [Read more...] about Two British IS members say hostage beheadings were a ‘mistake’
Dawn Butler MP urges viewers to watch her political slot on British Sign Language
PUBLISHED: 12:59 04 October 2017 | UPDATED: 15:48 04 October 2017 Nathalie Raffray Dawn Butler MP with Asif Iqbal and Wayne Barrow at the Channel 4 Political Slot filming location. Archant Dawn Butler MP is urging viewers to tune in to her political slot on Channel 4 later this month as she raises the importance of British Sign Language (BSL). The Brent Central MP is presenting her own edition of The Political Slot after the Channel 4 news at 7.55pm on October 16th. The transmission was due to take place this evening (Wednesday) but it has been postponed due to all broadcasters transmitting an important Disaster Emergency Committee appeal about Rohingya people seeking refuge in Bangladesh from violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities is using her political slot to give British Sign Language full legal status through a BSL Act. She will be appearing alongside Asif Iqbal, president of Brent and Harrow United Deaf Club, and Wayne … [Read more...] about Dawn Butler MP urges viewers to watch her political slot on British Sign Language
78-Year-Old British Man Arrested For Fatally Stabbing Burglar
U.S. Edition EditionsAustralia EditionChina EditionIndia EditionSingapore EditionUnited KingdomUnited States Apr 05, 12:50 PM EDT Subscribe BusinessTechnologyWorldNationalMedia & CultureMillennial MoneyOpinionSportsLuxury World By Pritha Paul @ZiggyZina143 On 04/05/18 AT 7:06 AM A British man, who was arrested Wednesday on the suspicion of stabbing a suspected burglar to death, received bail.Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, found two intruders inside his home in South Park, Hither Green, in London a little after midnight. One of the men, aged 38, was armed with a screwdriver, and forced Osborn-Brooks into his kitchen, while the accomplice went upstairs, the Telegraph reported.In a statement Scotland Yard said: “At 00:45hrs on Wednesday, (7:45 p.m. EDT, Tuesday) 4 April, police were called by a homeowner to reports of a burglary in progress at an address in South Park Crescent, Hither Green SE6, and a man injured [sic]. … The 78-year-old resident found two … [Read more...] about 78-Year-Old British Man Arrested For Fatally Stabbing Burglar
Convicted British man tries to pin 1986 killings on cartel
MIAMI (AP) — Someone gunned down businessman Derrick Moo Young and his adult son in room 1215 of the Dupont Plaza Hotel in October 1986 during the height of Miami's cocaine wars.But the man convicted of those slayings, 79-year-old British businessman Krishna Maharaj, has maintained his innocence throughout his three decades in prison. In a matter of months, Maharaj may get one last shot at convincing a federal judge he is innocent. And he will try to clear his name by pinning the crime on Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel.Maharaj, who made a fortune in Britain with a fruit and vegetable import business, had relocated to South Florida in the early 1980s to invest in real estate. Young, who had met Maharaj in London, had offered to oversee the investments when Maharaj was out of town.At Maharaj's trial, prosecutors sought to show that Maharaj killed the Moo Youngs, who were Jamaican-Chinese associates, because of a vendetta involving a business dispute. They had testimony from a man … [Read more...] about Convicted British man tries to pin 1986 killings on cartel