The former work and pensions secretary accused David Cameron and George Osborne of seeking to balance the books on the backs of hard-pressed working people and suggested people on benefits were being targeted because “they don’t vote for us”. He also branded the Chancellor’s cap on welfare spending “arbitrary” and warned that the deficit was being eradicated in the wrong ...

David Cameron wants to deploy Royal Navy vessels close to the coast of Libya to deter thousands of migrants from embarking on the perilous sea journey to Europe this summer. The Prime Minister told European Union leaders at a summit in Brussels that he is extending the deployment of HMS Enterprise on anti-trafficking operations in the central Mediterranean at least ...

New trains with faster acceleration will cut journey times on the East Coast Main Line by up to 22 minutes. The Virgin Azuma Trains, which will be launched in 2018, will enable passengers to travel between Edinburgh and London in four hours. The operator claimed they would accelerate from 0-125mph about 40 seconds faster than the current fleet. Sir Richard ...

Boris Johnson has responded to a report that almost a quarter of women working in London earn less than the living wage by blaming immigrants. Twenty-four per cent of women who work in the capital earned less than the London Living Wage (LLW) of £9.15 last year, compared to 17 per cent of men. This figure has increased by 19 ...

18 March, 2016 North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea, South Korean and US officials say. They say the missile, launched off the east coast, flew about 800km (500 miles) and fell into the water. North Korea has not commented on the report. A US defence spokesperson later said a second missile was launched. US President Barack ...

US president Barack Obama signed an order Wednesday implementing UN-backed sanctions on North Korea, amid a series of reprisals from Pyongyang. The White House said Obama had signed an executive order targeting the volatile hermit state’s energy, financial and shipping assets. The measures were agreed to at the United Nations in response to a January 6 nuclear test and February ...

18 March, 2016 South Africa rejects FIFA’s claim that a $10-million bribe was paid by the country to win the right to host the World Cup in 2010, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said on Thursday. “South Africa did not pay any bribe nor did it illegally obtain the right to host the World Cup,” he told a news conference in ...

18 March, 2016 Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday picked Pakistan as the favourites against India in the marquee match of the ICC World T20 to be played at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, saying they have the tempo and familiarity with the conditions. India, who came into the tournament as clear favorites, were thrashed by New Zealand in their opening game, ...

18 March, 2016 Match facts Friday, March 18, 2016 Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT) Big picture England are uncomfortably well acquainted with early exits from world events, so there’s no disguising the peril that they once again find themselves in. The World T20’s main event has barely got underway and yet, if England fail to turn an ebbing tide ...

A waiter has been jailed after he admitted stalking a vulnerable woman through the streets of Whitechapel before raping her. Shohid Miah, 34, on Kings Arms Court, followed a “visibly intoxicated” woman for some time on April 20 last year before approaching her at about 10.30pm. He led her into a secluded area on Old Montague Street and after being ...