Growing pangs of Britain's spy agencies

The annual Intelligence and Security Committee report provides one of the few glimpses into the normally secret world of Britain's intelligence agencies. The insights it provides are a mix of the serious, the strange and the more mundane.
Britain's intelligence and security services have been growing fast since 9/11 but that process has not always been straightforward. According to the report, the growth has created concerns "that aspects of key intelligence and security work are suffering as a consequence of the focus on counter-terrorism priorities" and the committee calls for possible separate, additional funding to maintain capabilities in other areas.
MI5 has expanded fast, particularly into the regions. New offices were opened in the South East and Wales in 2006/7 - and by 2008, regional stations will house three times the number of staff originally planned, the report reveals.

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This article is just a little peak inside a vast wonder of the worlds. Britain is massively expanding their security systems and are working more tightly with the United States . Want to see what the US has been up to that you probably dont know about Click Here. Notice there are no citations on that article.

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Five jailed for £53m cash robbery

Five men found guilty of being involved in the £53m raid on the Securitas depot in Kent have been given minimum jail terms of between 10 and 15 years.

During the raid in Tonbridge in 2006, depot manager Colin Dixon and his family were kidnapped at gunpoint by men posing as police officers.

Since the raid police have recovered £21m of the stolen cash but the remaining £32m is still missing.

The five were convicted on kidnap, robbery and firearms charges.

Those ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years were: Stuart Royle, 49, of Allen Street, Maidstone, Kent; Lea Rusha, 35, of Lambersart Close, Southborough, Kent; Jetmir Bucpapa, 26, of Hadlow Road, Tonbridge; and garage owner Roger Coutts, 30, of The Green, Welling, south-east London.

All four were given indeterminate sentences.

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Does this mean that Great Britain is going to have to increase their internal security even more in order to protect their citizens?

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The British Invasion

In a brief change, the weekly trivia question will now be posted at random during the week. The question will be about any aspect of British history or culture. Our first question will be posted one day this week between now and Thursday at 11:59, so just continue to check out our blog. You can gve us your answers by Friday at the beginning of class. Don't share your answers!! If you do, you'll be disquaified from the competition. The person who answers the most questions correctly by the end of the semester will be awarded a $25 gift card to the place of your choice.Thanks Gene and Ben

Gordon Brown: 'I'm no ditherer'

Gordon Brown has rejected the charge that he dithered over the Peter Hain resignation and other issues and said that it was only the Conservatives who were accusing him of dithering.

He said: "I think the decisions that I've made, the big changes that I've made since I came in, show a level of resolution about the changes we've got to make for Britain as a whole."

Earlier in January, Mr. Brown refused to be drawn on whether he was enjoying the job, but on the Politics Show he told Jon Sopel that being Prime Minister was the best job in the world.

"There's a great deal of satisfaction," he said, "in trying to help people in different ways and not just on the economy as I used to do, but on a whole range of other areas.

"So I would say that I've been fortunate enough to be given the chance to do what I think is the best job in the world."

Click here for the full article and interview.

In respose to Hain's resignation due to financial fraud, PM Brown is now having to defend his reputation against the media's accusations of conspiracy.

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Blair in first official portrait

The oil painting by artist Jonathan Yeo shows the former prime minister wearing a commemorative poppy, to represent his leadership role during the Iraq war.
Yeo said Mr Blair, 54, "came bouncing in" for sittings and described his subject as having "Tigger-like energy".

Mr Blair, who refused previous official portrait requests, agreed to the painting before leaving office. It will be displayed at London's Lincoln's Inn.
Of all the things that people remember him for, the war in Iraq is going to be one of the main things that people discuss
Artist Jonathan Yeo

Yeo, son of the Conservative MP and former minister Timothy Yeo, said the poppy featured in the painting was symbolic, but was not meant to be judgemental.Of all the things that people remember him for, the war in Iraq is going to be one of the main things that people discuss," he said.

"I was thinking that I had to find some kind of representation of that, but that it shouldn't be trite or too judgemental. "It was November and of course when he came in he was wearing a poppy. I thought that was perfect."

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This story is signifigant because Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the UK during a lively time in British history . He is most notable for his use backing of President Bush in The Iraq War . Him and Bush were very close on international affairs.

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The mystery of flight BA038

Why did a modern airliner, with an experienced crew on board, suddenly lose power in the seconds before landing? It is a question that many in the aviation industry simply can't stop asking.

The mystery of flight BA038 intrigues them in so many ways. The Air Accident Investigation Branch is admired around the world as the gold standard in crash investigation. Its experts are either experienced pilots or engineers.

Their task: to produce a highly detailed report of the crash that explains, rather than blames.
Pulling together information from a variety of sources, including the AAIB's initial reports, it's possible to describe the last minute of the flight. BA038 had been descending gradually into Heathrow, the autopilot and the automatic throttle system controlling the aircraft.

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This story is signifigant because is shows how serious the British take there national security , maybe even more then us in the United States. This story is yet to be solved and when it is more news will be added

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UK's Brown seen delaying poll until at least 2009

LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Mounting problems facing British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, ranging from a weakening economy to a police investigation into party funding, virtually ensure he will put off an election until at least 2009, analysts say.

Cabinet minister Peter Hain quit on Thursday after electoral authorities referred to the police his late declaration of 100,000 pounds ($195,800) of campaign funding.

The party funding scandal, coupled with a bank crisis, a darkening economic outlook and a series of government blunders, has sent Brown's popularity plunging.

With his Labour Party trailing the opposition Conservatives by up to 10 points, political analysts believe Brown will try to batten down the hatches during this year's expected economic slowdown.

He will hope the economy will improve enough for him to regain the political initiative and win a fourth consecutive election for Labour in 2009 or 2010, the latest date he can go to the polls.

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This is important because it tells of what the future may have in store for the Gordon Brown's Labour Party and whether or not his party will remain in control. The U.K. may see a change in power in Parliament after the next election.

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Terror detention plans unveiled

The government has unveiled plans to let police hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without them being charged.

The Counter Terrorism Bill also proposes "full use of DNA" in investigations and greater use of post-charge questioning.

Some senior police officers support extending terror detentions beyond the current 28 days, but it is opposed by Lib Dems, Tories and rebel Labour MPs.

The bill says such powers should be used only "if exceptional circumstances require it".

A survey by the Independent newspaper last month suggested 38 Labour MPs were against the 42-day detention plan - more than the 34 needed to defeat it.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, mindful of a potential rebellion, has been meeting backbenchers to press her case.
In a statement she said:

"We all need to work together to tackle the terrorist challenge and we have
consulted widely on the proposed measures. We have listened to the concerns of
community groups and others and the proposals brought forward today aim to
strike the right balance between the need to protect human rights and ensuring
police have the powers they need, when they need them, to tackle terrorism."

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This is importatnt because it shows that the U.K. is willing to do more to fight terrorism within thir country. It also shows that Parliament is divided on the issue and that ths bill may take time to be enacted.

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EU energy: revolution for the UK?

The targets our island nation is supposed to achieve, remember, are several: a 20% jump in energy efficiency, 10% of vehicle traffic powered by biofuels, and 15% of energy derived from renewable sources.

How EU states achieve the targets is up to them; the UK already has a raft of policies in place to stimulate the growth of renewables, and may have to draw up new ones if and when the commission's proposals are endorsed by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers.
The renewables target is particularly challenging because it refers to overall energy use, rather than just electricity.

To get an idea of the scale of the challenge, look across to Sweden.
If we don't do anything in addition to what we have now, I would bet that we won't get there
Rob Gross. Because Sweden already derives 40% of its energy from renewable sources, it received a much higher target than Britain for 2020 - 49% against Britain's 15%.

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This article is signifigant because of the changing face of energy on our planet. The UK is making big promises to try to reach 49% renewable energy by the year of 2020.

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