Organised crime 'chronic and corrosive' to the UK - National Crime Agency

Sr'Crime reporter(wp/bbc):::

The threat of organised crime is "chronic and corrosive" to the UK and more money is needed to tackle it, according to the National Crime Agency.

Head of the agency, Lynne Owens, said organised criminals were killing more citizens per year than terrorism, war and natural disasters combined.

She said offenders took advantage of the ever-changing face of technology to dominate local communities.

The NCA is calling for "significant new investment" to combat organised crime.

On Tuesday, the agency will launch its annual national strategic assessment (NSA), which exposes how organised criminals are exploiting advances in technology.

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Adopting new methods, and using these alongside old-style violence, organised criminals "Against a backdrop of globalisation, extremism and technological advances, serious and organised crime is changing fast and law enforcement needs significant new investment to help combat it," Ms Owens said.

"This is the most comprehensive assessment we have ever produced and describes in detail the growing and ever-changing nature of the threat posed by serious and organised crime - to individuals, to communities and to wider society."

The NSA draws on information and intelligence from sources across law enforcement, as well as many public and private sector organisations, the NCA said.

The NCA is the agency charged with apprehending those who pose the most serious risk to the UK.commit a multitude of crimes, dominate communities and chase profits, the NSA will show.

Cricket - Buttler blasts century as England edge Pakistan in run-fest

Sports reporter(wp/reuters):::
England batsman Jos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 110 off 55 balls as the hosts beat Pakistan by 12 runs in a thrilling run-packed second one-day international on Saturday.

Buttler’s blitzkrieg and half-centuries by Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and skipper Eoin Morgan helped England to a huge total of 373 for three wickets in 50 overs.

Pakistan, who made their best ever score when chasing in ODIs, fell short despite Fakhar Zaman’s superb 138 as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after the first game was washed out.

Asked to bat first on a flat pitch, England laid a solid platform for Buttler to build on, with Roy scoring 87 and Bairstow 51 in a 115-run opening partnership.

Joe Root fell for 40 following a brief rain interruption, bringing Morgan and Buttler together and the pair put on 162 for the fourth wicket with the captain contributing an unbeaten 71 off 48 balls.

Buttler did most of the big hitting, smashing nine sixes and six fours en route to his eighth ODI century and getting there with a fierce hit over the ropes which the new father celebrated by rocking his bat in his hands.

But Pakistan, whose previous highest score batting second was 344-8 in a loss to India in 2004, were not giving up without a fight.

Zaman took the attack to the bowlers, hitting four sixes and 12 fours before he was caught by Buttler off Chris Woakes to leave Pakistan at 227 for two.

Fifties from Babar Azam and Asif Ali and captain Sarfraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 41 took Pakistan close to their target but England hung on for the win as they continue preparations for the World Cup on home soil starting later this month.

Meanwhile, Ireland, who did not qualify for the World Cup, scored 327 for five in 50 overs in a five-wicket defeat by twice champions West Indies in Dublin.

Ireland’s Andy Balbirnie hit 135 to give his team a chance of an upset but the West Indies prevailed with their highest successful chase in ODIs thanks to Sunil Ambris’s 148.

Britain's Conservatives in fourth place in EU election poll, Farage leads

Political reporter(wp/reuters):::

Theresa May’s Conservative Party has fallen into fourth place in a poll on voting intentions for the European elections, well behind Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party which has more support than Britain’s traditionally two biggest parties combined.

According to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper, Farage’s newly formed party is on 34% of the vote ahead of the May 23 election that is being held because Britain failed to leave the European Union as expected in March.

The poll put Labour in second place on 21% while the prime minister’s Conservatives are back in fourth on 11%. The pro-EU Liberal Democrats, the most popular party to explicitly call for a second referendum to reverse Brexit, are on 12%.

Britain’s two biggest parties endured a drubbing at the polls this month when voters expressed their frustration with the Brexit deadlock at local elections.

Farage, whose former party UKIP is credited by many with forcing Britain’s 2016 referendum on EU membership, launched his new party in April, threatening to take on Britain’s political leaders who he accused of betraying the vote to leave.

May has been forced to open talks with the opposition Labour Party to find a compromise on Brexit after lawmakers heavily rejected her EU withdrawal deal three times.

Britain is now due to leave the bloc in October but with parliament split over the terms, it remains unclear how or whether it will.

May has already set out timetable for her departure - says Buckland

Political reporter(wp/reuters):::

Prime Minister Theresa May does not need to spell out a timetable for her departure, prisons minister Robert Buckland said on Sunday, adding the leader had already announced she would leave office after the first phase of Brexit.

May, who offered to quit if her deal to leave the European Union was passed by parliament, is under pressure to detail when she will leave office from angry Conservative MPs who want a new leader to try to improve the party’s fortunes.

“The prime minister’s said that she is going to go once the first phase of Brexit has been delivered,” Buckland told Sky News, adding that meant after the deal agreed with the EU in November was ratified by parliament.

“If that can be done quickly, then we have that timetable set out already. I don’t think she needs to say any more about that. What we need to do is to get on with the job,” he said, adding that the deal could be passed in the next few months.