US border authority seeks travellers' social media details

Travellers seeking visa waiver entry to the US may soon be asked to list their social media profiles - if a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal is enacted.

An update to application forms would ask users to identify what social networks they use and their "social media identifier" such as a username.

However, revealing this information would be "optional".

The changes would affect Esta and Form I-94W applications.

The proposal was added to the Federal Register by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), part of the DHS, last Thursday.

Any data travellers choose to share will be used "for vetting purposes, as well as applicant contact information", the proposal states.

Public comment - which must be submitted by post - will be sought for 60 days before the CBP considers it further.

Profiles, please

"It's very hard to see travellers not filling out this item - even though it's optional - as they may fear not getting entry into the country," commented Joseph Lorenzo Hall, chief technologist at the Centre for Democracy and Technology.

Mr Hall, who spotted the notice last week, added that he feels the measure could make it harder for people to enter the US.

"Democracy in general requires having spaces free from government scrutiny and increasingly social life happens online," he told the BBC.

"We would have a poor society if people were chilled from participating in social activity online so I really hope they rethink this."

A spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents pointed out that the proposal was not guaranteed to go ahead.

"Just as with any change in entry requirements, the DHS will need to balance security issues against the need to encourage people to visit their country," he added.

Last year, MSNBC published a memo in which it appeared that officials dropped a plan to vet visa - not visa waiver - applicants' social media activity.

Recently, the United States updated its policy on visa waiver programs regarding visitors who had a second citizenship in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan - or who had visited those countries within the last five years.

Such individuals must now apply for a visa instead.

Jeremy Corbyn Loses Vote Of No Confidence

Jeremy Corbyn has lost a no confidence motion with more than 80% of MPs voting against him.

A total of 172 MPs voted for the motion with 40 MPs voting against with a turnout of 95%.

Sky's Faisal Islam said that there was a rush at the end of the voting period with several of Mr Corbyn's supporters registering their vote in the House of Commons in a bid to send a message that he will run in a leadership election if challenged.

The channel's senior political correspondent Sophy Ridge says she understands former shadow business secretary Angela Eagle is likely to stand against Mr Corbyn but is waiting until tomorrow in case there are any other developments.

The confidence vote is not binding on Mr Corbyn to stand down as Labour leader but will pile further pressure on him after more than 40 members of his shadow cabinet and ministerial team resigned over the weekend and on Monday.

Islam said the MPs who voted against him are gambling that the huge majority Mr Corbyn received during the last leadership election will not be there following the UK's vote to leave the EU.

He said: "For many, he didn't do enough in this European referendum.... His ambivalence, his lack of enthusiasm for the European union helped create among a certain Labour voter a bit of confusion ... and that has motivated a move like this.

"The bigger point is the prospect of a Boris Johnson-led Conservative Party and the possibility of a general election has fired the parliamentary Labour Party into action.

"They have laid down the gauntlet now to the membership and the calculation comes down to this - has the Labour membership changed."

:: Why Won't Jeremy Corbyn Step Down?

Mr Corbyn responded quickly with a statement that said: "I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60% of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning.

"Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy.

"We are a democratic party, with a clear constitution. Our people need Labour party members, trade unionists and MPs to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country."

Shortly after his statement, three more shadow ministers and two parliamentary private secretaries became the latest on his team to resign.

Former Home and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described the current crisis as the worst to affect the party since at least 1935, if not ever.

He said: "Mr Corbyn's position is wholly untenable. The Labour Party exists to implement its values through a parliamentary majority and to its members of Parliament.

"Whatever electoral system you have, if Members of Parliament of your own party lose confidence in you, to this degree and this publicly that you cannot continue as a leader."

Labour MPs began voting in the non-binding secret ballot at 10am on Tuesday.

Earlier, video showed an awkward first meeting for Mr Corbyn's new cabinet.

In the footage, Mr Corbyn is unhappy with the presence of cameras and asks them to be removed until later in the meeting.

So far, 19 members of the shadow cabinet have resigned, 28 shadow ministers have quit and eight parliamentary private secretaries have left their positions, all after shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn was sacked overnight on Saturday. 

Also resigning was former Bank of England MPC member Danny Blanchflower who quit Labour's BoE review, along with several other review members.

EU Warned Against Punishing UK For Brexit

A controversial far-right politician in the Netherlands has warned EU leaders that "punishing" the UK for Brexit will damage the EU more than Britain.

It comes ahead of a crucial summit in Brussels where discussions about how to handle Britain's departure from the EU will get under way.

In an interview with Sky News, Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party, said "the europhiles were beaten by the British people, I hope that they are not seeking revenge".

"I think that will not happen because they will hurt themselves maybe even more than they will hurt Britain," said Mr. Wilders.

Around half of Dutch voters would like an EU referendum, polls suggest

"It's a big economy, the third trading partner with countries like Germany and France - if you punish them you punish yourself, and the people are fed up with playing political games."

His comments reflect the dilemma, and division, that will be at the heart of the discussions in Brussels in the coming days.

Those who prioritise preventing Brexit contagion, will likely advocate taking tough steps that could act as a deterrent to anti-EU sentiment elsewhere - such as in France, Italy and Austria - by demonstrating that "out means out".

But others have indicated they favour a more negotiated approach, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel warning against hasty actions, saying there was "no need to be particularly nasty in any way".

Mr Wilders was one of the first to celebrate the Brexit vote when the result became clear last Friday.

In a post on twitter he said: "Hurrah for the British! Now it is our turn. Time for a Dutch referendum."

The demand for a so-called "Nexit" referendum will be a central plank of his party's campaign ahead of a general election in the Netherlands next year.

Current polling suggests the Freedom Party could win the largest number of seats, even though it would be unlikely to be part of a government due to other parties ruling out a coalition with Mr Wilders.

But pro-EU politicians in the Netherlands have claimed the chaotic fallout since the results of the British referendum may already be changing opinions.

"It's not good, obviously as we can already see, for stability in the UK," said former ambassador and Dutch Labour Party MP, Marit Maij

She added: "It's not good for the Netherlands, and it's not good for Europe. We think a referendum like this in the Netherlands would bring a lot of insecurity."

She told Sky News the impetus was now on Britain to set out what Brexit will look like, and for the EU to focus more on proving to voters around Europe that it can be reformed to serve them better.

A poll published on Sunday by peil.nl found that while 50% of Dutch voters currently favour a referendum, compared to 47% who do not, a narrow majority of people would vote to stay in the EU if a vote was ever held.

Cameron Faces Brexit Meeting With EU Leaders

David Cameron will face EU leaders today for the first time since British voters decided to back Brexit in a historic referendum.

The Prime Minister is expected to urge heads of state and EU institutions to be "constructive" about negotiations over a new relationship between the UK and Europe at a summit in Brussels.

But he will also reject calls to immediately trigger the formal process for Britain to leave the EU - insisting it is a matter for his successor, who may not be in place before 2 September.

:: UK Stripped Of Top Credit Rating After Brexit

:: How To Become The New Conservative Leader

Mr Cameron will join other EU leaders at a working dinner devoted to the consequences of the Brexit vote, which has stunned Europe's political establishment and hit stock markets across the continent.

But he will be excluded from meetings on the second day of the summit, when the other 27 leaders will discuss taking a collective bargaining position with the UK.

A government source said holding the meeting without British representatives did not amount to a snub, adding: "We respect their right to have these discussions."

The source said Mr Cameron would use the meeting "to encourage people to think about how the UK and EU make the best of the decision of the British people".

Ahead of the summit, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has confirmed he will consider a bid to become the next leaderof the Conservative Party and is also suggesting Britain could hold a second EU referendum.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt said the next PM should "negotiate a deal" with Brussels before putting it to the people through a general election or second referendum.

:: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will be interviewed on Sky News Sunrise at 8.30am

EasyJet Profit Warning After Vote For Brexit

issued a profit warning in response to the UK voting to leave the EU.

The budget airline said it expected revenue in the second half of the year to fall as a result of the "additional economic and consumer uncertainty [that] is likely this summer ... following the outcome of the EU referendum".

In addition, it said recent movements in fuel prices and exchange rates - which have seen the pound fall to a 30-year-low- are forecast to add around £25m in costs.

It predicts revenue per seat to fall by "at least a mid-single digit percentage compared to the second half of 2015".

EasyJet led the fallers on the FTSE 100 in early trading, with shares down 16%.

Also this morning, Foxtons warned its revenues would be "significantly lower" than last year, in the wake of the vote to leave the EU.

The estate agent said the uncertainty across London's residential markets in the run-up to the referendum would be prolonged now, and the "upturn we were expecting during the second half of this year is now unlikely to materialise".

Foxtons' share price fell by as much as 21% in Monday morning's trading as investors prepared for "challenging" trading conditions to drag on.

On Friday, housebuilders' stocks were some of the worst hit, with most big construction companies down between 20% and 30% on fears the sector would be one of the most affected by Brexit.

The warnings follow on from IAG, the owner of British Airways and Aer Lingus, who said just hours after the result became clear on Friday morning its earnings growth for 2016 would not match that of last year.

Its shares were down 22% on the day.

Pepsi To Reintroduce Aspartame In Diet Drinks

PepsiCo has announced it will put aspartame back in some of its diet beverages less than 12 months after it pulled the artificial sweetener over health concerns.

The sweetener has been linked to cancer in laboratory mice and industry executives blamed a decline in sales on concerns consumers have about aspartame.

The company, based in Purchase, New York, dropped aspartame in August last year in a bid to halt a decline in sales of its drinks, including Diet Pepsi.

But the move looks to have backfired after consumers said they were dissatisfied with the change in flavour without the sweetener.

Pepsi MAX will be reintroduced to US consumers in the autumn as Pepsi Zero Sugar and will contain aspartame.

Diet Pepsi Classic Sweetener Blend will contain aspartame in its formula.

But Diet Pepsi will continue to be sweetened without aspartame.

The firm used Ace-K - a blend of sucralose and acesulfame potassium - to sweeten diet drinks after the decision to drop aspartame.

Boris Sets Out Vision For Britain After Brexit

Boris Johnson has said British people should be "proud and positive" about the future - as speculation grows that he will imminently launch a bid to succeed David Cameron as Prime Minister.

The figurehead of the official Leave campaign outlined his vision of post-Brexit Britain and sought to reassure anxious Remain voters as he conceded the 52%-48% referendum result was "not entirely overwhelming". 

He insisted "the only change" will be to free the country from the EU's "extraordinary and opaque" laws, which "will not come in any great rush".

And he appeared to pour cold water on the idea of a second Scottish independence referendum, saying he did not "detect any real appetite" for one - despite a weekend poll suggesting 59% support for a new vote north of the border.

The former London mayor signalled his intention to continue some of Mr Cameron's policy initiatives, saying: "We must pursue actively the one-nation policies that are among David Cameron's fine legacy, such as his campaigns on the living wage and life chances."

He said Brexit should not mean Britain turning its back on Europe, writing:  "I cannot stress too much that Britain is part of Europe, and always will be.

"There will still be intense and intensifying European co-operation and partnership in a huge number of fields: the arts, the sciences, the universities, and on improving the environment.

"EU citizens living in this country will have their rights fully protected, and the same goes for British citizens living in the EU.

"British people will still be able to go and work in the EU; to live; to travel; to study; to buy homes and to settle down. As the German equivalent of the CBI - the BDI - has very sensibly reminded us, there will continue to be free trade, and access to the single market."

He went on: "The only change - and it will not come in any great rush - is that the UK will extricate itself from the EU's extraordinary and opaque system of legislation: the vast and growing corpus of law enacted by a European Court of Justice from which there can be no appeal.

"This will bring not threats, but golden opportunities for this country - to pass laws and set taxes according to the needs of the UK.

"Yes, the Government will be able to take back democratic control of immigration policy, with a balanced and humane points-based system to suit the needs of business and industry.

"Yes, there will be a substantial sum of money which we will no longer send to Brussels, but which could be used on priorities such as the NHS.

"Yes, we will be able to do free trade deals with the growth economies of the world in a way that is currently forbidden."

Mr Johnson also reached out to disappointed Remain voters, saying:  "There were more than 16 million who wanted to remain.

"They are our neighbours, brothers and sisters who did what they passionately believe was right. In a democracy majorities may decide but everyone is of equal value.

"We who are part of this narrow majority must do everything we can to reassure the Remainers.

"We must reach out, we must heal, we must build bridges - because it is clear that some have feelings of dismay, and of loss, and confusion."