Thursday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, Nato, Netflix tax

(Sharecast News) - Royal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered "postbox of the future" with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size. In the "biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago", the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner. The postbox's extra-large opening hatch offers a new way for the postal service to cash in on a roaring parcel trade. While letter volumes are in steep decline, Britain is in the grip of a secondhand selling boom as consumers use sites such as Vinted to make extra cash. - Guardian Gordon Brown has called for an "economic coalition of the willing" to respond to Donald Trump's tariffs with coordinated economic policies, including a reduction of interest rates. The former prime minister also said it was a moment for the UK to go even further in renewing ties with the EU, suggesting it should mean "collaboration that is even more extensive than removing post-Brexit trade barriers". - Guardian

Military chiefs at Nato have been warned of global internet blackouts following a string of suspected Russian attacks on subsea cables. Telecoms companies including Vodafone, O2 owner Telefonica and Orange have written to UK, EU and Nato officials warning that a rise in sabotage incidents was putting critical services at risk. - Telegraph

US streaming giants should pay a "Netflix tax" to help pay for more high-quality British TV shows, MPs have urged. In a report published on Thursday, the culture, media and sport committee called on American media giants such as Netflix, Disney, Amazon and Apple to "put their money where their mouth is" by paying a 5pc levy on their UK revenues. The takings would be channelled into a new cultural fund, administered by the British Film Institute (BFI), to support high-end British dramas. - Telegraph

The Bank of England has warned that traders using similar artificial intelligence models to make key decisions risk escalating the impact of market shocks on the financial system. A report by the Bank's financial policy committee said that while AI could be used to increase market efficiency there were also risks as traders could inadvertently "take actions collectively in such a way that reduces stability". - The Times