Burglar who tried to smash his way into Anya Taylor-Joy’s bedroom jailed for 3 years thumbnail

Burglar who tried to smash his way into Anya Taylor-Joy’s bedroom jailed for 3 years

February 3, 2026

An armed robber who smashed into a luxury London home where Hollywood star Anya Taylor-Joy was staying and tried to force his way into the actor’s bedroom with a crowbar was sentenced to three years in prison, officials said Wednesday. Prosecutors said that the way Kirk Holdrick and another masked man tried to get into […]

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The pie and mash crisis: can the original fast food be saved? thumbnail

The pie and mash crisis: can the original fast food be saved?

February 3, 2026

Outside it’s raining so hard that the sandwich board sign for BJ’s pie and mash (“All pies are made on the premises”) is folded up inside. The pavement along Barking Road in Plaistow is a blur through the front windows and deserted, and there are only two customers in the shop. Another sign – this […]

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Hearing on transgender prisoners to start in Edinburgh thumbnail

Hearing on transgender prisoners to start in Edinburgh

February 3, 2026

A legal challenge against the Scottish Government’s policy on transgender prisoners will commence on Tuesday. The judicial review hearing begins at the Court of Session in Edinburgh and will hear from For Women Scotland, which is opposed to trans women being placed in female-only prisons. The group won a Supreme Court case in April last […]

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Robber who attempted to smash way into Anya Taylor-Joy’s bedroom is jailed thumbnail

Robber who attempted to smash way into Anya Taylor-Joy’s bedroom is jailed

February 3, 2026

Kirk Holdrick, 43, was one of two masked men who smashed their way into the luxury property in February 2023, in a raid which may have been targeted at the movie star. Taylor-Joy’s rockstar husband, Malcolm McRae, confronted the intruders, then barricaded himself and his wife inside one of the bedrooms. He was armed only […]

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UK’s first Government-backed Tech Town named thumbnail

UK’s first Government-backed Tech Town named

February 3, 2026

Barnsley has been named the UK’s first Tech Town, meaning local schools and colleges, businesses and NHS infrastructures will receive Government support to increase artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities. This will include testing AI tutoring tools in schools, free AI and digital training for residents and businesses as well as trialling AI tools enabling quicker check-ins […]

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‘Too many red flags’ – Parents of murdered boy say school could have saved him thumbnail

‘Too many red flags’ – Parents of murdered boy say school could have saved him

February 3, 2026

The parents of a schoolboy who was stabbed to death by a fellow pupil during his lunch break said they believe the school could have saved his life by acting on “too many red flags” shown by his killer. Harvey Willgoose, 15, was murdered in front of horrified children and teachers at All Saints Catholic […]

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Sarah Ferguson’s charity says it will close days after Epstein files released thumbnail

Sarah Ferguson’s charity says it will close days after Epstein files released

February 2, 2026

The charity of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson has announced it will close days after new revelations emerged about the former duchess’s friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Sarah’s Trust will close “for the foreseeable future” after “some months” of discussion, a spokesman said. On Friday, more than three million documents were published by the […]

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London schools face cuts to staff and budgets as pupil numbers fall thumbnail

London schools face cuts to staff and budgets as pupil numbers fall

February 2, 2026

Schools in London could lose £45m in funding over the next four years as pupil numbers continue to fall, a report has warned, with secondary schools facing staff and curriculum cuts as budgets dwindle. Until now, primary schools in the capital have been worst hit by falling birthrates, leading to about 90 school closures or […]

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Iconic London chicken chain announces game-changing new service — and it’s completely free thumbnail

Iconic London chicken chain announces game-changing new service — and it’s completely free

February 2, 2026

Courtney Pochin Published February 2, 2026 5:23pm Updated February 2, 2026 5:23pm There’s nothing quite like a night out in London, but getting home afterwards isn’t always the easiest task. And if you’re going home alone, it can be quite daunting in the dark.  Thankfully, a new service is launching in the city, which is […]

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The salary you need to earn to rent alone in London in 2026 — and it’s bleak thumbnail

The salary you need to earn to rent alone in London in 2026 — and it’s bleak

February 2, 2026

Living in a flat alone in the big city is one of the requirements of our most beloved movie characters. Just look at our beloved Bridget Jones, who lived in her one-bed Borough Market flat (which would now cost more than £2,000 per month to rent), or Carrie Bradshaw in her iconic Upper East Side […]

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