Day: January 16, 2026
Prison officers having sex with inmates ‘is an epidemic too awkward to deal with’
January 16, 2026Brooke Davies Published January 16, 2026 8:32pm Updated January 16, 2026 8:46pm Officers having sex with inmates is an ‘epidemic’ which is ‘too awkward to address’, former prison officers have claimed. Sam Samworth, a former guard at HMP Manchester, said he was aware of a number of ‘inappropriate relationships’ throughout his 11 year career. It […]
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Court throws out £50m claim over failed bottle return scheme
January 16, 2026A court has thrown out a £50m compensation claim against the Scottish government over its doomed deposit return scheme. Waste management firm Biffa won a contract as part of plans to bring in the scheme, and later took ministers to court when the initiative was shelved. Biffa had been seeking £51.4m in damages at the […]
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A long-running battle between family-run cafes and the chains | Letters
January 16, 2026I can’t help being disappointed by the current controversy over the Hampstead Heath cafes, as highlighted by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett (I’m sick of avocado toast – I just want to keep my local, untrendy cafe, 12 January), as it’s all happened before. In 2016, as chair of the Hampstead Heath management committee, I voted against […]
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Mining companies hold FTSE back in quiet end to the week
January 16, 2026Stocks in London ended little changed on Friday, with blue chips edging lower after notching another record as investors held fire ahead of the long weekend in the US. “Investors have been kept on their toes year-to-date with non-stop geopolitical issues, and mixed messages from the business world. A quieter day on the corporate reporting […]
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Moment ‘Deliveroo’ gunman who shot eight-year-old girl and father is arrested
January 16, 202600:27 Footage shows the moment that a hitman who shot an eight-year-old girl and her father whilst dressed as a Deliveroo driver was arrested. Jazz Reid, 33, fired a round of 11 shots, hitting the child twice and the 34-year-old man five times as they sat with other family members in a car in Ladbroke […]
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Who is the ‘well known’ Labour figure Farage says will defect to Reform next week?
January 16, 2026In a typical Nigel Farage tease, the Reform UK leader has said that a “well known Labour figure” will defect to his party next week. But who? Notice that he said a “Labour figure” rather than “Labour MP”. That perhaps suggests he means an ex-MP or a peer. Or someone who’s both. And after Nadhim […]
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‘I’m not mucky middle class,’ says Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell
January 16, 2026The former Cabinet minister told of the “ethics and pride” she said had come from her working class roots. “I have a middle-class job, but my family roots are all [working class].” She explained that her mother is the daughter of Irish immigrants and that her father grew up in a “two-up two-down” with an […]
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Gardai and regulators meet to assess legal action over X chatbot images
January 16, 2026A series of meetings involving the Government, gardai and regulators are to take place in the next few days to establish what legal action can be taken over sexual images reportedly produced on X. Speaking on RTE’s Today with David McCullagh, the Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan said: “Existing law allows for action to be taken […]
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Piccadilly line to close all weekend – everything you need to know
January 16, 2026London Underground’s Piccadilly line will close entirely throughout the upcoming weekend, meaning other transport routes may be busier than usual. Travellers are being urged to plan their journeys in advance, as the entire Piccadilly line will remain closed on January 17 and 18. Connecting north and west London as well as Heathrow Airport, there will […]
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Church of England charities failed on safeguarding allegations – regulator
January 16, 2026Two Church of England charities have been reprimanded by a watchdog over safeguarding failures which led to the resignation of a bishop amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment. The Charity Commission said it is the first time it has issued an official warning against any Church of England diocese. The Liverpool Diocesan Board of […]
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