Children are being sexually exploited by networks in all parts of England and Wales in the “most degrading and destructive ways”, according to a report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). The report found that perpetrators are finding “new ways” to groom younger children, including through social media and dating apps. It
Don’t be surprised if you look at photos of the surface of Mars and see a giant cross-section of a tree stump. Recent photos of the Red Planet show large concentric rings on the surface. These rings look very similar to a tree stump’s rings. But that’s not the case. The European Space Agency (ESA)
Boris Johnson is heading off to Ukraine, but he doesn’t leave his troubles entirely behind him. Tory MPs are, for now, rallying around the PM who – after weeks of insisting he did nothing wrong – apologised yesterday after Sue Gray documented “failures of leadership” in No10. “He survives another day”, said one of his
Wearing face masks on flights will be one of the last COVID measures to be dropped globally and could be enforced for years, experts have said. Different coronavirus measures around the world will mean airlines are unable to move individually in allowing passengers to travel without coverings, sources have told The Times. Other such travel
The academic bookseller Blackwell’s has put itself up for sale for the first time in its 143-year history after scrapping plans to hand ownership of the business to its employees. Sky News has learnt that Blackwell’s, which has been owned by its founding family since its first store opened in Oxford in 1879, has appointed
NASA has published plans for the future of the International Space Station which could see the 444,615kg structure taken out of orbit in January 2031 and crashed into a “spacecraft cemetery”. The laboratory will continue operating until 2030 following a commitment made by President Biden and Vice President Harris last month, but its long-term future
The police watchdog has condemned Scotland Yard officers for a range of bad behaviour, including racism, misogyny, harassment and offensive social media messages. An investigation was launched after a complaint that an officer had sex with a drunk person in a police station, but it later uncovered much more. The Independent Office for Police Conduct
Could today’s word be MONEY? Perhaps GAMES? Or DEALS, or TIMES, or even VIRAL? Just kidding, of course. I’ve already done my Wordling for the day. No spoilers here. Welcome to Wordle, the free online daily word game that has reportedly amassed millions of players since its inception just four months ago. For many, it
After several delays, SpaceX has finally launched an Italian satellite aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from a station in Florida, US. The space company founded by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk initially planned to launch the Earth-observation satellite last week but continuous bad weather forced it to reschedule the launch several times. A window of
Two thousand rupee notes on display with an Indian flag in the background. Manish Rajput | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images India’s central bank will launch a digital version of the rupee in the next financial year, the country’s finance minister said on Tuesday. “Introduction of a central bank digital currency will give
Labour is calling on Rishi Sunak to allow the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate fraud associated with the government’s COVID support schemes. In an opposition day debate in the Commons today, the party will urge the government to allow the “astronomical levels of fraud” committed during the coronavirus pandemic to be investigated. But the
A teenager has asked Elon Musk for $50k (£37k) after the billionaire requested that the youngster delete a Twitter bot which tracks his private jet. Jack Sweeney, 19, turned down an initial offer of $5k to shut down the @ElonJet account, saying the payment wouldn’t replace the satisfaction he received from running it. The SpaceX
Shoppers are facing a further rise in grocery bills equivalent to £180 a year on average as the squeeze on households intensifies, new industry figures show. Grocery prices in the four weeks to 23 January rose by 3.8%, according to data company Kantar. It adds to the cost of living surge facing households with consumer
Tesco said 1,600 jobs were at risk as it announced a further round of restructuring across its store network. Britain’s biggest supermarket said it was moving overnight re-stocking to the daytime in 36 large stores and 49 convenience stores. It is also converting 36 of its petrol stations to become pay-at-pump only sites during overnight
James Bond actress Lashana Lynch and West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose are among the latest crop of young performers nominated for BAFTA’s rising star award. Before appearing as the new 007 in No Time To Die last year, Lynch, 34, had starred in Marvel’s Captain Marvel opposite Brie Larson, and Sky police drama Bulletproof. DeBose
Nintendo has celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise with the biggest game launch in the franchise’s history. Pokémon Legends: Arceus has already outsold any previous Pokémon titles that were released with just one version available. According to GfK Entertainment data, Arceus accounted for nearly half of all physical, boxed games copies in the
Planet Earth is home to 14% more tree species than previously thought, with thousands yet to be discovered, according to a global count conducted by dozens of researchers around the world. The new study, compiled by 140 researchers in 100 countries, estimates the world to have 73,300 species, with 9,000 not even yet discovered. But
People who followed COVID rules “will feel like they’ve been taken for mugs” by the prime minster, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News. Speaking to Kay Burley, Sir Keir said many members of the public will have felt “anger, grief and guilt” when looking back at how they obeyed COVID-19 restrictions over
Royal Mail has added special barcodes to stamps, making it possible for people to watch videos, read messages and view other information from senders. The move, which starts on Tuesday, follows a successful trial, with the aim of connecting a letter with the digital world. Customers can scan the barcodes while using the Royal Mail
House price growth picked up to 11.2% in January – the strongest start to the year since 2005, according to figures from lender Nationwide. It suggested the surge in the cost of living, with inflation at a near 30-year high, had yet to dent housing market activity, the lender said. The year-on-year pace of growth