Author: Daniel Leka

Counter-terrorism operations, fraud investigations and serious organised crime units are to be brought together under a single national police force in what ministers are calling the most significant reform of British policing in a generation. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out plans on Monday for a new National Police Service, which will operate across England and Wales with its own uniform and be headed by a national commissioner who will become the country’s most senior police officer. The restructuring will see multiple agencies and functions currently spread across different forces consolidated into one organisation. Counter-terrorism responsibilities, presently managed by…

A forthcoming book argues that William Shakespeare was not the true author of the works attributed to him, claiming instead that the plays and poems were written by a black Jewish woman of Moroccan descent. Feminist historian and LSE graduate Irene Coslet makes the case in her upcoming publication, ‘The Real Shakespeare: Emilia Bassano Willoughby’, that a woman named Emilia Bassano was the real figure behind the famous literary canon. According to Coslet, Bassano was born in London in 1569 to a Venetian court musician. Following her father’s death when she was seven, she was fostered into an English noble…

Physicists have demonstrated that quantum computers can crack a problem that is fundamentally impossible for classical systems — and the solution relies on a phenomenon Albert Einstein once dismissed as “spooky action at a distance.” Researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Hunter College of CUNY showed that quantum entanglement can substitute for physical labels when determining whether rearranging a set of particles requires an even or odd number of swaps. Classical systems cannot perform this task unless every particle is marked with a unique identifier. With four particles, four distinct labels are needed. But qubits — the quantum…

EasyJet is creating 130 jobs in the North East after announcing Newcastle as its newest UK base, with the first flights to Rome and Lisbon launching within months. The budget carrier confirmed the expansion will support around 1,200 jobs across the UK in total, while bringing two sought-after European destinations to the region for the first time in easyJet’s network. Lisbon is an entirely new route from Newcastle Airport, with officials confirming strong customer demand had driven the decision. Rome Fiumicino will provide a second Italian connection from the North East. Both services go on sale today, with one-way fares…

South Africa’s most emphatic performance of the modern era was reduced to a footnote within minutes of the final whistle after Eben Etzebeth was sent off for making contact with the eye area of Wales flanker Alex Mann. The incident, captured clearly by broadcast cameras, occurred in the 79th minute as both forward packs became embroiled in a scuffle following a passage of loose play. Etzebeth could be seen driving his thumb towards Mann’s eye — a movement detached from the momentum of the confrontation. Referee Mathieu Raynal issued a straight red card. What had been an 11-try, 73–0 demolition…

Former world number one Lindsay Davenport has predicted Naomi Osaka will need to modify her on-court behaviour after the Japanese star’s vocal self-encouragement between opponent Sorana Cirstea’s serves sparked a furious row at the Australian Open. Davenport described the conduct as a violation of fundamental tennis etiquette, while Martina Navratilova told Tennis Channel that players cannot speak aloud between their opponent’s first and second serves. Navratilova suggested Osaka was likely unaware of the issue, saying she did not believe the 28-year-old acted deliberately. Jelena Djokovic, wife of Novak Djokovic, also weighed in on Instagram, questioning why match officials had not…

No player managed to achieve a nine-darter during the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters, leaving a substantial bonus prize unclaimed despite the incentive weighing heavily on competitors throughout the tournament. Organisers had offered £75,000 to any player who completed the perfect leg, with an additional £75,000 available for hitting the bullseye with a tenth dart. Luke Littler, who defeated Michael van Gerwen in the final to claim the £30,000 top prize, admitted the bonus was on every player’s mind during matches. He said: “All the players know what’s up for grabs so if you get the first treble and then miss,…

Almost 4.7 million people in the UK now work in gig economy roles, representing approximately 14.7 per cent of the workforce, according to research by the Trades Union Congress. The scale of the sector has prompted significant regulatory developments in recent years, with landmark Supreme Court rulings establishing key precedents on how gig workers should be classified and what rights they are entitled to. In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in Uber BV v Aslam that drivers for the ride-hailing platform should be classified as workers rather than self-employed contractors. The judgment entitled them to the national minimum wage and…

The combined effect of improving sleep, exercise and diet simultaneously is greater than the sum of making each change in isolation, according to new research tracking nearly 60,000 people over eight years. The study, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, found that those with the unhealthiest habits would need five times as much additional sleep per day — 25 minutes — to achieve the same benefit as making modest improvements across all three behaviours together. Researchers analysed data from participants in the UK Biobank cohort recruited between 2006 and 2010, then used statistical modelling to estimate lifespans and years of good…

Harry Brook received the largest possible financial penalty and a final warning over his conduct after an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand, the England white-ball captain has revealed. The incident occurred in the hours before England’s third and final one-day international defeat to the Black Caps in Wellington in October. Brook was refused entry to the venue after the bouncer suspected he was drunk, with a row ensuing that resulted in the cricketer being struck. Brook, 26, self-reported the matter to team management. He has now admitted he expected to lose the captaincy as a consequence. Speaking…