Sir Keir welcomed Ms Meloni for a bilateral meeting ahead of a summit of political leaders in London focused on Ukraine and wider European security. Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer greets the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, outside 10 Downing Street, London (Ben Whitley/PA)Speaking in Downing Street, Ms Meloni said that in a “precious moment” it is “very important to talk to each other, to co-ordinate”. “And I think on this the UK and Italy can play an important role in bridge-building, let’s say. Issuing a readout of the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders “agreed on the importance of the transatlantic alliance in confronting shared challenges”. “The two leaders acknowledged positive progress made since their last meeting in joint working to tackle irregular migration.

The number of babies in Scotland to have started out life addicted to alcohol and drugs continues to rise. Shooting galleryLast week, the UK’s first drug ‘shooting gallery’ opened in Scotland. Wrong answerThe Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) recently called on the Westminster Government to halt the slide towards decriminalisation and strengthen law enforcement’s role to address illegal drug addiction. According to CSJ, a record 5,448 people died from drug poisoning in England in 2023, an 84 per cent increase since 2013. Everywhere you look, it has not stamped out the illegal drug market or acted as a silver bullet to reduce drug deaths or drug use.”Turning off the supplyEvidence from North Wales indicates that tackling drug gangs is helping addicts kick the habit.

More infoGloucestershire is well represented in a list of the UK's 'best places to live', according to The Times. Other notable mentions include the Cotswolds, Bath and North East Somerset, and South Hams with Gloucester also making the top 20. Stroud, South West4. Bath and North East Somerset, South West11. West Lancashire, North West

Prince Harry fights Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloid News Group Newspapers, alleging unlawful activities involving The Sun and the defunct News of the World from 1996 to 2011. He targets illegal practices like "blagging" for acquiring private information. Harry’s battle aims to reform media practices, holding tabloids accountable for privacy invasions affecting his family and many others.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for “fundamental change” in how the British state protects its citizens following the killing of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.Describing the incident as “clearly extreme violence” intended to “terrorise,” Starmer stressed that the tragedy must mark a turning point for the country.The July attack by 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana left three girls dead and eight other children, their instructor, and a passer-by injured. Speaking in a televised statement on Tuesday, Starmer announced a public inquiry to address failings in the case, saying, “The tragedy of the Southport killings must be a line in the sand for Britain.”Rudakubana, who unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all charges on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court, is due to be sentenced on Thursday. Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents.Critics have accused Starmer’s government of withholding information about the suspect, but the prime minister denied any deliberate cover-up. “It’s clearly extreme violence. It’s clearly intended to terrorize.”

Mr Trump marked his first day in office by signing a flurry of executive orders, making sweeping changes to the economy, immigration and climate change policies. A leading article from The Times describes Mr Trump’s inaugural address as an “uncompromising agenda for power”. The newspaper said Mr Trump was delivering a “revolution” within hours, and “banishing woke” from public life. It also issued a cautionary word to British diplomats, warning: “… Mr Trump’s exceptionalist America First approach will come at a cost to traditional allies like the UK. “He should resist pressure from those urging him to “stand up” to Mr Trump and ignore the unhelpful noises,” the newspaper says.

A MAJOR motorway used by 180,000 drivers every day is set to close lanes at times for three weeks with diversion routes in place. The M602 near Eccles, Greater Manchester, will undergo overnight "essential" barrier repairs throughout late January and into February. An update from Highways North West read: "We’re carrying out essential safety barrier improvements on the M602 between junction 2 (Eccles) and 3 (Ordsall). "Our work involves replacing sections of safety barrier in the central reservation and along the roadside in both directions. "We’ll work overnight Monday to Friday and occasionally Saturday, from 9pm to 5am (extended to 7am on weekends)."

Muir of Ord-based Bad Girl Bakery has come in for more praise. Picture: James Mackenzie..A MUIR of Ord business has been commended as “brilliant” and one of the best Scottish artisan bakeries. Bad Girl Bakery, which also has a cafe in Inverness’ Victorian Market, has been awarded the no.1 spot on a new list from The Times, ranking the top five artisan bakeries in Scotland. Describing the Highland business, The Times said: “This is the star attraction at the food and drink hall in the new Victorian Market in Inverness. If Inverness is too far for a trip, check out Iannetta’s YouTube channel for tutorials.”The top 5 list on The Times was taken from the book, Scotland the Best by Peter Irvine.

Deeply worriedEven a rapid glance around the world shows that we are living in very dangerous times — think Taiwan/China, the ­Middle East and Ukraine. The days of taking peace dividends after the Cold War are well over — and the case to increase defence spending is blindingly obvious. The previous Conservative Government pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2030. No matter how much we spend on health benefits, we will all run the risk of being under a dictatorial jackbootThe present government talks vaguely about 2.5 per cent. No matter how much we spend on health benefits, we will all run the risk of being under a dictatorial jackboot.

Logan and Jake Paul also shared a selfie of them travelling to the inauguration with controversial Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor. McGregor has said he agreed to an exhibition boxing match against Logan Paul in India, however the bout is not confirmed. Last year McGregor lost a civil case where he was accused of raping Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. Logan Paul has also recently faced fresh questions over his cryptocurrency dealings amid ongoing concerns he may have profited from misleading fans. Paul denied any wrongdoing.

"Right from the start of 2024, we had decided to have a fixed opening slot, and from No. 7, everyone has been told to be flexible based on the situation, combinations, and match-ups. "Hum yeh bhi baat karte hain ki, jo ho gaya woh ho gaya, woh wapas nahin aanewala (Let bygones be bygones). We all know what Shami bhai brings to the table, whether it's with the new ball or in the death overs. Hopefully, he continues the same form he showcased in the World Cup."

The cinema was three quarters full and they were 40 minutes in when “the ruckus started” and masked men and a woman stormed in shouting “Down with India”. “They spread out and went into the rows handing out leaflets about the Sikh genocide,” she said. This was masked men shouting in the dark — we didn’t know what their intentions were. She described how when she heard the commotion she turned around and saw masked men in the dark and had no idea what was happening. Some masked men came in front of screen and shouted Khalistan slogans.

The UK government is planning to issue digital driver’s licenses this year with legal backing to be accepted as proof of identity and age for voting, boarding domestic flights and making alcohol purchases. The digital version of the license, known as mobile driver’s licenses, or mDLs, in the U.S., will be delivered through a Gov.uk app, The Times reports. The Data (Use and Access) Bill is currently before Parliament, and contains significant changes to the UK’s laws around identity verification and digital ID. “This is long overdue from the UK DVLA and a very welcome announcement for digital identity in the UK,” Alan Goode, Goode Intelligence CEO and chief analyst, tells Biometric Update in an email. Article Topicsage verification | AVPA | DIATF certification | digital ID | digital wallets | DVLA | Goode Intelligence | identity verification | mDL (mobile driver's license) | One Login | reusable identity | UK

(You can now subscribe to our(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channelThe UK extracted USD 64.82 trillion from India over a century of colonialism between 1765 and 1900 and USD 33.8 trillion of this went to the richest 10 per cent -- enough money to carpet London in notes of 50 British pound almost four times over. This forms part of rights group Oxfam International's latest flagship global inequity report released every year on the first day of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.The report, titled 'Takers, not Makers' and released here on Monday hours before the start of the annual meeting of the rich and powerful across the globe, cited several studies and research papers to claim that the modern multinational corporation is a creation of colonialism only. "Legacies of inequality and pathologies of plunder, pioneered during the time of historical colonialism, continue to shape modern lives. "This has created a deeply unequal world, a world torn apart by division based on racism, a world that continues to systematically extract wealth from the Global South to primarily benefit the richest people in the Global North," Oxfam said.Using various studies and research papers as its basis, Oxfam calculated that between 1765 and 1900, the richest 10 per cent in the UK extracted wealth from India alone worth USD 33.8 trillion in today's money. "They engaged in land dispossession, violence, and mergers and acquisitions, driving globalization and contributing to the creation of the world's first global financial system.

Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, There is much truth in Fraser Nelson’s contention that many politicians now complaining about judicial overreach bear some responsibility, especially Labour, for enabling this unwelcome development via parliamentary legislation (“Starmer must decide, is he politician or lawyer?”, Jan 18). However, we must not forget that many senior British judges have shown great enthusiasm for aping the supranational courts of Europe in arrogating to themselves ever wider jurisdiction, with little regard for the corollary of an ever-deepening democratic deficit. Terry SmithLondon NW11Sir, In her excellent article “Rule by lawyers is behind Chagos giveaway” (Jan 16), Juliet Samuels highlights the damage being inflicted on the country as a result of lawyers believing that they should rule.