The UK Government named North Lanarkshire its latest AI Growth Zone, and proposals involving Chapelhall-based DataVita with AI firm CoreWeave are reported to include up to £8.2 billion of investment and up to 7,000 jobs, subject to the full statutory planning process.
Santander will close 44 UK branches, putting about 291 branch-based workers at risk, and says the move follows a shift to digital banking while it awaits regulatory approval for its £2.6bn takeover of TSB.
The UK government has announced Lanarkshire as the latest AI Growth Zone, led by DataVita with support from CoreWeave, and the proposal is expected to create more than 3,400 jobs and a community fund of up to £543 million over 15 years.
The Woolf Institute has launched a Commission on Interfaith Relations, chaired by Dr Ed Kessler with the Area Bishop of Willesden as vice-chair, to examine how global conflicts affect faith relations in the UK; it will meet six times this year.
A City of London Corporation consultation of more than 38,000 people found strong support—around 86–90%—for retaining trans‑inclusive access at Hampstead Heath bathing ponds, and current admission rules will remain while committees review the findings.
Two Upper Tribunal judges ruled that severe hair loss in women can constitute a disability in a VAT dispute over specialist wigs, and the tribunal reversed a previous First Tier ruling in a case tied to a £277,083.10 tax demand.
Family and friends say Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis VA intensive-care nurse who was fatally shot by federal immigration agents, was generous and patriotic; bystander video and witnesses reported he was filming and not holding a gun.
Gatwick Gaming meets weekly at Ifield West Community Centre and draws up to about 40 people; the author played Cockroach Poker and Flip 7 and notes a Flip 7 tournament scheduled for February 18.
The Great Leeds Walk 2026 will start at The Leodiensian Rugby Club in Alwoodley at 7am and offers 10-, 18- and 25-mile routes to raise funds for Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice; early-bird registration is available until 1 April.
US officials say President Trump is considering targeted strikes on Iranian security leaders and institutions to try to influence domestic unrest; no final decision has been announced and additional US naval forces have arrived in the region.
