A loosely defined Welsh region with about 2.2 million people
Nine men aged 54 to 76 have been charged in a long-running south Wales case of group-based child sexual exploitation. The operation, starting after multiple victims reported abuse dating from 1985 to 1996, has seen arrests across the UK. They are due to appear at Newport Magistrates’ Court for charges that cover eight victims.
The Information Commissioner’s Office has executed warrants across Bolton, Burnley, Liverpool, London and Swansea, seizing devices and documents as part of a crackdown on firms behind mass text messages about car finance mis-selling. Regulators say more than 12 million complaints have been logged since September 2025, with up to 100,000 reports daily.
The Item Club has warned that the UK faces a year of job losses driven by higher energy costs and supply disruptions linked to the Iran war, with South Wales and the Humber hardest hit. London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow are also expected to shed thousands of posts as discretionary spending contracts.