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The first coins featuring King Charles III will be in circulation from December. 

The Royal Mint is making 9.6 million copies of the 50p coin, which also pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse of the coin is a replica of the one produced to celebrate her coronation in 1953.

The new 50p pieces represent the biggest change to UK coinage since decimalisation.

“For many people, this will be the first time in their lives that they have seen a new monarch appear on money,” says Kevin Clancy, director of the Royal Mint Museum.

First coins to feature the image of King Charles III to be circulated
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The Royal Mint is making almost 10 million of the 50p pieces and other coins will follow

The portrait of the King sees him without a crown, a noticeable difference from his mother’s image.

“It’s quite common for male monarchs not to wear a crown on their coinage. It happened to his father and grandfather when they were on coinage,” says Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint.

“It’s quite common for female monarchs to wear a lot more regalia, so crowns, tiaras, jewellery as well.”

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First coins to feature the image of King Charles III to be circulated. Pic: Royal Mint
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The reverse of the 50p features a design first produced to celebrate the Queen’s coronation in 1953.

Another change is that His Majesty faces the opposite direction from his mother on the coins we currently use, which is in keeping with tradition when there’s a new monarch.

The new coin was designed by Martin Jennings and approved by the King.

First coins to feature the image of King Charles III to be circulated
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The coin was designed by Martin Jennings and approved by the King

“It has to be an image that will persist over the years and that will represent the generality of what people imagine monarchy to be about. So it’s not just a portrait of him, it also needs to contain the role [of King],” says Mr Jennings.

The Mint will be making 9.6 million of these 50p coins and also begin producing others with the King’s head.

You will still see money with the Queen Elizabeth II for some time to come. Those coins will only be replaced once they are worn or damaged, in line with the wishes of the Royal Family, who asked for minimal waste during the process.

“Most people under the age of 50 have only ever seen Queen Elizabeth II in their pockets,” Ms Morgan added.

“It wasn’t unusual to see two or three different monarchs on coins before decimalisation.”

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‘Immediate action’ taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

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'Immediate action' taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.

The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.

The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.

Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.

The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.

A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”

The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is launching a sentencing review in a bid to ease the crisis.

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Starmer says UK will ‘set out a path’ to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

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Starmer says UK will 'set out a path' to raise defence spending to 2.5% in spring

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and  Keir Starmer, during a trilateral meeting in 10 Downing Street.
Pic: PA
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Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in October. Pic: PA

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A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

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While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.

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Man shot dead and another critically injured in Birmingham shooting – as murder suspect arrested

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Man shot dead and another critically injured in Birmingham shooting - as murder suspect arrested

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.

Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.

One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.

Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.

Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.

Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.

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“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.

“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.

“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”

Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.

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