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POTTERHEADS can get their robes and wands ready as a major Harry Potter store will be opening in the UK this year.

Warner Bros. Global Experiences has announced that it will be opening its first premier flagship shop in London – the first of its kind in Europe.

Harry Potter Oxford Street will open in autumn of this year and will be located at The Ribbon, at 134-140 Oxford Street.

In total, the store will sprawl across just under 2,000sqm (1,950sqm) and be on two floors – making it the joint biggest Harry Potter store in the world alongside New York.

Designs are currently underway to transform the inside of the building on the UK’s most famous street to “a wizarding emporium celebrating the beloved locations featured in the books and films”.

Whether you’re a fan of Hermione or can’t wait to ‘swish-and-flick’ your own wand, there will be plenty of photo opportunities throughout the store.

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There will be a number of activities to complete as well and fans better get saving as there will be exclusive merchandise on sale too.

Little details are known about other features of the store, but if it is anything like the one in New York, fans can expect props from the films and potentially a Honeydukes corner.

The store will join the King’s Cross Shop as the only official Harry Potter retail destinations in the UK.

Karl Durrant, WB’s SVP Worldwide Retail said: “Harry Potter is deeply rooted in British storytelling, and this will give fans an exciting new way to experience this magical world in the city that features so prominently in the stories. 

“Offering a completely new retail experience for Harry Potter fans which will delight and entertain, it’s going to be very special.”

There are a number of other official Harry Potter Shops around the world including in New York, Chicago in the USA and Harajuku and Akasaka in Japan.

Warner Bros Studio Tour London, near Watford, also recently launched a costume-making workshop.

Fans are allowed to go behind the scenes of the movies and explore costumes that were actually used in the films.

Assistant Travel Editor, Sophie Swietochowski recently went to the workshop and said: “Unlike the main tour, where guests just wander freely around the attraction, Mastering The Magic: Costume Creation is a 45-minute workshop that allows muggles to even create their own Potter-themed outfit.

“My small group learns that a school-aged Harry, for example, is first seen by viewers in his battered shirt and threadbare trousers, which conveys how poorly treated he is by his aunt and uncle.

“After learning tricks of the trade, we’re talked through the lengthy process of costume creation, from initial concept, taken from scripts, through to mood boards with fabric samples and right down to the final sketches.

“Then it’s time to get stuck in – sketching our own designs and pinning scraps of fabric left over from the costumes featured in the actual films.

“I choose a ruby red and black patch of fur, pairing it with a gold satin – more Malfoy territory than Potter.

“And for a brief moment, I’ve played my part as a Harry Potter costume designer.”

Just last month, it was also announced that there will be a new experience based on the Hogwarts Express later this year.

Partnering with Rail Events Inc., Warner Bros. Discovery will launch Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure later this year.

The magical experience will be an immersive train journey, where Potterheads can be witches and wizards heading to Hogwarts.

There will be character interactions, themed dining and even a pre-boarding experience that “nods to Platform 9 and three quarters”.

Most of the experience will actually be on a moving train as well.

The route and launch locations are yet to be confirmed.

In other Harry Potter destination news, Legoland is set to open a Harry Potter land with rides and wizard-themed hotel rooms.

Plus, here’s a look inside the real life Hogwarts where Harry Potter fans can stay this summer – and it’s surprisingly cheap.

Published on 18/02/2026 – 18:59 GMT+1•Updated
19:20

EU lawmakers have drafted a procedure to select the future host of the European Custom Authority, a new decentralised agency tasked with supporting and coordinating national customs administrations across the bloc.

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The agency is expected to be set up in 2026 and operational in 2028. Many EU countries have put themselves forward as potential hosts for the new body, including Belgium, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Romania.

In a committee meeting in January, all the nine countries presented their candidacy, with Spain, France, Poland and The Netherlands receiving the majority of questions from EU lawmakers.

The need to establish a dedicated selection procedure arises from the fact that no predefined method exists for choosing the host country. As the location of an EU agency often becomes a politically sensitive contest among member states, the institutions have sought to design a detailed procedure aimed at ensuring the decision is as impartial and balanced as possible.

And with the business of customs management and trade surging in importance since US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on countries worldwide, the debate over which country will host the future European Customs Authority has become particularly tense.

According to a draft procedure seen by Euronews, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union will each independently select two preferred candidates. The two institutions will then meet in a joint session to reveal their selections. If at least one candidate appears on both shortlists, that overlapping candidate will be automatically declared the winner.

If there is no overlap, two or four candidates will move to three rounds of votes, all with different rules.

In the first round, a candidate who obtains a majority in both institutions will be elected immediately. But if no candidate achieves a majority in either body, additional scenarios will apply to determine who advances to the second round.

Specifically, if two candidates are tied with neither securing a majority, both will move forward to the second round. In a scenario with four candidates, the two receiving the fewest votes will be eliminated. However, if there is a very close result between the second- and third-placed candidates, three candidates may advance to the second round instead.

In the second round, a joint vote of the two institutions will take place. A candidate must obtain a three-quarters majority to be elected; if no candidate reaches this threshold, the process will move to the third round.

If three candidates remain, the one receiving the fewest votes will be eliminated. However, in the event of a very close result between the second- and third-placed candidates, all three may proceed to the third round.

In the third and final round, the same joint voting procedure will apply, but the required threshold is lowered to a two-thirds majority. This vote may be repeated up to three times. And if no candidate secures the required majority after these attempts, the threshold will be reduced to a simple majority.

Feb. 11 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s National Police Agency is moving to dismantle a metropolitan-level intelligence structure created under the previous administration and restore intelligence units at local police stations, prompting renewed concerns about broad surveillance of civilians and “dragnet” information gathering.

Critics said the plan clashes with the broader push to reform powerful state institutions, particularly after South Korea abolished the National Intelligence Service’s domestic intelligence functions. Civic groups urged stronger outside oversight and called for curbs on police intelligence work.

Concerns intensified after the police agency said Monday it plans to replace the bottom 15% of officers in performance evaluations for intelligence police. Some officers said the policy could encourage quantity-driven reporting rather than careful, limited collection.

“If the volume of intelligence becomes the basis for evaluation, there will be pressure to put even wide-ranging trends into reports,” an intelligence officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Police station intelligence units have historically tracked local “trends” across political and social fields, with some critics alleging they expanded monitoring to civic groups and individuals. Past controversies over civilian surveillance helped drive efforts to reduce the size and role of intelligence police, with many station-level units later disbanded or scaled back and reorganized into a metropolitan system.

The National Police Agency has argued that strengthening foreign affairs and intelligence functions is needed to combat transnational crime, citing incidents such as the “Cambodia case” last year. Late last year, the National Police Commission approved a plan to revert metropolitan intelligence teams back to police station intelligence units.

Officers said the change could also strengthen the influence of station chiefs, who under the metropolitan system did not directly oversee intelligence officers assigned to provincial police agencies. With station-level units returning, officers said some chiefs could effectively regain their own internal intelligence teams.

The Police Reform Network, a coalition that includes the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said in a statement Tuesday that authorities must clearly explain how standards, reporting and management systems would change if station-level intelligence units are restored.

A National Police Agency official said safeguards are already in place following a 2021 reform, including rules defining the scope of intelligence activities under presidential decree and potential criminal penalties for violating political neutrality obligations.

The official said compliance officers conduct routine inspections and training and described the performance-based personnel pool as a measure aimed at screening out individuals deemed problematic in the past.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260211010004272