Body of Falconio, who Murdoch killed in the Australian outback in 2001, has never been foundBradley John Murdoch, the man who killed British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001, has died from throat cancer at the age of 67.Murdoch died on Tuesday night at a hospital in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, a corrections spokesperson confirmed. He had been moved to the hospital from jail in June. Continue reading...
Government decision to infill disused Queensbury railway line comes amid calls for it to be converted to subterranean cycle pathCampaigners hoping to convert a disused railway line into England's longest cycle and pedestrian tunnel are challenging a government decision to fill much of the historic structure with concrete.Earlier this month ministers decided to award several million pounds to permanently shutter the Queensbury tunnel built in the 1870s for a railway between Halifax and Keighley in West Yorkshire, despite spending 7.2m to shore up the structure less than four years ago. Continue reading...
A New York doctor faced a $113,000 penalty from Texas after being accused of shipping abortion pills across state linesA New York county clerk again rejected an effort by Texas to fine a New York-based doctor accused of shipping abortion pills across state lines, in a case that could tee up a US supreme court showdown between states that protect abortion access and those that ban it.On Monday, acting Ulster county clerk Taylor Bruck rejected a court filing by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, which sought to collect a $113,000 penalty against Dr Margaret Carpenter. Paxton had sued Carpenter in December 2024 over allegations she shipped abortion pills to a Texas woman in defiance of the state's ban on virtually all abortions. When Carpenter didn't show up to a court hearing earlier this year, a judge automatically ruled against her and ordered her to pay the fine as well as stop mailing pills to Texas. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6YNQX)
Teenagers suspected of being hired by criminals paid to carry out acts on behalf of states, it is understoodSchoolchildren have been arrested by detectives investigating Russian and Iranian plots against Britain, a police chief has said, as he warned hostile state aggression was rising and youngsters were at risk.Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan police's counter-terrorism unit, said children in their mid teens" had been investigated. It is understood they were suspected of being hired by criminals paid to carry out acts for Russia and Iran. Continue reading...
BBC show's producers Banijay UK say Torode's contract will not be renewed after allegation, which he has deniedJohn Torode will not return to MasterChef after its producers confirmed his contract would not be renewed after an allegation of using racist language.The Australian-born chef, 59, had confirmed on Monday evening he was the subject of an allegation that was upheld as part of an inquiry into the behaviour of his former co-presenter Gregg Wallace. Continue reading...
Father says 12-year-old was told event in Rugby was not for her as she gets to celebrate being British every day'A diversity day at a secondary school in Warwickshire ended in upset and apologies after a 12-year-old girl wearing a union flag dress was prevented from delivering a speech she had written about British culture.Pupils at Bilton school in the village of Bilton, Rugby, were invited to take part in culture day", dedicated to recognising and celebrating the rich cultural diversity within our school community". Children were encouraged to wear outfits that reflected their nationality or family heritage to the event last Friday. Continue reading...
EU foreign policy chief says ball is in Slovakia's court' after leader Robert Fico blocked imbecile' proposal to ban Russian gas imports from 2028. This live blog is closedFrench foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters that he hoped the new language from the US and more sanctions from the EU will force Russian president Vladimir Putin to face the facts: he has gone too far and he is now at an impasse."He said he was hoping for more alignment between the US and the EU on sanctions, as he met with American senators last week in Rome to discuss their proposed bipartisan bill on Russia.So we have some progress. We have some positive developments. It's true that we have trucks that are able to enter, but we don't know exactly how many.And what is clear is that the agreement is not fully implemented. Continue reading...
Unite union had raised concerns over roughly 500 jobs in assembly lines due to a lack of future export ordersBritish weapons manufacturer BAE Systems has said it is confident of receiving further export orders of the Typhoon fighter jet, a development that would secure the future of several hundred jobs at its factory in Lancashire.The company is hoping for as many as 150 more orders for the jet, with up to two-thirds of those expected to be assembled in the UK. It comes after Unite, a union representing manufacturing workers, raised concerns over the future of the assembly line at Warton. Continue reading...
by Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi and agencies on (#6YN5V)
Rights group says targets of Rapid Support Forces in North Kordofan were empty of military objectives'Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed nearly 300 people in attacks in North Kordofan state that began on Saturday, according to Sudanese activists.The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army in the area, one of the key frontlines of a civil war in Sudan that has raged since April 2023. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#6YNHW)
Conservative Lord Tariq Ahmad denies contact while in office with King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful CoexistenceA former UK Middle East minister has been accused of breaching transparency rules over a paid advisory role with an influential Bahraini centre that has links to the Gulf state's government.The Conservative peer Tariq Ahmad, who denies wrongdoing, was cleared by a watchdog to take up his role as a paid adviser to the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence (KHC). Continue reading...
Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham jailed over criminal damage of beloved tree. This live blog is closedProsecutor Richard Wright said Graham had two previous convictions for battery in 2007 and 2016 and two public order offences in 2021 and 2022.He said the offences were all relationship-based" and none resulted in a prison offence. Continue reading...
Twenty-two union leaders criticise Met over arrest of people who took part in pro-Gaza march in JanuaryMore than 20 union leaders have expressed their deep concern over the apparent erosion of the right to peaceful protest, piling pressure on the Metropolitan police over its handling of pro-Palestinian marches at the start of the year.Paul Nowak of the Trades Union Congress, Christina McAnea of Unison, Daniel Kebede of the National Education Union, Matt Wrack of the NASUWT and Eddie Dempsey of the RMT are among 22 trade union general secretaries who have criticised the Met's decision to arrest and charge former union members who took part in peaceful protest on 18 January. Continue reading...
Director general defence his performance after criticism from culture secretary over catastrophic failures'Tim Davie has insisted he is still the right person to lead the BBC, after a succession of controversies that have led the culture secretary to accuse him of overseeing a series of catastrophic failures".Davie has been under the most intense pressure of his five-year tenure as director general after incidents including the livestreaming of Bob Vylan's performance at the Glastonbury festival, as well as the broadcast of a Gaza documentary that breached the corporation's editorial guidelines. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6YNDV)
Former home secretary says Reform councils could struggle if they fail to manage services like bin collections and social careReform UK might have to choose between presenting itself as a new and radical political party or as a home for disgruntled former Conservatives" who lost their seats at the election, James Cleverly has said.Cleverly, the former home and foreign secretary, who stood to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, also argued that Nigel Farage's party could suffer if the councils it now runs struggle to properly manage key everyday services like bin collections and social care. Continue reading...
Singh's east London running club confirms death in India of athlete thought to be first centenarian to run a marathonThe runner Fauja Singh, believed to be the oldest person to complete a marathon, has died in a road accident in India aged 114.The athlete, who lived in Ilford in east London, was hit by a car and suffered fatal injuries while trying to cross a road in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, on Monday, according to reports in India. Continue reading...
Troubled utility blames rainfall as pollution incidents rise by a thirdIt will take at least a decade to turn troubled Thames Water around, the boss of the UK's biggest water company said, as it slumped to a 1.6bn annual loss.The loss for the 12 months to 31 March comes after a profit of 154m the previous year, even though revenues climbed by 8.7% to 2.7bn. It had net debt of 16.8bn, up from 15.2bn the year before. Continue reading...
The actor will follow stars including Lenny Henry and Sue Perkins, leading the hit show in which a performer enlists the audience's help to tell funny, sad and unique' storyMinnie Driver has joined the list of stars performing Every Brilliant Thing - a play told by one actor with the help of almost the entire audience - in London's West End. The show opens next month at @sohoplace with Lenny Henry in the principal role; later it will be played by Sue Perkins, Ambika Mod and Jonny Donahoe, the comedian who presided over its triumphant run at the Edinburgh fringe in 2014 and far beyond.For Driver it marks a return to the venue where she performed White Rabbit Red Rabbit for one night last November. That theatrical experiment required a different actor to perform the play, sight unseen, each time. Driver, who shot to fame in the 1990s films Circle of Friends and Good Will Hunting, is no stranger to the London stage. In 2003 she starred in the West End alongside Matthew Perry in David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago. Continue reading...
Matthew Drapper at C of E's St Thomas Philadelphia was told that sexual impurity' had let demons enter his bodyA gay man has been paid compensation from a Church of England parish after he was subjected to an exorcism" to purge him of his homosexuality, it has been reported.Matthew Drapper, 37, was a volunteer at St Thomas Philadelphia, a joint Anglican-Baptist congregation in Sheffield, in 2014 when he was invited to an encounter God weekend" at the contemporary, welcoming church", the Times reported. Continue reading...
Exclusive: More than a third of employees surveyed say stories about firms hardening stance have had impactA fear of being ordered back to the office is having an impact on workers' wellbeing, according to a poll, after a string of companies issued return-to-office mandates.More than a third (38%) of workers surveyed said recent news stories about companies hardening their stance on office attendance had negatively affected their wellbeing, highlighting the tug-of-war between employers and their employees. Continue reading...
Gibson, who was Colorado's poet laureate and diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, died at their home on MondayAndrea Gibson, a celebrated poet and performance artist who through their verse explored gender identity, politics and their four-year battle with terminal ovarian cancer, has died aged 49.Gibson's death was announced on social media by their wife, Megan Falley. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#6YN81)
Founded by Lina Lazaar, Ibraaz will host challenging conversations amid growing concerns over freedom of expression in the artsA new London art institution aimed at promoting global majority voices wants to be a space for difficult, urgent questions" alongside civil debate, according to its founder, who claims freedom of expression is under threat.Ibraaz will open this coming October in Fitzrovia, central London, and Lina Lazaar wants the 10,000-square-foot Grade II-listed building to become a bastion for respectful debate without the aggression" seen in a lot of political discourse. Continue reading...
Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting in southern Syria, with government troops sent to restore order also clashing with armed groupsIsrael's army has said it struck military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces and Bedouin tribes have clashed with Druze militias in the latest escalation in the Middle East country's struggle for stability after a 13-year civil war.Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting between local militias and clans in Syria's Sweida province. Government security forces that were sent to restore order on Monday also clashed with local armed groups. Continue reading...
Research finds a third of people rarely meet anyone from a different backgroundThe UK is a powder keg" of social tensions, with a third of people rarely meeting anyone from different backgrounds, research has found.A report from the thinktank British Future and the social cohesion group Belong Network found that a year on from last summer's riots, there was a risk of unrest being reignited unless urgent action was taken to address issues of polarisation and division. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#6YN4Q)
Children from lower-income families also remain significantly behind their peers as impact of pandemic continues to be feltFive-year-olds with special educational needs in England are lagging a record 20 months behind their peers, according to a report that says the country's youngest learners face a deepening crisis", five years after the pandemic.Since Covid closed schools, disrupting learning and triggering falls in attendance, there has been widespread concern about the growing attainment gap that leaves disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs significantly behind their peers. Continue reading...
Northern Ireland secretary cites single soldier's conviction over Troubles-related death in face of opposition to reopening prosecutionsHilary Benn has said that only one soldier" has been convicted over a Troubles-related death since 1998 as he sought to justify Labour plans to repeal the Northern Ireland Legacy and Reconciliation Act.The Northern Ireland secretary, speaking at a debate in Westminster Hall, argued that of the 250,000 British military veterans who had served in the country, the number being prosecuted for offences has been very, very small". Continue reading...
Maria Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, 31, reportedly killed alongside Dutch pilot and co-pilot and European male medical professionalA woman on her first day as a flight nurse was reportedly among four people who died onboard a small medical plane that crashed soon after taking off from London Southend airport on Sunday.Maria Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, 31, was a German citizen born in Chile. She had previously worked as a nurse in the public sector and was understood to have married her partner last year. Continue reading...
Shadow minister crashes and burns as Yvette Copper makes statement on new Channel crossing arrangementsIt was all a bit of a mystery. Just where were the Tories? Had they just got their dates confused? Thought that recess started this week rather than next? Or had they all bunked off to Lord's to see England beat India in a tight finish? Or maybe some - caught up in the entente amicale aftermath of Emmanuel Macron's state visit - had taken the Eurostar to Paris to enjoy steak frites on Bastille Day?You'd have thought the Conservative backbenchers would have wanted to be out in force to hear Yvette Cooper's statement on the new arrangements for dealing with small boats. After all, this is the stuff that Kemi Badenoch and Chris Philp live and breathe. The reason they get up in the morning. To wage a two-person war on those making the Channel crossing. So surely Tory MPs would be desperate to have their say. A show of strength. But weirdly there were only five and most of them were to scuttle off long before the end. Continue reading...
Rights activists say Tehran's crackdown must be on agenda in any talks on future relations between Europe and IranIranian human rights groups are urging MEPs and European governments to escalate the issue of Tehran's mistreatment of political prisoners, arguing that the crackdown on internal dissent must be on the agenda in any talks about future relations between Europe and Iran.The Iranian foreign ministry appears to be in no rush to stage further talks with the west without clear US assurances that it will not be attacked again. Continue reading...
by Luke Harding in Kyiv and Pjotr Sauer on (#6YMX3)
US president says he will send Ukraine Patriot anti-aircraft batteries and interceptor missiles paid for by EU alliesPoliticians in Kyiv have welcomed Donald Trump's announcement that billions of dollars worth of US military equipment will be sent to Ukraine, while officials in Moscow dismissed his threat of sanctions against Russia as hot air.In a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, at the White House, Trump said the US would send Patriot anti-aircraft batteries and interceptor missiles, paid for by European allies. Continue reading...
Controversial Gaza humanitarian city' plan, likened to a concentration camp by a former Israeli PM, is hampering ceasefire talks with HamasA feud has broken between the Israeli government and the military over the cost and impact of a planned camp for Palestinians in southern Gaza, as politicians attacked former prime minister Ehud Olmert for warning that the project would create a concentration camp" if it goes ahead.The humanitarian city" project has become a sticking point in ceasefire talks with Hamas. Israel wants to keep troops stationed across significant parts of Gaza, including the ruins of Rafah city in the south, where defence minister, Israel Katz, says the camp will be built. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6YMV6)
Exclusive: Labour fighting for survival of NHS, health secretary tells MPs as he prepares to meet BMAWes Streeting has said resident doctors' strikes would be a gift to Nigel Farage" before a meeting with the British Medical Association this week where he will seek to avert industrial action.The health secretary told a meeting of Labour MPs on Monday that ministers were in the fight for the survival of the NHS" and if Labour failed, Farage would argue for it to be replaced by an insurance-style system. Continue reading...
Local authorities want government to make it easier to stop flurry of adult gaming centres' targeting poorer areasHigh-street slot machines are reaping record takings as operators expand apace on Britain's high streets, reigniting calls for the government to give councils more power to curb their spread.Overall, betting and gaming revenues - excluding the National Lottery - reached 11.5bn in the year to March 2024, a 3.5% annual increase and the highest figure on record, according to statistics from the Gambling Commission that corrected previous figures. Continue reading...
Prosecutors accuse the defendant of setting fire to many victims' homes to cover up his crimesHearings have begun in the Berlin trial of a German palliative doctor accused of murdering 15 patients in his care using a deadly cocktail of sedatives and setting fire to many of their homes to cover up his crimes.Prosecutors have charged the 40-year-old defendant with 15 counts of murder with premeditated malice and other base motives", and are seeking a life sentence, which in Germany usually amounts to 15 years in prison. Continue reading...
In first annual statement, environment secretary fought back against climate deniers, but his rhetoric needs to stand up to mounting political pressure
Director general apologises and announces changes but faces growing pressure from culture secretary Lisa NandyTim Davie, the BBC's director general, has admitted the broadcaster made a significant failing" over a documentary about children in Gaza, after an internal investigation found that the programme breached editorial guidelines for accuracy.Senior BBC figures have acknowledged that programme-makers failed to ask the right questions about the making of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone. An internal investigation found viewers should have been made aware of the critical information" that the 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. Continue reading...
Howard Phillips tells court he hoped to trap' agents by offering information about the then defence secretaryA man accused of attempting to hand over the personal details of the then defence secretary, Grant Shapps, to Russian intelligence officers has told a court he was actually trying to expose" the agents.Howard Phillips, 65, was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service after passing a USB stick containing details relating to Shapps including his home address and the location of his private plane to undercover officers, who prosecutors say he believed to be Russian spies. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charge. Continue reading...
Viewers complain that board allows violence and misogyny in Indian films but not a smooch in a Hollywood releaseAs Indian cinemagoers watched the latest Superman film, many noticed something was amiss. On two occasions as the superhero leaned in for a kiss with Lois Lane, the film suddenly jumped forward, cutting to the aftermath of an embrace.India's censor board had deemed the kissing scenes, including a 33-second smooch, to be overly sensual" for Indian audiences and demanded they be cut from the film before its cinematic release. Continue reading...
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