Environmental Protection Agency asked firm to choose rules it wanted for dicamba, then put the choices in a proposed federal ruleThe EPA allowed pesticide giant Bayer to pick from a menu of regulation options for the controversial and destructive weedkiller dicamba, newly released internal agency documents show.The documents provide an unusually clear look into the process of developing pesticide regulations, which is typically done out of public view. It shows in detail how the EPA asked Bayer which regulations it wanted, received a response from Bayer, then put Bayer’s choices into a proposed federal rule. Continue reading...
Grand jury indicts Jesse Calhoun, 41, on charge of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Elizabeth GibsonAn Oregon man accused of killing five women has been indicted in connection with the death of a sixth woman, officials announced this week.Jesse Calhoun was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Elizabeth “Libby” Gibson, said the Multnomah county district attorney on Wednesday. Calhoun is accused of causing Gibson’s death and acting “unlawfully and recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life”. Continue reading...
• Researchers have developed a new blood test that could detect pancreatic cancer at its earliest stages, potentially improving treatment outcomes for the disease.
• The test aims to identify the disease before it becomes deadly, with medical professionals noting that early detection significantly increases the chances of successful intervention.
• Early detection of pancreatic cancer could greatly improve the chances of survival for patients, as the disease is often referred to as a "silent killer" due to its asymptomatic nature in its early stages.
Ticehurst’s former partner had pleaded guilty to stabbing her 15 times at her Forbes home just before midnight on 21 April 2024Molly Ticehurst’s ex-boyfriend has been sentenced to 28 years in jail for her senseless and brutal murder, which was revenge for her reporting allegations of sexual assault to police.Daniel Billings was sentenced in the Orange Supreme Court today by Justice Natalie Adams, who imposed a non-parole period of 20 years. Continue reading...
Three men on trial for killing Jake and Callum Robinson and Jack Carter Rhoad in Baja California in 2024The alleged killers of two Australian surfers and an American at a Mexican surfing hotspot in 2024 have gone on trial in the border resort where the three were murdered.The Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were shot dead after being robbed in Mexico’s violence-hit Baja California. Continue reading...
Daniel Billings said ‘I did what I did’ in call from friend’s house after 2024 domestic violence murderFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo hours after Daniel Billings murdered his ex-girlfriend Molly Ticehurst in a frenzied stabbing he spoke to a woman he had met on Tinder.“I’m sorry I murdered her,” Billings told the woman during a phone call at 2.02am on 22 April 2024. Continue reading...
Tyler Robinson has not yet entered a plea, but should a judge find probable cause, an arraignment could followSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailNearly a year after Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a Utah university, a judge on Tuesday is expected to rule on whether the Utah man accused of killing the conservative activist will stand trial and whether he should face the death penalty.At a 10 am hearing in Provo, Utah, judge Tony Graf will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to try Tyler Robinson, 23, and allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the murder of one of the US right’s most prominent figures. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham says ‘hundreds’ of people will remain in prison as part of changes to scheme designed to ease overcrowdingPC Andrew Harper’s killers will be excluded from the early release scheme after the prime minister said anyone convicted of unlawful killing would be exempt.Andy Burnham said “hundreds” of people will remain in prison as part of changes to the scheme designed to ease overcrowding in prisons. Continue reading...
Crown prosecutor tells Victorian court that all seven of Patterson’s grounds for appeal should failGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria’s highest court has been urged to dismiss Erin Patterson’s appeal against her triple murder conviction, hearing that the case against her during trial was “overwhelming”.On Thursday, three judges of Victoria’s court of appeal continued hearing arguments regarding Patterson’s bid to have her conviction overturned. Continue reading...
Research from King’s College London finds that Reform voters’ perceptions were furthest from the truthThe public overestimate how many minority ethnic people are killers, as well as how many foreign national offenders there are, a new study has found.The research from King’s College London tested knowledge and perceptions of crime at a time when radical right parties are trying to link offending to ethnicity and nationality to gain votes. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham said to be ‘determined’ to work out solution after increasing pressure from family and policeAndy Burnham has told the justice secretary to find a way to exclude PC Andrew Harper’s killers from the early release scheme aimed at easing prison overcrowding.The prime minister is said to be “determined” that a solution can be found after increasing pressure from Harper’s family and police not to allow Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter, to be freed in January under the existing plans. Continue reading...
Manslaughter exemption would mean more releases would be needed within 18 months, Prison Service officials sayWhat could Andy Burnham do to block early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers?Andy Burnham has been warned that changing the terms of the prisoners’ early release scheme so PC Andrew Harper’s killers are kept behind bars would force another spate of early releases before the next general election.Prison Service officials have told No 10 that adding an exemption so that those convicted of manslaughter, such as Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, remain in jail would mean further early releases would be needed within 18 months. Continue reading...
Thames Valley chief says he may join Police Federation in court if Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers are freed from prisonThe chief constable of Thames Valley police has said he will consider joining legal action against the government if it fails to block the early release of two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers.The Police Federation is contemplating going to court in its attempts to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison. Continue reading...
Jake Richard acknowledges ‘unimaginable pain’ of Harper’s family but says government faces an ‘unenviable position’Good morning and welcome to the UK politics blog.Ministers continue to defend the release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers as part of the government’s early prisoner release scheme, despite a potential legal challenge from the Police Federation.Well, look, we understand that people are angry. The Harper family are, of course, angry. The police are angry too.We’re angry that we’re in this situation where we face the unenviable position of having to make sure that we have a sustainable prison system, which is so vital to a functioning law and order system in our country, but also that we do right by victims as far as possible.Because without a functioning prison system, it means it’s difficult for police to make arrests, it’s difficult for our courts to try cases, and it could mean to the collapse of law and order in this country.We cannot be in that situation, so that is the challenge that we face as government ministers and the prime minister faces ultimately.I feel sick to my stomach, if I’m really honest with you. I’ve had a gut wrenching feeling in my stomach the past couple of weeks with this, and it doesn’t go away.And arguably, I would say that many of my members across Thames Valley also have this gut wrenching feeling, even at the prospect of these two killers being released in the space of weeks, potentially.Ministers will scrap the requirement for companies to prove their green and progressive values before they are awarded government contracts, and instead ask firms to prove they will help young people back into work.Women should not feel pressurised into experiencing an “ideal birth”, the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said, promising a root-and-branch reform of standards after several damning maternity scandals.An official investigation has been launched into charities in England and Wales donating funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.Andy Burnham has inherited a Labour membership that is sceptical about increased welfare spending, supportive of higher defence spending, and ranks the climate crisis as one of the country’s biggest challenges, according to new polling.BP’s chief executive has urged Andy Burnham to make use of the UK’s oil and gas resources even as the oil company prepares to sell its North Sea business after 60 years in the ageing basin.The Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has defended the selection of a former neo-Nazi activist as a candidate for a local election in Somerset despite him being jailed in 2016 after he was convicted of racially aggravated harassment of the former Labour MP Luciana Berger.Pupils in Scotland’s schools received their exam results this morning, with exam pass rates at all levels having risen this year, including a record number of National 5 passes. Continue reading...
Government revises plans to tackle prison overcrowding amid pressure from MPs and victims but domestic abusers and killers could still be released earlyGood morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The mother of PC Andrew Harper said her family are “bitterly disappointed” that her son’s killers remain eligible for early release after the government revised plans to tackle the overcrowding crisis in prisons.Following pressure from victims, MPs and frontline prison officers, rapists, child sexual abusers and groomers will be excluded from the scheme for England and Wales, the government said on Monday.It feels like we’re letting Andrew down again. We’ve been through the justice system, we thought we’d done as best as we could. Now we’re standing up to fight again … so I just feel really let down, for Andrew’s sake as well as ours. Continue reading...
Convicted killer seeks to withdraw guilty plea and go to trial – but that could put death penalty sentence back in playCould Bryan Kohberger, convicted 13 months ago of the murders of four University of Idaho students, now find himself on death row? That’s one potential outcome of a perplexing petition he filed last week in which he claimed he was misled by his defense attorneys into pleading guilty.A new trial could grant the wishes of family members who hoped to see the 31-year doctoral criminology student convicted by a jury in open court and sentenced to death. Or is Kohberger simply following the example of many serial killers in attempting to gain control of the narrative and extend the suffering of his victims’ families? Continue reading...
Rudakubana, serving life sentence for murders of three girls at dance event in 2024, charged with multiple assaultsThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana serving life in prison for the murders of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in 2024 has been charged with multiple assaults on prison staff, police have said.On 29 July 2024, Rudakubana, then 17, launched a frenzied knife attack in Southport, north-west England, killing Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine. Continue reading...
James Desborough, who also strangled cellmate to death for snoring while awaiting trial, hid body fragments in Cornwall woodsA triple killer who murdered and dismembered the bodies of two of his friends before strangling a third man to death in prison while awaiting trial has been told he will spent the rest of his life in prison.Mr Justice Saini, who sentenced James Desborough, 40, at Winchester crown court, described the circumstances of the case as unique. Continue reading...
Shots fired in the Channel are all in a day’s work for the intrepid shadow home secretaryC’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre. Captain Chris ‘Hunter-Killer’ Philp had been on patrol since first light in the English Channel. While the rest of the country was still asleep, the Philpster was scanning the horizon for rubber dinghies full of illegal immigrants. Something he had never done in his previous life as immigration minister. Back then he had sought to rehouse new arrivals in hotels. Now he wanted to send them to a watery grave.It had been a quiet morning. Too quiet. Just the one sighting of a child with a rubber ring paddling off the beach in Boulogne. But Hunter-Killer was taking no chances. All it takes is one child and before long there will be hundreds of thousands making the crossing with swimming aids bought from the local Carrefour. So the Philpster had called in the RAF. Minutes later, a Typhoon FGR4 had blasted the kid out of the water. Job done. Pour encourager les autres. Continue reading...
Comment follows news Axel Rudakubana had been transferred from prison to psychiatric hospitalThe lawyer for the families of Axel Rudakubana’s victims has said the Southport killer is “trying to retraumatise the families from his cell” after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.Rudakubana, now 19, was given a life sentence for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults. Continue reading...
Axel Rudakubana moved to psychiatric hospital after it was concluded he could not be safely managed in prisonThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been accused of attempting to “manipulate the system” by the families of his victims, after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.Rubakubana, 19, was jailed for life in January last year, with a minimum sentence of 52 years, for the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Clinical assessments concluded Rudakubana could not be safely managed in prison, sources sayThe Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been moved to a psychiatric hospital from a prison after an assessment by psychologists, the Guardian can disclose.He was transferred to Broadmoor high security hospital from the category A prison Belmarsh earlier this week after it was concluded that he cannot be managed safely in a prison environment, sources confirmed. Continue reading...
James Desborough told court he had discovered bodies of Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman on his land near St AustellA convicted killer accused of murdering two of his friends whose remains were found burnt and dismembered near his Cornish woodland cabin has insisted he did not kill them but had discovered their bodies on his land.James Desborough claimed he came upon one of the bodies hanging from a tree and the second lying naked in a stream. Continue reading...
• President Trump has halted the signing of a bipartisan housing affordability bill, demanding that Congress first pass the SAVE America Act, which he has labeled a "national emergency."
• Europe remains on high alert as a deadly heat wave continues to spread across the continent, while a flu outbreak has triggered the implementation of new military vaccine rules.
• Economic data indicates that while energy costs drove overall gains, monthly expenses for housing and health care have seen an increase.
Herbicide manufacturer Sygenta had reservations dating back to 1970s but regulator says tighter controls, including phasing out backpack sprayers, can protect workersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe herbicide paraquat, banned in over 70 countries, will remain legal in Australia despite Parkinson’s groups, scientists and neurologists arguing there is a strong correlation between direct exposure and the incidence of the disease.The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) announced its final decision on Tuesday following a decades-long review of the highly toxic paraquat and a related chemical, diquat. Both are widely used in Australian agriculture. Continue reading...
Judge imposes life without parole after emotional statements at Gilgo Beach killer’s sentencingSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe families of eight women killed by Rex Heuermann spoke at the Gilgo Beach killer’s sentencing in Riverhead, New York, on Wednesday, more than three decades after the 62-year-old Manhattan architect began his killing spree.Heuermann pleaded guilty to murdering seven women and admitted to the killing of an eighth victim in April. Just before being sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday for his admitted crimes, Heuermann offered a weak, generalized apology for his actions. Continue reading...
Victims’ families spoke in court as Heuermann, 63, was imprisoned for killing spree that spanned decadesRex Heuermann, the Manhattan architect who methodically planned and carried out the murders of eight women over at least 17 years on Long Island, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole.The sentence, the maximum the New York law allows, was handed down by Judge Timothy Mazzei after a morning of grueling victim’s family impact statements on the effect Heuermann’s murder spree had on the children and relatives of his victims. Continue reading...
Victoria and NSW police search seven properties as they examine where shooter travelled after killing two officers in PorepunkahTwo more men have been arrested as police continue their investigation into Porepunkah shooter Dezi Freeman’s months on the run after he killed two police officers.In a statement on Tuesday, police also revealed they believed Freeman travelled between Victoria and New South Wales in the seven months between the August 2025 shooting at Porepunkah and when he was found on a remote property in Thologolong, near Walwa on the Victoria-New South Wales border, on 30 March. Continue reading...
Father and mother of Annabel Rook praised her dedication to helping others and want to focus on her legacy A retired Old Bailey judge has paid tribute to his daughter after her killer was jailed for life.Today at Snaresbrook crown court, Clifton George, 45, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of the murder of Annabel Rook, 46, whom he stabbed in the living room of her own home in Stoke Newington, north London. Continue reading...
Investigation reveals more than 4.4 million people live in ‘news deserts’ that lack dedicated local reportingLocal social media groups are fuelling misinformation in areas with no reliable sources of news, according to an investigation that reveals the scale of fake news flowing to vulnerable communities across Britain.Misinformation was nearly three times more common in areas with little or no recognised local journalism, according to a study of tens of thousands of posts seen by the Guardian. Immigration and Islamophobia were the most common topics of misinformation across Facebook and X. Continue reading...