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Police were told of unspecified threats before the 26 January rally but did not meet with organisers until after, parliamentary inquiry into racism toldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndigenous community members who witnessed the alleged attempted terror attack at the Invasion Day rally in Perth have told a federal inquiry into racism and hate directed at First Nations people that they felt dismissed and ignored by authorities.Western Australia police declared the incident was being investigated as a terror attack nine days after an alleged homemade bomb, filled with ball bearings, screws and other projectiles, was thrown into the crowd of 2,000 people at Forrest Place on 26 January. Perth man Liam Alexander Hall has been charged with terrorism offences and is in custody, and his lawyers have indicated he intends to plead not guilty by way of insanity. Continue reading...

Dr Delroy Hall said Cusack struggled to juggle two jobsCusack was found dead at her home in September 2023The former club chaplain at Sheffield United has told an inquest into Maddy Cusack’s death that she repeatedly asked him not to inform the club that she had been speaking to him.Dr Delroy Hall volunteered in the role at Sheffield United from 2017 until November 2023, about two months after Cusack’s death on 20 September 2023. Hall told the court on Wednesday that he thought players would come to him to discuss problems as a “last resort”. Cusack spoke to him multiple times in August 2023, including specifically on 23 August, and Hall said she asked him three or four times: “Please don’t tell anyone I’m talking to you.”In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

ECHR rules that Italian prosecutor’s remarks perpetuated ‘sexist stereotypes’ and downplayed gender violenceThe European court of human rights has ordered the Italian state to pay compensation to a woman whose allegations of repeated rape by her partner were dismissed by a prosecutor as “normal” for men who struggle to overcome resistance from “tired” women.The court ruled that the remarks perpetuated “sexist stereotypes” and downplayed gender violence, resulting in the woman being subjected to further victimisation. Continue reading...

Watchdog criticises ‘lack of proactive, effective casework quality assurance’ but says CCRC ultimately fit for purposeThe Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) must urgently improve its investigations to avoid a repeat of failings such as those in the Andrew Malkinson scandal, a watchdog has found.Anthony Rogers, the chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service, delivered the warning after carrying out an independent inspection of casework by the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice. Continue reading...

Winchester court hears accusations of offences by former petty officer Allan Grimson against males as young as 14A former Royal Navy petty officer, jailed for life 25 years ago for murdering two young men, sexually assaulted four other boys and men in the same era, a jury has been told.Allan Grimson was jailed in 2001 for battering Nicholas Wright, 18, and Sion Jenkins, 20, to death at his flat above a parade of shops in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in 1997 and 1998. Continue reading...

Provisions in Immigration Act prevent Shabir Ahmed, due to be released, being sent to PakistanThe ringleader of the notorious Rochdale grooming gang is due to be released from prison this week and cannot be deported from the country, his victims have been told.Shabir Ahmed, 73, known to his victims as “Daddy”, was convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls in 2012. Continue reading...

Trial begins of Simon Levy, who denies killing Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins and attacking third womanA man murder​ed two women and left a third for dead in a series of predatory sexual attacks over an eight-month period​, a jury has been told.Simon Levy, 40,​ denies killing Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, on 17 March 2025 in south-east London​ and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, on 24 August 2025 in Tottenham, north London. He also denies attacking a third women, aged 35 at the time, on 21 January 2025, also in Tottenham. Continue reading...

Foreign Office failed to act on warnings of genocide due to ‘pressure’ from emirates, Yale human rights investigator will tell a parliamentary select committeeThe British government had received intelligence that Ethiopia appeared to be supporting a genocidal militia in Sudan’s civil war as far back as 2024 but did not go public with the news for fear of upsetting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a parliamentary committee will hear.In May 2024, officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told Nathaniel Raymond, an American human rights investigator at Yale University, that “significant private pressure” from the UAE meant the UK would not publicly divulge information linking Ethiopia and the emirates to their support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Continue reading...

The 76-year-old allegedly ordered he should have 12 wives to ‘repopulate’ the world. He and his wife deny the chargesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe leader of a cult and his wife allegedly groomed a young girl over a decade so she could bear 45 of his children in a post-apocalyptic world.William Kamm, also known as “Little Pebble”, was the leader of the Order of Saint Charbel, a religious cult run from a property on the New South Wales south coast. Continue reading...

How five months in 2016 that encompassed Boris Johnson siding with Vote Leave, Jo Cox’s murder and David Cameron’s resignation shaped the UK’s futureDavid Cameron, having promised in 2013 that a future Conservative government would offer a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, announces the date of the vote: 23 June 2016. The next day, Boris Johnson, then the mayor of London, says he will campaign for leave. Continue reading...

Network Rail expected impose speed restrictions, with people told to check if train services are runningRail passengers have been told to only attempt to travel if essential and check trains are running, with extreme heat expected to disrupt services around Britain.Temperatures are forecast to rise to 37C across most of southern England and Wales over the next three days, and potentially to 40C in the most affected areas. Continue reading...

Defence barrister claims teenager was a ‘troubled kid’ but crown prosecutor says he was serious when he wrote of copying US domestic terroristsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA teenager accused of preparing a nail bombing campaign was either a “troubled kid” who made edgy jokes or a determined terrorist in waiting, a court has been told.The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, spent last week on trial in the Brisbane supreme court after pleading not guilty to one count of acts done in preparation for or planning a terrorist act. Continue reading...

• A former head of the Army has urged Andy Burnham to adopt a "Churchill-like" approach by preparing Britain for the possibility of war. • The military leader warned that Burnham would be "foolish in the extreme" if he believes the UK's current defense spending blueprint is sufficient to ensure national safety. • Ben Judah, a visiting fellow at Chatham House, emphasized that any future prime minister will be defined by their handling of foreign policy as geopolitics remain a dominant global issue.

• Cast members of "Married at First Sight Australia" claim they were not informed by producers that their on-screen partners had prior convictions for drug offenses and violence. • The controversy centers on the show's vetting process, with participants alleging that critical background information was withheld before they were matched. • This revelation raises significant concerns regarding the duty of care and safety protocols employed by the production company during the casting of the reality series.

Chris Farrell was given benefit for six months despite his repeated requests for payments to stopA former unpaid carer has urged welfare officials to “get their act together” after they continued to pay him carer’s benefit for six months after the death of his husband, potentially landing him with debts of more than £1,300.Chris Farrell, 65, who claimed carer’s allowance for four years while providing full-time care for his late husband repeatedly tried to get the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to stop paying him the £86.45 a week benefit.A carer who has accumulated more than £2,000 of unwanted carer’s allowance since their mother went into a care home 10 months ago. They said they had contacted the DWP to cancel the benefit five times, by phone and online form, to no avail.A carer who found it impossible to get the DWP to stop carer’s allowance payments despite reporting over a year ago she had taken on a new work contract and was no longer eligible for the benefit. She had been overpaid more than £2,650.A man trying to manage work and care for his father, who claimed carer’s allowance for several months after being made redundant, has been unable to stop the benefit despite telling officials repeatedly he no longer needed it after finding a new job. Continue reading...

Sources say it would have breached regulations to tell WSL or team details of safeguarding investigation into SullivanNeither the Women’s Super League nor West Ham United women’s team were aware of the restrictions placed on David Sullivan interaction with the team, the Guardian has learned. Sullivan, who is West Ham’s largest shareholder, has faced restrictions on his contact with the women’s team and their youth teams since 2023 because of a safeguarding investigation.The Football Association opened an inquiry in the same year after receiving a complaint, which the Guardian understands was an allegation of sexual misconduct unrelated to football. In a joint investigation by the BBC and the Times, seven women accused the 77-year-old of predatory behaviour, with alleged incidents dating back to the 1980s. Through his lawyers, Sullivan has said he denies the allegations. Sources close to the playing squad at West Ham’s women’s side have said the team are appalled by the allegations, which they were not aware of before the story broke this week. Continue reading...

NHS bosses urge all hospitals to use ‘digital triage’ process to combat overcrowding in emergency servicesPatients who turn up at A&E with non-urgent ailments could be told to come back another time under NHS plans to stop hospitals becoming overcrowded and avoid the service’s usual winter crisis.Eighteen hospitals in England are already using “digital triage assessment” to help A&E staff decide which patients need to be seen right away or be dealt with in another way. Continue reading...

Apple Peiqing Ni targeted by account portraying her as promiscuous drug addict after posting about Tiananmen SquareA high-profile Chinese activist in the UK who was inundated with deepfake posts on X portraying her as a sexually promiscuous drug addict was told that the abuse did not breach the rules of Elon Musk’s platform.Apple Peiqing Ni, the 27-year-old founder of the UK-based China Dissent Network, had been advised by UK police to complain to the US-headquartered platform after she was targeted by what she believes is a pro-regime bot. Continue reading...

In an exclusive interview, Ukraine’s president says he believes the war will be won when Russian society feels its impact. Plus, why California’s election count is taking so long (hint: it’s not fraud)In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, Volodymr Zelenskyy says he is feeling upbeat and has been grateful for military support from the US, but has a pointed message for Washington.Speaking to Luke Harding and Pippa Crerar in London, the Ukrainian president acknowledged that the priority of Trump’s second term in foreign policy had shifted away from Ukraine to conflict in the Middle East.What did Zelenskyy say about Trump’s relationship with Putin? He carefully praised US diplomatic efforts, despite his bruising encounter in the Oval Office and the fact that Trump has been willing to meet Vladimir Putin, saying: “I always said to President Trump that Putin is lying. He plays games with you, with the White House.”Does he see any prospect of the war ending? The military situation was the most promising it had been for Kyiv for two and a half years, Zelenskyy ssaid. “We can’t say Russia is losing this war. But we can say they are losing the initiative each day, day by day,” he added. “Victory in this war is when Russian society recognises that the war is awful, that the war is a tragedy not for someone, somewhere, but for themselves.” To that end, Zelenskyy said the purpose of long-range strikes – drones buzzing above apartment blocks in greater Moscow and St Petersburg – was to make residents “feel” what war meant.Which other AI companies are making market moves? In addition to Anthropic, which makes the popular Claude chatbot, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which owns his artificial intelligence company xAI, is also imminently slated to go public at an expected valuation of $1.75tn. Continue reading...

Deputy PM says he spoke to US vice-president about post that blamed ‘mass invasion of migrants’ for teenager’s death David Lammy has said he told the US vice-president, JD Vance, he was “wrong” to blame the murder of the British teenager Henry Nowak on mass migration.The deputy prime minister said he spoke to Vance in a phone call on Saturday to tell him “our democratic process is working well” and that he was wrong in his commentary about the murder. Continue reading...

• Soccer consumption in the U.S. has undergone a dramatic transformation over several decades, evolving from a niche interest to a mainstream sport. • Growth has been fueled by increased internet speeds, social media accessibility, and more lucrative U.S. broadcast contracts for international leagues. • Global teams have expanded their domestic footprint through preseason tours, exemplified by a 2018 match between Manchester United and Liverpool that drew over 101,000 fans to Michigan Stadium.

• Netflix is releasing a new drama titled *The Witness*, which retells the story of Rachel Nickell's murder from over 30 years ago. • The production has prompted Rachel's family, including André and Alex, to speak publicly about the ordeal they faced following the attack. • The family detailed how they were hounded by the press and subjected to racial abuse, forcing them to flee the UK for France and Spain.

Women coaches routinely overlooked, undermined and denied opportunities despite qualifications, say experts Women are being shut out of careers in sport by entrenched sexism, discrimination and workplace bullying, MPs have been told.Female coaches are routinely overlooked, undermined and denied opportunities despite their qualifications, experts told a parliamentary select committee on Thursday. Continue reading...

Allegations made in Melbourne magistrates court on Thursday as Zeinab Ahmad, 31, applied for bail, a month after she was charged with slavery offencesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman accused of marrying Islamic State fighters allegedly lived with a teenage slave who was repeatedly assaulted and raped by the woman’s father.The allegations were detailed in Melbourne magistrates court on Thursday as Zeinab Ahmad, 31, applied for bail, a month after she was charged with slavery offences. Continue reading...

Victims should be given legal support to help slash number of claimants denied payouts, says Windrush commissioner The Windrush compensation scheme has failed to repair a grave injustice and needs a significant overhaul, a Westminster inquiry into government compensation schemes heard on Monday.Survivors of the Windrush scandal should be given legal support in making claims for compensation to help slash the number of claimants who are denied payouts and to bring the scheme in line with compensation programmes rolled out for victims of the Post Office Horizon and infected blood scandals, the independent Windrush commissioner, Clive Foster, told MPs. Continue reading...

Newly released evidence from inquiry into 80 deaths shows Afghan partner forces no longer willing to work alongside British by 2011Concerns about the number of Afghan civilians being killed by British special forces in the early part of the last decade prompted the country’s then president to make a “muscular” complaint to Nato commanders fighting the Taliban.Newly released evidence from a public inquiry into the deaths of up to 80 people during an SAS deployment also showed that Afghan partner military forces were no longer willing to work alongside the British by the spring of 2011. Continue reading...

Policy adviser Jen Reed says tech-facilitated abuse has become ‘increasingly prevalent’ and calls for its inclusion in Domestic Abuse ActThe Domestic Abuse Act fails to fully recognise the danger of technology-facilitated abuse, such as location tracking or hidden stalkerware, a Lords select committee has heard.Tech abuse has become “increasingly prevalent” and “very commonplace now within a domestic abuse context”, said Jen Reed, the head of policy at University College London’s Gender and Tech Research Lab, during an evidence session. Continue reading...

White Australia group says it does not want to ‘doxx’ members as it challenges designation as banned hate groupGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA neo-Nazi group has been told it cannot become a political party if it continues to redact the names of its potential members, as it launches a legal challenge to being designated as a banned hate group.The White Australia party, also known as the National Socialist Network, and its national president Thomas Sewell launched a constitutional challenge in the high court of Australia on Friday against the ban by the federal government. Continue reading...