Author: News Desk

Schoolgirl Sara Sharif suffered a catalogue of 71 injuries before her death, jury told Schoolgirl Sara Sharif’s body was found with at least 71 recent injuries and two traumatic brain injuries inflicted days before her death as she endured a “campaign of abuse”, a court heard. Jurors were shown a catalogue of bruises, burns, probable bite marks and other injuries identified on the 10-year-old by forensic pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary. He told the Old Bailey the total number of injuries sustained by the 4ft 6in schoolgirl, who weighed 4st 3lbs, is not known because it is impossible to tell if…

RAF chief lied to ministers about recruitment policy, senior MP claims in PMQs A senior MP has accused the former RAF chief air marshal of lying over allegations he had pushed through an illegal recruitment policy for the service. Alicia Kearns, the former chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, used parliamentary privilege in prime minister’s questions (PMQs) to accuse Sir Mike Wigston of lying in the case of the RAF’s former head of recruitment group captain Lizzy Nicholl. Challenging Sir Keir Starmer, Ms Kearns said: “Group Captain Lizzy Nicholl had an exemplary career with the RAF until she was…

Invasive two-metre-long snake breeding inside walls, attics across UK, scientists warn One of Europe’s largest snake species is crawling up walls and into attics in the UK, seeking warmth for breeding, scientists say in a new study. Aesculapian snakes, which grow up to 7ft long, are not native to the UK. They went locally extinct during the last Ice Age, and were not seen widely in the UK for 300,000 years. But they have become an invasive species now, researchers say, surviving in warm corners in the UK. They were introduced during the 1970s to Colwyn Bay, North Wales, following…

Teenager passed driving test just six months before crash in Snowdonia which killed four friends A coroner has voiced concerns about inexperienced young drivers carrying passengers following the deaths of four teenagers in a car crash in North Wales. An inquest in Caernarfon on Wednesday revealed the young driver, 18-year-old Hugo Morris, had passed his driving test just over six months before he lost control of his car and rolled into a ditch on the way to a camping trip in Snowdonia. He and his three friends Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, and Wilf Fitchett, 17, all from Shropshire,…

DWP is warned against ‘rushing’ disability benefit assessment changes The government has been warned against “rushing” planned changes to disability benefits assessments, as experts say they will leave nearly half a million vulnerable people worse off. The previous Conservative government announced in 2023 that the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will be reformed, with the qualifying criteria being significantly overhauled. According to research from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), the changes will mean around 450,000 fewer people will be considered to have limited capability for work. Labour recommitted to the plans in its election manifesto, saying the WCA is…

Father left with fractured eye socket and toddler in hospital after random attack A father was left with serious injuries and his three-year-old toddler was also taken to hospital after an “unprovoked” attack in west London. Police have released a CCTV image of a man, who was allegedly seen shoving the father to the ground as he walked along Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, West London, with his child. The incident occurred on 5 October and resulted in the father striking his head against a wall. The Metropolitan Police described the father’s injuries as “quite serious”. They included bleeding, a fractured…

Commonwealth should become a trade bloc and invite Ukraine to join, says new report A major new report has proposed turning the Commonwealth into a trade and security bloc and inviting Ukraine to join. Ahead of the biannual Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in Samoa next week, the think tank Policy Exchange has produced a report to revitalise the international club of nations. The report, which has cross-party support in the Commons and has been backed by former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and Australia’s ex-foreign minister Alexander Downer, comes with exclusive polling revealing public support for the plans.…

Ministers vow crackdown on rip-off nursery fees Ministers are to crack down on the nurseries charging banned ‘top-up’ fees, warning they prevent parents from using much-needed childcare. In his first newspaper interview since taking the job, education minister Stephen Morgan told The Independent the government would look at “all options” to prevent the practice. The problem was “an issue up and down the country”, he warned. Earlier this year The Independent revealed parents were facing a hike in nursery fees of up to 15 per cent as they pick up the tab left by funding gaps in the Tory flagship…

King Charles given rare Sydney honour as Kate issues powerful tribute: Royal news – live King Charles is set to be given a rare honour at Sydney Harbour following an apparent snub from Australian officials ahead of his arrival on Friday. The white sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up for four minutes with images from previous royal visits to mark the arrival of the monarch and Queen Camilla. This rare honour was given the go-ahead by the New South Wales government at an estimated cost of around £50,000. As the couple prepares to kick off their…

Counter-terrorism police investigating UK warehouse fire over possible links to Russia Counter-terrorism police are investigating possible Russian involvement in an incident in Birmingham where a package caught fire at a DHL warehouse. It comes as another package suspiciously caught fire at a DHL facility in Leipzig, Germany, while other incidents involving fires suspected to have been started by Russian spies were identified across Europe this year. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that officers from counter-terrorism policing are investigating an incident at a commercial premises in Midpoint Way, Minworth. “On Monday 22 July, a package at the location…