Author: News Desk

‘Cruel and pure evil … the act of a coward’ The Daily Express quotes the parents of the victims calling Rudakubana “pure evil” and saying they have been left with “shattered souls.”

Southport attacker jailed for savage murder of three girls The Guardian says at the sentencing it had emerged that two years before the attack his parents called the police four times in six months asking for help. The paper says that on one occasion he was caught on the bus with a blade but instead of detaining him, officers took him home and told his mother to keep knives out of his reach.

‘Give me a reason for what you did’ The front page of The Independent reports the Southport killer has been sentenced to a minimum of 52 years for the triple murder he carried out in Southport last summer. The paper quotes a 14-year-old survivor of the attack who said “Give me a reason for what you did.”

Southport murderer jailed for 52 years: Honour them Metro’s front page features an image of the three little girls who were stabbed to death in Southport last year. Their killer Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to 52 years.

A Chinese court has sentenced Zhou Jiasheng, 52, to death for a knife attack that injured a Japanese mother and her child and claimed the life of a Chinese woman who intervened to protect them. The attack occurred on June 24 outside a Japanese school in Suzhou and was one of three attacks targeting foreigners in China last year.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) has raised its short-term policy rate to “around 0.5%,” marking its highest level in 17 years. This decision follows December’s inflation surge, with core consumer prices rising 3% year-on-year, the fastest pace in 16 months.

A statue of Captain James Cook in Sydney has been defaced with red paint and damaged, just days before the Australia Day weekend. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, marking the second time the monument has been targeted in the past year.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has been elected taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland for the second time, following intense debates in the Dáil (Ireland’s lower house of Parliament). The Dáil faced multiple suspensions on Wednesday due to heated exchanges between the government and opposition parties.  

President Donald Trump has called on Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations to reduce oil prices, warning that high costs are prolonging the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump expressed surprise that OPEC hadn’t acted to lower prices before the elections, emphasising the impact on global stability.  

A rapidly growing wildfire, known as the Hughes Fire, is threatening communities about 45 miles north of Los Angeles. The blaze has already consumed over 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares), forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents in an area still recovering from previous devastating fires.