Category : Worldwide

A Metropolitan police officer has been charged with raping a woman on Brighton beach, while another is being sent for trial, accused of 21 counts of rape over 17 years.Sergeant Laurence Knight was arrested on 28 July last year after a woman reported being raped on the beach 11 days earlier. He was released on bail while enquiries continued and has now been charged by Sussex Police. He will appear at Brighton & Hove Magistrates' Court on 23 June.The officer, who was attached to Met Detention (which deals with police custody units), has been suspended from duty.Meanwhile PC David Carrick, an armed Read More

Senior Tory MP Sir Bob Neill has submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson's leadership as the number of Conservatives calling for the prime minister to go ramps up after the Sue Gray report.Sir Bob, who chairs the Justice Select Committee, said Ms Gray's report into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street has "highlighted a pattern of wholly unacceptable behaviour" by some working in Number 10. "I have listened carefully to the explanations the prime minister has given, in parliament and elsewhere, and regrettably, do not find his assertions, either that no rules were Read More

Dominic Cummings has said the Metropolitan Police never asked him for evidence as part of its investigation into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street.Boris Johnson's former adviser was asked if he was fined by the police after it concluded its inquiry last week, handing out 126 fines to 83 politicians and civil servants, including one to the PM. He answered on Twitter: "No, didn't even send a questionnaire or email asking for evidence."Mr Cummings was the PM's right-hand man until November 2020.The Met's investigation covered events in Downing Street from May 2020 until April 2021. Advertisement Mr Read More

Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he will not be silenced by the far right after a "vile racist" was found guilty of sending the MP a death threat.Glenn Broadbent sent the Labour Tottenham MP a Twitter message that said: "Are you hanging off a tree monkey boy? You will hang from a lamppost if you're not careful." The 62-year-old, of Greenside Road, Leeds, was convicted on Tuesday and given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.He has been given a restraining order banning him from contacting Mr Lammy.Broadbent, who used Read More

A leading MP has voiced concerns about the integrity of UK military secrets after it was reported that a British weapons expert had given talks in China.Clive Woodley, who was principal scientist at defence firm Qinetiq from 2001 to 2018, spoke at a Chinese weapons industry conference as recently as October, according to news website Unherd. Most of Mr Woodley's research has been funded by the Ministry of Defence, it said.Politics live: PM says he has given 'exhaustive' response to partygate reportTom Tugendhat, co-chair of the China Research Group, an organisation of Tory MPs, said: "This case raises Read More

A further 16 cases of monkeypox have been detected in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed. The latest cases bring the total number confirmed in England since May 7 to 101. There have been three confirmed monkeypox cases in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland, taking the UK total to 106.A statement from UKHSA said the risk to the UK population remains low.But people have been urged to stay alert to new rashes or lesions, which would appear like spots, ulcers or blisters, on any part of their body. Advertisement "Although this advice applies to Read More

Seventy-two hours after a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at a Texas primary school, the annual National Rifle Association (NRA) convention is going ahead in the state - promising "14 acres of the latest guns and gear".Former president Donald Trump is scheduled to speak. The gathering comes as some of America's largest gun and ammunition manufacturers have seen their stock prices rise ahead of what investors believe will be a rush to buy more weapons.Texas police hold news briefing as questions grow over response to massacre - live updatesHigh school dropout Salvador Ramos went on Read More

A man with autism has launched legal action against Sainsbury's for denying entry to his assistance cat. Ian Fenn, 51, relies on Chloe, 12, to face the world every day and stop him feeling "overwhelmed". But Mr Fenn was left "upset" and "trembling" after he says he was ordered out of a branch of the supermarket in Clapham Common, south London, which knocked his confidence.Sainsbury's welcomes assistance dogs but says cats could pose a hygiene risk.It says it has asked its environmental health team to investigate possible solutions. Advertisement But Mr Fenn Read More

A Tory MP has resigned from the government saying he was "shocked and angered" by revelations about partying in Downing Street.Paul Holmes said he was quitting his role as a parliamentary private secretary at the Home Office, saying a "deep mistrust in both the government and the Conservative party" had been created by the events. Mr Holmes said a "toxic culture... seemed to have permeated Number 10".Politics live: Boris Johnson says he's given 'exhaustive' response to partygate reportHis announcement adds to the pressure on Boris Johnson, who since the publication of Sue Read More