Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Two children killed in Southport knife attack

King Charles and Queen Camilla said they were “profoundly shocked� after two children were killed and nine others seriously injured

Two children killed in Southport knife attack

TWO children were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northwest England, and a 17-year-old male suspect was arrested, police said on Monday (29).

He was held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Nine other children were wounded, six of them critically, and two adults were in a critical condition.


"We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children," said chief constable Serena Kennedy from Merseyside Police.

She said emergency services arriving at the scene found "multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries."

An advertisement posted online described the event as a yoga and dance workshop for children aged between six and 11.

Merseyside Police said the motive for the attack was unclear but it was not believed to be terrorism-related and they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the stabbings.

2024 07 29T200634Z 1446352177 RC2859A4NVV2 RTRMADP 3 BRITAIN POLICE SOUTHPORT A police officer receives flowers from local residents to put them behind the police cordon near the scene of a stabbing incident in Southport, Britain, July 29, 2024. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

Police said armed police had arrested the suspect and seized a knife after being called around 11.50am (1050 GMT) to an address in Southport, north of Liverpool.

Prime minister Keir Starmer and King Charles both expressed their shock at the attack and sent their condolences to those affected.

"The events today are just truly awful, and I know the whole country is deeply shocked at what they've seen and what they've heard," Starmer told broadcasters.

King Charles and Queen Camilla said they were “profoundly shocked” by the attack.

“My wife and I have been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport,” the King said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.

"We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack."

In a separate statement, the Prince and Princess of Wales — William and Kate— said as parents they "could not begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through".

Prince William and Kate added: "We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack."

The North West Ambulance Service in Cheshire and Merseyside said paramedics encountered a "devastating scene" when they arrived.

Ambulances and air ambulances were used to take the 13 victims to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Manchester Children's Hospital, Aintree Hospital, Southport and Formby Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital.

Armed officers seized a knife when they arrested the suspect, as Merseyside Police also declared a "major incident". The force urged the public to avoid the area — as local businessman Colin Parry, who was among those who called the police, described the scene as like a "horror movie".

(Agencies)

More For You

London migrant hotel protest
People demonstrate near the Bell Hotel on July 20, 2025 in Epping, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Government moves to overturn hotel migrant housing ban

Highlights:

  • Government appeals against injunction blocking asylum housing at Bell Hotel in Epping
  • More than 32,000 asylum seekers currently housed in UK hotels
  • Labour pledges to end hotel use for asylum seekers before 2029 election

THE UK government on Thursday asked the Court of Appeal to lift a ban on housing asylum seekers at a hotel that has faced protests, warning the order could set "a precedent".

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka's former presidents condemn Wickremesinghe’s imprisonment

Ranil Wickremesinghe with his wife Maithree

Sri Lanka's former presidents condemn Wickremesinghe’s imprisonment

THREE former presidents of Sri Lanka expressed solidarity with jailed ex-leader Ranil Wickremesinghe last Sunday (24) and condemned his incarceration as a “calculated assault” on democracy.

The former political rivals of Wickremesinghe, who was president between July 2022 and September 2024, said the charges against him were frivolous and politically motivated.

Keep ReadingShow less
Labour MPs Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones marry in multicultural wedding

Louise Jones and Jeevun Sandher (Photo: Facebook)

Labour MPs Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones marry in multicultural wedding

TWO of Labour’s newest MPs, Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones, have announced their marriage after a week-long celebration that combined Sikh and Christian traditions.

Sandher, elected last year as MP for Loughborough, and Jones, MP for North East Derbyshire, tied the knot earlier this month in ceremonies that reflected their different cultural backgrounds. The couple shared photographs on social media, calling the occasion a celebration of “two heritages” as they began their life together.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK sees sharp increase in sex crime convictions of Indian nationals

Figures show a 257 per cent rise in convictions of Indian nationals for sexual offences between 2021 and 2024 (Photo:iStock)

UK sees sharp increase in sex crime convictions of Indian nationals

INDIAN nationals have recorded the sharpest increase in convictions for sexual offences among foreign nationals in the UK, according to an analysis of official government data.

Figures from the UK Ministry of Justice, based on the Police National Computer and assessed by the Centre for Migration Control (CMC), show a 257 per cent rise in convictions of Indian nationals for sexual offences between 2021 and 2024. The number of cases rose from 28 in 2021 to 100 last year — an increase of 72 cases.

Keep ReadingShow less
pashupatinath temple nepal

A general view of the Pashupatinath temple complex in Kathmandu on August 27, 2025.

Getty Images

Nepal court allows unclothed Hindu ascetics to enter Pashupatinath temple

NEPAL’s Supreme Court has ruled that Hindu holy men who follow the tradition of remaining unclothed cannot be barred from entering the Pashupatinath temple. The court said that nudity, when practised as a religious custom, is not the same as obscenity.

The ruling concerns the Naga sadhus, ascetics devoted to Lord Shiva who renounce family ties and worldly possessions, including clothing. Covered in ash and wearing dreadlocks, they are a familiar sight at the temple during major festivals.

Keep ReadingShow less