Russia did try to interfere in Brexit referendum, head of MI5 confirms 13. October 2026 (17:15) Ken McCallum says Kremlin attempted to influence vote through social media and TV reports but had little impactRussia did try to interfere in the Brexit referendum through social media and television reports, the head of MI5 said on Tuesday, but he added that did not mean the Kremlin had any impact on the result.Ken McCallum endorsed comments by Andy Burnham, who raised the issue over the past two days, though he said continuing to debate it had given the Kremlin a needless propaganda victory. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Shocking and sobering’: UK bird populations fall to lowest level on record 13. October 2026 (17:08) Nearly half of species are in decline, with farmland birds and seabirds the worst hit, conservation bodies sayWild bird populations in the UK have fallen to their lowest level since records began, figures show, with nearly half of species in decline.Figures produced by leading nature conservation bodies for the government show that average populations across 132 native breeding species fell by 19% between 1970 and 2025, with farmland birds and seabirds the worst hit in recent years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Family and sexual violence rates against Australian children rise sharply as researchers warn of ‘manosphere’ 13. October 2026 (17:00) Study authors say increase cannot be attributed to any one factor and list income inequality and growing awareness as other likely reasonsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe sexual assault of Australian children has accelerated sharply since the pandemic, surprising researchers who expected rates to have fallen but instead found attacks on boys had risen 15.7%.Researchers expected rates to have dropped in line with other countries around the world and warn the troubling findings show an urgent need to prevent the suffering of children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hobbs and Whistles owner struck by cyber attack 13. October 2026 (16:49) The Foschini Group said some of its websites have been impacted, but added there is ‘no reason to believe that payment information is at risk’.(London News)
