Russian blogger killed after explosion in St Petersburg

Teenager charged with boys murder

12-year-old Leo Ross was stabbed to death in Birmingham A 14-year-old has been charged with the murder of Birmingham schoolboy Leo Ross, who was stabbed in the stomach in a country park. West Midlands Police arrested the youth, who cannot be named because of his age, on Tuesday, about four hours after Leo, 12, suffered fatal injuries on a riverside path in the Hall Green area. In a statement on Saturday, police said the boy had been charged with murder, six counts of assault and possession of a bladed article. The youth is accused of assaulting a woman on October 22 last year, seriously assaulting a woman on January 19 and January 20, again assaulting a woman on January 21, and assaulting two police officers on November 26. The statement said: “We have charged a 14-year-old boy with the murder of Leo Ross, who died after being stabbed in Hall Green on Tuesday. “The boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, has been remanded into custody to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday, having been charged this afternoon with Leo’s murder and possession of a bladed article. “As a result of a thorough investigation and review of all available evidence, we have also charged the 14-year-old boy with six additional assaults, none of which involved the use of a knife.” Leo’s family said on Saturday: “We want everyone to know what an amazing, kind, loving boy Leo was. “Not only has Leo’s life been taken, all of our lives have as well. “Leo will be truly missed by all of us. He was loved so much by everyone. “The family want to thank the school, the police and everyone involved in the investigation and supporting us all through this horrific time.” Leo, a pupil at the Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy in Yardley Wood, is believed to have been making his way home from school when he was stabbed. Members of the public came to his aid and summoned the emergency services, but he died in hospital at about 7.30pm. In a tribute on Wednesday, Diane Henson, executive headteacher at Leo’s school, described his death as a tragedy. She said: “Leo was a lively and happy young man. He had many very good friends who he absolutely adored, and they adored him. “He was just a lovely and bright member of the school community. We’re supporting the children at school and are opening a book of condolence with the family’s permission. “Our thoughts are with Leo’s family and all his friends today.” Published: 25/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub

Farmers leave their fields and hit the streets over inheritance tax

Union leaders say the tax increase threatens UK food security Farmers are gathering at protests across the UK as they step up their campaign against the Government’s inheritance tax reforms – which they say would “decimate” the country’s agricultural sector. The National Farmers Union (NFU) is staging a series of events on Saturday as part of a so-called National Day of Unity, with farmers bringing food, tractors and livestock to town centres across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The events take place after a petition signed by more than 270,000 members of the public was handed in to 10 Downing Street on Friday by NFU president Tom Bradshaw and NFU Cymru president Aled Jones, urging the Government to ditch what they described as the “devastating family farm tax”. Rachel Hallos, a livestock farmer from the South Pennines and the vice president of the NFU, said she hoped the events will “raise awareness” of the impact of the planned reforms to inheritance tax for farming businesses, and push the Government to review its decision. Speaking on her way to an event in Chester, Cheshire, Ms Hallos said: “The inheritance tax changes from the Budget will ultimately decimate what we’ve currently got in this country, and we’re really worried about it. “Today is about telling people why we are so concerned, trying to explain how complicated the food supply chain is, because it really is, and that farmers are at the beginning of that food supply chain. “We completely appreciate that a lot of members of the general public will say, ‘Oh for goodness sake, you’re alright in your big farmhouses, all this lamb that you own…’ “But the reality is, those are our assets, we never sell them. “So it’s complicated, and we’re just trying to shed a light on it for some members of the public who don’t quite understand why we’re making so much noise about this.” She added: “We genuinely don’t believe that the Government understands the complexity of what it is that happens in the countryside and how entwined all those rural businesses are. “They all rely on each other. “It’s a little bit like a deck of cards – if you pull one of those cards out, the whole thing comes tumbling down. “And the fact that the entire industry has come together with such strength and such clarity, and for the Government to disregard that and not want to sit at the table and talk about this is quite remarkable. “Food and environment just doesn’t seem to be important to this Government.” Referring to the petition handed in to 10 Downing Street on Friday, Ms Hallos said: “We’ve already seen huge public support. “We want to grow that support with our customers, because these are our customers, and hopefully the Government finally realises that they need to sit down and have a conversation with us. “Let’s work this out between us – let’s find out what to do, what to achieve out of this, and we’ll help them achieve that without causing that disaster to the food supply chain.” A spokesperson for the NFU said Saturday’s events, in places including Cambridge, Warwick and Selby in North Yorkshire, were about “visibility”. The spokesperson said: “It’s about going out to the public in the town centres and thanking them for their support, encouraging them to keep supporting farming. “The visibility is about a reminder that the problem is still there.” They added: “We want the chance to meet and discuss, and review the decisions that she (Chancellor Rachel Reeves) has made.” In Northern Ireland, seven protest runs took place across all six counties, organised by the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU), including two in Co Down. Lines of tractors arrived at the site of the former Maze Prison to take part in the two Co Down routes, many bearing posters which read Save Our Family Farms and UFU flags. Speaking to the PA news agency at the Maze site, UFU chief executive Wesley Aston said the new rules the Government is proposing on inheritance tax will mean huge bills for the next generation of farmers, which will risk the viability of family farms in the future. “This is another step to highlight the concern we have and let the general public know how impactful this will be, not only to farmers but food security going forward,” he said. “We are doing our bit in Northern Ireland but this is part of a UK-wide activity and plan of action so that the Government will actually start engaging with us as farmers to look at this issue.” A Government spokesperson said: “Our commitment to farmers remains steadfast. “This Government will invest £5 billion into farming over the next two years, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history. “We are going further with reforms to boost profits for farmers by backing British produce and reforming planning rules on farms to support food production. “Our reform to Agricultural and Business Property Relief will mean estates will pay a reduced effective inheritance tax rate of 20%, rather than standard 40%, and payments can be spread over 10 years, interest-free. “This is a fair and balanced approach, which fixes the public services we all rely on, affecting around 500 estates a year.” Published: 25/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub

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