Image copyrightSOUTH YORKSHIRE POLICEImage captionSarah Barrass, 35, and Brandon Machin, 39, had both pleaded guilty to the charges against them
A mother-of-six murdered her two teenage sons the day after a bid to poison them failed.
Sarah Barrass, along with family member Brandon Machin strangled Tristan and Blake Barrass, aged 13 and 14, in Shiregreen, Sheffield, on 24 May.
The court heard how Barrass, 35, would regularly tell her children: “I gave you life, I can take it away.”
Barrass and 39-year-old Machin are being sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court.
The court heard the pair hatched the plot to kill the children because Barrass feared they would be taken into care.
‘Ensure death’
They had unsuccessfully tried to poison the four eldest children the night before, by forcing them to take ADHD tablets.
Kama Melly QC, prosecuting, said: “None of the children wanted to take the tablets but were forced to do so.
“The defendants expected the tablets to kill the children overnight.”
The court heard after the bid failed, Barrass strangled Tristan with her dressing gown cord.
Machin then strangled Blake with his hands.
They “then placed bin bags over their heads to ensure their certain death”, Ms Melly said.
The court heard when the tablets had not had the effect Barrass wanted, she began to search online for other ways of murdering her children, including suffocating, strangulation and drowning.
After killing Tristan and Blake, the defendants ran a bath and repeatedly tried to drown one of the younger children, the court heard.
Barrass and Machin have both previously admitted murder, conspiracy to murder all six of her children, including Blake and Tristan, and five counts of attempted murder.
All the surviving children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are under the age of 13.
The Labour Party says it has successfully defeated a cyber-attack targeted at its digital platforms.
Labour said the attack “failed” because of the party’s “robust” security system and no data breach had occurred.
The Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack floods a computer server with traffic to try to take it offline.
A Labour source said that attacks came from computers in Russia and Brazil but the BBC’s Gordon Corera has been told the attack was not linked to a state.
Our security correspondent said he had been told the attack was a low-level incident – not a large scale and sophisticated attack – and the National Cyber Security Centre did not need to take any action as it had been resolved.
DDoS attacks direct huge amounts of internet traffic at a target in an effort to overwhelm computer servers, causing their software to crash.
They are often carried out via a network of hijacked computers and other internet-connected devices known as a botnet.
The owners of which may be unaware their equipment is involved.
DDoS attacks are not normally recognised as being a hack as they do not involve breaking into a target’s systems to insert malware.
They can vary in sophistication and size, and are sometimes used as a diversionary tactic to carry out a more damaging attack under the radar.
Several companies provide services to repel DDoS attacks, but they can be costly.
The BBC has confirmed that Labour is using software by the technology company Cloudflare to protect its systems.
The US-based company boasts it has 15 times the network capacity of the biggest DDoS attack ever recorded, meaning it should be able to absorb any deluge of data directed at one of its clients.
BBC political correspondent Jessica Parker said “Labour Connects”, a tool for campaigners to design and print materials was disrupted and remains “closed for maintenance”.
A message on the site on Monday said it was experiencing issues “due to the large volume of users”.
Media capEXPLAINED: What is a DDoS attackLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the cyber-attack was “very serious” and also “suspicious” because it took place during an election campaign.
“If this is a sign of things to come, I feel very nervous about it,” he said.
In a letter sent to Labour campaigners, Niall Sookoo, the party’s executive director of elections and campaigns, said: “Yesterday afternoon our security systems identified that, in a very short period of time, there were large-scale and sophisticated attacks on Labour Party platforms which had the intention of taking our systems entirely offline.
“Every single one of these attempts failed due to our robust security systems and the integrity of all our platforms and data was maintained.”
Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby said on Twitter the attack was a “real concern” but she added she was proud of the party’s staff who “took immediate action to ensure our systems and data are all safe “.
Image captionAustralian Timothy Weeks (left) and US citizen Kevin King appeared dishevelled in video in 2017
Afghanistan is to release three high-ranking Taliban prisoners in exchange for two hostages held by the group, President Ashraf Ghani has said.
American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks were lecturers at the American University of Afghanistan when they were kidnapped in 2016.
Anas Haqqani, a leading figure in the Haqqani militant group, and two other senior commanders are part of the deal.
It is unclear how or when the exchange of prisoners will take place.
“In order to pave the way for face-to-face negotiations with the Taliban, the government has decided to free Taliban prisoners in exchange for two university professors,” Mr Ghani said in a televised speech.
The Taliban, who have long refused to negotiate with Mr Ghani’s administration, are yet to respond to the announcement.
The two professors were ambushed by gunmen and taken from a vehicle while leaving their university campus in Kabul in August 2016.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionAshraf Ghani said the prisoners would be released from Bagram prison
The exact condition of the two men remains unclear, but in his speech Mr Ghani noted “their health has been deteriorating while in the custody of the terrorists”.
Mr Ghani said the decision to conditionally release the prisoners was “a tough, but important decision” and a “humanitarian gesture”.
Anas Haqqani’s older brother, Sirajuddin, leads the Haqqani network of fighters and is a deputy leader of the Taliban.
The Haqqani network is known for carrying out attacks in the region and is described by Pakistani officials as a predominantly Afghan militant group.
President Ghani’s confirmation of this prisoner swap came as no surprise, as negotiations behind the scenes have been happening for some time.
Until now, he had made clear that the release of Haqqani Network members was a red line for his government, but it now seems the president is willing to make a range of concessions to the Taliban if it paves the way to direct peace talks.
For some it’s a move by the Afghan government to try to appease, in exchange for including it in peace talks in which the National Unity Government has so far been kept out.
But the Taliban have previously made clear that foreign forces have to withdraw before they start intra-Afghan talks. Even then, the Taliban say, they will only treat the Afghan government as a part of the conflict and not as a state.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group has apologised for a “poorly chosen image” he tweeted to mark the launch his new Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in South Africa.
The entrepreneur tweeted a photo which was criticised for failing to reflect the diversity of South Africa.
One of the critics is South African fashion designer Thula Sindi, who says: “Where did you find so many white people in South Africa?”
A Virgin spokesperson apologised.
The spokesperson said the image in Sir Richard’s tweet did not reflect “the diverse makeup of attendees” at the launch event.
the tweet, Sir Richard said: “Wonderful to be in South Africa to help launch the new Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. We aim to become the heart of entrepreneurship for Southern Africa.”
In the link to his blog, Sir Richard writes: “We will play a more meaningful role in entrepreneurs’ lives than your average accelerator, supporting companies to not just survive, but thrive, and make business a real force for good in society, for the environment and the economy.”
It has sparked a series of responses, including from Mr Sindi – whose designs were worn by South Africa’s minister of communications and telecommunications, Stella Ndabeni-Abraham on the day she was sworn in.
He remarks that it must have “Really taken an honest effort for exclude the majority of the population which is just as skilled and talented”.
Where did you find so many white people in South Africa??? That must have really taken an honest effort for exclude the majority of the population which is just as skilled and talented. Wow. Incredible
Race advocates, I’m on your side but think you got this one wrong. Please open the link before you comment. This is one of many pictures, most of which are diverse.
South Africa’s Africa’s population of almost 58 million, is 80% black African, and Sir Richard writes in his blog that the “economy is dependent on entrepreneurial activity for creating future economic growth and jobs”.
“But the economic contribution to South Africa’s entrepreneurial sector is below the developing country norm. I believe that increasing entrepreneurship in this country is the golden highway to economic democracy,” he adds.
Sir Richard’s Virgin Group has a wide range of interests from gyms to planes and the entrepreneur’s space company, Virgin Galactic, listed on the New York Stock Exchange last month.
A spokesperson for Virgin said: “The tweet linked to a blog about the launch of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs of all backgrounds with the skills, opportunities and inspiration they need to succeed.
“We apologise for the poorly chosen image, but would like to emphasise that this does not reflect the diverse makeup of attendees.
“As the video, other social posts and other images of the event show, many of the diverse group of Branson Centre entrepreneurs, trustees and team were present and the image attached to that particular tweet should have reflected this too.”
Google has access to patient data from thousands of US hospitals thanks to the deal
Google has gained access to a huge trove of US patient data – without the need to notify those patients – thanks to a deal with a major health firm.
The scheme, dubbed Project Nightingale, was agreed with Ascension, which runs 2,600 hospitals.
Google can access health records, names and addresses without telling patients, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
The tech giant said this was “standard practice”.
Among the data Google reportedly has access to under the deal are lab results, diagnoses, records of hospitalisation and dates of birth.
Neither doctors nor patients need to be told that Google can see this information.
The Wall Street Journal reports that data access began last year and was broadened over the summer.
In a blog, Google said its work with Ascension would adhere to industry-wide regulations, such as the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
“To be clear… patient data cannot and will not be combined with any Google consumer data,” the firm added.
Ascension said the deal would help it to “optimise” patient care and would include the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support doctors.
The company also said it would begin using Google’s cloud data storage service and business applications known as G Suite.
Privacy concerns
However, Project Nightingale has already attracted criticism from those who argue that it takes away patients’ control of their own data.
“There’s a massive issue that these public-private partnerships are all done under private contracts, so it’s quite difficult to get some transparency,” said Prof Jane Kaye at the University of Oxford.
“Google is saying they don’t link it to their other data but what they’re doing all the time is refining their algorithms, refining what they do and giving them[selves] market advantage.”
Health organisations are under increasing pressure to improve efficiency and quality of care. Many are turning to AI in an effort to sharpen their services, but such moves have sometimes faced criticism over how sensitive patient data is handled.
In the UK, Google’s AI-focused subsidiary DeepMind was found to have broken the law when it failed to explain properly to patients how their data would be used in the development of a kidney disease app.
The tool, called Streams, was designed to flag up patients at risk of developing acute kidney injury.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad has vowed to avenge Baha Abu al-Ata’s death
An Israeli air strike has killed a senior commander of the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
Baha Abu al-Ata died along with his wife when a missile hit their home, the group said. Four of their children and a neighbour were reportedly injured.
The Israeli military said Abu al-Ata was a “ticking bomb” who was planning “imminent terrorist attacks”.
At least 70 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza since the killing, which PIJ has vowed to avenge.
Twelve Israelis have been lightly wounded in rocket attacks across southern Israel, according to the Barzilai Medical Center in the city of Ashkelon.
Media captionWatch a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip land in on a highway in Israel
Medics said an eight-year-old girl was also in a serious condition after collapsing as her family rushed towards a bomb shelter when an air raid siren sounded in Holon, south of Tel Aviv.
Around the same time as the attack on Abu la-Ata, two people were killed and 10 injured in an Israeli air strike on the home of another Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader in the Syrian capital, Damascus, Syria’s state news agency Sana said.
Image copyrightAFPImage captionSyrian media said another Israeli air strike targeted the home of a PIJ leader in Damascus
Israel did not comment on the report and it was not clear if the PIJ leader, Akram al-Ajouri, was among the dead. Sana said his son Moaz was killed.
PIJ, which is backed by Iran, has its headquarters in Damascus and is one of the strongest militant groups in Gaza.
What happened in Gaza?
An Israeli warplane fired a missile at a residential building in the eastern Shejaiya area of Gaza before dawn on Tuesday, causing an explosion that could be heard from kilometres away.
The missile hit the third floor, the home of Bahaa Abu al-Ata, killing him and his wife.
A PIJ statement confirming Abu al-Ata’s death said he was its commander in Gaza’s northern region and that he had been undertaking “a heroic jihadist action”.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Abu al-Ata was “responsible for most of the terror attacks in the last year from the Gaza Strip”, including the launching of rockets towards the southern Israeli city of Sderot in August and earlier this month.
“Abu al-Ata was promoting preparations to commit immediate terror attacks in various ways towards Israeli civilians and IDF troops during the recent few days,” it added.
“The thwarting operation… was a direct act to remove an imminent threat.”
IDF spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said the “surgical strike” had destroyed only one the floor of the building where Abu al-Atta lived to minimise “collateral damage”.
He also emphasised that Israel was “not looking to further escalate the situation”.
Baha Abu al-Atta came to prominence in Gaza this year, commanding fighters of Islamic Jihad’s Al Quds brigade in the north and east of the strip.
But he acted increasingly outside of the control of the dominant militant faction Hamas, ordering rocket attacks seemingly without approval after Israeli soldiers shot and injured dozens of Palestinians during regular protests at the perimeter fence earlier this month.
A Palestinian TV presenter even warned on-air recently that his actions might see the Israelis trying to kill him.
A serious escalation in hostilities is now likely, despite Israel’s efforts to signal to Hamas that it has not returned to a wider strategy of so-called targeted killings.
How have Palestinian militants responded?
At Abu al-Atta’s funeral, senior PIJ official Khaled al-Batsh said Israel had “executed two coordinated attacks – in Syria and in Gaza – in a declaration of war”.
PIJ vowed that its retaliation would “rock the Zionist entity”.
The militant group Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip and is considered a rival to PIJ, said Israel bore “full responsibility for the consequences of this escalation”. It warned that the killing of Abu al-Ata would “not pass without punishment”.
Image copyrightAFPImage captionIn the wake of his killing, rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza
Following the air strike, rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israeli territory. Some were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system, the IDF said.
Air raid sirens sounded across parts of southern and central Israel, including Holon and Modiin, which are more than 50km (30 miles) from the border with Gaza.
Israeli aircraft targeted two militants from PIJ’s rocket-launching unit, who the IDF said “posed an immediate threat”. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said one Palestinian was killed and several were injured in the “Israeli escalation” in northern Gaza.
Later, the IDF began conducting retaliatory strikes against PIJ targets in Gaza.
The European Union called for an immediate end to the Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, which it said was totally unacceptable, and said it supported Egyptian efforts to broker a rapid and complete de-escalation.
Police said Lee Davenport’s attacks meant the woman “can no longer live alone”
A 76-year-old woman was mugged twice in two weeks by the same robber.
Lee Davenport, from Stockport, was jailed for seven years and two months on Monday at Manchester Crown Court, after he admitted carrying out both muggings.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Davenport snatched the woman’s bag as she walked home from the supermarket on 10 June in Stockport.
His second robbery 13 days later left her needing hospital treatment.
GMP said the second attack by Davenport, of Mount Pleasant, Hazel Grove, left the woman with a severe injury to her right shoulder and “has meant the woman can no longer live alone and care for herself”.
Image copyrightGOOGLEImage captionThe woman was robbed on 23 June near the George and Dragon pub in Hazel Grove
In the first robbery, Davenport threatened the woman on Bramhall Moor Lane, Hazel Grove, with a knife and snatched her bag which contained a bank card and her shopping.
Police said £300 was stolen from the woman’s bank account before she had a chance to cancel the card.
Davenport robbed the woman again on 23 June near the George and Dragon pub after she went to buy a loaf of bread.
She needed hospital treatment after he yanked the bag from her shoulder and made her fall.
Det Con Jonathan Greenslade said: “This was an abhorrent and shocking pair of incidents which has caused immense distress to an innocent elderly resident in our community.
“To be a victim once is bad enough, but to be a victim of robbery twice is terrifying and it is even worse that the second time the lady was badly injured.”
An evacuation has been ordered in Fishlake, South Yorkshire
The prime minister is to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee later in response to floods in northern England.
The Environment Agency has 30 flood warnings in place as well as five severe warnings on the River Don in South Yorkshire.
About 400 homes have been flooded and 1,200 properties evacuated.
A yellow warning for rain remains in place over parts of Yorkshire and the East Midlands for Tuesday and Thursday.
An emergency appeal to support “displaced” families has raised almost £50,000.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionJeremy Corbyn met flood victims in South Yorkshire on Saturday
Hundreds of people in Fishlake, near Doncaster, have fled their homes after their village was submerged.
Empty coffins were seen floating inside the workshop of a flooded funeral parlour and some villagers had to spend the night at a nearby pub.
The council has called for people to evacuate the village, saying it “can only offer dedicated support to people who are not in an area where there is a threat to life”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host a Cobra meeting later.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn previously urged the PM to “take personal charge” of the situation and convene the emergency response committee.
In a letter, Mr Corbyn said: “If this had happened in Surrey, not Yorkshire or the East Midlands, it seems far more likely that a national emergency would have been declared.”
The decision to hold a meeting about the response to flooding had been taken prior to the letter from Mr Corbyn, according to Number 10.
The flooding situation at the weekend had not reached the level where a national emergency could be officially declared.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have set out plans for a £5bn fund to improve flood defences across the UK, to be paid for through government borrowing.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionPrime Minister Boris Johnson visited flood-hit Matlock on Friday
Four Environment Agency pumps are in Fishlake to remove floodwater from the village.
Joe Howslam, 23, told the BBC: “I live with my parents, brother and sister, but we’ve all had to move out.
Community rallies to help flood-hit villagers
“In the history of Fishlake it’s never been this bad, according to some of the older members of our village.
“I’m an HGV mechanic and we’ve run a family farm, so I borrowed a tractor on Saturday and helped rescue a few people. I even rescued my dad from the top window of the house.
“There’s about two feet of water downstairs, so the washing machine, dishwasher, etc. are all under water and ruined. We managed to get some things out of the living room but not all of it.”
Media captionA Lincolnshire farmer cut off by floodwater talks about his frustrations
The local church is collecting food to distribute to residents and roast dinners were delivered on Sunday to those who had remained in their homes.
Tractors and boats have been used to get around the village, with many roads in the area under floodwater.
According to the Salvation Army, some people have been rescued from their homes by boat since the early hours of Saturday, but others remain in their properties, while military helicopters have been used to help boost flood defences in the area.
Image copyrightRAF ODIHAM/MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHTImage captionThe Environment Agency called in an RAF Chinook late on Sunday
Twelve flood warnings remain in Lincolnshire where more than 1,000 acres have been flooded by Barlings Eau and some farms are cut off, with some train lines still blocked by high water.
Northern said its services into Rotherham Central were not running until further notice, with reduced services between Doncaster and Sheffield. CrossCountry’s trains are being diverted away from Doncaster.
Doncaster Council said a number of roads remained closed.
It is “inexplicable and shameful” that the UK government has not yet published a report on alleged Russian interference in British politics, Hillary Clinton has told the BBC.
The report has formal security clearance, but it will not be released until after the 12 December election.
“Every person who votes in this country deserves to see that report before your election happens,” the former US presidential candidate said.
No 10 denies it is suppressing it.
No 10 ‘sitting on’ Russian interference report
Facebook: Russian Brexit meddling ‘minimal’
The report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee examines Russian activity in UK democracy.
It includes allegations of espionage, subversion and interference in elections.
It contains evidence from UK intelligence services such as GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 concerning covert Russian attempts to influence the outcome of the 2016 EU referendum and 2017 general election.
The report was finalised in March and referred to No 10 on 17 October.
But approval for its publication has yet to be given – and is not due to happen until after polling day.
MPs on the intelligence committee have been highly critical of that outcome, but the government has said the timing is not unusual.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionPresident Vladimir Putin has denied accusations of Russian interference
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme while in the UK on a book tour, Mrs Clinton said she was “dumbfounded” that the government would not release the report.
“That should be an absolute condition,” she said.
“Because there is no doubt – we know it in our country, we have seen it in Europe, we have seen it here – that Russia in particular is determined to try to shape the politics of western democracies.
“Not to our benefit, but to theirs.”
She also told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Emma Barnett: “I find it inexplicable that your government will not release a government report about Russian influence. Inexplicable and shameful.”
Mrs Clinton said the US had a similar problem in the 2016 election, when she was defeated as the Democrat’s candidate for president by Republican Donald Trump.
Trump and his campaign, she said, were under investigation for their connections with Russia, Russian agents, and others promoting Russian interests. But the American public did not know before the election.
The Russians were still “in” her country’s electoral system, she said, still “pumping out propaganda”.
“So there’s no doubt of the role that Russia played in our 2016 election and is continuing to play.
“I would hate to see that happen here. Whatever the outcome. I don’t know what’s in it, (the report) any more than anybody else does.
“But certainly, people who are about to vote in a month or so deserve to know what is in a report that one has to speculate, must have something of concern, otherwise why wouldn’t it be publicly disclosed?”
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionThe Mueller Inquiry laid out a broad pattern of Russian interference in the US 2016 presidential election
Chancellor Sajid Javid has told the BBC the timescale for the publication of the report was “perfectly normal” because of the sensitive nature of the content.
However, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has said the decision not to clear the report for publication before Parliament closed ahead of the general election was “clearly politically motivated”.
Speaking in the Commons last week, she suggested the report could lead to questions about links between Russia, Brexit and the Tory leadership, which could derail the Conservative election campaign.
Sources have told the BBC there was no objection from any other government agency or department to the report’s publication – leaving the decision to release it with Downing Street.
In the US, the Mueller Inquiry laid out a broad pattern of interference in the US 2016 presidential election – particularly using social media and leaking of documents.
However it did not establish any criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
So far no evidence of a cyber campaign on a similar scale has been produced in the UK and government ministers have said there is no evidence of “successful” Russian interference in UK elections.
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