Ann Widdecombe died after being hit on the head with a hammer 21 times at her Devon home as she ate lunch, prosecutors have told Westminster Magistrates' Court. Prosecutor Kashif Malik said the man accused of her murder, Joshua Kerry, arrived at her house on 8 July in a red Vauxhall Corsa and entered through the front door. Kerry, who prosecutors say was only in the property for two minutes and was wearing black gloves, then allegedly hit Widdecombe repeatedly with a hammer, tipped her from her chair and took her wallet before driving off, the court heard. The 28-year-old from South Yorkshire, who is charged with murder, was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey later on Tuesday. Malik told the court that Widdecombe did not attend a pre-arranged online interview with Channel 5's Matt Allwright show that had been scheduled for just before 13:00 BST on 8 July.

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A new toolkit for attorneys in Massachusetts targets the technologies police use--and conceal--to build criminal cases, from facial recognition to AI-written police reports. The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts says it's releasing an online toolkit this week for criminal defense attorneys designed to uncover whether police used surveillance technologies --facial recognition, automatic license plate readers, gunshot detection systems, and more--to build the cases against their clients in secret. The toolkit, which the group describes as the first of its kind, is built around handcrafted legal motions that, when granted by a judge, will force prosecutors to reveal whether surveillance technology was used against a defendant. It covers an array of technologies, from "stingray" phone trackers and location data sold by commercial brokers to AI-drafted police reports and forensic tools that crack phones and siphon data from car infotainment systems. It also includes preservation motions--demands that surveillance data be saved before it is deleted automatically--aimed at government agencies and private vendors alike.

A mass shooting in downtown Tucson's nightlife district left 10 people wounded early Sunday. The suspect was shot by a police officer while allegedly fleeing the scene.

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Japan's parliament has enacted a controversial law introducing criminal penalties for desecrating the national flag. The passage of the legislation on Friday is part of an ongoing drive by staunchly conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to promote traditional patriotism and correct what her supporters call a "wrong" legal double standard. Under the newly enacted law, violators who publicly damage, remove or defile the national flag in a manner that causes others "extreme discomfort or disgust" face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 200,000 yen ($1,250). According to Japanese broadcaster Kyodo News, the law covers physical acts of vandalism such as stomping, burning, or throwing mud in public spaces, as well as livestreaming such acts. The law drafting committee, led by former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, carved out highly specific legal exemptions. The ruling party clarified that the new law completely exempts physical paintings, digital media including anime, manga, video games, and generative AI, and even the miniature paper flags famously used to decorate children's restaurant meals.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Figure caption, Green Party leader says he hasn't been offered state security Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called for the government to provide him with extra security, warning I am worried about it both for myself and for all party leaders. The politician said he hadn't been offered anything at all after being asked for his thoughts following Ann Widdecombe's death. I am worried and I have been worried for a long time. I would encourage the government to provide me with extra security, but that is a choice for them, he told BBC Breakfast.

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Trump alleges'shocking vulnerabilities' in US election security ahead of midterms US President Donald Trump has delivered a primetime address in which he accused China of interfering in the 2020 election and alleged shocking vulnerabilities in American voting systems. Trump, who spoke from the White House on Thursday, has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud and foreign meddling in the 2020 election which he lost to Joe Biden. In the half-hour speech, delivered three months before the midterm elections, he said he had declassified hundreds of intelligence files which supported his claims that Beijing had tried to sway the election in Biden's favour. The US intelligence community has previously concluded China did not interfere in the 2020 election. Trump spoke in front of several members of his top team as he gave his address, but journalists were unable to put questions to the president.

Child welfare referred Black parents to law enforcement 14,000 times in 7 years, despite no findings of abuse or neglect. After Robinson had a false positive test for cocaine that year, the hospital barred her from breastfeeding her daughter, and child welfare officials placed her under spousal supervision. Get your news from a source that's not owned and controlled by oligarchs. The mothers of Black newborns are more likely than those of White newborns to be referred to law enforcement over allegations of substance use during pregnancy, according to The Marshall Project's new analysis of child welfare data from eight states. The referrals are often the result of unreliable hospital drug tests performed at childbirth that are easily misinterpreted and produce false positive results as much as half of the time, which can prompt incorrect reporting to child welfare and law enforcement authorities.