Peering into a deep chasm of division
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Hello, I'm Paul Brand, ITV News UK Editor. After a week in which Southport was under attack not once, but twice, let’s hope its community gets some peace this weekend.
Following an act far worse than any nightmare such innocent young minds could conjure up, the town is still grieving for three girls stabbed to death on Monday.
For anyone with children – especially of a similar age – even hearing accounts of the horror has been unbearable.
And yet the pain has been exacerbated by the mindless thuggery of a few hundred men who drew false and malign connections with Southport’s Muslim community.
The suspect, now named as 17 year-old Axel Rudakubana, has no known links to Islam, as we’ve been reporting all week.
Lifting court restrictions on identifying him has helped journalists to counter the misinformation – and deliberate disinformation – online.
But with further protests spreading across the UK, the week ends with our country peering into a deep chasm of division.
Thanks for reading and there’s more below from my ITV News colleagues…
Taxes will likely have to rise, warns Reeves
New chancellor Rachel Reeves has said there’s a £22bn black hole in UK finances - warning taxes will likely have to rise in her first budget this autumn.
She said Labour would stick to its election manifesto promises not to raise national insurance, income tax or VAT - but left open the prospect of taxpayers being hit in other areas.
The blame game was in full swing ahead of the summer politics recess, as you can see on ITVX.
And as our Economics Editor Joel Hill writes, the scale of the hole in finances does leave the former Tory government minister with questions to answer.
ITV News uncovers TikTok suicide content as families prepare lawsuit
ITV News has uncovered multiple images promoting self-harm and suicide on TikTok as a number of grieving families prepare to launch the first-class action against the platform in Europe.
Despite TikTok's clear policies against such content, a brief search revealed dozens of posts glorifying and encouraging suicide, complete with detailed methodologies.
A French group, Algos Victima, supported by lawyer Laure Boutron-Marmion, is leading the lawsuit against TikTok which is due to be launched some time after the summer. See more on this investigation on our Here’s The Story YouTube channel.
Horizon scandal: Former bosses ‘still don’t understand our pain’
Victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal whose convictions are being quashed by emergency legislation can now apply for compensation of £600,000 or more through a new scheme.
Ministers said they hope the efforts towards redress will begin to “right the wrong” of one of Britain’s worst miscarriages of justice.
This week, ITV News presenter Lucrezia Millarini spoke to two former sub-postmasters who were caught up in the scandal.
Meanwhile, Correspondent John Ray asked ex-sub-postmasters Sir Alan Bates, Janet Skinner and Lee Castleton what they’ve made of the Horizon inquiry so far - and whether any of the testimony from former Post Office officials has eased any of the anger they feel towards the organisation.
The idyllic island swamped by tourists
In an Instagram age where tourists are searching for the perfect selfie – the idyllic island of Santorini has become the perfect backdrop.
And as more and more flock to the holiday hotspot, they’re causing chaos and driving out locals.
But, with the island lacking power to impose restrictions, what can be done? And can anything stop them?
ITV News Europe Editor James Mates joined presenter Cari Davies to discuss the rising tourism backlash on the latest edition of our What You Need To Know podcast. Have a listen here.
And you can watch his report on our On Assignment programme on catch-up on ITVX.
‘I feel lonely all the time’
“All I ask for is a regular life with my parents, with my family.”
Mozdah was 19 when she was airlifted to safety, part of a group of female Afghan footballers who had fled for their lives and escaped the Taliban via Pakistan.
It’s three years since she last saw her parents and siblings who remain trapped in Afghanistan. Mozdah has tried to build a new life in South Yorkshire but spoke of the heartache she feels so deeply every day.
ITV News Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker reports on the opening of a long-awaited reunion route for Afghan families separated during the evacuation of Kabul, nearly three years since the Taliban takeover.
The scammers putting people out of pocket by cloning phone numbers
On May 19 2023, Tejay Fletcher, the head of a fraud service platform known as iSpoof, was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Waiting in the wings, another group operating on the social media platform, Telegram, was providing the same product as iSpoof - Russian Comms.
ITV News Reporter Kaf Okpattah spoke to those scammed by software - watch his report on ITVX.
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Turning heartache into hope for children around the world
Rosie May Storrie was aged just 10 when she was killed by a 17-year-old boy at a Christmas party in 2003. Her parents Graham and Mary couldn’t face Christmas in Leicestershire the next year so took the family to South East Asia - only to find themselves caught up in an earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
Convinced Rosie May had kept them safe, they set up a foundation in their daughter’s name to provide help, support and opportunities for disadvantaged young girls around the world.
More than 20 years later, it’s still going strong and this week Mary and Graham spoke to ITV News Central on the enduring legacy of Rosie May.
Omagh: A 26 year-long fight to be heard
The chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry has vowed it will undertake its work “rigorously and fearlessly”.
Scottish judge Lord Turnbull was speaking during the first public hearing of the probe into the 1998 atrocity which claimed 29 lives, including a woman pregnant with twins.
“It has taken us 26 years to get here and we’re just delighted,” said Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed in the bombing.
UTV spoke exclusively to Michael ahead of the inquiry about his near three decades-long fight to be heard.
What’s coming up…
Thursday August 8: Quarterly National Statistics on possession claim actions in county courts by mortgage lenders and social and private landlords
Saturday August 10: Manchester City take on Manchester United in the Community Shield
Tuesday August 12: Perseid meteor shower peak. The Perseid meteor shower is active between July 17 and August 24
Friday August 16: Opening fixture of the new Premier League season - Manchester Utd vs Fulham
And finally… mystery boxes and fewer records in the Olympic pool
Athletes, swimming pundits and even viewers at home have noticed something different about the Olympic pool hosting this year's swimming races and relays - it is much shallower than usual.
World Aquatics defines an Olympic-sized swimming pool as being 2.5 metres deep, with a recommended depth of three metres.
As the Paris pool is only 2.15 metres deep that creates more turbulence - and slower times… Meanwhile, medal-winning athletes are also presented with a skinny rectangular brown box - but what is inside it?
Keep across the latest Paris Olympic action on our website.