Child sex crimes rampant in UK schools – Guardian

Police recorded nearly 2,000 alleged rapes and attempted rapes involving under-13s over five years, averaging at least one report a day

Thousands of sexual offenses against children under 13 have been reported at or near schools in England and Wales over the past five years, averaging nearly five cases a day, according to a Guardian analysis of police data.

At least 8,500 offenses against children aged 12 and under were recorded between 2021 and 2025, the newspaper reported on Sunday. They included almost 2,000 alleged rapes and attempted rapes – equivalent to at least one rape allegation at a school every day.

Most police reports did not specify the age of the alleged perpetrators, although The Guardian said they were likely to be fellow pupils given where the incidents occurred. In at least 1,890 cases involving under-13 victims, the alleged offender was reportedly under 18. Girls were the victims in nearly two-thirds of cases where the victim’s sex was recorded.

Police also recorded at least 9,100 sexual crimes against children aged 13 or over at or near schools, as well as 6,140 offenses involving the possession, production or distribution of sexualized images of children.

The true scale could be significantly higher, according to The Guardian, as only 33 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales provided data.

Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza described peer-on-peer abuse in schools as “widespread, normalized and too often brushed under the carpet.” She said that despite recent government efforts, much more needed to be done, stressing that the problem extended beyond schools and reflected a broader societal issue.

Lawyers and campaigners condemned the scale of the abuse and called for tougher action.

“Those in authority can no longer claim that they were not aware of how prevalent an issue this is,” said Andrew Lord, a lawyer representing sexual-abuse survivors. “Anything short of concrete action to tackle this problem is simply not good enough.”

Janaya Walker of End Violence Against Women said repeated warnings had failed to prevent young people from being “harmed en masse.”

https://www.rt.com/news/646741-uk-child-sexual-offences/

Houthis claim strikes on Riyadh airport

The Yemeni group says it struck multiple “sensitive sites” across Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones

Yemen’s Houthis have claimed a direct missile strike on Riyadh’s main international airport as part of a large-scale barrage targeting airports, military bases and oil infrastructure across Saudi Arabia.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Monday night that the group, officially known as Ansar Allah, had carried out three operations using “a large number” of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in response to intensified Saudi-backed strikes on Yemen.

The first attack targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and achieved a “direct and precise hit,” Saree claimed, saying air traffic was disrupted. The second targeted Saudi Aramco’s refinery in Rabigh, where the group claimed a direct hit started fires. The third operation allegedly targeted Abha Airport, Khamis Mushait air base, the Aqeefah military camp and other “sensitive sites” in Najran and Jizan.

Saudi authorities have not addressed the specific claims of direct hits on the airport and refinery or said whether Houthi strikes caused disruption at King Khalid. The Foreign Ministry issued a broader statement condemning continued Houthi attacks on Riyadh and several other Saudi cities and “civilian and economic facilities,” while reiterating the kingdom’s right to respond.

Loud explosions were reportedly heard in northern Riyadh near King Khalid airport. An AFP journalist reported hearing a “powerful explosion,” while residents said blasts shook windows in the area.

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has meanwhile renewed a warning that photographing, publishing or circulating information about missile and drone interception operations or impact sites could result in legal action. The same warning was originally issued earlier in the war. Saudi media republished it shortly after midnight amid the latest attacks.

The Houthis also warned international airlines against using Saudi airspace, declaring it a theater of military operations while exempting the airspace over Mecca and Medina. King Khalid airport remained operational, but Flightradar24 data showed substantial delays, with average delays reaching 38 minutes.

The group said the barrage was retaliation for 60 Saudi air and missile strikes on Sanaa and the provinces of Al-Jawf, Taiz, Hodeidah, Saada and Marib over the previous 24 hours, which it said caused civilian casualties. Saree claimed Saudi forces had carried out 1,576 strikes since the latest escalation began.

https://www.rt.com/news/646767-houthis-saudi-sensitive-sites/

@KSAmofaEN

Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦

@KSAmofaEN

#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strongest condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist Houthi militia’s continued targeting of civilians and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom; its blatant and repeated attacks against the holiest sites on earth—Makkah and Madinah— the capital Riyadh, and the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif, and Yanbu; and its targeting of Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

https://x.com/KSAmofaEN/status/2107206466524614713

Trump approves execution by firing squad

President Donald Trump has approved the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people in the 2009 attack, by firing squad.

The Pentagon confirmed Trump’s support for Hasan’s execution, adding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the execution.

Acting Army Secretary Adam R. Telle will determine where and when the execution will occur, according to the Pentagon.

In addition to the 13 killed, 32 others were wounded in the attack.

“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recommended and President Donald J. Trump has approved death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan, the jihadist who opened fire on unarmed American soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.

“He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the attack. … Judgement day for Hasan has finally come,” he added.

Hasan was a former U.S. Army major. He enlisted in 1988 and served in the Army until he committed the attack on Nov. 5, 2009.

In 2013, Hasan was dismissed from the Army and sentenced to death. Despite appeals in 2020 and 2023, the death sentence was upheld. In March, Hasan’s petition for a writ of certiorari was denied.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/military/trump-execution-fort-hood-shooter-nidal-hasan/