Kneecap supporters gathered outside the High Court on Wednesday as judges heard the appeal from the Crown Prosecution Service to dismiss a terrorism case against a member of a rap trio.
Liam Og O Hunnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May 2025 with the alleged display of a flag in support of the banned terrorist group. Hezbollah was the subject of a programme in London in November 2024.
But the case against the 28-year-old Belfast-born rapper was dismissed in September on a technical basis.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring then told Woolwich Crown Court that the charge was “unlawful” and he had no jurisdiction to hear the case – but prosecutors appealed against the decision.
image: Kneecap’s JJ O’Dochartaigh (DJ Prowai) attended the High Court hearing in support of his bandmate. Photo: PA
Kneecap’s JJ O’Dochartaigh, whose stage name is DJ Prowai, and manager Daniel Lambert attended the High Court of Appeal in London on Wednesday, greeted by supporters and protesters gathered outside, as they had done at a previous hearing.
After spending a full day in court,
Hearing evidence from both sides, Lord Justice Addis and Mr Justice Linden said they would give their judgement at a later date.
Why was the original case dismissed?
image: Liam Og Ó Hannaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, outside Woolwich Crown Court in September. Photo: PA
After Ó Hannaidh was charged, he appeared in court for the first time in June. At a second hearing in August, the rapper’s lawyers argued that prosecutors should have sought permission from the Attorney General, the Crown’s chief legal adviser, to charge the rapper with a terrorist offence before being informed of the decision on May 21 last year.
The court was told that permission was instead granted the following day, meaning it fell outside the six-month time limit in which criminal charges can be brought against a defendant for this type of offence. The event in question took place on November 21, 2024.
After hearing evidence, the Chief Magistrate agreed with O’Hannaid’s lawyers and found that the proceedings had been “unlawfully instituted.”.
Then, the CPS announced its appeal. A spokesperson stated that the organisation “believes there is an important point of law that needs to be clarified.”
At the High Court on Wednesday, Paul Jarvis Casey, for the CPS, said the Attorney General’s permission was in place before O’Hannaidh’s first court appearance on 18 June, which meant the necessary requirements had been met.
image: Kneecap’s Mo Chara and Moglai Bap on stage at Glastonbury. Photo: PA
In court, he said the chief magistrate “erred in his interpretation of the law” when he dismissed the terrorism case, adding, “These proceedings are and will remain valid in law.”
However, Jude Bunting KC, representing O Hunnaidh, said the findings made by the chief magistrate in September were “certainly correct.”.
In his own written submission, he said the reply was “simply… the necessary permissions and consents were not provided at the time of commencement of the proceedings.”
Mr. Bunting said CPS’s appeal “contradicts the principle that the law should be consistent.”
Kneecap had earlier said in a post on social media that the decision was “once again… a huge waste of taxpayers’ money, police time, [and] court time.”.
image: The band’s lawyer, Darragh Mackin (left), and manager, Daniel Lambert (right), with DJ Provi outside the High Court. Photo: PA
Who are the kneecaps?
Kneecap released their debut single in 2017 and gained widespread fame following the release of their debut album and a semi-biographical film in 2024.
In 2024, the band wins a discrimination case against UK government Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who tried to deny her a £14,250 funding award while she was in government as Business Secretary.
Ahead of the High Court hearing, Belfast MPs addressed those showing support for the band outside.
North Belfast MP John Finucane said, “We will stand with Liam.” “We are committed to standing on the correct side of history.”
“We are before the court today because the British government refused to accept a previous judge’s decision to end this case,” said Paul Maskey, MP for Belfast West.
The judges said they had been given a lot to think about and a decision would be made later.
The world has expressed outrage at the planned execution of Iranian shop owner Irfan Sultani, 26, who was given just 10 minutes to bid farewell to his heartbroken family.
Irfan Soltani, 26, will be one of the first to die by hanging on Wednesday. (Image:
Irfan Sultani, 26, faced execution after being arrested during a wave of anti-government protests and immediately sentenced to death by an Iranian court.
Irfan, a resident of Fardis near Tehran, was detained on January 8 during protests that have gripped Iran since late December 2025. He was charged with moharebeh—”waging war against God,” a capital crime under Iranian law that is often applied against perceived threats to the state.
His family reportedly waited for several days to learn what had happened to him, only to be informed that he had been sentenced to death and would only be allowed a 10-minute goodbye. Human rights groups have raised concerns over the speed of the process and the practice has been widely condemned by human rights organisations due to the lack of due process.
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Irrfan has only been allowed to talk to the family for a short while (Image: Facebook)
Reports indicate that Irfan was refused legal advice, and his licensed attorney was prevented from accessing his case file. His death date was set today, January 14, and as the countdown draws closer, the psychological impact on Irrfan and his loved ones will be immeasurable.
And criminal psychologist Alex Issat told the Mirror that prosecutors design the system to cause maximum harm and terror to those arrested and their loved ones.
Alex says, “To be told that you will be killed in a matter of hours while following a sham legal process creates a psychological double blow.” “The brain doesn’t have time to adjust from the initial shock of the arrest to the reality of being told you’re going to die, and this contingency can force it into extreme survival mode, oscillating between intense hyper-anxiety and profound dissociation.”
Ms Iszt explains that in such moments, victims may oscillate between fear of pain and the unknown and emotional numbness, where the mind dissociates as a protective mechanism against the overwhelming terror. This type of sudden psychological shock leaves no room for gradual emotional processing.
The cruelty of enacting very short farewells – often monitored and scripted – makes this trauma all the more acute for Irrfan and his family. “The specific brutality of the farewell call compounds this trauma; the calls are short and monitored and deprive both him and his family of any real or authentic final moments or truth,” says Alex, highlighting the impossible emotional balancing act of those final minutes.
Rather than offering closure, the last monitored conversation often becomes a frozen image—a final memory of forced stillness or visible distress that family members continually replay in their minds. And the suddenness of the announcement and lack of control over almost every aspect of the matter have become further sources of anguish.
Alex explains, “For the family, contingency is also a psychological weapon, a power play by the state.” “This reinforces their complete lack of control and also indicates that the same fate could befall others.”
Izzet says, “This behaviour is a recognised tool of political terror, designed not only to break down the individual’s sense of self but also to project power outward.” “The psychological suffering inflicted forms a central part of punishment rather than an unintended consequence.”
Throughout Iran and around the world, there is intense outrage over Irfan’s impending execution. Rights organisations call his conviction a clear example of how the state is weaponising its justice system to suppress dissent amid a growing crackdown.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran that the US will take “forceful action” if it executes protesters. The unrest that began more than two weeks ago when shoppers took to the streets of Tehran has escalated, with a human rights group estimating that more than 2,400 protesters have been killed in the government crackdown.
Originally, the demonstrations began on December 28 over a sharp decline in the value of the Iranian currency but turned into anti-government demonstrations calling for the end of the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to sources, now the protests seem to be slowing down, while the internet has also been shut down. Several European countries, including France, Spain, Finland, Belgium and Germany, have summoned Iranian ambassadors because of the violence. Britain has also done so, citing the “brutal killing of Iranian protesters”.
read more: : Iran arrests seven people with British links after anti-government protests
A hostile takeover bid for media giant Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has intensified and entertainment conglomerate Paramount has taken legal action to force the release of financial data.
Paramount Skydance,
which owns film production company Paramount Pictures and TV network CBS, has filed a legal suit seeking to force WBD to tell shareholders how much it values Netflix’s bid and competing offers.
It has also threatened to nominate directors at the WBD annual meeting in an attempt to get board approval for its takeover.
Paramount’s bid was hostile because it involved direct contact with WBD’s shareholders. The board had already agreed to an $82.7 billion (£61.4 billion) deal with Netflix in early December to sell its TV studios and rights to top franchises, including Harry Potter and Game of Thrones.
The board of Warner Bros. Discovery unanimously recommended that shareholders accept Netflix’s offer to purchase the streaming portion of WBD’s business and Paramount reject Skydance’s offer.
David Allison, the chairman, chief executive of Paramount Skydance and son of billionaire Larry Ellison, said his company is seeking to release information about how WBD valued several elements of streaming as part of Netflix’s rival acquisition effort, Paramount Skydance’s own offer and WBD’s own valuation.
It is customary to make such disclosures The board reads an open letter to WBD shareholders when it recommends an investment.
The streaming wing of WBD’s business was already being spun off into a separate company that included units like TV network HBO and its streaming service HBO Max, as well as the TV and film production units of Warner Bros. and comic book filmmaker DC Studios.
But Mr Ellison said Paramount Skydance will propose a change to WBD bylaws that would require shareholder approval before spinning off the streaming portion, potentially creating hurdles in the sale process.
Other divisions of WBD include news channel CNN and sports network TNT.
What does Paramount Skydance want?
The hostile bidder is seeking engagement with the WBD board on its proposal, which it believes would be a “win-win for both companies.”. The Paramount Skydance offer is “simply higher” than Netflix’s, Mr Ellison said in the letter.
“We aimed for a collaborative negotiation and a successful transaction that would benefit both companies, shareholder groups, and all stakeholders,” Mr. Ellison stated in the letter.
“We are surprised WBD failed to respond to our December 4 proposal, clarify or negotiate its terms, or trade the contract markup with us.”
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The offer was rejected by Paramount because it said it involved an “extraordinary amount of debt financing” that represented a risk to the closing of any deal.
Any merger of WBD and Paramount Skydance or Netflix would be one of the largest media deals in history, with significant impacts on the potential future of TV, film production, and cinema.
Netflix has expressed doubt over the future of movie theatres, with films it produces playing short runs in theatres and some being released directly to streaming. Streaming giants owning film production companies could mean running fewer or shorter-term theaters for movies
If Paramount Skydance is successful in its takeover attempt, it would own CNN as well as CBS News, raising concerns about concentrating news services within a smaller number of companies.
WBD shares fell about 2%, while Paramount Skydance shares rose 0.5%.
What does WBD say?
Responding to the letter, WBD said, “Despite six weeks and multiple press releases from Paramount Skydance, it has yet to increase the price or address the many and obvious shortcomings of its proposal.
A spokesperson said, “Instead, Paramount Skydance is trying to distract attention with a meritless lawsuit and attacks on a board that has delivered unprecedented amounts of shareholder value.”
At first glance, the announcement of 25% tariffs against any country that trades with Iran seems tantamount to Donald Trump escalating a global trade war.
But China, India’s largest trading partner, has kept its response quite brief and quite mild.
“There is no winner in the tariff war,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning, adding that China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
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it’s exactly the same kind of thing China says when it is still trying to figure out the details.
In fact, it seems reasonable to assume that China is on fire because, like the rest of the world, it is probably unsure how it will react to the new announcement Will it apply and to whom?
For example, there was no clarification on what exactly “doing business” with Iran entails and, crucially, whether such activities would be exempt from China’s tariff agreement with the US.
Theoretically, this additional tax should primarily target China.
Although it is Iran’s largest trading partner, it is one of a relatively limited list of countries still willing to circumvent US sanctions to buy from it, despite international backlash over the regime’s treatment of protesters demanding an end to clerical rule in the country.
Analysts estimate that China buys at least 80%, possibly as much as 90%, of the oil shipped from Iran. Exact figures have not been published.
China has significant investments in Iran.
Additionally, China has significant investments in Iran, with Chinese companies financing construction and infrastructure projects.
Will protests against Iran bring change?
However, the context of US-China relations is crucial in this situation.
Presidents Xi Jinping and Trump finally agreed to a ceasefire in November, bringing an end to the crippling trade war that had been raging for several months. Negotiations took several months to achieve the deal, which reduced China’s average tariff rate from 145% at the peak of the standoff to about 47%.
In exchange for these cuts, Trump secured some things that were important to him, such as an agreement to increase purchases of US soybeans, de-blacklisting some US companies; and easing access to critical rare earth minerals.
Trump’s warnings about Iran
Now China’s tariff rate increase will definitely provoke it to retaliate; all these hard-earned gains can be lost in an instant.
Add to the mix the fact that Trump says he plans to visit Beijing in April and he has indicated that stability in the relationship is desirable, and the likelihood of him making some sort of concession to China increases.
An example of this also exists.
Read more:
How Iran implemented internet blackout Rights groups say more than 500 people have been killed in Iran.
Over the summer, an additional 25% tariff was imposed on India in retaliation for oil purchases from Russia.
Although China buys more from India, it was not treated equally, almost certainly because a comprehensive deal was in the process of being struck.
An additional 25% tariff would be punitive for China now, at a time when its economy is still struggling with slow growth and high unemployment. This would push the average rate to more than 70%—an amount that would make almost all trade with the US uneconomic.
But China has learnt in the last year that being strong and firm with Trump has paid off.
He knows he has the power and leverage to force a waiver, and there’s no doubt that’s what he’ll be doing behind the scenes.
If it doesn’t make sense, expect retaliation, and expect it to be severe.
Tragically, an avalanche buried a 12-year-old boy who was skiing off-piste with his family.
The scary incident happened today at 1 pm at the Sportgastein ski resort in Austria.
Ten mountain rescuers, a rescue helicopter and a police helicopter were dispatched to the scene. Credit: SN/Gustin Mountain Rescue
Ten mountain rescuers, three dog handlers, a rescue helicopter and a police helicopter team reached the spot.
The boy was pulled from under the snow before doctors performed 40 minutes of CPR to revive him.
Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The boy from the Czech Republic was skiing with his family, who had come to the resort for a holiday on Sunday, when the accident occurred.
helicopter disaster
Helicopter crashes after becoming entangled in ski lift cables
Gerhard Kremser, district head of the mountain rescue service in Pongau, said, “The 12-year-old and another boy were skiing down a steep slope between avalanche barriers.”
Kremser said the pair “triggered an avalanche” between the steel beams.
Suddenly the 12-year-old boy got stuck in a layer of ice and collided with an obstacle.
This terrible accident happened about 100 metres above the Goldbergbahn middle station.
The boy’s family was evacuated to the valley by police helicopter Libelle.
Officials said he is currently being cared for by a crisis intervention team.
The incident comes just days after a tourist froze to death in Bad Gastein, a ski town near Austria’s Gastein Valley.
The 55-year-old Danish man was discovered by mountain rescue teams on the edge of a waterfall on Sunday afternoon after he was reported missing the previous evening.
He was last seen by friends around 10 pm on Saturday night, but he did not return to his residence.
Police, a search helicopter and mountain rescue teams swept across the area in a major operation to bring the situation under control for the missing man.
His body was found frozen in the snow on the riverbank step far away from the gushing drop of the waterfall.
Mountain Rescue received seven other call-outs that day due to the cold conditions.
District leader Gerhard Kremser said, “These include avalanches, injured off-piste skiers, stranded persons in alpine terrain and large-scale search operations with tragic, fatal consequences.”
Microsoft Office has informed 400 million users about the rebranding exercise, which integrates their famous software suite with its AI tool, Copilot.
Alan Johnson, social news reporter
13:44, 13 January 2026
Microsoft Office users have criticized the rebranding of the software (stock) (Image: HJBC/iStock via Getty Images ).
Microsoft Office users have criticised the company’s latest rebranding process after it changed the name of its popular software suite. The package, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, was first released by Bill Gates’ global corporation in 1990 and has 400 million users worldwide.
However, last week, users received a dialogue box informing them that it had been renamed. It read, “Welcome to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.” “Microsoft 365 Copilot apps (formerly Office) let you create, share, and collaborate all in one place with your favourite apps, now including Copilot.”
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Copilot was founded in 2023 as a replacement for Cortana, and it is an AI chatbot that allows users to maximise their productivity by generating content and automating tasks.
Upon hearing news of the change, software creator and entrepreneur Peter Deden said, “RIP MS Office. RIP Microsoft 365. It’s now ‘Microsoft 365 Copilot’.
“We’re one rebrand away from Excel being a prompt box that says, ‘Trust me, bro, the math checks out.'”
Another person said, “Microsoft Office is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. This is worse than Twitter changing its name to X. I want to have a 2-hour podcast discussion with the middle manager who approved this decision.”
A third pointed out, “This is stupid and brand destroying, yes, but note that the brand destruction actually happened in 2020 when they changed the name of Office to ‘Microsoft 365’ – it had nothing to do with AI.”
While a fourth
Microsoft shared the reason behind the rebranding, saying, “Microsoft 365 (Office) apps are now called Microsoft 365 Copilot apps on the web (office.com, microsoft365.com), mobile (iOS, Android), and Windows. The new app name and icon reflect the integration of Copilot within Microsoft 365 apps.”
It added: “The Microsoft 365 Copilot app serves as your everyday productivity app for work and life. But in the age of AI and Copilot integration, it has become much more than that. We’ve made a number of improvements to the work and education experience, as well as for consumers with personal accounts.”
Meanwhile, Gareth Oystrick, senior director of marketing for Microsoft 365, responded to the criticism, saying, “We haven’t made any recent naming changes to our Office apps. Office apps Word, Excel, and PowerPoint remain unchanged within the Microsoft 365 productivity suite.
“In November 2022, we renamed the Office ‘Hub’-only app to Microsoft 365 apps for web and mobile. In January 2025, we updated it to Microsoft 365 Copilot apps to reflect its role in bringing Copilot and Microsoft 365 productivity experiences into one place.”
Microsoft advised users, “Existing users with work and personal accounts may see these changes across their web (Office.com, Microsoft365.com), mobile (iOS, Android), and Windows apps.
“If you’re signed in and still don’t see the changes, verify that you’re connected to the Internet and then restart the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.”
The investment industry has stepped up warnings to the government over plans to limit cash ISAs, arguing they risk reducing the willingness of British investors to back listed companies.
Sky News has learnt that a meeting on Tuesday involving officials from the Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs, as well as major industry players, including Hargreaves Lansdown, HSBC, and Lloyds Banking Group, led to a heated exchange of words over the implications of the Treasury’s reforms.
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Under plans confirmed by Rachel Reeves in November’s Budget, the Cash ISA allowance will be reduced from £20,000 to £12,000 from April 2027, except for savers under the age of 65.
The Chancellor said the move aims to encourage more investment in the UK stock market, with £8,000 balances available to invest in stocks and shares ISA products.
The Treasury and HMRC are now preparing detailed anti-fraud rules, including banning transfers from stocks and shares and Innovative Finance ISAs to cash ISAs; The use of tests to determine whether an investment is worth holding in a stocks and shares ISA or is ‘cash-like’; And charges on any interest paid on stocks and shares or cash held in an Innovative Finance ISA.
The investment industry has been vocal in warning.
However, the investment industry has been vocal in warning that the rule changes will add complexity and penalise savers who are focused on derisking their portfolios before the age of 65.
There are also growing concerns that a more robust approach to taxing cash balances held in stocks and shares in ISAs would seriously damage their image as a tax-free investment option.
Any evidence that the reforms are weakening stock market investment ahead of the next general election would be damaging for Ms Reeves, who has directed the industry to work on a multimillion-pound campaign aimed at promoting retail investment to the public.
Many companies have already backed out from participating in that campaign due to cost and coordination concerns.
One industry person who attended Tuesday’s talks said, “It became clear at today’s meeting that significant reforms to ISAs are being made with very little understanding of how retail investors behave or the range of potential unintended consequences.
The implementation of fundamentally flawed changes has placed HMRC in a dangerous position.
“Rather than rushing into something that risks undermining retail investment, the Chancellor should go back to the drawing board and build an evidence base for sensible, long-term reforms aimed at supporting retail investors.”
The reforms will be subject to a consultation period, with draft legislation – in the form of amendments to ISA rules —being put before Parliament well before April 2027.
In the 2023-24 tax year, savers invested a record £103 billion in ISAs, of which almost two-thirds – £70 billion – was invested in cash ISAs.
Others present at Tuesday’s meeting included the Building Societies’ Association, AJ Bell, Fidelity, Vanguard and the Investment Association.
A government spokesperson said, “To encourage more investment in stocks and shares, we are making changes to ISA rules that will prevent breaches of the new lower cash ISA limit.
“We are already working closely with the industry and will publish clear guidance before the changes are implemented.”
The BBC has requested the court effectively prevent the parties from collecting most of the evidence until the motion is decided.
Court documents reveal that the BBC plans to dismiss Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the January 6 Panorama edit.
us The president filed a defamation case Over the broadcaster’s editing of a speech he gave in 2021, the day his supporters stormed the Capitol building.
Clips of parts of the US President’s speech were stitched together, showing him saying, “We’re walking to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We engage in intense battles.
The nearly hour-long documentary Trump: A Second Chance? The BBC broadcasted it one week before the US elections.
us President is seeking $5bn (£3.7bn) in damages as part of a defamation suit. Additionally, they have brought a $5 billion lawsuit alleging violations of the law on trade practices. Both lawsuits were filed in Florida.
In November, American correspondent James Matthews described the trial.
A BBC spokesperson said in a statement,
A BBC spokesperson said in a statement, “As we have previously made clear, we will defend this matter. We are not going to comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Court documents show the broadcaster will file a motion to dismiss the lawsuits, claiming the Florida court lacks “personal jurisdiction” over the organisation, the court venue is “improper”, and Mr Trump has “failed to state a claim”.
Read more: Trump vs BBC: everything you need to know
Victory doesn’t really matter to Trump. It’s about pressure – a warning to his critics
katie spencer
Arts and Entertainment Correspondent
The BBC is retaliating.
If you read the legal filings and the grounds for which the corporation wants to dismiss the case, they are convincing.
The case’s filing location, Florida, forms the core of their argument. For a case against a British broadcaster, such an arrangement never made much sense.
He says Trump’s own legal team has provided a link to the Panorama episode, which viewers in the US cannot watch unless they use a VPN.
Would it be enough to throw it out?
This was always a curious affair, but let’s not forget that for Trump, it doesn’t really matter whether he succeeds or fails – this is designed to exert pressure; this is a high-profile warning shot to those who are personally critical of him and his administration.
Even if Trump doesn’t get his billions of dollars, the lawsuit is a form of leverage. But for a public service broadcaster, which is ultimately accountable to the taxpayers, being caught in such a situation is even more embarrassing and painful.
Given the prolonged uncertainty and significant legal costs, the BBC really needs to shut its operations down.
The corporation will argue that it did not create, produce, or broadcast the documentary in Florida, and that Mr. Trump’s claim about the documentary’s availability in the US on BritBox is false.
It will also claim that the president failed to allege that the broadcaster published the documentary with “actual malice.”
The BBC has requested the court effectively prevent the parties from collecting most of the evidence until the motion is decided.
image: Tim Davie resigns as Director General of the BBC. Photo: PA
The broadcasterapologised to the US President in November for “error of judgement” but said it disagreed that there were “grounds for a defamation claim”.
The fallout from the saga led to the resignation of both BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Terness.
For the first time in its history, a woman will lead the Red Arrows (Image: Getty).
For the first time in its history, the Red Arrows have appointed a woman to lead the team. Wing Commander Sasha Nash has taken up the role of Officer Commanding, making her the most senior officer in the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.
An experienced fast-jet pilot who joined Royal Air Force In 2005, Wing Commander Nash will take charge of the 150-strong unit and oversee all aspects of the Red Arrows. She said leading the team is “the career opportunity of a lifetime”, adding, “If someone had told me 20 years ago that one day I would be Officer Commanding the Red Arrows, I don’t think I would have believed it.
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“This is a team of dedicated, hard-working and enthusiastic people – who exemplify the ethos and values found across RAF units – and I am excited to work with them to continue to deliver the level of excellence for which the Red Arrows are globally renowned.”
Wing Commander Nash, who is originally from Surrey, succeeds Wing Commander Adam Collins, who had held the role from early 2023.
to both the Red Arrows team and the RAF,
He praised Wing Commander Collins’s “absolute dedication” to both the Red Arrows team and the RAF, as well as his “immeasurable wealth of performance knowledge and commitment to all that the Red Arrows represent.”
The pilot said, “I know we would all like to congratulate him on such a successful time with the Red Arrows and an exemplary RAF career and wish him all the best for the future.”
The new officer commanding said she knew she wanted to join the RAF from a young age, as she was “inspired” by airshows and “seeing the speed and excitement of the aircraft displayed at those events”.
Wing Commander Nash said, “That ambition stayed with me throughout school, where I won a sixth form scholarship and then a university bursary to join the RAF.
“Two decades later, I am still thoroughly enjoying everything I do and taking advantage of all the opportunities and experiences a career in the armed forces has provided.”
Leading the Red Arrows, according to Wing Commander Sasha Nash, is an exceptional career opportunity.
Wing Commander Nash, who played lacrosse for England at junior and senior levels, said, “I am incredibly proud and excited to now, as OC RAFAT, take command of a team whose aim is to represent the UK and help inspire future generations of aviators of all backgrounds.
“This is a great time to join the Red Arrows as we prepare for a busy season and plan for the future. I can’t wait to work with team members and have the opportunity to meet people at airshows and events this year.”
Training for the new season is already underway, with the first public events usually held in late May or early June.
Wing Commander Collins said, “As I hand over command to Sasha, I want to wish him all the best for the future and I am confident that under his leadership, the Red Arrows will continue to showcase our precision, excellence and teamwork around the world.”
The Red Arrows have faced criticism in the past over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
In November 2022, the then commander of the unit was removed from his post while his alleged relationship with a junior team member was investigated.
A report in 2023 found that there was a “hostile, abusive and insulting” atmosphere among the Red Arrows Display team.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told parliament on Tuesday that the UK government believed “up to 2,000 people may have been killed, with many more dead. I fear the number could be much higher
Information coming out of Iran on Tuesday suggests that the crackdown by authorities to end more than two weeks of widespread anti-government protests has been far deadlier than reported by activists outside the country. With phone lines open to calls from inside the Islamic Republic, two sources, including one from inside Iran, told CBS News on Tuesday that at least 12,000 and possibly as many as 20,000 people have been killed.
It has been incredibly difficult to piece together the truth, as Iran’s fundamentalist rulers have cut off internet access and phone service in the country for the past five days. After a fifth day of complete internet shutdown in Iran, some Iranians were able to make phone calls outside the country on Tuesday, but calling into Iran from outside remained impossible.
A source inside Iran who was able to make the call told CBS News on Tuesday that based on reports from medical officials around the country, activist groups working to compile the full death toll from the protests believe the death toll was at least 12,000 and possibly as high as 20,000.
Pedestrians walk past a burnt building in Tehran, Iran, on January 10, 2026, following widespread protests against the regime.
The same source said that security forces were visiting several private hospitals in Tehran and threatening staff to hand over the names and addresses of people who were injured in the protests.
CBS News has not been able to independently verify the massive death toll reported by the source, which is several times higher than the numbers privately reported by most activist groups recently — though those groups have always made clear that their numbers are underestimates.
The opposition Iran International Television Network reported on Tuesday that their information indicated approximately 12,000 deaths. A Washington source with contacts in Iran told CBS News on Tuesday that a reliable source had told him the death toll was likely between 10,000 and 12,000.
Iranian authorities have not provided regular official estimates of total deaths from the unrest. Reuters on Tuesday quoted an unnamed Iranian official as saying that nearly 2,000 people have been killed since protests began on December 28 and blamed foreign-influenced “terrorists” for the violence, even suggesting that agitators were paid to spread chaos.
CBS News has verified that the video posted online Tuesday shows the bodies of hundreds of people killed during protests at a mortuary in a Tehran suburb. The video shows forensic personnel documenting gruesome injuries on bodies and crowds of people trying to identify the dead.
A new video shows badly injured bodies lining up at a mortuary.
An Iranian activist and blogger, who identifies himself only as Wahid online, first posted the shocking 16-minute clip. Wahid reported receiving the video from a source who travelled nearly 600 miles to upload it during a communications blackout.
Graphic videos show people injured by bullets and gunshots, along with other wounds, and piles of blood-stained clothes inside the mortuary complex.
An image from a video posted online by an Iranian activist using the pseudonym Vahid shows people looking at bodies on the ground outside the Tehran Province’s Forensic Diagnostic and Laboratory Center, which is at a mortuary in the Tehran suburb of Kahrizak. CBS News believes the video was taken on January 10, 2026, amid nationwide anti-government protests in Iran.
The protests – which have prompted President Trump’s threats of US military intervention – began in late December over anger over a new rise in the cost of living in Iran’s sanctions-hit economy. They quickly turned into mass rallies in all 31 provinces of Iran, with thousands of people chanting slogans calling for the downfall of the country’s Islamic rulers.
Even if the lower death toll reported by Cooper in Britain on Tuesday were confirmed, it would exceed the number of officially reported casualties in previous anti-regime protests in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that brought the current government to power.
As protests escalated last week, President Trump warned several times that the US would take action if the Iranian regime killed protesters, without specifying any red lines that might trigger a response or what the response might be.
President Trump tells Iranian protesters that help is coming
Mr. Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday, “Iranian patriots, keep protesting—occupy your institutions!” Protect the names of the murderers and abusers. They will face severe consequences. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is on the way.”
He then offered no details about what help the United States might provide to Iran’s long-suppressed domestic opposition.
The president’s national security team was scheduled to hold a meeting at the White House on Tuesday to discuss their options, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. It was not clear whether the President himself would attend. He has provided information on a wide range of military and clandestine equipment that could be used against Iran, beyond conventional air strikes, according to two Pentagon officials who spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters.
He described the action as “far worse than we can imagine.”
“The information we are receiving indicates that violent actions have occurred, and the protests are likely worse than we had anticipated,” said Mahmoud Amiri-Moghadam, who leads the Norway-based activist organisation Iran Human Rights.
“The red lines of the entire international community have been crossed,” Amiri-Moghadam said. “We have a mechanism called the responsibility to protect civilians against serious human rights violations, mass killings… The United States, along with the European Union and basically all countries, has a responsibility to stop these atrocities; this extends beyond just President Trump.
He did not call for US military action but urged world powers to “provide Iranians with more means to communicate with the world, because that’s what the regime does – they shut down the Internet. Basically, it’s like solitary confinement. They put the Iranian people in solitary confinement and start torturing and killing them.”
He told CBS News that his organisation had received a video Monday night showing the scene of an alleged attack by security forces that killed 75 people in Mazandaran province, about a three-hour drive north of Tehran. Amiri-Moghadam said he could not share the video or the city where the alleged attack took place because the information “could be tracked,” which would jeopardise his sources.
“This indicates that the extent is much worse than we thought,” Amiri-Moghaddan said.
Internet access and text messaging services in Iran were also blocked on Tuesday, largely maintaining a blackout that began on the evening of January 8, when thousands of people turned out to raise their voices in response to the call of Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
The protests – and the actions of security forces against them – appeared to escalate rapidly over the course of a few days from that evening.
On Tuesday, Iran’s police chief claimed that the protests were ordered from outside the country and that “terrorists” paid to create unrest were encountered inside Iran.
Iranians want “someone who can oust the Islamic Republic”
Amiri-Moghaddan told CBS News that many Iranians would not believe that story from their leaders.
He said, “The Iranian people are sick of the regime and want out.” “I remember asking many people from different backgrounds, ‘Who would you support?’ And they all basically say we will support anyone who can depose the Islamic Republic. Iran is a country with many types of people and different opinions. “Some people want the monarchy, some are against it, but I think the priority is to remove this regime.”
Pahlavi has said he is ready to return to lead Iran, even though he has not been there since his father, the US-backed Shah, fled nearly 50 years ago amid intense public outrage over his rule. He told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Monday that the Iranians “need action.”
He said, “The best way to ensure that fewer people are killed in Iran is to intervene early so that this regime finally collapses and brings an end to all the problems we are facing.”
Pahlavi said he had spoken with the Trump administration, but he did not provide any details of those conversations.
Amiri-Moghaddan said that the “absolute majority” of Iranians “do not want a regime like that; more than 80%.”
But he said the 80% were “divided broadly into three groups: those who want the Shah’s sons, those who oppose the monarchy, and those who are undecided.”
