Neill’s Event Horizon co-star Sean Pertwee said: “Devastated to learn my friend Sam Neill has passed away. A supreme talent, elegant, intelligent, hilarious, a truly splendid human. Also a major proponent why I married my wife for which I am eternally grateful. Love you Sam.”

“Any form of child sexual abuse is confronting and horrific, even more so when the alleged perpetrator is an individual trusted with the care of our youth,” Australian Federal Police (AFP) Acting Commander Luke Needham said.

Tait worked at or attended 62 early childhood education facilities in Sydney between 2009 and 2025, although police say he primarily worked in the city’s north-west.

The alleged offending occurred at five facilities including four childcare centres and his own private business.

Police have published a website, external identifying the centres where he worked and offering support for families.

The charges also include 22 counts of aggravated use of a child under 14 years for the production of child abuse material and 18 counts of intentionally sexually touching a child under 10 years.

Police said they first linked Tait to illegal online activity in June last year. They then found child abuse material on electronic devices seized during a raid on a property in Glossodia, just outside Sydney.

Australians have been shaken by a string of cases of alleged child abuse at daycare centres in recent years.

They include the case of Ashley Paul Griffith who in 2024 confessed to 307 offences committed at childcare centres in Queensland and overseas over a 20-year period.

And last year police urged that more than 1,200 children in Victoria be tested for sexually transmitted diseases after Joshua Dale Brown was charged with dozens of child abuse offences allegedly committed at four daycare centres.

The fire broke out at the Saddleworth beauty spot at around 8.30pm on Saturday, July 11, with residents across Greater Manchester continuing to report smelling smoke from the fire.

The woman remains in custody for questioning as part of an ongoing investigation.

Detective Inspector Andrew Day of Oldham CID said: “We are aware of social media posts circulating regarding this incident and would like to stress that this is a live police investigation.

“We would encourage people to stop speculating regarding this and if you do have information, please report it to ourselves.”

Saddleworth neighbourhood sergeant Andy Holian added: “Officers would like to thank all emergency services who have dealt with and continue to deal with this incident. In particular, our colleagues at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

“Firefighters have been working tirelessly in extremely challenging conditions to contain the fire and prevent further spread, with strong winds adding to an already difficult situation.”

Road closures remain in place at Holmfirth Road and Bank Lane with no access to Dovestone Reservoir currently permitted.

Members of the public are being asked to avoid the affected areas to allow emergency services the space to carry out their work safely and effectively.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident is urged to get in touch with Greater Manchester Police by calling 101 or using the LiveChat function at gmp.police.uk quoting log number 3367 12/07/26.

By BRIDIE ADAMS

Published: 00:39 BST, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 02:17 BST, 14 July 2026

The US announced a new round of strikes on Iran on Monday, hours after President Donald Trump said that the United States is ‘reinstating’ a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

‘We’re taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the strait, the Hormuz Strait,’ Trump told CBS News Monday evening. 

‘And I think in the end we will end up just controlling the whole thing.’

In response, Iran attacked Bahrain and two tankers associated with the United Arab Emirates traveling through the strait, killing one mariner and wounding eight others. 

The Emirates threatened to retaliate against Iran, potentially drawing the nation home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai back into fighting with Tehran. 

The attacks come as Iran and the U.S. both vie for control of the strait through which a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas once passed in peacetime. 

This is the third consecutive day with American strikes on Tehran and the fifth in the past week. 

‘At 4:45 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief’s direction,’ CENTCOM said in a statement. 

‘These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.’

Iran has insisted it controls the critical waterway, as another exchange of fire threatened a return to all-out war.

The US had until now said the strait should remain open to all without tolls, as it was before the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. 

Central Command posts file footage of US Navy ships and aircraft operating in the Middle East

Any attempt by the US or Iran to charge fees would violate global norms on freedom of navigation and raise tensions, likely causing further economic disruption far beyond the region.

The new round of attacks followed Trump telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, ‘We’re going to hit them very hard tonight and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow – and there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.’

‘They have nothing,’ Trump added. ‘They have nothing going, other than they have big mouths.’

The price of benchmark Brent crude oil rose 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel, still well below the nearly $120 reached at the height of the war but threatening to make costs everywhere higher. 

The President also claimed the US would be paid a 20 percent tariff for securing safe passage for commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf. The details of Trump’s demand were not immediately clear.  

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US ‘will be, from this point forward, known as “The Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.”‘

He added: ‘The process and formation will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!’ 

The blockade will not take effect immediately: shipowners must be given 24 hours’ notice under maritime law.

Oil prices spiked by 5 percent, with Brent crude, the global benchmark, hitting $79.93 – its highest price since June 19. 

This is the third consecutive day with American strikes on Tehran and the fifth in the past week

Advertisement

Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Iran’s Houthi proxy terror group in Yemen, opening a new front in the war after Iran launched strikes against five US allies in the region.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels say Saudi warplanes bombarded Sanaa International Airport in Yemen. The group’s spokesman declared an ‘end to the de-escalation phase’ and warned that the ‘aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished.’

The attack reportedly came as an Iranian aircraft attempted to land at the airport. Evacuation orders have been issued for the airport and surrounding areas. 

A Saudi-led military alliance based in Yemen’s south for a decade has been fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels based in the north. 

Tehran says the fallout has already reached the negotiating table, with its foreign ministry claiming Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran has entered a ‘crisis phase.’

Asked about the escalating strikes across the region, Trump told Fox News: ‘We’re taking over the strait.’

The Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf chokepoint carrying about a fifth of the world’s oil, has been a central flashpoint since the war began in February, sending markets spiraling with every escalation.

The truce collapsed last week when Iran struck three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the US retaliated with two rounds of strikes. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei speaks at a weekly press conference

Iran has insisted it controls the critical waterway, as another exchange of fire threatened a return to all-out war

Trump pronounced the deal dead from the Nato summit in Ankara: ‘There’s something wrong with them. They’re cuckoo. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.’

US strikes continued this weekend after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth vowed revenge for the Iranian strike and said: ‘Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.’

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the strait closed until further notice after the attack, according to a statement cited by CNN. 

Iran targeted various Middle Eastern countries that host US military bases, claiming responsibility for strikes in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. 

Some of the targets attacked by US forces included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks and coastal surveillance locations, US Central Command said.

A spokesman added that President Trump directed the attacks ‘to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait.’

Iran had said the strait was being shut down ‘given the precariousness that was caused by this unlawful interference by outside parties.’

The regime added that the waterway’s closure would be ‘until further notice and until regional interference by the US ceases’ and that ‘no vessel or naval craft will be allowed to pass.’

Iran said on Saturday it struck US facilities at Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Base, claiming it destroyed a command center and drone hangars. 

Washington denied the regime’s claim, with a US official stating no Americans were hurt and no serious damage was done. 

Jordan said it shot down four missiles, and the three that landed caused only minor damage. 

As the third day drew to a close, the moors above Saddleworth were still burning. Yet, the sights of the dried ground violently burning are nothing new. There have already been multiple wildfires in Greater Manchester this year.

Smog and smoke plumes billowed over the site again as fire crews remained on the scene after first being called out on Saturday.

Monday was another challenging day for emergency services. Roads remained closed. Strict avoid area warnings were in place. Local residents were urged to keep windows and doors closed.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

Thick plumes of smoke continued to be blown over parts of Greater Manchester, with the stench smelt again as far south at Stockport and Levenshulme. Unbelievable pictures showed Manchester’s skyline dwarfed by the size of the smoke clouds.

Arson investigation after fireworks videos

Fire crews along with police remained at the scene since it first broke out on Saturday evening (July 11). In a huge update, police then confirmed a 20-year-old woman was detained by detectives in Oldham on Monday morning and remains in custody for questioning on suspicion of arson.

This follows concerns about the use of fireworks being let off in the vicinity on Saturday. It comes after eye-witnesses told the Manchester Evening News they heard a number of loud bangs before the fire broke out. Multiple video clips and images posted to social media also a group of youths setting off fireworks at the beauty spot in Greenfield.

In clips now shared widely online, a firework appears to spark a blaze in dry grasses, before a group of bystanders run over to the smoking section of moorland. In another video recorded shortly afterwards, flames can be seen quickly spreading across a hillside at the Saddleworth beauty spot.

A group had gathered in tribute to a teenager who tragically lost his life in the reservoir on Friday night (June 10). Karl Holland, 18, was lost his life after getting into difficulties in the water, with his body sadly recovered from the scene later.

Police then confirmed to the M.E.N on Monday that the footage is forming part of investigations. A woman remains in custody to be quizzed over the incident, with enquires ongoing. Police are still urging witnesses and anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Inspector Andrew Day of Oldham CID said: “We are aware of social media posts circulating regarding this incident and would like to stress that this is a live police investigation. We would encourage people stop speculating regarding this and if you do have information, please report it to ourselves.”

“I feel like we’re getting used to it”

Nearby residents reported hearing ‘bangs’ so loud they thought they were gunshots shortly before fire crews first arrived at 8:45pm on Saturday. They then saw the sky being lit up by fireworks during what one onlooker described as a ‘Universal Studios style display.’

As smoke continued to billow out across the moors, residents living nearby shared their sadness, bafflement and anger at what had unfolded. “It’s crazy,” one woman, who did not want to be named, said. ”Absolutely baffling. I cannot even begin to fathom or understand it. There are signs everywhere saying ‘no fireworks.’

A woman who also lives in the village said it was ‘very sad for those who lost their friend’ but said those who let off the fireworks ‘had obviously not thought about what they were doing.’

She said residents in the village had been left facing ‘constant sirens and smoke’ from the fire. “I feel like we’re getting used to it. It has happened that often” she said. “But it seems to have gotten worse in the last five years or so. I’m not sure what, or by who, but I feel like more needs to be done.”

Smoke smothers Greater Manchester as lead firefighter says ‘we could be here for days’

Smoke had previously been blown over large swathes of Greater Manchester on Sunday, with the smell of smoke masking areas as far as Eccles as well as Stockport and Sale. The fire service said this was due to windy conditions causing a huge plume of smoke to travel across the region.

These conditions prevailed again on Monday, with large areas of Greater Manchester still becoming masked by the smell of smoke and clouds billowing overhead.

Large avoid area warnings remained in place. Fire crews were to remain on the scene overnight and into Tuesday in an effort to stop the blaze spreading any further, with acres of land already left scorched.

Ben Levy, Head of Response for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue (GMFRS) spoke to the Manchester Evening News on Monday. Detailing the major operation, he explained: “If this weather stays as it is, we’ll keep our efforts to control our fire. But I predict our firefighters will be here for maybe a number of days just yet.

Advertisement

“You can see the terrain we’ve got behind us. It’s not just open moorland, there’s some, very, very steep moorland. There’s cliffs, there’s steep rocks. It’s very challenging to get in between there to control the fire.

“What our crews are doing is going around the outside of the perimeter of this fire to try and control the fire and we’re seeking aerial assets, including helicopters, to try and control the fire.”

Major incident declared

In their latest statement, the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed a major incident had been declared due to the scale of the fire. They said crews remained at the scene to ‘prevent further spread’.

Despite warm and sunny temperatures, people are continuing to be urged to avoid the area amid the major response.

“Due to weather conditions, smoke from the fire may be noticeable in parts of Greater Manchester and beyond,” a spokesperson said.

“If smoke is affecting your area, or there is visible smoke nearby, stay indoors where possible and keep windows and doors closed to reduce smoke entering your home.

“During the hot weather, people can help keep cool by drawing curtains to block direct sunlight, using fans to circulate air and keeping hydrated. Once smoke has moved away, consider opening windows and doors to ventilate and cool your home, while continuing to monitor conditions and follow any updated public advice.

“We are also asking people to avoid the Dovestone area to allow emergency services to work safely and allow for access routes to be clear.”

Screengrab taken from video of part of a wildfire in Almeria, Andalucia, that has killed 11 people in southern Spain. Four British people are thought to have died in a Spanish wildfire, after four bodies were found in a burnt-out car which had its steering wheel on the right. Issue date: Friday July 10, 2026.

PA Media

Nicola Sturgeon’s lawyer Aamer Anwar has issued another statement on her behalf insisting the ‘gold-plated’ police probe was enough to provide her innocence.

Nicola Sturgeon’s police statement and interview ‘will not be released’ according to her lawyer, who also slammed the ‘court of media opinion’ in his latest statement. Aamer Anwar made the announcement on Monday amid calls for the former First Minister’s police interview to be released.

Her estranged husband Peter Murrell was jailed for five years and three months last month after admitting embezzling over £400,000 when he was SNP chief executive. She was arrested in June 2023 and questioned by cops for several hours as part of Operation Branchform, but was released without charge the same day.

Sturgeon has continually denied any involvement or knowledge of Murrell’s activity. Now, Anwar has issued another statement on her behalf insisting the ‘gold-plated’ police probe was enough to provide her innocence.

It said: “Ms Sturgeon’s detailed statement produced for Police Scotland was to assist them with their inquiries; not for those who think they could now do a better job than the robust ‘gold-plated’ financial crime investigation.

“Ms Sturgeon is innocent, as evidenced by the fact that she was not charged, prosecuted nor convicted of any crime. Having been exonerated through the proper process, there is no onus on her to now prove her innocence in the court of media opinion.

“Neither Ms Sturgeon’s written statement or her police interview will be released.”

Sturgeon chose to use her right to remain silent during the interview by answering “no comment” when questions were put to her by officers. She later submitted a “detailed” written statement to the Branchform investigation in 2023, but the Record previously learned Police Scotland wanted to put more questions to her.