Author: Darren Smith

A 15-year-old girl was supplied with cannabis and subjected to sexual abuse by a group of men in a North Wales seaside town, a jury has heard, as a trial opened involving allegations that three teenage girls were trafficked and repeatedly raped. Caernarfon Crown Court heard that the girl, who was 15 at the time, first encountered Mustafa Iqbal, 43, on a street in Rhyl in 2022 while under the influence of cannabis. Iqbal, described as a scooter-riding takeaway driver and alleged drug dealer, invited her and a friend back to his home to smoke. Once there, the girl alleged,…

Donald Trump has paid an unusual tribute to outgoing Apple chief executive Tim Cook, revealing that the tech boss had repeatedly called him during his presidency seeking help with business problems — and describing the experience of receiving those calls as deeply gratifying. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday morning, Trump said Cook had contacted him early in his first term with “a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix.” Without disclosing what the issue involved, Trump said he resolved it “quickly and effectively” and described the episode as the start of a…

Parliament has given its final approval to legislation that will permanently ban anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 from ever legally purchasing cigarettes, in what health leaders are describing as the most significant public health achievement in a generation. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has now cleared both the Commons and the Lords, with both chambers agreeing on a final text. Once the legislation receives royal assent — the King’s formal sign-off before a bill becomes law — ministers will gain sweeping new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, extending to their flavours and packaging. Health…

The United States and Iran are edging toward a potentially catastrophic breakdown in ceasefire negotiations, with Donald Trump warning he expects to resume military strikes within 24 hours if Tehran fails to come to the table before the truce expires at 8pm Eastern Time on Wednesday. The crisis deepened on Tuesday after Iran’s Foreign Ministry publicly stated it had “no plans for the next round of negotiations,” directly contradicting earlier reports that Iranian representatives were preparing to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan for a peace summit. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Tehran had yet to commit to attending despite…

Four men have been sentenced to a combined 22 years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh after carrying out a meticulously organised VAT fraud worth nearly £9 million, the proceeds of which were lavished on gold bullion, diamonds, fast cars and property investments abroad. Leslie Thompson, 63, of Bathgate, West Lothian, was identified as the ringleader of the operation and handed the heaviest sentence of seven years. Graeme Cullen, 54, of Giffnock, Renfrewshire, received six years, Graham Newall, 49, of Edinburgh, was jailed for five and a half years, and Martin Lang, 68, of Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, who pleaded…

Two Israeli soldiers have been jailed for 30 days and stripped of their combat roles following the destruction of a statue of Jesus Christ in a Christian village in southern Lebanon, with the Israeli military now confirming that a further six soldiers were present at the scene and failed to intervene or report the incident. The punishment follows the emergence over the weekend of a photograph showing one of the soldiers apparently wielding a sledgehammer against the religious icon in the village of Debel. One soldier carried out the destruction while a second was penalised for photographing the act rather…

A twelve-year-old boy is to stand trial on charges of sexual assault, wounding and intentional strangulation following an incident in which a woman was discovered seriously injured at a Birmingham address, a court has heard. The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court today having been charged last month. He faces allegations of wounding and sexual assault in connection with an incident at a woman’s home on 18 March this year, as well as a separate charge of intentional strangulation said to relate to a second incident in which a woman was confronted in…

Eight people have been arrested by counter terrorism officers investigating a series of arson attacks and alleged conspiracies targeting the Jewish community in London, with seven of the arrests carried out within the past 48 hours as part of an active proactive investigation. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the seven arrests relate to an alleged conspiracy to commit arson, with officers stating they believe the intended targets are connected to the Jewish community, though the precise nature of the planned attacks has not yet been established. The first arrests came on Sunday evening, when three men aged 24, 25 and…

Frank Chester, recognised by the Royal British Legion as Britain’s oldest surviving Second World War veteran, has died at a nursing home in Worcestershire at the age of 109, just nine days after marking his birthday. Chester, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his wartime service in the Royal Navy, was born in Ludlow, Shropshire, and worked for HM Customs and Excise before the war changed the course of his life. He trained as a Royal Naval Officer and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant on HMS Honeysuckle, serving in some of the most dangerous waters of…

A Nile crocodile caused pandemonium at an award-winning riverside lodge in Zimbabwe after wandering into the building, hauling itself onto a kitchen counter and eventually settling on a lounge sofa as horrified guests scrambled for cover. The incident unfolded on Friday at A’Zambezi River Lodge, with shaky video footage capturing the moment the twelve-foot reptile strolled through the lobby and made its way toward the staff area. Diners fled in all directions as the animal launched its front legs onto a kitchen counter and pulled its body up onto the surface, its tail swaying against the floor as its hind…