Author: Darren Smith

The Reform UK leader of Havering Council has condemned protesters who attached Pride flags to the town hall’s flagpoles, saying the poles were “once again abuse-free” after the flags were taken down — in the latest flashpoint in a row over the London borough’s refusal to fly LGBT+ colours during Pride month. Councillor Keith Prince posted a video to X in which he described those responsible as “trespassers” who had “abused our flagpoles,” after the rainbow Pride flag and the blue, pink and white transgender flag were affixed to an unused pole outside the town hall on 25 June. Standing…

A ward at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was placed into lockdown in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a patient arrived showing symptoms consistent with a suspected case of Ebola virus. The individual presented at the hospital’s Acute Receiving Unit, prompting the immediate activation of infection control measures. Public Health Scotland confirmed that “well established protocols for assessing and testing travellers arriving in the UK from areas affected by Ebola” were in place and had been followed in response to the case. The suspected case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak affecting both the Democratic Republic of Congo…

Harry Brook says he would accept the England Test captaincy if offered the role, describing it as a privilege he could not turn down, as the search begins for Ben Stokes’ successor following the all-rounder’s retirement from international cricket. Stokes gave his “100 per cent” backing to Brook becoming the next England Test captain before stepping away from the role. Brook told BBC Sport: “I don’t think you can turn down being an England Test captain. It would be an honour and a privilege to be Test captain — the pinnacle of our sport. It’s not up to me to…

Campaigners are urging UK police to launch their own investigation into the case of a British woman facing the death penalty in Dubai, amid claims that witnesses present at the scene of the killing she is accused of may be holding crucial evidence on their mobile phones. Brooke George, 23, from Gravesend, Kent, remains in custody following the death of William Treeby, 26, during an incident at an apartment in Dubai last week. The former John Lewis worker maintains she acted in self-defence after allegedly being attacked. Campaign group Detained in Dubai has submitted what it describes as relevant intelligence…

A hiker has died after falling almost 500ft from a rock formation in Brazil moments after posing for a photograph at the summit of a mountain trail, with the horrifying moment captured on camera by a member of his own hiking group. Caio Rocha Aguiar Arrabal, 44, plunged from the cliff edge after climbing onto the rock formation at the top of the trail to take a photo on 28 June. Footage filmed by a woman in his group shows him standing precariously in a narrow gap on the rock before beginning his descent backwards, then turning to face forward…

A 45-year-old man has been taken to hospital in an unknown condition after being stabbed on a busy West London high street, with police arresting a 55-year-old man at the scene on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. The attack took place on High Street in Ruislip at around midday on Monday 30 June, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. Paramedics, including a specialist team from London’s Air Ambulance, treated the victim for a single stab wound before transporting him to a major trauma centre by road. Officers are awaiting an update on the extent of his injuries. A London Ambulance Service spokesperson…

Germany have been eliminated from the World Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay, with the Round of 32 clash at Boston Stadium ending 2-2 after extra time before La Albirroja triumphed in the spot-kick lottery. Julio Enciso had given Paraguay an early lead before Kai Havertz equalised for Germany in the second half, sending the match into extra time at 1-1. Germany pushed relentlessly for a winner, with substitute Nick Woltemade introduced in place of Leroy Sané in search of fresh attacking energy, but Paraguay goalkeeper Roberto “Gatito” Fernández produced a series of outstanding saves to keep…

Ukrainian billionaire Vadim Ermolaev has been identified as the target of a bomb attack in Monaco that left him and his wife critically injured, with the couple’s teenage son also caught in the blast as a manhunt for the suspect continues across the French-Monégasque border. The explosion, which detonated at around 9pm on Monday on Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla, was caused by a backpack bomb containing shrapnel including bolts, which a suspect placed at the entrance of a residential building before fleeing toward the French town of Beausoleil. The attacker remains at large, with police from both Monaco and France involved in…

Police from Monaco and France are hunting a suspect after a powerful explosion ripped through a residential building in the principality on Monday evening, leaving three Ukrainian members of the same family in a critical condition in what local officials have described as a terror attack. The blast occurred at around 9pm on Rue du Révérend Père Louis Frolla, with CCTV footage reportedly showing a suspect dumping a backpack at the location shortly before the explosion. Three people were injured, two of them seriously. Monaco prosecutor Thibault Stéphane told Le Figaro that two of the victims were in critical condition,…

The captain of Cape Verde’s historic World Cup squad is under police investigation over an allegation of rape made by a woman who worked as the team’s translator during a football tournament in New Zealand earlier this year, with FIFA having been aware of the investigation for several weeks before the story became public. Ryan Mendes, who has captained Cape Verde throughout their remarkable run at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, is accused of raping the woman at an Auckland hotel in March following a match against Chile. New Zealand police confirmed the investigation to the New…