Author: Darren Smith

More than 600 migrants crossed the English Channel in a single day on Saturday, pushing this year’s cumulative figure past 6,000 and heaping further pressure on a Home Secretary already struggling to secure a lasting agreement with France over beach patrols. Nine vessels were intercepted mid-Channel by Border Force boats before being brought into the Port of Dover. The Home Office confirmed 602 arrivals on the day — the second-highest daily figure recorded so far this year, narrowly behind the 605 who made the crossing on 25 February. The running total for 2025 now stands at 6,077. Since Labour took…

A synagogue in north-west London was targeted with an incendiary device late on Saturday night in what Jewish community leaders are describing as part of an escalating and co-ordinated campaign of arson attacks against Jewish sites across the capital. Kenton United Synagogue on Shaftesbury Avenue in Harrow was struck at around 10.30pm, with police and fire crews arriving swiftly at the scene. A cordon was established in the early hours of Sunday and forensic teams were subsequently deployed. The attack caused minor smoke damage to an internal room but no significant structural harm to the building, and no injuries were…

A Brazilian national who raped a 17-year-old boy after approaching him on a street bench during a holiday visit to Brighton has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, following a trial at which he was convicted on four counts of rape. Rafael Nascimento, 38, was in the seaside city as a tourist last August when he encountered the teenager sitting alone on Dyke Road in the early hours of the morning. Using a request for directions to a nearby cigarette shop as an opening, Nascimento accompanied the boy before, according to police, deliberately working to gain his trust. He…

Police in Texas are searching for a 24-year-old man wanted in connection with the deaths of his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn son, after the woman’s body was discovered in a Houston park more than a week after she was reported missing. Ashanti Allen, 23, who was eight months pregnant with a boy she had named Jaxon, was last seen at her Houston home on 8 April. Her disappearance only came to light two days later, when family members grew concerned after losing contact with her. Her mother, Trisa Gaines, who lives in the same apartment complex, received a message…

A South African safari guide who once told friends he would sooner be killed by an elephant than take a shot at one has died exactly that way, after refusing to fire his revolver during a charge at the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Gary Freeman, 65, was leading four tourists on a guided walk along the banks of the Klaserie River on 9 April when an elephant emerged and charged the group. Despite being armed with a revolver, Mr Freeman brandished the weapon in an attempt to deter the animal but did not discharge it. He was fatally injured in…

A former borough councillor and parliamentary aide who collected more than 500 indecent images of children has escaped an immediate custodial sentence after a judge handed him a suspended term at St Albans Crown Court. Conor McGrath, 29, who served as a councillor in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, between 2023 and 2025 and worked as an aide to Labour MP Kevin Bonavia, was sentenced on Friday to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. The images, downloaded between June 2024 and March 2025, included 77 classified at…

Extreme inflation and wage stagnation under President Javier Milei’s economic reforms have driven Argentine shoppers to embrace a protein source traditionally reserved for working animals, with donkey meat selling out in “record time” during initial commercial trials. The pilot programme launched in Chubut province’s Punta Tombo area represents a stark departure for a nation synonymous with beef consumption, where cultural attachment to cattle has historically defined national identity and dietary habits. Price differentials have proved decisive in overcoming initial resistance, with donkey meat retailing at approximately 7,500 Argentine pesos per kilogram compared to low-end beef cuts commanding 17,500 pesos and…

Special forces fatally shot a gunman who had taken hostages inside a Kyiv supermarket on Friday, ending a siege that claimed six lives including a woman who died from her injuries hours after tactical units breached the premises. The suspect was killed by police during an armed intervention at the shopping mall facility in the Holosiivskyi district after crisis negotiators failed to establish dialogue with the individual, who had been firing at officers whilst holding multiple people captive inside the store. Interior ministry head Ihor Klymenko confirmed that tactical teams stormed the building following unsuccessful attempts to make contact, with…

Anger reverberated around St James’ Park on Saturday as Newcastle supporters made their displeasure unmistakable, jeering their team from the pitch following a deflating 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth that saw the visitors snatch victory in the closing stages. Adrien Truffert’s late strike sparked wild celebrations amongst the travelling Cherries contingent whilst simultaneously igniting frustration amongst the home faithful, who watched their side surrender what had appeared a recoverable position after William Osula’s second-half equaliser. The audible discontent from the stands underscored mounting pressure on Newcastle’s campaign, with supporters demonstrating their exasperation at witnessing another match slip away just when…

The contrast between Thomas Frank’s warm reception at his former club and Tottenham’s desperate fight for Premier League survival could scarcely have been starker as the sacked manager emerged from weeks of seclusion to watch Brentford host Fulham on Saturday. TNT Sports cameras captured the 52-year-old Dane exchanging pleasantries with supporters from a VIP box alongside Brentford sporting director Phil Giles at the Gtech Community Stadium—his first public appearance since Tottenham dismissed him in February amidst the north London club’s alarming descent towards relegation. The timing proved particularly pointed given Spurs face a must-win evening fixture against Brighton, sitting precariously…