Author: Darren Smith

BREAKING: Nearly 270 firefighters and EMS personnel are battling a five-alarm fire that has ripped through the First Reformed Church of Astoria in Queens, one of the oldest places of worship in New York City, after flames spread from an attached residence and broke through the church’s roof on Thursday evening. The Fire Department of New York confirmed the first emergency call came in at 6.46pm local time, to an address on 12th Street between 27th Avenue and Main Avenue, close to the historic 19th-century church building. What began as a fire at a rectory or residence attached to the church…

An award-winning chef who was once named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation has been charged with murder after allegedly admitting to police that he deliberately beat his wife to death inside a hotel room on a Massachusetts university campus. Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, was arrested on Wednesday evening after officers from the UMass Amherst Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting an emergency at the Hotel UMass, located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, just before 8pm. Upon arrival, officers encountered MacDonald and were immediately met with violent resistance. He allegedly threw objects…

The British criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson has been effectively stalled by the refusal of Donald Trump’s justice department to release key Epstein-related evidence to Scotland Yard, a delay that now looks likely to push any charging decision out to 2028. The impasse, first reported by The Telegraph, has drawn fresh attention both to Washington’s handling of the Epstein archive and to the political sensitivities that continue to surround it on both sides of the Atlantic. What American officials are refusing to do At the heart of the dispute is a tranche of redacted material, held by the US Department of…

A Church of England vicar who groomed and sexually abused multiple young girls at a youth group in Britain before emigrating to Australia took his own life last November after allegations of child sexual misconduct against him were formally substantiated, an independent investigation has found. The Reverend Kesh Govan, 50, from Bolton, served in the Dioceses of Manchester and Lichfield before relocating to Brisbane, where he became known locally as the Singing Vicar. Following his death, the Anglican Church Southern Queensland commissioned an independent review into his conduct, which concluded that he had “groomed and sexually abused multiple female children…

Ten people have been injured after gunfire broke out inside a shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Thursday afternoon, with police confirming the suspects had fled the scene and were still being sought. Officers were called to the Mall of Louisiana at approximately 1.22pm local time following reports of shooting near the food court. Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr told reporters that surveillance footage indicated the attack was targeted, stemming from an argument between two groups of people inside the food court that escalated into an exchange of gunfire. “Unfortunately, there were some innocent people in the…

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with assault after footage emerged on social media showing him violently throwing a teenage girl to the pavement and stamping on her head in broad daylight on a New York City street, after she declined to give him her phone number. The incident took place at the junction of East 107th Street and 3rd Avenue in East Harlem at approximately 3.30pm on Monday afternoon, shortly after the school day had ended. The boy approached the 15-year-old victim in the crosswalk, blocking her path and issuing threats while one of his companions encouraged him to…

A 68-year-old Somali man has admitted killing a 77-year-old pensioner and seriously wounding two other people in a knife rampage at a south London market on Remembrance Sunday, entering pleas of manslaughter and wounding with intent at the Old Bailey on Thursday. Musse Ali appeared at court wearing a grey hoodie and black coat to admit manslaughter, possession of a bladed weapon and two counts of wounding with intent in connection with the attack at East Street Market in Walworth on 10 November 2024. He denies murder and attempted murder, with his legal team arguing that his responsibility was substantially…

A man who deliberately set out to infect vulnerable young men and teenage boys with HIV through a sustained campaign of rape and sexual violence has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years. Adam Hall, 43, of Washington near Sunderland, was described by the court as “dangerous” and “selfish” after being found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm on seven victims — five young men and two boys aged 15 and 17 — four of whom he also raped. The offending took place in Newcastle between 2016 and 2023, with Hall targeting vulnerable individuals he…

Three asylum seekers who entered Britain illegally via small boat have been convicted of gang raping a woman on Brighton beach after targeting her as she walked alone along the seafront in the early hours of the morning following a night out. Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, from Iran, and Egyptians Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, and Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, were found guilty by a jury at Lewes Crown Court of repeatedly raping the 33-year-old victim behind a beach hut in the early hours of 4 October last year. All three had been staying at a Home Office-approved asylum hotel in Brighton at the…

German kitchenware manufacturer Zwilling has issued an urgent product recall for two models of its Enfinigy kettle following reports that a manufacturing defect can cause the handle to loosen or break off entirely during use, sending boiling water spilling onto users and bystanders. The affected products — the Zwilling Enfinigy 1.5 L Kettle and the Enfinigy Pro 1.5 L Kettle — were sold across a range of well-known British high street and department stores, including Currys, House of Fraser, Robert Dyas, Fenwick and Selfridges. The kettles, which previously retailed at over £100 and were available in black, silver, gold and…