Author: Darren Smith

A Ukrainian mother has been arrested and charged with human trafficking after attempting to sell her six-year-old son to a man at a pizza restaurant in exchange for £18,500, in what police described as a case that “sends a chill down your spine.” The 39-year-old woman from the Lutsk district was caught in a police sting operation after the would-be buyer himself alerted authorities to the offer. Officers spent several days documenting the crime before moving in at the moment of the exchange, arresting the woman immediately after she received the money and handed over the child. “The man who…

A significant movement of US Air Force transport aircraft toward Saudi Arabia has been detected on flight tracking websites, heightening speculation about American military preparations as a ceasefire with Iran approaches its expiry deadline on Wednesday evening. At least five C-17 Globemaster III aircraft were observed departing a key NATO installation in Germany and heading toward the region on Tuesday, according to data from FlightRadar24 and ABSB Exchange. The jets were also reportedly observed landing at Nur Khan Airbase between 19 and 20 April before looping back toward Europe. Reports suggest the aircraft are carrying security equipment, communications gear, logistical…

An armed police officer filmed kicking a man in the face at Manchester Airport told a jury he chose to use his boot rather than his firearm because deploying his semi-automatic pistol risked killing the suspect. PC Zachary Marsden, giving evidence at Liverpool Crown Court, said he struck Mohammed Fahir Amaaz in the facial region after the 21-year-old had already been Tasered and fallen to the ground. The officer said he believed Amaaz was attempting to get up and attack him again and that he had run out of viable alternatives. His irritant spray would not have acted quickly enough,…

Finnish Air Force trainee pilots are facing disciplinary action after using their aircraft to trace a series of phallic shapes across the sky during what was supposed to be a routine training exercise. Flight tracking data revealed that at least four aircraft taking off from Jyväskylä on the morning of 13 April drew the crude outlines at around 7.30am, with the flight paths clearly visible to anyone monitoring live tracking website Flightradar. The cadets, who were assigned to practise turning manoeuvres within a designated flight zone, also traced two heart shapes in the sky near Säkinmäki. Screenshots of the flight…

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…