Author: Darren Smith

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson has dismissed Elon Musk’s explosive accusations that the government blocked Starlink’s operating licence due to anti-white “racism,” telling the world’s wealthiest person there are “192 markets” beyond his birthplace where he can conduct business. Vincent Magwenya responded curtly to the SpaceX owner’s Sunday social media tirade: “There are currently 193 member states in the United Nations. Surely, there’s good money to be made out of 192 markets. It’s okay to move on!” The terse presidential response followed Musk’s lengthy X/Twitter post blaming post-apartheid rules—designed redressing historical injustices—for preventing his satellite internet company obtaining South…

A woman who leveraged her connections with wealthy and famous individuals to scam 11 people out of £4,000 through fraudulent Oasis ticket sales has been handed a 12-month community order alongside a £40 fine and compensation payments to five victims. Detective Constable David Stubbs told LBC that Rosie Slater’s links to rich and famous people enabled her convincing victims she possessed “credible access” to tickets for the band’s Wembley shows, with police investigations finding “no evidence of any coercion” as she “acted purely out of greed, exploiting her connections for personal gain.” The 33-year-old from Betley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, was sentenced…

The fractures within Donald Trump’s coalition widened Tuesday when prominent Christian activists who have championed his presidency condemned an AI-generated image the president posted depicting himself in Christ-like imagery healing the sick—a transgression that proved too egregious even for supporters who have defended his most controversial actions throughout his political career. The now-deleted Truth Social post showed Trump clothed in white robes, hand glowing as he touched the forehead of an ailing hospital patient in visual composition unmistakably evoking religious iconography of Jesus healing the infirm. The background incorporated patriotic imagery including the Statue of Liberty, American flag, fighter jets…

A Maine business owner has defended ticketing and towing illegally-parked vehicles belonging to mosque worshippers whilst playing songs including the national anthem and novelty tracks during Friday prayers, dismissing racism allegations as unfair accusations against legitimate enforcement of private property rights. Matthew Theriault, general manager of Mid Valley Motors and Leonard Heavy Duty Towing Company in Lewiston, rejected claims his actions targeted Muslims attending the neighbouring Masjidu Salaam Mosque, stating: “If you park illegally, you will be towed. We just want to go about running our businesses. There’s no racial or religious thing to this—a red Honda Civic is a…

A retrial has heard prosecutors dismiss as implausible the self-defence claims of two brothers accused of launching a violent assault on an armed police officer at Manchester Airport, with the jury told “you will readily conclude” the defendants acted unlawfully during the July 2024 Terminal Two fracas. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny assaulting PC Zachary Marsden causing actual bodily harm despite CCTV footage showing “repeated blows” delivered with “a high level of violence” as officers attempted arresting Amaaz in the parking payment area. Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told Manchester Crown Court Monday…

Convicted child sex offenders are recording bedtime stories and podcasts for young relatives at a Nottinghamshire prison branded a “paedo paradise” by campaign groups furious over what they characterise as taxpayer-funded luxuries for inmates guilty of heinous crimes. HMP Whatton—Europe’s largest sex offender institution housing approximately 580 paedophiles—operates a Storybook Dads charity programme enabling inmates to record children’s stories using props including puppets and toys, with the finished product described as resembling “a CBeebies bedtime story.” The scheme operates across roughly 100 British prisons available to all inmates regardless of offence—including rapists and murderers—though the Ministry of Justice insisted facilities…

The Iranian government has broken promises of immunity by seizing all assets belonging to women’s football captain Zahra Ghanbari following her controversial return from Australia, where she had been offered humanitarian protection after defying the Islamic Republic alongside her teammates. The 22-cap international now faces financial ruin with bank accounts drained and movable and immovable property confiscated after authorities named her amongst 400 individuals designated “supporters of the enemy” in a weekend announcement primarily targeting media figures accused of backing foreign attacks. The punitive measures directly contradict state media narratives that celebrated Ghanbari’s homecoming as patriotic whilst government officials assured…

A Sheffield United player’s romantic relationship with his manager’s daughter has entered a new chapter following a Sunday night Instagram announcement revealing the couple are expecting their first child together. Martha Elizabeth Wilder—daughter of Blades boss Chris Wilder—shared polaroid photographs displaying her pregnancy bump, baby scans and loved-up selfies with 22-year-old midfielder Oliver Arblaster, captioning the post ‘+1’ alongside a white heart emoji. The revelation prompted heartwarming congratulatory messages including from United teammates Femi Seriki and Louie Marsh, whilst Arblaster’s mother appeared disclosing the child’s gender through her comment: “He will be the most loved gorgeous boy – I can’t…

A legal settlement announced Monday will see the rainbow Pride flag permanently restored to New York’s Stonewall National Monument following a February removal that sparked fierce backlash from LGBTQ+ activists and Democratic officials who accused the Trump administration of diminishing America’s first national monument commemorating gay rights history. The Interior Department and National Park Service confirmed their “intention to maintain a Pride flag at Stonewall” under terms requiring judicial approval, with the banner only removable for “maintenance or other practical purposes” according to court papers filed as the government seeks ending litigation brought by LGBTQ+ and historic preservation groups. Within…

The question sounds absurd until one confronts the uncomfortable reality that no absolute legal mechanism prevents an American president from ordering nuclear weapons use against Iran—a procedural vulnerability that transforms hypothetical horror into plausible catastrophe whenever escalatory rhetoric replaces diplomatic restraint during confrontations with adversaries possessing neither deterrent capabilities nor alliance protections that have historically constrained superpower aggression. Donald Trump’s pattern of apocalyptic threats followed by tactical retreats has conditioned observers to dismiss his most extreme pronouncements as negotiating theatre rather than operational planning. Yet the constitutional and statutory frameworks governing presidential war powers contain sufficient ambiguity that a commander-in-chief…