Author: Darren Smith

The High Court has dismissed a legal challenge brought by campaign group Sex Matters against police guidance that allows transgender suspects to request a strip search by an officer of the opposite biological sex, provided both parties genuinely consent, with the group now seeking to appeal. Transgender suspects will continue to be able to request a strip search by an officer of a different biological sex, after the High Court rejected a legal challenge to police guidance permitting the practice. Mr Justice Linden ruled on Friday that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and British Transport Police (BTP) had acted…

Reported posts circulating on social media allege a blast at the Balzi Rossi restaurant near Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow on 1 August, with claims of several deaths and injuries, though no official Russian authority or major news agency has yet confirmed the incident. Reports of an explosion at a restaurant in central Moscow began circulating on social media on the afternoon of 1 August 2026, alongside reported claims of deaths and injuries. The posts describe a blast at the Balzi Rossi restaurant, sometimes referred to as a cafe, near Kudrinskaya Square, close to one of the city’s Stalin-era “Seven…

Forecasters at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say this year’s El Niño event could rank among the strongest on record, with marine biologists warning it may carry sharks, venomous sea snakes and a host of unusual ocean species far beyond their normal range and closer to popular coastlines. Marine scientists are warning that this year’s developing El Niño could bring an unusually high number of sharks, venomous sea snakes and other rarely seen marine species into waters where they are not typically found. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecast that the weather pattern will intensify…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez shared an Instagram video unveiling his summer playlist as the Spanish army worked to remove tens of thousands of migrants who had crossed into the exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, prompting sharp criticism online alongside renewed debate across Europe over border security. Spain’s socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, posted an Instagram reel revealing what he called the “soundtrack of my summer” at the same time as the Spanish army was deployed to Ceuta to respond to a large-scale crossing of around 60,000 migrants from Morocco. At least 77 people are known to have died amid…

Chelsea have completed the signing of Danny Welbeck from Brighton on a two-year contract, bringing the 35-year-old former England striker’s six-year spell at the Seagulls to a close as Alonso’s side continue reshaping their squad during pre-season. Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Danny Welbeck from Brighton on a two-year deal, ending the 35-year-old former England international’s six-year association with the Seagulls on undisclosed terms. The move comes as Jordan Henderson, 36, also prepares to join Chelsea after cancelling his contract at Brentford. Welbeck, who scored 13 Premier League goals last season, is expected to link up with his new…

Elizabeth-Jane Ross, a 38-year-old charity worker from Edinburgh, had reportedly been seen talking to homeless people in Athens days before her body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase, as Greek detectives investigate whether she was killed by someone she knew while trying to help them. Greek police are investigating the death of Elizabeth-Jane Ross, a 38-year-old humanitarian worker from Edinburgh whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned car park in the Kypseli district of Athens on 18 July. Known to friends as Lisa, Ms Ross had reportedly been seen speaking with homeless people near the derelict site…

A Ukrainian marine drone strike has sunk a 13,000-tonne cargo vessel tied to Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Black Sea, as President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his appeal for more Western air defence systems following a Russian assault on Kyiv that left nine people dead. Ukraine has sunk a 13,000-tonne cargo ship linked to Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, in a marine drone strike in the Black Sea, delivering a fresh setback to Vladimir Putin’s war effort. The 466ft vessel went down in international waters, though all 17 crew members were rescued beforehand. The sinking came on the same…

An inquest has heard how Chloe Moffat, a 26-year-old HM Treasury personal assistant with an “exemplary” record, died by suicide the day after leaving a meeting convinced she was about to lose her job, prompting her mother to call for changes to how the department handles disciplinary allegations. Chloe Moffat, 26, took her own life the day after an anonymous complaint left her fearing she would be sacked from her role at HM Treasury, an inquest at Surrey Coroner’s Court has heard. Ms Moffat had worked as a personal assistant at the department for almost three years, and had recently…

Manchester Pigeon Rehab has alleged that contractors working for Transport for London shot dead more than 650 pigeons across the network since March 2024, with images showing injured birds and questions raised over whether the culls broke wildlife protection law. Transport for London has been accused of overseeing a mass cull in which contracted workers are said to have shot dead more than 650 pigeons at stations across the network. According to data compiled by Manchester Pigeon Rehab (MPR), at least 123 separate pigeon shoots took place between March 2024 and 2026, targeting birds nesting on station ledges or caught…

Confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak have overtaken the country’s deadliest ever epidemic, with officials warning that the virus is spreading faster than any Ebola outbreak on record. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s current Ebola outbreak has grown into the second-largest in history, after confirmed cases surpassed the total recorded during the country’s 2018–2020 epidemic, which killed nearly 2,300 of around 3,500 people infected. Congolese officials said on Friday that 3,532 cases and 1,556 deaths have now been confirmed across five provinces. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, is unfolding…