Author: Darren Smith

Frank Carone, who served as chief of staff to former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has been arrested as part of a federal investigation into an alleged bribery scheme involving a city contract, according to a person familiar with the matter. Carone was taken into custody alongside his brother and two other individuals, said the source, who was not authorised to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke on condition of anonymity. Indictments were expected to be unsealed later on Wednesday. No further details about the nature of the alleged bribery scheme or the specific city contract involved…

The British Council has opened a new round of funding for international cultural heritage projects, offering grants of up to £500,000 to organisations in Pakistan and other countries — as the organisation simultaneously grapples with a £197 million Covid-era loan and significant cuts to its own operations. The Cultural Protection Fund, launched in 2016 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the British Council, has awarded more than £50 million to around 178 projects across 20 countries since its inception. Funded through UK Overseas Development Assistance, the programme aims to protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage…

Hundreds of mothers and babies died or suffered potentially avoidable harm because of “deeply embedded systemic failures” at a Nottingham hospital trust where leaders knew about serious problems in the maternity department but failed to act, the largest maternity inquiry in NHS history has concluded. Donna Ockenden’s major inquiry into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust found that potentially avoidable outcomes were linked to 444 maternity cases examined up to May 2025, alongside 76 newborn cases. Babies died from oxygen starvation, mismanaged labour, hospital-acquired infections and poor postnatal care. The trust had already paid out millions in compensation and faced prosecution…

France has recorded its first case of Ebola from the current outbreak after a doctor who had been on a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for the virus, French health authorities have confirmed. The French health ministry said the doctor is being held in isolation and that contact tracing is under way to identify anyone who may have been exposed. Officials stressed that the risk to the wider European population remained low. The case comes amid an extraordinarily rapid outbreak in the DRC that the World Health Organisation has described as the largest number of…

The national grooming gangs inquiry has announced that Oldham, Bradford and Keighley, and London will be the first areas to face detailed local investigations, with further locations to be named in the coming months. Oldham had previously been identified as a focus for the inquiry, with work already under way there. The inquiry confirmed that concerns about Bradford and Keighley had been raised over many years, which it said “formed an important part of the case for investigation.” In London, investigators will examine how abuse by grooming gangs has been “identified and responded to” across the capital, though the inquiry…

The body of 14-year-old Lilly Jones was found hidden in undergrowth just 50 yards from where dozens of volunteers had gathered to search for her, and only 500 yards from her family home, in a discovery that has left the small South Wales town of Blaina in a state of profound shock. Lilly had been reported missing on Saturday after failing to return from a trip to the high street, with her phone switched off — something her family and friends described as deeply out of character. Around 60 residents joined the search on Monday evening, using the town’s bowls…

West Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses after a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted while jogging at Chellow Dean Reservoir in Bradford last month. The attack took place on the footpath at the reservoir on 26 May, between 6pm and 6.30pm. The suspect is described as an Asian man in his early 20s, approximately 6ft tall with black hair and a beard. He was wearing sunglasses, a blue and white striped shirt and black shorts at the time of the incident. The assault comes less than two years after West Yorkshire Police launched a dedicated initiative to tackle the harassment…

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored his second goal of the match against Uzbekistan at the World Cup, finding the net after a trademark burst of pace that underlined the 41-year-old’s enduring ability at the highest level. The Portugal captain, appearing in his record sixth World Cup, latched onto the ball after a great sprint and finished to double his personal tally for the evening. The goal adds to the remarkable collection of records Ronaldo has accumulated throughout the tournament and his career, as Portugal continue their World Cup campaign. We will update this article as the match continues.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments on Tuesday, getting a goal in the sixth minute of Portugal’s match against Uzbekistan. The 41-year-old Ronaldo made history when João Cancelo crossed it to him and he shot with his right-foot to make it 1-0. He ran toward the bench and celebrated with his teammates after the score. His goal comes after he was criticized for failing to score in Portugal’s 1-1 draw against Congo in the team’s opening match.  Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi became the only men in history to play in six World Cup tournaments this year. Ronaldo’s…

A 15-year-old who attended school dressed as a dog, wearing animal ears, a tail and gloves, has been charged with the double murder of their parents in the Netherlands after allegedly sharing graphic images of the crime scene with classmates on WhatsApp. The teenager, who is reportedly transitioning from female to male, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning in Groningen following the deaths of Johan and Mathilda, both 53, according to Dutch outlet RTL. The couple’s golden retriever was also found with suspected stab wounds and taken to an animal ambulance. Images allegedly shared by the suspect…