Author: Darren Smith

The Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, has been switched off by CERN after running its final experiment, entering a four-year shutdown period ahead of a £1.29 billion upgrade that scientists say will transform its capabilities and potentially unlock some of the deepest secrets of the universe. The LHC, which has been operating since 2008, is not being decommissioned. It will return in 2030 as the High-Luminosity LHC, known as HiLumi LHC, having been rebuilt to be ten times more luminous and capable of generating around 100 times more data per run. CERN expects the upgrade to…

The family of the three-year-old boy who was thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a Cambridgeshire zoo have broken their silence to thank the staff who rescued their son, as he remains in hospital in a stable condition more than two weeks after the incident. The boy was seriously injured at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, on 18 June, when a man threw him into the enclosure. Zoo owner’s wife Tracey Johnson was among those who leapt in to help pull the child to safety. In a statement, the family said: “We would like to thank the staff at…

The woman who lost both legs in the Monaco bomb blast that targeted Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Ermolaev was not his wife but his long-term mistress, with whom he has a 13-year-old son who was also wounded in the explosion, according to reports from Ukrainian sources. Anna Nasobina, 46, who describes herself as London-based, is fighting for her life in a serious condition after the shrapnel bomb detonated at the entrance to a residential building on Rue Révérend-Père-Louis-Frolla on the evening of 29 June. Initial reports had identified the injured woman as Ermolaev’s wife, also named Anna, but Ukrainian state media…

Two police officers who arrested Henry Nowak and handcuffed him as he repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and could not breathe are under investigation for potential gross misconduct, the Independent Office for Police Conduct has confirmed. The 18-year-old university student was stabbed multiple times on the evening of 3 December 2025, but Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers who arrived at the scene treated him as a suspect and restrained him with his hands behind his back rather than providing first aid. While Nowak told officers he had been stabbed and was struggling to breathe, one officer…

Forest Green Rovers have disbanded their women’s team ahead of the 2026-27 season, with the Gloucestershire club citing the need to concentrate resources on returning their men’s side to the English Football League. The decision, announced on Tuesday, comes despite the club’s long-standing reputation for progressive values under eco-millionaire owner Dale Vince, who has made Forest Green one of the most talked-about clubs in non-league football since becoming a major shareholder in 2010. Vince, whose renewable energy business made him a fortune estimated at around £100 million, has introduced a series of high-profile sustainability initiatives at the club, including banning…

The Reform UK leader of Havering Council has condemned protesters who attached Pride flags to the town hall’s flagpoles, saying the poles were “once again abuse-free” after the flags were taken down — in the latest flashpoint in a row over the London borough’s refusal to fly LGBT+ colours during Pride month. Councillor Keith Prince posted a video to X in which he described those responsible as “trespassers” who had “abused our flagpoles,” after the rainbow Pride flag and the blue, pink and white transgender flag were affixed to an unused pole outside the town hall on 25 June. Standing…

A ward at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was placed into lockdown in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a patient arrived showing symptoms consistent with a suspected case of Ebola virus. The individual presented at the hospital’s Acute Receiving Unit, prompting the immediate activation of infection control measures. Public Health Scotland confirmed that “well established protocols for assessing and testing travellers arriving in the UK from areas affected by Ebola” were in place and had been followed in response to the case. The suspected case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak affecting both the Democratic Republic of Congo…

Harry Brook says he would accept the England Test captaincy if offered the role, describing it as a privilege he could not turn down, as the search begins for Ben Stokes’ successor following the all-rounder’s retirement from international cricket. Stokes gave his “100 per cent” backing to Brook becoming the next England Test captain before stepping away from the role. Brook told BBC Sport: “I don’t think you can turn down being an England Test captain. It would be an honour and a privilege to be Test captain — the pinnacle of our sport. It’s not up to me to…

Campaigners are urging UK police to launch their own investigation into the case of a British woman facing the death penalty in Dubai, amid claims that witnesses present at the scene of the killing she is accused of may be holding crucial evidence on their mobile phones. Brooke George, 23, from Gravesend, Kent, remains in custody following the death of William Treeby, 26, during an incident at an apartment in Dubai last week. The former John Lewis worker maintains she acted in self-defence after allegedly being attacked. Campaign group Detained in Dubai has submitted what it describes as relevant intelligence…

A hiker has died after falling almost 500ft from a rock formation in Brazil moments after posing for a photograph at the summit of a mountain trail, with the horrifying moment captured on camera by a member of his own hiking group. Caio Rocha Aguiar Arrabal, 44, plunged from the cliff edge after climbing onto the rock formation at the top of the trail to take a photo on 28 June. Footage filmed by a woman in his group shows him standing precariously in a narrow gap on the rock before beginning his descent backwards, then turning to face forward…