Author: Darren Smith

A six-year-old Belgian boy has died after getting into difficulty in a swimming pool at a hotel near Barcelona, in an incident that has prompted an investigation into whether safety regulations were being followed and added to a rising toll of drownings across Catalonia this summer. A six-year-old boy from Belgium has drowned in a swimming pool at a hotel in Calella, on Spain’s Costa del Maresme, while on holiday with his mother. The child, who had travelled from Brussels to spend time on the Catalan coast, got into trouble in the water at the Hotel H Top Olympic before…

Abderrahim Fakir, 42, died after being pepper sprayed and restrained by police in Bologna, prompting protests across the city and a manslaughter investigation into the officers and paramedics involved, in a case drawing comparisons to the death of George Floyd. Protests have broken out in Bologna after a Moroccan migrant died while being restrained by Italian police, in a case that has drawn comparisons to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020. Abderrahim Fakir, 42, who ran a small cleaning business in the city, died on Sunday after officers were called to reports of him behaving erratically…

FIFA is set to launch disciplinary proceedings against Argentina following ugly scenes after Sunday’s World Cup final, in which Leandro Paredes was sent off for punching a Spanish player and several Argentina stars turned their backs during the trophy presentation. FIFA is preparing to investigate Argentina’s players and coaching staff after a brawl broke out at the final whistle of Sunday’s World Cup final, according to a report in The Times. Spain beat Argentina in extra time at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with Barcelona forward Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal to secure the country’s second World Cup…

Trevor Hilton, 75, was found dead at a block of flats in Bolton on Friday morning, prompting a murder investigation by Greater Manchester Police that has led to a 49-year-old woman being charged and remanded in custody. A grandfather who was found dead at a block of flats in Bolton has been pictured for the first time, as his family paid tribute following the charging of a woman with his murder. Trevor Hilton, 75, was pronounced dead after police were called to Hargreaves House on Ormrod Street at around 8am on Friday, July 17. Samantha Nuttall, 49, of Bradford Street,…

US Central Command has confirmed that two American service members were killed and a third remains missing after Iranian ballistic missiles and drones struck a military position in Jordan, in what officials describe as one of the deadliest single attacks on US forces since the current escalation began. Two American soldiers have been killed and a third is missing after Iranian forces launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at a US military installation in Jordan. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the attack took place on 17 July as American and partner forces worked to defend the position. Four…

Aldi will open a new branch on Edgware Road on August 6, with Olympic gold medallist Rory Gibbs cutting the ribbon and handing out free fruit and vegetables, as part of the retailer’s wider £370 million UK expansion drive. Aldi is set to open a new supermarket on Edgware Road in Central London next month, with Olympic rower Rory Gibbs on hand to mark the occasion. The store will open its doors at 8am on Thursday, August 6, with the gold medallist cutting the ribbon and giving away free bags of fruit and vegetables to the first 30 customers in…

Michael Cooper, a former Derbyshire Police detective chief inspector, has been jailed after admitting he caused the death of educational psychologist James Bane by dangerous driving, despite having been warned by a neurologist over a decade earlier to stop driving because of unexplained blackouts. A former Derbyshire Police detective chief inspector has been jailed after a blackout at the wheel led to the death of a father-of-two, despite having been warned by a consultant neurologist more than ten years earlier to stop driving. Michael Cooper, 55, was behind the wheel of an unmarked police Peugeot 208 in Etwall, Derbyshire, when…

Ram Yadav, 88, died after a leopard attacked him as he slept outside his home in Uttar Pradesh, prompting an intensified search for the animal and renewed warnings to villagers in the area. An 88-year-old man has died after being attacked by a leopard which dragged him from the veranda of his home in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ram Yadav was asleep outside the property when the animal approached and pulled him around 500 metres before his family, alerted by the commotion, drove it off with sticks. He suffered severe injuries, particularly to his neck, and was…

A man living at the former RAF Wethersfield asylum site has pleaded not guilty to assault and criminal damage charges following an alleged confrontation at a Braintree charity shop, as the base continues to be the focus of regular protests over its future use. A man living in asylum accommodation at the former RAF Wethersfield base in Essex has denied assaulting a woman during an alleged confrontation at a Braintree charity shop. Ramadhani Matenga, 30, appeared before Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, where he entered not guilty pleas to charges of common assault and criminal damage. The charges stem from…

Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, accused of playing a central role in a $300million scheme to defraud Minnesota’s federally funded child nutrition program, has been returned to the United States nearly four years after fleeing to Somalia. Eidleh, 42, was transferred to Minnesota on 16 July following what the Justice Department described as his lawful surrender in Somalia, made possible through cooperation between the FBI, the Somali Police Force, Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), and Somalia’s Ministry of Justice. Eidleh was indicted almost four years ago in connection with the Feeding Our Future scheme, but fled back to his home…