Author: Darren Smith

High-caffeine energy drinks will be illegal to sell to anyone under 16 across England from April next year, the government has confirmed, in a move aimed at closing a gap left by voluntary restrictions already adopted by many major supermarkets. The ban will apply to drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre, sold through any channel including shops, online retailers, restaurants, cafés and vending machines. Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson said the decision reflects growing concern over how these drinks affect children. “We know about the damage to young people: affecting their sleep, their concentration in class, their…

Body camera footage has captured the moment sheriff’s deputies rescued an elderly woman who had been trapped for more than an hour inside a Tesla operating in “pet safe mode,” after its air conditioning failed to function. The incident took place shortly after 5.15pm in Kitsap County, Washington State, just west of Seattle, after multiple 911 callers reported seeing the woman in apparent distress inside the locked vehicle. Deputies from the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office arrived to find the car’s doors locked from the inside, with the woman unable to open them herself. Officers later determined the Tesla had been…

The mother of a young Spanish woman who died by euthanasia after alleging she had been repeatedly raped has formally reported the men she believes were responsible to Spain’s Public Prosecutor’s Office. Yolanda Ramos took the step after reading detailed accounts of the alleged attacks written by her daughter, Noelia Castillo, in a personal diary handed to her mother on the day of her death. Castillo, 25, died by euthanasia on 26 March 2026, following a 601-day legal battle that repeatedly delayed the procedure while her father, Geronimo Castillo, challenged her request through multiple Spanish courts. Before her death, every…

Torrential rain has triggered flash flood emergencies across Texas Hill Country, forcing evacuations and water rescues in Kerrville, Hunt, Uvalde and Knippa as rivers surged to dangerous levels overnight. Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster in 59 counties, warning that the storm could bring even heavier rainfall than the deadly floods that struck the region a year earlier. As of Thursday morning, two flash flood emergencies remained active across the region, with authorities warning of life-threatening flooding and reports of water entering buildings in multiple communities. Kerrville, the town where the deadly Camp Mystic flooding occurred in…

Britain is withdrawing its Challenger 2 tanks from Estonia and replacing them with a new fleet of drones, marking a significant shift in how the UK contributes to Nato’s defence against Russia on its eastern frontier. The Ministry of Defence said the new drone-based force would be faster, deadlier and harder to hit than the tank squadron it replaces, as an additional 400 British troops surge into the country, taking the total UK deployment in Estonia to 1,200 personnel. The new Mobile Anti-Armour Force will combine surveillance drones, loitering munitions and one-way attack drones, technology the MoD says has already…

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with a terrorism offence after allegedly plotting to attack two mosques in London. Metropolitan Police officers arrested the teenager at an address in south London, with Counter Terrorism Policing now leading the investigation into his alleged plans, motives and online activity. The case first emerged following an unrelated incident of criminal damage to a vehicle in Sutton on 20 June, which led detectives to uncover the alleged terror plot during their subsequent investigation. That earlier inquiry ultimately resulted in the boy being charged with a terrorism offence over the alleged plan to target the…

German police shot and wounded a 41-year-old man outside a Netto supermarket in Dresden’s Friedrichstadt district on Wednesday morning, after he allegedly opened fire on officers during a confrontation. According to reports via BILD and other outlets, the man shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the exchange of gunfire, and investigators are now working to establish his motive and background. The incident began at around 8.20am, when officers responded to reports of an armed man near the supermarket. Police said the suspect, a 41-year-old Turkish national, was carrying what has been described as a musket-style long gun and allegedly fired at officers…

Three men have been jailed for a combined 78 years and six months after being convicted of gang-raping a woman on a Brighton beach in October 2025, in an attack a prosecutor described as “cynical, predatory and callous.” Egyptian nationals Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, and Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, along with Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, were all staying at Home Office-approved asylum accommodation at the time of the assault, Hove Crown Court heard. Alshafe and Ahmadi were each sentenced to 27 years in prison after being convicted of gang-raping the woman following a trial at Hove Crown Court. Al-Danasurt, who filmed…

Seven British nationals have died in devastating wildfires sweeping through southern Spain, the Guardia Civil in Almeria confirmed on Tuesday, as the total death toll from the blaze reached 13. Among those killed was a 93-year-old British woman, who died in hospital after suffering burns to around 20 per cent of her body. According to the Guardia Civil spokesperson, the wider death toll includes three Belgian nationals, along with one American, one French and one Spanish victim, alongside the seven Britons. Of the 13 people confirmed dead, eight were women and five were men. The 93-year-old British victim had been…

Brazilian bodybuilder Mailson Araujo Santos has died at the age of 35, just hours after sharing photos from what would become his final training session ahead of a major qualifying event for the Mr Olympia competition. Santos collapsed at his home in Alagoinhas, Brazil, on Monday, despite desperate efforts from his family and emergency responders to save him. Santos had been preparing to compete on Wednesday at Musclecontest Brazil 2026, a major qualifying event offering athletes a route to the prestigious Mr Olympia competition. Only hours before his death, he had posted pictures documenting his final preparations, including a workout…