Author: Darren Smith

Chancellor John Healey is understood to be weighing changes to small business rates relief that could exempt thousands of firms from the tax entirely, as part of a package of measures aimed at reviving Britain’s struggling High Streets. Thousands of small businesses could be exempted from paying business rates altogether under changes being considered by Chancellor John Healey ahead of his first Budget on 28 October. The proposals, which form part of a wider package of tax and incentive measures for High Street firms, come as the cost of doing business in Britain is expected to be a central theme…

Sharifa Nicole Henderson, 34, has been indicted on federal charges after allegedly sending a series of death threats to the family of murdered Texas teenager Austin Metcalf during the trial of his convicted killer, Karmelo Anthony. A woman from Missouri has been charged federally after allegedly sending repeated death threats to the family of Austin Metcalf, the Texas teenager who was stabbed to death at a high school track meet in April 2025. Sharifa Nicole Henderson, 34, is accused of threatening the Metcalf family on at least three occasions in June 2026, during the trial of Karmelo Anthony, the teenager…

An investigation by Britannia Daily has uncovered adverts on an Albanian-language social media account offering a package described as allowing customers to fly to Ireland or directly to the UK for “4.5k,” alongside separate posts claiming to remove London ULEZ and Congestion Charge fines. Screenshots obtained by Britannia Daily show an Albanian-language social media account advertising a travel package that promises customers passage to Ireland or directly to the UK, quoted at a price of “4.5k.” The adverts have drawn attention because of Ireland’s position within the Common Travel Area (CTA), which allows for movement between Ireland and the UK…

Sultani Bakatash, 29, was convicted of five sexual offences after grooming one victim online and plying both girls with alcohol at his Bolton flat before raping them while they were unconscious. An Afghan national has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of raping two 14-year-old schoolgirls at his flat in Bolton. Sultani Bakatash, 29, had groomed one of the girls online before inviting her and a friend to his address in December 2025, Bolton Crown Court heard. Prosecutors said he gave both girls alcohol and raped them while they were unconscious. Following a four-week trial, a…

Facebook’s independent oversight board has ruled the platform was wrong to leave up AI-generated videos falsely depicting a Scottish Labour councillor and a Muslim health campaigner, warning that Meta’s protections against deepfakes are “consistently and fundamentally inadequate.” Meta’s independent oversight board, often described as the company’s “supreme court,” has ordered the removal of deepfake videos targeting a UK politician and a young Muslim campaigner from Facebook, while calling on the tech giant to strengthen its approach to AI-generated fake content. The board ruled that a fabricated video showing a Labour councillor in Scotland making inflammatory remarks about refugees should never…

The three-year-old’s heartbroken father has paid tribute to his son as “the sweetest and most innocent little boy,” after more than 1,300 volunteers joined a 24-hour search that ended when his body was recovered from Decoy Pond in Brantham. Suffolk Constabulary has confirmed that the body discovered on Wednesday is that of Noah Woods, the three-year-old from East Bergholt who had been missing since Tuesday afternoon. Noah disappeared at around 3pm after becoming separated from a relative, believed to be his grandfather, while at a playground in Merriam Close, Brantham. His body was recovered from nearby Decoy Pond by officers…

Four-day military exercises involving tanks, drones and artillery are under way in Belarus near the strategically vital Suwalki Gap, as Poland shuts airports amid mounting tension along Nato’s eastern flank. Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, has begun four days of military exercises involving tanks and drone units close to the Suwalki Gap, the narrow strip of Nato territory connecting the Baltic states to the rest of the alliance that has been described as Nato’s “weakest link.” The drills, taking place in the Brest and Grodno regions bordering Poland and Lithuania, come amid escalating tension along Nato’s eastern border, with Poland forced…

Police and trading standards officers have issued an urgent warning over a new automated phone scam impersonating the NHS, which threatens patients with losing access to their GP unless they hand over personal or banking details. A sophisticated new phone scam impersonating the NHS is circulating across the UK, with police and consumer watchdogs warning it could leave thousands of patients fearing they will lose access to their local GP practice. The automated calls falsely claim that a patient’s local surgery is “updating their registry” and instruct recipients to press a number to speak to an NHS staff member. Officials…

The Metropolitan Police has made a mandatory referral to the IOPC over its contact with Nicholas Brandram, after the banker was found dead at his Chiswick home following months of investigation into the 2017 Putney Bridge incident. The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over its prior contact with Nicholas Brandram, a suspect in the so-called Putney Pusher case, after he was found dead at his home in Chiswick, West London. The 44-year-old, a descendant of Queen Victoria and a former Army officer, had been investigated in connection with an incident on Putney…

Mayor Katie Wilson interrupted an interview to justify her decision to block city surveillance cameras, as newly released text messages expose confusion within police leadership following July’s deadly Bite of Seattle shooting. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has defended her decision to block the activation of city surveillance cameras, interjecting during a television interview this week as scrutiny mounts over her handling of public safety. Wilson, who earlier this year halted plans to connect the cameras to Seattle’s real-time crime centre, cited privacy concerns and worries over their potential use by federal immigration authorities. The controversy comes as newly released text…