Author: Darren Smith

The organisation responsible for preserving William Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon is undertaking a decolonisation project that would see the playwright no longer described as the world’s greatest writer, amid concerns that promoting his genius reinforces the ideology of white European supremacy. Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust, which manages several historic buildings in the Warwickshire town, has announced plans to create what it describes as “a more inclusive museum experience” by moving away from Western-centric perspectives. The trust has also acknowledged that some items within its collections may contain language or depictions considered racist, sexist or homophobic, and has committed to removing offensive…

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese faced a hostile reception during a visit to one of the country’s largest mosques on Friday, being escorted out through a rear exit after being met with chants and heckling — before later telling reporters the visit had gone well. Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke attended Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, a traditional Labor Party stronghold, where a section of those present greeted the Prime Minister with chants of “genocide supporters” and calls for him to leave. Other individuals were heard directing personal abuse at him. One person was removed by mosque security before…

British families preparing for Easter getaways face fresh uncertainty after an Iranian military spokesman issued a sweeping global threat warning that tourist destinations and recreational areas “anywhere in the world” would no longer be safe — coming just days before the UK school holidays begin on 3 April. General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, delivered the warning on Friday, directing it at Western military personnel and officials. “From now on, based on the information we have about you, even parks, recreational areas, and tourist destinations anywhere in the world will no longer be safe for you,” he declared.…

A construction company that has since collapsed into administration has been fined £42,000 after pleading guilty to safety failings that led to the death of a 19-year-old scaffolding labourer who fell through a ventilation shaft covering on a London rooftop. Renols Lleshi, from Ilford, died in July 2023 while dismantling scaffolding on a roof garden on the 12th floor of a residential block at the Ark Soane Academy development site on Mill Hill Road. He stepped onto what appeared to be a covered ventilation shaft, but the covering — made of nothing more than plasterboard and roofing foam — gave…

Iran launched two ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia on Friday in what US officials described as the first known attack of its kind on the joint UK-US military base in the Chagos Islands — striking just hours after Sir Keir Starmer authorised American forces to use the facility to target a fresh set of Iranian missile sites. The attack, reported by the Wall Street Journal citing US officials, represents the greatest distance from which Iran has fired on a target since the conflict began under Operation Epic Fury. Neither missile struck the base. One is reported to have malfunctioned and…

Chuck Norris, the martial artist and actor whose name became synonymous with strength and resilience across generations of fans worldwide, has died at the age of 86, his family has announced. The news was shared on social media by the Norris family, who said they were writing with “heavy hearts” following his death on Thursday morning. While they asked for the specific circumstances to be kept private, the family confirmed he was surrounded by loved ones and at peace when he passed. The announcement came just days after reports emerged that Norris had been hospitalised following a medical emergency on…

A former Metropolitan Police special constable has been sentenced to 32 years following conviction for a string of serious sexual offences, including the rape of a child who was just 12 years old when the abuse began. James Bubb, who now identifies as a woman named Gwyn Samuels, was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday — 24 years in custody plus a further eight years on extended licence. The offences involved two separate victims and took place over a period of several years. The first victim was a child whom Samuels contacted online in 2018, when Samuels was around…

A routine request to stop vaping inside a London train carriage descended into a violent confrontation involving a group of teenagers, with footage of the incident spreading widely online and reigniting debate over antisocial behaviour on the capital’s transport network. The altercation took place on an Elizabeth line service travelling through a tunnel, with commuters trapped inside the carriage as the situation deteriorated. Video showed the trouble beginning when a middle-aged male passenger asked a teenage girl wearing a baseball cap to stop vaping. Rather than comply, she exhaled smoke in his direction, told him to leave her alone in…

The White House is actively discussing plans for a ground operation in Iran targeting Kharg Island, the country’s most strategically vital economic asset and the origin point for around 90 per cent of its oil exports, sources have told Axios. The proposals under consideration include occupying or blockading the island, with the aim of wresting control of Iran’s oil infrastructure and forcing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. White House adviser Jarrod Agen framed the potential operation in stark terms, telling Fox News that seizing Kharg would put “massive oil reserves in Iran out of the hands of terrorists”…

Two Iranian nationals have been arrested after attempting to gain entry to HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland — home to Britain’s fleet of nuclear-armed submarines — without the required authorisation. The incident took place at around 5pm on Thursday 19 March, when a man aged 34 and a woman aged 31, both reported to be Iranian, approached a gate at the base in a vehicle. Unable to produce the necessary passes, they were refused entry. Officers subsequently detained the pair after they were observed behaving suspiciously in the surrounding area. Police Scotland confirmed both individuals had been arrested in…