Author: Darren Smith

The Home Office has terminated its contract with the Bell Hotel in Epping as asylum accommodation, confirming the Essex site will cease to be used by 11 July 2026 — bringing to an end a year-long saga that became one of the most prominent flashpoints in Britain’s asylum housing system. The Bell Hotel became the scene of furious protests last summer after a small boat migrant and resident, Hadush Kebatu, sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. The case triggered repeated demonstrations outside the hotel and drew national attention to the use of hotels for asylum accommodation more broadly. Epping Forest District…

At least one person has been killed and eleven others injured after a gunman opened fire in Midland, Texas, sparking an ongoing standoff with police who say the suspect is now barricaded inside a building and contained. Midland Mayor Lori Blong confirmed the fatality and the scale of the injuries at a news conference on Friday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and our officers,” she said, according to KMID. Officials said the gunman has since been contained by officers, with a SWAT team called to the scene. Midland Police responded to the active shooter incident…

Former England and Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has pleaded not guilty to breaching a non-molestation order protecting his ex-wife, TOWIE star Billi Mucklow, for the second time, in a case that will now proceed to crown court alongside a related earlier breach allegation. Carroll, 37, appeared at Basildon Magistrates Court wearing a brown jacket, grey trousers and white and grey trainers, where he remained calm throughout the brief hearing, confirming his name, age and addresses before entering his plea. Prosecutor Erin Peck told the court that the alleged breach, which took place on 9 August last year in Epping, Essex,…

According to documents reviewed by Britannia Daily, Albania’s Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organised Crime has imposed a preventive seizure of more than €128 million held in the accounts of a notary, as part of its expanding investigation into the controversial Zvërnec land sales connected to the Kushner-backed coastal resort development. The order, dated 10 June, targets funds held by notary Amela Mukaj relating to three separate land sale contracts in the Zvërnec area, all dated 24 April 2026. According to SPAK, the seizure covers €110,247,134 from a contract between Artur Shehu and “Albanian Land Development” sh.pk, €10,044,684 from…

More than 70 pro-Palestine activists were arrested outside Woolwich Crown Court on Friday on suspicion of supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation, as hundreds gathered to demonstrate ahead of the sentencing of four Palestine Action members convicted over a raid on an Israeli arms manufacturer’s UK factory. The Metropolitan Police confirmed 72 people had been detained for allegedly expressing support for Palestine Action, with all remaining in custody. Around 500 protesters had gathered outside the court, according to LBC and Brit Brief, ahead of Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson passing sentence on Charlotte Head, 23, Samuel Corner, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, and…

A luxury Manchester shisha bar has agreed to surrender a macaw it kept in a glass enclosure, after a petition signed by more than 10,000 people and a wave of online criticism forced the venue to reconsider the bird’s living conditions just a week after opening. Gardens, which describes itself as a “luxury dining and shisha experience” near Manchester city centre, faced a significant backlash after videos shared on its own Instagram account showed a blue-and-yellow macaw named Rio housed in a glass box within the restaurant. An earlier clip posted ahead of the venue’s opening had shown Rio in…

Three reissued mystery novels spanning seven decades of crime writing offer readers a chance to discover or rediscover some of the genre’s most distinctive voices, from a hardboiled Chicago double-act to a poison-laced fashion house lunch and a courtroom drama centred on the Old Bailey. The Fabulous Clipjoint by Fredric Brown (Penguin, £10.99, 240pp) introduces one of crime fiction’s more unusual investigative partnerships: Ed, a teenager from a deprived background, and his uncle Ambrose, a fairground showman, who join forces after Ed’s father is bludgeoned to death in a dark alley following a late-night drinking session. Set in 1940s Chicago,…

Former professional cyclist Rohan Dennis has allegedly been caught driving while disqualified with two children in the vehicle, just over a year after he was banned from driving for five years following the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins. South Australia Police said officers stopped a 36-year-old man from Medindie just after 4pm on Thursday after seeing him driving a vehicle with two children inside. The vehicle was impounded for 28 days, and police confirmed the man would be summonsed to appear in court at a later date. Dennis was disqualified from driving for five years and given…

A brother and sister have been convicted over an attack on a group of schoolgirls in Dundee that led to one of them brandishing an axe and knife in footage that went viral worldwide — with police now admitting their initial account of the incident “did not fully reflect the situation.” Ilia Belov, 22, was found guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court of behaving in a “threatening or abusive manner” towards four girls aged between 12 and 14, and of assaulting a 12-year-old by pushing her to the ground, following the incident in the Lochee area of the city on 23…

A major crash has forced the closure of the A453 near Isley Walton in Leicestershire, blocking access between Walton Hill and Moor Lane and causing disruption for festival-goers heading to Download Festival as well as passengers travelling to and from East Midlands Airport. Emergency services were scrambled to the scene, with Leicestershire Police leading the investigation and recovery operation. National Highways confirmed there was no access for traffic to Download Festival from the East Midlands Airport side as a result of the closure, though it said other routes into the site remained open. In a statement, National Highways said: “The…