Author: Darren Smith

At least five people have been killed in a shooting at a youth facility in Stade, a town of around 50,000 people east of Hamburg in Lower Saxony, northern Germany, according to initial reports from German police and media. A large-scale police operation is currently underway at the scene. The motive for the attack is unclear at this stage, and no details have been confirmed about the shooter, the victims or whether the perpetrator is among the dead or in custody. Two suspects detained after shooting Local police have confirmed two suspects have been detained after the shooting in northern…

Rescue teams searching for survivors of Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes have made a shocking discovery in the rubble — collapsed buildings whose walls appear to have been filled with styrofoam rather than solid construction materials, prompting fury over the quality of the housing built under the country’s socialist government. A rescuer posted a video on TikTok showing himself pulling apart collapsed wall sections with his bare hands, revealing a thin outer layer of concrete concealing what appears to be styrofoam or a similar lightweight material underneath. Digging his finger into the material with ease, he said in Spanish: “Look at…

A brand new £183 million train station has opened in Cambridge with just six car parking spaces, sparking immediate anger from locals who say the decision to prioritise cyclists over drivers is a “total missed opportunity” that will push more traffic onto an already congested city centre. Cambridge South, the city’s third railway station, welcomed its first passengers after three years of construction, offering links to London, Brighton, Birmingham and Stansted Airport. Expected to serve more than one million passengers a year, the station sits next to Cambridge’s busy Biomedical Campus and has been designed with more than 1,000 bicycle…

A Polish national has been charged with the murder of a 26-year-old man who was killed “in the most brutal way” at a Bronze Age stone circle in the Peak District during a summer solstice celebration attended by hundreds of revellers. Isaac Clare-Watts, from Nottingham, was found dead at the Nine Ladies Stone Circle on Stanton Moor, near Darley Dale, in the early hours of Monday 22 June — the morning after the summer solstice. Szymon Babynko, 23, of Commonwealth Way, London, was arrested three days later and has now been charged with murder. He has also been charged with…

A man has been charged with five counts of attempted murder after a car struck pedestrians outside Marks and Spencer in Ealing Broadway, west London, on Saturday afternoon. Timir Ahmed Mohamed, 34, of Grange Park, Ealing, who was born in Somalia, has been remanded in custody and will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Monday. In addition to the five attempted murder charges, he has been charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop, failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis and criminal damage, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. Five pedestrians were injured when the car struck them on The…

Emma Raducanu has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after a scan revealed the leg injury she had been managing has developed into a stress fracture, ending her hopes of competing at her home grand slam for the second time in four years. The British number one had addressed the media at the All England Club on Sunday, indicating she was planning to take on Antonia Ruzic on Court One on Monday lunchtime, but her situation changed dramatically late on Sunday evening when a final scan delivered the devastating news. Writing on Instagram, the 23-year-old said: “I can’t believe I’m…

A viral social media trend has taken off in which Chinese users are posting videos of their pigs living in fully air conditioned barns — pointedly mocking Europeans who are sweltering through a record-breaking heatwave while facing planning rules, permit requirements and green building regulations that make fitting air conditioning at home far more difficult than it sounds. The videos, circulating widely on Chinese and Western platforms alike, show climate-controlled pig enclosures in China’s warmer southern farming regions, often with commentary that drives the joke home: while Europe lectures the world about saving the planet and restricts air conditioning, Chinese…

Two sisters were caught smiling and glancing at a camera as they were handcuffed and led to police vehicles after being arrested for the fatal stabbing of a mother of five in broad daylight in a Texas city. Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19, were taken into custody in Del Rio, around two hours outside San Antonio, on Thursday, hours after Caroline Peña was stabbed multiple times and left fighting for her life. A third woman, Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, was also arrested in connection with the killing. All three have been charged with murder and taken…

Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on one of the most celebrated careers in English cricket history, with the 35-year-old set to play his final Test at Trent Bridge. The announcement comes in the wake of a nightclub incident following England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s, in which Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson broke the team’s curfew and became involved in a fracas with Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa. An England security officer was left needing stitches. The ECB launched an immediate investigation and Stokes was…

A major police investigation is underway after a 20-year-old man was stabbed in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the early hours of Sunday morning, with Greater Manchester Police appealing for witnesses as no arrests have yet been made. Officers were called to Oldham Street at around 2.18am following reports of a stabbing. The victim was taken to hospital with injuries described as consistent with a stab wound, though Greater Manchester Police confirmed they are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. A large police cordon was established at the junction of Oldham Street and Thomas Street as emergency services worked at…