Author: Darren Smith

Nottingham could become the first UK city centre to ban balaclavas, as council leaders draw up plans to prosecute and fine anyone caught wearing the face coverings amid growing concern over masked criminals terrorising the streets on e-bikes. Nottingham City Council is consulting on a new Public Spaces Protection Order targeting nuisance and anti-social behaviour in the city centre, including busking and begging. While a balaclava ban is not currently part of that order, council leader Neghat Khan has indicated a separate, smaller consultation could follow if public support is strong enough. Khan was direct about the reasoning behind the…

A Michelin-starred London restaurant has gone public with footage of a man it accuses of breaking into the venue during dinner service and stealing a personally engraved magnum of champagne it had been awarded for being named one of the UK’s top dining destinations. John Chantarasak, who runs AngloThai in Marylebone with his wife Desiree, said the man entered the restaurant at the height of dinner service on the evening of 5 June, rummaging through cupboards and attempting to open locked doors before locating and stealing the bottle from the restaurant’s private dining room. Footage shows a well-dressed man appearing…

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has poked fun at Kim Kardashian after the reality star was caught on camera taking the towel left out for him following his Monaco Grand Prix victory — a moment that has since gone viral, with the team turning it into a tongue-in-cheek video that fans have branded “iconic.” Kardashian, 45, attended the most glamorous race on the Formula 1 calendar to support her new boyfriend Lewis Hamilton, who finished behind race winner Antonelli on Sunday. Footage circulating widely on social media shows Kardashian walking past the winner’s podium area, picking up the towel that had…

A 31-year-old tech CEO who quit his job and sued for discrimination after being questioned about secretly upgrading himself to first and business class on company-funded international flights has lost his case at an Edinburgh employment tribunal, which found he had in fact been permitted to fly premium class throughout. Ben Szutor, recognised on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list for his contributions to photonics and quantum technologies, joined Edinburgh-based Skylark Lasers as a Laser Engineer in February 2020 after graduating from Heriot-Watt University. He rose rapidly through the company, becoming Chief Technical Officer in January 2023 before being promoted to…

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has shared video of a heated confrontation with a group of Knicks fans in Times Square who chanted “Free Palestine” at him and his son during chaotic celebrations following New York’s narrow Game 4 victory over the San Antonio Spurs — sparking a sharply divided online reaction over whether the encounter constituted antisemitic harassment or boisterous post-game crowd behaviour. The incident took place on Wednesday night as thousands of fans gathered around giant screens in Times Square to watch the Knicks secure a 107-106 win. The celebrations that followed turned chaotic in parts of the city, with…

People smugglers are charging migrants £7,000 for guaranteed passage into Britain through a loophole in the Common Travel Area between Ireland and Northern Ireland — the same route allegedly used by the Sudanese man charged with the Belfast knife attack that has triggered two nights of rioting across the UK. According to The Telegraph, Albanian smuggling gangs are advertising the route on social media as a safer alternative to small boat Channel crossings, with adverts promising guaranteed success. One post read: “Every day, only success. Reserve your place. Guaranteed passage to England.” Another stated: “Route to the UK. You pay…

Two Iraqi brothers have gone on trial in Germany accused of raping a 7-year-old girl who lived next door and was a friend of their younger sister, with prosecutors alleging the attacks took place on two separate occasions while the child was visiting their family home. The trial of the brothers, reported as aged 18 and 20, opened at the Essen Regional Court around 9 to 10 June, with a verdict expected in August. Both men have not entered public pleas and remain presumed innocent until proven guilty under German law. Despite the severity of the allegations, mainstream coverage of…

A man who burst into his former parents-in-law’s home with a masked gang, restrained them with cable ties and a sock taped into one victim’s mouth, and drove them to a remote rural location in a desperate attempt to win back his estranged wife has been jailed for nearly four years. Klodjan Xhepa, 28, admitted two charges of kidnap at Ipswich Crown Court and was sentenced to two concurrent terms of three years and ten months — a total of 46 months. Judge David Pugh described the six-hour ordeal he inflicted on Lukasz Saczkowski and Miroslaw Chojnacka as “terrifying.” Prosecutor…

Police have deployed water cannon against protesters in Belfast as disorder continued for a second night, while Scotland’s First Minister has warned against further protests after violence erupted across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayr — with worshippers locked inside a mosque as demonstrators attempted to reach it. Officers in riot gear faced a fresh wave of projectiles in north Belfast, approximately ten minutes from the city centre, as around 20 police vehicles moved into position and a crowd gathered near a nearby fire. Water cannon were deployed after a group of protesters dressed in black continued to hurl objects at police…

A mother killed her eight-year-old son by lacing his blackcurrant juice with prescription medication before attempting to take her own life, a court has heard — with relatives arriving at the family home to find the boy dead in bed beside his unconscious mother. Louise Cameron, 41, has been charged with murder but was found unfit to stand trial, with jurors at Teesside Crown Court asked instead to determine whether she carried out the alleged acts. The court heard that Cameron’s son Rhys, who had learning difficulties and mobility issues and had been born prematurely, was found dead at the…