Author: Darren Smith

Basketball legend LeBron James sparked fierce online controversy after expressing a desire to visit Israel and saying he had “heard great things” about the country when asked about Israeli NBA player Deni Avdija ahead of Sunday’s All-Star Game in California. The comments divided social media users, with left-wing commentator and former MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan among the most prominent critics. Hasan, who has frequently condemned Israel over the conflict with Palestine, quoted James’s remarks on X and wrote: “What a disgrace LeBron is.” American academic and author Marc Lamont Hill also responded critically, posting: “LeBron James just said he’s ‘heard…

An employment appeal tribunal has ruled that a Leeds mental health charity unlawfully discriminated against a Christian social worker when it rescinded his job offer after discovering his publicly expressed views on marriage and sexuality, overturning a previous tribunal decision that had sided with the employer. Felix Ngole, 47, had a conditional job offer withdrawn by Touchstone, a mental health and wellbeing charity and NHS provider based in Leeds, after the organisation discovered past statements in which he expressed a traditional view of marriage and sexuality. The appeal tribunal concluded Monday that the original judgment amounted to discrimination against his…

A Dutch court has sentenced a 24-year-old man to five years in prison for killing his girlfriend with at least 287 stab wounds after a judge halved the prosecutor’s 10-year request based on documentation showing he had “very low IQ.” Arnold Oforiwaa was convicted of murdering Jihaneve, 22, in a house on Weidedreef in the Zoetermeer district of Segert on 18 July last year. The young mother died from the extreme violence whilst their two-week-old baby remained unharmed in the property. The prosecutor had requested a 10-year prison sentence for the killing. However, the judge at The Hague court reduced…

Four teenage boys persuaded a woman to walk into a dark Newark alleyway claiming to take her for drinks before three allegedly raped her whilst one filmed on his mobile phone, a jury has heard. The 18-year-old woman had been sitting alone on a bench outside a nail bar in the Nottinghamshire town centre for a few minutes after her phone battery died following a visit to her boyfriend’s home three days after Christmas 2023. A group of male teenagers including the defendants approached and convinced her to accompany them down the secluded passage. Prosecutor Samuel Skinner KC told Nottingham…

An Army sergeant was found dead on remote land near his barracks days after being questioned by police at a local station, with the interview triggering restrictions that prevented him returning to his previous accommodation, an inquest has heard. Alex Cairnie, 30, who served with the Queen’s Royal Hussars regiment, had been the subject of a police investigation in the days before his disappearance from Tidworth Camp on 6 July last year. A bird watcher discovered his body on a hillside at Warren Hill in Tidworth on 8 July. Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner’s Court heard that following the police station…

Three teenagers who created a fake online identity to lure a man to a Kent beach before launching a fatal attack that left him unconscious from rock throws and kicks have been convicted of manslaughter. The two boys and one girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, arranged to meet Alexander Cashford after one of the group encountered him by chance in an arcade in Leysdown on 8 August 2025. The victim gave his phone number to the girl, prompting the teenagers to contact him using a fabricated profile called “Sienna.” Messages sent by the group claimed the girl…

A Christian pastor held in police custody for eight hours was released with bail conditions preventing him from preaching in Bristol city centre throughout the Christmas period after his arrest for comments about Islam and transgender ideology. Avon and Somerset Police arrested Pastor Dia Moodley, 58, in Broadmead last November on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred” under the Public Order Act 1986. The arrest was justified for speech described as “anti-islam and transgender rhetoric,” though the pastor maintains he “merely publicly shared his Christian views.” The bail conditions banning Moodley from entering Bristol city centre were later dropped after the…

Ohio authorities have taken into custody a 25-year-old man following an interstate manhunt after he allegedly drove seven hours to North Carolina to kill his ex-girlfriend and her military boyfriend as they slept on Valentine’s Day morning. Caleb Hayden Fosnaugh faces breaking and entering charges and two counts of murder following the deaths of Ukrainian refugee Kateryna Tovmash, 21, of Vass, and Matthew Wade, 28, of Hamilton, Mississippi. The double homicide marks the second violent killing of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina within six months. Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields announced Saturday evening that Fosnaugh had been taken into…

A one-year-old girl suffered a fractured femur after being pulled in opposite directions during a terrifying supermarket incident where a homeless man attempted to snatch her from her parents in Bergamo, Italy. The Romanian man has been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping of a child under 14 and aggravated assault following the attack captured on CCTV at the store. He remains in prison awaiting validation of his arrest. Doctors treating the toddler at hospital confirmed she sustained the broken leg bone as a result of the alleged assault. The injury occurred when both her mother and the suspect held…

A Green Party councillor has drawn criticism for encouraging local children to create Valentine’s Day cards for adult male asylum seekers housed at a former training camp in East Sussex, with opponents raising safeguarding concerns about the initiative. Conservative MP Nus Ghani condemned the move as “highly irresponsible,” warning there had been “no regard for safeguarding” in encouraging children to make Valentine’s cards for “single adult men.” The MP stated there was “widespread concern locally” about the appropriateness of the gesture. Anne Cross, a Green councillor on East Sussex County Council, organized the welcome initiative alongside her grandchildren, creating Valentine’s…