Author: Darren Smith

Two Fenerbahce supporters have sparked international backlash after appearing in blackface amongst thousands of fans welcoming N’Golo Kanté to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. Images and video footage circulating online captured the pair awaiting the French midfielder’s arrival to finalise his transfer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad. One individual had Kanté’s name written across his forehead, whilst the other wore a yellow and blue Fenerbahce scarf. The practice of darkening one’s face to imitate people of colour is widely condemned as racist across many cultures. However, some individuals in Turkey contend the act represents admiration rather than offence, despite its…

A content creator who filmed construction work on Jeffrey Epstein’s former private island has issued a public apology after claiming mysterious black vehicles have been stationed outside his residence for days. Nico Grigg, 19, posted to TikTok and Instagram stating that blacked-out Escalade trucks have waited outside his home daily since he uploaded footage of Little Saint James on 30 January. The post received more than 835,000 likes and over 13,500 comments on Instagram. “It’s been just three days since I posted this video of me sneaking onto Jeffrey Epstein’s Island. Every day since I’ve been home, there have been…

Criminal proceedings are underway against a 50-year-old man accused of operating an unlicensed waste facility in North Yorkshire, with the Environment Agency securing court powers to shut down the site for six months. The defendant will appear at York Magistrates’ Court on 19 February charged with operating a regulated facility without an environmental permit at Pyethornes Farm in Wigglesworth, near Skipton. North Yorkshire Magistrates’ Court granted the Environment Agency a Restriction Order on Wednesday 4 February, blocking access to the premises and prohibiting anyone from importing waste to the location. The order remains in force for six months, subject to…

A Manchester man who sent threatening Islamophobic messages to a mental health support service in the hours following a terrorist attack on a city synagogue has received a community order at Stockport Magistrates’ Court. Alexander Taylor, 34, from Wythenshawe, was sentenced today to 12 months community supervision with 15 rehabilitation days after admitting sending communications threatening death or serious harm under the Online Safety Act 2023. The court heard Taylor contacted a mental health text support service on the afternoon of 2 October 2025, sending Islamophobic messages containing threats that alarmed staff to such an extent they immediately contacted police.…

A Russian ship captain whose container vessel collided with a US oil tanker near the Humber Estuary has been sentenced to six years imprisonment following a trial where the judge dismissed his account as “extremely implausible”. Vladimir Motin, 59, was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence on Monday at the Old Bailey after the Solong struck the Stena Immaculate in the North Sea last March. Both vessels were carrying flammable goods and became engulfed in the resulting blaze. Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, who was working on the Solong’s bow at the time, died instantly in the fire. His body was…

The UK has imposed immediate sanctions on three Colombian nationals accused of recruiting former military personnel to fight for Sudanese paramilitary forces, as part of a crackdown on networks fuelling what the World Health Organization has called one of the worst humanitarian crises of the century. Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero, Mateo Andres Duque Botero and Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra face asset freezes and travel bans for allegedly deploying Colombian fighters to train and fight for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. The measures, announced Thursday by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper following her visit to the Sudan-Chad border at…

Three sisters obsessed with Korean culture left an eight-page suicide note explaining their love for Korea before jumping to their deaths from their ninth-floor apartment in Ghaziabad, India, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Pakhi, 12, Prachi, 14, and Vishika, 16, died after leaping from their balcony following days of being denied access to their mobile phones by their parents. The girls had bolted the door shut before jumping from the window one by one around 2:15am on 4 February in Uttar Pradesh. Police discovered the extensive suicide note written across the pages of a pocket diary. Their devastated…

England and Wales’ aging canal infrastructure is receiving emergency investment to combat mounting pressures from climate change and escalating maintenance costs threatening the 2,000-mile waterway network. The Canal and River Trust will receive £6.5 million in government funding to extend the lifespan of critical assets including embankments, culverts and reservoirs across the historic system used by millions annually for recreation and access to nature. Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of the Canal & River Trust, stated that increased extreme weather events and rising maintenance costs have placed additional strain on the nation’s canal infrastructure. The funding recognises the important role canals…

A complex police investigation spanning nearly two years has resulted in a six-year prison sentence for a Nottingham man who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a vulnerable teenager just as his trial was set to commence. Luke Marsh, 30, from Boughton, entered guilty pleas at Leeds Crown Court on 25 November 2025 after initially facing trial for offences committed between July 2021 and July 2022. He received a sentence of six years and three months on Wednesday after admitting two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with the teenage girl in the Kirklees area. Specialist safeguarding detectives at Kirklees…

A five-year-old boy is now in the care of his mother following allegations his father facilitated sexual abuse by putting him in contact with adult males at drug-fuelled gatherings in northern France. Prosecutors in Lille have charged ten men aged 29 to 50 following an investigation that began on 15 February 2025, the day after a reported chemsex party in the city. The child’s parents had separated prior to the alleged abuse, with the boy now living with his mother, the prosecutor’s office confirmed on Tuesday. Authorities referred the case to an investigating judge for acts allegedly committed between November…