Author: Darren Smith

A secondary school teacher has been found guilty of the murder and sexual abuse of a 13-month-old boy he and his partner were in the process of adopting, in a case that has reignited questions over missed warning signs by social services. Jamie Varley, 37, head of Year 11 at South Shore Academy in Blackpool, faces a life sentence following the death of Preston Davey, who suffocated during sexual abuse on 27 July 2023. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, a sales manager for a finance company, was also convicted of causing or allowing Preston’s death, alongside charges of cruelty and…

Formula 1 fans have been only half-joking this week about a “curse” surrounding a stolen podium towel, after Kim Kardashian’s now-infamous swipe of Kimi Antonelli’s towel at the Monaco Grand Prix was followed, just one race later in Barcelona, by the Italian teenager suffering his first retirement of the season. The saga began at Monaco, where Antonelli took a remarkable win at just 19 years old, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second for Ferrari and Isack Hadjar completing the podium for Red Bull, according to Yahoo Sports. As Hamilton celebrated his result, his girlfriend Kim Kardashian was seen picking up an…

Pakistan’s prime minister has announced that the United States and Iran have reached agreement on the terms of a deal to end their conflict, with an official signing ceremony scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday, 19 June. Shehbaz Sharif said both sides had declared “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” adding: “The official signing ceremony will be on Friday 19 June in Switzerland. We would like to thank the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran for their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.”Also…

Two men fled into woodland after realising they had failed to attach a safety rope before throwing a young woman to her death from a bridge in Brazil, as tributes poured in describing her as a “beautiful” graduate “full of dreams” who had shared a haunting final post moments before the jump. Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, was seen in disturbing footage circulating online being carried by two workers, one holding her legs and the other her torso as she held a “superman” pose, before being thrown from Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo, on Saturday. Although she was…

Switzerland has voted against a referendum proposal that would have capped the country’s population at 10 million, becoming the first country in the world to put such a measure to a national vote. Voters cast their final ballots on Sunday, with the result showing just over 45 per cent in favour of the cap and just under 55 per cent against. The proposal, known as the “sustainability initiative,” was put forward by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), the largest party in the Swiss parliament, which argued that the country’s infrastructure, housing, social programmes, natural resources and way of life had…

Donald Trump has publicly criticised Israel’s latest strike on Beirut, saying the attack “should not have happened” at a moment when the United States and Iran appear close to signing a deal aimed at ending the war, as an Iranian negotiator separately accused Washington of failing to prevent the strike. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran. Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was…

Former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has emerged as a leading candidate to become the next manager of AC Milan, with conversations already taking place between the club and his representatives despite no agreement yet being in place. The 41-year-old Portuguese has been without a club since being sacked by United in January following a difficult 14-month spell in charge, as reported by the BBC. Sources close to Amorim had previously played down the possibility of a return to Benfica, the club where he spent six years as a player and made 154 appearances, suggesting his focus now lies…

A senior legal executive who joked that a raffle winner could “take the virginity” of a junior female colleague, and was found to have trapped a wheelchair user against her will on a dancefloor, has been banned from the legal profession following a disciplinary tribunal. Darren Shaw, a chartered legal executive at personal injury firm Keller Postman, made the comments during the firm’s annual conference in Manchester in 2022, after a “Virgin Experience Day” was announced as a raffle prize. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard he joked “loudly” that a junior colleague was a “virgin” and that whoever won the…

West Ham have insisted they are under no financial pressure to sell midfielder Mateus Fernandes, despite growing interest from Manchester United and Arsenal following the club’s relegation from the Premier League. Shareholder Daniel Kretinsky, who is set to become West Ham’s largest shareholder and also owns the Daily Mail, told The Times the club’s priority is securing an immediate return to the top flight rather than raising funds through player sales. “We have a very credible strategy,” Kretinsky said. “We don’t need to sell the players for financial reasons. We are doing this to make sure we are promoted back…

US President Donald Trump has said a deal to end the war with Iran could be signed as early as Sunday, even as Tehran disputed the timeline and Israel carried out renewed strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs despite a declared ceasefire. According to Al Jazeera, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would “open to all” once the deal is signed, and claimed the United States would eventually secure access to Iran’s nuclear material. Iranian media, however, reported that Tehran had “not yet taken a final decision” on the proposed framework agreement, with officials suggesting any signing could instead take place…