Author: Darren Smith

A paedophile who used a drone to follow children around a primary school playing field — reducing at least one pupil to tears — has been handed a suspended sentence and walked free from court, despite having previous convictions for similar offending dating back more than a decade. Jeremy Bird, 48, from Salisbury, flew the lightweight aircraft over a primary school in the Wiltshire city on several occasions in September 2023, using it to track children as they played in the grounds. In one incident captured on video and described to the court, a child was followed by the drone…

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has made explosive allegations against French tax authorities, claiming officials are selling personal data belonging to cryptocurrency holders to organised criminal gangs — an accusation he made as France grapples with a wave of more than 40 crypto-related kidnappings since the start of the year. In a post on X, Durov alleged that French tax officials were leaking the details of cryptocurrency investors to criminals while simultaneously failing to address what he described as “massive” breaches within government tax databases. The claims came against a backdrop of documented criminal activity that has sent shockwaves through France’s…

Erling Haaland is facing criticism in his home country after agreeing to front a global advertising campaign for Budweiser — a deal that has drawn sharp condemnation from health campaigners in Norway, where alcohol advertising is prohibited by law. The Manchester City striker has joined World Cup sponsor Budweiser and former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp to launch the brand’s “Let It Pour” promotional campaign ahead of this summer’s tournament. While the campaign is being rolled out across 40 countries, Norway is not among them — a distinction that has done little to soften the reaction from anti-alcohol organisations in his…

Two Jewish men have been stabbed in Golders Green in what is being treated as an antisemitic attack, as a suspect who was seen running along one of north London’s most recognisable Jewish high streets armed with a knife and attempting to attack members of the public was detained by community volunteers before being Tasered and arrested by police. The attack unfolded on Golders Green Road, with witnesses describing the attacker running through the street targeting Jewish passersby. Volunteer security group Shomrim, which provides patrols across ultra-Orthodox Haredi neighbourhoods, intervened and held the man until officers arrived. Both victims suffered…

The British government has ordered all UK nationals in Mali to leave the country immediately following a devastating wave of coordinated attacks that has left the West African nation’s military government fighting for its survival and its Russian-backed forces on the back foot. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issued an emergency travel advisory advising against all travel to Mali and calling on those already in the country to depart by commercial flight without delay. “If you’re in Mali, you should leave immediately by commercial flight if you judge it safe to do so,” the statement said. Overland routes to…

Police have arrested multiple people in connection with allegations of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery linked to a religious group in Crewe, following an investigation that began in 2023. Cheshire Constabulary said officers launched the probe after receiving reports of the alleged offences, all of which are believed to involve a single woman. The arrests were made as part of a coordinated operation targeting members of a group called the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley was careful to draw a clear distinction between the individuals arrested and the broader religious community. “Today’s…

Dozens of migrants scaled the walls of the Gambian embassy in Madrid on Tuesday after being turned away without appointments, in the most dramatic flashpoint yet from Spain’s chaotic rollout of a mass regularisation programme that has granted legal status to half a million people. The scenes unfolded after migrants who had spent the entire night queuing outside the embassy were told early that morning that all available appointments had already been booked. Desperate for the vulnerability certificates needed to complete their applications, crowds began jumping over the embassy fence in an attempt to gain access by force. Police were…

A street in a California city has been renamed in honour of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, triggering an angry response from local residents who have condemned the decision as divisive and unwelcoming. New signs went up over the weekend in Westminster, approximately 30 miles south of Los Angeles, adding “Charlie Kirk Way” alongside the existing name All American Way. The change, initially approved late last year, does not alter official addresses on the street but adds Kirk’s name to the signage in what Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen described as a tribute to the late commentator’s values. Nguyen, who led the…

A Twitch streamer was struck by a car in Indiana while broadcasting his months-long walk from Philadelphia to California, with footage of the moment circulating rapidly across social media. The streamer, known online as hmblzayy — also referred to as Minister Zay or Humble Zay — was approximately 34 days into his cross-country journey when the incident occurred. A car had stopped behind him on the road when a second vehicle struck it from behind, pushing the stationary car into the streamer. The Mazda is reported to have absorbed much of the impact, which may have prevented more serious injury.…

An Indian man resorted to exhuming his dead sister’s remains and carrying her skeleton to a local bank branch after staff repeatedly refused to process a withdrawal without proof of her death, according to reports. Jeetu Munda, 50, allegedly dug up the remains of his elder sister, Kalra Munda, on Monday and transported them through the streets of the Keonjhar district of Odisha — roughly 180 miles west of Kolkata — before depositing them outside the entrance of a branch of the Odisha Grameen Bank. Video footage of the incident, reported by English-language outlet Lokmat Times, shows a shirtless and…