Author: James Grant

Iranian authorities have dismissed claims that a senior military figure was targeted in an explosion that struck the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, describing social media reports as “completely false”. The semi-official Tasnim news agency refuted allegations circulating online suggesting a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been the intended target of the blast. The denial came as rescue and firefighting teams continued working at the scene of the incident. An eight-storey building sustained serious damage across its first to third floors in the explosion, according to Fars news agency. Persian Gulf Radio reported that several vehicles and…

An unemployed man and his receptionist girlfriend have been sentenced for their roles in a multi-million-pound drug operation that funded exotic holidays and designer purchases whilst moving hundreds of kilograms of illegal substances through London. Samuel De Vere-Hunt, 30, received 12 years imprisonment at Kingston Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to multiple charges including conspiracy to conceal criminal property and drug supply offences. His partner Rosie Wise, 25, was handed a suspended sentence of one year and nine months. The couple enjoyed trips to Portugal, Ibiza, Los Angeles and Mykonos alongside ownership of luxury items including a Rolex…

Court documents have revealed the warm tone of correspondence between Sarah Ferguson and Jeffrey Epstein, including messages in which the Duchess of York expressed deep gratitude and affection towards the disgraced financier. Ferguson publicly apologised in March 2011 for accepting £15,000 from Epstein during an interview with the Evening Standard. She stated she would never have any association with Epstein again, describing the acceptance of money as “a gigantic error of judgment” whilst expressing abhorrence for paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children. However, emails from years earlier paint a picture of a close friendship between the pair. Correspondence dated…

UK institutions have until 29 April to secure funding for a rare 18th century terracotta dog sculpture created by Anne Damer, Britain’s pioneering female sculptor, after an export bar was imposed to prevent it leaving the country. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest has set a recommended acquisition price of £635,000, plus VAT of £27,000 which eligible institutions can reclaim. Following the initial deadline, owners will have 15 business days to consider purchase offers before a second four-month deferral period begins after an Option Agreement is signed. The 1795 work, known…

Emergency services deployed a major response to a commercial building fire in north London that has forced closure of a critical section of the West Coast Main Line, leaving thousands of passengers facing severe delays and cancellations. The London Fire Brigade mobilised ten fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters to tackle flames at a single-storey commercial premises on Regent’s Park Road in Camden following an alert at 9.31am. Crews deployed a 32-metre turntable ladder to attack the blaze from an elevated position. Rail services remain suspended between London Euston and Watford Junction, with National Rail warning that major disruption is…

A mental health trust has come under fire for training materials instructing employees to avoid using traditional terms of address when speaking to unfamiliar patients. Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at Sex Matters, a charity promoting clarity about sex in law and policy, condemned the guidance issued by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust. She described the directive as “dehumanising and uncaring to everyone” despite being presented as inclusive for transgender individuals. Ms McAnena argued that patients deserve “the warmth and respect of normal human speech when attending medical appointments” rather than what she characterised as robotic, impersonal language.…

The director of a Syrian detention camp housing over 2,000 people with links to Islamic State has reported increasingly hostile behaviour from residents following a government offensive that weakened Kurdish-led security forces. Hakmiyeh Ibrahim, who oversees the Roj camp near the Iraqi border, stated that camp residents have become emboldened, telling guards they will soon be free whilst Kurdish personnel will be imprisoned instead. The shift in attitude followed territorial gains by Syrian government forces against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this month. More than 2,300 individuals are housed at Roj, predominantly women and children who have been detained…

A multi-agency investigation into large-scale illegal waste tipping in Kidlington has resulted in two additional arrests, bringing the total number of suspects detained to three since the probe began. Officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit executed warrants at two locations on 29 January, working alongside the Environment Agency, Thames Valley Police, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and Surrey Police. A 69-year-old man was detained at a property in Andover whilst a 54-year-old man was apprehended in Slough. Both suspects face allegations of environmental and money laundering offences. They have been released on conditional bail pending further…

Anthony Joshua has returned to the gym as part of his mental and physical recovery whilst pledging to help achieve the goals his late friends had set for their families. The heavyweight boxer, 36, has spent recent weeks mourning the loss of personal trainer Latif “Latz” Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami, both 36, who died in a car accident in Nigeria on New Year’s Eve. Joshua was also injured in the crash and required brief hospitalisation before returning to the UK in early January. Speaking a month after the tragedy, Joshua revealed he has resumed training as a means…

Metropolitan Police officers have analyzed 69 electronic devices as part of one of the force’s most complex child sexual abuse investigations, leading to a former nursery worker admitting 30 additional offences. Vincent Chan, 45, from Stanhope Avenue in Finchley, appeared at Highbury Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he entered guilty pleas to charges spanning multiple locations and years of offending. The British national admitted 12 counts of taking and making indecent images of children, one count of sexual assault, 11 counts of voyeurism, and six counts of outraging public decency. The crimes relate to 16 victims, including 10 individuals who…