Somerset drug ringleader William Free gets more jail time

Post published:December 19, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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The ringleader of a gang has been given extra jail time for supplying drugs while he was being investigated by police for other crimes.William Free, formerly of Bossington Drive in Taunton, who is already serving an 11-year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine, has been sentenced again for committing the same offence while he was released under investigation.The South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) said Free, 30, had worked with gangs in the Midlands and Essex to…

Trial date set for teenager charged with Weston-super-Mare girl’s murder

Post published:December 19, 2025
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Ross Pollard,at Bristol Crown CourtandJoe Skirkowski,BristolFamilyAria, 9, died on Monday in Weston-super-MareA provisional trial date has been set for a 15-year-old boy accused of murdering a nine-year-old girl. It is the second time the teenager - who cannot be named for legal reasons - has appeared in front of a judge since Aria Thorpe was found dead at a house in Weston-super-Mare on Monday. The defendant, who appeared via video link from youth detention accommodation, spoke only to…

US to host Qatari, Turkish and Egyptian officials for Gaza ceasefire talks | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Post published:December 19, 2025
Post category:Al Jazeera
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The United States Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will hold talks in Miami, Florida, with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye as efforts continue to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, even as Israel repeatedly violates the truce on the ground.A White House official told Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Witkoff is set to meet representatives from the three countries to discuss the future of the agreement aimed at halting Israel’s genocidal war on…

Missing hitchhiker and the DNA breakthrough that caught killer

Post published:December 19, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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Alistair Binneyin Worcestershire ShutterstockThe body of Celine Figard was found dumped in woods in Worcestershire It is 30 years since a French teenager hitchhiked to the UK to visit her cousin for Christmas and vanished. Those who were close to the case talk about the lasting impact it had on them.Celine Figard was heading to a holiday job at a hotel in Hampshire where her cousin was working as a waiter. The 19-year-old set out to hitchhike almost…

Australia PM Albanese launches gun ‘buyback’ plan after Bondi Beach attack | Gun Violence News

Post published:December 19, 2025
Post category:Al Jazeera
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Albanese said Australia has more guns now than 30 years ago, when the country’s deadliest-ever mass shooting took place.Australia will launch a national gun buyback scheme, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced, as the country continues to come to terms with the deadly attack on a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead.Albanese called the plan the country’s biggest gun buyback since 1996 – the year of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in modern…

Leader of 2024 Bangladesh student protests dies in a Singapore hospital | Protests News

Post published:December 18, 2025
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Sharif Osman Hadi was a leading figure during the uprising toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024.Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a leader of Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led uprising who was flown to Singapore for treatment after being wounded in an assassination attempt, has died, Singapore officials said.“Despite the best efforts of the doctors … Hadi succumbed to his injuries,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.According to a report by Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune, Hadi,…

Devon and Cornwall PCC pledges to fight for a directly elected mayor

Post published:December 18, 2025
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The police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has pledged to fight for a directly elected mayor for the region to protect it from losing out on government investment.Conservative Alison Hernandez said she was concerned that without it the region would "get left behind" when her role comes to an end in 2028.Last month, the government announced it was going to scrap the role of PCCs to save money and that it…

Man arrested after ear slashed in pub brawl in Bridgwater

Post published:December 18, 2025
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GoogleThe alleged assault happened at The Golden Ball pub on High Street in BridgwaterA man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after another man's ear was slashed at a pub.The victim, in his mid-20s, was taken to hospital after an altercation at The Golden Ball pub in High Street, Bridgwater, at about 23:55 GMT on 12 December.He suffered a laceration to the ear which needed treatment, police said. Officers are appealing for anyone who was in the…

‘Rise in EV battery fires’ and ‘blaze destroys family’s home’

Post published:December 18, 2025
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Jake ShortA fire service is doing a "deep dive" into data around electric vehicle (EV) battery fires following a rise in incidentsHere is our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.Our pick of local website storiesDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has announced it is doing a "deep dive" into data around electric vehicle (EV) battery fires following a rise in incidents, including one which…

US kills 4 in latest Pacific Ocean attack as Venezuela tension spirals | Nicolas Maduro News

Post published:December 18, 2025
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New attack brings death toll to nearly 100 from US strikes on vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean.The United States military said it killed four people in its latest attack on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, announcing the “lethal” strike after resolutions seeking to rein in President Donald Trump’s aggression towards Venezuela were voted down by US lawmakers.US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which is leading the burgeoning “Southern Spear” military operation in the Latin America region,…

Plymouth Jewish Community CIC begins with Hanukkah event

Post published:December 17, 2025
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BBCCandles were lit to mark the four nights of Hanukkah which have passed since the holiday beganThe lighting of a giant menorah has taken place in Plymouth to coincide with the launch of a community interest company (CIC) by and for Jewish people.The Plymouth Jewish Community CIC was founded to become the home of Jewish culture and conversation in the city, organisers said. At the event, candles were lit by Rabbi Mendy Singer to mark the four nights…

Faced with Trump’s deportation push, US teachers fear leaving the classroom | Donald Trump News

Post published:December 17, 2025
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Washington, DC – For the past two years, weekdays for Susanna have meant thumbing through picture books, organising cubby holes and leading classroom choruses of songs.But her work as a pre-school teacher came to a screeching halt in October, when she found out her application to renew her work permit had been denied.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listSusanna, who uses a pseudonym in this article for fear of reprisals, is one of the nearly 10 percent of…