
Tourist sprays football graffiti on 460-year-old Italian landmark
German tourists have vandalised a 460-year-old landmark with football-related graffiti, police in Italy have said. The Vasari Corridorio in Florence, Italy, had “DKS 1860”, a reference to Munich FC, spray painted on seven of its archways. The tourists, aged 20 and 21, are alleged to have defaced the corridor while staying in an Airbnb with nine others, according to Carabinieri military police. It comes after dozens of Italian landmarks have been vandalised this year, with one man claiming he wasn’t aware of the “antiquity” of Rome’s Colosseum after he was filmed scratching his and his girlfriend’s name into it. The suspects were caught after police raided the Airbnb and found two cans of spray paint and paint-stained clothing in the property. In a statement, the Florentine Carabinieri told CNN: “The Carabinieri of the Operations Unit of the Florence and of the Uffizi Carabinieri Station, analyzing video surveillance footage, managed to identify two individuals who, at 5.20 this morning, damaged the very important artistic site.” Italy’s Culture Ministry said the vandalism would require 10,000 euros worth (£8,570) of repairs, with work to be carried out under the watch of 24-hour armed guards. In June a man was caught by a fuming sightseer engraving “Ivan + Hayley 23” into the 2,000-year-old Colosseum in Rome. Read More Tourists branded ‘imbeciles’ for destroying €200,000 Italian statue Tourist filmed climbing into Rome’s Trevi Fountain to fill her water bottle Tourist who carved name into Rome’s Colosseum claims he didn’t know how old it was
2023-08-25 00:55

Gunman in Cook’s Corner shooting identified as retired police officer John Snowling
The suspected gunman in Wednesday night’s shooting at a biker’s bar in California has been identified as retired police officer John Snowling. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Snowling, a former officer from the City of Ventura, died during a confrontation with law enforcement. Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said he couldn’t confirm whether Snowling was killed by deputies but said it was “safe to assume” so, local news station KTLA reports. The violence broke out around 7pm at the Cook’s Corner bar. Four people, including the suspected gunman and his wife, were killed. Six others were wounded. This is a developing story ... check again for updates.
2023-08-25 00:29

Average long-term US mortgage rate jumps to 7.23% this week to highest level since June 2001
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed further above 7% this week to its highest level since 2001, another blow to would-be homebuyers grappling with rising home prices and a stubbornly low supply of properties on the market
2023-08-25 00:26

Prigozhin's purported demise seems intended to send a clear message to potential Kremlin foes
When Yevgeny Prigozhin launched his armed rebellion that challenged the Kremlin, Western officials predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin would seek vengeance against the mercenary leader
2023-08-25 00:22

Novak Djokovic's US Open return will come against someone who's never played a match there
Novak Djokovic will face Alexandre Muller of France in the first match of his return to the U.S. Open, while defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff could be headed toward a women’s quarterfinal matchup
2023-08-25 00:19

Alex Murdaugh friend pleads guilty to helping steal from dead maid's family
A longtime friend of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has pleaded guilty to helping the disgraced attorney steal millions of dollars of insurance settlements from the sons of Murdaugh’s dead housekeeper
2023-08-25 00:00

Shein and Forever 21 team up in hopes of expanding reach of both fast-fashion retailers
Fast fashion retailers Shein and Forever 21 are going into business together
2023-08-24 23:57

Basketball's World Cup is set to begin, and the U.S. isn't worrying about pressure
Basketball's World Cup finally gets underway on Friday
2023-08-24 23:56

Ukraine marks Independence Day and vows to keep fighting Russia as it remembers the fallen
Ukraine is marking its second Independence Day since Russia’s full-scale invasion
2023-08-24 23:53

Elon Musk’s X took two days to remove account where Laura Carleton’s killer spewed anti-LGBT+ hate
Elon Musk’s rebranded social media platform X took two days to suspend the account of a gunman identified by authorities as Laura Carleton’s killer. Travis Ikeguchi, 27, posted hate-filled screeds about the LGBTQ+ community and threatened law enforcement officers on the platform formerly known as Twitter. On 18 August, Ikeguchi fatally shot Carleton, 66, after yelling homophobic slurs about a Pride flag hanging outside her Mag.Pi fashion store in Glen Cedar, California. He was identified as the killer by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office on 21 August, when a spokesperson said a review of his social media accounts on X and Gab showed extremist anti-LGBTQ+ views and intense hatred for law enforcement. Ikeguchi had pinned an image of a burning Pride flag to the top of his X account. After numerous users reported him for violating the platform’s safety standards, X finally suspended his account on Wednesday (23 August). CNN reported that the account was suspended 30 minutes after it contacted the platform seeking comment. After Mr Musk purchased the platform last year, he fired roughly 80 per cent of its employees including most of its content moderators and compliance team. Under previous management, accounts associated with violent incidents were typically suspended straight away. On X, Ikeguchi posted anti-semitic statements, followed and boosted rightwing personalities Jordan Peterson and Matt Walsh, and expressed support for anti-vaxx presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr X did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Independent. Carleton, a fierce LGBTQ+ ally and mother of nine, had faced repeated threats for displaying a Pride flag from her clothing store, family say. The Lauri Carleton Memorial Fund has been set up to support community projects she was involved in in the Lake Arrowhead area. Read More Laura Carleton memorial fund set up to keep LGBTQ+ ally’s ‘spirit alive’ Laura Carleton’s murder over Pride flag captured on store surveillance camera Laura Carleton’s killer was the son of a decorated police officer
2023-08-24 23:50

Sandwich chain Subway will be sold to fast-food investor Roark Capital
Sandwich chain Subway said Thursday it will be sold to Roark Capital, a private equity firm with expertise in restaurant management
2023-08-24 23:48

London Zoo's animals, from tarantulas to tigers, get their annual weigh-in
Staff at London Zoo got the measure of giant gorillas, plump penguins and skinny stick insects at the zoo’s annual animal weigh-in
2023-08-24 23:27